A window is a transparent opening in a wall A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air. There are three principal types of structural walls: building walls, exterior boundary walls, and or door A door is a moveable barrier used to cover an opening. Doors are widely used and are found in walls or partitions of a building, vehicles, and furniture such as cupboards, cages, and containers. A door can be opened to give access and closed more or less securely using a combination of latches and locks. . Doors are nearly universal in buildings that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed Glazing is a transparent part of a wall, usually made of glass or plastic . Glazing also describes the work done by a professional "glazier" or covered in some other transparent In the field of optics, transparency is the physical property of allowing light to pass through a material; translucency (also called translucence or translucidity) only allows light to pass through diffusely. The opposite property is opacity. Transparent materials are clear, while translucent ones cannot be seen through clearly or translucent material like a float glass Float glass is a sheet of glass made by floating molten glass on a bed of molten metal, typically tin, although lead and various low melting point alloys were used in the past. This method gives the sheet uniform thickness and very flat surfaces. Modern windows are made from float glass. Most float glass is soda-lime glass, but relatively minor. Windows are held in place by frames, which prevent them from collapsing in.

Etymology

The word window originates from the Old Norse Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300 ‘vindauga’, from ‘vindr – wind’ and ‘auga – eye’, i.e. "wind eye". In Norwegian Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants (see Danish language) Nynorsk Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of the two official written languages in Norway, the other being Bokmål. Just above 10% of the Norwegian population use Nynorsk as their primary written language. In Norwegian, Nynorsk also often covers the modern Norwegian dialects, upon which the standard language is based and Icelandic Icelandic ( íslenska ) is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese the Old Norse form has survived to this day (in Icelandic only as a less used synonym to gluggi), in Swedish Swedish ( svenska ) is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands. It is to a considerable extent mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with Danish (see especially "Classification"). Along the word vindöga remains as a term for a hole through the roof of a hut, and in the Danish language ‘vindue’ and Norwegian Bokmål Bokmål is the more commonly used of the two Norwegian written standard languages, the other being Nynorsk. Bokmål is used by 85-90% of the population in Norway, regardless of dialect, and is the standard most commonly taught to foreign students of the Norwegian language ‘vindu’, the direct link to ‘eye’ is lost, just like for 'window'. The Danish (but not the Bokmål) word is pronounced fairly similar to window.

Window is first recorded in the early 13th century, and originally referred to an unglazed hole in a roof. Window replaced the Old English Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century. What survives through writing represents primarily the literary register of Anglo-Saxon ‘eagþyrl’, which literally means ‘eye-hole,’ and ‘eagduru’ ‘eye-door’. Many Germanic languages however adopted the Latin word ‘fenestra’ to describe a window with glass, such as standard A standard language is a particular variety of a language that has prestige within a speech community. Although it will often be originally based on the language of a particular geographical area, such as a capital city or cultural centre, a standard cuts across regional linguistic boundaries to become a general means of communication. The Swedish Swedish ( svenska ) is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands. It is to a considerable extent mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with Danish (see especially "Classification"). Along ‘fönster’, or German German (Deutsch, [ˈdɔʏtʃ] ) is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Globally, German is spoken by approximately 120 million native speakers and also by about 80 million non-native speakers ‘Fenster’. The use of window in English is probably due to the Scandinavian influence on the English language by means of loanwords By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept, whereby it is the meaning or idiom that is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort, while calque is a loanword from French during the Viking Age Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the eighth to eleventh centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, and Anatolia. Additionally, there is. In English the word fenester was used as a parallel until the mid-1700s and fenestration is still used to describe the arrangement of windows within a façade A facade or façade is generally one side of the exterior of a building, especially the front, but also sometimes the sides and rear. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face".

From Webster's 1828 Dictionary: Window, n. [ G. The vulgar pronunciation is windor, as if from the Welsh gwyntdor, wind-door.]^[1]

History

Primitive windows were just holes in a wall. Later, windows were covered with animal hide, cloth, or wood. Shutters A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails . Set within this frame can be louvers (both operable or fixed, horizontal or vertical), solid panels, fabric, glass and most any other item that can be mounted within a frame. Shutters may be employed for a variety of that could be opened and closed came next. Over time, windows were built that both protected the inhabitants from the elements and transmitted light: mullioned glass windows, which joined multiple small pieces of glass with leading Lead is a main-group element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air. Lead has a shiny chrome-silver luster when it is melted into a, paper Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets windows, flattened pieces of translucent animal horn, and plates of thinly sliced marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. It is commonly used for sculpture and as a building material. The Romans were the first to use glass for windows. In Alexandria ca. 100 AD, cast glass windows, albeit with poor optical properties, began to appear. Mullioned glass windows were the windows of choice among European Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus region (Specification of borders) and the Black Sea to the southeast. Europe is bordered by the well-to-do, whereas paper windows were economical and widely used in ancient China China is seen variously as an ancient civilization extending over a large area in East Asia, a nation and/or a multinational entity, Korea Korea (Korean: 한국 "Hanguk" [ˌhanˈkuːk—]-South and North Korea, rsp. ) is a territory of East Asia that was formerly unified under one state, but now divided into two separate states and a region in northeastern Asia. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it is bordered by China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is and Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is. In England The area now called England has been settled by people of various cultures for about 35,000 years, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant, glass became common in the windows of ordinary homes only in the early 17th century whereas windows made up of panes of flattened animal horn^{[citation needed]} were used as early as the 14th century in Northern Britain. Modern-style floor-to-ceiling windows became possible only after the industrial glass making Glass generally refers to hard, brittle, transparent material, such as those used for windows, many bottles, or eyewear. Examples of such solid materials include, but are not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, isinglass , or aluminium oxynitride. In the technical sense, glass is an inorganic product of process was perfected.

Types of windows

Double-hung sash window

This sash window A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntin bars. Although any window with this style of glazing is technically "a sash", the term is used almost exclusively to refer to windows where the is the traditional style of window in the USA, and many other places that were formerly colonized by the UK, with two parts (sashes) that overlap slightly and slide up and down inside the frame. The two parts are not necessarily the same size. Nowadays, most new double-hung sash windows use spring balances to support the sashes, but traditionally, counterweights held in boxes on either side of the window were used. These were and are attached to the sashes using pulleys of either braided cord or, later, purpose-made chain. Double-hung sash windows were traditionally often fitted with shutters A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails . Set within this frame can be louvers (both operable or fixed, horizontal or vertical), solid panels, fabric, glass and most any other item that can be mounted within a frame. Shutters may be employed for a variety of. Sash windows may be fitted with simplex In geometry, a simplex is a generalization of the notion of a triangle or tetrahedron to arbitrary dimension. Specifically, an n-simplex is an n-dimensional polytope which is the convex hull of its n + 1 vertices. For example, a 2-simplex is a triangle, a 3-simplex is a tetrahedron, and a 4-simplex is a pentachoron. A single point may be hinges A hinge is a type of bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation. Hinges may be made of flexible material or of moving components. In biology, many joints function as hinges which allow the window to be locked into hinges on one side, while the rope on the other side is detached, allowing the window to be opened for escape or cleaning.

Single-hung sash window

One sash is movable (usually the bottom one) and the other fixed. This is the earlier form of sliding sash window, and is also cheaper.

Horizontal sliding sash window

Has two or more sashes that overlap slightly but slide horizontally within the frame. In the UK, these are sometimes called Yorkshire Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised sash windows, presumably because of their traditional use in that county.

Casement window

A window with a hinged sash that swings in or out like a door comprising either a side-hung, top-hung (also called "awning window"; see below), or occasionally bottom-hung sash or a combination of these types, sometimes with fixed panels on one or more sides of the sash. In the USA these are usually opened using a crank, but in parts of Europe they tend to use projection friction stays and espagnolette An espagnolette is a locking device, normally mounted on the frame of a French door or casement window, with a handle or knob at about three of four feet above the floor which rotates a round bar with hooks at the ends into sockets at the head and sill of the opening. This type of lock is often used on a semi-trailer truck to fasten the rear doors locking. Formerly, plain hinges were used with a casement stay. Handing Handing is the method of determining how a door swings. Doors are either "right handed" or "left handed". A physical door that opens and closes, such as exterior and interior doors within a building, are normally attached to a jamb with hinges applies to casement windows to determine direction of swing. The casement window is the dominant type now found in the UK and parts of Europe.

Awning window

An awning window is a casement window that is hung horizontally, hinged A hinge is a type of bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation. Hinges may be made of flexible material or of moving components. In biology, many joints function as hinges on top, so that it swings outward like an awning An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tightly over a light structure of aluminium, iron or steel, possibly wood or transparent material . The configuration of.

Hopper window

A hopper window is a bottom hung casement window that opens similar to a draw bridge typically opening to the outside.

Tilt and slide window

A window (more usually a door-sized window) where the sash tilts inwards at the top and then slides horizontally behind the fixed pane.

Tilt and turn window

A window which can either tilt inwards at the top, or can open inwards hinged at the side.

Transom window

A window above a door; in an exterior door the transom In early Gothic ecclesiastical work, transoms are only found in belfry unglazed windows or spire lights, where they were deemed necessary to strengthen the mullions in the absence of the iron stay bars, which in glazed windows served a similar purpose. In the later Gothic, and more especially the Perpendicular Period, the introduction of transoms window is often fixed, in an interior door it can open either by hinges at top or bottom, or rotate on hinges. It provided ventilation before forced air heating and cooling. A fan-shaped transom is known as a fanlight, especially in the British Isles.

Jalousie window

Also known as a louvered A louver or louvre (British English), from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal or, less often, vertical slats, that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise. The angle of the slats may be adjustable, usual in blinds and windows, or fixed window, the jalousie window A jalousie window is a window which consists of parallel glass, acrylic, or wooden louvers set in a frame. The louvers are locked together onto a track, so that they may be tilted open and shut in unison, to control airflow through the window. They are usually controlled by a crank mechanism consists of parallel slats of glass or acrylic Poly (PMMA) is a transparent thermoplastic, often used as a light or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. Chemically, it is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate. The material was developed in 1928 in various laboratories, and was first brought to market in 1933 by Rohm and Haas Company, under the trademark Plexiglas. It has since been that open and close like a Venetian blind, usually using a crank or a lever. They are used extensively in tropical architecture. A jalousie door is a door with a jalousie window.

Clerestory window

A window set in a roof A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous structure or high in a wall, used for daylighting Daylighting is the practice of placing windows or other openings and reflective surfaces so that during the day natural light provides effective internal lighting. Particular attention is given to daylighting while designing a building when the aim is to maximize visual comfort or to reduce energy use. Energy savings can be achieved either from.

Skylight

A flat or slope window used for daylighting, built into a roof structure that is out of reach.

Roof window

A sloped window used for daylighting Daylighting is the practice of placing windows or other openings and reflective surfaces so that during the day natural light provides effective internal lighting. Particular attention is given to daylighting while designing a building when the aim is to maximize visual comfort or to reduce energy use. Energy savings can be achieved either from, built into a roof structure that is within reach.

Roof lantern

A roof lantern is a multi-paned glass structure, resembling a small building, built on a roof for day or moon light. Sometimes includes an additional clerestory. May also be called a cupola.

Bay window

A multi-panel window, with at least three panels set at different angles to create a protrusion from the wall line.

Oriel window

A window with many panels. It is most often seen in Tudor-style houses and monasteries. An oriel window projects from the wall and does not extend to the ground. Oriel windows originated as a form of porch. They are often supported by brackets or corbels. Buildings in the Gothic Revival style often have oriel windows.

Thermal window

Thermal, or Diocletian, windows are large semicircular windows (or niches) which are usually divided into three lights (window compartments) by two vertical mullions. The central compartment is often wider than the two side lights on either side of it.

Fixed window

A window that cannot be opened, whose function is limited to allowing light to enter (Unlike an unfixed window, which can open and close). Clerestory windows are often fixed. Transom windows may be fixed or operable.

Picture window

A very large fixed window in a wall, typically without glazing bars, or glazed with only perfunctory glazing bars near the edge of the window. Picture windows are intended to provide an unimpeded view, as if framing a picture.

Multi-lit window

A window glazed with small panes of glass separated by wooden or lead "glazing bars", or "muntins", arranged in a decorative "glazing pattern" often dictated by the architectural style at use. Due to the historic unavailability of large panes of glass, this was the prevailing style of window until the beginning of the twentieth century, and is traditionally still used today.

Emergency exit/egress window

A window big enough and low enough so that occupants can escape through the opening in an emergency, such as a fire. In the United States, exact specifications for emergency windows in bedrooms are given in many building codes. Vehicles, such as buses and aircraft, frequently have emergency exit windows as well.^[2]

Stained glass window

A window composed of pieces of colored glass, transparent or opaque, frequently portraying persons or scenes. Typically the glass in these windows is separated by lead glazing bars. Stained glass windows were popular in Victorian houses and some Wrightian houses, and are especially common in churches.

French window

A French window, also known as a French door is really a type of door, but one which has one or more panes of glass set into the whole length of the door, meaning it also functions as a window. In Italy they are very common, usually overlooking a terrace, known as portafinestra (door-window).

Technical terms

In insulated glass production, the term "lite", or "light", refers to a glass pane, several of which may be used to construct the final window product. For example, a sash unit, consisting of at least one sliding glass component, is typically composed of two lites, while a fixed window is composed of one lite. The terms "single-light", "double-light" etc refer to the number of these glass panes in a window.

The lites in a window sash are divided horizontally and vertically by narrow strips of wood or metal called muntins. More substantial load bearing or structural vertical dividers are called mullions, with the corresponding horizontal dividers referred to as transoms.

In the United States, the term replacement window means a framed window designed to slip inside the original window frame from the inside after the old sashes are removed. In Europe, however, it usually means a complete window including a replacement outer frame.

The U.S., term new construction window means a window with a nailing fin designed to be inserted into a rough opening from the outside before applying siding and inside trim. A nailing fin is a projection on the outer frame of the window in the same plane as the glazing, which overlaps the prepared opening, and can thus be 'nailed' into place.

In the UK and mainland Europe, windows in new-build houses are usually fixed with long screws into expanding plastic plugs in the brickwork. A gap of up to 13mm is left around all four sides, and filled with expanding polyurethane foam. This makes the window fixing weatherproof but allows for expansion due to heat.

A beam over the top of a window is known as the lintel or transom.

In the US, the NRFC Window Label lists the following terms:

• Thermal transmittance (U-factor). Best values are around U-0.15 (equal to 0.8 W/m2/K).
• Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) (ratio of solar heat (infrared) passing through the glass to incident solar heat)
• Visible transmittance (VT) (ratio of transmitted visible light divided by incident visible light)
• Air Leakage (AL) (Measured in cubic foot per minute per linear foot of crack between sash and frame)
• Condensation Resistance (CR) (Measured between 1 and 100. The higher the number, the higher the resistance of the formation of condensation.) ^[3]

Window construction

Windows can be a significant source of heat transfer.^[4] Therefore, insulated glazing units consist of two or more panes to reduce the transfer of heat.

Grids or Muntins

These are the decorative, usually wood pieces that separate a larger pane into smaller segments. The muntins are generally held to the window frame using a pin of some sort.

Frame and sash construction

Frames and sashes can be made of the following materials:

* Vinyl and fiberglass frames perform well in accelerated weathering tests. Because vinyl is not as strong as other materials, some vinyl frames are reinforced with metal or composite materials to improve their structural strength.

** Modern metal window frames are typically separated by a thermal break made of a non-conducting material. This greatly increases thermal resistance, while retaining virtually all of the structural strength.

Composites may combine materials to obtain aesthetics of one material with the functional benefits of another.

Glazing and filling

Low-emissivity coated panes reduce heat transfer by radiation, which, depending on which surface is coated, helps prevent heat loss (in cold climates) or heat gains (in warm climates).

High thermal resistance can be obtained by evacuating or filling the insulated glazing units with gases such as argon or krypton, which reduces conductive heat transfer due to their low thermal conductivity. Performance of such units depends on good window seals and meticulous frame construction to prevent entry of air and loss of efficiency.

Modern double-pane and triple-pane windows often include one or more low-e coatings to reduce the window's U-factor. In general, soft-coat low-e coatings tend to result in a lower solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) than hard-coat low-coatings.

Modern windows are usually glazed with one large sheet of glass per sash, while windows in the past were glazed with multiple panes separated by "glazing bars", or "muntins", due to the unavailability of large sheets of glass. Today, glazing bars tend to be decorative, separating windows into small panes of glass even though larger panes of glass are available, generally in a pattern dictated by the architectural style at use. Glazing bars are typically wooden, but occasionally lead glazing bars soldered in place are used for more intricate glazing patterns.

Other construction details

Many windows have movable window coverings such as blinds or curtains to keep out light, provide additional insulation, or ensure privacy. Windows allow natural light to enter, but too much can have negative effects such as glare and heat gain. Additionally, while windows allow the user to see the outside, there needs to be a way to maintain privacy on in the inside.^[5] Window coverings are practical accommodations for these issues.

Windows and the sun

Sun incidence angle

Historically, windows are designed with surfaces parallel to vertical building walls. Such a design allows considerable solar light and heat penetration due to the most commonly occurring incidence of sun angles. In passive solar building design, an extended eave is typically used to control the amount of solar light and heat entering the window(s).

An alternate method would be to calculate a more optimum angle for mounting windows which accounts for summer sun load minimization, with consideration of the actual latitude of the particular building. An example where this process has been implemented is the Dakin Building, Brisbane, California; much of the fenestration has been designed to reflect summer heat load and assist in preventing summer interior over-illumination and glare, by designing window canting to achieve a near 45 degree angle.

Solar window

Photovoltaïc windows not only provide a clear view and illuminate rooms, but also use sunlight to efficiently help generate electricity for the building.^[6] In most cases, translucent photovoltaïc cells are used.

Window coverings

A window covering is a shading or screening device that can be used for multiple purposes. For example, some window coverings are used to control solar heat gain and glare. Typically, there are external shading devices and internal shading devices.^[7]

For high-rise buildings, smart glass can be used as an alternative.

See also

Notes

1. ^ "1828 Webster". Foundation for AHA. October 16, 2009. http://www.1828-dictionary.com/d/search/word,window. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
2. ^ U.S. Dept. of Transportation: Safety information for bus/motorcoach passengers
3. ^ NRC Heat Loss Fact Sheet
4. ^ Carmody, J., Selkowitz, S., Lee, E. S., Arasteh, D., & Willmert, T. (2004). Window Systems for High-Performance Buildings. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
5. ^ Howell, Sandra C. (1976). Designing for the Elderly; Windows. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture. Design Evaluation Project.
6. ^ MIT opens new 'window' on solar energy
7. ^ Beckett, H. E., & Godfrey, J. A. (1974). Windows: Performance, design and installation. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

External links

• Understanding Energy Efficient Windows -- Fine Homebuilding
• Windows that Perform Better than Walls -- Green Building Advisor
• Roman Glass from Metropolitan Museum of Art
• National Fenestration Rating Council
• The history of Metal Window

Categories: Windows | Architectural elements | Glass

See Also:

• Microsoft Windows: Encyclopedia
• Computers: Software: Shareware: Windows: Internet: Clients: WWW: Browsers: Directory
• Computers: Software: Shareware: Windows: Internet: Clients: WWW: Browsers: Add-ons: Directory
• Computers: Software: Shareware: Windows: Internet: Clients: WWW: Browsers: Plug-ins: Directory
• Computers: Software: Shareware: Windows: Internet: Clients: WWW: Browsers: Add-ons: Bookmark Managers: Directory

What Links Here:

Recently Viewed Pages:

• Home
• Web Browser: Blogs
• Computers: Software: Internet: Clients: WWW: Browsers: Firefox: Directory
• Universal Edit Button: Blogs
• Cascading Style Sheets: News
• Encyclopedia: Konqueror
• Computers: Software: Internet: Clients: WWW: Browsers: Internet Explorer: Directory
• World Wide Web: Encyclopedia
• Web Page: Encyclopedia
• Safari (Web Browser): Encyclopedia

Most Popular Pages:

• Cascading Style Sheets: News
• Web Browser: Blogs
• Encyclopedia: Konqueror
• NPAPI
• Referrers
• Midori (Browser)
• Window: Web Search
• File Fippo Download: Videos
• Downloads
• Midori (Browser): Videos

Related 'Window' Searches: