There are many valuable benefits of window walls in your home. Whether the benefits are mental, physical, or experiential, they are definitely worth considering when you design your home.  No to mention, window walls are inspiring!

From enhanced views and improved indoor/outdoor connection to improved health, happiness, and return on investment – these benefits provide valuable returns over the life of a project.

1. Better Access to Natural Daylight

One of the most obvious benefits of window walls in your home is the abundance of natural daylight.

Natural Daylighting Reduces Lighting Loads

Instead of relying on artificial lights that draw electricity from the power company, using sunlight to do the same thing is a great way to save money and make your spaces feel open.

Typical windows do let in natural light but with larger window walls, even more natural light shines through and filters light deeper into interior spaces than smaller windows can.

Better lighting, extending farther into interior spaces, lets you use fewer light fixtures during the day and will help reduce your lighting loads and ultimately your utility bills.

2. Connection to the Outdoors & Enhancing Views

Other nice benefits of window walls in the home is the connection and views to the outdoors.

Better Views to the Outdoors

Windows provide a way to let us see out of our homes. Window walls give us an expanded view, often panoramic, and provide stunning sights of the surrounding landscape and environment.

Whether you live in the urban environment or the countryside, large window walls can often overlook many amazing sights. They give us the opportunity to highlight key landscape features or views of the mountains of scenery in the distance.

3. Passive Heating in Winter Months

The downside of window walls letting in a lot of light is that they can also potentially let in a lot of heat.

If you plan ahead of time to use large window walls in your home, having the ability to let in sunlight can be a very good thing in cold winter months as long as you also implement ways to block the solar gain in the summer.

In cold winter months, natural (passive) heat gain is a plus.

Using the sun’s energy to help heat your home can help reduce your energy bills because you’re relying less on the mechanical system.

Not only is solar gain a potential natural source of heat, it also is a welcoming delight to feel the warmth on your skin when you’re all bundled up for months at a time.

4. Illusion of Larger Spaces

A lesser known benefit, but just as impactful is that sliding glass walls make spaces feel larger. With large expanses of glass that go floor to ceiling, window walls give the illusion of more space.

Large glass openings are less confining than solid walls and help open up the spaces to the outdoors. It almost seems like the room doesn’t have a boundary and that it just spills out to the exterior.

5. Customizable To Your Needs

Another benefit of window walls is that they can be customized to fit your needs and wants.

With the proper structure, window walls can be sized to fit almost any opening. The only limitation is the size of the glass. The way window wall openings are divided can be dimensioned and customized to fit your preferences and design goals.

And having larger expanses of glass going floor to ceiling eliminates the need to frame out partial walls above and below traditionally-sized windows.

They also come in a variety of materials – fiberglass, wood, aluminum, steel.

They have various options for customization – various frame profiles, depths, and options for fixed glass, and operable window or door inserts.

They also have various performance options to choose from – thermally broken systems, low-E & high performing glazing, and others with acoustical properties.

And lastly, window walls also come in various finishes to compliment your design style.

6. Integral to the Modern Home Aesthetic

Glass window walls are one of the most defining characteristics of modern residential architecture.

Modern architecture is characterized by a simple material palette – Steel, wood, glass, sheetrock. And clean, open, and light-filled spaces – all of which can be achieved through good window wall design.

Floor to ceiling window walls provide an abundance of light and openness to spaces and typically eliminate the need for decorative ornate trim work around smaller punched windows.