If you've traveled to Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, you've seen a so-called “tilt and turn window”. If you're lucky, you've used one! Tilt and turn windows are considered the de facto window option in much of Europe.
Long considered to be a key measure for good respiratory hygiene, Germans often crack open windows to let nasty, stale air out and fresh, but cold, air in, even in the dead of winter.
In the UK German Composite tilt and turn windows are catching on. The design of the tilt and turn mechanism allows both the most efficient ventilation (directing air upwards in the room) and still allows a means of fire escape with its turn mechanism.
Year round, Germans open household windows and doors to exchange stale trapped air with the fresh outdoors.
Most German Made products have 3 or 4 seals in the frame, and these are continuous even at the corners of the windows. So a non-broken seal is maintained, which in turn is airtight and more energy efficient.
Intermittent ventilation
Open your windows or doors as wide as they will go to maximise the amount of air that can be exchanged. Doing this for around 10 minutes twice a day will be enough for most rooms.
About half of Germany's 41m households currently use natural gas heating, and almost a quarter use heating oil.
One of the most attractive features of German windows is their energy efficiency. As the name suggests, German windows use tilt and turn features to maximise natural light through the frame and maximize heat and thermal performance.
One Door Was Formal, the Other Was Not
It's obvious, but two doors might have been in place to provide separate entrances to the home, opening to different spaces. While one door may have led to a formal area, the other could have been used for day-to-day business.
The reason why the sashes were opening to the outside was, among other things, that during rain and strong winds the windows were sealed, because the sash pushed the frame. Currently, modern windows opening to the inside meet the most stringent European standards for air tightness and wind pressure.
Tilted inwards on top for optimal, draft-free ventilation. This opening position is still secured against intruders, leaving you and your property safely protected. You can leave the windows tilted open even in rain, (tilted approximately 150 mm (5.9") inwards).
It keeps the house cool and prevent the bugs from entering. Screens wouldn't help with the heat in a house without A/c. Also, as several people pointed out, the windows open to the inside, and a screen wouldn't fit in.
What Are French Windows? French windows are a very popular model and are usually hinged double-paned units with large glass areas which allow a lot of natural light to flood in. With no sliding mechanism to operate them, they open inwards or outwards but typically the latter.
After a quick look on Google, I discovered that, in fact, these glass panels are actually referred to as Borrowed Lights and their purpose is to allow light into rooms that do not otherwise gain much naturally.
Here in Yorkshire, and the UK in general, the most common type of windows are ones that open outwardly. However, inward opening windows have been popular abroad for a long time and are becoming more and more common in the UK.
A European classic, tilt & turn windows are inswing windows with a double function. With a turn of the handle they either tilt or swing in. The tilt function provides secure ventilation while maintaining beautiful views.
High-Quality Glass
In the US, houses are normally equipped with double pane casement windows. They have a single layer of air insulation to combat outside climate and excessive noise. Whereas, German design windows offer triple glazing that consists of three glass panes with two layers of air insulation between them.
The Pope's Window in Rome, Italy
While the Apostolic Palace has more than 12,000 windows in total, the Pope's Window is the most popular among them. As its name suggests, this is where the Pope stands and recites the Angelus prayer every Sunday to spectators gathered in Saint Peter's Square below.
Most German homes do not have air conditioning and while there are many factors to consider, primarily: air conditioning is highly inefficient; it's expensive to install and operate; it's not cost effective, and it's only really beneficial for a few weeks out of each summer.
Smoke Free Places
Under federal law, smoking is restricted in indoor workplaces and public places.
On average, temperatures in summer in Germany reach a balmy 16,4 degrees. July and August tend to be the hottest months with an average temperature of 17 and 16,9 degrees, respectively.
Air-conditioned offices are commonplace in Europe, but it is exceedingly rare to find AC units in homes. According to one industry estimate, just 3 percent of homes in Germany and less than 5 percent of homes in France have air conditioning.
The Germans call the regular airing of your home “Stoßlüften” and it is advised that you do it throughout the whole year. The idea behind this is to exchange hot damp air with cold dryer air. Air your home at least 4 times a day for the recommended minimum time.