Hardware Solutions for Roto Aluvision at BAU 2023

Ambitious architects often design freeform façades and building elements made from aluminum. To ensure the opening elements always meet the requirements for thermal insulation, operating safety, and user comfort, aluminum specialists at Roto are constantly developing innovative hardware solutions. At BAU, Roto presented new products and concepts that guarantee the insulation and operability of windows even with non-standard formats or requirements.

Together with the team of Roto Object Business, Roto Aluvision developed a special Turn-Only hinge side for façade specialist Dobler in 2022. This is designed so that, after undoing the safety screws on the bottom pivot rest and the top Turn-Only hinge, the bolts can be pulled out as necessary. This makes it much safer when dismantling sashes, even when they are hard to access and cannot be opened fully. This hardware configuration was developed for the “FOUR Frankfurt” project, a new district in the center of Frankfurt.

“The unique façades of these high-rise buildings incorporate more than 70 different aluminum profiles. Many of them were designed by Schüco specifically for this project,” explains Matthias Nagat, Head of Sales and Product Management at Roto Aluvision. “We are proud to have played our part in uniting innovative architecture with safety, quality, and functionality.”

Around the world, demand is growing for Turn-Only windows for commercial buildings with an opening that can be restricted. At BAU, Roto showcased the “ELA” opening restrictor, which is fully concealed and simple to use. ELA enables a sash to stop at a freely defined opening width, locking through a single handle movement. The window sash can be unlocked with a key on the TiltFirst handle and the turn restrictor can be disabled by turning the handle to 180°.

The design engineers at Roto Aluvision see more window designs featuring obtuse and acute angles. Consequently, they have been grappling with the question of how to guarantee full functionality and sealing of these sashes. Their solution is a flexible special corner drive that can control the Tilt&Turn or the Tilt-Only function. Since this adapts to the window shape in a way that facilitates circumferential locking points, unique window designs can still achieve proper sealing.

The special corner drive, which premiered at BAU in Munich, can be coupled with “Roto AL” and “Roto AL Designo” and is easy to install. Once the corner drive has been pushed into the profile, it is secured with four piercing screws.

Project solutions like this arise when customers send enquiries to Roto Object Business. The advisors provide support to façade and window manufacturers, system suppliers, architects, and inventors for designing and developing innovative building elements. In consultation with the Roto Aluvision design engineers, they assess the technical feasibility of window elements with complex requirements.

Inside the specially set up Roto Aluvision advice center at BAU in Munich, visitors had the opportunity to discover a range of hardware solutions for aluminum window constructions and learn about Roto Object Business. Jordi Nadal, Managing Director of Roto Aluvision, was delighted with how it was received: “After a few years without any trade fairs, we were excited to see how the visitors would react to the new Aluvision products on display. We are really pleased with the response, and we are encouraged by the inquiries we’ve received. Aluminum façades remain a creative area of construction, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to help our customers make innovative opening elements a reality.”