Architecture and Inspiration

Modern living spaces with ground-floor commercial spaces surrounded by a solar building envelope

The 5-storey residential building with surrounding balconies and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) contributes to a sustainable energy transition in an efficient and aesthetic way. Its double façade is composed of warm sliding windows which enclose the room and a cold second layer that integrates sliding glass elements and vertical PV modules in a grid. They serve as an insulating energetic buffer zone and reduce the thermal heat loss of the building.

The passive solar design of the BIPV system ensures that the living space is well-insulated. Depending on the season, the intermediate area regulates the solar radiation and heating, allowing natural ventilation of the rooms according to outdoor temperatures and weather as well as an active and passive use of solar energy.

Aesthetic solar architecture on a large scale

This commercial hall combines futuristic design with future-oriented architecture. Its solar system is constructed of vertically stacked PV panels that are folded in pairs at an angle of approximately 20° to each other. This slope is not only an architect's decision in order to create a powerful design effect. It also increases the size of the solar-active panel surface by 6%. The folding of the façade makes it a scalable solution for different façade grids and installation requirements.

Urban and sustainable constructing with flexible building-integrated photovoltaics

The 7-storey office building with an urban location combines gridded glazing with parapet bands made of building-integrated photovoltaic modules. The elegant parapet lines in the ceiling area of the respective floors accentuate the horizontality of the building and provide a contrast to the transparent glass surfaces. The solar panels smoothly blend into the building design.

Organic solar design architecture on a campus

ENVELON solar panels come with high design freedom thanks to their customizable colors and color shadings. The aesthetic impact they create is best shown with this building on a university campus. The curved façade made of green photovoltaic panels highlights the beauty of the colored modules at different angles of sunlight. Each vertical strip is composed of stacked PV modules, reflects solar light in a unique way and thus creates a structured building design with a lighter and more organic appearance. The green of the installed solar panels, the wooden architecture and the green roofs all convey the sustainability of the property – a green laboratory in a green environment.

Building integrated photovoltaics in a minimalistic design

The solar façade installed to this building is strictly gridded and completely covered with photovoltaics. Both the spandrel bands and the vertical wall sections integrated between the windows are made of the same ENVELON PV elements with standard dimensions. The lowered windows have white reveals with an east-facing slope, thus they contrast with the dark-colored BIPV façade. The deep window niches provide passive protection of the building  – their depth has the effect of an overhang which prevents profuse heating due to solar radiation of the summer sun.

All-round building-integrated solar architecture with a special design

This compact, cubic building has a solar-active rooftop as well as a BIPV façade to fully utilize the power of the sun for solar energy production. The sustainable stand-alone building is located in the mountain scenery next to a tourist route with a stream nearby. It blends into its natural surroundings by incorporating the terrain with its form. Its special feature is the use of the same, horizontally laid standard solar panels both on the south-facing roof and façade. Glass openings in the form of a winter garden with south-facing windows emphasize the solar-active energy of the building and its function as a touristic visitor center with gastronomy.