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.

When lighting systems account for 10% of total energy usage in a home, reducing your lighting load can provide valuable savings month after month.

Daylight has Health Benefits

Exposure to natural daylighting also has the ability to improve your overall health and well-being.

Medical experts now find correlations between dark enclosed spaces and many health problems such as Vitamin D deficiency, migraines, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). They also have found that exposure to daylight helps reduce stress, depression, and even pain.

Improving your overall health and well-being can have significant savings in medical bills and over-the-counter medication.

Who can really put a price tag on your health and happiness?

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.

[Recreation Home near Utrecht by Zecc Architecten. Photo by Roel Van Norel.]

Better Indoor/Outdoor Connection

In addition to better views, window walls also enhance the connection between indoor and outdoor. They bring the outdoor in and become a backdrop for any given room.

The outdoor environment feels closer.

And with large door openings, you have the ability to blur the lines between indoor and outdoor even more.

A better connection to nature improves occupant comfort and satisfaction. It comforts, it calms, and it invites admiration – all qualities that play a part in your overall happiness, satisfaction, and health.

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.

[Haus Walde by Gogl Architekten. Photo by Mario Webhofer.]

But if you do intend to use window walls, make sure to also pay attention to the potential solar gain in hot summer months.

Implement strategies to block out direct sunlight and help minimize the amount of heat entering your home.

Large roof overhangs, exterior or interior shading devices, high performing glass and films, and vegetation placement can all contribute to smart window wall design and planning – letting in solar gain in the winter while blocking it in the summer.

4. Illusion of Larger Spaces

A lesser known benefit, but just as impactful is that window 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.

[Elmwood Cottage by Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects. Photo byTurnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects.]

This can be a great benefit to particularly smaller rooms or if you’re considering a compact floor plan to improve affordability. A large window wall will help improve spatial perception and make the area seem larger. It’s a win-win situation.

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.

[Home in Cairns by Jesse Bennett Studio. Photo by Sean Fennessy.]

Because of the customization opportunities, window wall design can be tailored to your tastes and budget.

Related Article: Window Wall Types: Learn the Basics

Selecting different sizes, configurations, finishes, or frame types can help make window walls more cost-effective, appealing, and a better fit for your project.

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.

[Robins Way by Bates Masi Architects. Photo courtesy Bates Masi Architects.]

With the growing popularity of modern architecture, window walls sell. Window wall design can have the power to create a cohesive modern design. So much so, that incorporating a window wall design in your home can increase your return on investment and improve your home’s market value and resale value in today’s growing popularity of modern homes.

Aren’t there also drawbacks to Window walls?

Yes. An article about the benefits of window walls wouldn’t be complete without also mentioning the drawbacks.

Drawback #1 – Cost: While window walls are beautiful, provide optimal daylight and views, and give the illusion of more space, they also come at a price. Cost is a big concern for most people considering window walls. Large expanses of glass are definitely more expensive than smaller windows.

Drawback #2 – Lack of Privacy & Security: Additional challenges of window walls are that they don’t allow for much privacy and security. Obviously, the transparency of glass can be a benefit and a drawback. It’s nice to be able to see out and let a lot of light in, but it also lets other people see in.

This may not be a concern for someone living in more secluded areas but in an urban or suburban setting, more consideration should be taken to block the view from surrounding neighbors.

This can be achieved with landscaping or siting the home in such a way to avoid direct lines of sight from certain angles, but it definitely a consideration when designing a home.

Drawback #3 – Energy efficiency: Glass window walls just aren’t as energy efficient as solid walls. You can select high-performing glass to help achieve a higher rating but it will never match the insulating values of solid walls and insulation.

Some of these drawbacks to window walls can be mitigated with proper planning, evaluation, and design. Others are just tradeoffs you’ll have to accept if you want the views, the daylight, and modern aesthetic in your home. 

It’s up to you to decide what is worth more!

You’ve seen some inspiring projects and you’ve learned about the benefits of window walls. In the next article in our Window Wall Design Series, we dig in and start exploring various types of window walls. Check it out. 

 Window Wall Types: Learn the Basics >

Are you interested in a window wall design for your home? Contact us today for design assistance or to discuss your project in more detail.

[Featured image: Gambier Residence by BattersbyHowat Architecture. Photo by Ivan Hunter.