WALLS AND WINDOW TREATMENTS 3(1+2)

Lesson 16 : Problem Windows And Selection Of Treatments

Window Wall

Although window walls are new standard features even in many homes, they are not unmixed blessings, chiefly because they are incompletely understood.

• They are not be thought of as merely bigger windows but as a different way of planning the house and garden
• They flood rooms with light and when poorly designed with glare, heat or cold
• By visually uniting house and yard they affect furniture arrangement, colour schemes and the design of the landscape.
• Large heavy pieces will not be attractive when placed against such a wall.
• When other walls are cut up with doors or architectural features, they may be little wall space left for placing furniture.

Table 1. Some of the major problems they raise and ways of avoiding or solving them are

S.no	Problems	Solutions
1.	Loss of privacy	Face window wall towards private part of the property. Build fences or plant hedges. Use curtains & draperies.
2.	Glare of light	Balance light with windows in other wall or with sky lights. Have overhanging roof or trellis. Plant suitable shade trees nearby
3.	Excessive heat or cold	Orient towards south or south west. Use insulating draperies that can be drawn when necessary
4.	More glass to clean	No easy solution. Use professional window washers
5.	Greater quality of curtaining	Place window wall so that curtains are not essential.
6.	Furniture arrangement	Plan room so that major furniture group is related both to window wall and other dominant units
7.	Colour schemes	Take account of relationship between colours inside and hose seen through the glass.
8.	Danger of being mistaken for an open door	Use proper design such as a aised sill or obvious supports, to indicate physical presence of a window wall. Arrange furniture indoors and out to steer traffic to a door ,not a window.
9.	Fading of colours	Choose colours that do not fade or that fade pleasantly. Exclude sun with projecting roof, planting or curtains.
10.	Black and cold at night	Illumine window with lighting through above it. Light garden outside. Use draperies.
11.	Design and maintenance of landscape	Plant at least the immediate landscape architecturally to harmonise with interior. Use paving, fixed outdoor furnishing sculpture and plants that will remain attractive all year with little care.