At the entrance to the home is a fully retractable Nana Wall, eight feet of highly insulating glass which is both a wall and a window.

In most climates, windows and glass doors are points of thermal leakage, meaning a home can literally leak efficiency at its seams. In California, windows and glass doors are areas of thermal gain, meaning outdoor heat can creep in and force expensive air-conditioning increases. In order to experience the beauty and natural light of the great outdoors while maintaining a high level of energy efficiency, we replaced a full traditional wall with a high-tech sliding glass door known as a Nana Wall.

Our eight-foot wide NanaWall is made of highly-insulating, triple-pane glass. It maximizes natural light (reducing the need for electric lighting) while minimizing the amount of unfavorable heat transfer between indoors and outdoors (reducing the load on heating and air-conditioning systems). Additionally, NanaWalls are also made with eco-friendly powder coat paints, water-based wood finishes and recyclable aluminum.

By opening the NanaWall, we allow the living room to peacefully melt into the deck, elegantly extending the living space in sunny California, or wherever we may be. Call it a window, call it a wall... we call it just plain neat.


photos courtesy Mike Kahn www.greenstockmedia.com