Platform on window, door, frame technology, hardware, roof and facade technology, security
Includes circular glass and reclaimed hardware
Kömmerling Netherlands, GSF Glasgroep and Schipper Kozijnen realize an important step in circular building with the application of fully circular plastic window frames. These window frames are constructed from 100% recycled profiles, circular insulation glass and reused hardware, and are being applied as a pilot in a renovation project on the Woltera van Reesstraat in Amsterdam, commissioned by Hemubo and Ymere. This integral chain approach is being applied here for the first time.
Where Kömmerling Nederland and Schipper Kozijnen previously laid the foundation with the development of 100% circular window frame profiles, they are now taking the next step towards a fully circular window frame. K-VISION ReFrame profiles from Kömmerling Netherlands form the core, made entirely from recycled materials and coated with proCoverTec. Schipper Kozijnen processes these into complete window frames at its factory in Opmeer and equips the pilot frames with recycled hardware and glass from GSF Glasgroep. These window frames have a lifespan of more than 50 years and can be recycled again and again.
“We have been closely involved in the development of 100% circular plastic window frames from the beginning,” said Jappe Dekker, Director of Sales Business Projects at Schipper Kozijnen. “From our maintenance contracts and through housing corporations, we are regularly asked what is possible with hardware that has recently been replaced, for example due to maintenance or after burglary damage. It's incredibly nice that we can now reuse that very hardware and take window frame maintenance to the next level.”
The insulation glass used, marketed by GSF Glasgroep under the name isoMAX, consists of recycled glass. An HR++ coating is reapplied to one of the glass panes, so that the glass meets all current quality requirements and offers the same living comfort as traditional insulating glass.
“Where glass is traditionally recycled into raw materials, we choose to preserve it as a product,” said Maarten Rood, owner of GSF Glasgroep. “With isoMAX, we give existing insulation glass a second life that meets today's requirements. In doing so, we contribute to closing the loop at the product level and make circular glass applicable within large-scale renovation projects.”
By applying fully recycled raw materials and reusing existing components, the environmental impact of the window frames is significantly reduced over the entire life cycle compared to traditional solutions. In particular, limiting primary raw material use, reducing waste streams and extending the functional life of materials play an important role in this.
Because both the frame profile, the glass and the fittings are used circularly, the impact is reduced at multiple levels in the chain. Thus, this pilot shows how circular construction can contribute to a more efficient use of raw materials within facade construction.
“ReFrame was developed from the ambition to drastically reduce the circular footprint of frame profiles,” said Jelmer Bijlsma, manager of sustainability and innovation at Kömmerling Netherlands. “By combining this with circular glass and reused hardware, we make the step to a fully circular window frame system and show what is already possible today.”
The pilot emphasizes the importance of chain cooperation in the transition to circular construction. By combining knowledge and innovation, the parties involved show what is already possible today and what opportunities there are for upscaling.
