Full-Scale Fluidic Window Prototype Installation and Operational Tests
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52825/glass-europe.v4i.2886Keywords:
Smart Window, Windows, Building Technology, Fluidic WindowAbstract
Fluidic windows enable the integration of functional liquids with building skins or interior building components. For example, liquids circulating within a transparent façade can be used as heat exchangers, store energy or provide active shading functions. Here, we report on the installation and first operational tests of the full-scale prototype of a fluidic window. The demonstrator comprises of an active window area of 3.8 m², equipped with a range of on-device and auxiliary sensors for long-term monitoring. Transparent fluidic window modules were fabricated from standard double-glazed IGUs in which one of the glass sheets was replaced by a structured laminate glass incorporating an array of vertical channels for liquid circulation. Initial operational tests are reported for a duration of one week, demonstrating system dynamics, reproducibility and overall functionality for harvesting solar heat and buffering indoor heat loss in winter season.
Downloads
References
[1] S. M. Wiederhorn and D. R. Clarke, “Architectural Glass,” Annu. Rev. Mater. Res., vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 561–592, Jul. 2022, doi: 10.1146/annurev-matsci-101321-014417.
[2] A. P. Jóhansson, “Islandic pavilion, World Exposition Hannover,” 2000.
[3] B. P. V. Heiz, Z. Pan, G. Lautenschläger, C. Sirtl, M. Kraus, and L. Wondraczek, “Ul-trathin Fluidic Laminates for Large-Area Façade Integration and Smart Windows,” Ad-vanced Science, vol. 4, no. 3, p. 1600362, 2017, doi: 10.1002/advs.201600362.
[4] B. P. V. Heiz, L. Su, Z. Pan, and L. Wondraczek, “Fluid-Integrated Glass–Glass Lami-nate for Sustainable Hydronic Cooling and Indoor Air Conditioning,” Advanced Sustain-able Systems, vol. 2, no. 10, p. 1800047, 2018, doi: 10.1002/adsu.201800047.
[5] B. P. V. Heiz, Z. Pan, L. Su, S. T. Le, and L. Wondraczek, “A Large-Area Smart Win-dow with Tunable Shading and Solar-Thermal Harvesting Ability Based on Remote Switching of a Magneto-Active Liquid,” Advanced Sustainable Systems, vol. 2, no. 1, p. 1700140, 2018, doi: 10.1002/adsu.201700140.
[6] L. Su, M. Fraaß, and L. Wondraczek, “Design Guidelines for Thermal Comfort and En-ergy Consumption of Triple Glazed Fluidic Windows on Building Level,” Advanced Sus-tainable Systems, vol. 5, no. 2, p. 2000194, 2021, doi: 10.1002/adsu.202000194.
[7] L. Su, M. Fraaß, M. Kloas, and L. Wondraczek, “Performance Analysis of Multi-Purpose Fluidic Windows Based on Structured Glass-Glass Laminates in a Triple Glazing,” Front. Mater., vol. 6, May 2019, doi: 10.3389/fmats.2019.00102.
[8] B. P. V. Heiz, Z. Pan, and L. Wondraczek, “Outdoor Performance of Fluidic Glass–Glass Laminate Windows for Building Integration,” Energy Technology, vol. 7, no. 4, p. 1800810, 2019, doi: 10.1002/ente.201800810.
[9] M. Baracani et al., “Experimental assessment of the energy performance of microfluidic glazing components: The first results of a monitoring campaign carried out in an outdoor test facility,” Energy, vol. 280, p. 128052, Oct. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.128052.
[10] H. E. Beck, N. E. Zimmermann, T. R. McVicar, N. Vergopolan, A. Berg, and E. F. Wood, “Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolu-tion,” Sci Data, vol. 5, no. 1, p. 180214, Oct. 2018, doi: 10.1038/sdata.2018.214.
[11] “Glass in Building – Insulating glass units – Part 1: Generalities, system description, rules for substitution, tolerances and visual quality.” DIN EN 1279-1, Oct. 2018. [Online]. Available: http://www.dinmedia.de/en/standard/din-en-1279-1/281205722
[12] F. Goia and V. Serra, “Analysis of a non-calorimetric method for assessment of in-situ thermal transmittance and solar factor of glazed systems,” Solar Energy, vol. 166, pp. 458–471, May 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2018.03.058.
[13] “Plotly Technologies Inc. Collaborative data science. (2015).” Plotly Technologies Inc. Accessed: Aug. 06, 2025. [Online]. Available: http://plotly.com
[14] “Solar energy – Specification and classification of instruments for measuring hemi-spherical solar and direct solar radiation.” ISO 9060, Nov. 2018. [Online]. Available: http://www.dinmedia.de/en/standard/iso-9060/298954037
[15] “Industrial platinum resistance thermometers and platinum temperature sensors.” DIN EN IEC 60751, Jun. 2023. [Online]. Available: http://www.dinmedia.de/en/standard/din-en-iec-60751/362521874
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Rene Limbach, Igor Seibel-Geraschenko, Lothar Wondraczek

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2026-09-13
Published 2026-09-23
Funding data
-
Horizon 2020
Grant numbers 869898;637108