NanaWall’s newest folding glass wall, the WA67, uses a spacer bar fastening system and proprietary evaporation chamber to successfully mount an extruded aluminum frame to a solid wood core.
The WA67’s aluminum cladding is attached to the door using the back ventilated rain screen principle, which protects and isolates the cross-grained, triple-laminated wood on the inside. This allows both materials to expand and contract at different rates, avoiding the warping or cracking issues that arise in areas with extremely hot, humid, or cold temperatures.
The door’s design and energy-efficiency performance also allows it to help projects meet Passive House standards – which are the highest in the world, according to the manufacturer.
“With the heat and humidity we get in the South, clad systems where the aluminum and wood touch or are glued together can cause warping since wood and aluminum expand and contract at different rates,” says Kenny Cobb, owner of Architectural Openings and regional NanaWall representative. “The WA67’s space between the two materials creates an evaporation chamber for the excess moisture to escape and allows the wood to regain equilibrium naturally, so the product lasts much longer than any other wood/clad glass wall.” nanawall.com
