Știri financiare de actualitate - FINEO Solar Control Vacuum Glass: Climate Protection Across All Facets

Rising numbers of heatwaves across Europe have made summer heat protection a top priority for architects, building owners, and urban planners. With its Solar Control product, Belgian manufacturer Fineoby AGC demonstrates that its vacuum insulating glass series goes beyond controlling solar heat gain: by reducing the energy demand for mechanical cooling, it lowers CO

Head of Product & Marketing for Fineoby AGC, Clément Lemoine, explains the strategic direction: “Solar Control answers one of the most pressing questions in modern construction: How can maximum daylight utilization be combined with effective solar protection? Our highly selective solar control coating allows a high proportion of daylight to go through the glazing while it is effectively blocking heat gain from solar radiation. This opens entirely new design possibilities for architects, as large-scale glazing can be combined with south-facing facades”.

Solar Control Coating for Thermal and Visual Comfort

As integral elements of the building envelope, windows play a central role in regulating light and heat, directly impacting energy efficiency and room comfort.

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Here, natural daylight is a key factor in human health and well-being. Through light-sensitive receptors in the eye, it also controls hormone production in the body. Blue morning light promotes cortisol release and activation, while warm evening light stimulates melatonin release and prepares the body for rest. Daylight thus directly stabilizes the circadian rhythm, especially in naturally lit interior spaces. Certification systems such as WELL, DGNB, BREEAM, and LEED accordingly recognize access to natural daylight as a central building quality feature.

This is exactly where FineoSolar Control comes in particularly for larger south/south-west-facing window areas, which receive the most hours of sunshine. With a highly selective solar control layer, it combines exceptionally high light transmission of 73% with an excellent g-value of 0.41 in the Fineo8 version, which is ideal for rooms needing ample daylight without summer overheating. This is achieved through the specific composition of the product: two thin glass panes enclose a hermetically sealed 0.1 mm vacuum gap, enhanced by a highly selective low-E coating. With a total thickness starting from 7.7 mm, FineoSolar Control achieves thermal insulation values comparable to a modern triple glazing. Solar Control coating can be associated with the different annealed Fineoversions (Standard, Acoustic, Safety) as well as with the Tempered one to address large-format glazing up to 2980 x 1605 mm.

“With conventional insulating glass, gas diffusion can lead to measurable performance losses over the years. Fineofundamentally avoids this: Without gas filling in the cavity and thanks to the sealing process technology, energy performance remains constant for decades and even more,” explains Clément Lemoine. Rigorous durability testing backs this up: AGC has performed multiple test cycles, confirming a service life of at least 60 years.

FINEO: Performance and Sustainability in One

• “Fineois far more than a high-performance energy glazing solution. As climate glass in the broadest sense of the term, it combines energy efficiency with a coherent sustainability strategy – from material efficiency and recyclability to a service life far exceeding conventional insulating glass,” explains Clément Lemoine. This is reflected in the product properties.

Performance

• 0.7 (W/m²K) thermal insulation value matches modern triple glazing, at a thickness like conventional single glazing;

• Solar Factor between approx. 30 and 60 percent, depending on the Fineoversion;

• Fineostandard glass achieves around 20% higher light transmission than conventional triple glazing, FineoSolar Control still around 10% more.

Sustainability

• No noble gases, organic sealants, or evacuation opening, eliminating materials that degrade over time and ensuring lasting thermal performance;

• 100% recyclable (lead and metal free);

• Manufactured in Belgium, minimizing transport emissions;

• Third-party verified EPD registered in INIES and NMD databases;

• CO₂ footprint of 18.9 kg CO₂-equivalent per square meter (low-carbon variant).

For architects, investors, and planners, this translates into measurable added value. Today, virtually no commercial construction project is completed without assessment against sustainability frameworks such as DGNB, LEED, or BREEAM, rating systems that evaluate the environmental, social, and economic performance of buildings. Projects such as the Belnine office refurbishment in the European Quarter in Brussels and the restoration of the Belle-Époque villa Domaine de Myosotis in France demonstrate how FineoSolar Control meets architectural, energy efficiency, and sustainability requirements in equal measure, actively contributing to long-term property value.

Systematic Glass Replacement: Vacuum Glass for Window Refurbishment

A large share of Europe’s building stock no longer meets modern energy standards. Complete window replacement is often labor-intensive, costly, and aesthetically undesirable, especially for listed buildings or premium existing facades. Fineoprovides a technically refined solution for retrofit glass replacement without compromises on thermal protection, light quality, or aesthetics.

With thicknesses of around 7 to 20 mm depending on the variant of the product, Fineofits many existing frame structures, including those previously holding single or double glazing. This saves resources and costs especially during the installation phase, while preserving slender frame profiles, historic views, or architectural details.

“We are opening new market opportunities for window manufacturers and refurbishment firms with our innovative technology,” says Stefan Lips, Sales Director. “Fineoenables economically viable glass replacement, is ideal for limited rebate depths, and delivers high performance despite its slim build. Each Fineois designed after carefully reviewing the requirements of the project: dimensions of the different glazings, usage constraints, building type, location of the building, etc. The wide range of products available in the Fineocatalogue and the ability to build dedicated compositions for specific projects is an added value of the firm. Another unique advantage to highlight in the vacuum insulating world is the capacity of Fineoto provide any free shapes in addition to the usual standard formats. This solves a problem which previously could not find an answer, especially in the world of restoration: provide comfort and energy efficiency in old-listed buildings while preserving the frame’s original form and thickness.”

As the world’s first manufacturer to obtain both CE marking and general building type approval from the DIBt, AGC backs FineoSolar Control with the full weight of its certification portfolio. An externally verified EPD confirms a CO₂ footprint of just 18.9 kg CO₂-equivalent per square meter for the low-carbon variant, while long-term durability testing confirms stable thermal and acoustic performance for a minimum of 60 years. For architects and planners specifying solar control glazing, Fineothus offers something rare: a solution that addresses summer heat protection, energy efficiency, and sustainability credentials within a single, slim unit.