HyWin is a compact Double Skin Glass Facade, with integrated sunshield, cooling and heating functions
High rise glass buildings, symbol of progress and elegance, are dominant elements of modern commercial and institutional buildings worldwide.
We aim to develop a glass facade that solves the technical problems of today’s glass buildings, improves their insufficient comfort and at the same time provides a sustainable solution. HyWin is particularly effective in combination with geothermal probes in an area development. The energy gained from cooling in summer is used for heating in winter.
With substantial financial support from the Swiss Climate Foundation we have designed and built a HyWin pilot unit in a realistic window size of 2 x 2.5 m with attached office space of 2 x 5 m. The system is built into an insulated trailer equipped with a computer-controlled cooling and heating system and sophisticated metrology instruments. Located in Rifferswil, a picturesque community between Zurich and Zug, HyWin is currently undergoing intensive testing under varying climatic conditions.
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A compact air-to-water heat exchanger in the bottom of the HyWin box and the vertical air flow adjusts the temperature inside the cavity according to actual sun radiation, internal heat sources and outside temperature.
The cavity box consists of a triple insulating glazing on the outside and a simple safety glazing on the room side. A third glass panel inside the cavity separates the upstream from downstream air flow.
The closed cavity kept around room temperature isolates the room from the climate and allows for slow, dustfree air exchange between the room and the box. At the same time, there is a controlled heat transfer between the room and the closed cavity. The energy gathered from the HyWin facade is stored in earth probes and used to heat the cavity in cold periods.
The fan moves the air through the heat exchanger, where it cools down. The cooled air flows upwards on the room side of the HyWin cavity.
Same principle as the summer operation, except that the heat exchanger heats the air. The heat flow in winter is considerably lower.
We have developed, tested and patented the HyWin system.
HyWin is ready for industrialization.
Klimastiftung Schweiz supports HyWin in designing and building a test unit, which allows to test the HyWin concept under realistic conditions.