Frequently asked questions

The panoramic glazing market has experienced a strong evolution and significant growth in recent years.

Despite this, this product is not well-known yet, both in terms of features and use. For this reason, it still generates some perplexities, even at a regulatory level.

In the Nordic countries the government has encouraged the use of these products, because several studies have shown that windbreak solutions result in a substantial reduction in energy consumption and contribute to the protection of climate, nature and human health.

Unfortunately, in Italy the benefits of panoramic systems have not been fully understood yet, so that – often – their use is even discouraged, due to an absent regulation and unclear and different rules from municipality to municipality.

The confusion on the subject is essentially due to the concept of volume.

This term indicates “the space occupied and the area used by any building”. As they are included in the construction project of the building, balconies and terraces are regularly included in the concept of volume.

Also, it should be noted that the installation of panoramic systems involves sliding glass panels, movable elements that can be manually removed, without the need for specific tools.

Finally, we remind you that the glass panels are completely transparent and fully open; therefore they don’t modify the facade aesthetics in any way.

Given this interpretation, the installation of this product would not lead to a change in the intended use of the space it is protecting.

In light of the above, the competent municipal administration could not request any type of authorization for the start of the works, since it is a free building activity, which does not involve any increase in volume and, therefore, no change in the destination of the building use should result.

However, today there is no national legislation regulating this subject, which is delegated to the will of individual municipalities.

Therefore, the interpretation by local municipalities must always be considered.

It is also important to emphasize that the owner of the building who decides to install a panoramic glazing must not change the intended use of the building with respect to what is declared to the competent Municipality.

A veranda or porch protected by an all-glass frameless systems must remain the same and its intended use must not be changed (for example, dining in the veranda is allowed, while transforming the veranda into a bedroom is not).

By the same principle, the use of fixed heating systems in the protected environment would result in a change of the intended use.

 

Some regulatory references to support removability

Administrative jurisprudence has long questioned the problem, resulting in a series of rulings, which are fundamental today to outline a more precise picture of the situation.

According to the VI Section of the Council of State, (n.306/2017), the work to be taken into consideration won’t have to include the structure that houses the panoramic glazing, but the building itself, as an element capable of repairing the rooms from wind and rain.

Therefore, a panoramic glazing is not a new construction, since nothing transforms the territory, given the intrinsic movable and precarious nature that marks the product.

Similarly, there is no change in surface and volume, given that no structural part of the building is altered.

In April 2014, it was always the VI Section of the Council of State (N. 01777 / 2014REG.PROV.COLL. N. 02125/2013 REG.RIC.), to rule on the impossibility to consider this structure as an increase or a creation of volume, with a sentence relating to the so-called pergotende.

Recently, the Regional Administrative Court for Puglia, (n. 560/2019 of 12.06.2019 – III Section Reg. Ric.), outlined the impossibility to find the elements of fixity and permanence in panoramic glazing systems, elements that instead characterize a building. The Council of State also reached the same conclusion in the same year (2019), with sentence no. 6979.

Also the Apulian TAR condemned a municipality in the province of Bari for preventing the installation of panoramic systems on a condominium balcony, with a sentence issued on May 6, 2020.

Key Design panoramic solutions have an excellent resistance to wind and rain, thanks to the presence of 10 mm monolithic glass and 25 mm double glazing, in the case of Thermic and Thermic Élite systems.

The presence of special gasktes between panels, the high quality accessories and the draft excluder brushes, give the window greater airtightness, significantly reducing the presence of drafts, water and air infiltrations.

However, it should be remembered that they are simple windbreak systems, created to protect from bad weather, but not comparable to a window, in terms of performance and tightness.

Typically, a panoramic glazing has some limitations in terms of insulation, as it is not a thermal solution.

To overcome these limitations, Key Design has designed exclusive models of “semi-panoramic” systems equipped with vertical aluminum profiles and a low-emission double glazing that make the environment well protected all year round.

These systems increase thermal insulation by about 50% compared to a standard glazing.

Of course it is always advisable to use a radiant / cooling element.

Since the panoramic glazing panels don’t include thermal break profiles and are simple windbreak systems with cold cut profiles, it is not possible to benefit from the 50% deduction (formerly 65% ​​until 2017) for energy saving, nor from the 110 % Ecobonus.

For the sake of clarity, these deductions apply when you replace the windows inside your home and this replacement leads to substantial energy savings.

Panoramic systems, due to their particular shape, which ambrace the concept of minimalism and exclude any type of additional profile, cannot be defined as doors or windows, but rather as removable solutions.

Since these are not thermal break solutions, it is possible to say with certainty that the private individual, who is purchasing a panoramic glazing, will not be able to take advantage of any tax deduction on energy saving.

However, In the wide range of products manufactured by Key Design there are several models with reflective glass. These glazings, due to their particular features, minimize solar radiation, reducing the brightness level inside the room and the house and for this reason they are similar to shading structures, therefore subject to a deduction of 50%.

It is also possible to get a 50% deduction with any type of glazing if the installation is included in a broader renovation process.

Finally, it is possible to obtain the application of subsidized VAT (4% or 10%), where required by law, respectively for a new construction, a rehabilitation or a renovation.

The panels of our panoramic systems can be cleaned with common products used to tidy up a normal glass and with a microfibre cloth.

The glass packing also allows you to clean the various panels – without any danger – even in case of installations at significant height, such as in the case of balconies or terraces, thanks to the possibility to open each panel inward, as if they were doors.

Please also remember to eliminate the dust residues that accumulate in the lower profile because they can cause malfunctions in the opening and closing phase; this damage can be easily prevented by a periodical cleaning.

By doing this you will have a fully functional and shiny panoramic glazing that will give you a pleasant sensation of protection while enjoying your view.

Key Design panoramic systems do not have bearings or mechanical parts.

They work performing a simple sliding movement and do not need any particular maintenance, other than a periodic cleaning of the lower sliding track on which the glazing slides and unloads its weight.

If the glazing is cleaned with a normal frequence and correctly handled, its average life can easily exceed 15 years, without requiring any special technical intervention.

Thanks to the use of high quality materials in all components, Key Design provides the different product elements with a long guarantee, in addition to the lifetime warranty on glass. However, this doesn’t  apply in case of breakage due to incorrect handling or cleaning with abrasive materials.