"We are very happy to offer window systems for passive houses to an even larger market than before," says the head of Hydro's building systems activities, Lars Hauk Ringvold.

He says that while WICONA has been offering solutions fulfilling the requirements of passive houses, they were specially developed project solutions, not as standard products for the market in general.

"Solutions for zero-energy buildings will continue to be specially developed project solutions for some time, but we look forward to the day when we also can deliver those kind of solutions as standard products to the large markets," says Ringvold.

The new window system, Wicline evo, has a heat-insulating capability (Uf value) of 1.2. Used in combination with the best window glass in the market, which today has a heat-insulating capability of approximately 0.5 (Ug value), windows can achieve a total u value below 0.8, which is the requirement to windows in passive houses.

The new window system also can be assembled easier and faster, saving time and money for the metal builders who are WICONA's customers.

Wicline evo was presented in the market for the first time at BAU, the world's biggest building exhibition, which was arranged last month in Munich. More than 212,000 people visited the exhibition, and many paid a visit to WICONA 's booth.

"BAU is a very important arena for us. From the very first minute on the opening day the WICONA booth was packed with metal builders, architects, designers and investors who wanted to learn more about our newest building innovations," says Arnd Brinkmann, head of Hydro's building systems activities in Germany, Poland and Scandinavia.