Yesterday it was a living area that opened into the kitchen for a party – now it’s a cozy togetherness area for eating breakfast. One minute it’s an open balcony – the next it’s a loggia protected by glass walls. First it’s an office building – then it’s a residential building. Now it’s a lounge for small meetings – then it’s a venue for a 50-person event. Boundaries blur into spaces for alternative uses. They therefore require multi-situation layouts and a flexible infrastructure. Hawa Sliding Solutions AG uses its hardware for sliding and partition walls to create the conditions for an interior design that wants to permanently detach itself from inflexible room structures.
Changing perspectives with just a few simple manual operations in accordance with the application is the idea that Hawa has been pursuing since 1965 with its hardware systems for sliding partition walls. A wide range of hardware for doors made from glass and wood has been developed over the course of 60 years which has put creative interior designers in a position to find an individual solution for any room situation. This includes solutions for limited space requirements, fulfilling soundproofing or privacy requirements and matters concerning tightness and stress which require screening seals or guide tracks.
Sliding walls – chameleon-like adaptation
Sliding walls that glide along a predefined track – either linear or curved – make versatile room design possible. They are easy to operate, since only one element is moved at a time, which also makes partial opening possible. They can be installed with or without a floor-mounted guide track. Sliding walls can be stacked in parallel or at a 90-degree angle to the sliding axis in a very small space, or stored out of sight. Thanks to the track guidance, individual parking spaces can be configured.
The “Divido” is a sliding wall hardware which makes parallel stacking possible. Its versatility provides plenty of scope for individual design ideas. It can be used as a top or bottom-running sliding door system with slimline aluminum frame profiles and panels made from wood or glass, but the hardware is also suitable for solid wood doors as a flexible room divider. The version with doors weighing up to 80 kg can also be used to access spaces under sloping ceilings. The version for doors weighing up to 100 kg is also available as “Synchro”: Two simultaneously sliding doors create large openings with a single manual operation.
Hawa developed the “Aperto” for lightweight, top running partition walls made from wood and glass weighing up to 60 kg, which close flush and only require a minimal amount of stacking space. The system, which can also be installed without a guide track, is based on a simple product structure for rapid delivery straight from the warehouse.
Sliding, even on curved tracks
“Hawa Variotec” is a top running, flush-closing hardware system which even makes stackable sliding walls possible in curved systems. A modular, plug-in track system with curved sections from 15 to 90 degrees creates the prerequisites for elegantly guiding elements around any curve. Doors weighing up to 150 kg are possible – either made from wood, whereby the surface can be individually designed, or from glass. With floor-to-ceiling glass sliding walls, a filigree aluminum profile with an all-round seal provides stability and effective protection against cold and drafts. The “Hawa Variotec” moves smoothly and quietly thanks to its running gear with two-point guide and ball-bearing rollers. The modular track system for the parking area makes storage and installation easier.
Sliding & folding – concertina-style
The “Hawa Centerfold” and “Hawa Variofold” hardware systems are recommended for flush-mounted, folding partition walls with large doors made from wood or glass. They have different suspension points: The suspension points of the “Centerfold” system are in the center, eliminating the need for a bottom guide track. The suspension points of the “Variofold” system are at the end of the door.
Both systems are designed for folding walls for doors which weigh up to 80 kg and are up to 900 mm wide. They close openings of up to 6,000 mm. The door heights are limited only by the weight specifications. Up to 6.5 or seven doors can be arranged side by side. With double-sided systems, the dimensions and the number of doors are doubled.
Plastic-coated ball bearing rollers guarantee smooth, whisper-quiet operation, even if the doors are heavily used. Every second door has a stop with integrated, individually adjustable retention. This allows the doors to be locked without the need for an additional operation. When they are folded, the sliding walls are parked at an angle of 90 degrees to the sliding axis. A specially developed hinge brings the panels closer together and allows them to be stacked in tight spaces.
Great potential for the future of construction
Using spaces in accordance with the situation is not a passing trend. On the contrary: The inclusion of multi-functionality even at the planning stage is evidence of considerable foresight. Sliding and folding sliding walls play a major part in this. The space that they save means that the usable area is maximized, which is becoming increasingly important, particularly with regard to small apartments in view of the increase in urbanization and the price per square meter.
Mobility and flexibility at work are further arguments in favor of sliding systems. In open-plan offices, they make agile working possible. Areas can be partitioned off or combined to create privacy or encourage interaction. A sliding partition wall can be used to create a separate home office within your own four walls.
Sustainable flexibility is also invaluable. Layouts with sliding partition walls work for generations due to their adaptability. This results in usage neutrality which makes it easier to change the use of buildings, and encourages construction in existing structures.
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Caption 1: In the ground floor of an old office building in Rue Vauban in Bordeaux, architect Constance Gardès developed a modular concept with meeting rooms of different sizes which makes flexible use possible. Photo: Hawa Sliding Solutions AG
Caption 2: Three rooms can be transformed into two rooms, or even one and vice-versa: The flexible use of the rooms is adapted to the employees: They find the right framework at any time for taking breaks in small groups or having business meetings and events for up to 40 persons. Photo: Hawa Sliding Solutions AG
Caption 3: Functional, aesthetic and flexible – two five-section wooden partition walls open up the room into a bigger unit or divide it into two or three smaller units. This is done using the “Hawa Centerfold”, a sliding hardware for concertina walls. The central suspension of the elements separates the units evenly, and ensures that the parking area can be discreetly positioned at the side. Photo: Hawa Sliding Solutions AG
Caption 4: Three wooden frame glass folding walls – implemented using the “Hawa Varifold” folding/slide-in hardware – design the flowing transition to the three smaller units. They are made from glass so that daylight reaches the interior, while also providing privacy thanks to the opaque center section. When it is open, the partition wall discreetly retracts into a very small space thanks to the lateral suspension. When the partition walls are closed, a folding element designed as a hinged door secures the access to the smaller units. Photo: Hawa Sliding Solutions AG
Caption 5: Guillaume Boidin, cabinet maker and interior designer from Caractère Bois from Mérignac, has intensively studied technical solution approaches for flexible room dividers together with architect Constance Gardès. The solution with Hawa hardware for folding sliding walls was impressive: “These systems fulfilled 100% of the requirements of the project.” Photo: Hawa Sliding Solutions AG
Caption 6: “This is top class hardware which is not only robust but also has an extremely long service life”, says cabinet maker Guillaume Boidin about the Hawa folding/slide-in hardware which he used. Photo: Hawa Sliding Solutions AG 
