They are called "casement" windows, specifically turn/tilt operation, and they do exist in the USA. They are typically more expensive than vinyl double hung, and home builders tend to shy away from anything "different" that might scare away home buyers. That's why you don't see them very often.
But if you want them, you can buy them and have them installed. You can even get them in patio door sizes, but the larger the door, the heavier it is when it tilts.
It's really common for people unfamiliar with the door function to lift the handle and think it's locked, and then a strong breeze blows the door inward. Between the noise and seeing the door falling inward, it can be pretty scary.
Source: I worked in construction in the US with European builders who loved these things and couldn't figure out why Americans didn't.
In Italian and French they are caled "Vasistas", from the German "Was ist das?" (What's that?), it's said they called it that way because the first German tourists who saw those windows in France were confused and kept asking for clarifications on how they worked.
its real, though not necessarily the type of window that you described. also exists in Turkish. i have a Turkish colleague who was very proud to explain the origin of that word to us in Germany :D .
My expensive vinyl double hung windows in my previous house actually had a casement-like feature and I could easily remove either part. I loved those windows; I wish I could have taken them with me.
Forget this gimmick, the real yuropean superiority is in proper blinds that are actually designed to block most light. For some reason they are extremely uncommon in north America
I'm going to go absolutely bonkers if I have to deal with one more set of cordless blinds that refuse to lift back up after you pull them down. The unshielded street light that exists only to ensure that I can see my car from my window at night, and shines not only through the cheap pvc but between the slats directly into my retinas, lighting my entire room at least 10 lumens brighter when there's a layer of snow on the ground, is already wearing my sanity quite thin on its own, and I'm not even on the floor that catches the most light from it.
My dad is a light sleeper and when he has to attend a conference in the US he literally has to bring a sleeping mask to ensure he will be able to sleep properly
Xommon in central and southern Europe, not sure about northern. They are mostly there to limit sunlight in the summer where the house would be baked otherwise.
proper blinds that are actually designed to block most light
You mean roll shutters?
Childhood home had both tilt & turn windows along with roll shutters, all imported from Germany in the late 70s when no-one in North America had them. I’m doing a frame-off reno on my current to add exactly those features.
Yes, I was not sure about the English terminology 😅 I was a bit shocked when I went studying in Canada and discovered they were basically alien technology to them
I still am freaking out every time it happens. What happens if you actually don't scream and fight for your life by pressing against it and putting it back into a closed position immediately? What happens if you just let it happen and let go?
omg they are expensive here because they’re uncommon.
Encountered the same issue when I wanted double-layer track curtains. Almost ubiquitous in Germany, but unless you order custom, own the place, and can afford to have them installed, all you get in the US is a shitty aluminum rod that's clunky to use and liable to fall out of the holder or get ripped off the wall...
I have these windows. Perhaps not coincidentally the house was made by a German. The windows were fabricated in Canada though. The technology is leaking.
They are also everywhere in the ex-USSR countries. I think, China, too, has them, based on the rental properties photos that I've found. I also looked at rentals from India and found lots of them seem to have those weird windows with bars, but on the inside(?). Does anyone know what's up with that?
I looked at getting trippled paned windows a while back, and the benefits were marginal compared to double paned from the same company. It seems that once you're already in the higher end of the market, they don't do much over good double paned.
Yes, but also no. There are a bunch of other factors that contribute to a windows performance; manufacturer, type of gas used in the cavity, spacer material conductivity, thermal bridge free frame design, low e coatings and solar reflectance, and the quality of the installation matters most. Then there's the windows efficiency relative to the rest of the assembly. If it's a building code basic 2x4 wall from 1970 then you're absolutely right, it would be overkill putting some triple pane krypton filled window in. But if you've got a foot of exterior insulation and are pushing a u value of 0.13 on your wall assembly then you need windows to match.
Source: certified Passive House designer, the most demanding energy standard for buildings available, that originated in ..... yup you guessed it, Germany.
Love those windows when travelling, but I have yet to see windows that open to the inside here in Ireland. Not sure whether it's one of those crazy building regulations like no power switch or outlet inside the bathroom or auto-closing inner doors to each room.
La première fois que je l'ai entendu ça m'a aussi étonné et je ne sais pas si beaucoup de gens le disent. Moi j'entends surtout "ouvrir la fenêtre par le haut. Et oscillo-batant sur les fiches de description de produit.
Generally, like this:
The two middle ones are the most common I see. I have one casement window in my house, but it just opens in one way, like in this image.
It makes more sense to me the way ours is, first mode is only top. Most of the time you just want to air out the room with some fresh air, not open completely and have to remove all your plants and lamps or whatever might be in the way.
I love this meme so much I sent it to everybody, especially the people that witnessed me fall on my face when trying to open one of these doors as I ripped it off its hinge* (yeah just the one load-bearing hinge for the whole door)
We have these for doors and windows on our house, And we cannot find a company to repair them. They have so many moving parts in them that they gradually break down and eventually completely fall apart.
The locking mechanism on one of the doors is a knob that pulls on some wires inside the door to open the various latches so you can choose which opening mode you're using. If you don't use it for a while it can get stuck and snap, making the door unable to open unless you completely disassemble it.
One of the doors, The tilt and turn hinge at the top got loose And eventually when opening the door completely snapped off and I fell inside onto the door.
The only one that currently works isn't long for this world. Since The hinge at the top is also loose on this one and so is the handle even though all of the screws are as tight as can be.
Granted the ones in our house are like 15 years old, but the ones on the main house were replaced 5 years ago because these things just have too many moving parts And when any of them break the whole thing has to be completely disassembled. The worst part is that to disassemble the door it has to be out of the frame, and the most common thing I've seen break on these is the thing that's supposed to turn the latch.
Depends how well made they are. And given how most stuff these days is cheap crap, I'd wager ones installed today won't last that long as ones made in 1990.
The rubber seals often give out making them next to useless. Some of the ones on my house need a proper slam to close again. The panes can leak letting in water and getting internal condensation (although you can just pop those out and replace them without doing the whole frame).
Mine is broken... When i tilt my window it won't close properly. It tajes many tries to close it again. Completely opening it however cause no problem at all
New apartment I moved to only has these and I've been dreaming of having them for years. It's amazing. Although it looks fragile and scary when the huge door/window is only fixed lightly on the bottom 😅
And I am sitting here, in my rental flat in Germany and wish I had an American sliding window with an A/C-Unit built into it. Those are not a thing with those German windows :'(
Don't y'all refuse to put screens in those windows, though? Having two or three different ways to let clouds of insects into yo house is not the height of residential technology.
It takes longer but it works perfectly fine for having fresh air constantly without having the window completely open. Mine is currently opened like that and I can feel the fresh winter air 🥰
Where did i read this... i think it is about impact ventilation vs. always a bit open, the later wasting way more heating energy. At least, downward or sideways slant would be more effective (cold air is heavier).