In The Poetics of Space, French philosopher Gaston Bachelard proposes reading architecture as a lived experience, in which each environment carries emotional and symbolic meaning. Reflecting on the house, he places particular importance on thresholds (windows, doors, stairs, attics, basements) as zones of transition and rupture between the intimate and the open, the known and the unknown. For him, the window is not merely a functional opening, but a point of dreaming and contemplation: it is through the window that the inhabitant projects themselves into the world. This perspective inspires a sensitive approach to architectural work, in which boundaries are not limited to separation, but articulate imagination, memory, and desire.
Especially in contemporary design, the boundary between indoors and outdoors tends to dissolve, becoming something fluid. Designing architecture also means creating spatial experiences that invite light, air, views, and movement to cross physical limits. Dissolving these boundaries becomes a conscious strategy that enhances comfort, reinforces architectural identity, and strengthens the connection to the surroundings. This article explores how this approach manifests through fundamental principles, illustrated with innovative solutions from STRUGAL and relevant architectural collaborations.
To make this possible, however, more than design intent is required: the dissolution of physical boundaries depends on precise technical and material decisions. Glazed elements, for example, have evolved from purely technical features to expressive resources within architectural language. The variety of profiles, finishes, and typologies offered by suppliers like STRUGAL enables compositions that express function and identity in a coherent way, adapting to different design intentions. By framing specific views, the architect guides the gaze, establishes visual connections with the landscape or built environment, and intensifies the spatial experience. This strategy is recurrent in the work of Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, for example, whose architecture reveals the outside world in a calculated and sensitive way. His openings not only illuminate but choreograph perception: as one walks through his buildings, they are surprised by visual compositions that reveal the landscape gradually and unexpectedly, transforming the journey into a sequence of discoveries.
Among the key strategies for dissolving the boundaries between inside and out, the use of natural light and cross-ventilation plays a central role. As one of the most valuable resources in architectural design, natural light enhances spatial quality, reduces energy consumption, and contributes to occupant well-being. STRUGAL's aluminum solutions are designed to maximize light entry without compromising thermal and acoustic performance. With minimalist profiles, integrated invisible hardware, and options with thermal break systems, their systems enable generous glazing even in demanding contexts, ensuring transparency does not come at the expense of comfort.
Whether through façade systems that unify the building envelope or discreet windows punctuating walls, STRUGAL's products combine technical precision with creative freedom. The result is a cohesive architectural expression in which transparency, rhythm, and materiality operate in harmony. Below, we explore a few case studies that show how the company's solutions have contributed to the realization of architectural proposals with identity and intent.
Creative Atmospheres and Spatial Continuity
In House for a Painter, designed by DTR Studio Architects, light and landscape not only compose the backdrop but are fully integrated into the daily experience of living and creating. In this compact and expressive home, large sliding glass doors dissolve the boundary between the interior and the courtyard, enabling constant visual and environmental connection with the outdoors. The STRUGAL S125RP system, a lift-and-slide window with high thermal performance, enables wide openings with minimal visual obstruction, enhancing natural light and views. Its design accommodates large, heavy sashes (up to 400 kg) while maintaining ease of operation, making it a suitable choice for spaces that prioritize both openness and environmental comfort.
Light, Silence, and Essential Geometry
In House in Mojácar, designed by Alberto Campo Baeza in partnership with Modesto Sánchez Morales, the encounter between architecture and landscape takes place through light and geometric order. Built on a plateau facing the sea of Almería, the residence privileges introspection and contemplation, with austere and quiet spaces that embrace the essential. To preserve the formal purity of the design and ensure a distraction-free visual connection with the surroundings, the STRUGAL S88RP ARTIS system was used: a high-performance thermal sliding window with a minimalist aesthetic, available in sliding and lift-and-slide versions. Its 34 mm central mullion, combined with the ability to support sashes up to 300 kg and over 3 meters in height, enables the creation of large glazed surfaces that connect the interior with the sea and sky of Almería.
Spaces that Nurture through Transparency and Learning
In the Municipal Toy Library of Dólar, designed by Carquero Arquitectura, architecture becomes an extension of care and discovery. Conceived as a space that is both protected and permeable, the project seeks to stimulate children's curiosity without sacrificing safety and comfort. The STRUGAL S64RP Gala windows, a casement series with a hidden sash and thermal break, play a key role in translating the project's pedagogical vision into physical space. Designed to allow abundant natural light to enter from multiple directions and promote cross ventilation, they create a lively and welcoming atmosphere while offering high thermal and acoustic performance. These qualities help maintain a balanced environment—protective yet transparent, comfortable yet open. Their controlled transparency also enables adult supervision without compromising the children's sense of autonomy, supporting subtle transitions between open and closed, intimate and collective spaces.
Dissolving the boundaries between interior and exterior does not mean erasing them, but rather drawing them with care. It is about transforming limits into experiences, frames into connections, and façades into dialogues. Adaptable, high-performance systems, coupled with refined aesthetics, offer architects the means to integrate these connections as fundamental elements of the design process.
