Energy-generating facades for net zero buildings
SunEwat is our building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) glass: a facade material that produces electricity while remaining, first and foremost, a piece of architecture. The photovoltaic cells sit inside the laminated build-up of the glass itself, so the envelope that protects the building also feeds it. There is no additional layer, no visible panel grid, no compromise on the line of the facade.
High transparency and clarity in the vision areas, with a finish that blends into the rest of the envelope.
The cells double as a shading element, cutting solar heat gain while they harvest energy.
Thermally toughened safety glass with a scratch-resistant, corrosion-resistant surface and a product warranty.
Daylight, thermal insulation and acoustic comfort for the people working and living behind the glass.
SunEwat is not a single product but a family. Depending on how much transparency, colour or graphic freedom a facade needs, the same BIPV technology can be specified in four different ways — and combined within one project.
Semi-transparent glass that lets daylight through while still generating electricity — the option for glazed areas where you want to keep a view and a sense of openness.
Opaque modules in which the photovoltaic cells are hidden behind a black coated backing, giving the spandrels and cladding panels a deep, uniform appearance integrated with the facade.
Coated on one side with colouring technology so the modules match a facade palette — colour on demand, without losing the energy yield.
Discover SunEwat ColourA rasterised full-colour visual printed over the photovoltaic material, opening the door to patterns, graphics and fully customised facades.
Discover SunEwat DesignBIPV makes sense wherever the envelope has surface area to spare. In facades and curtain walls it turns the whole skin of the building into a generator; in windows it adds solar protection and daylight control without extra components; spandrels — the opaque bands between floors that hide slab edges and services — are an obvious host, and combined with vision glass they preserve the look of an all-glass facade. Skylights can be fully transparent or partly translucent depending on how much light you want, and glass balustrades on terraces, staircases and landings can generate as well as protect.
Because the modules are made to measure, the split between generating and non-generating glass is a design decision rather than a technical constraint. You decide which parts of the envelope work for you.
SunEwat is delivered as a complete service, not a box of glass. At the design stage we work on glass composition parameters, module design, cell simulation and quick prototyping so the facade detail is settled early. An energy study then quantifies what the envelope will produce, tests performance targets and supports the documentation needed for NZEB standards and sustainability certification. Finally, our technical services cover facade integration, full system design and advice through installation and commissioning — including how the modules connect to the building's electrical infrastructure.
Every project is different, so customisation runs through all of it: cell density and transparency, colour, printing, dimensions and fixing details can all be tuned to maximise yield, to serve a design intent, or to collect the credits a certification scheme rewards.
We have been working with building-integrated photovoltaics since 2000 and have completed more than 400 BIPV projects worldwide. SunEwat Vision clads JR Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo, where the modules combine with the station's architecture rather than sitting on top of it. At Haneda Airport's Terminal 2 North Satellite Building, BIPV was chosen as part of a proactive renewable-energy strategy for the gateway to Japan's skies. And at AGC's own Kashima plant, a Net Zero Energy Building, 64.3% of the energy demand is met by SunEwat Vision — a demonstration project we can point to with a straight face.
Closer to home, SunEwat appears on Quatuor in Brussels, on the WTC ZIN redevelopment in the Northern Quarter, on the Vinci complex in Nanterre and on the BOLD residential tower in Amsterdam, where black facade cladding was chosen for maximum energy generation.