What will the city of the future look like? MVRDV has answered this question with its futuristic building complex, Valley, in Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district. Using its trademark playful flair, the Dutch architects’ bureau has designed an innovative urban landscape with dense greenery that blends together city living and work with a unique style. One of the key aspects of the design was ensuring that the residential units felt as connected as possible to their surroundings – a requirement Solarlux and its bi-folding doors were happy to help with. 

Computer-aided parametric design technology was used to create 200 individual apartments with varying types and sizes of ground plan. In order to ensure that even the flats that don’t have their own terrace or pergola still felt connected to the world around them, Solarlux’s Ecoline and Highline bi-folding door systems were installed in all three of the residential towers. 

Due to the “parametric” design of the building, all the bi-folding door systems were made to measure by Solarlux. The end result is 23 customised designs, each of which comprises five to eight individual elements and “runs” around one or even two corners. The angles of each corner are as specific as the overall geometry of the facade, varying between 100, 110, 120, 130 and 140 degrees.  

As a contrast to the rugged-looking interior facades of the residential towers, the building's outer shell is smooth and mirrored. In keeping with this design, the interior balconies, which are up to 3.60 meters long, were equipped with the SL 25 sliding-turning system from Solarlux, which protects against noise and weather. The continuous glass surfaces of this balcony glazing provide unrestricted views to the outside and can be completely slid to the left and/or right or turned inwards or outwards. In combination with the uninsulated facade module SL Modular as a glass parapet element, the movable elements SL 25 in the Valley residential towers combine to form a visual and design unit with a high degree of pre-fabrication.