FINEO by AGC, the vacuum insulating glass from AGC Glass Europe, will be at glasstec 2026 from October 20 to 23 at the ift Rosenheim stand G82 in Hall 10. The focus will be on energy-efficient glass replacement while preserving historic windows, as well as the resource-efficient renovation of existing façades.
FINEO by AGC and ift Rosenheim have a long-standing partnership. The institute supported FINEO in obtaining the general construction technique permit (aBG) for use in linearly supported vertical glazing, which was granted by the German Institute for Construction Technology (DIBt) in early 2025. At the end of 2024, AGC also became the first manufacturer worldwide to obtain CE marking for vacuum glass.
“FINEO is the only vacuum insulating glass for which an aBG has been granted. Without this approval, a project-specific construction technique permit must be applied for individually for each project,” said Stefan Lips, Head of Sales at FINEO by AGC for Europe. “There is, however, no guarantee that it will be granted. In the worst case, windows that have already been installed may have to be removed again. With FINEO, planners, architects and window manufacturers have planning certainty from the outset.”
Improving the energy efficiency of historic windows poses particular challenges. Their frames were designed for thin single glazing. Due to their significantly greater overall thickness, modern multiple glazing units often cannot be integrated into the existing constructions.
FINEO combines the thinness of single glazing with high thermal insulation performance, achieving a Ug value of 0.7 W/(m²K) compared with around 5 W/(m²K) for conventional single glass. Moreover, following the commissioning of the new production line at AGC’s Lodelinsart site in Belgium, this value can be reduced to as low as 0.44 W/(m²K) in the tempered version.
These significantly reduced heat losses also have an impact on CO2 emissions during building operation over the product’s service life. Its slim build-up also allows it to be used where rebate depths are limited. With glass thicknesses ranging from around 7 to 20 millimetres, FINEO is suitable for a large proportion of the frame constructions found in existing buildings.
At glasstec, FINEO will demonstrate the use of vacuum insulating glass in a restored box-type window. The scale of the potential for these historic double-window constructions was already established by ift Rosenheim in 1996: at the time, there were around 74 million box-type windows in Germany. Their performance characteristics and aesthetic value make them worth preserving, but thermal insulation remains their weak point. If one of the panes is replaced with FINEO vacuum insulating glazing, the restored construction achieves Ug values of 0.7 to 0.5 W/(m²K).