European Shutters
As a teenager I did a study abroad program and lived with a French family in a contemporary house that had exterior roll-down shutters for extra insulation at night. This always seemed immensely practical to me and not only insulates the building but adds security, an issue that concerns us for our isolated house in the Catskills when we are not there.
One manufacturer is Somfy Systems. Clearly they are an established company in France, likely the ones who made the shutters for the home I was staying in. A local dealer is Specialized Shading Systems in Ardsley, NY. The shutter roll-up mechanism would be inset into the exterior soffit over the window:
Bifold Doors
One concept I was playing around with for our Catskills homes is to use horizontal bifold doors (like hangar doors) to insulate our sliding glass doors at night and to create a 4' brille-soleil in summer to keep the space cool. The sun is low enough in the winter that the 4' overhang may not block much sun. Below is an example:
Schweiss Bifold Doors have made a variety of bifold doors. The ones they did for Yankee Stadium seem to be the right scale for what I am looking for.
Below is an example of their doors using metal siding:
I will most likely go with a "Bottom Drive" door which has the motor mounted onto the door itself. Here are the details for it and an image below of the look:
Crown offers Hydraulic doors which may be more attractive. They show only glass but the frame may support metal.
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