4-pane window with two tilt and turn sashes, made to measure

This window is a mirror image: a tilt and turn sash on the left, two fixed panes in the middle, a tilt and turn sash on the right. That gives ventilation at both ends and keeps the centre — usually the part with the best view — free of hardware and of mullions that would have to sit closer together. Compared with the 4-pane window with one tilt and turn sash, this is more hardware but also a symmetrical look, with an opening at each end instead of just one.

The standard size is 3,200 × 1,500 mm, split across four panes. If you would rather have only one opening in this width, the 4-pane window with one tilt and turn sash is the simpler and cheaper choice.

The symmetry is practical too: whether you want air on the left or the right of the room, both ends have the same hardware. That helps in a long room where the spot you usually sit in isn't in the middle — there is always an opening sash within reach, without crossing the whole room.

Of the three 4-pane windows (4-pane fixed window, 4-pane window with one tilt and turn sash, and this one), this is the most symmetrical and the only one with two complete sets of hardware. If one opening is enough, choose the 4-pane window with one tilt and turn sash; if you want the symmetry and access from both ends, choose this one.

With an opening sash at each end, allow for two swing zones at the ends of the window, with two fixed panes between them that need no room to move. That makes this window practical where the middle of the wall is close to a wall, a cupboard or other fitted furniture: that is exactly where the glass that never moves sits.

Maintenance is in the two opening sashes at the ends; the two fixed panes in the middle need nothing. Colour and finish come from the same chart as any other pane, and with a symmetrical layout most people choose one continuous colour across the full width, so the symmetry shows in the colour as well as in the layout.

In a renovation, people choose this layout when the room is used from both sides and both sides need access to fresh air. In a new build, the symmetry is often used on purpose to balance a wide elevation, with the fixed centre as a calm point between the two identical opening ends.

For security, it is the two opening sashes at the ends that need attention; the two fixed panes in the middle have no hardware. For a ground-floor window, ask about a heavier locking cylinder at both ends.

You can use the heaviest glass on the two fixed centre panes without any consequence for the hardware; on the two opening sashes at the ends, weight counts. The configurator checks this pane by pane as soon as you enter the size and the glass.

Still not sure? Use the comparison with the other layouts in this group, above, to see which arrangement suits your situation best.