The parts and how to read a drawing
Picture a flexible curtain assembled from narrow horizontal strips. The strips are slats, and their joints allow the curtain to roll up. This is an external assembly in front of a window, not a fabric blind inside the room.
A few more names will help you recognise the parts in the drawings:
- Shaft: the horizontal axis around which the curtain winds as it rises.
- Box: the housing above the window containing the shaft and rolled-up curtain.
- Guide rails: the two side profiles that guide the edges of the curtain in front of the glass.
- Drive: the mechanism that turns the shaft. Controls and any electrical supply are selected with the configuration.
- Inspection cover: a removable part of the box that provides maintenance access. Keeping it accessible means not trapping it behind the finished plaster or cladding.
Some drawings also carry the label MKT. This means an integrated insect screen: a separate, smaller roll sits beside the large shutter roll. It is an optional configuration, not a component included in every shutter.
What does an installation detail show?
It is an enlarged section through the place where shutter, window and wall meet. Unlike a photograph of a finished façade, it reveals what sits behind the box, where the insulation goes and how the components connect.
The first three sheets below show vertical sections. Imagine cutting through the top of the window from top to bottom and looking at it from the side. The large dark circle is the rolled-up curtain, not a gear. Its housing is the box. Below it you can identify the window frame by its internal cavities, and the glass by thin parallel lines. In these sections, outside is to the left and inside to the right.
A horizontal section is like looking down at a window cut across its width. We will use one for the side guides. Hatching distinguishes materials: on these sheets, the large honeycomb pattern indicates insulation beside the wall, while diagonal lines mark the solid building structure.
Three places to put the box
| Arrangement | Where the box sits | When to consider it |
|---|---|---|
| Front-mounted, such as SK or SKP | Outside, in front of the window or wall; its housing remains visible | Windows are already installed or major façade alterations are not planned |
| Concealed, such as SP-E | In a prepared zone of the façade, with the front concealed by the finish | The building is being designed or its façade can still be adapted |
| Top-mounted, such as SKB | Directly above the frame, within the combined assembly | Window and shutter are selected together for a new or altered opening |
These are not three quality grades. They are three different answers to the same question: where is there space for the shutter in your building?
Front-mounted: an existing window
The box is mounted outside and does not need to be fully concealed within the façade. This makes it worth considering for an existing home, although the available space still needs checking.
Where to look in the drawing
Find the upper-left example labelled SK. The box sits in front of the insulated wall zone above the frame. Now look at SK + MKT at the lower right: the box is lower, in front of the upper part of the window assembly.
The practical difference is daylight. If space above the window is limited, the box may have to sit lower. Depending on the box and frame dimensions, it can extend over the glass. Part of the upper opening would then remain covered even with the shutter fully raised.
The rounded SKP and SKO-P housings on the same sheet illustrate other box shapes. Shape is a useful design choice, but it comes after checking position and dimensions.
What this means for your window
Ask for the box position to be marked on a photograph or measured drawing of your façade. Both the frame edge and the start of the glass should be visible. This lets you understand any change to the view from indoors before the shutter is made.
On a finished façade, fixing points and cable entry also need agreement if an electric drive is selected. Fixings require a suitable supporting substrate; the outer plaster layer alone does not establish that.
Ask your installer: “Show me the bottom edge of the box. Will all the glass remain clear when the shutter is raised?”
Concealed SP-E: box and insulation
A concealed box is integrated into the façade. The finish covers its front face, while the curtain exits below. This is why provision for SP-E is best made before façade work is completed.
Where to look in the drawing
Compare the upper two SP-E sections. On the left, a tall upper frame section sits behind the box. On the right, the frame starts lower and an insulated zone separates the box from the wall. The shutter works on the same principle, but the construction around it differs.
Now look at the lower SP-E + MKT pair. The small roll in the upper-right corner of each box is the insect screen. Its inclusion must also be allowed for when selecting the system.
Why the space behind the box matters
A shutter box takes up physical space. Simply removing insulation to make it fit can weaken thermal performance above the window. A thermal bridge is a local area where heat can escape more readily than through neighbouring parts of the building envelope. Whether a problem occurs depends on the actual detail, not on the word “concealed”.
The working section should show the real layers: wall, insulation, box and frame. A promise to “fill everything with foam” does not explain how that junction will perform.
There is also an everyday maintenance issue. Concealing the box must not make it impossible to open. Agree the boundary of the finish so that the inspection cover can be removed without breaking the façade.
Ask your installer: “What will sit between the box and the wall, and which cover will a technician open for a repair?”
Top-mounted SKB: window and box together
Here, the box sits above the frame. Together they occupy the opening beneath the lintel, the supporting building element over the window. You cannot order a window to fill all the available height and then add an SKB box above it without changing the design.
Where to look in the drawing
Find the large roll, then the window frame beneath it. A thick shell with a small cellular pattern surrounds the roll: this is the insulating part of the box. The building structure runs above the assembly.
The sheet shows SKB/260/RI and SKB/260/RA, with insect-screen versions on the right. The lower box details and connections to the frame differ. “SKB” alone is not a complete specification: the particular version and its maintenance arrangement need to be identified.
What to agree before the window is manufactured
Confirm the overall dimensions of the window-and-box assembly, its connection to the opening and access to the inspection cover. If the opening height is fixed, space for the box must be included when determining the frame height and visible glass area.
The shutter box does not replace the load-bearing lintel. How the building carries loads above the opening is a separate structural question from how the shutter operates.
Ask your installer: “How tall will the window itself be once the box is included, and from which side will it be serviced?”
Guide rails: the sides of the window
Move from the top of the window to its sides. Guide rails may look minor, but they establish where the curtain edges run and how a large window will look if divided into separate shutters.
Where to look in the drawing
These are horizontal sections. The small window elevations on the left show where the imaginary cuts are made; numbers 2, 3 and 4 connect them to the enlarged details on the right.
Example 2, at the top, shows a window edge beside a wall. PPDO53 identifies the guide in front of the frame. Examples 3 and 4 add central connections, where the guides of neighbouring curtains meet.
Why this matters to a homeowner
Imagine a wide window with several sections. One large shutter and several separate shutters are different proposals: the controls, vertical lines on the façade and component requirements change. Curtain divisions should be coordinated with the window layout before installation day.
Permitted dimensions depend on factors including the curtain profile, guides and wind loading. A request for one continuous curtain therefore needs a technical check.
The labels X ≥ 0 and max 25 relate to the illustrated details, not universal installation gaps. For your window, check that there is room for the guides, that they do not obstruct frame drainage and that opening movements remain clear.
Ask your installer: “Where will the guides appear on the façade elevation, and do they align with my window divisions?”
Questions before ordering
Can shutters be added after renovation?
Front-mounted systems are often considered for this situation. Suitability depends on space above the window, reveal depth, fixing options and outside access. A concealed box may require façade alterations. For a finished home, a survey comes before choosing the colour.
Does an insulated box mean the whole junction is warm?
Box insulation matters, but so do its connections to the frame and wall. Sealing the window installation joint and insulating around the box address related but different tasks. Our separate waterproofing article explains protection of window junctions against water.
What happens during a power cut?
For an electrically operated shutter, ask this before selecting the drive. Emergency opening depends on the configuration; not every mechanism can simply be lifted by hand. This is especially important where a shutter covers a door needed for exit.
Is an ordinary shutter burglar-resistant?
An aluminium curtain is not automatically a certified burglar-resistant assembly. If a verified security class is required, request documentation for the relevant system and configuration. Ordinary shutters must not automatically be presented as protection against a blast wave either.
Before payment, you should understand four things: where the box sits, what is behind it, where the guides run and how the mechanism is reached. A top detail, a side detail and a façade elevation are useful ways to make those answers clear.
Aluprof shutters in Kyiv and Kharkiv
To discuss shutters with BIFORIUM, send photographs of the windows and façade, approximate dimensions and the building stage: design, window installation or completed renovation. If drawings are available, include a wall section showing insulation. This is enough to begin a conversation; final dimensions and installation feasibility are checked before manufacture.
For a property in Kyiv or Kharkiv, the address is only part of the information. Floor level, exposure to wind and access to the outside of the windows can affect both the configuration and the work involved.
When comparing prices, check what is included: box and curtain, guides, drive, insect screen, electrical preparation, installation and making good the finish. The same shutter area does not necessarily mean the same scope of work.
Send photographs or drawings to discuss Aluprof roller shutters.
A well-chosen shutter is more than a curtain in the right colour. It has an agreed place beside the window and a practical way to reach its mechanism later. Start with those decisions.