It begins with craftsmanship.
Stefan Hirt founds Hirt Metallbau as a sole proprietorship.
Facts and Figures
HIRT kinetics AG
Company
HIRT kinetics AG. Production site in Mollis (GL), office in Glattbrugg (ZH). 15 employees.
In 1988, Stefan Hirt founded Hirt Metallbau as a sole proprietorship, converted to Hirt Metallbau AG in 1995, and renamed HIRT kinetics AG in 2023.
Stefan Hirt, Founder. Felix Röscheisen, CEO since 2024, majority shareholder since 2026.
Legal Entity
HIRT kinetics AG
Production
Mollis (GL)
Office
Glattbrugg (ZH)
Employees
15
Founded
1988
Product Portfolio
Six product lines, all with vertical opening:
- HIRT kinetics SF 90 (Retracting Front): Window front that fully retracts into the floor.
- HIRT kinetics SF XL (Retracting Front for large formats).
- HIRT kinetics SF Special (Custom designs): Unlimited height, width, area, and weight. Curved fronts, all-glass corners, retractable solid walls.
- HIRT kinetics SF Protect (retractable balustrade or windbreak).
- HIRT kinetics HF 90 (Lifting Front): Window front that can be raised upwards.
- HIRT kinetics HF 75 Up/Down: Lift/Lower window that can be opened either upwards or downwards. Up to 4 m wide or 4 m high, 6 m² area. Manually operated or with electric drive.
Swipe sideways or use the arrow buttons to see more products.
| Specification | SF 90 | SF XL | SF Special | SF Protect | HF 90 | HF 75 Up/Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Height | 6 m | 6 m | Unlimited | 2 m | 6 m | 4 m |
| Max. Width | 6 m | 12 m | Unlimited | 5 m | 6 m | 4 m |
| Max. Surface Area | 18 m² | 40 m² | Unlimited | 8 m² | 18 m² | 6 m² |
| Max. Weight | 1.5 t | 3.5 t | Unlimited | 1.5 t | 1.5 t | 300 kg |
| Max. Glass Thickness | 63 mm | 70 mm | Custom | 25 mm | 63 mm | 61 mm |
| Opening Direction | Down | Down | Down | Down | Up | Up/Down |
| Operation | Electric drive | Electric drive | Electric drive | Electric drive | Electric drive | Manual or electric drive |
HF 75 Up/Down: 4 m wide or 4 m high, max. 6 m² surface area.
Insulation
Highly insulated for use in all climate zones, pneumatic sealing. Tested air permeability, wind load resistance, and watertightness against driving rain.
Execution Options
Post-free retracting fronts, corner solutions also non-right-angled, completely flush thresholds, drivable or invisible in the floor covering. Materials: aluminum, steel, chrome-nickel steel, bronze, wood.
Testing and Certification
CE conformity is proven by the type examination of Suva. CE conformity with type examination was certified in 2011, and watertightness testing according to EN in 2016.
Applies to
Retracting fronts SF 90, SF XL, SF Special
Air Permeability
Class 4 (EN 1026 / EN 12207)
Wind Load Resistance
Class C4 (EN 12211 / EN 12210)
Watertightness against Driving Rain
Class E1500 (EN 1027 / EN 12208)
Global Project Business
Over 340 systems in 225 properties in 33 countries – from Hawaii to Jakarta: Egypt, Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Germany, Estonia, France, Great Britain, Indonesia, Italy, Jersey, Canada, Qatar, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Turks and Caicos Islands, Hungary, USA, United Arab Emirates.
340
+
Systems
225
Properties
33
Countries
Chronicle
From metal construction to movable architecture.
It all began with Stefan Hirt’s metal construction company. Lifting windows, retracting fronts, and proprietary systems followed. A company history in five chapters.
Chapter 01 / 1988–1997
The beginnings
From metalwork to vertical movement.
The first windows rise.
First lifting windows in a café on Limmatplatz (ZH).
Conversion into Hirt Metallbau AG.
A new line of business
A new direction: downwards.
First order to develop drop fronts for a villa on Südstrasse in Zurich. They are still in operation today. Ever since, Stefan Hirt has been fascinated by vertical opening and has been developing a portfolio of products with vertical movement as a line of business in its own right.
Chapter 02 / 2002–2010
New possibilities
New countries, new shapes, new materials.
Across the border.
First order abroad, in Germany, for 3 drop fronts in a property on Lake Constance.
The room opens up completely.
First drop front in a “mullion-free” design (Schlossberg in Graz, Austria). (Mullion-free means that no fixed mullion is needed between two adjacent elements; when both are open, the room is completely open; this is made possible by additional guide rails in the ground.)
New dimensions.
First drop front as a mullion-and-transom system.
Drop front with the largest surface area at that time (16 × 5 m), weighing 6 tonnes, in Rum, Austria.
First drop fronts with hydraulic drive in St. Moritz (GR).
Installation of the highest drop fronts so far, at 2,263 m above sea level, in Samnaun (GR).
All glass.
First all-glass drop fronts (structural glazing) in Wels, Austria.
New markets. New shapes.
First order in the USA (Fort Worth).
First design with curved glass in Kastanienbaum (LU).
The first order in Spain.
First order in Spain (Marbella).
Moscow and Romania.
First orders in Moscow and Romania.
Stone moves too.
First drop front with a stone façade as a garage door in Herrliberg (ZH).
Chapter 03 / 2011–2016
In-house systems
Experience gives rise to in-house product lines.
CE conformity certified.
Certification of CE conformity with type examination.
Orders in Mallorca and Bermuda.
20 metres long.
Longest drop front at that time, 20 m long, in Oberdiessbach (BE).
A U-shaped opening.
Largest U-shaped drop front at that time, 5/10/5 m, in Los Angeles (USA).
A system of our own.
First order for drop fronts in the UK.
Product development of HIRT kinetics SF 90 with in-house developed system profiles and pneumatic seal.
Around the corner. As far as Australia.
First HIRT kinetics SF 90 with a corner solution in Egnach (TG).
First order in Australia for HIRT kinetics Protect.
The system grows.
Product development of HIRT kinetics SF XL.
Tightness testing according to EN certified.
Chapter 04 / 2017–2020
International
From Doha via Los Angeles to London.
Large-format drop fronts.
First drop front in Doha (Qatar).
Eight drop fronts 7 m high for the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
The first HF 90.
First HIRT kinetics HF 90 hoist front in Winterthur (ZH).
First order in Dubai.
Curved drop fronts for London.
Curved drop fronts for a restaurant on King’s Road / Saatchi Gallery in London.
Eleven elements for Texas.
Major order for 11 drop front elements in Texas (USA).
Chapter 05 / 2021–2026
The next chapter
New leadership and ambitious architecture.
The meeting.
Felix Röscheisen meets Stefan Hirt and recognises the potential of the highly specialised, globally active niche supplier.
Moving forward together.
Order for a retractable all-glass windbreak wall, 2.5 m high and 24 linear metres long, consisting of 3 elements, in Sardinia (Italy).
Felix Röscheisen becomes co-managing director.
Movement becomes the name.
Three polygonal drop fronts over 22 m for the Atmosphere Spa of Hotel Krallerhof in Leogang (Austria), designed by Hadi Teherani.
Major order in Mallorca (Spain) including three retractable stone façades, each 10 m long and weighing 8 tonnes.
Renaming to HIRT kinetics AG reflects the company’s positioning in its name.
The next step in leadership.
Felix Röscheisen becomes CEO.
Expanding the social media presence regularly generates viral hits with over 10 million views on Instagram.
Concrete in motion.
Two retractable concrete walls weighing 7 and 6.2 tonnes by Tadao Andō in Monte Carlo.
Responsibility for the future.
Felix Röscheisen takes over the majority shareholding from the Hirt family.
First HF 90 hoist front with an integrated hinged door for a flagship store in Zagreb.
Largest single-element corner installation at that time, with sides 8 m and 16 m long, in Cologny (GE).
References
A selection of completed projects can be found under Projects.
