Framing what’s next for fenestration

Fensterbau Frontale will return to Nuremberg from 24 to 27 March 2026, positioning itself as a focal point for an industry facing mounting pressure to deliver more efficient, resilient and sustainable buildings. The organisers say the world’s leading trade fair for windows, doors and façades is already seeing a “positive response”, with exhibition space planned on a similar scale to the 2024 edition, reinforcing expectations of a strong turnout and a busy marketplace for products, ideas and contacts.

Opening daily at 10am, the event will once again run alongside Holz-Handwerk, with both trade fairs accessible via a single ticket. The format reflects a broader push towards joined-up thinking in construction, where envelope, materials and building systems increasingly need to be considered together. An online exhibitor and product overview will be updated continuously in the run-up to the show.

Sustainability in action

Organisers are framing this year’s agenda around some of the most pressing issues in construction and architecture: energy-efficient renovation, serial and modular construction, recycling and the circular economy, safety, and climate-proof construction methods. The stated aim is to move beyond broad ambition and towards practical solutions that can be applied in day-to-day project delivery.

Elke Harreiß, Executive Director at Fensterbau Frontale, said the early market response underlines the event’s continued relevance. “It is not only a platform for products and innovations, but also for personal dialogue and networking,” she said, emphasising the fair’s role as a convening space at a time when decision-makers across the sector are being asked to rethink established approaches.

Innovation, insight, and networking

A key feature of 2026 is an expanded supporting programme designed to complement the exhibition halls with more structured knowledge-sharing. At the centre of this is the new Fensterbau Frontale Stage, presented as an international platform for innovation and exchange. It will highlight current market trends, provide a launch point for guided tours, and host the Innovation Award for the first time.

Alongside the stage programme, the Fensterbau Frontale Forum will focus on practical industry content and will also host award presentations, including ‘Window Manufacturer of the Year 2026’ and the ‘MeisterAward’. Another programme strand, Focus Interior Doors, will be organised jointly with Holz-Handwerk, in cooperation with trade magazine BM, placing modern interior door solutions firmly on the agenda.

One of the week’s set-piece events is the Architecture–Windows–Facades forum, scheduled for 26 March 2026 in NCC East. The free forum requires registration and will be delivered in collaboration with AIT-Dialog. Under the guiding principle ‘Balance – Building in Equilibrium’, speakers will address future-facing themes including modular construction and efficiency, circular construction, and climate resilience. Special exhibitions will add further depth, with ‘klima.sicher.bauen’ (climate.safe.building) presented in cooperation with ift Rosenheim, and ‘Metallbautreff’ (metal construction meeting) powered by metall-markt.net, offering dedicated spaces for targeted exchange.

Chiara Sträßner, Director Exhibition at Fensterbau Frontale, described the supporting programme as central to the show’s value proposition. “It offers trade visitors the opportunity to obtain comprehensive information, gain new perspectives and exchange ideas with experts,” she said, adding that the objective is to create “a place where knowledge and practice come together”.

The fair will also arrive with a refreshed brand identity and a new slogan: “Framing what’s next”—a signal, organisers argue, of intent around progress and sustainability. Conceptual sponsors include the trade association Glass, Window, Facade Baden-Württemberg and the state guild association of the Bavarian glazier trade, with ift Rosenheim named as cooperation partner.

In 2024, the combined Fensterbau Frontale and Holz-Handwerk, events attracted around 75,000 visitorsand 973 exhibitors from window, door and façade construction and woodworking. With 2026 shaping up on a similar footprint, the organisers’ message is clear: Nuremberg is once again being positioned as the industry’s key gathering point—focused not just on showcasing innovation, but on translating it into practical, scalable solutions for a rapidly changing built environment.