Pergolas

Pergola Enclosures: Sliding Glass Walls and Zip Screens

Pergola enclosures are sliding glass walls and zip screens that protect the sides of a bioclimatic or retractable-fabric pergola from wind, rain and prying eyes while keeping it an open space. Michelessi, marble and stone specialists in Aprilia since 1976, between Rome and Latina, sells and installs the Gibus, KE Outdoor Design and Pratic versions and designs them together with the stone outdoor kitchen and the paving.

What pergola enclosures are

Pergola enclosures are the movable elements that protect the sides of a bioclimatic (louvred) pergola or a retractable-fabric pergola: sliding glass walls in toughened glass and zip screens in technical fabric, held taut by two side guides. They stop wind, driving rain and prying eyes, and open fully when the weather is fine. They are not walls: for the pergola to stay permit-free it must remain an open space, and that is how we design it.

Michelessi, marble and stone specialists in Aprilia since 1976, sells and installs the enclosures of the three Italian manufacturers Gibus, KE Outdoor Design and Pratic, on the new pergolas of our pergola department and, where the model allows it, on pergolas already in place. The design is drawn together with the stone outdoor kitchen, the paving and the pool, and our own team installs it; how we work, from survey to 3D design and installation, is explained on our page on bespoke pergolas.

Side enclosures for bioclimatic pergolas are chosen side by side: a glass wall where the wind blows and the view matters, a zip screen where you need shade, privacy or a quick way out to the garden.

Sliding glass walls for bioclimatic pergolas: how they are made

A sliding glass wall for a pergola is a run of toughened safety-glass panels that slide on a multi-track rail and stack to one side or in the centre. It is fitted between the posts and the beam, in a straight line or around a corner, and opens completely.

The three brands we install offer it with these data, reported as the manufacturers declare them:

Manufacturer and name	Declared glass	Declared track and sizes	Manufacturer's notes
Gibus – Vetrate VEPA	toughened safety glass, 10 or 12 mm, also extra-clear or satin	silver anodised aluminium track; straight or corner layout	seals between panels as standard, condensation drainage, sound reduction declared at up to 19 dB
KE Outdoor Design – Line Glass	toughened glass, 10 or 12 mm: extra-clear, reflective, etched or smoked	low-profile 18 mm guides; 3-, 4- or 5-track rails; up to 10 m wide and 3 m high	panels slide in both directions with brush seals, side or central closing; CE marking to standard 13561
Pratic – Slide Glass 60 (Glass Series)	toughened glass, 10 or 12 mm; Clear, Satin, Smoked and Mirrored Glass finishes	2- to 8-track rails; maximum width 1040 cm, maximum height 300 cm	tests declared by the Istituto Giordano: air permeability class 2, watertightness class 1A, wind resistance class A1; Fix Glass (fixed) and Door Glass (hinged door) are also available

Some bioclimatic pergolas are designed with enclosures in mind: Gibus declares integrated screens for Varia and Velvet Plus, with sliding glass walls as an addition; KE offers Vertika and Line Glass on Kedry Prime and Kedry Skylife; Pratic pairs the Glass Series and the Raso screens with Opera and Brera P. Which model suits you is explained on our page on what a bioclimatic pergola is and how it works.

Clear, satin or mirrored glass

Extra-clear glass keeps the view intact; satin or etched glass gives privacy from a neighbour or a road without losing light; smoked and mirrored glass (Pratic's Spy Glass, on the Connect bioclimatic pergolas) screen the view in by day. The choice is made side by side.

Zip screens for pergolas: the fabric enclosure with side guides

A zip screen is a vertical roller blind whose fabric has a zip along its edges running in two aluminium side guides: the fabric stays taut and holds up against wind better than a free-drop blind. It rolls into a cassette above the beam or, in integrated models, inside the pergola profile, and disappears when open.

The systems declared by the manufacturers we install:

Gibus – Click Zip: aluminium zip guides and the Mag Lock magnetic lock (a declared 100 N magnet) for wind resistance; simple, recessed or double-fabric cassette, declared width up to 7 m; blackout, micro-perforated shading, transparent (Cristal, for winter) and insect-screen fabrics.
KE Outdoor Design – Vertika: drop screens that close one or more sides, with concealed motor cable and blackout, shading and transparent fabrics; Vertika Prime goes with Kedry Prime, Isola 2 and Gennius Vega and, on Kedry Prime, retracts completely into the structure. Among the roller blinds there is also Screeny Hide, in zip or cable versions.
Pratic – Raso, T-Zone, T-Box Zip and T-Line: Raso is the vertical screen that disappears completely into the pergola profile, with zip guides; T-Zone and T-Box Zip have a cassette and zip guides, declared width up to 500 cm and height up to 350 cm; T-Line has a magnetic catch. Acrylic and polyester fabrics, glass-fibre screen (shielding up to 95 % of UV rays, according to Pratic) and clear, smoked or blackout PVC.

Three fabrics, three uses

Shading or filtering fabric (micro-perforated screen): Stops the sun and most of the heat, lets air through and keeps the view from inside: suited to the west-facing side on summer afternoons.
Blackout fabric: Shuts out light and eyes completely: useful in front of a bedroom window or towards a neighbour who is too close.
Clear PVC fabric: Shelters from wind and rain and keeps the view: the winter enclosure for those who do not want glass.

Glass wall or zip screen? How to choose side by side

The glass wall is the most stable and transparent enclosure; the zip screen is lighter, rolls away in seconds and gives shade. Usually it pays to combine them: glass on the windward side and the view, zip screens on the others.

Need	Sliding glass wall	Zip screen
Strong wind (coast, high terraces)	excellent, with declared tests (Slide Glass 60: class A1)	good, thanks to the zip in the guides and the magnetic locks
Driving rain	complete	complete with PVC fabric; partial with micro-perforated screen
View of the garden or the sea	full, with extra-clear glass	filtered with screen fabric, full with clear PVC
Shade and summer heat	none: glass must be paired with louvres or blinds	high with screen or blackout fabric
Winter use	suitable, with a source of heat	possible with clear PVC
Building rules	movable, transparent enclosure: read together with the pergola; never close all sides permanently	movable protection: normally creates no volume, if the pergola stays open

In exposed locations we start from the prevailing-wind side: on the Lazio coast and in Anzio and Nettuno it is often the seaward side; on the terraces of Rome it depends on the exposure and the surrounding buildings. In the other areas we serve, Latina, Aprilia, Pomezia and Ardea, the Castelli Romani and Frosinone, the criterion is the same and we check it at the survey.

A bioclimatic pergola closed with glass walls: is a permit needed in Italy?

It depends on how it is closed. Glass walls and zip screens are movable protections: if the pergola remains an open space, in many cases it falls under "edilizia libera" (permit-free works) in art. 6, paragraph 1, letter b-ter of the Italian Consolidated Building Act (DPR 380/2001); if all sides are permanently closed and it is used as a room, the reading changes and the municipality must be consulted before ordering. The municipal building regulations and, where one applies, the landscape protection order always remain in force.

In our design the glass walls and zip screens open fully, with no insulated frames or fixed air-conditioning systems, and pergola, glass, paving and services are assessed together, as one intervention. The conditions set by law, the cases decided by the courts and the restrictions are in our guide to permits for pergolas in Italy; for terraces there is the guide to a pergola on a condominium terrace. Which route applies to your home is something we tell you at the design stage, before ordering.

Enclosures on bar and restaurant terraces

On public land a permit-free pergola does not replace the public-land occupation licence: in Rome the regulation approved in 2025 goes through the Municipi and, in the centre, the Sovrintendenza. For venues we design removable structures consistent with the municipal rules: details on our page on pergolas for restaurants, hotels and beach clubs.

A closed bioclimatic pergola in winter: what to expect

A pergola closed with glass walls and shut louvres shelters from wind, rain and cold draughts, but it is not an insulated room: Pratic writes that the glass walls are "not insulating", although they help to moderate the temperature. You need a source of heat and an air change.

Heat: Gibus has designer heaters in its catalogue; KE offers the MORE FTA-e electric underfloor heating, laid under a raised floor, with Kedry Skylife, Kedry Prime and Isola 3; for Pratic pergolas heaters are third-party supplies that we list in the quotation.
Condensation: with a temperature difference the glass mists up. Gibus declares condensation drainage for its Vetrate VEPA; KE has the MORE VMC mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, fitted in the technical column of Kedry Skylife, Kedry Prime and Isola 3. Louvres opened a few degrees also let the pergola breathe.
Rain and snow: closed louvres channel water into the gutters and down the posts; the sensors declared by the manufacturers (rain, wind and, on some models, snow) move the louvres on their own. Cleaning, wind and snow are covered in our guide to bioclimatic pergola maintenance.
Zip instead of glass: clear PVC fabric closes a side in seconds: it is the lighter winter enclosure, for example in seaside second homes.

Closed pergola or winter garden?

Closing a pergola with glass walls and screens does not turn it into a winter garden: it remains a pergola with movable protections, not an insulated room. If the enclosure becomes permanent and the space is used as a room in every season, it is read as a veranda, under a different building regime; a true winter garden is a structure with a glass roof, like KE's Sunlight (Glassroom is the name of KE's family), which lists Line Glass and Vertika Sunlight among its optional enclosures. The differences between pergola, pergotenda, canopy, gazebo and veranda are set out in our guide bioclimatic pergola or pergotenda: differences, canopy, veranda; for pergolas with solar modules there is our page on photovoltaic pergolas.

Enclosures on a condominium terrace

On a privately owned terrace glass walls and zip screens follow the rules of the pergola: prior notice to the administrator, no harm to the appearance of the façade or to the neighbours' views, and a reading of the condominium rules, which may impose colours or forbid enclosures. We read the rules before quoting; the full picture is in our guide to a pergola on a condominium terrace.

Enclosures and the stone outdoor kitchen: one design

A pergola installer who is also a stonemason reads the enclosure as a wall of the design. In the same 3D drawing we place the pergola, the outdoor kitchen under the pergola with its granite, quartzite or sintered-stone worktop and refractory-stone barbecue, the stone paving and, where there is one, the pool. From that come choices that cannot be made once the enclosures are fitted:

the floor guide of the glass wall (a declared 18 mm for KE's Line Glass) is planned into the cutting of the slabs, to avoid steps and visible sealant;
on the kitchen side we prefer a screen-fabric zip or no enclosure at all, because smoke and steam must escape; the glass wall goes on the windward and panorama side;
zip cassettes and post downpipes follow the joints of the stone paving and the edge of the pool;
the kitchen remains outdoor furniture: if the design closes every side and fixes services in place, we say so first and recommend the opinion of the municipal technical office.

Enclosures on a pergola already installed

Yes, in many cases. Gibus declares its Vetrate VEPA applicable to Gibus products "but not only", including existing porches; KE offers Line Glass and Vertika for its own pergolas and the Sunlight winter garden (Glassroom is the name of KE's family); Pratic offers Slide Glass 60, Fix Glass and perimeter screens for its bioclimatic and fabric pergolas. On a pergola already in place we check at the survey the load capacity of the posts, the flatness of the floor and the room for the cassettes; the same logic applies to retractable-fabric pergolas, as we explain on our page on retractable-fabric pergolas.

Zip screens that meet the ENEA requirements for solar shading may qualify for the Italian tax deductions, to be checked with your accountant: the requirements and current rates are in our guide to tax deductions for awnings and pergolas in Italy.

To widen the picture: our guide on how much a bioclimatic pergola costs explains what the quotation depends on, enclosures included, without figures; our guide to choosing between Gibus, KE and Pratic compares the three brands.

The survey and the quotation are free in Aprilia, Rome, Latina and throughout Lazio. You will find us at Michelessi SRL, Via Pontina km 45.350, Aprilia (Latina); phone and WhatsApp +39 06 9275383.

How to choose pergola enclosures side by side

Identify wind and view
At the survey we mark the prevailing-wind side, the side with the view and the one exposed to onlookers or a road: each side will have its own enclosure.
Decide on winter use
If the pergola will also be used in the cold months, plan a glass wall or clear PVC fabric, a source of heat and an air change; otherwise screen-fabric zip screens are enough.
Assign glass or fabric to each side
Sliding glass wall where view and wind resistance matter; zip screen where shade, privacy or quick access are needed; on the kitchen side a screen-fabric zip or no enclosure, so that smoke and steam escape.
Check the rules before ordering
We check letters b-ter and b-bis, the municipal building regulations, any landscape protection order and, in an apartment building, the condominium rules and notice to the administrator; if you want to close every side we ask the municipality.
Coordinate with the stone paving and kitchen
In the 3D design the floor guides, cassettes and downpipes line up with the cutting of the slabs, the stone worktop and the edge of the pool.
Installation and testing
The Michelessi team fits the glass walls and zip screens, adjusts the panels and the motor limits and hands over the manufacturer's manuals; we state the manufacturer's warranty in the quotation.

More from the pergolas department

Frequently asked questions

Can a bioclimatic pergola be closed on all sides with glass walls?

Technically yes, but under Italian building law a pergola permanently closed on all sides and used as a room is no longer permit-free and may require a building title. That is why we design enclosures that open fully and, if you want to close every side, we check with the municipality first.

Are sliding glass walls for pergolas VEPA?

They can be, depending on where they are fitted. Letter b-bis covers removable, fully transparent panoramic glazing on balconies, loggias and porches that creates no permanently closed space and guarantees micro-ventilation. On a garden pergola or a terrace the enclosure is read together with the pergola under letter b-ter. If the glass is satin or mirrored, or if you close every side, the reading changes and must be checked with the municipality.

Do I need a permit to fit zip screens to a pergola in Italy?

In many cases no, provided the pergola does not become a permanently closed space: zip screens are movable solar protections, the same family as the awnings that letter b-ter places among permit-free works, and they normally create no volume. Municipal regulations, landscape protection orders and, in an apartment building, the condominium rules and the building's appearance still apply. We confirm it at the design stage, before ordering.

Do zip screens keep the rain out?

It depends on the fabric. Clear PVC and coated blackout fabric stop driving rain; micro-perforated screen fabric stops the sun and most of the water, but in heavy rain and wind a few drops get through. The zip in the guides keeps the fabric taut, and the manufacturers declare dedicated systems such as Gibus's Mag Lock magnetic lock.

How well do glass walls and zip screens resist wind?

The manufacturers declare tests and markings: Pratic reports wind-resistance class A1 from the Istituto Giordano for Slide Glass 60; KE CE-marks Line Glass and Vertika to standard 13561; Gibus relies on the Mag Lock system for the Click Zip screens. On the coast we put the glass wall on the prevailing-wind side and zip screens on the others.

Is a pergola closed with glass walls warm in winter?

It is sheltered from wind and rain, not insulated: the glass walls, as Pratic states, are not insulating but moderate the temperature. With a source of heat, such as KE's MORE FTA-e underfloor heating (with Kedry Skylife, Kedry Prime and Isola 3) or a heater, you can stay outside in January too. Slightly open louvres and, where available, KE's MORE VMC ventilation help to limit condensation.

Can enclosures be added to a pergola that is already installed?

Yes, in many cases: Gibus declares its glass walls applicable to existing porches too; KE and Pratic offer glass walls and perimeter screens for their own pergolas. On a pergola already in place we check at the survey the load capacity of the posts, the flatness of the floor and the room for the cassette; sometimes a zip screen with an external cassette is the better choice.

Do zip screens qualify for Italian tax deductions?

They may qualify as solar shading if they meet the ENEA requirements, certified by a qualified technician. The requirements, current rates and deadlines are in our guide to tax deductions for awnings and pergolas; check them with your accountant.

Can enclosures be fitted on a condominium terrace?

On a privately owned terrace yes, with three checks: prior notice to the administrator, respect for the appearance of the façade and the neighbours' views, and a reading of the condominium rules. Satin glass and profiles in the colour of the façade keep the enclosure discreet. We measure the distances from other people's windows at the survey; the full picture is in our guide to a pergola on a condominium terrace.

What glass is used in pergola glass walls?

Toughened safety glass, 10 or 12 mm, as Gibus, KE and Pratic declare, in extra-clear, satin, smoked, reflective or mirrored versions. The panels slide on multi-track rails and stack to one side; the seals between the panels limit air and noise, with a sound reduction declared by Gibus of up to 19 dB.

Glass wall or zip screen in front of the outdoor kitchen?

In front of the barbecue and the hobs we prefer a screen-fabric zip or no enclosure at all, because smoke and steam must escape; the glass wall goes on the windward and panorama side. We decide it in the same drawing in which we design the stone worktop, the paving and the pergola, so guides and cassettes find their place.

Do enclosures turn the pergola into a veranda?

Only if they make it a permanently closed space. Italy's uniform building definitions describe a veranda as a space closed at the sides by glazed surfaces; to remain a pergola, glass walls and screens must be movable, fully openable, without insulated frames or fixed services. This is the criterion we follow in the design and check with the municipality in doubtful cases.

Can a bioclimatic pergola become a winter garden?

Not in the proper sense: sliding glass walls are not insulating, as Pratic also states, so they shelter the pergola from wind and rain without making it a heated room. If it is closed permanently and used as a room in every season, the work is read as a veranda and falls under a different building regime, to be checked with the municipality. A true winter garden is a separate structure with a glass roof: KE offers one, Sunlight (Glassroom is the name of KE's family).