Both systems hang from an overhead track, travel out to divide a room and stack away to open it. The difference is what happens when the wall is closed. Folding glass keeps daylight and sightlines moving between rooms. Solid folding panels close the view for full visual privacy. Many projects use both, so the real question is which one fits each opening.
This guide compares Modernfold's glass operable walls with its Acousti-Seal solid panel systems, using the published data on our product pages and examples from LG2 projects in Michigan.
The two families at a glance
Modernfold glass operable walls come in three levels of sound control and automation:
- PureView: single-pane 1/2" tempered glass on slim top and bottom rails, frameless by default with an optional fully framed stile. Chosen for the most open look.
- Acousti-Clear: 4"-thick panels with two panes of tempered glass in an aluminum frame, rated STC 45 or STC 51. Chosen when sound control and daylight both matter.
- ComfortDrive: a self-driving track system for up to 30 panels. Push a button and every panel drives out of the stack, travels to its programmed position, then the closure seals and locks.
Modernfold solid folding panels are the Acousti-Seal family: Encore™ for premium acoustics, Legacy™ on a slim 3" unitized platform, and Premier™ with 3" laminated construction. They come as single panels, paired panels or continuously hinged electric walls.
Acoustics: how much privacy does the room need?
Both families are rated by STC. Encore™ is published at STC 52, 54 and 56, Legacy™ at 50 and 52, and Premier™ at 28, 47 and 50. On the glass side, Acousti-Clear is rated STC 45 or 51, while PureView is STC 15 frameless or STC 33-37 fully framed.
Match the series to the program on each side of the wall. Acousti-Clear brings real sound control with daylight and connection, and the solid Acousti-Seal series extend up to STC 56. For background on the numbers, see STC Ratings Explained.
Visual privacy without giving up glass
Glass does not have to mean fully on view. Options on the product page include frosted, low-iron frosted and custom etched glass, frosted privacy bands with horizontal mullions, and Polar White markerboard glass that doubles as a writing surface. Motorized and ComfortDrive Acousti-Clear walls add MorphGlas switchable glass, clear when powered and frosted when off (STC 45), and Draper motorized shades inside the panel.
Solid panels solve privacy by default, and their faces can work hard too: vinyl, fabric, laminate, wood veneer and markerboard. At a Corewell Health nurse training building, a Modernfold wall closes into a full-width markerboard that instructors write on. At Feeding America West Michigan in Kentwood, a custom-printed Mackinac Bridge mural runs across the panels.
Operation and automation
Both families offer manual and powered options. On the glass side, Acousti-Clear Automatic seals set themselves when a panel's lead edge meets the wall or next panel, Acousti-Clear Motorized powers the seals and closure from a key switch, and ComfortDrive automates the whole wall. ComfortDrive must be UL 325 approved, stops on contact with an obstruction and runs on low-voltage 36 VDC power.
Solid panels can be single or paired manual panels, or continuously hinged electric walls (Encore™ Automated, Legacy™ Electric and Premier™ Electric) that run on keyed switches so the whole train moves together.
Height, stacking and layout
PureView, Acousti-Clear and ComfortDrive glass walls have a 12'-0" max height. Solid panel electric walls are available for taller openings: up to 28'-4" on the #14 track for Legacy™ Electric, and up to 40' for Encore™ Automated.
Both families support flexible stacking with single panels, including remote and angled stacks, and pocket doors can hide the stack. Whatever you choose, both hang from overhead track, so coordinate the support structure early. See Overhead Support and Beam Deflection.
Examples from Michigan projects
- Acousti-Clear paired panels at GMB Architecture's Grand Rapids hub.
- Acousti-Clear single panels for a meeting room at Lakeshore Advantage in Holland, and in a large hall at Lansing Credit Union.
- PureView fully framed single panels turning a corner around the pro shop at Kalamazoo Country Club.
- Solid Modernfold panels in training classrooms, a football film room, a boardroom and a high school gym.
Browse more in the project gallery.
A simple way to decide
- Openings taller than 12'-0": solid Modernfold continuously hinged electric walls.
- Daylight and connection with real sound control: Acousti-Clear at STC 45 or 51.
- The most open, lightest look: PureView.
- Push-button operation for a glass wall: ComfortDrive.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What warranty comes with Modernfold glass walls?
- Modernfold warrants its glass operable partitions for 5 years against manufacturing defects. ComfortDrive's 5-year warranty requires a registered service agreement, and MorphGlas carries a 2-year warranty.
- Is a glass pass door available?
- Yes. Acousti-Clear offers an ADA-compliant glass pass door with no threshold, a nominal 36" door within a 48" panel. PureView offers a swing-through pass door on select configurations.