2018 Readers’ Choice Awards
July 14th, 2021 by Nathan HobbsAnd Now, For the Year’s Best: Doors and Windows
From components and hardware, to software and equipment—DWM’s December-January February edition brought you all of the products from 2018 that our readers said they valued most. You may have noticed that something was missing (by design, though): doors and windows.
In January, we deployed a follow-up survey, including all of the door and window products included in the magazine throughout 2018. Readers were invited to participate via announcements in DWM’s e-newsletter and over social media, and asked to weigh in on doors and windows across nine categories. As a special thank you for their participation, we awarded one lucky respondent—selected at random—with a $100 gift card.
According to our readers, here are the most significant door and window products covered in 2018.
SPECIALTY
Marvin for Commercial Ultimate Double Hung Next Generation
Among all of the specialty doors and windows covered in 2018, DWM’s readers labeled this product the year’s most valuable player. Comments ranged from, “The most unique double hung on the market,” to, “Always at the forefront.” Adding to this product’s appeal is its variety of available sizes—ranging up to five feet wide and 10 feet tall—and its option for a PG50 rating. Company officials say Marvin’s Commercial Ultimate Double Hung Next Generation was developed with historical and institutional commercial projects in mind, including key features that ease installation and painting for professionals. The product now locks at the center of the check rail, instead of at each jamb, while the locking mechanism has also been re-engineered to allow for easy removal and reattachment amid painting—all without shifting components out of alignment.
STACKING, SLIDING, BI-FOLD, PIVOT AND WALLS
Western Window Systems – Series 7000
“Series 7000 doors are in a class of their own,” declared one of DWM’s readers. Clearly plenty of others agreed, denoting the product a top selection. In 2018, the company added hinged and fixed windows to this series of aluminum windows and moving glass walls, which officials say is designed to deliver energy efficiency and strength in a variety of weather conditions. Casements, awnings and hoppers added all-new hardware, for a sleek hinge profile, and can be directly mulled to Series 7000 sliding doors, fixed window walls and hinged doors for a clean overall appearance. “We put them on hotels with rigorous specifications and field water tests,” one reader commented.
IMPACT RESISTANT
PGT Innovations for SlimFront
Early in the year, Florida-based PGT Innovations arrived at the International Builders’ Show with a full selection of its hurricane-rated products, including Sparta impact-resistant windows by CGI Windows and Doors and the new WinGuard Aluminum by PGT Custom Windows + Doors impact-resistant products. But the product that grabbed the attention of more DWM readers than any other? Its SlimFront (Series 3520 Storefront System) by CGI Commercial Architectural Products.
GENERAL
Marvin for Marvin Modern
There was a clear movement toward modern-styled products in 2018, and Marvin Modern was one that caught readers’ attention. Why? “There is nothing else even close to this product on the market,” one reader commented. The product made a “fourth-quarter performance” by launching in late fall 2018, yet still earning an award as a fan favorite.
Marvin Modern features a brand new material—a proprietary high-density fiberglass exterior—along with an aluminum interior and patent-pending frame design, that company officials say deliver category-leading thermal and structural performance. Other benefits include enough material strength to support large sizes, narrow sight lines and longer lifespans than
other materials, according to company officials. At press time, casement and awning windows were scheduled to be added to the collection in early 2019. A multi-slide door is available with Sliding Door Automatic Control, and all products are available with Marvin’s factory-installed Lock Status Sensor.
CURTAINWALL/STOREFRONT
Loewen for Timber Curtainwall
DWM’s readers labeled Loewen’s Timber Curtainwall system an “impressive product.” Officials say every unit is custom designed then built to order, including clear Douglas Fir for all pillars and beams, and engineered core glue-laminated lay-ups for strength and structural stability. As a result, readers said they’re impressed by this product’s ability to be used as a load-bearing system, while incorporating operable doors and windows, which some said makes it, “by far the best curtainwall system on the market.”
Exterior cladding is available in the company’s palette-matching AAMA 2605 paint or AAMA 611 anodized, while glazing options include monolithic, dual- and triple-glazed in standard low-E coatings. As one reader put it, “impressive product.”
ENTRY DOORS
Simpson for Clear Edge
In the movement toward more glass, Simpson’s Clear Edge technology struck a tone with readers by taking it all the way to the edge of one or two sides of wood doors. This new concept in modern, contemporary style one reader said, “is paving the way for unimagined door designs.” In exterior doors, glass can extend to one edge, while interior doors allow it to be extended from bottom to top.
Clear Edge doors can be used in swing, pocket or bypass configurations, or combined with barn track or pivot hardware. Meanwhile, “Simpson doors are union made and are the best,” one reader opined.
STEEL AND ALUMINUM
Western Window Systems for Simulated Steel Line
One sure way to get readers’ attention includes any breakthrough in energy efficiency. This year, Western Window Systems managed to do that by unveiling a line of simulated steel doors and windows made of thermally broken aluminum. An extension of the company’s Series 7000 family of products, this new series follows recent trends by offering narrow, clean profiles with beveled glass stops and .875-inch simulated divided lites (SDLs). Options for oversized glass, split finishes and screens extend design flexibility even farther, while officials say its new product offers energy-efficiency via features like low-E, Argon-filled, dual-pane glass and a design pressure rating of 50.
COMPOSITE
Cascadia for Universal Series
Cascadia Windows and Doors stole the show among composite products in 2018 by introducing what officials say is the first commercial-grade, all-fiberglass Passive House Certified (U.S.) product in North America. Available with both inward- and outward-opening hardware, and wheelchair-friendly door sills, the new system is manufactured with materials free of hazardous and toxic components.
PATIO
Veka for Corsair
Veka debuted its all new Corsair gliding patio door system in 2018. Whether it was the product’s ability to be customized for new construction and replacement, or the ability of its two-, three- and four-panel configurations to reach heights of up to eight feet, readers felt this product was the most significant in the patio category. Officials say the Corsair is designed to deliver performance, with a 1-inch insulating glass capacity, a DP50 class rating and impact capability.
To view the laid-in version of this article in our digital edition, CLICK HERE.
