Clearview 264 - November 2023 | Page 62

Aluminium Extra

CAB Reports on the Continued Rise in Use of Aluminium in Building

Fifteen years ago you could open any fenestration magazine and you would be introduced to windows , doors and conservatories all in PVC , aluminium product promotion in home improvement was few and far between . House builders at that time had adopted PVC as the fenestration product of choice which encouraged new home sales and , whilst aluminium fenestration was firmly rooted in the commercial field , high end properties in up-market desirable residential areas continued to use aluminium .
BY PHIL SLINGER - CAB CEO

Once a premium product over the choice of aluminium or timber , PVC systems have continued to improve and to evolve with high speed production techniques which offered an ongoing competitive edge between suppliers . Today the product is excellent for home improvement , but , some say there is little more development that can be achieved with the material .

So what changed ? Why do homeowners now aspire to fit aluminium if it can be afforded over alternative materials ?
First , it needs to be said , that aluminium fenestration in the residential sector still only has a small share of the market , 15 % to 20 % at the most , but it sits as a ‘ premium ’ branded material for homeowners who wish to invest in something a little more upmarket . So why the continued uptake in aluminium ? Like any product that gains market saturation , buyers will always look at alternatives and aluminium sits in the wings with unquestionable commercial acumen . Also , now debunked , is aluminium ’ s poor thermal performance , as profiles with high performance thermal breaks can easily meet that of their PVC counterparts .
On the upside is aluminium ’ s ability to be virtually 100 % recyclable without loss of material characteristics , something that has been done since its commercialisation in 1880 . Furthermore , 75 % of all aluminium produced over the last 140 years is still in active use today , being recycled more than once in many cases . Then there is the life expectancy of finishes such as anodising and high performance powder coatings which offer unparalleled life expectancy when it comes to weathering . This sustainability of aluminium and its finishes has further found favour with specifiers in other external architectural aluminium products such as facias , spandrel panels , rain screen cladding systems , rainwater
goods and parapet capping , such is the products life expectancy in use .
But , it is not about which material is better ; steel , timber , PVC and aluminium all make excellent fenestration products given their material limitations . Today it is good to see that major PVC companies also have profitable ranges of aluminium systems that sit alongside their PVC counterparts , so the choice is with the specifier , often the homeowner , as to what they wish to have in their home .
A recent online survey concluded that the majority of companies in the home improvement sector believe that aluminium has the most upside potential over the next few years . Whilst window profile designs can be complex , but easy to produce , new systems are continually being launched into the market , there are also further markets for aluminium that show signs of growth .
62 NOVEMBER 2023 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM