26 | MAY 2020
PVCu & Colour
A WINDOW
TO THE
FUTURE
Exploring fenestration
materials of the
past and present
The history of win- Wood and
aluminium
dows and doors dates
back to 12,000 BC when
it’s thought the Egyp-
tians accidentally created
glass beads and doors
were comprised from
simple planks of wood
and hinges. But what
about the history of the
materials that have been
used for manufacturing
windows and doors ever
since? Here, Nick Cowley,
managing director of PVCu
and composite window
and door manufacturer
Euramax, looks at the
changing materials used in
the industry.
Historically windows
and doors were simply
holes in walls that pro-
vided light and accessibil-
ity to the outside world.
Before the luxury of glass
was widely introduced
in the 1800s, paper and
animal hides acted to pre-
vent cold air from coming
in. Doors, on the other
hand, have been made
from wood since the first
century and materials have
evolved over the years to
make them stronger and
versatile.
From traditional wood
and aluminium to the
modified materials we
see today, the industry is
constantly exploring new
materials. Wood has many features
that has made this ma-
terial ideal for windows
and doors. It is strong and
secure, environmentally
friendly and offers a natu-
ral aesthetic. While wood
has been a popular materi-
al for windows and doors
for thousands of years, it
can become damaged by
changes in weather and
temperatures, meaning that
frequent maintenance is
required to preserve qual-
ity. Furthermore, wood is
not thermally efficient, and
the quality can significantly
degrade overtime.
From the 1970s, alumin-
ium was introduced as a
stronger and longer lasting
alternative to wood. As well
as being lighter and more
manageable to work with
aluminium soon became
another material choice
for windows and doors
manufacturers. However,
aluminium doesn’t provide
thermally efficient or aes-
thetically pleasing benefits
of some of the materials
used today.
While wood and alumini-
um were the most common
fenestration materials in
the past, they both possess
flaws that meant that popu-
larity has declined and the
need for newer materials
has increased.
PVCu and
composites
Discovered by mistake
in the 1800s, it wasn’t until
the 1980s that unplasti-
cised polyvinyl chloride
(PVCu) was considered
as a serious alternative to
wood and aluminium and
it soon became one of the
most desired fenestration
materials.
PVCu became popular
for its versatility, durability
and thermal efficiency and
as home designs started
to develop, homeowners
required suitable windows
and doors to match and
PVCu became the likely
choice.
However, while PVCu
was favoured for many
years, the introduction of
composite windows and
doors shifted the industry.
Composite products have
become extremely desired
for their strength, energy
efficiency and design pos-
sibilities.
For example, as envi-
ronmental concerns have
grown over the years,
consumer demand for win-
dows and doors that can
offer superior energy ef-
ficiency has risen. Homes
now need to be more
secure, both thermally and
for safety reasons, and a
composite core is the key.
This core is what makes
composite doors difficult
to force open and highly
energy efficient.
While the internal
properties make compos-
ite a desirable material,
the external appearance
is equally important.
The growing interest in
modern designs means
that people now want
windows and doors that
can complement a modern
home. Composite windows
and doors are ideal as they
can be designed in a range
of colours and finishes,
like the woodgrain finish
windows and doors from
Euramax.
Though materials are
constantly changing, the
importance of meeting
industry regulations re-
mains the same. Windows
and doors need to meet
performance and material
standards in order to com-
ply. For example, British
Nick Cowley,
managing director of Euramax
Standards Institute (BSI)
regulations BS EN 12608-
1:2016 applies to the fab-
rication of PVCu profiles
for windows and doors
and BS 8529:2017 specifies
the requirements for the
design, construction and
performance of composite
doors.
Is the future
hybrid?
Although composites
have many benefits, the
material can be suscepti-
ble to problems including
warping, swelling and
discolouration. To combat
this, one material has been
designed to overcome
these problems. By com-
bining PVCu and com-
posite materials, hybrid
materials provide the trust-
ed functionality of PVCu
and the stylish woodgrain
finish of composite.
As hybrid materials are
welcomed into the industry
as a new alternative for
doors, this material has
the potential to replace
composite window frames
too.
While aluminium proved
that materials didn’t need
to be heavy to maintain
strength, it did pose some
disadvantages on the en-
ergy efficiency front. With
the introduction of PVCu,
composites and now hybrid
materials, customers now
have the option of aes-
thetically pleasing, energy
efficient, strong and secure
materials.
Long gone are the days
of holes in walls covered
with animal hide — but
who knows what the next
era of window and door
design has in store.
www.euramaxuk.com