The fenestration industry was overwhelmed with the desire for coloured, smart, composite windows and doors in 2019. While these are expected to still be of importance for many homeowners in 2020, there are new trends ready to take off in the year ahead.
Nick Cowley – Managing Director of Euramax
Here, Nick Cowley, managing director of PVCu and composite window and door manufacturer Euramax, explains what lies ahead in 2020.
More glazing, less frame
With an increased demand for modern interior and exterior styles, windows and doors have the ability to make a huge impact on the appearance of a home.
Modern and clean frames allow for a wider expanse of glazing, compared to traditional and thicker window surrounds. Windows create the impression of space in a home, all while increasing natural light sources and bring a sense of the outside, in. This desire for larger panes of glass means that windows themselves are becoming larger, while the frames become smaller.
As modern and sleek styles continue to inspire and influence homeowners, future designs could remove the frame completely, creating stylish floor to ceiling windows.
Hybrid is here
Composites have become an increasingly popular material choice for effortless and stylish windows and doors. However, some of the issues that can arise from using composites, including warping, swelling, bowing and discolouration in changing temperatures, has been widely reported.
Hybrid doors, which combine both PVCu and composite materials, provide a welcomed solution to these problems. They are designed to combine the functionality of PVCu and the stylish woodgrain finish of composite, ensuring that homeowners get the best of both worlds. In 2019, Euramax launched a range of PVCu and composite hybrid doors that are available in a range of design finishes and colours.
Though composite materials are still a popular choice, hybrid doors could prevent the need for premature maintenance when a door becomes discoloured or warped — all while maintaining the popular woodgrain style that so many homeowners now look for.
Sustainable materials
Thermal performance and energy efficiency have become noticeably important requirements for windows and doors. While this trend is set to continue into 2020 and could also see sustainability as a potential industry requirement.
Reducing energy consumption, and subsequently energy bills, has been a major driver in what people look for when updating the windows and doors in their home. The integration of more sustainable materials could further increase environmental awareness and associated benefits across the industry.
By manufacturing windows and doors from sustainable materials such as composites and new hybrid materials, manufacturers can ensure that their products are beneficial to both the environment and their customers.
The SMART revolution
Technology is evolving in every aspect of our lives, and the fenestration industry is no different. From SMART window and door locks that are controlled from a smartphone app, to sensors that can alert homeowners when a window or door has been left open — SMART technology has numerous benefits that are now being realised across the window and door industry.
While there was an increase in the integration of SMART technology across the industry in 2019, it’s not always convenient to implement SMART locks and sensors after windows and doors have been installed to their final location. Doing so can often cause disruption to the property owner and additional, costly maintenance to be needed.
These inconveniences leave room for improvement with how SMART technology is initially installed. Options include implementing technology at the factory stage, making the technology easier to install and set up and could result in more homeowners to making the decision to purchase SMART enabled products in 2020.
As people become more invested in the options available when selecting their windows and doors, the need for stylish, smart and energy efficient windows and doors is set to rise. Like all trends, they come and go, but some in the fenestration industry are likely to be here for a little bit longer yet.
