Architectural Glazing

Architectural glazing covers an exclusive range of products often entirely different from conventional glazing. These ultra-premium aluminium patio doors, windows, front doors and contemporary structures differ from products in typical home improvement showrooms.  This type of glazing comes as high-end, extensively engineered and designed for the highest performance.  Furthermore, these ultra-premium products also have more sophisticated manufacturing and specialist installation.

What is Architectural Glazing?

What features and characteristics define these top-of-the-line products used in architectural glazing? Schuco, Solarlux, Reynaers or Centor are probably some of the best bifolding doors you can buy.  With these luxury brands are also other systems and businesses designed for demanding use, extreme sizes and special functionality. They’re also very high-tech.

Architectural glazing and high-end windows and doors from certain brands offer a different experience altogether.  Many of these sophisticated windows and doors come only from companies specialising in this upper-tier market.  They also specialise in other glass products such as glass walls, floors and the latest in glass technology. Furthermore, the designers and systems companies carefully select their installers. Technical know-how, service levels, specialist machinery and overall knowledge, are all essential when working with these advanced windows and doors.

Many brands are little known other than in this specialist market.  Others are already great sellers in Europe and internationally. Moreover, the companies behind architectural glazing provide the highest quality, design and innovation standards.

Information about architectural glazing windows and doors.

Importantly, many of the high-end brands also come to market differently from many of the products featured on this website.  The stand-out feature and ethos behind the products and the companies is to provide a solution.  Many ‘standard’ products come with size, weight and other restrictions.  Anything over the published technical limitations cannot be done.

However, the companies behind architectural glazing work differently.  They take a design or client requirement and make it happen.  They push the boundaries of what is usually possible. Often this means new aluminium profiles, intricate design drawings or working with specialist component manufacturers.

• The company making luxury products installs them too in the majority of cases.
• There is a closer working relationship between the client and the architect.
• Often complex drawings are created with a stricter sign-off process before manufacture.
• They come with supply restrictions as well as rarely offered to the trade for others to supply or install.
• They meet the highest performance standards with a very specialised installation using the latest equipment and tools.
• The price reflects the skill and expertise behind them.

Many of these products feature slim frames or a bonded structural glass design. Others come with hardware and components specifically designed for the product, not using after-market locks and handles. In many cases, these architectural glazing products are restricted only factors outside their control. For instance, the maximum sizes of glass or the limits of production lines.

Types of products classified as architectural glazing.

There is all manner of products defined as architectural glazing.  While sliding and folding doors are a key products, others offer design ingenuity. Examples include.

• Flat, curved or shaped glass walls as well as oversized windows.
• Oversized sliding, folding, pivoting and hinged doors.
• Sloped glazing, curtain walling and facades.
• Electrically operated windows, doors and moveable walls.
• Frameless and minimalist windows and doors.
• Luxury front doors using latest-generation materials and technology
• Structural glazing, walk-on glass products and ‘smart’ glass technology.

In addition to these products, hybrid systems and steel products such as those by Crittall® also classify as architectural glazing.

Systems and Suppliers of Architectural Glazing.

Our list of glazing specialists focuses on some of the best businesses and systems. These provide both standard and exclusive windows, doors and glass structures.  Many of these businesses you’ll see at Grand Designs Exhibitions, Build-it Live, Homebuilding and Renovation Show. They’re also likely to have a presence at regional building events and exhibitions.  Also included are some systems companies.

Homeowners about to embark on an ambitious project, often with a big budget don’t just rely on an architect. Many visit exhibitions not only to see and discover products for their projects. They also want to speak to specialists in this niche market. It is, therefore, common for systems and suppliers of architectural glazing to frequently exhibit at the best exhibitions and a great place to start the journey.

Architectural Vision Systems

The range of sliding doors from Architectural Vision Systems enhance modern extensions with some of the slimmest and expertly-executed aluminium sliding patio doors, frameless glazing and open corner door sets.  Doors by Architectural Vision Systems have some exemplary hardware, slim sight lines as well as smooth sliding action.  The company offers a wide range of manual as well as automatic opening sliding doors.

Alumil

Greek systems company Alumil offers some stand-out products especially in the field of contemporary front doors, sliding systems and high-specification glazing.  Their Interno front door comes at substantial sizes and designs in a range of materials, including carob fibre effects, ceramics and other materials.

Cantifix

With their products featuring on Grand Designs, Cantifix offer stand-out products from some of the best systems and brands. Typical systems include Skyframe and Schuco as well as motorised sliding systems. Cantifix specialises in glass roofs and walls, structural glass links and precision made aluminium glazing.

Centor Europe Ltd.

With some of the best bifolding and sliding doors in terms of design, how they’re made and engineering, Centor is another fine system used in high-end projects. The Centor bifolding door is one of the best you can buy in our view and worthy of consideration when starting to think about a new extension or house build.

Cortizo

We give a mention to Cortizo for their growth in the UK market and especially in the field of sliding patio doors. With more than 12 sliding doors, all manner of windows and other products, Cortizo is one company with state-of-the-art aluminium systems.  Many brands of slimline sliding doors in the UK use either a standard or customised Cortizo system.

Frameless Glass Curtains

While the concept for frameless slide and fold doors is not new, Frameless Glass Curtains (FGC) offers one of the best slide and fold products with no visible mullion.  The other benefit of an FGC frameless door is its excellent engineering, weather performance and reliability. One of the best exterior quality frameless systems on the market in our view.  FGC also provides all manner of other products using the frameless concept.

HIRT Swiss Descending Windows.

The descending window systems from HIRT is used in the finest homes and buildings all over the world. Electrically operated these very large windows slide down to fully open up a wall. They retract down below or into the wall and even sink into the floor. Revealing a fully open space, HIRT Swiss Descending Windows achieve sizes of up to 20 metres and over 7 tonnes in weight.  These technically superior windows also ensure all types of climates and weather conditions.

ID Systems

Based in Norfolk and working nationwide, ID Systems are a very professional supplier of high-end products widely used in architectural glazing.  From the impressive Sunflex range of bifolding and sliding doors, through to moveable walls and all manner of bespoke glazing. ID Systems carry out some incredible transformations to some of the finest houses and renovations all over the UK.

IQ Glass

The advanced aluminium and steel systems from IQ Glass are some of the finest and most modern on the market.  From the outstanding Apertio front door, guillotine windows, to minimalist contemporary glazing, frameless glass walls and all manner of architectural solutions. IQ Glass also provides contemporary steel products from Mondrian.  By far the best feature of IQ Glass is their Amersham showroom with an exceptional selection of the latest in windows, doors many other products.

Maxlight Ltd

London-based Maxlight, while manufacturing a variety of products, specialises in sliding doors, pivot doors and other modern glazing systems.  Their sliding systems offer all manner of slimline, pocket and open corner designs.  Maxlight also provides excellent pivot doors and steel-look systems.  Maxlight boasts an impressive showroom and factory, as well as a great portfolio of outstanding installations of sliding doors, frameless windows and floor-to-ceiling glazing.

Panoramah!

The standout feature of Panoramah is the impressive size capability of their minimal slimline systems.  Their sliding systems go up to thirty square metres in size and nearly 1800kg in weight using motorised patented designs.  So good are Panoramah! systems that their only limitation is the production line of the glass manufacturer.  The system also provides fixed, corner opening, pocket, opening and other types of windows and doors.

Reynaers Systems

We mention Reynaers as their products such as the impressive Hi-Finity Sliding Door are chosen by many specialists in architectural glazing.  These companies work with trusted, flexible and dependable systems and Reynaers often meets this brief.  The company also has some ultra-premium products such as its pivot door and recent product launches at Bau Exhibition.

Rohaus Living Systems

Based in Stafford and working nationwide, Rohaus offers three of the best systems with Reynaers, Schuco and Internorm. An excellent manufacturer and designer of high-end glazing solutions, Rohaus is the go-to business for anyone looking for specialist glazing, bespoke solutions and fine architectural glazing.

Schuco Aluminium Systems

Just like Reynaers, Schuco is another trusted system used by the best glazing contractors. With slimline bifolding and sliding doors, the Panorama PD slimline door and all manner of windows, Schuco remains the most desirable product for high-end businesses.

Sieger Aluminium Systems

Part of IQ Glass, Sieger Systems offers a full door and window range as well as contemporary architectural glazing, pivot doors, roof structures and other highly-engineered aluminium products.  Of particular note from Sieger Systems is the Sieger Super Lux Bifold Door capable heights up to an incredible five metres tall.  For those looking for the slimmest bifold, the Sieger Lux Bifold offers sightlines of just 32mm at the door mullions and with a structurally bonded construction.

Solarlux

Cero and Solarlux products are some of the best in the world, widely used by premium architectural glazing specialists and installers.   Additionally, Solarlux products integrate perfectly within other systems such as floor-to-ceiling glazing or curtain walling. The overall Solarlux range provides aluminium doors, slimline sliding doors and luxury bifolding doors. The CERO sliding door especially achieves weights of up to a tonne in weight and up to 15M2. The Solarlux range also has a range of glass rooms, glazed extensions and structures.

Sunvista slimline sliding doors

British made, super slim and with some of the most attractive low threshold solutions is the Sunvista slimline sliding door. Compass Glass in London craft these elegant patio doors and they come with just 19mm mullions. Furthermore, they come as an open corner solution and with innovative fixing methods you won’t find on other sliding doors. Sunvista provides a more high tech and alternatige British solution to the very popular Cortizo system.

Sunparadise Systems

Sunparadise manufactures and supplies high-end patio doors, sliding systems, balcony glazing and structures for patios and gardens. With over thirty different architectural glazing solutions, Sunparadise is now Swedish owned and continues to operate throughout Europe enhancing prestige homes and commercial buildings. Available from Sunparadise are five different Winter Garden products, three folding systems, four versions of sliding doors, sliding doors, windows and glass extensions.

Vision Design Projects

Slimline sliding doors, interior glazing, steel look, frameless doors and balcony enclosure systems. These are just some of the high-tech glazing solutions for the home by Vision Design Projects. These architectural and structural glass products are exactly what contemporary extensions demand.

The list of businesses on this page features those working in a very niche sector. And there are many more. All of these specialist glaziers work with architects word-of-mouth and excel in challenging home improvement projects.