The Elements of Architecture: Windows, Doors, Tile, and Flooring

Diandra Cohen Diandra Cohen

Hey, Architects! Here, for your browsing pleasure, are 15 brands who approach the building material market with both specialized offerings and highly versatile prefab solutions for any project, from windows and doors to tiles and flooring. These economical and energy-efficient solutions have been specified in a wide variety of global projects — read on to explore the possibilities in aluminum, steel, ceramics, stone, and wood (natural and artificial) and to see how these materials are built in structural and non load bearing surfaces in many of the elements of architecture:

The Great Outdoors: Windows and Doors

Aluminum and Steel

© de Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop

© de Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop

Kolbe Windows and Doors at Wild Turkey Bourbon Visitor Center by De Leon and Primmer Architecture Workshop

For thermal performance, Kolbe addresses compression-seal technology with large window-to-wall ratios that “minimize energy loss, reduce condensation, enhance security, and provide acoustic control.” U-values reach as low as 0.17, says Kolbe. For your energy-efficient commercial building, the Teutonic Series comes in tilt-turn, fixed, tilt and slide, outswing, hinged, and entrance, to name a few options.

© Austin Patterson Disston Architects

© Austin Patterson Disston Architects

© Austin Patterson Disston Architects

© Austin Patterson Disston Architects

Crittall Windows Limited at Modern Playhouse by Austin Patterson Disston Architects

The Modern Playhouse is located in the backcountry on a rocky outcrop in Greenwich, Conn. — a steel, glass, and stucco structure with Critall Windows. The manufacturer occupies a niche refurbishing windows in conservation areas and in occupied properties; Crittall’s mostly steel window systems provide “unmatched sight lines” for a window-upgrade with low maintenance.

© The Artisans Group

© The Artisans Group

Zola Windows at Island Passive House by the Artisans Group

Island Passive House’s prefabricated walls encircle a mechanical core and allow for floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the mountainous exterior.

Zola Windows from Europe bring triple R-11 glazed, argon-filled windows for passive homes that are well-insulated and virtually airtight. Their intricately crafted design is constructed from aluminum and finished in wood.

© Jeremey Bitterman

© Jeremey Bitterman

© Jeremey Bitterman

© Jeremey Bitterman

Dynamic Windows and Doors at Dutchess County Residence – Guest House by Allied Works Architecture

Dynamic Windows and Doors enclose a continuous steel frame which meanders around in the Dutchess County on the eastern slopes of the Hudson River.

As a company, Dynamic Windows and Doors choose to surpass the “old-school” approach to business, involving a craftsman and long lead times; instead, they introduce mass-customization to the market with a considerate environmental approach.

© AW-ARCH

© AW-ARCH

© AW-ARCH

© AW-ARCH

© AW-ARCH

© AW-ARCH

Duratherm and Marvin Windows and Doors at Red Rock House by Anmahian Winton Architects

The dramatic surrounding terrain required a “machine in the garden” approach to experience the exterior from the interior via windows and doors. The rustic architecture strikingly juxtaposes the lush exterior. Windows from the inside are organized in boards within vertical bays delineated by aluminum T-sections. The textured rhythm accommodates unique openings, fenestrations, and screens by Duratherm and Marvin Windows and Doors.

Anmahian Winton Architects chose Duratherm, a company that provides custom-built hardware complexes and windows, and Marvin Windows, which exemplify how your windows “don’t have to sacrifice beauty to get the best in energy efficiency.”

© Studio 804, Inc.

© Studio 804, Inc.

Krownlab at ODEN Barn Door Hardware by Studio 804, Inc.

Award-winning industrial designer Stefan Andrén fabricates sliding door hardware derived from the barn typology for massive scale commercial buildings opening up spaces in elegant solutions using raw materials.

© Cunningham Architects

© Cunningham Architects

© Cunningham Architects

© Cunningham Architects

Weiland by Andersen at Wimberley Residence by Cunningham Architects

Weiland’s custom doors reach heights at negligible thicknesses, 16 feet and 3/16 inches off the floor. The lift and slide is configured to corners, curves, and pocketing units. More designs found on their brand page “[redefine] boundaries with creative freedom.”

600 Series by Western Window Systems

Aluminum windows and doors last decades and can also be melted and reused. Western Windows’ thermally broken products keep the heat out in the summer and the cold out in the winter. Western’s standardized configurations come at affordable prices, and information technology is at the core of their process for customer service.


The Great Indoors: Tile and Flooring

Stone and Ceramics

© SHoP Architects

© SHoP Architects

Stone Source in Mulberry House by SHoP Architects

Raw by Stone Source

The Raw line by Italian designer Piero Lissoni implements Stone Source’s handcrafted raw materials. Summer 2015 brings 10 natural and textured stones from Stone Source. SHoP Architects (above) incorporated stone mosaics, tiles, and marble in a SoHo residential project.

© JM Architecture

© JM Architecture

Mosa. at Jesolo Lido Pool Villa by JM Architecture

Mosa Solids by Mosa.

130-year-old ceramic surface specialists from the Netherlands, Mosa. manufactures natural-looking ceramic tiles with technology, elegance, durability, cost-efficiency, and flexibility in mind. Mosa. meets industry standards for versatile and generous international distribution and have covered homes, shops, stations, hospitals, and schools.

© Lisa Petrole

© Lisa Petrole

Ceramiche Refin at Barsa Taberna by + tongtong

District Garage Porcelain by Ceramiche Refin

Ceramiche Refin provides artful tiles. Designers Alessandro and Francesco Mendini created a graphic assembly of parts in the Filo line. At Barsa Taberna (above), a modernist expression was achieved. District Garage Porcelain resembles “metal usually found in workshops.”

© Studio Libeskind

© Studio Libeskind

© Studio Libeskind

© Studio Libeskind

© Studio Libeskind

© Studio Libeskind

Casalgrande Padana Tiles at Vanke Pavilion by Studio Libeskind

Designed by Studio Libeskind, the Vanke Pavilion at EXPO 2015 is clad in Casalgrande Padana’s Italian tiles; thousands of porcelain stoneware slabs create this ceramic casing in never-before-used architectural cladding.


Natural and Artificial Wood Floors

Grisignano Project with Classica Oak by Listone Giordano

This restored 16th-century Italian villa in Grisignano uses invisible touch glazing — new this year by Listone Giordano, Italian hardwood manufacturers. Listone Giordano utilizes a new glazing technology for a natural and glazeless appearance with durability.

Da Vinci Tile by Karndean

Karndean Looselay Series by Karndean

Karndean manufactures wood- and stone-effect artificial flooring combining the practicality of vinyl with a natural twist for home and commercial spaces. Shipping almost anywhere in the United States within two to four days.

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