How high-performing solutions from Altherm Window Systems are allowing architects and home owners to push design boundaries
As the finalist designs in Home of the Year show, New Zealand architects continue to push boundaries – Home of the Year 2019 saw six striking projects taking new directions and inspirations. It’s something Altherm Window Systems has been proud to support through its sponsorship of Home of the Year for the past decade.
But the brand also supports innovative design every day, working with architects to push design boundaries, at the same time as providing high-performing solutions for all seasons and climates.
Colour trends
You can hardly have missed the move to recessive cladding – homes increasingly blend in with New Zealand’s stunning natural landscape, often in shades of black or brown. Window joinery has followed suit, with a range of colours including black, brown and bronze, either in an anodised matte finish or one of a range of stunning powder-coated colours. Dark joinery blends in beautifully, creating an integrated overall look. Viewed from the inside, it recedes completely – discreetly framing but not dominating the view.
Indoor-outdoor flow
The boundaries between in and out have grown ever more porous, further blurred by developments including tracks that sit level with the floor and doors that push right back into or on the outside of walls. And when they’re closed? Altherm’s APL Architectural Series allows sliding doors up to 2.7m high, further connecting you to the outside.
Cross-ventilation
Modern homes are now built to high standards, which means they’re air tight – meaning ventilation is important. Window and door joinery is one way to achieve this. Contemporary louvres are both secure and sealed – particularly effective on warm summer nights. Opening over lights, especially above sliding doors, also help you to regulate the flow of fresh air, especially during the day when you’re out of the house. And roof lights can now be coupled with smart-home technology to regulate temperature automatically.
Comfort
It’s not all about air flow: retaining heat in winter is key, as is keeping it out in summer. Current building code requirements now mean double glazing is almost standard. Altherm’s ThermalHEART goes further, with a nylon ‘break’ stitched into the core of the windows and doors to prevent the transmission of the cold and heat through the metal. Result? A more comfortable home.
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