Durability
It is easy to find iconic buildings with aluminum window frames, built decades ago, that have maintained their qualities intact, as documented in Michael Stacey's work, "Aluminum and Durability: Towards Sustainable Cities." The report includes the following examples:
1. Dome of San Joaquin, Rome, Italy, 1897, designed by Raffaele Ingami.
2. St. Mary the Virgin, Great Warley, Essex, England, 1902, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend and Sir William Reynolds-Stevens.
3. Postsparkasse [Austrian Postal Savings Bank], Vienna, Austria, 1906, designed by Otto Wagner.
4. Aluminium Centenary Pavilion, Paris, France, 1954, designed by Jean Prouvé.
When aluminum is chosen for windows and other architectural elements, the most durable material is selected, and therefore the only one that maintains its properties unchanged over the years, without suffering deformations, alterations, loss of watertightness, warping, color degradation from the sun, etc.
Effective Reuse, Repair, and Recycling
The 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit established the official definition: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Aluminum manufacturing has been around for over 100 years, meaning it already offers an immense volume of manufactured material, enough to meet the demand for recycled material and dedicate a significant percentage of its production to the circular economy, in line with the building decarbonization goals. The study "Aluminum Recyclability and Recycling" provides relevant data and information on reuse, repair, and recycling in a group of iconic buildings.
Health and Safety
In projects seeking Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certification, the use of chlorine-based plastic components (profiles, pipes, cladding, membranes, etc.) often reduces the score in the material health and circularity criteria or requires replacement plans with safer alternatives.
Therefore, C2C manuals and consultancies recommend avoiding chlorine-based plastics whenever technically viable options exist (e.g., other polymers, metals, or bio-based solutions), especially in long-life building products.
Energy Savings
The prestigious TECNALIA laboratory published the study "The Influence of the Window Frame on the Energy Rating and Energy Demand of Buildings," whose conclusions are:
Replacing any old window with a new one of reasonable quality results in considerable energy savings, almost regardless of the frame material chosen.
If the window is replaced with an aluminum or plastic one with similar characteristics, the energy savings achieved will be practically the same.
The U-value of the window frame has a much smaller impact on the overall insulation of the opening than is commonly believed. It is a mistake to choose a frame with a very low U-value; instead, a window should be chosen that, as a whole, offers the most suitable U-value for the location where it is installed.
A window consists of a frame and glass. The glass typically occupies 80% of the window. The use of aluminum profiles with RPT (Thermal Break) in that remaining 20% will significantly reduce thermal transmittance, but attention must always be paid to all the elements that make up the window, such as the glass, solar protection in critical orientations, airtightness and the options for ventilation openings, among others.
Fire Response
Choosing aluminum windows provides excellent safety in case of fire.
Aluminum does not burn and does not emit any toxic substances. Its melting point is 660°C, a temperature far exceeding that of other building materials, which is only reached when the fire is already at a very advanced stage.
In the case of roofs and ceilings, aluminum's incombustibility and high melting point allow the building to "open up," enabling heat and smoke to escape in the event of a fire. This reduces the heat load on important structural elements, extending the time available for building evacuation and facilitating firefighting efforts.
The Gaiker Technology Center provides data on the fire response of three materials commonly used in window manufacturing: "Fire behavior tests of three materials (aluminum, wood, and PVC) to compare the density of smoke generated and the toxicity of the gases emitted during combustion."
Security
Installing windows with good burglar resistance minimizes risks.
Aluminum is a highly resistant material that doesn't require internal reinforcements to ensure its performance. This resistance allows for solutions that greatly hinder forced entry.
While other materials are easily broken and deformed with a strong blow, a crowbar, or a battery-powered drill, a good aluminum product will offer much greater resistance and make access much more difficult.
Brightness
Because aluminum windows are made of a non-deformable and resistant material, they allow for thinner profiles, and therefore windows with a narrower frame, which maximizes the glazed area. The glass can represent up to 85% of the total window surface. All of this translates to more glazed space and therefore greater light in the room where they are used.
Functionality, aesthetics, and guaranteed finishes
Aluminum is a material that allows for great creative freedom, offering a wide variety of openings and styles that can be adapted to new project requirements, with endless design possibilities and finishes, thanks to the numerous surface treatments available.
Ensuring product quality is a priority for the aluminum sector. For this reason, the industry boasts three internationally recognized quality brands: Qualicoat for lacquered aluminum, Qualanod for anodized aluminum, and Qualideco for decorative aluminum finishes such as wood effect.
