Choosing Between Wood and Aluminum? Only One Material Meets a Modern Home's Needs

When Crystal Russell, the owner and CEO of TVL Creative in Denver, Colorado, is tasked with designing a modern home, choosing the right windows is integral to nailing its overall look and feel. 

"Windows create a defined cadence on the exterior of a home, and a language of light and form from inside the home," she says. "Windows can be a very powerful visual element and will greatly enhance the experience of the space." 

But more than just conveying the clean sightlines and coveted indoor-outdoor ease of a modern property, Russell says that selecting the right windows can underscore current calls for building efficiency, too. And that's especially true of aluminum frame windows. 

"One of the most important benefits is thermal performance," she says. "Aluminum frame windows are often able to meet or exceed energy efficiency standards and have become an excellent way to control temperature fluctuations in a space. Other benefits include its durability and performance. Aluminum resists corrosion, swelling, cracking, and warping, making it an excellent choice for long-term, low-maintenance installations." 

Andy Johnson, principal at DAJ Design in Louisville, Colorado, agrees. Johnson often looks for windows and doors that have a large visible glass area, which is in keeping with a modern property's common floor-to-ceiling or wall-to-wall collection of panes, and aluminum makes that possible with minimal framing. He also adds that aluminum is easy to install and operate because of its light weight. All of these reasons, Johnson says, makes aluminum a worthwhile material for his projects, considering the traditional alternative. 

"Wood has historically been the material of choice for much of the United States residential market, and it comes from a renewable resource, as opposed to aluminum, which relies entirely on mining and manufacturing," he notes. "However, another unique aspect of aluminum is its ability to be very easily recycled at the end of its lifetime." 

He and Russell know that aluminum has a reputation for being "cheap," or that it's only used in commercial spaces. However, they say that both claims aren't the case if aluminum panes are sourced from a company that understands how to properly manufacture this material. And if there's one brand that does, they say, it's Western Window Systems.  

"Western's products and processes are second to none in the aluminum windows and doors arena," Johnson says. "The flexibility in sizes and the ability to do extraordinarily large openings is a huge plus." 

Johnson and Russell also agree that the Series 7000 family of moving glass walls and windows stand out among the offerings at Western Window Systems, since it has the energy efficiency, durability, and performance ratings that they look for in high-end materials. The Series 7000 Performance Line includes features like triple-pane and laminated glass for noise control, as well as glare-protection and enhanced winter-performance glass—a necessity in their shared Colorado climate. 

"Many aspects of this product line exceed other efforts made in the market," Russell says. "The Series 7000 Performance Line is smart, and downright handsome." 

Its look and composition are what draw Russell and Johnson to the Series 7000 Performance Line, but they also sing its praises for personal reasons, too. As they set about building modern homes, Western Window Systems  gives them the creative push they need to continue to meet clients' expectations. 

"Western's flexibility on sizes allows the windows and doors to follow my design rather than being tied to the dogma of standard sizes," Johnson adds. "I am not limited to any specific type of operability, and I can make numerous window and door combinations within one opening."