A winning combination
Two of the window and door industry’s most respected brands have come together to launch a specification-leading, residential door range, one that will meet the Future Homes Standard. The Residence Door Collection by Apeer, which will be revealed at the 2023 FIT Show, brings together an unlikely, but brilliantly complementary set of brands.
The Residence Collection is credited with popularising the now ubiquitous flush timber alternative window.
These days it is difficult to imagine a retail installer without such a window in its offer but when R9, the company’s first range, was launched in 2011 it was a revelation.
Up until that point the only choice for homeowners wishing to inject some style into their replacement windows was in glass treatments, with ‘heritage’ windows being limited to vertical sliders. R9 offered homeowners a more stylish choice, especially those with upmarket properties, those in conservation areas and especially who otherwise would have rejected standard white PVC-U casements.
Apeer is the 20-year old composite door brand of Ballymena, Northern Ireland based New World Developments, led by managing director Asa McGillian. And it is Asa’s pursuit of energy efficiency in everything the company produces, as much as anything else, that draws the brands together.
“I have always been an admirer of the R9 window,” says Asa. “And I believe that the philosophies behind both companies are aligned in terms of positioning – our key products are positioned above the mass market – and certainly in energy efficiency.
“The opportunity to make the connection came when Andy Jones joined us; I happened to mention my admiration for the company and its products and, of course, Andy knew Sarah and the team. We connected and learned that they were looking at adding a premium door to the range and found that our ideas were aligned.”
Sarah Hitchings, sales and marketing director for The Residence Collection, confirmed that the timing of the approach could not have been better: “We wanted to add a higher performance, premium door to The Residence Collection, one that anticipated the impending Future Homes standard, and which continued our commitment to high quality, in terms of build and also appearance; obviously the doors must reflect The Residence Collection styling. We wanted residential doors that are easily distinguished, just as our windows are. And Asa and his team met or improved upon everything that we asked for.”
The net result of an exceptional partnership in terms of manufacturing and marketing prowess, is a range of 20 door styles that have been curated to complement The Residence Collection windows in terms of aesthetics, quality and performance, and built around a specification developed by Apeer, that will future-proof the range.
Whilst designed primarily to complement The Residence Collection windows and provide the brand’s dealers with a powerful premium door offer, the range will be widely available on the open market.
Doors are presented in a 120mm format, including traditional, contemporary, and stable door designs, with 78mm quadruple sealed glass units as standard. Construction is of GPR skins around a high-density PU core, reinforced with steel plates embedded within the core. Every door, including skins and glass units, will be manufactured by Apeer at its 120,000 feet2 Ballymena factory.
Specification from the outset will be comprehensive to include nine standard colours (seven grained and two smooth), with the availability of full sidelights and top lights at launch, with half lights and others to follow. Standard specification also includes weather deflectors, and Stormguard or full frame thresholds. High quality hardware and furniture will be used throughout, whilst extra touches such as Ultion KeyTag-equipped, trackable keys will also form a comprehensive standard specification.
All doors will be PAS24 compliant, and thermal performance testing, which is being undertaken in advance of the FIT Show launch, will improve upon the 0.8 W/m2K anticipated to be published in the Future Homes standard by which new homes will be built from 2025.
