We take a closer look at the brand-new Silka aluminium window suite from Apeer, a product that was inspired by the success of a composite door coating.

Northern Ireland-based Apeer has long punched above its ‘provincial’ weight. Now said to be one of the UK’s top six composite door brands, backed by a huge range and first-class consumer marketing, the firm also continues to surprise.

This includes the introduction of new products that are often slightly ‘left-field’, but always innovative and determined to seek out a useful edge over competitors.

The firm’s seven-acre Ballymena facility is remarkably self-sufficient, producing its own slabs and skins for doors and working with custom extrusions with which its Lumi windows and sliding doors are manufactured.

And now, in a dedicated area of the vast factory, the firm’s latest major launch, the Silka aluminium window, is being produced.

Before considering what the Silka window brings to the party, we should look at how it came about, a perfect example of the firm’s unshackled approach to product development: if it feels good, looks good, let’s make it.

But even by Apeer standards, the development of the Silka aluminium window is unconventional: rather than a window suite being developed and extended through complementary products, the inspiration for the Silka window was inspired by a new finish that was developed for a composite door.

Apeer managing director, Asa McGillian, admits that the development route for the Silka Window was unconventional.

He also explains that the Silka door was developed to provide a competitively priced residential door for homeowners that had invested in aluminium replacement windows for their home, but who were disappointed in the lack of choice or expense of aluminium doors.

“There was far less choice then and even now aluminium faced doors are generally expensive,” says Asa. “So, we set out to develop a finish that would give the appearance of an aluminium door, but with the inherent robustness and thermal performance of a composite door. So good was the take-up, not just by homeowners matching aluminium windows, but from others just impressed by the style and finish of the door, that we launched Silka as a brand in its own right.

“And such was the demand, it became clear that we should effectively ‘reverse design’ an aluminium window system with the same finish. And it’s been an amazing success already, despite only being revealed to our retail installers in July.”

The Silka window brings a number of design elements in addition to its super smooth yet distinctive finish: at 50mm, the Silka window is set to offer one of the slimmest sightlines on the market for a double-glazed sash, but the designers believe it is the slimmest to offer triple glazing.

Profile thickness is 66mm with the aluminium foam-filled profiles powder coated in the 60-micron thick, fine textured ‘Silka’ finish as standard; marine grade power coating is an option.

With testing being concluded post deadline for this issue of Glass Times, thermal performance will improve upon Building Regulations for double glazed whilst comfortably achieving an ‘A’ rating with triple glazed units. Colour will be anthracite grey or black and with white internally as an option. A wider colour palette is available but with longer lead times.

The Silka lift ‘n’ slide door comes with the package: 144mm aluminium profile thickness, standard or 25mm extension cill, 5-point locking, and high security Siegenia hardware, and heavy-duty rollers good for 300kgs are the key numbers, with thermal performance matching the Silka window.

Asa says that the launch of the Silka aluminium window comes from the very best place – established sales success: “We developed the Silka door to be a product that might attract homeowners with aluminium windows and its success drove us to create a sub-brand in its own right.

“The window and lift ‘n’ slide have also been greeted very well indeed with our retailers now enjoying a co-branded suite of windows, residential and sliding door. It might have been a slightly unconventional route to this point, but we got here,” concludes Asa, with a grin.