Loewen Windows & Skylights - Architectural Shapes
Loewen
Custom Windows
Joinery skill matched with technology and fine materials make for an abundance of custom possibilities.
Subcategory:
Architectural Shapes
Material:
Wood-Aluminum Clad
or Give us a Call
Product Summary
Joinery skill matched with technology and fine materials make for an abundance of custom possibilities. The versatility and strength of Douglas Fir make it possible to combine materials and creative design into marvelous expressions of personal style.
Fenestration is a demanding hybrid of form and function. The fundamentals of performance and structural integrity must be managed in each case. Engineering standards, code compliance and design tolerances born of experience stand first in line and ensure that the bespoke creations that go into your home will stand up to the rigors of time and nature.
Powered by Gemini
Construction and Materials
Loewen Windows are meticulously crafted to offer superior performance, durability, and aesthetic appeal. The construction of Loewen windows focuses on integrating advanced design principles with high-quality materials to ensure longevity and energy efficiency.
Construction Details
- Frame and Sash Construction: Loewen utilizes a robust frame and sash construction designed for strength and stability. This typically involves multi-chambered profiles that enhance thermal performance by trapping air, reducing heat transfer. The joinery techniques are engineered for structural integrity, resisting warping and expansion due to environmental changes.
- Insulated Glass Units (IGUs): Each window is equipped with high-performance Insulated Glass Units. These units consist of two or more panes of glass separated by a spacer, creating an insulating gas-filled cavity. This design significantly reduces condensation and improves thermal insulation.
- Weather Stripping and Seals: Advanced weather stripping and sealing systems are integrated to prevent air and water infiltration. These components are designed for durability and resilience against UV exposure and extreme temperatures.
- Hardware and Mechanisms: Operable windows feature high-quality hardware that ensures smooth and reliable operation. Hinges, locks, and opening mechanisms are selected for their strength and resistance to corrosion, guaranteeing ease of use and security over time.
Materials Used
- Wood: Loewen is renowned for its use of premium wood for window construction. Typically, clear, kiln-dried, finger-jointed wood such as pine or Douglas fir is employed. This wood is chosen for its natural beauty, structural integrity, and insulating properties. The wood is often treated to enhance its resistance to rot and insects.
- Aluminum Cladding: For enhanced durability and reduced maintenance, Loewen offers exterior aluminum cladding. This heavy-gauge aluminum provides a protective layer against harsh weather elements, graffiti, and impact, while the wood interior retains its natural aesthetic. The cladding is typically finished with a baked-on enamel coating in a variety of colors.
- Glass: A range of glass options are available to meet diverse performance needs, including:
- Low-E Coatings: These microscopic metallic coatings reflect infrared light, keeping heat out in the summer and in during the winter, thereby improving energy efficiency.
- Argon or Krypton Gas Fills: Inert gases sealed between glass panes further enhance the insulating properties of the IGUs.
- Tempered and Laminated Glass: Available for safety and security applications, these types of glass provide increased resistance to breakage and can offer sound dampening benefits.
- Spacers: The spacers between glass panes are often made from warm-edge materials that minimize heat transfer at the edge of the glass, further improving thermal performance and reducing condensation.
- Finishes: Interior wood surfaces can be finished with a variety of stains and paints to match interior décor. Exterior cladding is available in a wide palette of standard and custom colors.
Features and Benefits
Loewen Architectural Shapes Windows: Craftsmanship Beyond the Ordinary
Loewen's Architectural Shapes Windows are designed for those who demand more than standard. These are not your typical window units; they are meticulously crafted architectural elements that push the boundaries of design and functionality. Whether you envision a grand, sweeping curve, a dramatic angularity, or a complex geometric pattern, Loewen's expertise in custom fabrication allows for the creation of virtually any shape imaginable.Key Features & Benefits
- Unrivaled Customization: The core advantage of Loewen's Architectural Shapes Windows lies in their unparalleled ability to be customized. From intricate custom curves to sharp, precise angles, Loewen's skilled artisans can bring your most ambitious designs to life. This means you are not limited by standard offerings but can achieve truly unique aesthetic expressions for your building project.
- Premium Materials and Construction: Built with the same commitment to quality as all Loewen products, these windows are constructed using high-grade materials. This ensures not only a stunning visual impact but also long-lasting durability and performance. The robust construction guarantees these windows will be a beautiful and functional part of your structure for years to come.
- Enhanced Architectural Expression: These windows serve as more than just openings; they are integral components of your building's overall architectural statement. They offer a distinctive way to add character, drama, and visual interest, transforming ordinary spaces into extraordinary ones.
- Designed for Performance: Beyond their aesthetic appeal, Loewen's Architectural Shapes Windows are engineered for performance. This includes considerations for energy efficiency and structural integrity, ensuring they contribute positively to the comfort and value of your property.
- Expert Craftsmanship: Each window is a testament to Loewen's legacy of fine craftsmanship. Experienced professionals meticulously craft every detail, ensuring precision and a flawless finish that elevates the quality of your project.
Core Advantages
Loewen's Architectural Shapes Windows stand out due to three fundamental advantages:- True Custom Design Freedom: The ability to achieve virtually any shape is the defining characteristic. This liberates architects and homeowners from the constraints of conventional window designs, enabling truly bespoke architectural solutions.
- Exceptional Quality and Longevity: Loewen's unwavering commitment to premium materials and expert construction ensures that these custom-shaped windows are built to last, offering enduring beauty and reliable performance.
- Elevated Aesthetic Impact: These windows are designed to be focal points, enhancing the visual appeal and unique character of any building, from residential homes to commercial structures.
Frame Options
Loewen offers a diverse range of frame options designed to complement various architectural styles and provide exceptional performance. Each frame material is chosen for its durability, aesthetic appeal, and energy efficiency.
Frame Materials
- Wood: Loewen's signature wood frames are crafted from premium, sustainably harvested hardwoods. These frames offer a natural warmth and beauty that can be stained or painted to match any interior or exterior design. Wood frames provide excellent insulation, contributing to the energy efficiency of your home. They are also known for their structural integrity and long-lasting performance.
- Aluminum-Clad Wood: This option combines the aesthetic appeal of wood on the interior with the protective strength of extruded aluminum on the exterior. The aluminum cladding is highly resistant to the elements, including rain, wind, and UV rays, significantly reducing maintenance requirements. The interior wood provides a warm and inviting look, while the exterior aluminum ensures long-term durability and weather resistance.
Frame Profiles and Designs
Beyond the material, Loewen provides various frame profiles and design considerations to enhance both the look and function of their products:
- Grilles: A variety of grille profiles and patterns are available to add a traditional or contemporary touch to your windows and doors. Options include simulated divided lites (SDLs) and true divided lites (TDLs), allowing for customizable design elements.
- Mullions and Transoms: For creating larger, more complex window configurations, Loewen offers robust mullion systems and the ability to integrate transoms above operable units. This allows for the creation of unique architectural statements and maximizes natural light.
- Custom Shapes: Loewen specializes in custom architectural shapes, meaning frames can be designed to accommodate a wide array of non-standard window and door designs, including arches, circles, and polygons, allowing for unparalleled design freedom.
Frame Features
Loewen's frame options are engineered with performance in mind:
- Durability: The chosen materials and construction methods ensure that Loewen frames are built to withstand the test of time and varying environmental conditions.
- Energy Efficiency: Wood and aluminum-clad wood frames contribute to improved thermal performance, helping to reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling.
- Low Maintenance: The aluminum cladding on the exterior of wood frames significantly reduces the need for painting and scraping, offering a low-maintenance solution.
- Aesthetic Versatility: The ability to stain or paint wood frames, coupled with the option of aluminum cladding, provides a broad spectrum of aesthetic possibilities to suit any project's design intent.
Glass Options
Loewen offers a comprehensive range of glass options designed to enhance the performance, aesthetics, and comfort of their windows and skylights. These options cater to diverse needs, from energy efficiency and solar control to privacy and decorative appeal.
Standard Glass:
- Tempered Glass: Known for its increased strength and safety, tempered glass is four times stronger than standard annealed glass. When broken, it shatters into small, blunt pieces, significantly reducing the risk of injury. This makes it an ideal choice for areas where safety is paramount, such as near doors, in bathrooms, or in skylights.
- Laminated Glass: Consisting of two or more panes of glass bonded together with a layer of interlayer material (typically polyvinyl butyral or PVB), laminated glass provides enhanced safety and security. It holds together when shattered, preventing the glass from falling and creating a barrier against forced entry. Laminated glass also offers improved sound insulation and UV protection.
High-Performance Glass:
- Low-E (Low-Emissivity) Coatings: Loewen offers multiple Low-E coatings designed to significantly improve the energy efficiency of windows. These microscopically thin metallic coatings reflect infrared heat while allowing visible light to pass through. This helps to keep interiors cooler in the summer by reflecting solar heat and warmer in the winter by reflecting interior heat back inside, reducing heating and cooling costs.
- Inert Gas Fills (Argon and Krypton): The space between the glass panes in insulating glass units can be filled with inert gases like Argon or Krypton. These gases are denser than air and provide superior thermal insulation, further enhancing the energy performance of the window by reducing heat transfer. Krypton offers even greater insulating properties than Argon, making it a premium option for colder climates or high-performance applications.
- Triple-Pane Glazing: For maximum thermal performance and sound reduction, Loewen provides triple-pane glazing options. This configuration involves three panes of glass separated by two spaces, which can be filled with inert gases. Triple-pane windows offer significantly improved U-values (a measure of heat transfer) compared to double-pane units, leading to substantial energy savings and enhanced comfort.
Tinted and Coated Glass:
- Solar Control Low-E Glass: These specialized Low-E coatings are engineered to block a higher percentage of solar heat gain while still allowing for natural light. This is particularly beneficial in climates with intense sun or for south- and west-facing windows, helping to reduce cooling loads and prevent overheating.
- Tinted Glass: Available in a range of subtle colors, tinted glass reduces glare and solar heat gain. While offering a decorative element, its primary function is to improve visual comfort and reduce the amount of solar energy entering the building.
Decorative and Privacy Glass:
- Obscure and Frosted Glass: These options provide varying degrees of privacy by distorting the view through the glass. They are ideal for bathrooms, entryways, or any area where visual seclusion is desired while still allowing light to pass through.
- Textured and Patterned Glass: Loewen offers a selection of decorative glass options with various textures and patterns. These can add a unique architectural element and a touch of elegance to a space, providing both privacy and aesthetic appeal.
Other Glass Features:
- Structural Glass: In certain applications, Loewen may offer structural glass solutions that provide load-bearing capabilities, allowing for innovative architectural designs and expansive glass installations.
The specific combination of glass types, coatings, and gas fills available will depend on the product series and desired performance specifications. Each option is designed to meet rigorous standards for durability, safety, and energy efficiency.
Options-Styles
Loewen offers a diverse range of options and styles for their architectural shapes windows and skylights, designed to meet the unique aesthetic and functional requirements of any project.
Window Styles
- Geometric Shapes: Loewen specializes in creating custom geometric windows in a wide array of forms, including arches, circles, ovals, triangles, trapezoids, and more complex, multi-sided configurations. These are ideal for adding visual interest and architectural distinction.
- Customizable Features: Beyond the fundamental shape, clients can specify various design elements such as meeting rail configurations, egress considerations, and glazing options to tailor the window to its specific application.
Skylight Options
- Fixed Skylights: Loewen provides fixed skylights in a multitude of shapes and sizes, allowing for natural light to flood interior spaces without the possibility of ventilation.
- Ventilating Skylights: For spaces requiring fresh air, ventilating skylights are available, which can be operated manually or with automated systems.
- Custom Solutions: Similar to their windows, Loewen's skylights can be manufactured in custom shapes and sizes to integrate seamlessly with rooflines and architectural designs.
Material and Finish Options
- Frame Materials: Loewen offers windows and skylights constructed with premium materials, typically including Douglas Fir and White Oak for interior wood components, and extruded aluminum for exterior cladding, providing durability and aesthetic flexibility.
- Wood Finishes: For the interior wood elements, a range of finishing options are available, allowing for customization to match interior décor.
- Exterior Cladding: The aluminum exterior cladding can be finished in a selection of standard colors, as well as custom color matching, to complement the building's façade.
Glass Options
- Glazing: Loewen provides a variety of glazing options, including double-pane and triple-pane configurations, to enhance thermal performance and energy efficiency.
- Specialty Glass: Options may include low-E coatings, argon or krypton gas fills, tempered glass, laminated glass, and decorative glass treatments to meet specific performance needs and aesthetic preferences.
Hardware and Accessories
- Hardware Finishes: Various hardware finishes are available for window operation and hardware components, allowing for coordination with the overall design scheme.
- Screens: Customizable screen options are offered for ventilating units to allow for airflow while preventing the entry of insects.
Price Tier
Loewen offers a range of windows and skylights that cater to various market segments. While their core focus is on high-performance, architecturally driven solutions, they provide options that can align with different budget considerations through their product lines and material choices. It's important to understand that Loewen primarily operates in the higher tiers of the window and door market due to their emphasis on custom craftsmanship, material quality, and robust performance.
Market Position: Premium ($$$) to Luxury / Architectural ($$$$)
How It Compares: Compared to more widely available mid-range options, Loewen windows offer superior material grades, advanced performance features, and a higher degree of customization, justifying their premium placement. Moving up to their most architecturally focused lines provides even greater bespoke design capabilities and the use of top-tier materials, placing them firmly in the luxury segment.
Key Value Drivers:
- Material Composition/Grade: Loewen utilizes premium wood species (such as Douglas Fir, White Oak, or Pine) for their interior finishes, offering a level of natural beauty and warmth not found in vinyl or lower-grade composite alternatives. Exterior cladding options, like aluminum, are typically heavy-gauge and finished with durable powder coatings for exceptional weather resistance and longevity.
- Longevity and Warranty Coverage: Products are built for extended lifespans, often exceeding 30-50 years with proper maintenance. Their warranties typically reflect this durability, offering comprehensive coverage for components and finishes, which is significantly more robust than what is common in budget or mid-range offerings.
- Installation Labor Complexity/Features: While not directly part of the material cost, the inherent design complexity and customizability of Loewen windows can influence installation. Their systems are engineered for precise fits and superior sealing, which can sometimes require more skilled labor for optimal performance. This is offset by the reduced likelihood of issues and the enhanced long-term functionality of the installation.
- Architectural Design and Customization: Loewen excels in providing a vast array of standard and custom sizes, shapes, and configurations, including intricate architectural elements. This allows for unique design visions to be realized, setting them apart from mass-produced window systems.
Best Suited For:
- Forever Homes: For homeowners investing in a long-term residence where durability, aesthetic appeal, and energy efficiency are paramount.
- Custom Builds and Renovations: Architects and homeowners seeking specific design aesthetics, historical accuracy, or unique window solutions that cannot be met with standard offerings.
- High-Performance Projects: Individuals prioritizing superior thermal performance, acoustic insulation, and a robust building envelope.
To get precise pricing for your project, we recommend requesting a formal quote from a Loewen dealer. They can take into account specific product selections, regional freight, and the unique requirements of your job site.
- Homepage
- Products
- Options
- Maintenance
- Instructions
- About Us
- Video
- Photo Gallery
-
Green - Environmental
- Product Availability and Pricing Click here for details
-
Similar Products
- See all our Windows & Skylights products.