The thinnest frames and the largest lites — as long as the frame is thermally broken. Which systems we carry, where each has gone in, and where aluminum is not the answer.
Aluminum is the material of the thinnest frames and the largest lites, and for decades it was also the material of the coldest windows: the mid-century aluminum sash conducts heat straight through the frame and sweats in January. Every aluminum window worth installing today is thermally broken — the inside and outside halves of the extrusion are joined by polyamide struts, not metal, so heat has no path across. With that break, a good European system carries double or triple glazing and meets any New York energy code. Without it, the window should not be sold.
We fabricate, install and service aluminum windows across the five boroughs, Long Island and New Jersey, and we are factory-certified on the Alutech and Everest systems. The others — Cortizo, Reynaers, Alumil, Kleidco, Kawneer — we install from the manufacturer’s fabricator or fabricate to their specification. See our credentials.
| System | Origin | Character | Where we have used it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cortizo | Spain | Slim tilt-turn, sliding and curtain wall; wide range | LIC (The Anable), 165 East 64th, Gravesend Neck Road |
| Reynaers | Belgium | SlimLine 38 steel-look; MasterLine; the slimmest sightlines | Ocean Parkway |
| Alutech | Belarus/EU | AW80 tilt-turn, storefront; we fabricate and service it | 408 Lefferts, 461 East New York, 2 Bushwick |
| Everest | US | Windows, doors, curtain wall, panels; shortest lead time; we fabricate and service it | 2518 Ocean, 2535 FDB, 24 Frost |
| Alumil | Greece | Custom houses, large sliders | Monmouth Beach |
| Kleidco | US | Storefront and windows, small commercial | 217 Main Street |
| Kawneer / YKK AP | US | Commercial storefront and curtain wall | 3915 Flatlands |
Facades and new construction. Curtain wall and window walls are aluminum by definition; the systems above are what LIC, Williamsburg and Harlem are built with. Large openings. A sliding door twelve feet wide, a fixed lite eight feet tall, a full-height Juliet unit: aluminum carries the glass weight in a frame that stays slim. Custom houses with a modern or steel-look design. Reynaers SlimLine 38 shows 33 millimetres of frame on a fixed lite, a hair over an inch, and reads as a black line around the stone. Exposed and oceanfront sites. Marine-grade powder coat on aluminum outlasts anything on wood at the shore; Surfview Towers is the example. Colour. Any RAL, inside and out, and two different colours inside and out on most systems.
On a landmarked street facade, almost never: the Landmarks Preservation Commission wants the original material, which in New York is wood. Steel-look aluminum is occasionally accepted on industrial buildings. On a budget rental program, usually not: uPVC gives better thermal numbers per dollar and nobody is judging sightlines on the sixth floor of a rental. For the full comparison see aluminum vs uPVC vs wood vs fiberglass.
The European systems are built around the tilt-and-turn, with casement, fixed, sliding and lift-slide as the other members of each family; the American systems add hung and projected types. All carry double glazing as standard and triple where the design asks for it — the Ocean Parkway house is triple-glazed Low-E argon throughout. Key-locking handles and limiters for rentals are standard options. Screens for inward-opening aluminum go on the exterior face; see screens for tilt-and-turn windows.
Contractors buy aluminum windows and doors from us in the systems we fabricate — Alutech and Everest from the Staten Island shop, the European systems to order. Shop drawings, glass and hardware are included; pick-up by appointment or delivery. See material supply.
Thermally broken aluminum windows are. The polyamide break stops heat crossing the frame, and with Low-E argon double or triple glazing a good European system meets the New York energy code comfortably. Old un-broken aluminum windows are not, and should be replaced.
Cortizo, Reynaers, Alutech, Everest, Alumil, Kleidco, Kawneer and YKK AP. We are factory-certified to fabricate, install and service Alutech and Everest.
Rarely on the street facade; Landmarks expects the original material. They are common on rear facades and terraces, which are usually not reviewed.
Reynaers SlimLine 38 shows about 33 mm on a fixed frame and 67 mm frame-plus-vent on an opening unit; a conventional window frame alone is 70 mm or more.
No. Powder-coated aluminum needs washing, not painting. Hardware and gaskets are the only parts that wear, and both are replaceable.
Alutech vs Cortizo Reynaers vs Alutech Reynaers vs Schüco Aluprof vs Cortizo Cortizo Reynaers Alutech Everest Tilt-and-Turn Windows Material Comparison Window Replacement NYC
About this page. Written by Alex GC Inc. d/b/a Alex Glass Construction and reviewed before publication by Aleksandr Chernovolenko, Managing Partner, with our design and estimating lead and a field foreman. Our foremen hold the NYC DOB Site Safety Training supervisor card and our crews the 40-hour worker card; we are certified to fabricate, install and service Alutech and Everest aluminum systems. Facts are drawn from our own projects, manufacturer test data and the applicable codes; where we are giving an opinion, we say so. Last reviewed September 2026. Credentials
Tell us the building and the openings. We will recommend the system, confirm the thermal numbers, and quote fabrication and installation or supply only.
