European systems, commercial storefront and our own engineered profiles
Buildings rarely have standard openings, and architectural projects almost never do. Custom fabrication is where a specification becomes an actual unit — profiles cut, hardware prepared, thermal barriers assembled, corners crimped, glass installed.
It is not assembly of pre-cut parts. Each project brings its own wind loads, thermal targets, opening geometry and hardware requirements, and the profile depth, reinforcement and glass makeup are selected against those rather than picked from a catalogue.
We fabricate across European profile systems, North American commercial storefront, and our own engineered profiles, plus custom aluminium railings. See our portfolio for completed work, including projects built on our own fabricated systems.
Off-the-shelf windows are entirely appropriate for budget residential work. For architectural projects they run out of capability quickly, in three specific ways.
Engineering to the actual conditions. Wind load, thermal target, seismic requirement and opening geometry differ project to project. Profile depth, internal reinforcement and glass composition are selected against the real numbers rather than assumed.
Architectural freedom. Monumental sizes, floor-to-ceiling sliding walls, very thin sightlines, unusual geometry and specialist hardware operations simply are not in standard catalogues.
Tuning within a system. The same profile family can carry a deeper thermal break where the elevation demands it and acoustic glass where the frontage faces traffic. That flexibility only exists if someone is fabricating rather than ordering.
European fenestration engineering has been driven by strict energy codes for decades, which is why these systems lead on thermal performance and on minimal sightlines.
| System | Origin | Known For | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schüco | Germany | Modularity, extreme thermal performance, integrated automation | High-end residential, passive house, institutional |
| Reynaers | Belgium | Minimalist sliding systems, very thin vertical sightlines | Contemporary luxury, balcony doors, unobstructed views |
| Alutech | Europe | Consistent extrusion quality, comprehensive options | Residential developments, offices, renovation |
| Alumil | Greece | Heavy-duty lift-and-slide, coastal durability | Coastal hospitality, large residential, commercial |
| Aluminco | Greece | High-fiberglass polyamide thermal breaks, sustainability focus | Eco-conscious residential, LEED-targeted commercial |
Reynaers sliding systems demand particular care in fabrication. Assembling very large panels means the track and roller alignment has to be exact — a millimetre of deviation and the light-touch operation these systems are bought for disappears.
Schüco requires precise CNC preparation for concealed hinges and its automated locking hardware, held to tight tolerance so operation matches the standard the system is specified for.
Alutech offers consistent extrusion quality and comprehensive options at a more competitive price point, which suits mid-to-high-end work well.
Alumil and Aluminco come out of the Mediterranean market and are built for sun, heat and coastal salinity, with heavy-duty lift-and-slide capability and thermal breaks using high-fiberglass polyamides.
We also carry Cortizo and Kleidco among the European lines. The honest position is that these systems overlap considerably, and the deciding factors are usually lead time, finish availability, hardware compatibility and price for your specific configuration.
Storefront systems prioritise durability, traffic capacity and straightforward site assembly. They are generally stick-built, assembled on site from components fabricated beforehand.
The specification decision that matters most is the thermal barrier.
| Non-Thermal | Thermally Broken | |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | Monolithic aluminium extrusion | Extrusion split by polyamide strip or poured-and-debridged polyurethane |
| Heat transfer | Conducts directly inside to outside | Barrier interrupts the metal path |
| Condensation | Common on the interior face in winter | Substantially reduced |
| Code position | Not compliant for conditioned space | Required in nearly all conditioned commercial space |
| Where it belongs | Interior partitions, unconditioned space | Any exterior conditioned application |
Non-thermal systems are cheaper and faster to fabricate, and they have a legitimate place — interior partitions, mall interiors, office divisions, unconditioned space. Used on a conditioned exterior they conduct heat straight through and produce condensation on the interior face in winter.
We fabricate Kawneer and YKK AP systems. Kawneer is the reference point most North American specifications are written against, with shear block or screw spline assembly and comprehensive tested product lines. YKK AP is engineered for tight tolerances and detailed water management, and its fabrication requirements around sill flashing must be followed exactly for the system to perform to its rating.
See storefront doors and curtain wall systems for the installed side of this work.
Working with global brands brings certified testing and prestige. But there are situations where the branded system is the wrong tool, and that is where developing our own profiles earns its place.
European-style profiles built for North American projects. European systems are beautiful and can be awkward here — metric sizing, Euro-groove hardware requirements, and lead times measured against a shipping schedule. Our own thermally broken systems carry the same design intent, thin sightlines and maximum glass, while accepting North American hardware and conforming to US fabrication standards and codes.
A commercial storefront alternative. Specifications frequently call for a named system "or approved equal". We fabricate our own thermally broken storefront engineered to meet the structural and thermal ratings that specification requires, which gives contractors and developers a compliant alternative with lead times and pricing we control directly.
The advantage in both cases is supply chain. When the extrusion and the fabrication are both ours, availability is not subject to another factory's schedule — which on a programme with a fixed completion date is often worth more than the brand on the profile.
Our own-fabrication work is represented in the portfolio, including 408 Lefferts, Brooklyn.
Fabrication capability does not stop at the opening. We design and build custom aluminium railing systems for balconies, stairs and roof terraces.
Aluminium suits this application for three reasons. It is inherently corrosion resistant, unlike steel, which matters on any exterior and particularly near the coast. Its strength-to-weight ratio allows systems engineered to structural load requirements while staying light enough to handle and install. And it powder coats, so railings can be finished to match the window frames exactly — which is what makes a facade read as one designed envelope rather than as separate trades.
What we fabricate: glass railing systems using laminated safety glass with minimal base shoes or slim posts; picket railings with customised spacing, section and top rail profile; cable railings pairing stainless infill with aluminium posts; and custom bracketing where the structural condition demands a mounting solution that does not exist off the shelf.
Railings are load-bearing safety elements governed by code, so the structural requirement is established before the design is finalised rather than after.
Engineering and shop drawings. Before anything is cut. Architectural intent is analysed against structural requirement, thermal target and measured field dimensions, and the profile sections, reinforcement and glass configuration are settled.
Cutting and CNC preparation. Profiles cut to length on double-head miter saws, then machined for hardware — lock pockets milled, handle preparations drilled, concealed hinge preparations cut, and weep holes formed for water management. Doing this by machine rather than by hand is why complex hardware fits first time.
Thermal break assembly. Thermally broken profiles are joined to their barrier — polyamide strips mechanically crimped into the extrusion, or polyurethane poured and debridged. Get this stage wrong and the thermal barrier is compromised in a way that is invisible afterwards.
Corner assembly. Corners define the strength of the frame. Commercial work commonly uses screw spline or shear block. For high-end residential and European systems we crimp: corner cleats inserted into the profiles, then hydraulically crimped, with two-component corner adhesive applied first so the joint bonds as well as locks.
Finishing. Anodising thickens the natural oxide layer electrochemically for a durable metallic finish in clear, bronze or black. Powder coating is applied electrostatically and heat cured, giving the full RAL range plus matte, gloss, metallic and wood-grain effects.
| Spec | Level | Appropriate For |
|---|---|---|
| AAMA 2603 | Standard | Interior and mild exterior exposure |
| AAMA 2604 | High performance | Standard commercial exterior |
| AAMA 2605 | Superior | Coastal and high-UV; long-term fade and chalk resistance |
The finish specification is worth getting right at order stage. On a coastal or high-UV elevation, AAMA 2605 is what protects against fade and chalking over decades — and it cannot be applied retrospectively.
Quality control. Dimensional accuracy, sash alignment, hardware function and gasket seal checked on every unit. Sliding systems are run on a test track before packing, because a track problem found in the shop costs minutes and the same problem found on site costs a day.
For architects. We support the design stage with maximum size verification, section details and buildability review, so a bold idea can be checked against structural capability and code before it is committed to drawings. We can also fabricate windows, storefront, sliding doors and railings on one project to a single finish and profile language, which is difficult to achieve across separate suppliers.
For general contractors. Controlled lead times, comprehensive shop drawings, and prompt replacement of custom components damaged on site — which on a bespoke system is otherwise a long wait.
For developers and owners. Value engineering across the project rather than one specification throughout. A premium European system where it is seen and a compatible in-house system elsewhere is frequently the sensible allocation of a capital budget.
Typical turnaround on custom work is one to two weeks, depending on the system and the glass specification. Send us the openings, the performance requirement and the programme, and we will tell you what is achievable and when.
Material Supply Installation Railing Systems Commercial Aluminum Curtain Wall Systems All Services
Typically one to two weeks, depending on the product and the glass specification. Specialty glass or coordinated tempering can extend that, and we confirm the lead time at order.
Older New York buildings rarely have square or consistent openings. Ordering catalogue sizes and packing out the difference produces wide trim and a poorer seal. Units made to the survey fit the opening properly.
Usually. Send photographs, a measured profile section and any original paperwork, and we can generally identify what is there and fabricate to match.
Yes. We assemble IGUs to specified makeups, including coating selection, argon fill and warm-edge spacers, as well as laminated and acoustic build-ups.
Most of our custom fabrication work is aluminium window and door systems built to size for buildings where a catalogue unit will not fit. The following is drawn from completed projects.
The pattern across all of them is the same, and it is the reason custom fabrication exists as a service: older buildings do not have square openings. A masonry opening that has stood for eighty or a hundred years has moved. The head is rarely the same width as the sill, the jambs are not plumb, and no two openings on the same elevation are identical. Ordering stock sizes against that means packing out the difference and hoping, which is where air leakage and water ingress start.
Ocean Avenue at the Avenue U end runs through dense low-rise apartment stock. Work here typically means a whole-building window programme rather than individual replacements, and the fabrication question is how to produce dozens of units that are each slightly different without the cost running away.
The answer is surveying every opening rather than sampling a few and assuming. It takes longer at the front end and it is the difference between units that fit and units that need shimming.
Ocean Parkway is a major arterial with a wide service road, which means traffic noise on the front elevation and comparatively little on the rear. That is worth exploiting rather than ignoring.
Fabricating in-house means the front and rear elevations can carry different glass make-ups in visually identical frames — an acoustic laminated unit where the noise is, a standard insulating unit where it is not. From the street the building reads as one consistent installation. Buying stock units usually forces you to specify the expensive option everywhere or accept a compromise.
Prospect Lefferts Gardens carries some of the finest pre-war apartment stock in Brooklyn, and with it the constraints that come from buildings designed around windows that are no longer manufactured. Original openings are frequently taller and narrower than anything standard, and often have arched or segmental heads.
Curved and non-rectangular heads are the clearest case for fabrication rather than supply. They cannot be ordered from a size chart, and a square unit fitted into an arched opening with the arch blanked off changes the whole character of the facade.
Mixed residential and commercial frontage, which usually means two different systems in one building: thermally broken residential windows above, and commercial-grade framing at street level where the entrance and any retail sit.
Fabricating both ourselves keeps the finish consistent between them. An anodized or powder-coated colour matched across a residential window system and a commercial storefront system is straightforward when both are produced together, and surprisingly difficult when they are bought from two suppliers.
Sunset Park work covers both ends of what we fabricate: residential window systems in the side-street buildings, and aluminium door and storefront systems on the Third Avenue commercial frontage.
Third Avenue runs under the Gowanus Expressway for much of its length, so the street-level environment is noisy and dirty and the frontage takes heavy use. Door systems here are specified for cycle count and for the finish to survive constant contact — which is the argument for the heavier anodic coating covered on our storefront doors page.
Sizes are exact. Units are built to the opening we measured, not to the nearest catalogue size with the difference packed out.
Shapes are possible. Arched, segmental, trapezoidal, circular and raked heads are fabrication work, not a special order with a long wait attached.
Configurations can be mixed. Different glass, different opening types and different hardware across one elevation, in frames that read as one system.
Lead times are ours. Typical turnaround is one to two weeks rather than the several weeks a factory order takes, and when a programme slips we can re-sequence rather than rejoin a queue.
Replacements match. A damaged unit years later can be reproduced to the same profile rather than approximated with whatever is current.
The honest limit: fabrication is not the answer to everything. Where a project needs a tested and certified system with published performance figures — high-rise curtain wall, a specific NFRC rating, a fire-rated assembly — a manufactured system with the test evidence behind it is the correct choice, and we will supply and install that instead. We say which is which at survey.
Send us the opening dimensions, photographs of the existing windows including a close-up of the head, and the building address. If openings are irregular or the heads are shaped we will survey before quoting. We fabricate and install across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, and throughout Northern New Jersey, the Jersey Shore, Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley.
Recent project: Custom aluminum windows and a six-foot round window in Lakewood, New Jersey — including commercial entrance doors and waterproofing.
Tell us about the opening and we will specify it for you.
