The Discover Air bifolding and sliding doors were launched on 29th November manufactured by Everglade windows at the Annual Glass and Glazing Awards held at the Park Lane hotel on 29th November. Discover Aïr promote on their website “captivating” “extreme” and “performance” in bifolding doors under this new brand.
The website is contemporary and current in its design. It is a good, image rich website featuring many classy installations although it is obvious from many of the photographs that these are door intended for the more discerning customer illustrated by some beautiful homes in the UK and abroad. Aïr doors will be ideal for the ‘Grand Designs’ type high-end installations that demand a luxurious and feature rich bifolding or sliding door. This is the market Air is intended for and importantly is good enough to cater to.
How we know that Discover Air is a premium sliding and folding system.
When snippets of information became available several weeks ago about a new Discover Aïr bifolding door brand promising extreme performance, resistance to the elements and so forth by Everglade Windows in Middlesex, the initial thinking was that this was a completely new bifolding door product, and in many respects it is.
In line with other quality sliding and folding doors, Aïr doors promote very impressive specifications. These include:
- low U values of 1.4Wm2K
- wind load of up to 1800pa and 600pa watertightness
- the PAS24 burglar resistance
- a 25 year guarantee
- bifolding door panel sizes of 1200x3000mm
- premium quality door handles
- superb engineering and design
aïr doors. Luxury, highly-engineered patio doors and windows
There is no question that the aïr range of bifolding and sliding doors are premium systems, luxurious looking doors and of superb quality. The doors are very impressive to look at, their performance and security standards are top-notch, weather resistance is excellent, and they are very well made indeed.
Where other popular systems such as Smarts Visfold and Visoglide doors, AluK doors and others are popular, aïr doors offer something else and are worth considering alongside these good systems and many others. Sightlines of the doors and framing, the appearance of the product when the doors are closed, and the overall look we think is better.
Other bifolding doors on the market could be regarded as “high end” from well-regarded systems companies and bifolding door manufacturers such as Schuco, Kawneer, Origin, Sunfold, Sunflex and Centor. Each of these companies either has a long-standing reputation behind them architecturally, such as Schuco bifolding doors or like others, they also offer very well engineered premium doors targeted at the better end of the market. Again, if you’re in the market for a better bifolding or sliding door, we think the new aïr door will be worth considering alongside these other brands.
Everglade has designed a bifolding and sliding door system to give it individuality, technical enhancements and desirable selling points. It remains to be seen how successful the aïr doors will be following their launch. Everglade Windows that are behind Discover Aïr are themselves a respected and highly experienced trade manufacturer of aluminium products as well and have the expertise to market and support this new range of aluminium doors.
It is very common for very experienced manufacturers such as Everglade Windows to take a great aluminium system and make it even better to meet the vision of the company, their customer base and in reaction to market demands.
Will Discover Air Products be available to fabricators or supplied as fabricated doors to dealers?
The intention is to establish a dealer base very much like Origin Doors have done and it is assumed, like Origin Doors, Everglade will manufacture all the bifolding doors and supply fabricated product to their network of dealers.
Update May 2016
Since this article was written, much more information has come to light about Air bifolding doors and Air contemporary sliding doors. These products are indeed catering to a luxury door market and offer many benefits to anyone looking for a technically superior door that is exceptionally well manufactured and installed. You can find out more about air sliding and folding doors on our website.
