When done right, a luxury pool adds a splash of drama outdoors, but its visual appeal isn’t relegated solely to the alfresco domain. Thanks to the sliding, pivoting, and folding door-and-window systems available today, dramatic outdoor vistas are now integral to a home’s indoor experience. As leaders in the glass wall industry, the following four firms create unique structures that assure an eye-catching pool is never out of view—and always easy to access.
NanaWall Systems creates sliding and folding systems, the latter of which can rotate 180 degrees when folded. The company also manufactures its own sills and utilizes special, hand-built mounting systems. NanaWall’s aluminum-clad offering, for example, includes an evaporation chamber that provides a buffer between the wood and aluminum, allowing the wood to absorb and expel humidity without compromising its shape. The company’s Cero system features narrow aluminum frames and can accommodate glass panels as large as 10 feet wide and 13 feet high. Even though panels can weigh as much as 1,000 pounds, the system can be moved easily with one hand. nanawall.com
Based in Switzerland, Vitrocsa was founded by a mechanically inclined entrepreneur with a watchmaking background. The company works solely with marine-grade stainless steel and anodized aluminum, machining each of its components to watchmaking standards and incorporating watchmaking techniques into its designs. The company is known for inventing advanced (and patented) mechanical systems, like the Invisible Sill, a feature that hides the stainless steel bearing track and sill under continuous flooring with minimal slots. In 2017, Vitrocsa unveiled a curved sliding system, and last year it released a corner system, which utilizes a roller principle and allows the glass panels to slide around corners. vitrocsausa.com
Fleetwood Windows & Doors Since 1961, Fleetwood Windows & Doors has been dedicated to the luxury home market. According to Mark McCoy, the family-owned company’s COO, Fleetwood distinguishes itself from the competition through the design and manufacturing of its proprietary hardware. “Twenty-five years ago, I noticed that the items frustrating our customers most were the things they interfaced with most: handles, rollers, locking mechanisms. The primary problems were their ergonomics and how they lasted in their environments,” he says. “We are fanatical about the details. We approach our work like an artist…and our canvas is the luxury home.” fleetwoodusa.com
Panda Windows & Doors Founded in Israel, Panda Windows & Doors opened up shop in the U.S. in 1991 and says it introduces more new designs each year than any other manufacturer in the industry. “Whatever an architect designs as a concept, we can bring to reality because we’re a custom manufacturer,” says Jennyfer Woods, the company’s vice president of sales. Panda’s new system, the TS.X0, represents its response to consumer demand for larger glass panels with smaller frames. Utilizing frames less than an inch wide, the system can support panels more than 100 square feet in size. panda-windows.com
