Most Innovative Window

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2010 Crystal Achievement Award Winners

Large Manufacturer

Tribute Windows with BetterGrain

Harvey Building Products

Waltham, Mass.

Tribute vinyl windows are offered with BetterGrain finishes to provide a natural wood look and feel. Significant research and testing yielded a two-step process said to mimic the qualities of natural wood more authentically and effectively than veneers, laminates, foils or other alternatives currently in the market.

The vinyl is painted in two steps. The first step consists of applying a base coat to the vinyl that matches closely to popular wood colors. Once dry, the vinyl is put through special machinery that was built to grain the vinyl in order to give it the natural look and feel of wood. The graining is applied in a random pattern so that no two pieces look the same, just like natural wood. BetterGrain is available in three color options—including pine, red cedar and dark oak—that will match the décor of any home.

The vinyl line was developed to combine high-end elegance, exceptional functionality and, with the available high performance triple-glazing package, superior thermal protection. Offered standard with double low-E glass, the high-performance triple-pane option features two low-E coated layers, as well as Guardian ClimaGuard SPF glass for UV protection that eliminates more than 99 percent of damaging rays, and PPG’s SunClean easy clean coating, the company notes. Available in models for both new construction and replacement applications, the windows feature a contoured sash and glazing bead, as well as dual action low profile sash lock that eliminates the need for separate tilt latches.

Harvey's Tribute windows are Energy Star-qualified and Green Seal-certified, and with the BetterGrain finish, target consumers who like the look of wood but also desire the energy efficiency and reduced maintenance that vinyl provides.

Designed with an additional glass panel, the casements provide the convenience of built-in blinds, as well as the high-performance glass options homeowners want.

Small/Medium Manufacturer

Casement Window with Tilt/Turn Blinds

Lindsay Windows LLC

N. Mankato, Minn.

Blinds between the glass have become a popular option with homeowners over the last few years. Lindsay Windows came up with a solution for its casements and fixed casements that features a blind in a "panel" that is separate from the window's insulating glass unit.

As a result, its casements can provide the added functionality of built-in, low-maintenance blinds, but still accommodate either dual- or triple-glazed configurations, incorporating one or two lites of low-E glass. Argon/krypton can be included in the IG units because the blind is separate. The blinds can tilt/turn and lift to provide homeowners full privacy and light control. The blinds are also repairable in the field.

Other 2010 Crystal Achivement Award Winners:

TECHNOLOGY

Most Innovative Door

Large Manufactur
Series 670/770 Sliding Patio Doors
PGT Industries

Small/Medium Manufacturer
VSW65 Single‐Track Slider with Center Swing Doors
Nana Wall Systems

Most Innovative Component

Window EnergyCore Replacement Window System Mikron Industries Inc.	Door Schlage Link Schlage/Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies
Glass/Glazing Component E‐Glass Innovative Glass Corp.