Technical insights, specification guides, and industry analysis from London Architectural Aluminium.
Specification GuidesAgainst Dubai road traffic the governing metric is Rw + Ctr, not Rw. Laboratory data on what standard double glazing, acoustic laminates and frame sealing actually deliver.
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RegulationsEI 30, EI 60, EI 90 and EI 120 explained for aluminium fire-rated doors in the UAE — what the classification certifies, how EN 1634-1 testing works, which Aluprof systems reach which class, and what Dubai Civil Defence expects on file.
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Specification GuidesuPVC is a competent window material — in the climate its standard was written for. This is what changes when you move it to Dubai: solar dose, frame temperature, thermal movement and the standards that stop applying.
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Technical GuidesA fire rating does carry a measurable thermal cost — but on most UAE projects the fire-rated aluminium door is internal, where its U-value does no work at all. The trade-off only becomes real in the façade.
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The Glazing BriefAn aluminium door leaf can be engineered past 3 m, and past 5 m in the right system - but the limit is rarely the aluminium. The real constraint chain for oversized glazing on a UAE villa: glass weight, hardware duty, wind class and the deflection of the slab above the opening.
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Specification GuidesUg is the glass, Uf is the frame, Uw is the finished window. A plain-English guide to reading an aluminium glazing spec sheet — including the test size and boundary conditions that decide whether the number means anything in Dubai.
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Specification GuidesSliding, pivot and casement aluminium units are not interchangeable. A specification-led comparison of thermal, weathertightness and span performance, using published EN classification data, for UAE villa elevations.
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Specification GuidesA specifier's guide to choosing an aluminium window system for a Dubai villa — comparing Schüco, Cortizo, Alumil and Altest on thermal performance, sightlines, spans and Al Sa'fat compliance.
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Glazing SpecificationIn the UAE, low-E glass is not an upgrade weighed against alternatives — it is the only glass technology that meets Al Sa'fat's solar-control ceiling and its daylight floor at the same time. How to read the regulation, choose the coating, and specify it in an aluminium system.
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Specification GuidesDubai's Al Sa'fat green building system sets mandatory summer U-value, shading coefficient and light transmittance limits on glazing. Here are the current figures, what they mean for aluminium windows on a villa, and how Abu Dhabi's Estidama differs.
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