What’s hot in storefront hardware?

Storefronts and entrances rely heavily on hardware, with rails, spider fittings, headers and channels, access control handles, door closers, pull handles, locks and keepers, says Charlene Kull, corporate communications director at C.R. Laurence Co., Los Angeles. As a result, hardware suppliers need to keep up with changing storefront trends with aesthetics and safety.

One of today’s hottest trends in storefronts and entrances is all-glass. Kull says C.R. Laurence developed Locking Ladder Pulls as an option for all-glass entrances.

Additionally, glaziers are looking for more aesthetic elements in their architectural hardware for heavy glass entrances, Kull says. “C.R. Laurence is now manufacturing a wide variety of architectural and ornamental metals. These are often used to create eye-catching and unique storefront and commercial entrances. These include the incorporation of column designs, wall and ceiling décor, and decorative sunshades and canopies. To keep costs down, column covers (cladding) and wet and dry seal solid metal and metal composite wall and ceiling panels can be used,” she says.

Bob Ward, vice president of sales and marketing for Jackson Corp., Los Angeles, says increased safety and security are becoming more common in storefronts and entrances.

“We’re seeing a real uptick in access control, specifically electrified panics. People are much more interested in security now than they were. Even basic office buildings now feature access control,” Ward says. “We’re also seeing a need for devices that are compatible with [impact-resistant glazing systems] in response to changing codes.”

Jackson Corp. is developing more heavy-duty hardware products that are compatible with impact systems. “Various hardware components might have pieces of plastic, such as the plastic polymer bolt guide in our stock panic system. We use aluminum instead of plastic in our impact system,” he says. 

Read the complete article about what's hot in hardware for storefronts and entrances at GlassMagazine.com.