PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 20, 2026--
Architizer Magazine recently unveiled its 2026 A+ Awards, honoring the newly rebranded Western Architectural Openings Series 8630 Window Wall as a finalist in the Windows & Skylights category.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260720200507/en/
As the industry’s largest and most international awards program, the A+ Awards celebrate the finest architecture and design from across the globe. The Series 8630 Fixed Window/Window Wall was nominated by a panel of judges to participate in a Popular Choice vote for the world’s most innovative building products shaping the future of architecture and design. The criteria for the Windows & Skylights category included aesthetics, performance, and impact.
“We are honored to be selected as an Architizer A+ Awards finalist,” said Kevin Vilhauer, Vice President of Product Engineering at MITER Brands. “Being selected to participate in the award voting is a tremendous recognition of our pursuit of the highest standards of luxury and performance at Western Architectural Openings. The Series 8630 Window Wall is a high-performance, design-forward glazing system that blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces.”
Formerly Western Window Systems, Western Architectural Openings is part of the MITER Brands portfolio and a leading manufacturer of moving glass walls and windows. A special event launched the new brand on June 24, celebrating its elevated design, which includes custom-configured luxury product lines for residential, commercial, and multi-family applications.
Part of the Vantage family of products, the 8630 Fixed Window/Window Wall is engineered to support large-format openings with narrow sightlines, allowing architects to create uninterrupted views and seamless indoor-outdoor connections. The system accommodates panel sizes up to 50 square feet and integrates with operable Series 8000 windows, maintaining consistent design lines. Designed for flexibility, the Series 8630 offers a range of configuration options and finish selections, including anodized and custom colors.
Architizer A+ Awards Best Products winners and finalists can be found at winners.architizer.com. To learn more about the Series 8630 Fixed Window/Window Wall and other luxury moving glass walls and windows, visit WesternAO.com.
About Western Architectural Openings
Founded in 1959, Western Architectural Openings, part of the MITER Brands portfolio, is the premier national provider of large-format glass walls, architectural doors, and luxury window systems. Renowned for redefining the boundaries between indoors and out, Western crafts custom-configured aluminum systems of exceptional scale and sophistication. Each product is meticulously engineered, precision-built to order, and delivered with a level of personalized service reserved for the most discerning projects.
Driven by an uncompromising pursuit of craftsmanship and innovation, Western Architectural Openings partners with architects, builders, and homeowners to create breathtaking environments that elevate everyday living. From panoramic vistas to seamless indoor-outdoor transitions, Western transforms spaces into immersive experiences that celebrate light, openness, and the beauty of their surroundings. For more information, visit WesternAO.com.
About MITER Brands
Founded in 1947, MITER Brands is a residential window and door manufacturer that produces a portfolio of window and door brands for the new construction and replacement segments with an owner-operated, family-first approach. Through optimized manufacturing, valued relationships, and dedicated team members coast to coast, MITER Brands instills confidence and drives quality customer experiences. The name “MITER” is an acronym reflecting five of the company’s core strengths: Manufacturing, Innovation, Trust, Experiences, and Relationships. For more information, visit miterbrands.com.
The Western Architectural Openings Series 8630 Window Wall was selected as one of five finalists in Architizer Magazine’s international A+ Awards competition.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, while the United States conducted yet another round of airstrikes targeting the Islamic Republic as they struggle over control of the key waterway.
The 10 consecutive nights of U.S. airstrikes haven’t compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait, through which about a fifth of all crude oil and natural gas traded once passed in peacetime.
Even as the U.S. and Iran inch closer to all-out war again, Iran’s interior minister traveled to Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, for talks. However, it remains unclear just what new deal could be reached to end the fighting.
The interim deal signed last month that was meant to end the fighting has crumbled. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely stalled. And as fighting intensifies, both sides have targeted civilian infrastructure relied on by millions of people.
“Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world,” the U.S. State Department said in a new warning to Americans.
The escalation has pushed oil prices higher in recent weeks. Benchmark Brent crude traded Tuesday above $88 a barrel and regular gasoline in the U.S. climbed to an average of $4 a gallon, keeping pressure on Americans’ wallets ahead of midterm elections this fall.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military identified two soldiers who were killed in Jordan in attacks that left a third person missing. Separately, the military confirmed another death in Iraq on Saturday during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. President Donald Trump took to social media on Monday to warn that “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!”
Trump was planning to attend a ceremony on Tuesday evening at Dover Air Force Base, where at least one service member’s remains were due to arrive.
The U.S. military’s Central Command said Tuesday it targeted “Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and air defense systems.” It released more footage of bombings that targeted sites in Iran.
“American forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression toward civilian mariners seeking to freely and openly transit the strait,” the command said.
Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard in Fars, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces.
However, traffic through the strait has slowed to a crawl during the latest violence. Lloyd's List Intelligence said only three ships transited the strait on Sunday.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed the attack, as well as two other attacks on ships Monday in the waterway.
The route around Oman has been the one the U.S. military has encouraged ships to travel to avoid Iran’s control. The UKMTO separately reported Tuesday that another previously unknown attack on a ship took place early the previous day.
Tehran also hit U.S.-allied countries throughout the Middle East. Jordan military's said Tuesday that Iran targeted it with five drones and three missiles, all of which were shot down. Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens Tuesday afternoon as another Iranian barrage targeted the island kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
The Pentagon’s chief spokesperson said nearly 100 U.S. service members have been injured since the U.S. restarted strikes on July 7, and 96% of them have returned to duty.
“The vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions,” Sean Parnell posted Monday on X in response to a New York Times report that the Pentagon has withheld information about troop injuries from Iranian strikes. He denied that the Pentagon was hiding data about injuries.
However, the Defense Casualty Analysis System, the military’s clearinghouse for reporting deaths and injuries in conflict, has not been updated as of Monday night with the latest attacks.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on Monday. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, said they would block shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden by targeting the Bab el-Mandeb, a maritime chokepoint like the Strait of Hormuz, in response to an attack on Sanaa International Airport last week that they blamed on Saudi Arabia.
With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, Saudi Arabia has been relying on a pipeline to the Red Sea to get millions of barrels of oil out to market. The Houthis earlier demonstrated their ability to disrupt shipping there when they targeted ships for months over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with over 100 vessels attacked.
Saudi Arabia’s military said it would keep the waterway open.
“All Houthi threats against transiting vessels will be dealt with swiftly and firmly, as such threats are a blatant violation of international law and fall under acts of maritime piracy,” said Maj. Gen, Turki al-Malki, a Saudi military spokesman.
Pakistan has intensified diplomatic efforts in recent days to resuscitate the interim deal.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad on Monday for two days of talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others.
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. is still open to negotiating with Iran but that “it has to be real.”
“If the door opens to diplomacy — if the guys that want to do something productive for Iran win and take control of that system, or take control of the negotiations — that’ll be a very positive development,” Rubio said. “That’s not where we are tonight, unfortunately.”
Iranian authorities on Sunday said at least 50 people have been killed and 517 wounded in the latest rounds of U.S. strikes. Since the war began on Feb. 28, 17 U.S. service members have been killed.
A woman walks past a mural depicting a portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the U.S. and Israel strike on Feb. 28, in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
People stand on a bridge destroyed after a strike in Hormozgan province, southern Iran, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/Iranian Students' News Agency via AP)
Fireworks burst as Houthi supporters rally against the Saudi-led coalition in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, July 20, 2026. Placards in Arabic read: "God is great, Death to America, Death to Israel, A curse on the Jews and Victory to Islam" and "boycott American and Israeli goods". (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
