by Kelly McCoy
For more than a century, architects, designers, builders, and real estate developers have seen windows and doors as simply building materials.
Marvin at 7 Tide, an unprecedented 3,500sf brand experience center located in the Boston Seaport, has changed that forever. Marvin at 7 Tide is the brainchild of Hastings, the longtime representative of Marvin Windows and Doors in New England and Eastern New York.
“We opened the country’s first Marvin Experience Center,” explained Hastings director of marketing Miana Hoyt Dawson, “after developing proprietary technology to exemplify — for the first time — the full scope of possibilities with Marvin products long before a purchase decision is made. This nonsales, collaborative environment is a game-changer for anyone planning a project.”
This technology has drawn thousands of visitors from throughout the region and earned Hastings the top innovation award in the window industry in 2018.
“Marvin at 7 Tide provides various interactive ways to critically evaluate how Marvin can achieve the objectives of any project,” said Steve Hoyt, who leads the Marvin Commercial Solutions team for Hastings. Hoyt’s team is the fulcrum between the custom manufacturing professionals at Marvin in Warroad, Minnesota, and the local Marvin dealer who is onsite to ensure every project is delivered as promised.
A singular meeting place with unsurpassed technology
Marvin at 7 Tide is totally unique, looking and operating like neither a retail store nor a manufacturer’s showroom. Visitors enjoy unique collaboration spaces, each with its own experience and goal. Inside the Marvin Living Room, a proprietary product-to-scale projector brings architectural plans to life. As a Hastings Brand Ambassador guides the conversation about how a bank of three windows in one style looks, you see them appear on the wall exactly as they would be in a home or commercial building. Too tall? The wall projection changes instantly to inform the conversation. As a result, visitors gain confidence to make important decisions that allow the project to progress.
In the resource pavilion, at a Smart Touch Table, visitors can actually design their own windows and doors. Through a proprietary interface, you can see the window design appear on the table, change the interior color, the exterior cladding, the style, hardware, and more, with each feature rendering instantly for consideration on the table surface.
“As if this weren’t exciting enough,” said Hoyt, “everything at Marvin at 7 Tide is ‘session-based,’ meaning any photo, rendering, or sample that inspires you is saved by your brand ambassador and emailed to you at the completion of your visit. You can then review your selections and share them with any member of your project team.”
The new headquarters for Marvin Modern
As architects and builders in the Northeast have actively embraced the modern aesthetic, Marvin at 7 Tide has become a singular resource for researching Marvin Modern, an exciting new product line that reflects the future of modern design for windows and doors. “We invite anyone involved in a modern building project to utilize Marvin at 7 Tide to help visualize Marvin’s newest products and understand how they realize the exacting principles and standards of true modern architecture,” explained Marvin at 7 Tide Manager Lauren Hokenson.
For more on Marvin at 7 Tide, visit seventide.com. For details on how the Marvin Commercial Solutions Team at Hastings can help your project succeed, visit awhastings.com/commercial-solutions.
Kelly McCoy is co-owner of The McCoy Group and has written for industry-leading home design and building professionals for more than 25 years.