Custom Replication Windows

It is easy to think of selecting windows creatively in terms of new construction, but existing buildings, and historic buildings in particular, bring some additional considerations. Typically, windows in these cases need to fit some preexisting conditions or incorporate custom features to achieve results that match the design, function, or historic needs of the existing building. Therefore, the design challenge is to work with a window manufacturer who can help maintain the original aesthetics of the building while improving overall efficiency using modern materials and glazing. Often, the exact look or design an architect is trying to achieve does not exist off the shelf as a premanufactured product. Fortunately, there are window companies that will work with the architect and design team to either modify or create new shapes to satisfy the desired look and meet historic requirements.

A specific challenge can be producing windows with designs that faithfully replicate the original steel windows used in many older buildings using alternative, higher-performing materials such as thermally broken aluminum. At least one manufacturer has developed such a steel replication window specifically for use in historic buildings to help meet the requirements of state or national historic preservation agencies. This design includes narrow (less than 2-inch) frames that mimic historic steel profiles and slim-line integral and fixed-stack mullions for minimal sightlines. It is possible to specify historic profile true muntins as well. In addition to meeting these visual needs, applied-muntin grids with 1-inch insulating glass allows for the windows to be upgraded in terms of thermal performance compared to the original, which are most often single-glazed clear glass. That means that retrofitting older buildings can be done using modern materials and window product designs so the overall building energy performance is also inherently improved.

Putting this in context, those engaged in historic replication projects will usually attest that they are not for the faint of heart. Each job of this nature has its own unique challenges, which means it often requires a combination of architectural attention to detail along with a window manufacturer that can provide a highly engineered solution to deliver the necessary blend of strengths, capabilities, and aesthetic demands. It is important to select a company that has a track record of meeting the demanding scrutiny of historic preservation jurisdictions. It is equally important that the company can demonstrate how it recaptures original aesthetics while providing improved thermal efficiency and structural integrity to the buildings it has been involved in. That might include projects like renovating old factories or enabling the repurposing of an old mill to bringing the highest levels of performance, beauty, and operability to new construction.

The companies involved in successfully producing replication window solutions find it is a particular source of pride for those involved. Their focus is on overcoming the limitations of steel windows with single panes of glass and being able to design and deliver aluminum replications using state-of-the-art thermal technology that meets the often conflicting needs of both the National Park Service and the Department of Energy. Bill Wilder is Graham Architectural Product’s director of technical sales and comments, “That’s what makes our niche hard to do. That’s the fight we face in this industry of architectural windows: how to morph current technology into antiquated design while meeting today’s demanding standards for energy efficiency.”

Images courtesy of Graham Architectural Products

Older, historic buildings that need new windows can find new life by incorporating custom replication windows that can meet historic preservation guidelines and modern energy performance needs as shown here in the Firestone Triangle Building in Akron, Ohio.

CUSTOM REPLICATION CASE STUDY

©2014 Tom Holdsworth

Project: 525@Vine
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Architect: Gaudreau Inc.
Construction Manager: Whiting Turner
LEED Certification: Platinum

The Project: The Roaring Twenties are remembered for a lot of things, but energy-efficient windows are not among them. Architectural designers of the era were not concerned with conserving energy, especially when it came to factory/warehouse facilities for RJ Reynolds, the original function of the 525@Vine building, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Designed and built for use as factory workspaces and a warehouse storage facility, this building utilized large window openings to achieve maximum natural light. Now, however, that same structure was being repurposed for use as a research center with white-collar offices and laboratory space. Accordingly, redefining the window design criteria was a must, especially given today’s more stringent building and energy code requirements.

The Challenge: Among the renovation needs, replicating and replacing 1,259 85-year-old windows in this historic warehouse building was paramount. Further compounding things, there are as many as 50 different sizes, with the average being 4½ feet wide by more than 10 feet tall. A highly compressed timeline and the need for National Park Service (NPS) approvals only added to the challenge. Once field measuring of the existing openings began, it became apparent that the existing building conditions were going to pose additional challenges. In several locations, the building had settled and many openings were badly deteriorated and in desperate need of repair.

The Solution: The design team worked with the contractors and a custom window manufacturer to design and produce new, aluminum, thermally broken windows with high-performance insulating glass, while maintaining the building’s historic integrity. The team not only accepted this challenge but embraced and worked within it to ensure a successful completion. The first order of business was the NPS review and approval, a key ingredient in the overall success of the project. The approval would afford the owner, Wexford Science + Technology, the opportunity to apply for and secure significant tax credits for the timely rehabilitation of this building. The first drawings were submitted in the month of March for NPS review, and upon approval, the final drawings were sent to the field project team the following month. Now it was up to the window manufacturer and installers to have the 1,259 new windows in place in the remaining time frame for a completion scheduled for November of the same year.

Results: It wasn’t an easy undertaking, but with everyone working together, the project moved forward in a timely fashion to a successful completion. In the end, the project achieved its goal of LEED Platinum certification. It also received recognition as Preservation’s Best of 2014 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Trust Community Investment Corp., and Preservation Action.