“Prior to this window replacement project, Building 155 was not only aesthetically unappealing, but it was a safety hazard due to broken glass and the inability to open the windows for ventilation,” says Jonathan Mizushima, PHNSY/IMF Shop 11 branch head. “Employees are now able to open all the windows, which makes working in the building more pleasant, and the risk of falling glass has been removed.”
Robert E. Lee High School
As part of a campus-wide renovation and expansion, the Jacksonville, Fla., Robert E. Lee High School now enjoys new curtainwalls and casement, single and curved window systems. The $29.5 million project encompassed 110,000 square feet of historic renovation to the existing 3-story classroom building, as well as adding 35,000 square feet of new space.
The original windows in the high school were wood with divided lites and contoured brick and mullion moulding. Water infiltration had caused much of the original wood perimeter and mullions to deteriorate. The new specification called for a hung window, putty bead glazing perimeter and applied exterior grids with a muntin in the glass.
For installation of the hung windows, the original wood was demolished, and concrete surrounds installed in the openings. Double wood bucks were installed at the perimeter to accurately replicate the historical appearance and sightlines of the original windows. The window company then installed a full-length sill starter with end dams without any anchor penetrations in the water tank, which is a method employed to avoid potential complications with mullions. The primary water seal of the new system was at the waterproofing that was installed on the wood bucks and the primary window frames and sill starter.
Five-inch-wide aluminum mullions simulate the depth of the original wood mullions, wide interior mullion covers and extended interior trim, blending well with new interior finishes. The perimeter brick mouldings were replicated with a post set panning around the perimeter of each single-hung window and was installed as one piece in the opening. The post set panning was then sealed to provide a secondary water barrier. The windows have helped the school building recognize significant thermal performance and improved U-factors.
The team refined the design concept throughout construction and also underwent a historic review to ensure changes were true to the school’s original design. The clear, anodized replacement windows resemble the original ones; meet modern codes; contain no thermal breaks; and are effective at guarding against the area’s 52-inches of rainfall per year, which was a key consideration.
Kevon Office Center
The 40-year-old, 100,000-square-foot Kevon Office Center in Pennsauken, N.J., received an Energy Star rating of 90 in 2012, placing it in the top 10 percent of energy-efficient buildings of its type across the country. Despite this achievement, the owners wanted to continue improving the 4-story building’s energy efficiency and sought solutions for its single-pane windows. The windows were notorious for letting solar heat in during summer and furnace heat escape in the winter.