Windows/Skylights

New York Lynbrook Station
Advances
Windows/Skylights

Modern Canopy Material

Utilizing the existing steel on the New York Lynbrook Station platforms and shelter structures, EXTECH customized three new replacement translucent canopies with its SKYGARD skylight and SKYSHADE canopy technology for Long Island Rail Road passengers. “This is the first application that we know of using polycarbonate material in this area. The results are a more modern visual look with great rain and sun protection for the passengers,” states Hely Manuel Duarte, MSc president, Zion Contracting, whose firm installed the systems. The canopy solution enhances passengers’ comfort while adding light and a sense of openness. The translucent material brings in natural light while

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Case Study
Windows/Skylights

Past to Present

Historic motorcycle factory converted into affordable housing features high-performance windows with insulating spacers. Originally built in 1890, the building is famously known as the Indian Motorcycle’s former manufacturing mill facility. The company is credited with producing one of the first motorized bikes, and is considered to be the premier manufacturer of motorcycles in the racing industry. The vehicles also provided agile transportation to U.S. troops in World Wars I and II. They were distributed nationwide until the 1950s, and in 2011, the brand was reintroduced.The Mason Square Apartments II at Indian Motorcycle project, located in the McKnight National Historic District of

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Winston-Salem Union Station
Case Study
Glass & Curtainwall

Preserving Union Station’s Metal Frames in Historical Restoration Project

Thanks to super-thin vacuum insulated glazing units, Walter Robbs Architecture was able to restore Winston-Salem’s Union Station brick and limestone façade to its original glory. Built in 1926, the historic Winston-Salem Union Station lent a more cosmopolitan feel to the growing tobacco industry in the area and was key to bringing travel to the region. Designed in a Beaux Arts style with Neoclassical details by Fellheimer and Wagner, a prominent New York architectural firm that designed train stations throughout the U.S., the station closed its doors in 1970. It was then converted into a vehicle-repair garage until the city repurchased the large structure and decided to resto

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Eagles Nest Outfitters office, Asheville, N.C.
Advances
Windows/Skylights

Environmental ‘Surfing’ Not so Tough

While energy savings, and resiliency measures, absolutely, factor into justifying the cost of deep conservation measures, it might be the addition of the accounting of human benefits, as part of a comprehensive ROI formula, that will help designers win the day for passive house or net-zero initiatives for clients and owners hesitant to make the jump. So says Carnegie Mellon Professor Vivian Loftness, a participant in international skylight manufacturer Velux’ most recent Daylight Symposium in Paris, in the Fall of 2019. Here are some numbers, Loftness said, design teams should plug in right off the bat:• External shading can displace 20%-40% of today’s cooling loads;&bu

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590X Steel Replica Window
Advances
Windows/Skylights

New Historic Window on the Block

Combining the best of two worlds with historically inspired profiles, narrow sightlines, enhanced energy-efficiency and performance, EFCO introduces the 590X Steel Replica Window. Imitating the look of a classic, industrial steel window in a choice of three standard profiles—bevel, cove and T-grid—or in made-to-order options, project teams can also customize muntins to easily and economically match existing sightlines. The operable window delivers a thermal U-factor as low as 0.42 with a standard low-E product and a condensation resistance factor as high as 71. The window meets AAMA 513 standards for accessibility, and the inclusion of thicker glass enhances acoustic performance

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Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians Administration Building, Arlington, Wash.
Advances
Windows/Skylights

Not Quite Open Skies

The Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians Administration Building in Arlington, Wash., by Womer & Assocs., is designed to look like a canoe when viewed from above, a recognition of their heritage as river people. Inside, natural light was critical, but the architects were concerned about glare and comfort. They commissioned Kalwall to create a custom skyroof for the facility.

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Former American Graphophone Co. now houses the Great Oaks Charter School and a residential space in Bridgeport, Conn.
Advances
Windows/Skylights

Historic Steel Replica Windows Fill Adaptive Reuse Needs

After the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office rejected a window manufacturer looking to replace the windows from an early 20th century machine shop, Crosskey Architects turned to Graham Windows. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the adaptive reuse of the former American Graphophone Co. now houses the Great Oaks Charter School and an adjacent residential space in Bridgeport, Conn.To replace the rather large existing windows, Graham provided 680 SR6700 Steel Replica windows in fixed and fixed/projected configurations to simulate the authentic look of the original steel factory windows. The windows met the structural performance needs and historic requirements

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Case Study
Windows/Skylights

Historic Windows Light Up Sioux Falls Fire Station and Library

The Sioux Falls East Side Fire Station and Branch Library was constructed in 1916 and co-occupied by the city’s first motorized fire truck crew and its first satellite branch library. Despite opposing requirements for loud vs. quiet, the public servants shared the space until the 1960s. Architect Todd Stone, ceo and principal for Stone Group Architects, had always considered the building, located in Sioux Falls’ Heritage Park, to be a diamond in the rough. Over the years, as it slowly faded into disrepair, he never abandoned his dream of restoring and reawakening its past character. Stone’s vision became reality in 2017 when a decision by city officials allowed him to purch

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Sunnyvale Independent School District, Sunnyvale, Texas
Case Study
Daylighting

From Mundane to Marvelous

An inspired tweak to a standard Solatube offering puts an exclamation point on a space to inspire reading and learning. Create a state-of-the-art library that would serve as a focal point for the school, and find a way to bring daylight into the space with a unique aesthetic, as lighting was to be one of the key elements in the overall design of the library. Sunnyvale Independent School District was driven to create a new type of school design due to a shift in the way they were educating their students. The Intermediate school was their first new building under this change and was designed to align the built environment with the educational platform thus supporting the new style of interact

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Elementary School Vřesovice, Czech Republic
Advances
Windows/Skylights

New Life

“Conversion” may become the buzzword that defines construction in 2020. It certainly did here at the Elementary School Vřesovice in the Czech Republic, which involved the reconstruction of a Baroque rectory. The church wished that the village should not let the whole premises deteriorate, but use it for a purpose—it did, becoming a school and daycare center. To give it new life, the designers, Public Atelier and FUUZE, emphasized the interconnection of individual parts so that their historical value as a complex could be preserved, while the users of the converted facility could feel comfortable and free to use all its parts. Simple cubic shapes, smooth surfaces and distinc

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