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Advertising supplement provided by Pella Windows

Case Studies

Blending aesthetics and energy efficiency

Visitors enter the Lakeside Nature Center in Kansas City, MO, through a single-story cast-in-place concrete wall that offers little clue to what lies beyond. Once inside, they are greeted with a view of lush woodlands, framed by floor-to-ceiling glazing rising up to 28 feet. Daylight from clerestory windows reinforces the illusion of being in the woods by simulating diffused light penetrating through a forest canopy. Transferring loads from the extensively overhung roof to the cedar columns without deflecting and breaking glazing was a major design challenge for International Architects Atelier as were the large spans of glazing and multiplicity of shapes and sizes.

Creating beauty with low maintenance

At the Vollum Institute for Advanced Biomedical Research in Portland, OR, architects Zimmer Gunsul Frasca (Portland, OR) chose to make wood a major interior design element. Chairs, paneling, trim, and window frames are all made of wood. For the windows, aluminum-clad wood was chosen for a low maintenance aluminum exterior and a warm, rich wood interior with durability and color flexibility. The wood blends with interior furnishings and trim and offers a warm, less institutional look. Plus, between-the-glass blinds reduce maintenance costs associated with cleaning and replacement of window treatments.

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership chose aluminum-clad wood windows with between-the-glass blinds for beauty and low maintenance at the Vollum Institute for Advanced Biomedial Research, Portland, OR.

High design flexibility at low cost

High cost is not necessary to achieve great design. Phillips Place in Charlotte, NC, offers an example. Designed by LS3P Associates Ltd., it consists of one hotel, four restaurants, and 24 retail shops including Waverly Home, Smith & Hawken, Restoration Hardware, and Dean & Deluca. Pricing for wood windows for the center was competitive with aluminum windows so the developer chose aluminum-clad wood windows and doors with a burgundy exterior and low-E glass. The architect and developer most appreciated the wood windows for the flexibility that allowed tenants to finish the interior of the windows to match the design of their stores.

For example, Restoration Hardware and Cradle & All painted the windows different shades of white; Dean & Deluca painted the windows light gray; Smith & Hawken painted the windows a darker bluish gray and stained the doors.

Competitively priced aluminum-clad wood windows allowed tenants to match store interiors at Phillips Place, Charlotte, NC, by LS3P Associates Ltd.

Achieving environmental goals—beautifully

IslandWood, an interactive learning environment on Bainbridge Island, WA, helps children and communities understand how their actions affect the environment.

Windows in the complex are positioned to permit maximum air circulation and natural daylighting. Operable skylights provide additional natural airflow and light. The high performance wood windows are clad in aluminum to protect the exterior from the elements, reduce maintenance and provide a beautiful interior; the frames and glass have recycled content. These and other techniques helped IslandWood earn a LEED Gold Certification from the USGBC while being chosen one of the Top Green Projects for 2002 by AIA's Committee on the Environment.

Aluminum-clad wood windows at Island Wood, Bainbridge Island, WA, by Mithun, are positioned for maximum airflow and light.

 

Sources: AIA Masterspec, a publication of ARCOM American Architectural Manufacturers Association 2001 ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook U.S. Green Building Council www.efficientwindows.org www.vinylinfo.org Window and Door Manufacturers Association