Photo courtesy Bill Horsman Photography
Before dependable artificial lighting and indoor climate control was available, architects used natural daylighting and ventilation features such as high ceilings and tall windows. As today’s insulating glass is more than twice as heavy as the original single glazing, ease of operation also becomes a concern. Stretched to the limits of weight and vertical travel, commercially available balances can exhibit durability and safety issues.
Careful review of oversized replacement window choices also must include hardware selection. Factors such as size, sill height, meeting rail location, window treatments, screens, and window well depth can dictate awnings versus hoppers or in-swing versus out-swing casement vents, and self-balancing double-hung windows or simulated double-hung projected windows.
“Replication is about the entire opening, not just the window. The product must be easy to install and anchor correctly,” advised Cherney. “Appropriate sills and trim must be provided to complete the window and blend it seamlessly with the opening and the building itself. If a window doesn’t do all these things, it’s simply not measuring up.”
The key logistical decision faced by the window replacement contractor is whether to leave existing window frames in place, or do a complete ‘tear-out’ and start again. Removal of existing operable sash, while leaving existing window framing in place, usually makes for a much faster installation process and minimizes disruption to occupants. The existing frames are used as anchorage points, and an extruded aluminum sub-frame or ‘panning’ system lines the opening.
If a tear-out of existing frames is the path chosen, perimeter protection is often required in occupied spaces and the process is considerably slowed. Caution must be exercised in determining what concealed wall materials may be disturbed. For major renovation projects, installation of in-situ samples is highly recommended. Custom profiles can be designed for panning, perimeter framing, or muntins—including panning systems with T-mullions to echo existing profiles. These aluminum components may be specified with recycled content and finished with liquid paint, powder coatings, or anodize.
Where conservators can sample complete stratigraphies, and original colors are unlikely to have degraded, durable fluropolymer paints can be custom-formulated to meet conservators’ goals for authenticity—not only for exterior colors, but also in lobbies, entrance vestibules, corridors, auditoriums, libraries, and other interior public spaces.
In addition to maintaining much of its historic structure and aesthetic, the Liberty Hotel’s previous function continues in theme with a restaurant called Clink, a bar in the jail’s former ‘drunk tank’ called Alibi, and The Yard—a private patio for summer cocktails.
Reopened in the summer of 2007, the Liberty is now owned by the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
Ryan Noble serves as Wausau Window and Wall Systems’ regional sales manager in the eastern states. With more than a decade of sales experience in the building products industry, he helps meet architectural and construction teams’ needs for new construction and renovation. Noble earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He is a member of CSI. He can be reached at rnoble@wausauwindow.com.
