Scope of Work
On this project Alex GC was the glazing consultant. The building is an existing brick structure on Bond Street in Brooklyn, opened up with large steel window walls and steel doors glazed with insulated glass: tall gridded openings set against exposed brick inside, and doors out to a terrace. We advised on the glazing; we did not fabricate or install it.
What a Glazing Consultant Does
Steel windows with insulated glass are a demanding combination, and the decisions that make them work are made on paper, long before anything reaches the site. A glazing consultant is the owner's or architect's specialist for those decisions:
- Glass make-up. Thickness, coatings, safety glass where the code requires it, and the overall unit thickness the steel section can actually hold.
- Sizes and divisions. How large a lite can be for the section, where the bars fall, and what that means for weight and deflection.
- Details at the opening. How the frame meets old brick, where water goes, and how the perimeter is sealed.
- Review of shop drawings. Checking the fabricator's drawings against the design before the steel is cut and the glass is ordered.
- Site questions. Answering what comes up when the frames meet the real openings.
Steel with Insulated Glass
Steel is chosen for its narrow sightlines. It is far stronger than aluminum for the same section, so a steel bar can be very slim and still carry a large opening, which is the look these gridded window walls depend on. The price of that slimness is that there is little room in the profile. Traditional steel windows held a single thin lite; an insulated unit is several times thicker and heavier, so the glazing rebate, the setting blocks and the sealant have to be worked out exactly for the unit to sit, drain and last.
Steel also conducts heat readily, so the glass specification and the perimeter detail matter for comfort and for condensation in winter. We worked through the same questions on the thermally broken steel windows at 205 East 69th Street.
Old Brick, New Openings
The photographs show the windows against exposed, unevenly finished brick. Old masonry openings are rarely square or plumb, and a steel frame has almost no tolerance to hide the difference. Getting the measured sizes, the shim space and the sealant joint right at each opening is a large part of making a job like this look effortless when it is finished.
Photographs
Photographed during construction and after the space was furnished.
Similar Work and Related Specifications
Insulated glass units · Glass types and specifications · Services · 205 East 69th Street steel windows · 185 Van Dyke Street, Red Hook · Sunroom with steel doors
Planning Something Similar?
If you are planning steel windows or another demanding glazing package and want a specialist on your side of the table, send us the drawings. We consult on glass, details and shop drawings, whether or not we build the job.