Scope of Work
A brick building on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn whose front is a single multi-story wall of glass set between brick piers, with the entrance doors at its base. Alex GC designed and supplied the glazing package: the aluminum curtain wall, the aluminum entrance doors, and the glass, Solarban 60 tempered glass and Solarban 70 insulated glass units. Our scope was design and supply; installation was by others.
The Curtain Wall
The glazed front rises through several floors as one grid: tall vision lites separated by narrower horizontal bands at each floor line, in slim aluminum mullions with a light metallic finish. A wall of this height is curtain wall work. The mullions span from floor to floor and carry the wind load back to the structure, and the system is designed to collect any water that gets past the outer seals and drain it back out. Designing it means setting the grid to the building's floor levels, sizing the mullions for the spans, and working out how the frame meets the brick on each side.
Two Glasses: Solarban 60 and Solarban 70
Both are solar-control low-E glasses made by Vitro Architectural Glass. Each has a coating that lets daylight through while reflecting much of the sun's heat. Solarban 60 is the long-standing standard: close to neutral in appearance with good solar control. Solarban 70 goes further, blocking more solar heat for a similar amount of daylight, which makes it a strong choice for a large glazed wall that takes the sun.
On this project the Solarban 70 was supplied as insulated glass units, and the Solarban 60 as tempered safety glass. Tempered glass is required in doors and in glazing next to doors and walking surfaces, where a person could fall against it.
Aluminum Entrance Doors
The aluminum entrance doors are set into the base of the curtain wall and finished to match it, so the doors read as part of the grid. They open onto a raised landing with steps and a ramp.
Design and Supply
Not every project needs us on site. Here we produced the design and supplied the curtain wall, doors and glass, ready for the installer. For an owner or contractor with a capable crew, that gives the engineering and the material from one source without duplicating labor.
Photographs
Photographed after installation.
Similar Work and Related Specifications
Curtain wall systems · Low-E glass · Insulated glass units · Commercial doors · 2555 Nostrand Avenue, Midwood · 3915 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn · 24 Frost Street curtain wall
Planning Something Similar?
If you need a curtain wall designed and supplied for your own crew to install, send us the drawings. We will engineer the grid, select the glass and deliver the package.