Scope of Work
A storefront section with a pass-through window for a ground-floor business on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan. The opening beside the shop's entrance door was framed in aluminum tubing and glazed, with an operable service window in the center so staff can serve customers standing on the sidewalk.
The Pass-Through Window
A pass-through window lets a shop take orders and hand goods to the street without the customer coming inside. It is a common request from food and beverage businesses, and it became more common when shops had to limit the number of people inside at one time.
Here the window sits in the center bay of the storefront at counter height. It is a framed, glazed sash set inside the storefront framing, so it reads as part of the storefront when closed and locks like any other window after hours. The fixed glass around it keeps the shop interior visible from the sidewalk.
Aluminum Tubing Framing
The frame is built from aluminum tubing: vertical and horizontal members that divide the opening into three columns and three rows. Building with tubing lets us place the horizontals exactly where the business needs them, in this case at the sill and head of the service window, and size the center bay to the window. The section is set between the building's existing piers, under the existing header, and sealed at the perimeter.
See our commercial aluminum page for the storefront framing we work with, and storefront repair for changes to an existing storefront.
Adding a Service Window to an Existing Storefront
A pass-through window does not require replacing the whole shopfront. One section can be reframed, as here, while the entrance door and the rest of the storefront stay in place. What we need to know to price it is the size of the opening, the counter height inside, and how wide the serving opening needs to be.
Photographs
Photographed from the sidewalk after installation.
Similar Work and Related Specifications
Commercial aluminum storefront · Storefront repair · Sliding windows · 2461 Flatbush Avenue storefront · 165-19 Jamaica Avenue storefront · 237 Central Avenue, Jersey City
Planning Something Similar?
If your business needs a pass-through or service window in its storefront, send us a photo of the shopfront and the size of the opening. We will propose a layout and price it.