Historic Resources Committee

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Housing Knowledge Community and Historic Resources Committee .
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Has anyone had experience with very large interior storm windows.  I have an historic building with large (16'wide x 12' tall) openings infilled with metal windows that are beautiful but are a problem from an infiltration and heat loss perspective.  Can anyone recommend a good manufacturer or resource for a good quality interior storm solution?  Or another solution such as replacing the glass with insulating glazing?

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Edward Hord FAIA
Hord Coplan Macht, Inc.
Baltimore MD
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Steve Hendricks and his firm Historic Doors in Philadelphia concentrate on doors as the name suggests but Steve has an interest in windows as well. He is a thoughtful and skilled craftsman with wide knowledge of historic styles and may be able to help you.
http://www.historicdoors.com/profile.html


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Ethan Anthony AIA
President
Cram and Ferguson Architects
Concord MA
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Mr. Hord,

If these are large steel or bronze windows, they are worth keeping/restoring and weatherizing them.  

Two suggestions:  Allied Window makes an attractive, low profile interior storm window system that can have operable panels and screens to allow for access to any operable steel sash.  

http://www.alliedwindow.com/ 

Another suggestion would be to apply weatherstripping to the sash and restore the sealant at the perimeter of the frame. This may cut down the air infiltration which will improve efficiency.  Accurate Weatherstripping has a line of metal strips that are applied to the edges of the operable sash or frame. Care must be taken with compatibility of metals.  

http://www.accurateweatherstrip.com/index.html

Care must be taken in assessment of whether there are hazardous materials in the caulk and/or glazing compounds when restoring historic windows.  Given that these windows are character defining features of the historic building you're working with, it's worth the effort and more green than landfilling them!

Installing insulated glass is another option, but less favorable because of the detail in how each is glazed in or installed.  If the windows have "wavy" glass, this is part of the character of the window also worth preserving.

Good luck.

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Jack Alvarez AIA
Partner
Landmark Consulting, LLC
Albany NY
www.landmarkconsulting.net
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I had a similar problem but with a historic residence that had a very large multi-pane picture window bay, double hungs on the two sides. I specified a storm panel by Allied http://www.alliedwindow.com/interior-storm-windows.html
 with magnetic holding strips. Type MOL. Good luck.
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Jeffrey Laufer AIA
Architect
Lansdowne PA
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Cityproof Windows in New York City has been a good resource on a number of projects I have done in historic buildings. For windows of the size you mention though, I would think that the solution would need to be composed of smaller units in a subframe. The weight of the interior glazing can also be a factor to consider in how it is installed. I have also worked on a project where we successfully retrofitted original bronze windows with insulating glass in a landmark building, although it is not a perfect solution from an energy perspective, given the thermal transmissivity of the metal frames.

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Nathan Hoyt FAIA
Principal
Nathan Hoyt FAIA, Architect
Nyack NY
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