Crystal Window & Door Systems was awarded the contract to supply new energy-efficient windows for a project on Manhattan’s east side. The three 37-story and one 34-story residential towers of the Waterside Plaza will receive 6,651 new Crystal replacement windows. Waterside Plaza, situated along the East River in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan, is a high-end residential complex with 1,470 rental apartments. Crystal has begun production and delivery of the new windows.
“Crystal windows are the choice for virtually every type of building or home, including high-rise luxury properties like Waterside Plaza,” says Steven Yu, vice president of sales and marketing, Crystal Window & Door Systems. “Capitalizing on our broad energy-efficient window product line, our experienced technical and sales teams work with architects, contractors and owners to find the best window solution for every property, large or small.”
Crystal products that will be used
The entire Waterside Plaza will use Crystal’s architecturally rated aluminum Series 8800 in-swing casement and Series 8100 fixed-picture windows. The majority of the windows on the project (the casements) will give the illusion of being ganged horizontally in double, triple and quadruple arrangements. However the individual replacement windows will be separated by the original steel window framing, which will be covered by new Crystal custom panning. All the Series 8100 fixed windows will be stacked atop individual casements utilizing the continuous master frame option of this Crystal window line.
Both the Crystal Series 8800 and 8100 have 2-⅝-inch jamb depths, feature heavy-duty sash and frame extrusions, and corner key reinforcements. The Series 8800 in-swing casement has a high AW-PG100 rating. Other features include concealed four-bar stainless steel hinges, a European-style lever handle, and zero-sightline sash.
The Crystal Series 8100 fixed window with an AW-PG75 rating is good for high-rise applications. Features on both windows provide thermal and acoustic performance. The Crystal Series 8800 and 8100 both use polyamide insulated frame and sash struts to provide thermal breaks. Thermal performance is further enhanced by the window line’s 1-¼-inch insulated glass on both windows and triple compression gasket seals on the casement window.
For energy efficiency, the 1-¼-inch dual-pane insulated glass units will use Vitro Solarban 60 coated glass with Argon gas filling. The use of heavy-duty glass and the 1-¼-inch IGU will provide residents with outside noise reduction.
To facilitate safe, quick installation of the new Crystal windows, the fenestration contractor crews will be utilizing Crystal custom pre-set panning and head, sill and jamb receptor systems while leaving the steel framing of the original windows in place. Engineers with Crystal’s R&D department, in collaboration with the installation contractor and building owner, designed the custom panning system, and it was extruded by Crystal’s aluminum subsidiary. On the interior, the windows are secured with Crystal anchor clips and color matching snap trim, and a mullion cover with base will be used to bridge gaps between adjoining windows.
Using an insulating strut thermal-break system, the Crystal Series 8800 and 8100 windows readily accommodate two-tone color finishes. For Waterside Plaza, matte black exterior and white interior colors are specified. Crystal’s aluminum subsidiary is finishing the frame and sash extrusions, panning and accessories in environmentally sustainable durable AAMA 2604 powder coat paints.
Project details
The Waterside Plaza complex is owned and operated by international firm Brookfield Asset Management with U.S. operations headquartered in New York, New York. Crystal partnered with fenestration engineering and installation firm AirGuard Windows of Astoria, New York, on the selection of windows, accessories and installation techniques.
The Waterside Plaza red-brick towers were erected in 1973-1974. Originally designed by acclaimed architecture firm Davis Brody & Associates, the buildings won several engineering and architecture awards. Davis Brody & Associates also designed Waterside Plaza’s sister multi-tower high-rise residential apartments River Park Towers in the Bronx. Crystal Windows supplied that complex with thousands of replacement windows several years ago.
The studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments at Waterside Plaza feature spacious floor plans and views of Manhattan, the East River bridges, and Brooklyn and Queens waterfront neighborhoods. The complex offers amenities, including door attendants, concierge service, an on-site parking garage, an indoor pool, a gym, a playground, a roof deck and a roof garden.
