Crystal Windows Sponsors Major Winter Festival
FLUSHING, NY, November 28, 2018 –National manufacturer Crystal Window & Door Systems, based in New York City, is a major sponsor of the inaugural NYC Winter Lantern Festival at Snug Harbor on Staten Island. The 5-week event, which runs Wednesday to Sunday evenings from November 28, 2018 through January 6, 2019, is an outdoor seven-acre cultural celebration featuring breathtaking holiday light displays and traditional Asian performing arts, as well as interactive exhibits. “Crystal is proud to be a sponsor of this exciting festival of art and culture right here in New York City,” said Thomas Chen, Chairman and founder of Crystal Windows. “Through our non-profit Crystal Foundation and other organizations I helped establish, Crystalsupportsart, educational, and cultural initiatives, and this Winter Lantern Festival is a perfect example of such an effort. The festival highlights the craft of Chinese lantern making, with some exhibits as tall as 30 feet, as well as performances by dancers, martial artists, and painters. It promises to be a thrilling time for all ages.” Chen and The Crystal Foundation are longtime patrons of the arts. In addition to a vast private collection of antique Chinese wood windows and doors, Chenis in the process of establishing in Dutchess County, New York, a large outdoor art and nature preserve. In New York City, Chen supports permanent exhibit halls at Queensborough Community College’s Art Gallery andThe Queens Museum showcasing the works of international artists. The NYC Winter Lantern Festival is held at Snug Harbor on Staten Island, evenings Wednesday through Sunday each week starting November 28 until January 6. Admission starts at $15 and includes all exhibits and performances. The NYC Winter Lantern Festival is produced and managed by New York Events & Entertainment. Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is a regional destination that offers arts, education, horticulture, agriculture, and recreation on a large open campus with several restored New York City landmark buildings,14 distinct botanical gardens, and an urban farm. For directions and further information, see www.snug-harbor.org or www.nycwinterlanternfestival.com.
Crystal Provides Waterfront Views for Queens, NY Luxury Condos
FLUSHING, NY, October 30, 2018 –New energy efficientCrystal windows and doors provide spectacular views for apartments at the newly constructed Allura Waterfront Resort in Queens, New York. Crystal Window & Door Systems, the award-winning national manufacturer, provided 842 high-end windows and sliding and swing terrace doors for the striking new development at 109-09 15th Avenue in College Point, NY. The 6-story Allura building with 134 apartments has floor-to-ceiling glass and metal panel façades on multiple sides of the building, offering occupants great views of the waterfront and LaGuardia Airport across Flushing Bay. The Allura complexis U-shaped, with two parallel wings that protrude towards the water, and most of the units have full-length glass railed balconies. Crystal windows and doors were combined in horizontally ganged and vertically stacked configurations to provide most of the apartments’ floor-to-ceiling glass façadeelements. The majority of the window products supplied were the Crystal architectural Series 8500 Aluminum Outswing Casement and Series 8510Aluminum Fixed Picture windows. Over 700 of these windows were used, predominantly in 2-, 4-, or 6-window configurations in sizes up to 84” wide by 96” tall. In some instances, operating casements and fixed sashes were combined in dual panel master frames. “Crystal’s high-end architectural window line is perfect for this type of project,” said Joe Zhao, Crystal’s project manager for the Allura condo development. “Our 8500 Series offers strength, beauty, weather resistance, sound attenuation, and clean narrow contemporary sightlines, enhancing the architect’s design and the building’s location on the waterfront across from the airport.” The Crystal Series 8500 Casement with 2-⅝” frame has an outstanding AW-PG100 rating, dual-arm operator, and double row bulb weatherstripping. For this project, the casements were specified with a beautiful satin chrome operating handle and 4” sash opening limit devices. The Crystal Series 8510 Fixed Picture also has a 2-⅝” frame depth and is AW-PG85 rated. To provide building residents access to the extensive balconies, over 120 heavy-commercial Crystal Series 1280 Aluminum Sliding Patio Doors were installed. The 2-panel sliding doors were fabricated in large sizes up to 72” wide by 96” tall. In some instances, the Series 1280 doors were combined with two sidelight windows to span floor-to-ceiling openings 96” wide by 96” tall. The Series 1280 has a strong frame depth of 4-9⁄16”, an AAMA AW-PG50 rating, adjustable dual-tandem, stainless steel ball bearing rollers, and a heavy-duty latch handle. Additional access to the balconies in the larger apartments was provided by 22 of the Crystal Series 1450 Aluminum Swing Terrace Door. Specified at 36” wide by 96” tall, these Crystal floor-to-ceiling products continued the building’s use of impressive glass façade elements. The Series 1450 has a frame depth of 3-¼”, an advanced insulated strut thermal break system and is AW-PG75 rated. The door has a multi-point lock system and an opening limit bar for added safety and security, especially important with a wind-gust prone waterfront exposure. All the Crystal window products feature 1” insulated glass units (IGUs) with Vitro3⁄16” Solarban 60 low-E glass and argon gas filling. Tempered glass was used where required by code or otherwise appropriate. The Crystal combination window and door systems used 3-piece and other mullion systems to gang and stack the units. Setting and anchoring the window systems in place was facilitated with a variety of Crystal installation accessories including head and jamb receptors, subsills, sill pan flashing, snap trim with clips, L and F shape clips, and other anchoring components. Most of the Crystal windows, doors, and exposed mullion and anchoring accessories were finished with a durable AAMA 2604 rated Simulated Anodized Silver powder coat paint. Windows installed in the building’s brick façades, which face the adjoining streets, were finished in AAMA 2604 Bronze color powder coat paint. Waterfront Resort, Inc. of Corona, NY, is the owner of the Allura condo development. Lam & Lam Design, also of Corona, is the project architect and engineer. The general contractor is King’s Construction USA Group, Corona, and the fenestration installer is Marvel Contracting of Oakland Gardens, Queens. Gamco Corporation of Flushing, NY, supplied the extensive balcony glass railing systems. The 180,000 sq. ft. building includes 134 apartments in 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom layouts, underground parking, and will have 70 boat slips when the marina area is completed. A fitness center, spa, pool, and sundeck add to the resort atmosphere. A spacious, attended lobby welcomes residents and first floor conference room and business center are available for events. The Allura Waterfront Resort has been nominated for several local area building awards, in part due to the complexity and challenge of the project site, which requiredextensive pilings and bulwarks for stability of the site prior to construction of the foundation and building.