– Almost 1,000 Windows and Doors Supplied for New Luxury Apartments – QUEENS, NY, November 26, 2024 – National manufacturer Crystal Window & Door Systems supplied 935 of its premier window and door products for a newly completed luxury multifamily building in the Washington, DC suburb of Bethesda, MD.  Located at 4909 Auburn Avenue, the modern building with ground floor retail rises 11 stories plus 2 penthouse floors for exclusive apartments.  The wide variety of Crystal’s high-end windows, sliding doors, and glass swing doors provide the new occupants with outstanding floor-to-ceiling vistas, flawless operation, energy efficiency, and superior comfort. The 4909 Auburn Avenue building features an intriguing arrangement of tiered volumes with a unique textured grey brickface façade.  The structure’s design blends beautifully with the urban landscape of Bethesda’s central business district on its eastern face, while on the western face the stepped down façade transitions into a tree-lined residential single-family home neighborhood.  Adding to the building’s architectural interest is the use of numerous setbacks and 2-, 3-, and 4-story high recessed niches.  The large Crystal window systems in multiple configurations complement the architectural aesthetic perfectly. “Crystal window products are created for easy combination in many arrangements, an advantage that the architect for 4909 Auburn incorporated into the façade design with great results,” said Kevin Lechwar, Crystal Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Manager.  “Not only does the tall and expansive glass add to the building’s dramatic façade, but residents enjoy spectacular views from the interior.” The 4909 Auburn project used seven different Crystal window and door models and styles.  Most were arranged in large combinations of products using continuous master frames with imposts or mullion systems.  All the windows and doors were finished in environmentally sustainable and durable AAMA 2604 bronze powder coat paint. Almost 800 of the Crystal products were drawn from the company’s top-tier architecturally rated Series 8500 aluminum line with 2-⅝” frame depth.  The project specified single, double, triple, and quadruple configurations using the Crystal Series 8500 out-swing casement, Series 8510 fixed/picture and the Series 8520 project-out awning windows.  The Series 8500 casement uses 4-bar stainless steel friction hinges and is AW-PG 70 rated.  The Series 8510 fixed window is AW-PG 85 rated while the Series 8520 project-out window is AW-PG 80.  The use of vertically stacked and horizontally ganged combinations of the Series 8500 line facilitated the spanning of large building openings including one 75” wide by 160” tall.  Both the operating windows were fitted with 4” opening limit devices for safety. Seven complementary Crystal architecturally rated window and door products in multiple configurations were specified for the 4909 Auburn project, with matching installation accessories. Crystal also supplied its aluminum Series 1240 two-panel sliding door and accompanying Series 1270A sidelight and transom window.  Both door and sidelight/transom have 4-9⁄16” thermally broken frames.  The Series 1240 sliding door is structurally rated at LC-PG 45 while the Series 1270A has an outstanding AW-PG 75 rating.  Typically arranged for this project in combinations, one vast configuration of sliding doors with sidelights and transoms spanned an opening of 160” wide by 118” tall. The final Crystal products specified for the 4909 Auburn project were a dozen aluminum Series 1460 in-swing terrace doors, most of which were paired with an aluminum Series 5100 fixed/picture window used as a transom.  Both the Series 1460 terrace door and Series 5100 fixed/picture window have 3-¼” frame depths and are rated AW-PG 60 and AW-PG 100, respectively. The project’s windows and doors used either 1” or 1-¼” insulated glass units (IGUs), depending on the specific product.  All the IGUs were fabricated with Vitro Solarban 60 low-E glass and argon gas filling.  Where code required or aesthetically appropriate, some of the IGUs used tempered or spandrel glass. Crystal supplied an assortment of installation accessories.  Structural, H-style, and 3-piece mullions were used for large window combinations.  Facilitating installation in select openings were head receptors, subsills, and anchor clips.  All exposed installation accessories were finished in AAMA 2604 bronze powder coat paint to match the window and door products. The architect for 4909 Auburn is Baltimore-based BCT Design Group, with collaboration from Shalom Baranes Associates of Washington, DC.  The building owner is Auburn Building Associates, the general contractor is Donohoe Construction, and the fenestration installation firm is HiRise Windows, all of Bethesda, MD.  HiRise Windows has partnered with Crystal on past projects in the Washington, DC area, including Southern Towers in Alexandria, VA. The 253,000 sq. ft. 4909 Auburn structure has 167 market rate rental apartments and 8,300 sq. ft. of ground floor retail space.  The recessed façade niches and stepped tiered design provides some apartments with terraces, and there are four common green roof deck areas.  Other amenities include a fitness and yoga center and spa, on-site parking, and easy walking access to both Battery Lane Urban Park and the vibrant downtown district of Bethesda.

QUEENS, NY, October 15, 2024 – Crystal Window & Door Systems proudly supplied the new 13-story luxury Industry Indianapolis mixed-use building with a variety of its leading energy efficient window and door products.  Six different Crystal window and door products totaling 1,346 units were specified and installed at the new construction project located at 421 North Pennsylvania Street in downtown Indianapolis.  Rising from a 4-story podium with retail, office, and parking, a 9-story tower of residential apartments offers glorious views from the floor-to-ceiling Crystal windows. “The combination window systems installed at Industry Indianapolis were complex and challenging,” said Frank Ganninger, Crystal Regional Sales Manager.  “Our engineering and sales teams worked closely with the architect on the specifications, resulting in a magnificent window project delivering outstanding expansive views and superior energy efficiency.” The majority of the building’s window openings spanned floor-to-ceiling and used combinations of windows mulled together or in master frames fitted with impost components.  To facilitate installation, all the windows and doors installed in building openings were specified with optional face flange frames.  Openings as wide as 108” and as tall as 138” were fitted with Crystal window combinations.  To meet delivery schedules, Crystal fabricated products at both its New York and Chicago production facilities. The Indianapolis project called for 453 combination arrangements of aluminum Crystal Series 8510 fixed and Series 8500 out-swing casement windows, all with the 3-¼” frame depth option and 1” glazing pocket.  These heavy-duty windows boast narrow sightlines and outstanding structural ratings of AW-PG85 (Series 8510) and AW-PG70 (Series 8500).  The out-swing casement uses a crank operator for opening and closing. Crystal fabricated 320 aluminum heavy-commercial Series 5600 sliding windows in both 2-lite and 3-lite versions for the new building.  Part of Crystal’s heavy-commercial portfolio, this 3-¼” frame depth model delivers an AW-40 structural rating.  Besides a 1” glazing pocket and heavy-duty extrusion, this sliding window offers continuous full-height sash clip lock pull rails and dual stainless-steel rollers and tracks for effortless operation. The final window model specified, for 438 units, was the aluminum Crystal Series 2100 fixed picture window.  The narrow sightline mainstay of the Crystal product lineup has a 3-¼” frame, ⅞” glazing pocket, and a CW-PG65/CW-PG90 AAMA rating. To provide access to apartment balconies, Crystal also supplied 135 aluminum Series 1450D out-swing terrace doors with ADA compliant low sills.  With a strong 3-¼” frame, AW-PG75 rating, multi-point lock system, and a 90° opening door stop device, the product is very suitable for high-rise applications.  To these advantages, the door’s standard 1” insulated glass unit and advanced polyamide insulating strut design deliver enhanced thermal efficiencies. Industry Indianapolis windows and doors were glazed with either ⅞” or 1” double-pane insulated glass units (IGUs) depending on the window or door model.  For energy efficiency, all the IGUs used Vitro low-E SB60 or SB70 glass with argon gas filling.  For safety, tempered glass was specified where appropriate and code required. The Crystal casement and sliding windows were outfitted with opening limit devices.  The large window combinations were achieved using Crystal 3-piece mullions for horizontally ganged units and H-mullions for vertically stacked arrangements.  All windows, doors, and mullions were finished in an environmentally sustainable durable AAMA 2604 black or bronze powder coat paint. Partners for Industry Indianapolis include owner-developer Charles Street Investment of Denver Colorado; architect CSO Architecture of Indianapolis, IN; and general contractor Ruscilli Construction of Dublin, OH. This is the second major project Crystal has completed with Ruscilli Construction and the fourth project with owner-developer Charles Street Investment in recent years. Industry Indianapolis features 232 luxury market rate and workforce rate studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments.  The building provides 20,000 sq. ft. of retail and office space on lower levels, and includes an outdoor pool, a fitness center, bike storage, a parking garage, a courtyard with outdoor kitchen, and co-working spaces and an expansive resident club room. The new apartment building is located in the heart of Indianapolis’ historic Mass Avenue Cultural Arts and Commercial District.  Revitalization of this neighborhood has been underway for several years and continues strongly.  With art galleries, music venues, theaters, shops, and restaurants, as well as commercial businesses, Mass Avenue is one of the city’s most popular places in which to live and work.