Wausau windows help transform historic Hoboken factory into city’s newest green residence, Garden Street Lofts

On Garden Street in the Garden State, green design and living come together in an environmentally-friendly, urban redevelopment project on an historically significant site. Certification with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Green Rating System™ is pending, with windows and doors from Wausau Window and Wall Systems helping meet or exceed targeted, Gold-level goals for energy efficiency, natural daylight and noise reduction.

Garden Street Lofts, developed by New Jersey-based Bijou Properties, is literally over-the-top and an ambitious project from start to finish. Located in Hoboken, N.J., the $16.8 million redevelopment project will be the city’s only LEED-certified residential building.

At the heart of the new luxury residential space is a five-story former Hostess snack cake factory and warehouse, built in 1919 for processing and storing coconuts. New construction adds seven floors of living space, with five floors adjacent to the original building and two cantilevered above.

The older concrete and masonry building totaled 42,888 square feet. The new zinc-clad structure adds 35,054 square feet. Thirty luxury apartments and penthouse suites were developed, along with prime retail space at street level.

Team members for the project included architects SHoP (Sharples Holden Pasquarelli) Architects PC of New York; engineers and LEED consultants Buro Happold Consulting Engineers, P.C. of New York; general contractor Del-Sano Contracting Corp. of New Jersey; and glazing contractor United Metal and Glass of New Jersey.

Wausau provided 169 window units for the new construction and 64 double-hung windows to retrofit the existing building. Colleen O’Keefe, project architect at SHoP describes the architectural goals: “What we wanted to do with the Garden Street Lofts is keep the existing features of the older building, but introduce a modern feel, in effect bridging old and new while maintaining the historic integrity of the area. The neighborhood is a mix of industrial and residential, and our intention was to mirror the aesthetic.”

Sarah Sachs, associate at Buro Happold, conducted the energy modeling to help optimize energy performance. She says, “The project was an urban infill, which meant the orientation of the building was already established. High ceilings and larger windows, however, particularly in the newer portions of the building, help achieve a 15- to 20-foot daylighting perimeter within most of the apartments. The goal is to strike a balance between daylight penetration and energy use.”

Sachs continues, “The windows protect the interior space and help lower utility costs. Darker windows minimize heat gain in the summer. Operable units take advantage of temperate mid-season conditions. Insulated windows minimize heat loss in the winter. Windows are one of the ways we help optimize energy use for each housing unit. Overall, we’re looking at a 19% reduction in energy consumption compared to a conventional structure.”

Acoustical performance was also a consideration, particularly on the south side of the building, which points toward a freeway overpass to Jersey City. James Gardner, owner of United Metal & Glass commented, “The windows are big — right at the limit of what’s possible. And yet, when you close them, you can’t hear a thing.”

Wausau provided two kinds of windows. To retrofit the existing structure and maintain the historic look and feel, Wausau supplied double-hung windows from its 3100 DH Series. The units are 4.5 inches deep with a polyurethane thermal barrier and Ultra-Lift® balances, black sweep locks and half screens. The windows are AAMA AW-70 rated, meeting stringent industry testing standards for air infiltration, water and condensation resistance, structural integrity and thermal performance.

For the new structure, Wausau provided windows from its 4250iV Visuline Series, which are AAMA AW-90 rated. The frame depth is 4.5 inches, providing uniform sightlines between the old and new exteriors. These high-performance, insulated windows are engineered with a structurally glazed sash and a single handle, multi-point lock. More than 100 of the units are project-in hoppers, which allow residents to take advantage of natural ventilation, weather permitting.

Twenty-four leafs of Wausau’s 4.5-inch-deep, 4250i-TD Series terrace doors also were installed on the residences’ balconies. Wausau’s terrace doors withstand demanding environmental and security challenges: The polyamide nylon barrier enhances thermal and condensation performance, while a single, European styled handle actuates multi-point locks. The doors also meet or exceed stringent Architectural Performance Class requirements for forced entry, air infiltration, and structural integrity.

All of these products on Garden Street Lofts are part of the Advantage by Wausau line of competitively priced, standard products, which are backed with up to a 10-year limited warranty, one of longest and most comprehensive in the industry. Contributing to the products’ longevity, the aluminum framing for Wausau’s window units was finished by Linetec in a durable, 70% Kynar® two-coat paint known as “Hoboken Gray.” Viracon fabricated the clear glass for the windows and doors, including the low-E (VE1-42) with high-performance coatings.

“Today, as new residents settle into the Garden Street Lofts, they enjoy energy-efficient, healthy, vibrant living incorporating the latest in green design,” says Tom Metcalf, Wausau’s local representative and president of The Metcalf Group Ltd. in Sea Girt, N.J. “Through their windows, they can look out into their own neighborhood of Hoboken or across the Hudson River into Manhattan and see a thriving urban environment that we’re proud to have played a role in creating.”

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Filed under: AAMA, CLIENT NEWS, Green Goals, Linetec, Wausau Window and Wall Systems