Crystal Pacific Window & Door Systems, the West Coast production affiliate of national manufacturer Crystal Window & Door Systems, recently supplied over 400 energy efficient vinyl windows for a new affordable housing community in San Diego, Calif. Levant Senior Cottages, located at 6950 Levant Street in the Linda Vista neighborhood of San Diego, provides much needed homes for seniors in the area.
The new Crystal Vista Series 4000 vinyl windows offer contemporary styling, are easily operated, and provide substantial daylighting and climate comfort for residents.
“The affordable housing market is critically important and very active now, and Crystal’s quality energy efficient windows and doors are perfect for these projects,” said Steve Chen, President, Crystal Windows. “We are proud to supply affordable housing developments such as Levant Senior Cottages all across the country.”
Senior Living Community Benefits From Crystal Vista 4000 Windows
Crystal Pacific worked closely with the project architect and general contractor throughout the process, accommodating many design changes and weather delays in the construction schedule. Once installed, the windows were water tested and all configurations passed completely.
The Crystal Vista 4000 is designed for superior energy performance, strength, and easy operation. The product line features a 3-¼” multi-chambered frame, ¾” glazing pocket, and narrow sightlines. For this project, Crystal supplied 164 Vista 4000 2-lite (plus a pair of 3-lite) sliding windows and 247 Vista 4000 picture windows. The sliding windows have interlocking sashes, weatherstripping, and cam-action locks for tight seals and large rollers for smooth operation. To add architectural interest and substantial interior daylight, Crystal also provided 286 Vista 4000 trapezoid shape fixed windows matching the roofline pitch. All window frames and sashes were extruded white vinyl.
The Levant Senior Cottages Vista 4000 windows were all glazed with dual-pane tempered ¾” insulated glass units using Cardinal LoĒ3-366 coating, warm-edge spacing systems, and argon gas filling. These glass units provide extraordinary energy performance in the Southern California climate and sun.
Providing design services for the project was RNT Architects of San Diego, Calif., and Allgire Construction of Carlsbad, Calif., was the project general contractor. Window installation was handled by JMI of Oceanside, Calif., a major commercial fenestration contractor in the region.
Levant Senior Cottages, which officially opened in May 2024, is situated on 4.5 acres of land owned by San Diego County, and it was developed with a public-private partnership as part of a larger initiative to repurpose excess county land. The new community offers an intriguing affordable response to the urgent need for senior housing. Levant Senior Cottages includes 127 studio and one-bedroom units in 18 single-story five-unit buildings and two elevator-serviced two-story buildings.
The complex includes a large community center, laundry facilities, courtyard gardens, and a small dog park. Medical and social services for eligible residents, provided by St. Paul’s Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), will also be available on site.
Related Stories
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
| Oct 12, 2014
AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 9, 2014
Using Facebook to transform workplace design
As part of our ongoing studies of how building design influences human behavior in today’s social media-driven world, HOK’s workplace strategists had an idea: Leverage the power of social media to collect data about how people feel about their workplaces and the type of spaces they need to succeed.
| Sep 7, 2014
Behind the scenes of integrated project delivery — successful tools and applications
The underlying variables and tools used to manage collaboration between teams is ultimately the driving for success with IPD, writes CBRE Healthcare's Megan Donham.
| Sep 3, 2014
New designation launched to streamline LEED review process
The LEED Proven Provider designation is designed to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.
| Sep 2, 2014
Ranked: Top green building sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
AECOM, Gensler, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Sep 2, 2014
Harvard study: Nation unprepared to meet housing needs of aging population
The number of adults in the U.S. aged 50 and over is expected to grow to 132 million by 2030. But housing that is affordable, physically accessible, well-located, and coordinated with supports and services is in too short supply.