flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

From past to present – bringing Mitchell Hall into the 21st century

Sponsored Content Windows and Doors

From past to present – bringing Mitchell Hall into the 21st century

With 60-year-old windows and high energy usage, the University of New Mexico building was in need of a historically accurate renovation that would reintroduce it as an environmentally sustainable education facility


By PELLA EFCO COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS | July 11, 2016

 

Project: Mitchell Hall at the University of New Mexico

Location:  Albuquerque, NM

Building Type: Education

Type of Construction: Renovation

Primary Opening Type: Punched Openings

Material Type: Fiberglass

Product Type: Pella® Impervia® Fixed Frame Windows

Architect: The Hartman + Majewski Design Group (dba The Design Group)

 

Mitchell Hall is one of the oldest classroom buildings on the University of New Mexico's campus. Constructed in 1950, the two-story, Spanish-style concrete structure hadn't received a major remodel since it was built. As a result, Mitchell Hall was one of the most energy-inefficient buildings on campus — with 60 year-old single-pane steel-framed windows contributing to its high energy usage and uncomfortable interior environment.

The Design Group's mission was to reintroduce Mitchell Hall as a 21st century education facility that emphasizes student and faculty collaboration through improved technology, amenities, comfort and infrastructure operations. At the core of this mission was the desire for greater environmental sustainability, while preserving the historic integrity of the building. The project achieved a LEED® Silver rating. Along with a more efficient mechanical system and enhanced lighting control including usage sensors, fixed frame Pella Impervia fiberglass composite windows helped contribute to specific LEED points on the project.

Because Mitchell Hall was designed by an important regional architect and under consideration for historic registry, careful attention needed to be made with the replacement window choice. The original steel windows had narrow sightlines — they were stacked vertically with 1" widths in between glazings. The project team's plan was to replace them with aluminum windows. However, Pella was able to replicate this look with windows made from its patented five-layer Duracast® fiberglass composite material and Low-E insulating glass. Pella Impervia windows provided this project better thermal efficiency and durability than aluminum — and they provided a substantial cost savings over the aluminum windows originally specified. To preserve the historic character of the building, Pella provided fixed windows with applied muntins and sightlines that created an acceptable match to the original windows.

By renovating an existing building rather than building new, large quantities of resources were preserved and saved from the landfill. And an important piece of The University of New Mexico's history was preserved and given a strong future. Learn more about the installation details.

Learn more about Pella EFCO Commercial Solutions.

 

Related Stories

Building Materials | Aug 3, 2022

Shawmut CEO Les Hiscoe on coping with a shaky supply chain in construction

BD+C's John Caulfield interviews Les Hiscoe, CEO of Shawmut Design and Construction, about how his firm keeps projects on schedule and budget in the face of shortages, delays, and price volatility.

Sponsored | BD+C University Course | May 3, 2022

For glass openings, how big is too big?

Advances in glazing materials and glass building systems offer a seemingly unlimited horizon for not only glass performance, but also for the size and extent of these light, transparent forms. Both for enclosures and for indoor environments, novel products and assemblies allow for more glass and less opaque structure—often in places that previously limited their use.

Windows and Doors | Jan 19, 2022

Crystal Windows key to Jersey City historic restoration

Landmark repurposed for retail, offices, art studios, and loft apartments.

3D Printing | Jan 12, 2022

Using 3D-printed molds to create unitized window forms

COOKFOX designer Pam Campbell and Gate Precast's Mo Wright discuss the use of 3D-printed molds from Oak Ridge National Lab to create unitized window panels for One South First, a residential-commercial high-rise in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Windows and Doors | Dec 15, 2021

Schweiss Doors bifold door opens to performance center at high-tech Utah student complex 

One of the first things you may ask yourself when you hear about the Spy Hop Productions building at Salt Lake City, is “What is Spy Hop?” Sounds like something out of a James Bond 007 movie! Actually, the meaning of Spy Hop is a vertical half-rise out of the water performed by a whale in order to look ahead, tune in or view the surroundings. It could also be a springing bounce in tall grasses performed by land mammals, such as foxes and wolves, to view the surroundings. In the case of the new Spy Hop 25,000-square-foot digital media arts group building, the “look ahead, tune in” description seems to fit the best as it is geared as a student learning center. Unfortunately, with the ongoing Covid-19 situation, students had been taught online for an indefinite time.

75 Top Building Products | Dec 3, 2020

Top Windows and Doors Products for 2020

ASSA ABLOY's Rockwood hands-free door pulls and Modernfold's PureView Glass Wall Partition are among the 8 new windows and doors products to make Building Design + Construction's 2020 75 Top Products report.

Windows and Doors | Feb 18, 2020

Sierra Pacific Windows Acquires Semco Window and Doors’ Assets

Additional 275,000 square foot Merrill, Wisconsin facility and equipment allows Sierra Pacific to expand production capacity of its wood and vinyl products.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021