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
| Oct 4, 2011
GREENBUILD 2011: Nearly seamless highly insulated glass curtain-wall system introduced
Low insulation value reflects value of entire curtain-wall system.
| Sep 23, 2011
Fire and hurricane rated glazed wall assemblies installed at multi-family residence in Florida
Fire and hurricane assemblies meet design and code requirements.
| Sep 23, 2011
Smart windows installed at NREL
The self-tinting heat-activated filter allows solar heat into the building when it is desired, such as on a sunny winter day.
| Sep 23, 2011
$5M pledge renewed for Habitat for Humanity
The five-year commitment, which will run through 2015, includes $5 million of donated interior and exterior locks and keys for homes built with Habitat for Humanity homeowner partners and volunteers.
| Sep 23, 2011
Under 40 Leadership Summit
Building Design+Construction’s Under 40 Leadership Summit takes place October 26-28, 2011 Hotel at the Monteleone in New Orleans. Discounted hotel rate deadline: October 2, 2011.
| Sep 20, 2011
PPG, Pleotint to co-market environmentally adaptive glazing technology with low-e glass
Laminated between two lites of glass, SRT interlayer may be used monolithically or within an insulating glass unit.
| Jul 22, 2011
High-performance windows and doors
Learning objectives After reading this article, you should be able to: Understand issues of thermal performance and energy efficiency in relation to window and door systems; describe optimal detailing of the window-wall interface and how it contributes to building performance, sustainability, and occupant well-being; understand how durability contributes to sustainable windows/doors; and list sustainable O&M requirements for window and door systems.
| May 4, 2011
SAFTI FIRST to debut free apps for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad at AIA Convention
SAFTI FIRST, manufacturer of fire rated glass and framing solutions, will debut its mySAFTI app, the first interactive design tool that takes the guesswork out of choosing the correct fire rated glass product, at the AIA National Convention in New Orleans, May 12-14. Visit booth1634.
| Apr 22, 2011
AAMA releases voluntary tornado specification
As tornado season escalates and increased tornado activity has devastated parts of the Midwest and the South during he past few weeks, the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) has released a voluntary specification for testing and rating building components that will be exposed to tornados and similar extreme wind and rain conditions.
| Apr 19, 2011
Is a building sustainable if it kills birds?
Migratory birds were flying into the windows and falling, dead or injured, to the foot of the LEED-Platinum FBI building in Chicago. The FBI building isn't the only LEED-certified structure to cause problems for migratory birds, however. Some of the more than 33,000 LEED-certified buildings in the U.S. use large amounts of glass to bring in natural light and save on energy—and all that glass can confuse birds.
