Great Glazing: Castle Rock Apartments historic renovation

The basics: The $27 million redevelopment of the historic Castle Rock Apartments in Normandy, Mo., included installation of more than 1,100 energy-efficient replacement windows. The 200,000-square-foot, four-story, castle-like structure was originally built in the 1890s as a hospital, and was converted to apartments in 1982. The project's financing included federal and state historic preservation tax credits that required compliance with historic preservation and restoration practices, according to a Crystal Window & Door Systems release.

The players: Owner and manager, Community Housing Concepts and The Monroe Group; developer, Steele Properties; general contractor, E.M. Harris Construction Co.; window manufacturer, Crystal Window & Door Systems; glass manufacturer, PPG Industries; window system installer, Dalco Remodeling, Commercial Division.

The glass and systems: 966 Series 5000 aluminum double-hung windows and 176 Series 2100 aluminum picture windows. Both aluminum window models feature 3-¼-inch energy efficient frames and ⅞-inch insulated glass units with Solarban 60 low-emissivity coating and argon gas fill. The windows are finished with a durable, environmentally friendly AAMA 2604 powder coat bronze color paint, according to the release.

An exterior applied grid frame was installed around the glass perimeter of each new window sash to replicate the look of an historic putty line glazing bead. On the new picture windows, a 2-inch applied exterior horizontal muntin was used to mimic the building's original double-hung windows. Crystal was further challenged to develop special window frame extrusions that eliminated the screen track, as required by the historical specifications. Historical panning completed the new window installations.