Preserving the historical aesthetic and updating to modern performance, multiple student residences across the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Fredonia campus rely on windows from Wausau Window and Wall Systems, entrances from Tubelite Inc. and architectural finishes by Linetec. All three contributors are part of Apogee Enterprises Inc,’s Building Retrofit Strategy team.
As account executive with Apogee’s building retrofit strategy team, Kevin Robbins assists building owners and facility managers in evaluating the benefits of energy-efficient building envelope renovations and upgrades. He and his team offer free energy modeling, product selection and design assistance, and a network of installers covering North America.
“Wausau’s high-performance window systems and Tubelite’s entrance systems help in optimizing natural daylight and thermal comfort,” says Robbins. “These attributes are proven to support better learning environments, promote happier and healthier residents, and lower operating costs for building owners.”
As the nation’s largest comprehensive public university system and one of New York State’s largest energy consumers, SUNY is committed to creating more sustainable campuses for its 465,000 students. On its Fredonia campus, SUNY serves more than 5,200 students and 1,100 staff on 256 acres. Amongst the Fredonia students’ residences are Disney Hall, Igoe Hall and Schulz Hall.
To improve efficient energy use in these buildings, SUNY initiated a window replacement project to upgrade the aging, single-pane, steel-framed windows. The project began in 2013 and is scheduled for completion in 2017. In total, more than 350 windows in SUNY Fredonia residence halls will be replaced with Wausau high-performance windows.
“In many aging buildings, existing windows can be leaky, single-glazed sash with conductive framing systems. They can be difficult, or even dangerous, to operate, promote unhealthy condensation, mold or mildew formation, and force occupants to keep their distance from exterior walls due to glare, drafts and noise,” cautions Robbins. “Setting aside performance, decades’ old windows also may have beautiful, historic detailing worth replicating.
For more than 30 years, Wausau’s products have been trusted to meet both renovation and new construction applications, and both historically influenced and historically accurate projects. One of Wausau’s most recently developed products for these applications is its INvent Retro-XLT Series projected windows with beveled exterior face and optional ogee or cove profiled rebates. For more historically sensitive projects, Custom Window by Wausau’s products carefully mimic the sightlines, true divided lights and arched tops of classic windows. Both product lines bring the high performance of modern aluminum frames and low-e glass.
Each Wausau window installed on SUNY Fredonia features solar control low-e glass and polyurethane thermal barrier, aluminum framing, which contributes to building’s energy-saving goals and condensation resistance. Further extending the window systems’ lifespan and reducing the need for maintenance Linetec finished the aluminum framing in durable Medium Bronze and Champagne anodize to match the existing design palette.
As part of the Advantage by Wausau standard product offering, Wausau’s windows are competitively priced and backed with an industry-leading warranty of up to 10 years. They also are available on an accelerated delivery schedule to meet educational projects’ value-focused budgets and condensed construction schedules.