Case Studies

Versatility is an integral part of designing around architectural challenges.

YKK AP America Inc. faced a design challenge in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Inc. building in Jacksonville, Florida. The building was designed with a 7 1/2" deep curtainwall system accommodating a seamless transition into a 6" deep window wall system. Both systems required a thermal barrier that would keep the Florida heat out and the air conditioning in. YKK AP was able to successfully integrate its MegaTherm® system, which uses insulbar®.

insulbar® offers design versatility, thermal efficiency and improved structural integrity. By separating the inside and outside aluminum extrusions, the insulbar® system keeps the intense Florida temperatures outside, allowing for a comfortable atmosphere inside.

When the decision was made recently at Passavant Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, to add a new wing housing additional ICU units, operating rooms and an emergency department, architect John Baverso of WTW Associates specified insulbar® as the thermal barrier for the more than 200 windows involved.

"Passavant wanted to be confident that the new bulding would be structurally sound in every respect for many years to come," said Baverso. "insulbar® thermal barrier not only met those requirements but also provided the CRF factor important for the new ICU units."

It's not unusual to see temperatures drop well below freezing for long periods of time.

That's why thermally broken windows were specified in the design of The Siena, a high rise building on Manhattan's East 76th Street. The design architect wanted a window that would keep the heat inside and the cold outside. That's why windows manufactured by EFCO Corporation utilizing ENSINGER Inc.'s insulbar® were chosen.

insulbar® minimizes heat loss through aluminum frames by separating the inside and outside aluminum extrusions. Because it is made from glass-fiber-reinforced nylon, insulbar® creates a more efficient and reliable thermal separation. It also provides economical two-color design versatility. The Siena was constructed with a window system that is grey on the exterior and bone white on the interior.

In the summer of 1990, Karl Schroeder (Executive Director) and Scott Steiner (Director of Plant Operations) of Jackson County Public Hospital reviewed thermal barrier systems for new windows to be installed in the facility. Because windows installed in 1977 using pour-and-debridge thermal breaks had experienced dry shrinkage, they decided the new windows should have insulbar® thermal barriers.

"We went for the long-term benefits," said Steiner, "and it has already paid off. Tornados in both 1991 and 1992 wreaked extensive damage in the neighborhood, including our hospital windows with the old-style thermal breaks. But not one of the insulbar® barrier windows showed any damage or leakage.