Getting ready for winter

workers move window into fifth-floor position

Photos by Christopher Gannon.

A significant project to protect the College of Design building against wind and moisture this fall replaces the 44-year-old window "ribbons." Crews have started removing old windows and installing tinted, high-efficiency glass windows. The project covers exterior windows on six levels (ground through five); it doesn't include the barrel window running the length of the roof or the curtain window at either end of the center atrium. Weather permitting, each side of each floor should require seven workdays to replace the length of windows, necessitating short relocations within the building for staff and faculty.

Intended as a summer project, delivery challenges delayed much of the work until the first week of September. According to project manager David Blum, facilities planning and management, one other major component of the project is about 85% complete: Replacing the caulk between expansion joints in the building's concrete panels to seal out moisture.