Project: City Hall for Long Beach, MS
"The new City Hall for Long Beach, MS is a new construction project made necessary by Hurricane Katrina. While the ‘old’ City Hall structure did withstand the winds of the hurricane, the building was flooded and rendered useless for a period of time. Ultimately, after exploring many alternatives, the City decided to demolish the ‘old’ structure and construct a new facility elevated on the same site.
Long Beach is working to redevelop their downtown area, and as such, we designed the new City Hall to be inviting and welcoming, have a pedestrian scale, be a catalyst and example for future developments, and serve as a symbol for the recovery of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The building has a large three-sided wrap-around porch, along with a double-height meeting room. The building is a very classic colonial style of Architecture, and we wanted to implement a series of openings with different proportions to add further detail to the design.
As we developed the design and began to research windows and doors, we decided to utilize impact-resistant products, specifically those products successfully tested to the Miami-Dade protocols. We found a great number of potential sources, but found many products to be rather ‘chunky’ in profile, too ‘commercial’ in appearance, and not able to be customized to meet our requirements. We were having difficulty finding a product to achieve our design intent; then we became familiar with CGI’s line of products. What we found is that CGI could offer a more traditional appearance in keeping with the style of the building, CGI could produce a number of different units, especially the adjacent operable and fixed units that we wanted to be similar in appearance. CGI also worked with us in piecing together a large ‘window wall’ for the meeting room. We found that CGI was able to meet our desired appearance.
CGI was there to review the Miami-Dade testing results with us, to demonstrate the performance of the product. This helped give the Owner a great deal of confidence about the performance of their building.
CGI’s staff was very diligent and detail-oriented in working with us in developing design details, specifications, and budget pricing, and was able to accomplish exactly what we were looking for. CGI also helped us integrate of custom door hardware and electronic access control systems (both installed by others). Following the bid, CGI was able to assist the General Contractor with a network of ‘approved’ and experienced installers.
The Owner is very pleased with the CGI Windows, and we have specified CGI’s products on a number of other projects. We find CGI to be well-suited in performance, appearance, and pricing value." RYAN FLORREICH Jackson, MS
Project: The Breakers Palm Beach - Historic Commercial Restoration
Founded in 1896 on the Palm Beach oceanfront, The Breakers has become one of the most iconic and luxurious hotels in the country. It is world-renowned for offering its guests exceptional experiences, so when it came time to renovate the property, nothing but the best would do. To provide tough hurricane protection while remaining true to the building’s historical appearance, the hotel selected CGI windows for 400 of its guest rooms.
CGI windows were selected by The Breakers, with help from general contractor, The Weitz Company, and the glazing contractor, Palm Beach Glass Specialties, after having conducted a thorough and rigorous review of a number of window options. Manufacturers were required to submit full-scale mock-ups and provide detailed testing and product information.
“The team at The Breakers looked at a wide range of window options prior to making the final selection” says Mark Huber, Weitz project manager for The Breakers project. “The hotel was looking for the best possible window, one that met the highest impact and water resistance requirements, at the best possible price. CGI met those requirements with the single-hung and fixed window combination they presented.”
PROJECT FACTS
WINDOW MANUFACTURER
CGI Windows & Doors, Inc.
Miami, FL
GLAZING CONTRACTOR
Palm Beach Glass Specialties
West Palm Beach, FL
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
The Weitz Company
West Palm Beach, FL
Project: Torre Residence
Originally built in 1926, the residence of Venny Torre, CEO of Torre Development is situated in Pioneer Village in the heart of Coral Gables, Florida. Surrounded by other historic properties, the home is a classic example of southern colonial architecture and design. So, when Torre decided to expand his home, staying true to the historic design was critical, especially with regard to the windows. To achieve an authentic historic aesthetic combined with hurricane protection and superior performance, Mr. Torre turned to single-hung windows from CGI.
“I have been using CGI products in my developments for years and have been continually impressed with the quality and aesthetics,” says Torre. “With its historic appearance and high performance, the single-hung was an obvious choice for my own home.”
Made with heavy, commercial-grade aluminum frames, the CGI single-hung window has the stylish look of a traditional single-hung with the superior performance of a contemporary impact resistant product. The high-grade aluminum performs well and is more durable than traditional wood frames, which may rot in the humid Florida climate, and the unit’s impact resistant glass and frame offers superior hurricane protection.
Indeed, hurricane protection is a significant reason Torre began using CGI’s impact resistant windows when they were first introduced in 1992. “The CGI impact resistant windows were superior to anything else in the industry then, and they continue to be today. Of all of the CGI windows I’ve installed, I haven’t heard of a single unit failing during a hurricane,” he says.
PROJECT FACTS
PROJECT
Torre Residence
OWNER AND GENERAL
CONTRACTOR
Venny Torre, CEO
of Torre Development
ARCHITECT
Locus Architecture, Inc
Coral Gables
While the family was asleep CGI's French Doors prevented break-in attempt. Omar Fernandez the owner and a CGI customer decripes how CGI French door stopped the burglers not only once but twice from breaking in to the home while the family was asleep. Go to http://cgiwindows.com/cgi_difference/videos/ to see the interview.
