New Braunfels Landmark Lofts
Converting industrial buildings to luxury apartments can pose many serious challenges. Features that were never meant for residential use can create circumstances that can only be overcome with innovative designs and out of the box thinking. Our work on the New Braunfels Landmark Lofts, highlights one occasion where our years of experience and expertise in storm window design and fabrication allowed us to deliver an innovative, cost-effective solution.
The New Braunfels Landmark Lofts are located in the historic Comal Power Plant building in New Braunfels, Texas. Constructed in 1925, it began its life as a hydroelectric plant. In fact, in 1927 it was the world’s largest power plant and fed power to every grid east of the Rocky Mountains. The Comal Springs region also boasts seven major natural springs and dozens of smaller springs. The site is also skirted by New Braunfels’ Landa Park, making it an ideal location for residential units.
This was a turnkey project that included 534 individual windows that ranged in size from 6’ to 14’ wide, by 30” in height. Our design had to overcome a very unorthodox window sill as well as provide a high-quality finish, and UV requirements that would mitigate the effects of the Texas sun. The windows we designed were for interior installation and featured an interior flange that overlapped the primary window. This allows it to blend in seamlessly to the original sill.
The window frames are composed of a highly robust extruded aluminum, with a PPG baked on custom color. They were fitted with 1/8” thick tempered glass and utilized stainless steel fasteners. Many of the dimensional characteristics called for high precision fabrication to accommodate the custom shapes and bends. In the end, we developed a totally new product called the Texas One Lite (TOL). Our efforts in this project were a complete success. Not only was the customer pleased with our work, but the project also received a Community Service Award for Excellence in Architecture.
For more information about this project, or the processes used to complete it, contact us directly.