MEDFORD, Wis. – June 1, 2016 – Richmond, Va., architecture firm Glave & Holmes was recently awarded a Palladio Award from Clem Labine’s Traditional Building magazine for the firm’s work on Christopher Newport Hall at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. Integral to the colonial-style building’s design and LEED-qualifying criteria were custom picture windows, transoms and special radius windows from Weather Shield Windows & Doors.
“We’re proud to have our products featured prominently in this stately building, as well as the university’s Rappahannock Hall finished a few years ago,” said Jeff Kibler, architectural and commercial manager for Weather Shield. “The monumental windows we supplied for Christopher Newport Hall highlight our vast custom capabilities and demonstrate the phenomenal products we can manufacture when architects share their visions and plans with us.”
Completed in the summer of 2015, Christopher Newport Hall is a $42-million, 81,000-square-foot facility that houses all of-Exterior-600pxl.jpg?width=166&height=250 "WS-(CNU-Student-Center)-Exterior-600pxl.jpg")
the university’s administrative offices, including admissions, registrar, financial aid, housing and career planning, among others. The facility is marked by an expansive set of steps, and a picturesque copper dome lined with 10’-7.5” tall arched picture windows filling that the interior with natural light.
While striking in its appearance, Christopher Newport Hall may be more impressive because of its less-obvious features. The university was intent on pursuing LEED certification through the U.S. Green Building Council when it initiated the project. Through its plans and product specifications, Glave & Holmes, university’s architect of record, ensured the construction, maintenance and operations of the building minimized its environmental impact.
Working with general contractor, Whiting-Turner of Maryland, and D&D Millwork, of Portsmouth, Va., Custom View Windows of Richmond, Va., recommended Weather Shield Premium Series products with Zo-e-shield 5 Extreme to meet rigorous LEED standards. To gain additional certification points, the windows and doors were spec’d in FSC®-certified wood. The project’s 271 Premium Series windows were all custom-sized to meet the masonry openings outlined by the architect.
According to Kibler, one particularly challenging aspect of the job was creating the exterior casings on all of the windows and transoms. The architectural specifications called for two distinctively different looks that would match trim used on other buildings on the campus. One of the casing profiles was nearly 6” wide. To bend the casings to match the stone arches, the casings were designed as a nesting, three-piece system. Altogether, nine custom aluminum extrusions were created to achieve the look.
The sizeable project was completed, start to finish, in just 16 months and in time for the 2015-2016 school year. LEED certification is currently in progress.
About Weather Shield Windows & Doors
Weather Shield Windows & Doors is intelligent design. Weather Shield combines artistry and engineering to create high-end windows and doors that help architects, homebuilders and homeowners push the boundaries of what’s possible. Founded in 1955 and owned by the Schield family, Weather Shield is based in Medford, Wis.