By Ontario Association of Architects
Published July 16, 2024
David Peterson is a building consultant at Pella Windows and Doors. - Photo courtesy of the Ontario Association of Architects
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Many of the challenges architects, owners, and general contractors face today go well beyond masonry, design, or fenestration.
At Pella Windows and Doors, the hard part of installing new windows in one of their commercial projects in Toronto last year wasn’t the glass.
“The challenge was on the communication side,” said David Peterson, building consultant at Pella Windows and Doors.
Speaking at the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) annual conference at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre, Peterson explained how Pella managed communications with tenants and the ownership of Vilnius Manor, a nine-storey, 116-unit apartment building for Lithuanian seniors.
Most tenants did not speak English and they didn’t want their routines disrupted by window installations.
Pella overcame those challenges.
Working with the Vilnius Manor community
Pella is one of the largest fenestration production companies in North America, and not a community consulting firm. Nonetheless, Peterson says, Pella went beyond its role as suppliers and producers to understand the Vilnius Manor community.
Working alongside George Sederavicius, sole proprietor of SEDARC Architecture and an OAA member, Pella focused on the community needs and showed up to talk with residents about the process.
Sederavicius is Lithuanian, and had what Peterson described as an “intense understanding” of the challenges Pella faced while working on Vilnius Manor.
“He allowed us to really understand that world and be part of that process—something that typically suppliers don’t get involved with,” Peterson says.
Pella’s work crews also made a point of learning some Lithuanian to say hello and goodbye to residents. The company made twice weekly visits to Vilnius Manor, usually coinciding when the community kitchen was open. This was a way to connect with residents, Peterson says, as well as a way to indulge in delicious Lithuanian cuisine.
“We all gained 10 pounds on this project,” Peterson joked.
Scheduling window installations had to be done with care to not disrupt or upset the routines of tenants. Clear, consistent messaging on project timelines—both verbally and in writing—was key. So were biweekly project meetings to keep everyone in Vilnius Manor in the loop.
When it came time for window installations, Pella didn’t move tenants out of their units. Instead, they scheduled their visits, with flexibility to accommodate older tenants, and worked fast.
“We had them out in the morning,” Peterson says, “and back in the afternoon for teatime.”
David Peterson is a building consultant at Pella Windows and Doors. – Photo courtesy of the Ontario Association of Architects
Installing windows and doors
The installation required Pella to replace Vilnius Manor’s existing aluminium picture/slider type window frames, as well as balcony doors. At the time, the building’s windows were single pane, glazed, and didn’t lend themselves to fending off the sun. Nor did they provide acoustical comfort against the rattling of the nearby subway station, or sufficient airtightness and condensation control.
These original windows also made it difficult for tenants to enjoy a breath of fresh air. Peterson estimated it took between 40 and 50 pounds of force to open them. Elderly residents had such a hard time that some of them just didn’t bother using their balconies.
“If you can’t open your windows easily, there’s a challenge,” Peterson says.
As an alternative, Pella decided to go with fibreglass-framed patio doors and awning windows.
“We’re seeing a lot of these products and composites being used in the built environment now,” Peterson says. “These are extremely durable products, especially if you have the temperature range that we have.”
But Pella didn’t take the value of these products for granted.
In the month before work began on Vilnius Manor, Peterson says, the team tested both the windows and patio doors using mockups to ensure everything met their standards.
To tackle sound attenuation, especially on Vilnius Manor’s east facade (where a raised subway track ran right by the building), Pella turned to curtains by the Sound Management Group to deaden the noise. For excess sunlight, Pella used a low solar gain glazing on bedroom windows exposed to south and west elevations.
As for the excessive weight of the original windows, Pella turned to the Easy Slide Operator, a window system that requires about 5 lbs. of force and can be used one handed with a closed fist. Plus, as Peterson says, the mechanism is tough enough to allow someone to open and close a window once a day for 54 years.
Pella’s team managed to complete its installation of Vilnius Manor’s windows between December 2022 and March 2023, a relatively long time for a project of that magnitude. They also had to do so amid winter’s freezing temperatures, around the needs of tenants (and their pets), and to a strict schedule.
Yet Peterson insists the technical challenges faced on this project weren’t the major issue. “In my opinion working on this project,” Peterson says, “it was all about communication.”
Watch the opening plenary of the Conference here, or visit the OAA Conference website here.
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