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THE BREAKERS PALM BEACH
Historic Commercial Restoration

Download PDF–The Breakers

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.

“This is an incredibly unique project, especially from a window perspective,” says Steve Dawson, executive vice president of sales at CGI. “To provide complete hurricane protection, the hotel was seeking windows that would meet Miami-Dade hurricane standards. These requirements are among the most stringent in the country and far exceed what the Florida Building Code requires for the Palm Beach area. However, because the building is a national historic landmark, the new windows also needed to be able to closely match the appearance of the units they would replace.”

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.”

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 in the humid Florida climate. The combination of high-grade aluminum, and impact-resistant glass offers superior hurricane protection with some of the highest design pressures in the industry.

The hotel opted for a combination of a single-hung window and a fixed window in each room. All units have a bronze paint finish and a light bronze glass tint in order to enhance energy efficiency. Oriel (unequal sized) vents were specified to maximize sight lines
and offer guests minimal disruptions of the spectacular views. Custom opening limitation devices on each window were an added safety feature.

CGI’s products have the aesthetic that high profile projects demand yet offer superior hurricane protection. They are manufactured with impact-resistant laminated glass, made with a Saflex® PVB interlayer. The impact glass looks like ordinary glass but has incredible impact resistant strength. Even if impacted by flying debris blown by hurricane-force winds, the glass is designed to adhere to the interlayers and resist fallout, protecting people and property from injury and damage.

One of the retrofit project’s greatest challenges was how to secure impact resistant windows into the existing window openings. The hotel is built of clay blocks, but building codes require impact windows to be mounted into concrete, steel, or wood. A team of experts from CGI, Weitz, The Breakers and outside engineering and testing consultants worked together to create a custom solution designed to securely mount the new CGI windows in the walls without altering the hotel’s original appearance.

In addition to the powerful hurricane protection, The Breakers is also enjoying the added benefits of impact-resistant windows, including reduced sound transmission. The windows also block 99 percent of UV rays, which help prevent fading and damage to interior fabrics and furnishings.

“CGI’s products work on a wide variety of commercial and residential projects, but the size, scope and historic significance of this project definitely makes it one of the most remarkable jobs we have worked on,” says CGI’s Dawson.

Initial reaction to the new windows has been very positive. “We are very pleased with the materials used, the quality of fabrication and the overall appearance and performance of the windows.” says Ken Wise, Director–Facilities Management, The Breakers Palm Beach.

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