Jeff Evans
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Windows by Decade
South Hall
1875
At the back of the first floor, on axis with the main entrance, is a small porch like sitting room. In this room are 3 walls of windows, one to the left, right, and straight ahead. I selected the one that was straight ahead because it was wood while the other two were metal. For some reason I thought the wood windows would be older, and thus more original, and thus better to study. The bank of windows, which faces west, is composed of two double hung windows topped by 1 clerestory window. The are set within a wood wall. The space felt very light and airy, as there were windows on three sides. The glass in the windows produced a wonderful effect. The windows performed very well, though I wonder if they leak when it is cold outside. As well, the back of the building is shaded by another building, so the harsh western light is kept away.
Heasrt Mining
1907
In this grand old building I found a bank of 6 (or 12) windows. The bank spans from floor to ceiling. Heavy wood members divide the clear and small windows. The composition creates a solid separation from the outside while also covering most of the wall with glass. As this bank was inside of an office and in the stairwell, the effect is tremendous.
The walls are composed of stone. The windows are divided by heavy wood members. The windows themselves are also wood. I noticed that the top windows were operable - they were casement windows that opened out. It would be wonderful if all 6 (or 12) opened outwards. The windows felt clear, but also solid. They performed well, but the windows do overlook a courtyard. They face east, but are sheltered on all sides by building.
through the renovation, some of the windows now face inside...
Valley Life Sciences
1930
I imagine that at some point, grand old windows inhabited this space. At some point, the space was renovated and an extra floor was put in. To cover the obvious floor slab intrusion, very dark windows were used. No matter, you can still see the floor behind the dark windows - and you get a strange light inside.
This area of the building is made of block, probably CMU or stone. The window is a fixed metal window. It feels tight, small, dark, sickish, and compartmentalized from the inside. From the outside, it ironically feels tall. Though I am sure the windows block glare, they make the room feel awfully small. Perhaps the eastern sunrise is problematic for these spaces, but the trees outside seem to make the dark coating repetitive. The windows perform mediocre at best.
Minor Hall
1941
The southwest stairwell in Minor Hall has a bank of windows that provide light and air to what is usually a forgotten space. The wall here is CMU with a coating, probably stucco. The windows are metal, with the bottom two being operable reverse awnings. Inside, there is a stair that goes by the window for a nice compostion. The window feels connective, clear, light, and airy. The window places a nice highlight on the solid banister.
In terms of performance, the glare is really bad. I did see the space late in the day as sunset neared. Sure enough, the western windows had trouble, but I prefer occasional glare over permanent dark tint. As well, the window opens, but reaching the operable window panes is difficult. Visually they are nice, but performance wise the windows are middle of the road.
Kroeber Hall
1959
The windows I selected in Kroeber were in the stairwell, and I cannot imagine them being used anywhere else. The glass itself has a distinct pattern and is opaque. This glass produces a strange effect of light coming from different sources, all of which are muted and soft. For a stairwell, it is kind of nice. It makes the space something, albeit mysterious, as opposed to nothing.
The walls were solid, probably concrete. The windows face east. When I saw the windows, it was late in the day. Light entering the space was being reflected off of other buildings. All of the windows were fixed with the opaque glass. The frames were metal. The feeling in the stairwell was mysterious, almost foggy. The light was muted, strangely muted. The windows are okay for stairs, but not for elsewhere in a building. For stairs, they perform well.
Moffit Library
1970
Moffit suffers from having a very low dollars per square foot cost. Consequently, the interiors and the windows feel cheap, almost flimsy. In a precast concrete wall sits a very large metal window. This unit is repeated all around the building, giving each facade the same windows for different light conditions. As well, the unit is single pane metal, but is very big. Something so thin that is so big feels flimsy. As well, the wall is thin also
I focused on a south facing bank. This south face has a porch outside, both above and below. Within the concrete wall are single pane metal windows. These windows are fixed and tinted. They feel cut off from the outside and cheap. For a library, cutting glare is important. These windows do that successfully, but not much else.
Evans Hall
1971
Is it the architecture, or the windows, that is responsible for really bad glare? I visited Evans Hall late in the day, as the sun was setting. The low light was cooking the western face. I selected room 315 to study. It was on the western facade. I asked the occupant if they liked their office. They said that at all other times it is a great space, but not at the time when I visited. At all other times the blinds are up so you can see the great view, but when I visited the room was incredibly hot despite the blinds being down.
Nothing shades this window, and the window does nothing against the heat and glare. It was not yet sunset time, with its horizontal rays, so the heat and glare should not have been this bad. The windows (and the building) were cheap and ugly. They performed poorly and looked poorly - not a good combination. Ironically, I took some great pictures in the space.
The wall is concrete, and the window is a metal slider. The windows felt cheap, hot, and at this time painful. Performance was awful.
Haas
1995
Lastly comes the corporate building. I am not sure if the windows give the building the feel, or vice versa. Haas is a case in which both feel this way. From the outside, the windows are mirror-like - keeping you from seeing in. From the inside, the windows feel sickish with their heavy tinting. You can, however, see out without obstruction.
The wall is concrete, the windows are aluminum double pane. The windows are fixed in place. These south facing windows were the only double pane windows I came across. The windows feel official, isolate, and dark. They were also dirty, so I am guessing budget induced janitorial cuts impacted Haas also. The windows perform well - corporate well - and block all air, glare, exterior conditions, vision to the inside, or other worldly things that might negatively impact the 'corporation.'
my favorite?
the bank of windows at Hearst Minning - with all 6 being operable, with solid frames but glass from floor to ceiling
