More and more, we are finding customers in need of custom solutions. An ongoing project-a very large project-serves as a perfect illustration of Draper’s custom capabilities. It’s the subject of a new case study entitled “Custom Shade Brackets Solve Big Headache.”
When Steve Hawes, the Principal at Progressive Commercial Interiors, LLC., in Tempe, Arizona got the job providing window shades to the Marina Heights project, he knew it was going to be big.
The buildings, home to State Farm Insurance, required more than 8600 Draper XD Clutch FlexShades to be delivered and installed during the 19 month-long construction process.
“The sheer number of shades made this a big project,” Hawes says, “but there were other factors as well. There were five buildings, 47 floors, multiple floors often requiring simultaneous installation, plus these shades are 10 feet high so there’s the need for scaffolds and ladders.”
But those problems weren’t the worst of it. At a pre-construction meeting with the general contractor after being awarded the first part of the job, Building D, Hawes got the news.
“Custom brackets were required to avoid impacting the moveable storefront, which was designed to flex with building movement,” according to Hawes. “Attachments had to be made to horizontal mullions only, and they could not attach to vertical mullions.”
After discussions with Walters and Wolf, the company which designed the moveable storefront, Hawes’ next move was to contact Draper. He quickly brought Solar Control Solutions Technical Manager Clint Childress (LEED® AP) up to speed. Clint spearheads Draper’s custom solar control solutions efforts.
“It’s fairly straightforward in situations like this,” Childress says. “A problem is identified to us—in this case the shades, which are designed to mount side by side at a vertical mullion, cannot be attached to the vertical mullion. Our first step, as always, was to get a detail drawing of the mullion.”
