Vida Apartments

Rien van Rijthoven

Rhythmic Window Façade Challenges Design Team at San Francisco’s New Vida Condos

• Manufacturers

Applied products

1450 Window Series | Fixed/ Projected/ Casement Winco Window Company

1450_Winco Product Brochure.pdf 0.26 MB

3325SF Zero Sightline Vent Winco Window Company

3325SF Series_Winco Window_Product Brochure.pdf 0.3 MB Shared with wincowindow.com

NC-82 Terrace Door Winco Window Company

NC-82 Terrace Door_Winco_Product Brochure.pdf 0.3 MB

View all applied products

Designed by San Francisco’s Kwan Henmi Architects, the Vida reflects the Mission District’s Latin heritage with color and movement. The tessellating façade recalls an M.C. Escher geometric blend of reality and gravity.

photo_credit Rien van Rijthoven — Rien van Rijthoven

The Challenge:

In addition to their rhythmic appearance, windows had to be fully-functioning and meet air, water, and structural requirements.

The Solution:

Winco Window kept the project moving with 1450 Series 4” Deep Unitized Window Wall for the large window openings with deep wall cavities and 3325 Zero Sightline Vent to provide ventilation and clean sight lines to the bustling streetscape below.

Winco’s in-house engineering team had to anticipate incoming rainwater if a window was accidentally left open. To successfully weep the vent cavity, Winco created a sloped, operable unit capable of draining water away from the building. Working with Bagatelos Architectural Glass Systems, Winco designed an ingenious receptor system around the windows that helps withstand water infiltration and meets California’s tough earthquake standards. Every single vent system was rigorously tested for infiltration before it left Winco’s plant in St. Louis.