Studios of Key West

Project Details

A Window on Key West’s Art Scene

Key West, Florida is the tiny island that is known worldwide as an artist’s hub — where anything goes. The Studios at Key West, a residency program for emerging and established artists and writers, is at the core of the city’s unique arts scene. The Studios are housed in a three-story Art Deco-style building in the heart of Key West. Each year, the Studios grants nearly 35 artists time and space to creatively develop, in addition to offering the community classes and performances.

Great art requires great natural light, but unfortunately, the Studios’ windows, which were installed in 1949, were in poor condition. Problems included leaking, minimal visibility, inoperable and not up to current building code standards for wind resistance.

For their replacement, the architects selected WINCO Series 1150S windows The narrow sightlines and applied muntins were very similar to the historic building’s existing windows and received approval by the Historic Architectural Review Commission (HARC) as well as the Florida Department of Historic Resources.

WINCO’s 1150S aluminum window series also met the retrofit’s criteria for hurricane resistance, using laminated glass approved for Florida Building Code and HVHZ. In addition to storm protection, WINCO’s hurricane-rated windows provide improved sound control, minimizing street noise for a peaceful environment; UV ray protection, protecting artwork from fading; and thermal control, keeping the building cooler.

Retrofits such as the Studios of Key West can present a challenge for installation because the new windows are going to have a larger profile than the ones being removed. This affects the interior and exterior finishes around the openings. In this case, the edge of the new receptor frame needed to be embedded behind the edge of the stucco to replicate the old windows.