Lofts at Albany

What was once the sprawling 400,000 square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility of Albany International textiles in Menands, New York will soon become home to 145 luxury loft apartments. Albany International

– located 1.5 miles north of down- town Albany – was a mainstay in the region for more than a century, and to this day, maintains a great deal of historical significance to the community.

To keep the architecture consistent with the building’s early 20th century character and ensure that no aspects of the project were in violation of the historic process, the development team led by Uri Kaufman of Harmony Group Capital, LLC engaged architectural firm Dembling and Dembling Architects,

P.C. Together with Beebe Construction Services, the team worked with building products supplier ProBuild/Builders FirstSource to find the more than 430 windows needed to replicate what was used in the original building.

With the building’s distinctive openings being such a prominent feature, as well as the need for

a metal look on the outside with wood on the inside, the design/ build team chose the Ply Gem Windows MIRA Series aluminum-clad wood window. The windows also met requirements of the National Park Services’ historic preservation department, which designates tax credits for rehabilitation of certified historic structures.

“The original building had a cross type pattern in the opening and an arched top,” said Joseph Rossier, project architect, Dembling and Dembling Architects, P.C. “The MIRA windows created a custom look that emulates the aesthetics and function of the original windows, which allowed ample natural lighting for employees to work in the factory. The features of these windows were also essential in obtaining approval from the historic preservation department.”