Twin City Lofts

Dubbed the “City of the Arts and Innovation,” Winston-Salem, located in the center of North Carolina, is bustling with shops, restaurants, art galleries, offices and major universities— leading to its numerous rankings as the best place to work, live and play, as noted by Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek and U.S. News & World Report.

At the epicenter of the city, on the corner of Fourth and Marshall Streets, is the Twin City Lofts condominium project. The mixed-use six-floor property – which has a storied past dating back to the late 19th century as the Twin City Social and Literary Club – has been renovated to now house retail space on the street level, three residential floors, a top- floor penthouse, and rooftop terrace.

A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

In restoring some of the property’s rich history, the development team of GEMCAP, LLC commissioned architectural firm Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce to design the facade with large, commercial windows that would allow for sun-filled openings and city views. However, after researching product options, commercial windows proved to be too costly for the project and did not offer the design character that the architects wanted to achieve.

Enter Ply Gem, a leading manufacturer of building products with 75 years of experience in the industry, specializing in both new construction and restoration projects such as this. After consulting with Ply Gem’s experts, the design team turned instead to residential windows, finding the perfect fit in the Ply Gem Windows MIRA Woodclad Collection. With a durable extruded aluminum exterior, a warm, traditional wood interior, hundreds of customization and color options, and commercial-grade performance, they found the MIRA windows to be an exceptional value.

“One of our main architectural goals was to maximize the livable square footage. When opening the door, we wanted residents to have a full window view of downtown and plenty of natural light,” said Lauren Q. DiBianca Frye, project architect, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce Architects. “Taking a cue from the original building’s aesthetic influence, Ply Gem Windows also solved our design challenge to create the look of an industrial, commercial- inspired black window exterior with warm wood interiors.”

VISUALIZING THE DESIGN

Ply Gem gave the Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce Architects team the design tools they needed to accurately specify and design the window openings. Ply Gem’s family of Revit® software models for Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers the most critical features — color selection, operating styles, grille configurations, casing designs and quick reference model numbers — without too many options to choose from.

“I was very impressed by working with Ply Gem; beyond product, one of the best advantages they offered was the use of Revit software window models,” said DiBianca Frye. “The software is something we’d expect from a commercial manufacturer, but to be able to use it for a residential product was a pleasant surprise. Increasingly, clients want to see what a building will look like before they make a purchase decision, and with Ply Gem, we were easily able to do just that.”

THE FINISHED PROJECT

In the living space, a custom configuration with horizontal casement or fixed windows over a vertical awning operating style makes the glass opening as tall as possible and enhances the high ceilings. Clean lines – without muntins or casings – allow for a modern look and unobstructed viewing area. In the bathroom and bedroom, awning windows were eliminated from the configuration, creating more privacy and flexibility in furniture placement.

“As the need for mixed-use infrastructure grows, Ply Gem is empowering its customers with the products and the design tools they need to succeed,” said Mark Montgomery, vice president, marketing, Ply Gem Windows. “As a collaborative effort between Ply Gem and the architectural teams, we’re confident the Twin City Lofts project will inspire others to think differently about the design process of ‘live-work-play’ developments.”

Designed for affluent young professionals and empty-nesters alike, residents of the Twin City Lofts will enjoy modern amenities and beautiful views, right in the heart of this fast-growing city.

“The Twin City Lofts represents modern, yet economical luxury for Winston-Salem, which has not seen a new for-sale residential condo property in nearly a decade,” said Justin Gibhardt, partner of construction for Twin City Lofts developer GEMCAP. “The ongoing growth and downtown improvements to Winston-Salem have created a need for more permanent-owned residences. This is a passion project for GEMCAP’s commitment to the growth of the city and is a unique opportunity for downtown living.”