Case Study: Vinyl Windows at Mixed-Use Space Withstand Humidity, Maintain Visual Charm

By Kevin Seiling (VEKA)



City Place is a mixed-use development on a five acre site near the Brookhaven MARTA Station, outside metropolitan Atlanta. This Dekalb County development serves as the nucleus for the surrounding Brookhaven neighborhood, with pedestrian friendly sidewalks and a ground floor retail commercial focus.

The project consisted of four separate buildings and a parking deck accommodating 52 residential units along with 35,000 square feet of retail space; including restaurants and a pub, which serve as gathering places for the neighborhood.



A true mixed-use environment, the development also affords 21,000 square feet of office space. One of the design challenges of City Place is accommodating the desired program on a tight site. The project is scaled accordingly by employing a Southern turn-of-the-century downtown motif. 



The window system that was chosen for use at Brookhaven was the VEKA Euroview 70DS tilt and turn. The system has a 70mm (2-3/4”) frame depth.

Its thermal properties are achieved by a five-chamber air-pocket system in all frame and sashes.

Frame and sash profiles are steel reinforced in order to provide the structural strength, and to decrease the thermal expansion factors inherent in PVC systems.



In order to assist in satisfying the architect’s vision of employing a turn-of-the-20th-century Southern downtown motif, the company’s tilt and turn windows were chosen.

The value of the vinyl tilt/turn system is its convenience, functionality and energy efficiency. One advantage of vinyl is its dimensional stability in a humid environment like the Atlanta area.



The application of exterior golden oak laminate to the over sized sash and frame of the window was to emulate the look of turn-of-the-century wooden hung windows.

Complimentary golden oak laminated vinyl swing doors were used as access to the balcony features in some of the upper story residential units.



All of these things together result in a space that handles the climate well while also reflecting the area’s Southern charm. The windows are a large part of satisfying these needs.