One of our building contractors called us and presented a challenge that he needed a creative solution. His customer was looking to create easy access from their offices to a courtyard area that was outside their existing windows. They wanted to take advantage of the mild Carlsbad California climate and allow the fresh ocean breezes to flow into their offices … as well as install a putting green with quick access. He knew that this project was similar to ones that ADS Automatic Door Specialists handle regularly and that we would come up with a good solution.
Meetings were held with the builder, architect, designer, and owner to determine what effect they were trying to achieve along with any obstacles that may have to be overcome with the space where they were looking to change. The current office space was conceived with a simple industrial motif infused with a touch of playfulness, and our solution needed to look like it belonged. Through the design process, we arrived at a custom glass garage door that would have Clear Anodized Aluminum frames with Clear Tempered Glass to match the existing windows and frames. It would be operated with a manual chain hoist that would fit the industrial-chic motif. Now we could focus on some of the tougher issues that still needed to be dealt with.
The next challenge was fitting this garage door into the desired location. The architectural context of the window to be replaced with a new glass roll-up door was a wall constructed of aluminum framing with very large panes of tempered glass. As the glass garage door would be inset from the existing glass wall, ADS Automatic Door Specialists could complete the installation before the existing window had to be removed. We worked with the building contractor to have the opening location modified to allow for the installation of an office glass garage door. There was also the matter of an HVAC duct in the ceiling that would obstruct the door if it were to roll up in the typical manner. To solve this, we decided to use vertical lift garage door tracks which also allowed us to take advantage of the high ceilings. The tracks worked perfectly and elegantly avoided the obstruction presented by the HVAC ductwork.
This work had to be done during non-business hours as the office was occupied and in daily use. The ability to completely install the glass door before removing the existing glass window allowed for uninterrupted building security.
Commercial installations, especially those done for established businesses with carefully cultivated images, present unique opportunities to master the nuances of our craft. Every project offers new opportunities to push the envelope back a little further. At ADS Automatic Door Specialists, we understand the importance of thinking outside the box and making the difficult look easy.
