A New Style of Window

Progress, Volume XII, Issue 2, 1 October 1916, Page 742

A New Style of Window

To the average lay mind, windows are merely means of providing light and ventilation ; but to the architect and builder they present a serious problem. Since the advent of large buildings, inventive minds have devised numerous windows in the effort to provide a type which would give maximum light and ventilation, and adequate protection against fire, weather and dust. The difficulty of cleaning windows in large buildings has also been a serious problem, owing to the danger to which the window cleaner has been exposed. The upkeep expense of windows has always been a large item, and it has become necessary to devise a simple construction which would give lasting service without constant repair.

Window difficulties are met in a most ingenious manner by a window which embodies an entirely new idea. It is neither double-hung, casement,

pivot nor balance, but is claimed to combine all the excellent features of these types in a simple and novel operating principle. The new window is the invention of R. B. Browne, of Maspeth, New York, U.S.A., who has given considerable study to the window question from a practical standpoint for more than twenty-five years. The new window is made of solid steel,,the sections being selected to give maximum strength and lasting wear, and the corners consisting of mortised and tenoned riveted joints. It is divided vertically in two equal sections, which are joined by a brass hinge extending the full height of the window. Each section is supported in the centre, at top and bottom, by arms of forged steel, which swing on a common centre at the top and bottom of a stationary upright, set in the centre of the frame. Both sashes operate simultaneously under the symmetrical control of the arms, coming together when opened. A slight push or pull is sufficient to open or close the window, not much greater effort being required for a large window than for the smaller type. The operation is distinctly positive in that it does not rack the frame or sash, and there is no contact of metal, thus elim-

mating any wear due to friction; nor are there any pulleys, chains, weights, or gearing-of any kind to take up valuable space and require constant repairs. The windows operate noiselessly, and the glass can be cleaned on both the outer and the inner surfaces from the interior, in a simple and easy manner, saving labour and insurance and eliminating the great danger incident to the cleaning of windows from the exterior.

Requiring no window boxes to hold pulleys and other auxiliaries, the sections of the window take up very little space. This allows a maximum glass area for the admission of light. When it is fully open maximum ventilation can be secured; and it can be opened so as to give perfect ventilation at top and bottom without draught. To establish its value for protective purposes, this window has been subjected to some interesting tests, the results of

which have been unusually good. Under heavy air pressure it was found impossible to force flour through the window, establishing its dust-proof qualities. To prove its value under severe weather conditions, a window was placed in the thirty fifth story of the Woolworth Tower, New York, for a period which covered all seasons of the year, and it was found to be be proof against the elements. Under high pressure equal to that of the wind blowing at the rate of 140 miles an hour, the window allowed very slight leakage.