Commercial glass repair · Winnipeg
Building glass: sealed units, curtain wall and office windows
Many of the high-rises along Osborne went up between the 1950s and the 1980s, and in towers of that age, fogged and cracked sealed units are a familiar sight. Commercial glass repair here usually means replacing a sealed unit, not the wall. We connect owners and managers with independent local commercial glaziers who plan the access and quote the work.
- Sealed units replaced one at a time
- Interior-side work where the frame allows
- Phased plans for whole buildings
Sealed units
Commercial glass repair: sealed unit replacement
A sealed unit is two or three panes sealed at the edge around a spacer. For a house window, see broken window glass at home.
Fog between the panes
Haze inside the unit that won't wipe off from either side. The seal has failed; the unit is replaced and the frame stays.
Room-side frost is different
In a cold snap, ice on the inside of the glass is usually indoor humidity, not a failed unit. The frost versus fog guide explains.
Cracks from the edge
Often on large tinted panes, from stress between a warm centre and a cold frame. A good pro also checks the gaskets and drainage before swapping glass.
Curtain wall
Curtain wall and window wall glass
Curtain wall is a glass-and-aluminum skin hung outside a building's structure. Window wall sits between the floor slabs, one storey at a time.
In pressure-plate curtain wall, a plate behind a snap-on cap clamps the glass from outside; the cap and plate come off and the new unit goes in on fresh gaskets. Structurally glazed systems are bonded and need outside access. Window wall and many older ribbon windows are held from the room side, so units can often be changed from inside.
Access
Access: swing stages, lifts and interior glazing
Access shapes the job as much as the glass. From simplest to most involved:
Interior glazing
Where the stops are on the room side. The unit has to fit the elevator or stairwell.
Lifts
For low and mid-rise buildings, a boom or scissor lift reaches the outside, given ground space.
Swing stages
For exterior-glazed towers, a suspended stage or rope access works from the roof down. Wind and cold limit the working days.
Building types
Office and apartment-building windows
Office blocks
Tinted or reflective units in long ribbons. A mismatched pane stands out from the street, so ask how the pro will match colour and coating.
Apartment towers
Fixed units, sliders and a balcony door on every floor. Managing a whole building? See help for property managers.
Mixed-use buildings
The shop front is its own job; see storefront glass replacement. Upper units often swap from inside.
Heritage
Heritage towers and the Exchange District
The Exchange District includes early Chicago School terracotta skyscrapers, with windows set in masonry openings. A heritage permit may be required before character-defining windows on a listed building change, so check with the City first; its heritage permits page explains the review. Where frames are sound, new glass in the existing frames is usually the first option.
The quote
What shapes a commercial glass quote
Every unit is made to size. A pro will want to know:
- How many units, their sizes, and double or triple pane
- Tint or coatings that must match the facade
- The glazing system: pressure plate, structural sealant or interior stops
- Access by interior, lift or swing stage
- Floor level, and whether units fit the elevator
- Tenant scheduling and after-hours work
A list of failed units by floor and side, with a photo of each, lets a pro price the job before a site visit.
Phasing
Planning a phased replacement
Few buildings replace every unit at once. Survey the facade, replace the failed units first, and keep one glass spec so the facade still matches. Interior glazing can carry on through winter; outside work waits for the warmer months.
Rebates
Rebates: what applies to a commercial building
Efficiency Manitoba's window and door rebate is for homes, excludes apartments and pays only for complete ENERGY STAR triple-pane windows and doors, so a sealed-unit swap won't earn it. For larger commercial projects, Efficiency Manitoba lists a Building Envelope Program; check its terms directly before planning around it.
Questions
Commercial glass and sealed unit questions
Explore your options
Related building glass work
Local commercial glaziers work on towers and office blocks across the city, including Osborne Village, River Heights, St. Boniface and Fort Garry.
Share the building and the failed units
Tell us the building type, how many floors and roughly how many units are fogged or cracked. We'll pass it to a local commercial glazier who can quote the work.