A grand entrance to an art museum features a striking combination of modern and classical architectural elements, with a concrete façade punctuated by large rectangular aluminum windows and adorned with vertical banners displaying artwork, while a dramatic curved staircase with metal railings leads up to glass doors, framed by an overhanging concrete structure that provides depth and shade.

Architectural Glazing for the Worcester Art Museum: Custom Aluminum and Steel System

Aluminum, Landmark

At Open Architectural Windows and Doors, we take pride in delivering complex architectural glazing solutions that preserve historic character which both meet and complement meeting modern building standards and practices. Our recent work for the Worcester Aart Mmuseum, in Worcester, Massachusetts, exemplifies our expertise in large-scale, high-performance, high-value installations.

Architect: Joshua Fiedler, AIA, Fieldworkshop
Location: Worcester, MA
Area: 8799 sq.ft
Year of completion: 2020

Custom Aluminum Profiles for a Seamless Historic Match

The primary challenge with this project was to reproduce the original look of the museum’s façade while upgrading it with modern, energy-efficient glazing. The architectural team had a clear vision: preserve the heritage appearance without compromise. To meet this requirement, we developed a fully custom aluminum system using Aluprof profiles, we then had extruded exclusively for this project. The precision of the custom fabrication was extraordinary — ensuring a perfect fit, bridging the historical with the contemporary.

Oversized Glass Units and On-Site Assembly

Given the scale of the project, many of the units reached oversized dimensions, including a frame measuring 10 x 30 foot. Some of the largest glass sections, especially those on the second floor, had to be assembled directly on site. Our trusted installation partners used specialized lifting equipment and glazing manipulators to ensure precise and safe installation of the oversized units (as seen below).



Blending Steel and Automation for a Public Institution

In addition to the custom aluminum solutions, we incorporated high-performance steel windows into the design. Since the building is open to the public, it was crucial to that we included accessible entry points. We integrated automatic door systems that blend seamlessly with the building  all ADA compliance standards.

A High-Capacity, Multi-Team Effort

This was one of the largest projects our team has undertaken in recent years, involving a significant number of professionals — from engineers and fabricators to project managers. Installation was carried out by a certified local team under our coordination, ensuring each step of the process met our standards of quality and precision.

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