The Heights at Haverhill

The Heights at Haverhill is a new 75,000-square-foot luxury apartment building that sits on the banks of the Merrimack River in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Planners touted it as “…a catalyst for future development in downtown Haverhill.” 

In essence, it sets a new precedent for multi-family residential living in the city. 

Despite its downtown location, The Heights is simultaneously surrounded by natural landscapes, parks, lakes, walking trails, and ski resorts. Thanks to Deceuninck North America’s Innergy^® AP curtain wall components, tenants enjoy greater indoor climate control and year-round comfort in their individual units.  

Tackling Thermal Bridging

The Heights’ exterior is constructed primarily of unitized curtain wall glazing. While it provides excellent views and natural daylighting for residents inside, the system needed to impart a high degree of thermal performance. This need was amplified by the limitations of the HVAC systems within the units. Therefore, architects at SGA looked at the internal chambers of the metal curtain wall as a key opportunity for a solution. By incorporating a reinforcement material into the metal framing components, they could effectively help the interior spaces retain warmth during cold months and maintain comfort in air-conditioned spaces during the summer. 

“One of the weak points in the curtain wall system are the mullions, which unfortunately will act as a thermal bridge if not properly insulated or thermally broken,” said Keith O’Reilly, RA, LEED AP BD+C, senior project architect at SGA. “This can create cold spots and condensation on the interior side of the curtain wall. So we needed a reliable material to prevent that.” 

SGA selected custom Innergy AP curtain wall components. Innergy AP is a high-performance, energy-efficient material made from fiber-reinforced polyurethane pultrusions that outperform polyamide alternatives in compressive and flexural strength and exhibits no creep under sustained loads. Innergy AP boasts a 7,500 Kilopounds per square inch (Kpsi) bending modulus and is 700 times more energy efficient than aluminum. It is strong, virtually unaffected by heat or cold, and custom-created by Deceuninck North America to fit into any curtain wall or window system. 

“With the use of the Innergy AP components, we were able to significantly minimize thermal bridging while improving the overall energy efficiency of the curtain wall system. This, in turn, allowed us to achieve the desired performance and aesthetic that we wanted for the glazed facade of the building.” 

Close Collaboration, Flawless Execution

The design and execution of The Heights’ curtain wall system required close coordination between the project team and the unitized curtain wall manufacturer. The Innergy AP components needed to be pultruded with precision to fit within the custom-built unitized curtain wall system. Therefore, the SGA team and the curtain wall manufacturer conducted weekly conference calls to share conceptual details and refine the design intent in real time. Throughout this collaborative process, SGA was confident in relying on Deceuninck to deliver custom-made Innergy AP components that would fit seamlessly with any curtain wall design that was selected. 

As expected, Deceuninck delivered. 

“This was an intensive process where everyone came to the table with a willingness to push the limits of the curtain wall’s capabilities and the building’s structure, and Innergy AP played a major role in us being able to fulfill the design intent without sacrificing thermal performance,” said O’Reilly. 

Setting a New Standard for Luxury Living

The Heights is the pinnacle of modern apartment development and represents a significant milestone in multifamily residential living for the region. By choosing Innergy AP curtainwall components from Deceuninck, SGA was able to select the specific unitized curtain wall system that met the aesthetic needs of the project without compromising energy efficiency. 

Thanks to Innergy AP, residents at The Heights can now enjoy unobstructed views, an abundance of natural daylight, and the thermal comfort to make the most of their time indoors. 

Project at a Glance:

To boost the thermal performance of luxury residential The Heights at Haverhill apartment building, Deceuninck provided Innergy AP curtain wall components. The innovative, energy-efficient solution enhances the curtain wall’s ability to deliver top-notch thermal performance and much-needed condensation resistance.

Who: Deceuninck North America, SGA, FreMarq Innovations
What: New Construction – The Heights at Haverhill
Why: Enhanced thermal performance; condensation resistance

Featured Products:

Innergy AP curtain wall components