Birmingham’s Iron Age building gets giant windows in latest reno update
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Check out THESE windows! Renovations to the Iron Age building downtown continued Friday, April 12 with the installation of giant windows to the building’s facade on 20th Street North. Find out who’s
Installing the Iron Age Windows
The Iron Age building was built in 1886 and is one of Birmingham’s last two remaining structures with cast iron facades. It will soon house the Iron Age Project, Birmingham’s latest tech hub for healthcare technology startups. The hub will take up the top floors of the Iron Age building and also spread across the top floors of the neighboring buildings.
Last month, the cast iron facade was restored to its former stark-white greatness. Crews then installed the nine giant Lexan windows Friday, April 12. They’ll install beams and floors next.
Randy Britton is the architect. Watch this video to see what it’ll look like when complete.
What is Lexan?
Lexan, which is the material used for the Iron Age building windows, is polycarbonate and 250 times stronger than glass. It’s used in place of glass in structures such as this because of its glass-like clarity and resistance to breaking
When completed, the façade will consist almost entirely of the historic cast-iron structure and windows, making it the perfect marriage of historical preservation and modern design.
Building a Techy Future
Harsha Hatti, CEO of CoreLinQ Innovations, purchased the Iron Age building as well as three surrounding businesses on 20th Street North in 2016 with a vision to build a shared hub for healthcare technology startups.
CoreLinQ will move into the downtown location once the 10,000 square feet of office space is completed. They currently have several satellite offices in the suburbs of Birmingham.
Stay tuned to Bham Now for updates on the Iron Age building.
After seeing how great the giant windows look, we can’t wait to see what’s next for the iconic Birmingham building!
