Window Film in Downtown DC

Office Window Film on K Street and the Squares

Downtown's buildings fill entire lots and stop at roughly the same height, so floor plates are big and every floor has a long perimeter. Upper floors have few taller neighbors to shade them, and on the squares, offices look across open space with full exposure to the sun. Suites on the south and west sides run hot from spring through fall, and the people sitting there deal with glare all afternoon.

Law firms, associations, lobbying and consulting firms, and federal contractors occupy most of this space. Solar and glare film for perimeter offices, frosted film for glass-walled conference rooms, and security film for lobbies and ground floors are the bulk of our work downtown. Every job runs through property management, with spec sheets, samples and insurance certificates prepared before installation.

Window Film for Older Downtown Office Buildings

A large share of downtown's office stock dates from the 1960s through the 1980s. These buildings often have punched windows in precast or stone facades, with tinted single-pane or early insulated glass. Some have been renovated with new lobbies and systems but kept the original windows.

Low-E and solar control films improve those windows without the cost and disruption of replacement. For buildings covered by DC's Building Energy Performance Standards, film can be one measure among several in an efficiency plan. We provide the film's performance data to the owner's energy consultant and do not claim a compliance outcome, since that depends on the building as a whole.

• Low-E film for older single-pane and early insulated glass
• Solar control for south and west elevations
• Building-standard film for uniform facades
• Performance data for benchmarking and BEPS planning

Window Film for Downtown Office-to-Residential Conversions

Some older downtown office buildings are being converted into apartments. Developers keep the structure and often the window openings, but the use changes completely. Bedrooms need privacy and darkness that offices never did, and residents expect comfort near the glass at all hours.

Film can be part of the conversion plan: privacy film for lower floors facing busy streets, heat control film for sunny elevations, and low-E film where the original glass is staying. We work with the developer and general contractor on product selection and scheduling. Converting buildings often have hundreds of identical windows, which makes a consistent film choice and an organized floor-by-floor install plan important.

Business improvement districts downtown have tracked these conversions closely, and the buildings involved tend to be older ones with the glass problems described above. Film is a low-cost way to make that original glass livable for residents.

Storefront and Lobby Window Film Around Metro Center

Downtown's retail clusters around Metro Center, CityCenterDC and the ground floors of office buildings along F Street and G Street. Shops and restaurants there need clear glass that stays comfortable and protected. Lobbies need glass that holds together after impact.

Light solar and UV film handle fading and heat in display windows. Security film adds glass retention for lobbies and storefronts. Anti-graffiti film protects lower panes in areas with heavy foot traffic. All are clear and keep the street frontage open.