Designing for High Rises/Condos/Apartments

High-Rise Fireplace Design
High-rise buildings and the condos and apartments in them obviously require a different design approach. Yet the end goal is similar to any residence…make the living space as comfortable and inviting as possible to those who reside there. 

Few things make a common area or an individual’s living room as comforting as a fireplace. Including them in a design, especially when multiple units are involved, can be complicated to the point of excluding them. Ortal fireplaces offer several characteristics and features that make it simple to include fireplaces throughout a high rise. 

High-Rise Venting
The Ortal Power Vent system makes it possible to install luxury gas fireplaces nearly anywhere at any level within a high-rise building. When installed, the system’s forced air stream is powerful enough to allow for three times the number of angled bends in the venting run, accommodating up to twelve 90-degree elbows. The enhanced power allows much more flexibility in the placement of the exhaust pipe. The venting options allow the pipe to run vertically, horizontally, and even up to 20 feet of downhill run with no additional power required. 

When venting horizontally, the system makes it possible to include a 90-degree bend right off the top of the firebox for a venting run with no vertical requirement.

Even more important to many architects, the termination cap for a horizontal run is flush with the building and can be painted to match its surrounding materials. In essence, it becomes almost invisible.  

If fireplaces terminate vertically, many architects choose to create a decorative shroud or custom termination cap around the current cap for a different look. 

The flexibility that the Ortal Power Vent provides allows you to install fireplaces in nearly any common area or individual unit wherever it suits your design.

 

Common Spaces
In a building lobby or lounge area, a fireplace is a warm invitation to enter, stay and relax. Ortal offers a wide range of designs for commercial common spaces that accomplish many different goals. 

• Designers and architects frequently turn to long, linear tunnel units to create a visual focus along an exterior wall. When desired, an Indoor-Outdoor Tunnel fireplace can be designed to provide through-the glass viewing and make exterior patio or dining areas as inviting as the indoor space. 

• Our Curve Tunnel 360 gives a room a centralized focus and a natural gathering space where people can view and access the fireplace from any side. 

• Ortal Space Creator units help provide an attractive way to delineate a large open room and create separate functional areas while still maintaining an open floor plan. 

Individual Units
In condo or apartment units within a high-rise, it’s important to keep added amenities minimalistic in order to maximize space in smaller living areas. Ortal Traditional fireplaces built into the wall, especially when our ultra-realistic Wilderness Collection burner is specified, provide the ambiance of a wood-burning fireplace but with all the innovations and controls found in any Ortal luxury model. 

Smaller, three-sided units, such as our Three-Sided 40H70 or Three-Sided 75 offer a more contemporary fireplace. They can be specified with the linear Ortal burner and contemporary media such as glass or stone, or you can create a realistic flame with the Wilderness Collection burner.

Questions? 
Our A&D consultants are ready to help. They can help provide product selection assistance from our more than 300 fireplace styles, answer technical questions, review and redline drawings, and provide virtual or on-site consultations, all free of charge. Just click here. The link will take you to a form that will let us know who you are and how we can help. We’ll quickly get in touch and help in any way we can.