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After meeting with the Portland Design Commission twice, and are ready to move forward with a 92-unit, six-story apartment project 鈥� vinyl windows and all 鈥� at 23rd Avenue and Lovejoy Street in Northwest Portland.

Critics of vinyl windows say they are inferior quality and less visually appealing, and the design commission has often rejected attempts to incorporate them into developments.

But vinyl windows are less expensive than fiberglass or aluminum alternatives, so they are an attractive option for new projects, according to Paul Jeffreys, a senior project designer and an associate principal at SERA.

鈥淭he apartment market right now is pretty good, but it’s still pretty tight,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’re finding that the price point on vinyl windows makes these projects a little more possible.鈥�

However, approval for such windows can be difficult to obtain from the design commission, which reviews designs of new buildings and major renovations in the city.

鈥淚n the past, vinyl windows were proposed (to the commission) and they weren’t high enough quality,鈥� city planner Chris Caruso said.

Historic preservation advocate Val Ballestrem, education manager for the and the , explained some of the concerns about vinyl windows. They may contain toxic materials, can be troublesome to repair, and are available in a limited number of colors 鈥� including an 鈥渦nnatural鈥� bright white, 鈥渨hich is one reason why they’re so obvious,鈥� he said.

Ballestrem added that vinyl windows stick out when they replace wood and metal windows in a historic building, or when they are part of a new building in a historic district.

鈥淔or people to understand (the difference) they actually have to see it, but once you see it you can always spot it in an instant,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t messes up the character of a building.鈥�

Caruso said that when vinyl windows are proposed, the design commission typically recommends that designers consider using fiberglass frames 鈥渂ecause you can get a thinner profile than with vinyl windows.鈥�

But for the apartment project at 23rd and Lovejoy, the team is using , which have a lifetime guarantee 鈥� a 鈥渧ery good鈥� sign of quality, Jeffreys said. The windows are manufactured as 鈥渃ommercial鈥� grade rather than lower 鈥渞esidential鈥� grade. They also have gray frames instead of white, and will be set back in the building so their profile won’t be as visible from the street, Jeffreys said.

The project team last month brought in prototype windows to a design commission meeting to demonstrate the product’s quality.

鈥淪ome people have connotations with vinyl windows because of residential construction,鈥� said Tom Dichera, vice president of development at C.E. John Co. 鈥淭hese aren’t those. They are commercial grade, high quality and do very well from an energy point of view.鈥�

The design commission approved the project last month after two hearings just two weeks apart 鈥� a 鈥済ood鈥� speed, Jeffreys said.

鈥淲ith improvements in vinyl window technology, in the commercial quality and color selection, the commission has been more inclined to approve them if they work with the building,鈥� Caruso said.

Jeffreys said it’s not any easier nowadays to gain approval for vinyl windows, but he added that he believes the commission OK’d the ones proposed for the building at 23rd and Lovejoy because they are 鈥渉igh performance.鈥�

Another project by C.E. John, an apartment building at Northwest 23rd Avenue and Raleigh Street designed by GBD Architects, will feature the same kind of vinyl windows and also was approved by the design commission last month. The building will offer smaller apartment units and include a mechanized parking structure.

Contractor will start work on both projects early next year, Dichera said. The Lovejoy project should wrap up in 14 months, and the Raleigh project will finish in 10 to 11 months, he said.