Interview with Olympian Zola Customer, Tim Burke

We recently delivered windows to a special house in Lake Placid, New York.  The home is being built by Olympian couple Tim Burke and Andrea Henkel and is conveniently located right next to a cross-country ski center.

We had the opportunity to interview Tim about the project and his impressions of the Zola Windows and Doors.  Thanks, Tim and Andrea, and good luck with construction!  We can’t wait to see how the project turns out.

Tell us a bit about your goals for your home.

From the start of this project, we wanted to design a home that seamlessly blended indoor and outdoor spaces, efficiently used space, would stand for generations and could attain net zero status.  Unfortunately, despite our cold winters, low energy homes are still quite rare in our region.  We hope to use our project to help raise awareness of better building practices in our area.

How did high-performance, European windows fit into those goals?

Zola windows were a great match for our project because they allowed us to maintain a high percentage of glazing, maximizing our views, solar heat gain and natural light, while not incurring a big energy penalty.  It would not have been possible to keep such a large percentage of glass, and meet our energy goals, without such high-performance windows.  The Zola windows and doors will also allow for that blending of indoor and outdoor spaces, which was one of the major goals of our project.

You and Andrea are amazing, word-class athletes.  How did you passion for sports factor into the design and location of the project?

Being winter athletes, it has been a real eye opener to see changes in our climate over our sporting careers.  Because of this, we wanted to create a responsible home that did not add to the problem of climate change.  Our athletic careers also influenced our design by our desire to have seamless transitions from the interior to the exterior.  Being outside and enjoying the outdoors has been such a big part of our lives and we wanted a home that allowed for a close connection to the outdoors.  It also helps that we have a cross country ski center across the street from our house!

What were your first impressions when the windows arrived at your construction site?

Of course I was a little nervous about potential window damage after such a long trip.  But once we opened the container and I saw how well the windows and doors were packed, this feeling quickly went away.  Once we unloaded the pallets from the container and I had the chance to take a window out, I was struck by the sturdiness of the units; it was quite obvious why these windows would be both energy efficient and durable.‍

What is it about the windows that you are most excited about?

I can’t wait to sit next to one of our South facing windows, with a good book, on a typical cold and clear Adirondack winter day.  To sit so close to the outdoors on a -20F day and feel no drafts and only warmth, will be a real treat!