Rationel Windows

The Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) is the UK's largest carbon-neutral eco-community – the first of its kind in this country; receiving prestigious awards, Civic Trust Sustainability Award 2004 and Housing Design Awards 2003.

Dallochy House owners Mark and Jenny Sykes had always dreamed of building their own home. And after house-hunting for a number of years in Aberdeenshire, realised they would have to make their dream come true to get a property that ticked all their boxes! They were searching for a new home which would be warm and easy to heat, in their local village and in the catchment area for a good school.  Paul McWilliams from Annie Kenyon Architects, orientated the house to optimise south facing solar gain, with expanses of glazing from Rationel to make the most of the views, and stilts to accommodate the sloping topography. The couple incorporated stone from the former cottage on the site, into the gable-end of the new build.  “It has been a very happy and stress-free journey,” say Jenny who chose James Hall Joinery as main contractors. “I cannot rate the professionalism of Paul and James highly enough. We expected stress, hiccups, problems but James project managed everything so smoothly that he took the stress out of the whole process.”  “We chose Rationel windows for a number of reasons. James Hall recommended them to us having used them on several other builds. He was able to provide photos of windows, doors and testimonials. Their distributors ADW have a showroom, at Sauchen, which was very convenient for us to visit and it was particularly helpful to see so many products on display. We were impressed with the quality, the choice available and could tell that the investment was absolutely worth it. The colour choices were to our liking, as was the option to have alu-clad external finish onto the natural timber frames.  We think the windows just look really good with the cladding and stone work and of course allow you to appreciate the views.” 

Fircroft House in Essex has been completely transformed from a tired 1980s detached property into a distinctive home with a contemporary edge.Renovated throughout, Fircroft House features a new ground floor extension, pale grey timber-effect external cladding (replacing a brick and render façade), and brand new Rationel alu-clad windows and doors. In fact, sixteen new windows are installed across the property, including opening and fixed units, two large sliding patio doors, and a solid, grooved front door flanked by glazed side lights and set beneath an arched portico. When planning the refurbishment of Fircroft House, window and door replacement was a project priority, as the original property had single glazed, leaded, all-timber windows which made the interior very dark and were thermally inefficient. All-aluminium glazing was initially considered because the homeowners wanted an affordable, durable and contemporary frame design which looked more attractive than uPVC. They changed their mind, however, when they saw Rationel AURAPLUS alu-clad windows installed at a friend’s home: ‘The idea of a frame which combined timber and aluminium was very appealing,’ they say. ‘It offered the best of both worlds with hardwearing aluminium outside and thanks to the wood, a more tactile finish to the inner frames, so we decided to find out more.’ The homeowners are delighted with their new windows and doors and would happily recommend Rationel: ‘We are very impressed with the package offered by Rationel,’ they say. ‘The windows and doors are all high quality, low maintenance and look great, and the service we received from okoHaus was amazing from start to finish.’

Jubilee wharf is a recently completed mixed-use development in the heart of Penryn (Cornwall). The building themselves are a low energy sustainable design - super insulated and carbon neutral in operation.

It was the pretty garden and view of the house from the driveway that first drew retired couple Melanie and Phil to what is now their much-loved home of ten years.The property has four bedrooms and two bathrooms and, though it sits within a conservation area, it is not listed. The house was originally three dwellings, each with an entrance door at the front and staircases behind the fireplaces. In the 1970s the houses were converted to a single dwelling and an extension was added at the back to house a single staircase, hall, landing and main bathroom. When the couple bought the house, it had old single glazed windows and doors, some of which were rotten. Since moving in Melanie did their best to persevere with the old glazing because it suited the cottage, but in the end decided to update it earlier this year. The couple wanted a solution that fitted with the character and age of Long Cottage, but also wanted it to feel cosier, warmer and more energy efficient. They decided on triple glazed Rationel windows and doors. They chose Rationel FORMAPLUS alu-clad triple glazed windows and doors in two finishes – cream for the outside and white inside. ‘We liked the fact they were maintenance free, but had the look of wooden units to tie in with the character of the cottage and the surrounding village properties,’ says Phil.While energy efficiency was a key reason for choosing triple glazing, they also wanted to reduce noise as much as possible – Brize Norton airbase is nearby. The couple are especially pleased with the windows in the bedrooms – which now meet industry safety standards for evacuation in case of a fire – and in the sitting room.‘The sitting room is in an end gable next to the road,’ says Melanie, ‘and the new triple-glazed unit has made it so much quieter and cosier than it was before.’

Long house is a modern interpretation of a Derbyshire Dales longhouse and houses three generations of their respective families. It was built to Passivhaus standards and to have minimal visual impact on its rural surroundings and featured in a September episode of Channel 4’s Grand Designs. On the ground floor, a combination of floor-to-ceiling windows and a completely open-plan layout fills the house with sunlight and creates a feeling of space and tranquillity. A shared sitting room for Sarah and Mike’s mothers is known as the ‘lady chapel’ and its oversized windows provide spectacular views across the valley.Energy efficiency, thermal performance and sustainability are all key when building to Passivhaus standards. The couple were also keen to meet the Royal Institute of British Architects 2030 Challenge targets for operational energy use, water usage and embodied carbon. Durability and security were also priorities.‘The windows are the stars of the show. The whole house feels full of light and life. The views are spectacular and in every room we feel part of the landscape, but without having to put a jumper on!’