"glazing"

The ChallengeLocated in the city of Nancy, the Centre Prouvé offers a flexible conference space complete with a 3000 m² exhibition hall, two auditoriums, thirteen meeting rooms and a panoramic reception area.With glass playing an integral role in the building design, the architect required a proven smoke control solution that would not distort the aesthetics of the development while adhering to safety regulations. Additionally, due to the high footfall of visitors, the chosen solution would have to be maintenance-free.As a leading fire-glass specialist, Pyroguard was approached by the architect Marc Barani of Atelier Barani to offer a suitable solution.The SolutionTo meet these requirements Pyroguard recommended Smokeguard – a permanent, maintenance-free glazing solution that acts as a smoke barrier, keeping low-level toxic fumes at bay for up to half an hour to give visitors maximum time to exit the building safely.Thanks to its perfect transparency, Smokeguard also met the aesthetic requirements with the 8 mm thick tempered monolithic glass offering 87 percent light transmission, to provide the perfect transparent protective barrier with minimal visual impact.As a result, over 100 m² of Smokeguard was installed in the atrium, escalators, and lift areas utilising its patented fastening system to mount the system to the ceiling areas.Click here for further information on Smokeguard or for further advice and support please contact us.

Senior Architectural Systems has had a starring role in the creation of the new Arc Cinema in Daventry.The new cinema’s welcoming frontage has been created using a combination of Senior’s thermally-efficient slimline SF52 aluminium curtain wall system, alongside the company’s robust SPW501 aluminium commercial doors and stylish low U-value PURe® SLIDE doors. Designed to offer the perfect balance between daylighting and thermal comfort, Senior’s fenestration package was fabricated and installed by supply chain partners Acorn Aluminium for main contractor Willmott Dixon.The cinema has been designed by Marchini Curran Associates and the extensive use of glazing floods the main entrance, restaurant and bar areas with natural light during the day, and creates a show-stopping effect at dusk. The dark grey powder coated frames of the doors and curtain wall systems also perfectly complement the exterior façade design of grey and white cladding with feature multicoloured panels. The new Arc cinema in Daventry has been created as part of the wider £12.5m regeneration of the town centre.Senior has played significant roles in other cinema projects over the last few years, delivering the aluminium fenestration packages for the new Savoy cinema complex in Doncaster as well as completing work for the national chain Everyman.

Toploc provides sustainable cover for Solas Eco Garden CentreMarlon Toploc was the ideal canopy glazing solution for this impressive retractable canopy roof at the Solas Eco Garden Centre.  In addition to Marlon Toploc providing all of the characteristics required to realise the designers specification, product manufacturer, Brett Martin's values align perfectly with Solas when it comes to sustainability and a greener future. Solas is one of the few Eco Garden Centres in Ireland, providing an excellent, eco-friendly, customer experience.  Now employing over 100 people the Garden Centre brings a breath of fresh air to the local community.Clear Marlon Toploc panels provide 64% light transmission, flooding the area underneath with natural daylight to create a bright and airy outdoor space while providing shelter from the changeable Irish weather.In this instance, clear 16mm sevenwall Marlon Toploc panels were cold curved on-site and mounted in sections at three different heights to a retractable pulley, allowing the canopy roof to open. The Marlon Toploc panels are secured with the Marlon polycarbonate cap profile for a seamed finish on the canopy roof.Marlon Toploc polycarbonate panels are strong and durable and co-extruded with UV protection on both sides as standard to protect the panels and everything underneath from harmful UV rays. The Marlon Toploc standing seam system is light in weight making both installation and on-going movement of the retractable roof easy.

Windows and doors from our Alitherm Heritage range featured in the refurbishment of the Art Deco-style Lanchester Building in Watford, the building being locally listed due both to its historical and its architectural significance.Originally built in 1938, the Lanchester Building has been completely transformed by Martindales Architects into a two-form entry primary school and nursery for West Herts Community Free School Trust, and is now home to the Lanchester Community Free School.With a design requirement to retain the slim lines of the building’s original steel windows, so closely associated with Art Deco buildings, over 70 window assemblies (covering approximately 650m² in total) and 15 door entrance assemblies were installed from our Alitherm Heritage range, the doors being set in the Smart Wall framing system. The window and door profiles were all finished in white polyester powder coating at our state-of-the-art paint facility, matching the materials being replaced and providing a robust, durable and low-maintenance finish.Despite a particularly tight build programme to meet the school’s opening date, the windows and doors were all installed on-time by Dotcom Glazing who worked closely throughout the project with Smart’s technical support team, Martindales and the main contractor, Borras Construction.

The 'HOOLA' in Tidal Basin Road in East London, gateway to the soon-to-be regenerated Royal Victoria Docks area, has transformed a brownfield site into two rippling 23 and 24 storey glass towers, that offer 360 apartments with a mix of studios, along with one, two and three-bedroom units.The buildings are super-insulated and the concrete frame will act as a heat sink – absorbing heat on warm days and releasing it back into apartments when it cools. An innovative link-up with the neighbouring ExCel Exhibition Centre will also see excess heat piped directly into the two towers. This will provide all the necessary heating and hot water requirements and significantly reduce maintenance costs by doing away with the need for individual boilers. A critical design requirement for such a super-insulated building was the avoidance of any risk of thermal bridging at the many concrete-to-concrete balcony connectivity points – so highly efficient structural thermal breaks were required throughout. The preferred solution was the Schöck Isokorb® T type K for cantilever balconies.Luke Smerdon-White, Technical Director at Thorp, takes up the story: "We had to design, manufacture and deliver 1410 precast concrete balcony sections that had to then be cast integrally with the in situ concrete structure." "The exposed front-face is curved, with almost 50 different dimensional configurations, while the internal face has a facetted line that had to correlate with the glazing line and opening doors."

Located in Davos, Switzerland the InterContinental resort and spa consists of a guest building with 216 rooms, and a separate wood-framed building with 38 luxury condominiums. These two buildings are connected by an underground passage, combining the services of a five-star plus hotel with a private home environment.To experience the uninterrupted views of the Landwasser Valley, the InterContinental resort unleashes fully glazed fronts with extending balconies, taking over 882 ft2. The balconies combine the indoor space with the outdoors, visually merging with each other. Yet, in terms of insulation the thermal separations is made to avoid the effects of thermal bridging. Nestled in the Swiss alpine location, construction had to specifically address the fluctuations in temperature and climate.Insulating and SupportingSchöck Isokorb® was incorporated in the balconies to minimize heat losses between the ceiling and the balcony floor. "We have been working with the Schöck products for many years," says Patrick Hager, co-foreman at the construction company Toneatti that occurs along with Baulink AG as the consortium and total contracting.Residences at Minergie® standard (Swiss equivalent for passive house)"To achieve the high insulation goals in this climate, to even the hidden or seemingly insignificant component is an extremely important role to play," found Regina Meier when choosing Schöck products for the balcony constructions in the Residences. Regina is a construction manager at Baulink AG and responsible for compliance with the specifications. "We can at any time, even in the long term, rely on their reliability and durability."

A high-profile project, involving the unique new Sconnex® type W thermally insulating wall connection, is Haberdashers’ Boys’ School, just north of London.   It is one of the UK’s leading independent boys' schools and sets exemplary standards, in both educational terms and in its facilities as well.  Demonstrated by the new reinforced concrete extension to the Preparatory School, where cube_design architects were commissioned to produce a design for three additional classrooms and relocated changing facilities.  Jane Lock-Smith, the founder of cube_design and RIBA Client Design Advisor within the Building Schools for the Future programme, observes: “The design is respectful to the style of the existing building, but offers a contemporary twist through the use of full height glazing and charred timber cladding. A colonnade also minimises the buildings footprint.  Our detailing took into account that around 40% of all thermal bridges in a building are caused by walls and supports.  The Schöck product offers an application-friendly, high-quality solution that contributes to a permanently sustainable building concept”.   The outstanding insulation performance is combined with an excellent load bearing capacity, which transmits very high pressure, tensile and shear forces, both in the longitudinal and transverse direction. The ultra-high performance pressure buffer achieves compressive strength levels in excess of 175 N/mm2. Sconnex® type W also achieves a significant cost reduction when compared with the installation of insulation beneath the floor slab.  

Situated in the heart of Bristol’s city centre, the imposing Electricity House has been restored to its former glory by developer Crest Nicholson, bringing back the building’s distinctive art deco style.Originally designed by renowned architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the Grade II-listed building is situated within a conservation area, and has been transformed into a mixed-use development of 85 high-specification luxury apartments and commercial space. Many of the original art deco features have been recreated, including the style of the window and door systems from Smart Architectural Aluminium, specified both for their authentic appearance and outstanding performance.Supplied and installed by Techniglaze, one of Smart’s specialist fabricator and installer partners, the company’s Alitherm Heritage system provided the perfect solution for windows from the first to the fifth floor of the building. In excess of 300 windows were supplied and installed by Techniglaze, including 225 Alitherm Heritage units.On floor five, the windows are fully opening, whereas on the lower floors, dummy vents and opening lights (with handles and friction stays) have been installed; these will then be made openable once the surrounding area is pedestrianised, but will remain locked in the meantime. Head boxes have also been fitted to the top of these windows to facilitate the installation of a natural ventilation system.Despite the exceptionally slim lines of the Alitherm Heritage system, the units accommodated 36mm double glazed units to cater for the different levels of acoustic requirements specified by an acoustic engineer.Speaking after the project was completed, Spencer Newman, Techniglaze Director, said: “This was both a technically and logistically challenging project, set right in the heart of Bristol city centre, but we are all delighted with the outcome. We worked closely with the Smart team and the client, Crest Nicholson, to make sure we were able to realise their design and performance aspirations.”Developed to precisely match the slim profiles of traditional steel windows that are a feature of many heritage projects and listed buildings, Alitherm Heritage nevertheless delivers the exceptional thermal performance associated with modern aluminium systems. This enables a ‘B’ grade window energy rating to be achieved - when fabricated with the correct specification and glazed unit.Smart Eco Futural system provided an equally elegant and thermally-efficient solution for the fifth floor balcony doors. 10 sets of double doors were specified, together with seven sets of Smart Wall commercial doors for the ground floor retail areas - including one automatic door for the disabled access entrance.The window and door profiles were all produced in a dark brown polyester powder coat finish (RAL 8070) to match the building’s original fenestration, providing a robust, durable and low-maintenance finish.Smart’s Managing Director, Eddie Robinson said: “Electricity House was exactly the sort of scheme that Alitherm Heritage was designed for, with the project sympathetically developed to retain this imposing landmark in the heart of Bristol’s city centre. The system has helped maintain the aesthetic integrity of the original building, but at the same time enables the building managers and apartment owners to benefit from the comfort and cost efficiencies that modern aluminium materials deliver.”

Ampteam Limited, were asked to provide a UNIFOLD® scheme for the conversion of level gutters, serving the central roof area of the building, to falls conditions, with a brief to eliminate standing water and leaks which had plagued the building for some time.Some 900 metres of valley gutters serving four separate Atrium roof areas in banks of six, which in turn are served by 5 metre wide valley gutter sections serving as Access and escape link bridges, were requested to be converted from level to laid to falls.Lower valley gutter bounding the periphery of the roof area serve and discharge the main roof area via 5 metre wide chutes from the escape link bridges. Positioned in the less sensitive areas, these were allowed to be laid level, although their existing holding capacity has been improved.The existing roof and gutter areas had initially received a PVC membrane when built. This, however, was patched in many areas and showing signs of deterioration. There were many concerns about the continued longevity of this installation.UNIFOLD® Gutter Lining System was chosen for its versatility, unfailing ability to replicate existing systems, provide falls conditions in level gutters and its long life. The system is also guaranteed for 20 years.Tapered Cork insulation was chosen to provide the base for the gutters and this was supplied in cut sets. The fall ratio was based on a minimum of 1:150. The Unifold gutters were purpose made to suit the falls ratio and provided in numbered sets to suit the individual gutters.Full site information was provided including schemes of falls, laying sequences and special details and instructions. In all, more than 50 separate drawings were issued to site. In accordance with Ampteam policy, all fabrication was factory manufactured and sealed prior to delivery to site. This ensures complete installation quality and integrity. The valley gutters serving the central Glazed Atrium roof areas were installed first. These comprised an apex at the central position of the gutters with falls arranged down to discharge ends at the Escape Link Bridges.As the glazed Atrium roof was above a sensitive area, no weekday work was allowed.Friday deliveries were permitted but all work was conducted during weekends.The end Atrium Roof area valley gutters were single fall from a transverse gutter at the outer perimeter edge.Access into the transverse gutter was extremely tight and normal joints could not be made so sections of UNIFOLD® were supplied to span individual Atrium ends and joins were made at the junctions with the valley gutters via factory manufactured tees, using UNIFOLD® patented clip joints.The existing transverse gutters were already higher than the valley gutters to aid discharge, but in order to create the necessary falls the UNIFOLD® transverse liner was lifted sufficiently to provide the required falls for the valley gutters.There was space to achieve this condition without compromising the capacity of the original transverse gutters.