US Window and Door Demand to Reach $34.3 Billion in 2021

Bowater by Birtley made a splash at the FIT show earlier this year with its colourful array of composite doors, proving that any colour is possible. However, the company is pleased to be able to not only deliver a high performance composite door in a wide range of colours (standard or colour matched on request), but also offer this wide range of options for both single and double rebate doors.

Kevin Kiernan of Bowater by Birtley explains: “We’re one of just a handful of companies to offer a double rebate composite door as part of our standard composite door offering. The thicker door with a 16 point locking system, is more secure and more thermally efficient. Despite this massive improvement on performance, we can still offer our double rebate doors with a wide range of colours, door styles and with a comprehensive range of hardware and decorative glass options. This means homeowners don’t have to compromise on aesthetics to get the additional protection they want.

“It also means that fabricators and installers have a true point of differentiation to offer. In an increasingly tough market, companies at every level of the supply chain need to stand out from the competition, and having a product that not many other people have, is a great place to start. Especially when it comes with no compromise in terms of choice of colour and style.”

www.bowaterbybirtley.co.uk

Ritec International are delighted to announce that long-standing ClearShield® customer, Go Glass Ltd, have reached not one but two finals at this year’s G17 Awards. This Cambridge-based company is shortlisted for Glass Company of the Year and Unsung Hero at this prestigious event.

Since 1978, Go Glass served the local area with high quality glass and mirror products. Today, they remain a family-run business and Clive Sparkes and sisters Tracy Saunders (Sales and Marketing) and Emma Sparkes (Sales and Specification) are dedicated to offering customers a range of innovative and exciting products designed to add warmth and individuality to any home or workplace.

Go Glass became a customer of award-winning Ritec ClearShield^® in 2003. Applied in their own factory, Ritec ClearShield^® is a durable ‘non-stick’ protection solution against dirt and fingermarks, a particular problem for sandblasted glass. This is a popular option amongst Go Glass’s customers that like their glass to benefit from low-maintenance, easy clean and anti-microbial properties that look like new for longer.

The Glass Company of the Year nomination has come at a good time as Go Glass are approaching its 40^th anniversary. Tracy says, “It is great that our small talented Go Glass team have been recognised for their hard work and commitment over the last 40 years. Led by our Director Clive, the design and production team hold NVQs from Level 2 to 4 and utilise both traditional methods and modern day technology to produce some great bespoke glass design work for both domestic and commercial customers.”

Clive is well-respected in the glass industry, exhibiting his work at Glasstec, Düsseldorf, the world’s largest glass exhibition and has designed glasswork for clients such as the BBC, BAFTA and Hampton Court Palace. His performance and achievements have earned him a nomination for the G17 Unsung Hero award. For example, he has designed and painstakingly produced three glass sculptures for auction in aid of CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children, young people and their families. The first two sculptures, a Ducati 996 sportsbike and Lewis Hamilton’s 2009 F1 car, were full-size original replicas and already raised thousands for the charity. The latest sculpture is called ‘Pushing the Limits’, a full size glass athlete, and bids are now being accepted on www.goglass.co.uk/charity-auction.php.

Clive says, “Being shortlisted for the G17 Unsung Hero Award is a great honour, the glass sculpture work we auctioned for CLIC Sargent charity has already raised over £10,000 and we hope to continue to raise even more for the charity with our glass runner.  Our thanks also to Ritec for their help and support with these projects over the years.”

The G17 Awards event will be held on 17 November 2017 at the London Hilton on Park Lane. For more information about Go Glass, visit www.goglass.co.uk.

Image Above:  Kay Finlay, Managing Director

An independent North West glazing firm is celebrating a successful 2017 so far as it prepares for the autumn months.

Bebington Glazing, located in New Ferry, has witnessed an all-time record having secured a number of prominent contracts and projects, striking up a multitude of affiliations with nationally-acclaimed residential and commercial property developers.

Following the prolific trading period, Managing Director Kay Finlay is already looking ahead to the autumn season and warns of the importance of preparing your property ahead of the drops in temperature.

Kay said: “While the first nine months of the year have passed in the blink of eye, the team and I are thrilled to report that our year so far has been our most successful to date. As an independent business, it’s certainly rewarding to have been appointed to work with some of the UK’s biggest names in property development and strike up long-term affiliations with notable manufacturers, not to mention the soar in local interest from neighbouring businesses and residents.

“We have put a huge emphasis on business development in recent months in a bid to stay one step ahead when it comes to incorporating advancing techniques and trends such as new-age glazing that can now reduce heat loss through windows by 75%, alongside glass balustrades which have become one of our most popular requests.”

Since January of this year, the Wirral-based business has been appointed to carry out a series of large-scale projects across the North West including beautiful glass balustrades and Juliette balconies in Formby residential homes as part of a collaboration with Sovini Group, aluminium windows at Morecombe Pleasure Beach and numerous glazing contracts for Chester and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust.

Kay added: “The beginning of the autumn months are often a particularly busy time for Bebington Glazing as we help both homeowners and commercial businesses to prepare their properties for the coming winter. As temperatures cool, it’s important to consider any repairs or upgrades to your property that not only provide better insulation and heat retention, but could also save on cost in the long run by reducing energy and heating bills.

“The addition of Double Glazing is an efficient measure to prevent heat loss within the home and workplace, while we encourage those who are already enjoying the benefits of the glass to look out for often easily missed signs of disrepair. Faults such as leaks, condensation and draughts are best repaired before the problem worsens ahead of the colder months.”

For more information about Bebington Glazing visit www.bebingtonglazing.co.uk or call 0151 645 3830.

Bowater Projects’ technical advice and knowledge has been critical to the success of Linc’s commitment to upgrade its residential scheme Llys Yr Efail in Blaenau Gwent.

Llys Yr Efail is a housing scheme for older people and contains 35 self-contained one and two bedroom flats over three floors, as well as a lower ground floor comprising communal facilities with a lift to all floors.

Richard Hallett, Development Manager at Linc said: “In March 2016 we invited potential tenderers to express their interest in bidding for the project to replace the 300 plus windows and doors on our housing scheme in Blaenau Gwent. We received a lot of interest, but after vetting the responses and shortlisting the bids, we decided to partner with Bowater Projects, as its bid was the most competitive.”

Over 200 casement windows, from The VEKA UK Group, in the Halo System10 profile were specified for this project, as well as nine doors ­– all of which deliver a number of benefits to the end users. For example, the low-level gasket design of the windows avoids the unsightly black border appearance, on similar products, and makes the maximum area of glass visible. This allows as much daylight as possible to flood the interior of a room, which can improve the health and well-being of those living within the building.

Richard continued: “Within the tender document we set out the overall design and specification, however during our pre-contract discussions with Bowater Projects, the company informed us of a number of technical matters that needed to be addressed. This included the use of heavy-duty hinges on the wide opening windows, which exceeded the maximum specification width, and the inclusion of anti-glare tinted glass on the south facing communal areas, which was a recommendation from the RNIB after a compliance survey was completed.

“In addition, on the housing complex there were projecting bays and eaves combination windows, so the design of the replacement windows was critical to the success of the scheme. Therefore, Bowater Projects proposed to pilot an installation of a Halo System10 casement window and roof lights, prior to the commencement of the main project. This was to enable detailed design queries to be thoroughly established and resolved before the actual production and installation commenced. In fact, these particular windows could have easily caused extensive delays and additional costs, but the pilot arrangement eliminated these potential problems and benefited all parties concerned.”

Bowater Projects offers a pilot installation on all schemes, as part of its service, to understand if there are any particular issues with an installation, agree with the client how the windows will be finished and also allow the end users to see how the new fenestration will look.

Denise Long, Scheme Manager at Llys Yr Efail concluded: “Bowater Projects managed to complete the project with very minimal disruption and inconvenience. And with regards to the windows and doors that were installed, the noise and warmth levels have improved significantly within each of our tenants’ flats. We certainly wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them – and I’m sure our tenants would agree too.”

For more information please visit www.bowaterprojects.com

The ‘landmark’ appearance of an 85-year-old Merseyside grammar school has been retained for future generations, thanks to the close replication of more than 200 unique and distinctive timber windows in the Veka M70 system from Glazerite UK Group and local installer, K2 Aluminium Systems.

The windows were very much a part of the character of the 1930s-built Wirral Grammar School for Boys and the look of the replacements was an essential factor but the specification also brought another major benefit, as K2 commercial manager, Liam Bird, explained: “Some classrooms had a problem with both solar gain and glare, so a blue tint was specified for the glass. The difference was immediately noticeable; the rooms no longer overheat and the natural light is more subdued, so the use of monitors and whiteboards is much more comfortable.

“Also, of course, with the significantly improved thermal performance of the windows, the rooms will be more temperate in the cold weather as well as in hot sun.”

As the installer’s name suggests, it could have offered an aluminium alternative but the sightlines of the original timber reportedly made PVC-U a better visual match, as well as the other factors such as cost and heat retention.

The contract was secured via architect/surveyor, Arcadis, in co-operation with the Veka UK Group, which also provided technical support such as specification, drawings and wind calculations.
The Glazerite UK Group is reportedly Veka’s largest trade fabricator in the UK. It offers a fully nationwide service based on manufacturing units in Northants, Peterborough and Greater Manchester as well as its South West distribution hub in Bristol, serving South Wales and The West of England.

www.glazeritewindows.co.uk

The post Landmark school retains the look and loses the glare appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Mark Warren.

Mark Warren, managing director of Lister Trade Frames, has decided to step away from his role and hand over the reins to his two fellow directors, Darren Pusey and Phil Warren with immediate effect.

This follows what is described as a ‘stellar career’ at the helm of Listers for nigh on 30 years, as well as taking on the roles of president of the GGF and chairman of Fensa.

Under Mark’s stewardship, Lister’s became a ‘dominant force’ in the industry scooping Fabricator the Year at the G-awards three times, as well as being the first recipients of the Derek Bonnard Award. But it was his relationship with his staff and the Stoke on Trent community that is said to have ‘truly stood Mark apart from his contemporaries’.

He firmly believed that a company is only as good as its staff and with the vast majority of the workforce having more than 15 years’ service under their belt, Mark is said to have garnered ‘total respect and dedication’ from his team.

“And that is the magic of Mark,” commented Phil Warren, sales director. “People wanted to work for him. Whether you were on the shop floor, working on the skips or manning the sales office, Mark knew everyone and had time for us all. Being the boss and a friend, is a tightrope not many men can walk, but Mark seemed to manage it effortlessly.”

In his time as MD at Lister’s, Mark helped grow the business from operating in a shed at the foot of the garden to a £12m company with over 120 staff. His long-time friend and co-director, Darren Pusey, said: “Mark was absolutely key to building team spirit as well as ensuring the business remained ahead of the curve. Working with him kept all of us motivated to succeed…and I do mean all of us!”

The post Mark Warren steps down as Lister’s MD appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

To help fabricators and joiners show the beauty and benefits of aluminium clad timber windows and doors, AluWood has created a striking retail brochure.

Packed with information about the window and door styles, energy efficiency and hardware, the new brochure has everything there is to know about AluWood windows and doors.

“For fabricators and joiners who want to add AluWood to their range, they can use our new 8-page retail brochure to help them win more sales,” says Callum Grant, Commercial Director, AluWood Windows Ltd.

“The aluminium clad timber window market is growing. There’s a demand for windows and doors that have a stylish look and high-quality performance. We’ve launched the retail brochure to help fabricators and joiners show how great AluWood windows and doors look when fitted, and so they can give information to customers about design options and energy efficiency.”

To get your copy of AluWood’s retail brochure, visit www.aluwoodwindows.co.uk/downloads