A Decade Of Hardware Performance And Durability – Guaranteed

Image Above: Andrew Madge, Managing Director, Gowercroft

Award-winning Gowercroft Joinery – which has just been named winner of the Best Windows at the nationwide Build It Awards along with the shortlisting of one of its projects in the prestigious 2017 Stirling Prize, is providing its customers with extended 10-year guarantees across its range of windows and doors after working with Coastal Group.

The Derbyshire-based company which manufactures high quality timber windows, doors, roof lanterns and joinery products has built its reputation on creating and delivering exceptional products and its use of innovative materials and a focus on quality and detail.

So when Gowercroft was looking to provide its customers with extended 10-year guarantees across its range of windows and doors, it was essential every aspect of their products were able to meet the physical and environmental demands placed upon them.

In their bid to achieve this, the company has worked with Coastal Group to ensure its products deliver the right hardware solutions.

As Gowercroft MD Andrew Madge comments; “As a manufacturer we want to ensure that our customers enjoy our products on every level – both from an aesthetic and performance perspective. Providing peace of mind is vitally important to us and extended 10-year guarantees on our products was fundamental to that.

“We hadn’t had any issues with our previous hardware but wanted to ensure every element of our products could meet our guarantees. A customer recommended Coastal and its Tricoat hardware range to us and we made contact,” said Andrew.

“The use of high performance, corrosion resistant hardware was attractive to us as we work a lot with Accoya® and are increasingly selling into Coastal applications and the Tricoat hardware really delivered what we were looking for. This meant we could give our customers performance guarantees whilst minimising any risk of remedial calls,” said Andrew.

Tricoat offers superior protection against salts, acids and alkalis and aggressive cleaning agents. With the tested quality far exceeding the requirements of Class 5 in accordance with EN 1670:2008 Tricoat hardware is perfect to use in coastal regions, industrially congested areas, indoor swimming pools and livestock stables; as well as when processing highly tannic types of timber, such as oak or acetylated Accoya®.

Salt Spray Corrosion Tested to 1000 hours in line with the BS EN 1670:2007-06 Salt Spray Test, and cycle tested to 50,000 cycles – double the BBA test requirement – the Tricoat Hardware comes with a 10-year product warranty and surface finish guarantee to provide ultimate corrosion resistance.

It is also Secured by Design approved – significantly exceeding the requirements of BS7950.

Coastal Group is the UK’s exclusive supplier of Tricoat window and door hardware and holds the Tricoat range in stock ready for quick dispatch.

“We have seen no remedial calls regarding corrosion or failure since our switch to Tricoat and we are delighted with the results,” added Andrew.

Mike Lewis of Accsys Technologies which manufactures Accoya® and Tricoya® wood commented:

“It’s great to see the proactive way in which the team at Coastal constantly work towards bringing solutions to the joinery market. Their innovative range of Tricoat window hardware, with its protective surface coating, is extremely well suited for using along with Accoya® wood.

“I can see many benefits to joinery companies in fitting Tricoat hardware to their Accoya® windows with the further advantages that Accoya® increases durability, stability and enhances coating performance, all of which will consequent in trouble free joinery products.”

And according to Leon Gayle, Business Development Manager at Tricoat system manufacturer MACO who is working with Coastal Group, the combination of quality products and technical knowledge is delivering major benefits to the industry.

“Our working partnership with Coastal Group is a really positive one and gives Coastal Group customers even greater peace of mind when buying from them. With their valuable technical support service and expertise always on hand, Coastal is able to offer yet more trusted solutions.”

To find out more about Tricoat Performance you can watch a video on the benefits of the system at www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZpWjU8B57A visit www.coastal-group.com/Timber-Window-Espagnolette-Bolts/EBT-Espagnolette-Bolt, call Coastal on 01726 871025 or email sales@coastal-group.com

The School of Fine Art – Leeds, have invested £7.6M, relocating to a refurbished building, based on University Road. The development was to give students an inspirational learning environment. 

The outside of the building showcases large windows which permits a vast amount of natural light aiding the student’s creative passion. Secondary glazing was specified to reduce the carbon footprint of the building and blend in seamlessly with the surrounding environment. 

An important feature of the glazing package, was to develop a mechanism that opened both primary and secondary units simultaneously. To maintain total functionality of the primary glazing Granada advised the installation of heritage hinged units which can be easily opened for cleaning and maintenance. The original windows opened from the top, making it difficult for students and lecturers to open the windows for ventilation and cooling the room.

Granada developed a bespoke gearing solution which allows the primary and secondary glazing to be opened simultaneously. A handle placed next to the window allows for easy opening and closing. Please view our short video case study above.       

For security reasons, a common request is to have actuator handle installed on the main units. An actuator handle is a removable handle that is installed to prevent unauthorised access/opening of glazed units. These handles were installed on the bottom units to prevent students from opening.

Sewell (contractors for the project) noted “We have all enjoyed working on this project and looking at the finished article is something we are all incredibly proud of and thankful that we have been part of the journey in the next chapter of this building.”

Mike Latham, Commercial Director at Granada mentions “The visual styling of secondary glazing has changed greatly over the last decade. We can design and manufacture slimline units that are unobtrusive and blend in to any environment. The key to any project like this, is to fully understand the specification. Once this is achieved we can design a product that is durable and fit for purpose. The main challenge was to develop a bespoke opening system, our in-house product technicians, designed a system which works incredibly well and offers ease of use.”

A video case study for the project can be found here: www.gsecg.com/leeds-fine-art-building/

Granada Glazing worked in partnership with Sewell contractors and Fuse Architects. As a result of product quality, product functionality and Granada’s project management we are pleased to announce that our Heritage Hinged Unit with, bespoke gearing system has been specified again by Fuse for the University of Hull. For more information on Granada’s Secondary Glazing Projects please visit: www.gsecg.com/case-studies/architects-commercial-case-studies/

Brisant Secure has been shortlisted for three Construction Marketing Awards (CMA). The premium hardware company, whose products include the TS 007 3 star cylinder lock, Ultion, and the new TS 007 2* security handle, Lock Lock, has been nominated for Best Use of Website, Best Digital Campaign and Best Use of Direct Marketing.

A key element of Brisant’s success is said to have been its use of www.ultion-lock.co.uk to attract homeowner traffic and then generate leads for composite door installers and locksmiths.

Since its launch two years ago, Brisant reports that an integrated direct and digital campaign has ‘rapidly increased’ traffic to Ultion’s website so it now receives more than 12,000 new unique visitors each month, with an annual total of 140,000 new unique visitors between July 2016-August 2017.

Videos showing break-in attempts on doors with Ultion compared to those with other cylinders have reportedl been viewed 88,307 times, while the ‘Find A Door That Locks’ feature has generated 13,562 homeowner leads for door installers and approved locksmiths.

“The Ultion website and our marketing campaigns, coupled with PR and social media activity, have helped boost Brisant sales almost 10 times in two years,” commented Nick Dutton, CEO of Brisant Secure. “We’re delighted with our nominations and are looking forward to the gala dinner on 30 November.”

www.ultion-lock.co.uk

The post A hat-trick of nominations appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

When architectural practice Scott Brownrigg designed a new building at the headquarters of FTSE 100-listed wealth management business St James’s Place, it wanted to give the building a suitably impressive centrepiece to welcome employees, clients and partners.

This was achieved in the form of a three-storey atrium, created using the Pilkington Planar™ structural glazing system.

The space sits between the two major elements of the building and is enclosed by a 12.8 metre tall vertical entrance screen and glazed roof.

The designers wanted, as much as possible, for the atrium wall and roof to be an uninterrupted surface of glass and Pilkington Planar™ was the ideal solution.

The roof is supported by stainless steel rod tension structure, while the entrance screen features full-height glazed fins, which provide structural strength without compromising on transparency.

The fixings used in the installation are unique to the Pilkington Planar™ Intrafix system and utilise the Planar 905J stainless steel fittings in the vertical screen and Planar 902 fittings on the roof, in conjunction with the Planar Nexus castings.

All of the glass is toughened and heat soak tested to provide strength and security to the design, and the double-glazed units that make up the surface consist of an outer 6mm pane of glass – incorporating a high-performance 6mm Pilkington Suncool™ 50/25 Pro T solar-control coating to help reduce heat build-up in warmer months. This reduces transmission of energy from the sun to just 27 per cent, while allowing 46 per cent light transmission.

On the roof, the inner pane is 19.5mm Sentry Glas® laminated utilising Pilkington Optifloat™ toughened and heat soak tested glass, while on the entrance screen it is a single 15mm Pilkington Optifloat™ toughened and heat soak tested glass.

Between the panes of glass is a 16mm-thick argon-filled cavity, contributing to the high level of thermal insulation delivered by the system.

The high-energy performance of the glazing has helped towards the project’s BREEAM Very Good rating.

Jason Eggerton, Pilkington Planar™ Business Development Manager, said: “This project really shows off the impressive capabilities of the Pilkington Planar™ system.

“The minimalist rod rigging structure and the ultra-low-profile stainless steel fittings mean there is a spectacular sense of a free-standing wall of glass.

“This is another example demonstrating the position of the Pilkington Planar™ system as the premier choice for larger structural glazing installations.”

Paul Williams, managing director at Vitrine Systems said: Standing inside the brightly lit atrium and looking up, you get an almost uninterrupted view of the sky, creating a truly impressive sense of space.

“Once again it has been a pleasure to work with Pilkington. We have a longstanding relationship with them in delivering projects like this as a seamlessly integrated team.”

The new 50,000 sq ft headquarters is home to 425 employees.

www.pilkington.co.uk 

Earlier this year the whole FrameXpress Ltd team committed to a project that was very close to all their hearts. In April, the leading trade fabricator launched the Alfie’s Wheels campaign, in a bid to help Production Manager, Jim Hinds raise much needed funds for his son Alfie. By July the company had hit its target and then some! The combined effort has raised £8648

Alfie was born with a severe heart defect which limits what he can do physically and after several major operations, at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, he still needs constant supervision and help to get around.

With Alfie beginning secondary school in September this year, it became apparent that he would need a motorised wheelchair to be able to access different areas of the school, as various classrooms were on different floors and long distances apart.

Motorised wheelchairs don’t come cheap and after putting their heads together, the team organised a number of sponsored events including raffles, coffee mornings, a sponsored frameXpress bike ride and even a pink hair dying competition, amongst other things, over the Spring and Summer months.

A ‘Just Giving’ page was launched where generous donations from customers, friends and suppliers including JMS Materials, Winmac, Ingenious Locks and GT Locks, donated substantial amounts of money, all helping to boost the growing figure, as the September deadline got closer.

‘Alfie’s Bash’ was held on 9th June at Wellington Cricket Club, where again the whole community got behind the idea of helping to raise funds. Organised by Diana Collier, Receptionist at FrameXpress, there was a special auction which included a number of fabulous prizes including an AP McCoy Print, an MOT & Interim Service, a signed rugby ball, a Radley Handbag, signed England Rugby and Cricket shirts as well as Pizza Oven Hire.   After an evening of dancing, fun and frolics, the event raised £1456 in total.

Fundraising did not stop there as local people and more companies got involved, offering their services with all proceeds put into Alfie’s campaign. The local Telford Lodge Assembly gave generously to the cause alongside the Much Wenlock Primary School and Devil’s Ink Tattoo Parlour, which earlier this year held an open event with all proceeds from the day going to the Wheels For Alfie campaign.

In a combined effort with staff, customers, suppliers and friends, the FrameXpress team pulled together and raised a staggering £8,648.00 in just a few short months.

After being measured and tested, the motorised wheelchair now takes Alfie in and around school and helps him to retain his independence during the day.

After purchasing the chair and relevant accessories including a ramp, there is a considerable balance remaining, which after discussions with Alfie, will be donated to The Whizzkids charity and Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Jim and his family feel that the medical team at the hospital have supported Alfie all his life and now they wish to give a little something back to them.

Jim Hinds comments,

“Alfie, Jim Nicole & Ruby would like to say a huge thank you to all at Framexpress as well as suppliers and customers, who took on the mammoth fundraising project and smashed it.

A very special thank you to our families and friends for their continued support with Alfie’s journey and help with fundraising – generally going above and beyond.

People gave up their own time to help with Alfie’s project and we are eternally grateful, we could not have done this with out you.

For any child this can be a daunting new journey, but Alfie has been very keen and enthusiastic to begin the next stage of his education, particularly now that he can get around.”

Trade fabricator, Modplan, has announced a ‘dramatic’ upturn in sales of its Leka roofing collection, which it says is due to the rise in popularity of
feature-rich orangery roof solutions and solid-roof conservatory extensions.

Heidi Sachs, Modplan’s managing director, said: “Recent industry feedback confirmed a trend we all instinctively knew to be happening. After years of slow-to-no growth, sales of conservatories and glazed extension products are on the rise. This is being particularly fuelled by the renovation, maintenance and improvement (RMI) sub-sector – homeowners upgrading their existing conservatories with more thermally efficient roofs and demand for feature-rich, high-end specification roof products. Our Leka orangery roof and warm roof systems offers product choice to suit all domestic roof installations.”

Launched by Modplan in early 2017, the Leka orangery roof is said to be packed with features designed to appeal to installers. It comes in kit form in four, lightweight pre-assembled ladder sections, with all materials pre-cut/fabricated to exact specifications and boasts a ‘U’ value of 0.15 W/m²K. The Leka warm roof system – a solid roof that is reportedly up to 40% lighter than other solid roofs on the market – has a ‘U’ value of just 0.15 W/m².

Heidi concluded: “Our Leka roof range is a great value-added product to have in your portfolio because it taps into today’s consumer roof trends and allows you to capitalise on the opportunities this sector presents. It sits well alongside our extensive range of additional glass, polycarbonate and tiled conservatory roof products and means you can offer your customers a complete range of roofing solutions from one trade supplier.”

The post Sales through the roof appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Profine Group has announced that it has expanded its production facilities in Pirmasens, Germany, for the continued growth of the Kömmerling brand in key markets, including the UK.

The international manufacturer of PVC-U profiles for windows and doors, says it has recently purchased a 750,000ft2 site from the city administration in Pirmasens to support future growth.

From summer 2018, Profine plans to develop the new production site, as part of a long-term growth strategy, which will also realise an increase in the workforce from the current level of 1,200, making it one of the largest employers in the area. According to the owner and CEO of profine Group, Dr. Peter Mrosik, the company has plans to invest a two-digit €multi-million amount by 2022.

Stefan Seidel, managing director of Kömmerling and Profine UK, commented: “This investment in Germany will not only support their local geographical market, but also our activities in the UK. We have a firm strategic plan in place for the UK, which is both exciting and dynamic and I look forward to sharing it with our profile partners in due course.

“With the launch of System 76 in the casement, flush sash and fully reversible due at the end of quarter one, 2018, our position as the leading PVC-U systems innovator will be further realised.”

www.kommerling.co.uk

The post Profine Group expands Pirmasens site appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

Construction industry specialist, NBS, has launched a report on the impact of Building Information Modelling (BIM) from the viewpoint of construction product manufacturers.

With the support of the Construction Products Association (CPA), the report is now available for manufacturers to understand what impact BIM is having on the industry.

“What’s great to see is the shared attitude between designers and manufacturers that BIM is the future,” said NBS CEO, Richard Waterhouse.

“Collaboration is at the heart of BIM, and through the standardised information held in well-structured models, manufacturers and designers will be able to work increasingly closely together, making sure the right product is selected, installed and used through the life of a project.”

According to NBS, the majority of UK manufacturers are already taking steps to provide product information in a format that can be placed into the designers’ own model, and manufacturers reportedly agree that BIM information will be increasingly required by specifiers.

However, work to support this community is still needed, as only a minority – 21% – believe they are confident when it comes to BIM knowledge and skills.

And for those who are progressing well, the community is relying on collaboration from those outside their own organisations to help overcome barriers to BIM.

Peter Caplehorn, CPA deputy chief executive and policy director, said: “Whilst still far from the norm, there is no doubt the UK construction industry is on the cusp of a technological advancement.

“Currently, we are in a situation where the supply chain is not as well coordinated as it could be, but through digitalisation our industry will find more efficient, cost-effective and smarter ways to do things. It is not surprising the majority of construction product manufacturers are already taking steps to adopt the use of BIM, but what is needed now is to ensure that they feel confident to do so. Surveys like this are useful in highlighting the gaps where industry must work together to encourage adoption, particularly with issues around standardisation and Product Data Templates.”

Manufacturers believe that BIM will deliver real benefits, including reducing costs and creating time efficiencies through the design, build and maintenance lifecycle. These benefits are in line with the government’s construction strategy goals; yet 64% don’t believe that the government is enforcing BIM.

Over half of those who responded believe that the BIM mandate set for April 2016 has not been successful due to a lack of rigorous enforcement. However, just under half of respondents still believe that the government is ‘on the right track.’

To download the full report: visit www.thenbs.com/nbrm17

The post The impact of BIM appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).

After a positive summer for housebuilding with more than £7 billion of housing contracts awarded between June and August, the sector experienced a cooler autumn with figures decreasing by 10% and falling for the second month in a row.

The latest edition of the Economic & Construction Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI, highlights the levels of construction contract values awarded in October across all regions of Great Britain. The overall contract value for October was reportedly £7.1 billion based on a three month rolling average, a small increase on September, but the highest total monthly construction figure for almost two years. However, the large HS2 contracts commissioned in September – worth £7.2 billion alone – are still having a major impact on overall figures, masking the slide in housing construction contract value.

Across the industry, project numbers were down in October by almost 10% when compared to the same time last year, indicating that a number of larger projects were awarded within the month rather than a large succession of smaller contracts. It was a mixed bag for various sectors this month with industrial, medical and health construction joining housing as sectors that saw a drop in contract value, at 16.2 and 9.9% respectively. Whereas infrastructure, commercial, retail and education all saw slight increases on the month and hotel, leisure and sport construction saw a major increase in monthly contract value of more than 50%.

The highest value project in October was 1-5 Grosvenor Place in Belgravia, London, which was valued at £500 million – more than three times the value of the second highest placed project, 340 flats and commercial units on Portugal Street in Manchester. 53% of the value from the top 10 biggest projects was located in London.

Regionally, London took back the top spot with 25% of the total construction contract value from the West Midlands, which benefited greatly in September thanks to the HS2 contracts. Joint second was the South East which contributed 14%, which included the £40 million McArthurGlen retail outlet in Kent, alongside the North West which had the biggest residential project in October, the aforementioned Portugal Street project in Manchester.

Commenting on the figures, Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, said: “It’s evident that the major HS2 projects commissioned in September are masking an underlying softening of activity in certain sectors of construction such as housebuilding. Housing has been driving overall industry growth across 2016 and parts of 2017 as infrastructure lagged behind but is now flagging. Without the HS2 developments we would be looking at a much bleaker picture in our results for October.”

The post HS2 contracts mask slide in housebuilding appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).