Conservation Success For Benchmark Joinery (South East) With Slenderline Glass

Combining authentic, heritage aesthetics with cutting-edge thermal performance, Slenderline Glass has established itself as a leading supplier of advanced slimline heritage units trusted by fabricators, installers and joiners across the country – including Kent-based Benchmark Joinery (South East) Ltd.

Operating across Kent and East Sussex, Benchmark Joinery specialises in everything from windows and doors to staircases and furniture. The accurate design of Slenderline’s traditional units means Benchmark regularly completes restoration and replication projects within the region’s stringent conservation areas.

“We have developed a strong relationship with Andy and the team, as two family-run businesses built on similar ethics and quality craftsmanship,” comments Adrian Mitchell, Director of Benchmark Joinery (South East). “They supply and fit a great product in a traditional way, but using modern methods and with modern quality. We only use Slenderline and E.J. Cocker for all our glazing needs because of the consistently high levels of quality and service.”

“We work mainly in conservation areas and through enquiries from contractors, and the traditional looks with the modern thermal efficiency creates a really strong selling point for us. The team has great knowledge of the product and the sector, and always conducts themselves in a professional and friendly manner. We recommend them, and they recommend us, so it is a great partnership.”

Available in a full range of sizes to match any traditional rebate, Slenderline provides an advanced slimline unit for any heritage window. Slenderline achieves its modern-day thermal qualities through warm edge technology and either Argon or Krypton gas, whilst a sympathetic design accurately matches the dimensions and details of a traditional sealed unit.

“It’s fantastic to see Slenderline leading the way in the sector, providing businesses like Benchmark with a unique, high-quality product that can help them win new business,” adds Andy Cocker, Director at Slenderline Glass. “We can shout from the rooftops about how great Slenderline units are, but it’s great validation to hear positive feedback from our customers. Advanced units are our speciality, whether it’s for a listed building in a conservation area or a complex, bespoke solution.”

For more information call 01732 885030 or visit www.slenderlineglass.com.

Aluminium windows and doors from leading fenestration manufacturer Senior Architectural Systems have been chosen for the new X1 Aire private rented scheme in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Located in the heart of Leeds city centre, the glazing package for the new residential scheme has been delivered by Aire Valley Architectural Aluminium Ltd for main contractor Bardsley Construction.  Senior’s thermally broken SPW600e aluminium fixed light windows were specified to offer extra security and improved thermal efficiency, with Senior’s robust SPW501 aluminium doors, which have been designed to meet the requirements of PAS 24 and the Secured By Design standard, installed to the ground floor communal entrance.

The acoustic performance of Senior’s SPW600e aluminium windows has been enhanced through the use of special acoustic double glazing which helps to reduce the traffic noise from the nearby main road. Maximising the flow of natural light, Senior’s aluminium windows also provide residents with attractive views of the River Aire and complement the brickwork façade of the building.

Comprising some 147 high quality apartments and five penthouses, the new X1 Aire scheme is the latest addition to the portfolio of UK based developer X1 and has been designed by DK Architects.

For more information about Senior, visit www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk 

The Glazerite UK Group has become one of very few fabricators to offer a choice of three flush sash systems, with the addition of the acclaimed Residence 7 system from the Residence Collection alongside its existing Residence 9 and Halo flush sash choices.

The R7 is more than just a price-competitive companion to the original and well-established R9 – its slimmer 75mm front-to-back profile means it is quicker and easier to install in most retrofit settings without having to cut back the plaster.

The slimmed-down size doesn’t mean compromising on thermal, acoustic and security spec however, with its seven-chamber construction more than matching rival systems and achieving WER up to A+ and a Passivhaus-standard U-Value of 0.8 W/m²K.

“Reaction to our R9 and Halo flush sashes has been phenomenal,” said Group Director Jason Thompson, “Demand from homeowners, commercial and new-build customers has continued to grow with two of the best products to respond to that demand.

“Now, with the addition of Residence 7, we can offer three specific price points in this vibrant and still-growing sector so that our installers have a flush sash solution, whatever the job and budget.”

Glazerite is not only one of very few national fabricators to offer three flush sash options but is believed to be the only one with the R9, R7 and Halo variants.

The R7 flush sash from Glazerite is available in a palette of 14 colours as well as five separate bead options – 28mm Decorative, Staff and Square and 44mm Decorative and Square. Frames can also be supplied unglazed to give installers more glazing choices as well as ease of transportation.

www.glazeritewindows.co.uk

Image Above: Douglas Masterson, Technical Manager of the GAI

The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) has welcomed the findings and recommendations of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and Dame Judith Hackitt’s interim report, ‘Building a Safer Future’.

The Hackitt review was established shortly after the Grenfell Tower fire, and has focused primarily on improving fire safety in high-rise residential blocks and other complex buildings.

However, the report also looks at what can be done more broadly to address perceived system failings in the building regulatory system and deeper cultural problems in the construction industry around regulatory compliance and responsibility. The interim report provides the findings to date and direction of travel for the review, ahead of a final report expected to be submitted in spring 2018.

Of the views put forward to the Hackitt review by the GAI earlier this year, several of its ideas are mentioned in the interim report, including the potential reintroduction of the Clerk of Works role.

Douglas Masterson, GAI technical manager, says: “This was one of the GAI’s key recommendations, as a better regime of inspecting the installation of fire doors and ironmongery on site by a trained professional who is aware of many of the regulations and standards as well as their application would eliminate many of the current gaps in fire safety.”

In the stakeholder evidence section of the interim report, Hackitt specifically discusses ironmongery and repeats the view that “many products are tested totally in isolation and do not account for the interaction with other elements. For a fire door to function, all of the components (seals, glazing, ironmongery) must be compatible. Many lack a formal process to check that products are as originally specified, or even whether the products that are delivered to site are as specification.”

In the GAI’s submission to the review, it called for both fire door inspections and third-party certification of fire safety products to be mandatory and for fire services to be more involved in the sign-off of buildings.

The report also addresses the industry-wide issue of ‘value engineering’ which, it says, was almost always about cutting cost out of a project.

Douglas Masterson says: “The GAI and its members would welcome any change to existing value engineering practice. There need to be more controls placed on the substitution of specified materials.

“Ironmongery, which is one of the last elements fitted to a building, is often at risk of being substituted and not always to an equivalent standard. This creates potentially fatal fire safety issues. We’re glad that this issue is finally being recognised and look forward to seeing how the final review will improve the specification process.”

The issue of a better qualified supply chain was also raised in the report, with a clear recommendation by Hackitt that those working on the design, construction, inspection and maintenance of complex and high-risk buildings are suitably qualified.

Douglas Masterson commented: “We totally support the development of a more joined-up system covering all levels of qualification in relevant disciplines. The GAI’s diploma and CPD programme provides a professional and up-to-date qualification which demonstrates an individual’s ability to specify architectural ironmongery – a critical life safety element of any building – to a high level. We believe the GAI can play an active role in supporting this aspect of the Hackitt review.”

The Independent Review has also said that during its next phase of work it will conduct further research into the potential for Building Information Modelling (BIM) to improve the documentation and handover of essential fire safety information.

The Guild has just released 35 BIM product data templates to its members so they can provide Product Data Sheets to deliver their product information in a structured manner to architects and contractors.

Exlabesa Building Systems’ ECW 50 curtain walling system is being hailed as a system that delivers on all levels. Paul Benn, Exlabesa Building Systems’ National Sales Manager, comments: “Our ECW-50 curtain walling system is recognised as an ideal choice on a wide variety of commercial building projects. It has an intelligent design that makes it simple and cost-effective to manufacture and install. It’s also visually stunning because its 50mm profile widths mean it has beautifully slim sightlines that maximise the glazed area.”

As customers are finding out, the ECW 50 curtain walling system has all the hallmarks of an intelligently designed system that has been designed to add value to fabricators’ and installers’ businesses.

There is a choice of depths for structural members, mullion sizes of up to 220mm and transom sizes of up to 195mm. Internal reinforcing bars are available where bigger spans are needed, plus a range of structural add-ons, while a range of external caps give different finishing options. It has 28mm glazing as standard but can accommodate glazing of up to 46mm for projects where thermal efficiency is paramount. Where a total project solution is needed, the system can be easily integrated with Exlabesa Building Systems’ KWS window systems and KSF and KTS commercial door systems. The system is simple and rapid to install, thanks to the unique gasket design that makes glazing simple.

The ECW 50 system has all the credentials specifiers are looking for. It is a thermally broken system so it meets and exceeds current building regulations for thermal efficiency. The system is fabricated using high quality European components and is tested to CWCT and UNE EN 13830:2016 standards for weather resistance, safety in use, energy efficiency and heat retention.

www.exlabesa.co.uk

When time is money, being able to access the information you need at the click of a mouse is invaluable. It’s something Spectus trade fabricator Universal Trade Frames knows and in its instant quote facility it’s delivering the service its customers need.

Managing Director Brian Kruger said: “Our Business Micros EvoSatellite software gives our customers quotes in real time, which they can then convert to an order at the push of a button. It means they can get a price and place an order straightaway rather than faxing or emailing requests and waiting for a response. It’s a system we know our customers value because it saves them time and hassle and allows them to work independently.”

The EvoSatellite software works on both PCs and tablets, so installers can get prices when they’re in the office and when they’re out on the road, which makes it an even more valuable tool. Brian comments: “The fact the software works anywhere there’s an internet connection means installers can give prices to customers straightaway. It dramatically reduces the delay between measuring up and confirming the order.”

Universal Trade Frames sets every customer up with the software as standard. The company has an in-house consultant who oversees the set-up process and makes sure it is working correctly and is compatible with all the customer’s systems. They are then on hand to answer any technical queries or provide any additional support or training that’s needed to help every customer get the most out of what the software has to offer their business.

www.utfl.co.uk