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The first ever installation of SMARTGLASS® Dynamic has resulted in overwhelming praise from the homeowner of the newly refurbished conservatory, that has benefitted from this revolutionary, wireless, self-tinting glass technology.

Phil Stow approached Clayton Glass in February 2017, before the commencement of his conservatory refurbishment project in Houghton on the Hill, Leicester, about the performance characteristics of specialist conservatory glass on dull days. He had already specified SMARTGLASS Ultimate, one of the best performing conservatory roof glass types in the sector.

Jason McCabe, commercial and site director of Clayton Glass, suggested that SMARTGLASS® Dynamic would outperform any other conservatory roof glass on hot sunny days, yet provide light transmission, very close to that of a standard IGU on duller days. The quote below is taken directly from an e-mail received on 3rd May from Phil Stow.

He commented: ‘My conservatory refit by Mike Jarvis of Custom Conservatories is nearly complete, and I currently have a couple of Ultimate panes which will be replaced next week. This has allowed me to compare and contrast the products literally side by side.

He continued: ‘The Ultimate glass, which was my initial choice, is a pretty glass which performs well and I’m sure I would have been very happy with it. The Dynamic glass however, is in a completely different league in my opinion. In a clear state like your literature states it performs similar to standard glass, giving true colours of the outside world. Furthermore, on dull days, the light transmitted is clearly noticeable as greater than the Ultimate. So far, I cannot comment on hot day performance, but when the sun did briefly emerge and the outside temperature was around 14 Celsius the Dynamic magically tinted to the colour of Ultimate.’

And finally, he added: ‘SMARTGLASS® Dynamic is a fantastic product and I hope it produces the success for Clayton Glass you deserve for developing it. Thank you once again for letting me be one of the first customers to appreciate it.’

Jason McCabe, commercial and site director enthused: ‘That’s an incredible testimonial from a homeowner who is already embracing dynamic living, thanks to SMARTGLASS® Dynamic. Without question this is the future for domestic glazing, particularly in the roofing plane and we look forward to building further sales and working with key partners to bring this technology to the mass market.’

For a free SMARTGLASS® Dynamic sample kit and a 2017 Product Guide, e-mail enquiries@smart-glass.co.uk or call the sales office on 01207 288200. You can also add to their growing Twitter following @ClaytonGlass and find further product information at www.smart-glass.co.uk.

Darlington-based National Window Systems, part of the HWL Windows Group, have installed a beautiful OPUS hybrid lantern roof, exclusively manufactured by Prefix Systems, on their newly extended conservatory village and renovated showroom.

OPUS is a new genre of hybrid glazing, combining the proven performance and adaptability of aluminium with the sheer richness and luxury of hardwood. This installation at National Window Systems, is part of a traditional brick Orangery in a showroom environment that includes two other Orangeries, a Prefix solid, insulated and tiled WARMroof and other modern living environments.

Now celebrating their 30^th anniversary, this investment by National Window Systems in premium, extended living space solutions shows a shift in emphasis from the basic cost effective conservatories, to the more premium environments that discerning consumers are now demanding. The OPUS lantern roof is a perfect example of this offering, with a PVCu or aluminium exterior and with the trademark OPUS timber internal finish, which is further emphasised on the showsite Orangery, with an oak trim around the lantern opening.

John McComb, sales manager of National Window Systems commented, ‘OPUS is the epitome of premium glazing solutions and it’s generated considerable interest already, following our opening day event. There’s a new type of consumer emerging that seeks premium brands and products that provide luxury appeal, something our newly expanded showsite is perfectly designed to cater for.’

Geoff Williams, national sales manager of Prefix Systems concluded: ‘We’ve generated considerable interest in the OPUS system since its launch at the FIT Show in 2016 and it will again be featured on our stand at this year’s show, as a lantern roof and also as a set of stunning, bi-folding doors. With further developments, we’re looking to further open up a new niche for high performance hybrid products, with proactive partners such as National Window Systems eager to be early adopters.’

For information on National Window Systems visit http: www.nationalwindowsystems.co.uk. For further information, on Prefix Systems contact the head office on 01254 871800, visit www.prefixsystems.co.uk, e-mail enquiries@prefixsystems.co.uk or add to their considerable following on Twitter @prefixsystems.

Funded by the government’s Condition Improvement Fund, The Window Company (Contracts) has just completed an impressive window replacement project at Hatcham College in South East London, part of the prestigious Haberdasher’s Askes’ Schools Federation.

The award winning commercial installer was appointed as the principle contractor by Arcadis Consulting, working on behalf of the school for 3-18 year olds.

Parts of the historic Hatcham College date back to 1890, so the challenge for The Window Company (Contracts) was to supply and install windows which were in keeping with the age and character building but still represented best value.

Because they are entirely independent, they were able to successfully identify a range of different products from a number of different suppliers which perfectly matched the different elements of the specification.

This included six 4600(h) x 2000(w) bespoke sapele hardwood double glazed sash windows for the school hall from NJL Joinery in Essex, painted white on the exterior but left varnished in the natural wood on the interior to match the hall’s existing panelling. These were fitted with Guardian SunGuard SuperNeutral glass to minimise solar gain and even feature the original openers which The Window Company (Contracts) expertly restored and refitted.

In other parts of the building, they installed a mix of arched head vertical sliders and tilt and slide windows with Astragal bars, fabricated by Glazerite in Veka’s Matrix profile which matched the external appearance of the timber they were replacing. They also created a new opening in the dining hall and fitted a new set of Comar Commercial aluminium double doors.

The Window Company (Contracts) has extensive experience in the education sector and its team are all CRB checked and fully trained to work on school sites. It has the flexibility to be able to deploy fitters at short notice to work during school closure times and is renowned for its commitment to always delighting clients.

Mary Williams, Business Manager at the school, was impressed with their approach: “What we liked was that The Window Company (Contracts) did exactly what we wanted on the project and not just what suited them best. We are delighted with the products they recommended, particularly the new timber sash windows, and with the attention to detail they showed on every aspect of the project.

“We knew that we could trust everyone on the team and, with one project manager responsible for everything on site, they were very easy to work with. Nothing was too much trouble and we would definitely work with them again.”

Further information is at www.thewinco.co.uk

It’s been three years since Edgetech hosted the Triple Glazing Question (TGQ) and brought together delegates from the whole glazing supply chain.

At TGQ, there was a great argument made for using ‘clever doubles’ instead of triple glazing. Especially as there were concerns about the manufacturing complexity of triple glazing and lack of availability, for units and appropriate profiles.

Head of marketing at Edgetech UK, Charlotte Davies, reports: “With such good performance available from double glazed units, it was argued that an extra pane of glass wouldn’t necessarily be an improvement.

“However, since TGQ we have seen instances where the additional thermal efficiency from triple glazing is the better option, such as in super insulated buildings, where there are significant gains to be made by choosing U-Values of 0.8 W/m2K — easily achievable with triple glazing. Plus, the massive increase recently in sales of bi-folds and sliding doors, means that there’s a lot more demand for big units. Some of these can greatly benefit from using triple glazing also as with such vast expanses of glass it can make a real difference to the comfort levels in a room.”

It was confirmed at TGQ that the centre pane should be toughened because it can become very hot within triple units, especially if they are fitted in a building in the full glare of the sun. But the elevated temperature can have other ramifications too, as Charlotte explains: “The temperature within triple units can easily exceed the maximum required of volatile fog tests in current European standards. This means there is a risk of fog appearing within units from spacers, which are not compliant to higher international standards, giving off volatiles when overheated. This isn’t a problem for Super Spacer as it is installed in units from Alaska to Dubai and tested successfully from -15 to 125°C, so you can be sure it will perform in UK triple glazing.”

Other advances since TGQ include developments in automated IGU manufacturing and the addition of profile options to accommodate triple glazed units by most window systems companies.

Charlotte continued: “Machinery advancements have made it possible for complete and ready to handle triple glazed units to be manufactured in just 30 seconds using Super Spacer. Automatic reel changers have been added which virtually eliminate machinery downtime.

“Aesthetics are taken care of automatically too. Whereas rigid spacers are often lined up manually, Super Spacer is applied by referencing the edge of the glass. The two spacers line up perfectly so units made with Super Spacer always look symmetrical. Plus Super Spacer’s acrylic side adhesive means there’s no need to apply a PIB primary seal, removing risk of smearing inside the unit.”

Charlotte added: “Three years on we can see increased production of triple glazing and we know that there’s now manufacturing capability in the market for high performance triple units without compromising productivity or aesthetics. There’s not been a switch over from double to triple – but the trend continues to grow, especially where high levels of performance and energy efficiency are paramount.”

www.edgetechig.co.uk

The post Edgetech revisits the Triple Glazing Question… appeared first on Glass & Glazing Products Magazine (GGP).