Why specify that?

A. Because cool curves are in

Travellers passing through the new St Helens Central Train Station might want to stop and take a look at the station’s refurbishment, which features a facade using Pilkington’s Planar glazing system.

Designed by SBS Architects and project managed by Network Rail on behalf of Merseytravel, the scheme incorporates more than 400m2 of glazing, comprising 50% monolithic glass and 50% single-glazed laminate.

The complex shape and geometry of the steelwork required a tailored fitting solution from Pilkington. The vertical gable ends are supported by 19mm-thick toughened glass fins cantilevering down from the steelwork at the head of the building structure.

SBS Architects’ Andy Leaver explained why he chose Pilkington’s solution: ‘The company is based in St Helens so we were pleased to be able to specify local products. The system also allows glass to be connected to form various different shapes, making it technically feasible to achieve the curved glass look we wanted.’

www.pilkington.co.uk

B. Because it's weather resistant

Built in a marine environment where weather and corrosion posed significant problems, Plymouth University’s £36m Roland Levinsky arts faculty building required a robust glazing solution.

Executive architect Building Design Partnership (BDP) considered several options before subcontractor Dudley’s Architectural Aluminium proposed Kawneer’s AA100 curtain walling to glaze the north and south facades. The curtain walling is one of three principle envelope materials, with slate being used on the south facade at street level.

Kawneer’s AA100 rooflights also perforate the roof to illuminate a four-storey atrium at the heart of the building, while AA600 windows were installed to puncture the vertical planes and 190 narrow-style doors also feature.

Installing the curtain walling posed a number of challenges, confesses Dudley’s divisional director Bob Rice: ‘The building features many changes of direction, the shapes of the screens change too and not many were traditionally rectangular. The glass also had a complex fritting pattern and there were some photovoltaic panels.’

The glazing has helped the building achieve a ‘very good’ BREEAM rating.

www.kawneer.com

C. Because only the best will do

Founded in 1870, Edinburgh’s Fettes College has a long tradition of academic success. Past pupils include Tony Blair and Lord Woolf and the school achieved the top A-level results in Scotland and more entrants to Oxford and Cambridge universities than any other Scottish school in the past decade.

So when a major refurbishment and reconfiguration of dormitory accommodation was begun, the doors had to reflect the college’s rich history and quality.

Longden claims it was chosen to supply 28 doors for the second and third floors of the old college building because of its ‘talent for manufacturing high-quality, bespoke, solid timber doors’.

Longden has supplied doors from its Sheraton range, which were manufactured to match existing doors and are a mix of primed six-panel with bed mould both sides and six-panel with bolection mould both sides in stained Douglas Fir. Longden worked on the project with main contractor Thomas and Adamson and G Sharkey & Sons of Edinburgh, having previously supplied doors for Royal Bank of Scotland in St Andrew Square and The Mound in Edinburgh.

www.longdendoors.co.uk

D. Becasue it's minimalist

When AD Architects designed the Centre for Health Related Research at the University of Hertfordshire, Velfac glazing helped it achieve the Scandinavian look the client was after.

‘The building houses advanced medical learning tools, including a fully functioning replica hospital. It had to be both aesthetically impressive and highly practical,’ explains architect Steve Allen. ‘The dean of the faculty, a Finn, wanted a minimalist Scandinavian design and Velfac’s windows offered clean, uninterrupted sightlines for that minimalist feel.’

The glazing also had to comply with challenging performance criteria: ‘Velfac met the low maintenance requirements of the project,’ says Allen. ‘We wanted to spend the client’s money on reliable moving parts – cheaper windows are a false economy because they require more maintenance.’

www.velfac.co.uk

E. Because beauty's in the detail

When Caerphilly Borough Council’s architectural department was specifying for a new primary school in south Wales, it knew the complex facade detailing could pose a problem.

Formed from the merger of two schools onto one site, the building features a curved front entrance with a faceted full-height glass facade. The distinctive convex shape is also angled at its apex to accommodate the double slope of the roof.

Discussions between the authority’s project officer Fred Lewis, fabricator White Brothers & Speed and main contractor Midas Construction led to the conclusion that Schüco International’s FW 50+ facade system could cope with the complex detailing.

The building envelope specialist also supplied its highly-insulated Schüco RS 65 system for all the main doors and windows, while high-level windows were created using Schüco RS 50. After a 12-month build the installation was completed on time and on budget, much to the delight of staff and pupils.

www.schueco.co.uk