Elegant’s a tonic for former Horlicks factory
Deceuninck’s ultra-energy-efficient composite window system, Elegant, has been used in Slough’s new Horlicks Quarter, a Berkeley Homes’ residential development.
With thermal performance, aesthetics and sustainability said to be key considerations for commercial projects, Berkeley Homes specified 773 tilt-and-turn windows in Deceuninck’s Elegant 76mm system for ‘Building J’ of the development.
Manufactured by Lincoln-based Deceuninck fabricator, Sternfenster, the windows also feature Decoroc, Deceuninck’s patented colour coating system for PVC-U products.
“Sustainability, embodied carbon, end of life considerations and recycled content all affect choice when procuring windows for commercial projects like the Horlicks Quarter,” said Nick Page-Smith, operations director, Berkeley Homes.
“The aesthetic look of a window and its relationship to the building fabric, as well as its acoustic performance are also important factors,” he adds.
“We were looking for alternatives to our current supplier and Deceuninck stood out as a composite window manufacturer who gave us flexibility, design variation, and allowed us to build at a higher level with a composite window.
“The strength of Elegant, with regards to high-rise and the composite elements of it, including reinforcement, allowed us to select that window for a high-rise building,” continued Nick.
Achieving U-values as low as 0.7W/m2K, the Elegant system exceeds current building regulations to future-proof commercial projects.
Developed specifically for the commercial sector, Elegant is also said to require less energy to recycle at end of life, reducing CO2 emissions.
Featuring a ThermoFibra glass fibre reinforced sash, Elegant can be combined with Forthex, Deceuninck’s extruded insulated thermal reinforcement. This negates the need for traditional steel reinforcement, due to the use of embedded steel wires in a low-density insulating foam core. The result is a window 30% more thermally efficient than a steel-reinforced window, but just as strong.
With slim sightlines and contemporary minimalist features, Elegant is designed to create a strong architectural aesthetic which replicates aluminium in an advanced, low maintenance and energy efficient, composite system.
This is achieved with Deceuninck’s durable Decoroc foil, which creates the appearance of powder-coated aluminium. A popular choice in commercial applications, Decoroc is cost-effective, scratch and impact-resistant, easy-to-clean, and available in wide range of colours.
“With regards to supply and high-rise buildings, fluidity of delivery with specification is important,” continued Nick. “All of our concerns surrounding this aspect were met via Sternfenster and Deceunick. Just in time scheduling has allowed us to plan accordingly, reducing the amount of material on site and minimising disruption.
“I think it’s important, with the Building Safety Act and the Golden Thread, to have interface with the manufacturer, as we have done with Sternfenster and Deceuninck.
“They’re on site to check what’s been installed, make sure the quality is up to scratch and to see it through to the end.”
