Reynaers is ready for the challenges ahead

Richard Hall, managing director of Reynaers Aluminium, looks at the challenges, trends and changes expected for the fenestration industry in 2025.

While there is no doubt the past couple of years have been tough for the construction industry, growth is being tentatively forecast across trade and retail and commercial sectors for 2025.

With the latest Glenigan Report predicting an average of 8% rise in project starts, this could see confidence return and, in turn, renewed investment in commercial and residential markets, which would be welcome news.

However, caution remains with mixed messages around exactly what economic outlook to expect. Homeowners are still feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis and the Construction Products Association has predicted growth will be slower than initially anticipated.

A complex landscape remains in terms of navigating new and updated legislation with the introduction of the Building Safety Act, and question marks remaining over Part L, F and O of the Building Regulations, which has been exacerbated by general political uncertainty.

Furthermore, project starts have been impacted by delays at the new gateway 2. There are new protocols and procedures to follow with various reasons why projects aren’t swiftly making their way through.

Despite the economic challenges the industry has faced, this is a time when companies that have continued to invest in systems and products to help meet the need for best practice in safety, performance and sustainability will be well placed to move forwards.

In addition, the need to demonstrate – and action – a commitment to sustainability to support the global pledge to meet Net Zero will need a rigorous approach, with a magnifying glass being put against ESG policies to ensure this is supported throughout the supply chain as contractors look to document their own environmental credentials.

Building Safety Act

Demonstrating the ability to support the golden thread and to meet the requirements of the Building Safety Act will be non-negotiable in the coming years, and this move to put building safety front and centre is to be embraced.

While short term delays, and a residual level of confusion of how this will work in practice currently remain, comprehensive performance testing, expert technical support and accessible data will be vital to supporting the industry through the changes.

Reynaers Aluminium has invested heavily in the past few years into creating tailor-made systems that deliver up-to-date sustainability and performance data that moves with the product to provide lifetime access, with product passports now accessible via Reynaers’ bespoke DigiTrace system. These cover the materials used, end of life/ recycling information, performance data, and installation requirements – along with the capacity to demonstrate competent installation by uploading images to support the golden thread.

As a manufacturer, Reynaers believes it is the company’s role to support its stakeholders in being best placed to meet legislative requirements – and to provide the reassurances installers, fabricators and the wider construction industry need when working with systems.

Changes to Part L have long been mooted for 2025, however, with the year already underway there is no clear outline as to what changes the industry can expect to see to support changes to lower carbon emissions in the built environment. While a consultation has taken place into the Future Homes Standard, the industry still awaits the response – with the change of Government possibly being a catalyst for further change.

Supporting a sustainable future

Reynaers has taken a keen interest in impending legislation to support a better environmental future and has adopted sustainability as a key pillar of its strategy. New Reynaers products and innovations in both the commercial and residential sector, such as MasterLine 8 and 10, have built-in low U-values for better thermal efficiency, with a comprehensive offering across all product ranges that can meet the current Part L values, in addition to a number of products that provide Passive House performance levels.

Reynaers believes strongly in creating products that are future ready – and displaying a continual commitment to best practice. Whether U-values remain at the 2022 requirement or move towards 0.8 W/m2K, Reynaers is in a position to support its customers and the demands of both the residential and commercial industries.

While a huge amount of work has been done to support a more sustainable way of working here at Reynaers, and in creating systems that support sustainable building design, the company is aware that there is still more that needs to be done.

Sustainability will continue to dominate the agenda in both terms of digital innovations and in the design of products that optimise performance by minimising energy emissions and maximising recycled content and circularity.

Reynaers started 2024 with an award from the UN recognising its commitment to sustainability and has also had its targets verified by the SBTi – and meeting these will remain a key focus, including looking at our own supply chain to tackle scope 3 emissions and seeking to further lower embodied carbon.

Retrofit

Within the demand for a sustainable economy, retrofit projects – and the specialist approach/ products that are needed to make these transformations successful – will be a major industry focus. Bringing buildings into line with new environmental requirements, enabling change of use and optimising grey and brown field sites will see a shift in thinking where reclaiming becomes a priority.

Building a simplicity into systems to support this will be important to the industry as the demands of retrofit can differ to new build. Reynaers, for example, manufactures the SlimLine 68 window that has been designed specifically to make it easy to use in like-for-like replacements through its 68mm frame, which meets many standard designs.

In looking at both cost and carbon efficiencies in construction, a compelling case remains for modular and volumetric construction. And while the UK has been cautious of adopting this approach, the results already speak for themselves with projects such as the College Road Croydon Tower estimating a 40-50% cut in carbon emissions compared to traditional construction thanks to offsite methods.

The market has demonstrated the demand for volumetric efficiency, and with the pace of construction being a notable option to help meet Government targets, there may be increased interest in exploring this option.

New products

For Reynaers, this year we aim to share even more innovative systems with the commercial and residential markets to build on the investment of recent years. Building on the launch of the Vision 7 Thermal Commercial Door along with key digital systems including DigiTrace, Docu Portal and our hardware configurator.

In 2025 we plan to introduce new systems, as well as to continue to enhance our current products and hardware to expand the number and type of project applications and sectors they can be applied to.

While 2025 may still be a time for cautious optimism, Reynaers is well placed to help its customers navigate any challenges that lie ahead.