A thirst for natural light
Soft drinks manufacturer, Radnor Hills, has used solutions from Howells Patent Glazing in a new, two-storey office at its Powys facility in Mid-Wales.
The new office was designed by local practice, Bryan Thomas Architectural Design, and includes a central atrium (rooflight). This allows for natural light to pour into the workspace below and is a feature of the standing-seam metal roof.
For the glazed roof Radnor sought advice from its building contractor. “Our builder recommended Howells Patent Glazing for the supply and fit of the atrium, and we were happy to go with their advice,” commented building manager at Radnor Hills, Wayne Priday.
“They [Howells] have been extremely good to deal with. They guided us on what we needed and recommended which glass and framework would best meet our requirements.”
Howells supplied an area of dual-pitched roof patent glazing built using its HG57 aluminium bar. The rooflight measures 9.29m long by 2.84m on each slope.
The aluminium bar is polyester powder coated in matt anthracite grey (RAL7016) on the exterior face and matt cream (RAL9001) internally. This finish is extremely durable and protects the metal from the elements.
The HG57 is a medium duty self-supporting glazing aluminium bar. It is the strongest bar in the Howells range, able to span the furthest and take the greatest load between bars. Visually, the aesthetic of the bar is clean; internally, there are no obstructions to the view of the bar.
The aluminium frame is glazed with 28mm double glazed units, comprising a 6mm toughened SunGuard SuperNeutral (SN) 70/35 glass outer pane, and a 6mm clear toughened inner, with a 16mm argon filled cavity with warm edge spacer.
The outer pane is a neutral blue glass which offers excellent solar protection while reducing the need for artificial light. Ideal for large, glazed windows SN 70/35 also provides outstanding thermal insulation. This is an essential consideration for the two-storey building – with soaring energy costs, energy efficiency was a key criterion of the specification. The rooflight achieves a 1.0 W/m2K U-value.