Sustainability-shire

Sapa’s Dualframe SI windows, STII thermally broken doors, and Elegance 52 curtain walling have been specified as part of the on-going £multi-million regeneration of Gloucestershire County Council’s headquarters in Gloucester – Shire Hall.

The performance of the Dualframe SI windows, produced from recycled aluminium, has helped to convert the site into one of the most energy efficient offices in England, the company said.

Quattro Design Architects was appointed by Gloucestershire County Council as the architectural practice on the project.

Mike Court, director at Quattro, said: “The Council was seeking a complete overhaul of the Shire Hall buildings with an emphasis on sustainability, performance and low maintenance. As well as creating a new exterior design, we incorporated photovoltaic solar panelling into the curtain walling system and sought to improve the thermal performance of all the buildings on site.”

To further reduce the environmental impact of the site, Sapa’s profiles were extruded from 100% recycled aluminium and therefore produced using up to 95% less energy than the primary production of aluminium. Recycled material used by Sapa can be traced back to both scrap metal from the production process and used material from products which have been removed or replaced. Shire Hall is one of the largest projects of its kind to use recycled aluminium for all major profiles.

Work is currently underway on the Shire Hall bridge block, with the whole site expected to reach completion early next year.