The City & Guilds Group helps people achieve their potential through work-based learning. Their purpose is the same today as it was in 1878 – to help people, organisations and economies develop their skills for growth. Granted a Royal Charter in 1900 by Queen Victoria, The Princess Royal is the Groups’ current President, who took over from her father The Duke of Edinburgh in 2011.
The City & Guilds Group have always worked closely with industry and adapted to changing technical, social and economic trends to anticipate and fill skills gaps. The earliest exams ranged from cotton and steel manufacture, to telegraphy and qualitative blowpipe analysis – all relevant qualifications in the 18th century!
The Grade II Listed head office is situated on the corner of Giltspur Street and Cock Lane in Smithfields – The City of London, with St Bartholomews Hospital directly opposite (another building which Selectaglaze has worked in). The area is steeped in history; the street used to be called ‘Knightriders Street’ due to the knight riding tournaments held there and you can find the ‘Golden Boy of Pye Corner’ on the outside of the Edwardian building. The shiny cherub is a symbol of gluttony, marking the spot where the Great Fire of London was extinguished. The inscription below reads:
“The boy at Pye Corner was erected to commemorate the staying of the Great Fire which beginning at Pudding Lane was ascribed to the sin of gluttony when not attributed to the papists as on the monument, and the Boy was made prodigiously fat to enforce the moral.”
Whitbread’s Premier Inn recently acquired a section of the City & Guilds Group’s Head Office and is currently constructing a brand new hotel right next door. With heavy plant machinery adjacent to offices, the noise pollution was rising and becoming increasingly disruptive. The primary double glazing did little to stop noise ingress, so the City & Guilds Group decided to install secondary glazing on one side of the building to help combat the nuisance and create a more conducive work environment for its employees.
The company approached Selectaglaze, the leading provider of secondary glazing, for a cost effective window upgrade to all floors of their Head Office which overlooked the building site. This was to ensure a more amenable working environment, thus achieving a high level of noise attenuation. Although noise reduction was the primary aim, City & Guilds Group also knew they would also improve thermal performance with the secondary glazing. Furthermore, secondary glazing is generally accepted for use in Listed Buildings, as it is a reversible adaptation.
To create the desired noise insulation, a cavity of at least 100mm is required between the primary and secondary glazing. The existing double glazing reduces outside noise by around 35dB which with the introduction of secondary glazing will improve the reduction to at least 45dB. There were blinds in all the windows, so it was suggested that they were re-hung between the primary and secondary glazing, so as not to reduce the possible cavity, keep the blinds clean and allow access to the primary windows for cleaning and maintenance. However, to create a seamless uniformed look internally, all the units were set back 10mm from the face of the wall.
After an in-depth technical discussion on the best treatment for all the openings, a total of 51 units were installed, a wide range of products were combined for the specification, including; Series 42 fixed lights, Series 45 and 41 casements, Series 10 and 15 horizontal sliding units, all designed to suit the existing fenestration.
All units were a matt grey finish which complemented the existing windows and the frames were glazed with 6.8mm laminate ‘A’ rated safety glass. They arrived on site fully assembled ready to be installed. All works were carried out outside of office hours to minimise staff disruption. In order to keep sightlines to a minimum, all skirtings were removed and refitted after the secondary glazing went in, making it look like a part of the original design concept
Employees at the City & Guilds Group have been very impressed with the level of sound attenuation received and it has made the working environment across all the office floors far more peaceful.
“We were very impressed with the installation and quality of the products supplied by Selectaglaze. There was little supervision required from our part, the workmanship was excellent and they left the site in an immaculate condition”.
Selectaglaze is the leading specialist in the design, manufacture and installation of secondary glazing; established in 1966 and a Royal Warrant Holder since 2004. It boasts a wealth of knowledge and a range of extensive products to suit all projects from Listed properties to new build hotels. The range has been tested and proven suitable to enhance thermal insulation, improve noise reduction and offers high levels of security. A free technical advisory service is available, as well as RIBA approved CPDs.
Selectaglaze will be presenting its BIID approved CPD “Designing Professional Secondary Glazing Solutions for Enhancing Thermal Performance, Acoustics and Security” at the BIID CPD Providers Showcase on Tuesday 20th March at the Chesterfield Hotel, Mayfair. All CPD seminars are presented by BIID approved providers.
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