By offering some of the lowest U-values available, the innovative PURe® aluminium window system from Senior Architectural Systems has helped main contractor Bowmer and Kirkland (B&K) make significant cost savings on the construction of numerous schools across the UK.
After being successfully trialled at the Carlyle Primary School in Derby in 2016, Senior’s patented thermally-enhanced PURe® aluminium windows have been found to provide up to a 35% improvement in U-values thanks to the use of a thermal barrier manufactured from expanded polyurethane foam (PUR). Senior’s innovative window solution has gone on to be widely specified by B&K as part of the company’s delivery of the Education Funding Agency (EFA)’s framework contracts.
James Vaux-Anderson, B&K’s EFA framework delivery director explains: “As an existing preferred supplier to B&K, we were interested in putting the new PURe® system to the test on the Carlyle Primary School in Derby and we were really pleased with the results. Over the last two years we have gone on to use the system on larger, more complex contracts and have seen numerous benefits, from reducing U-values, increasing design flexibility and most importantly, tangible cost savings. Senior’s PURe® system meets all the requirements of the education sector and we’ve found that it significantly outperforms other aluminium windows on the market.”
To date, Senior’s PURe® aluminium windows have been specified by B&K for use on over 30 educational framework contracts across the UK, with two recently completed projects in London highlighting the system’s aesthetic and performance benefits.
At the Kingsley Academy in Hounslow, the use of Senior’s thermally enhanced window solution is estimated to have helped contribute to major cost savings to the overall build by reducing the reliance on gas central heating. As well as improving the overall carbon calculations of the large scale 5-storey scheme, the specification of Senior’s ultra-efficient PURe® window system has also increased the design flexibility by enabling radiators to be moved away from their conventional positioning near the windows. The scheme’s glazing package was delivered by Senior’s established supply chain partner Dortech Architectural Systems Ltd.
The aesthetic appeal of Senior’s PURe® windows combined with their ability to achieve lower than average U-values also made them the ideal choice for use at one of B&K’s most challenging contracts at Brixton Hill Campus in Lambeth. Comprising three separate colleges, the new five-storey campus at Brixton Hill in Lambeth was subject to strict planning requirements owing to its close proximity to the neighbouring Grade II Corpus Christi Church. Designed by Jestico + Whiles to complement the aesthetics of the local architecture and meet the performance demands of a modern educational facility, the new-build campus features the extensive use of Senior’s PURe® aluminium windows, installed by MB Glass Ltd.
Take a look at our full interview with B&K’s EFA framework delivery director James Vaux-Anderson here.
For more information about Senior, visit www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk or search for Senior Architectural Systems on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
