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REHAU Products Deliver Improved Thermal Efficiency
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Specialist installer SEH Commercial has completed its first major installation using the REHAU Polytec 50 aluminium clad curtain walling system.
The Suffolk based company has successfully installed a 20m high replacement curtain walling section across the common stairwell area in the high profile eight storey, 1960s Greenlaw Court apartment block in Ealing, West London.
Successfully tested to the tough CWCT standards for weather performance and Passivhaus certified and approved, the REHAU Polytec aluminium clad curtain walling matches the aesthetics of the steel curtain walling which was in place previously, but offers much improved thermal performance and minimal requirements for maintenance.
REHAU Polytec 50, which uses a conventional transom/mullion construction with box steel stick sections faced internally with PVC profile and externally with aluminium, was specified by Cooley Architects. SEH and REHAU’s commercial sales manager Kevin O’Neill worked closely with architect Gebina Ham, director at Cooley Architects, on the specification and recommended REHAU Polytec 50 because it could meet both the planning department’s requirement for slim sight lines and the residents association’s requirement for cost effectiveness.
Alongside the curtain walling, SEH also installed more than 130 windows in the 34 apartments in the Greenlaw Court block fabricated in the flush fitting REHAU TOTAL70R fully reversible window system. These replaced the original steel windows from the 1960s, replicating the overall appearance and opening options but offering the block’s residents improved thermal performance, better acoustics and greater security.
The curtain walling, windows and 32 balcony doors in a REHAU TOTAL70 outer frame were all fabricated by leading REHAU fabricator Climatec, based in Southend.
The window, door and curtain walling replacement at Greenlaw Court was part of a much larger refurbishment project managed entirely by SEH which also included concrete repairs, asbestos removal, electrical and service alterations and building decoration.
The feedback from the Residents Association has been very positive, not just on the performance of SEH during the refurbishment programme but also on the fact that the building is now much more air tight, with lower traffic noise and improved thermal efficiency.
