New windows retain character and improve U-values

Following a successful bid to the Education and Skills Funding Agency Condition Improvement Fund, a prestigious grammar school is reaping the aesthetic and practical benefits of VEKA’s Matrix 70 windows, which have been installed throughout the 85-year-old building.

The windows are PAS 24 and Secured by Design compliant and able to achieve U-values as low as 0.8 – combining security and thermal comfort, with pleasing aesthetics.

When Wirral Grammar School for Boys needed to modernise the windows on the main school building, which was built in 1931, they were faced with the task of finding windows to suit the architecture, as well as help to standardise the temperature throughout the school and classrooms.

VEKA stepped up to the challenge, working with the architect and surveyor Arcadis to specify over 200 windows, which were then fabricated by Glazerite UK Group.

Liam Bird, from K2 Aluminium Systems, who supplied and installed the windows said: “Some of the classrooms throughout the school had a problem with both solar gain and glare bouncing off the whiteboards, as such a blue tint was specified for the glazing.

"The difference was immediately noticeable; the rooms no longer overheated and the natural light is more subdued – allowing students to view the whiteboard with ease.

“The thermal performance of the windows has also been significantly improved, benefitting both the students and the teachers, who have already commented on how much more comfortable they feel in their surroundings.”

VEKA’s Matrix 70 windows, manufactured from PVC-U, helped to keep the design as close as possible to the original Georgian bar windows, while improving heat retention. The windows now also push out, instead of inwards as they did previously, allowing for improved ventilation throughout the rooms of the school.

Eddie Riley, Director of Finance & Resources at Wirral Grammar School for Boys, commented: “During our recent open evenings for prospective students and their parents, many favourable comments were received with regard to the improved visual impact of the school and that the windows have really enhanced the environment.

“The problem of glare in classrooms and particularly on the smartboards, together with extremes in temperature have been resolved with students and staff enjoying a much improved learning environment. Overall, we are delighted with the final result!”