When the British
Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) decided to expand its Gloucester
headquarters, they opted for a refurbishment and extension scheme which would
give them a spacious, modern and professional building to help deliver the
Association’s ambitions for the future.
To seamlessly link
the original 1990s structure with the modern extension, the contractor on the
project – Lancer Scott – advised on the installation of REHAU’s GENEO ALU Top
windows to replace the existing aluminium profiles and complete the scheme’s contemporary
aesthetics.
The British Small
Animal Veterinary Association was founded more than 60 years ago as a
professional body to promote excellence in small animal practice through
education and science. The Association provides training, CPD and resources to
a membership of more than 10,000 veterinary surgeons and nurses in the UK and
organises conferences, seminars and events both here and abroad.
With a growing
membership base and an increased focus on its training provision, the
Association needed more space at its headquarters in Gloucester. It was also
keen to create a more professional image which would better reflect the
high-quality services it offered to members, so the decision was made to extend
the existing building in 2017.
Under the £2m
extension and refurbishment plans, the BSAVA’s building – built in 1999 – would
be extended at both ends, reroofed and would include an impressive curtain wall
to give visitors a wow factor, as well as letting in lots of natural daylight.
The project was forecast for a 42-week build programme, starting in August 2017
and finished in the summer of 2018.
In the initial
proposals, the BSAVA’s original aluminium windows were to be resprayed to fit
in with the new aesthetics of the building, but contractor Lancer Scott had
seen the GENEO ALU Top windows from REHAU and decided to table it as an
alternative which would tie the old and new elements of the building together
as one.
Ellis Diver,
Quantity Surveyor at Lancer Scott, said: “The plans for the existing windows
was to respray them, as they were blue aluminium frames – a very typical look
for windows installed in the late 1990s but by modern standards they looked
pretty dated. The windows were certainly past their best and it seemed a missed
opportunity not to update them during the refurbishment and extension project
if the budget would allow it.
“So when we spoke to
Abbey Glass about the glazing products required for the scheme, we talked to
them about the aluminium frame windows and they suggested the GENEO ALU Top
profile to us and we thought this was something the client might consider to
complete the redesign of their headquarters.”
GENEO windows are
REHAU’s most thermally efficient window profiles. Manufactured from RAU-FIPRO,
a unique high-tech composite material, the profiles are certified by the
Passivhaus Institute and awarded the highest thermal performance standard in
the world with a U value of up to 0.73 W/m²K. Its additional selling points
include an innovative triple glazing design that delivers on sound insulation
(up to class 5) and guarantees the windows are break-in resistant to RC 3/RC 2
without steel.
To appeal to the
aluminium market, the high spec GENEO windows can be coupled with ALU Top, an
aluminium front panel which can be neatly affixed to the front of the PVC-U
frame. The ALU Top Window Profiles are available in over 170 RAL colours, which
are both robust and weather-resistant, for a finish to meet almost any design
requirements.
Will continued: “We
had a portacabin on site for our team, and we had built up a great rapport with
the client and the project team. So we approached them informally about the
windows, and with a healthy contingency budget in place, they were happy to take
our recommendation and replace the windows as part of the build programme.”
In total 46 GENEO
windows with anthracite grey ALU Top Window Profiles were fitted in the BSAVA
building. Because the GENEO windows are PVC-U, they are more cost-effective to
buy than aluminium frames and should the client decide to update the look of the
building in years to come, the ALU Top window profiles can simply be replaced
with a new colour or design without having to replace the windows again. The
GENEO windows are also more efficient than aluminium windows, so will save the
client money on their energy costs too.
Will concluded: “The
new windows really bring together the old and new elements of the building and
give it a seamless contemporary finish which has really impressed the BSAVA.
The staff really like the new windows too as the previous ones were only top opening
but the new ones are Tilt and Turn, allowing them to easily let in as much or
as little fresh air into their work or training spaces as needed.”
Steve
Tonkiss, Commercial Manager at REHAU Windows Division said: “It’s amazing the
difference a simple change of windows can make to a building. By switching to REHAU GENEO Alu Top Windows, the
BSAVA has not only secured a better performance window but from a purely
aesthetic point of view, thanks to the ALU Top, they haven’t compromised on the
finish they had envisioned for their new headquarters either.”
