At the heart of
Solihull sits The Exchange, formerly a telephone exchange the building was
constructed in the early 1970s and has recently been transformed into a
functional office space.
As part of the
refurbishment the building was in dire need of a new and modern redesign to
meet a high spec – not only did The Exchange need to look and feel like a
high-quality workspace it had to be easy to maintain and utilise long-lasting
and effective product solutions.
Window replacement
was central to the project and it was important the profile chosen would be
easy to install and had the quality and ease of maintenance required. The
Window Centre in Solihull were the chosen installers for the project and
decided REHAU’s popular TOTAL70 co-extruded profile windows seemed like the
perfect choice.
A total of 130 grey
on white TOTAL70 co-extruded windows were used as part of the refurbishment
project, with the project taking six weeks to finish from the team going onsite
to completion.
REHAU’s TOTAL70
co-extruded profile was launched last year and is believed to be the only
window profile in the market that uses up to 100% post-consumer/post industrial
waste in its core, therefore making it a completely unique product to be used
in refurbishment projects such as The Exchange.
Mark Jones,
Contracts Manager at The Window Centre, Solihull, said: “As a regular REHAU
installer and REHAU authorised partner, we appreciate the positive impacts the
TOTAL70 co-extruded profile brings to the industry in terms of recycling.
Installing REHAU products has always been a pleasure and this project was no
different; it is always a rewarding experience to give a building, such as The
Exchange, some revitalisation.
“Whilst this was an
enjoyable project, during the installation process we did encounter a few
challenges, as with most projects. Specifically, the original windows were
quite large units and in turn it was quite difficult to remove them. However,
we found a solution.
“But, when it came
to the physical installation of REHAU’s TOTAL70 co-extruded window this process
was one of ease. As we use these products regularly, installing them has become
the “norm” for The Window Centre. REHAU beads are always a positive fit whatever
the weather, even if we were installing in the dead of winter or the heat of
summer, we were quite sure that they would not crack or fail.”
The ease of
installation is a key point for REHAU installers, and this in turn positively
benefits the end customer, who will be reassured a high-quality product has
been installed and no time has been wasted.
Steve Tonkiss,
Commercial Manager at REHAU said: “With projects such as The Exchange, it is
always extremely fulfilling to see our REHAU products helping with the
rejuvenation of buildings. The TOTAL70 co-extruded profile is immensely popular
and was the ideal choice that fits in with the requirements of both the
end-customer and the installer. The product has a sleek and stylish finish and
we do not ever compromise on our ability to provide great quality and
ergonomically engineered windows for all clients.
“Our long-standing
relationship with The Window Centre has meant that REHAU is their first choice
in PVCu due to the quality and stability of the entire range. In fact, we have
already started on another large refurbishment project with Mark and his team
but this time in the South West and focused on housing for a local Housing
Association”.
REHAU’s TOTAL70
range comprises of a range of multi-chambered profiles designed to meet the
requirements of the new build, commercial and domestic refurbishment markets.
The products within this range achieve the British Standard BS7950 and PAS 24
security standards respectively. The products also achieve an A rating - the
highest possible Window Energy Rating (WER) for thermal efficiency.
Mark concluded:
“Being a premium window company, The Window Centre likes to work with premium
extrusions and REHAU has tested their windows to the very highest standards to
prove their worth and durability. We use the motto “Fit and Forget” and with
REHAU products we are able to execute this effectively.”
