INDUSTRY NEWS the surface to naturally oxidise to form a protective finish .”
The Estates Department undertook cleaning twice a year and only serviced any of the windows if a piece of glass broke and needed replacing . The hardware was all original and had been designed with brass bushes for a good life expectancy . The aluminium casement windows and window furniture were supplied in 1938 by James Gibbons Limited of Wolverhampton .
After a detailed inspection the windows were found to have been anodised to between five and 10 microns in thickness and it was decided that the original
windows would be left in place and chemically cleaned to preserve them for many further decades of use .
The New University Library has an interesting history , it was commandeered by Navy Intelligence shortly after completion and much of the D-Day photography was processed and reviewed in the building . The building also became a repository for all of the work being carried out at the time in WW2 code-breaking . In 1946 the building was eventually handed back to the University and was opened by H . M . King George VI , on October 24th . Giles Gilbert Scott , the architect , is also remembered for his design of the recently refurbished Battersea Power Station and the famous British red K2 telephone box , amongst many other British landmarks .
In 2009 the Empire State Building in New York completed a building wide refurbishment programme of its 6,514 windows . Rather than replace the windows with new , estimated to cost $ 2,500 each , each window was to be removed and refurbished at a cost of $ 700 . Not only was the aluminium refurbished , but the glass was reused forming triple glazed units . The refurbishment took place within a dedicated centre within the building and was conducted overnight over seven months with any disturbance to tenants .
Up to date and completed in 2023 , The Forge in London aspires to be the first commercial building constructed and operated in line with the UKGBC ’ s net zero definition and energy reduction targets . It comprises two new office buildings and a public courtyard . Located in Sumner Street , The Forge is a Landsec office development located just behind Tate Modern in London and is one of the most innovative construction sites in London , pioneering several new construction methods fit for the decades ahead .
Breaking new ground , the project is the world ’ s first large-scale office scheme to be built using a standardised “ kit of parts ”, in an approach known as ‘ platform design for manufacture and assembly ’ ( P-DfMA ), which applies the advances made in the manufacturing industry to construction . Finished in a bronze anodised finish the external facade consists of unitised modules which can be removed and reused in the future .
www . c-a-b . org . uk
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM JANUARY 2024
15