Conservatories & Extensions
NATURAL LIGHT INSTALLED FOR GRADE II * LISTED BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY
Whitesales has replaced the original timber rooflights in the Grade II * listed Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery with new bespoke aluminium rooflights , ready for the reopening of museum during 2024 .
Built in 1885 , the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has long housed treasures from the likes of Edward Burne-Jones , William Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti and has an unrivalled 2,000 piece Pre-Raphaelite collection . However , it closed in November 2022 for essential maintenance which has included electrical work , upgrading of the heating , lift replacement and roof repairs .
The new rooflights were a key element in the roof repairs , so the challenge for Whitesales was to supply and install high performance , energy efficient replacements for the timber originals which satisfied the constraints of the Grade II * listing and met the requirements of the City Council ’ s conservation office . The solution they developed included one bespoke Whitesales Monopitch 2610mm x 1260mm rooflight with vertical front face and sides set at 350mm and two bespoke lantern rooflights with sides set at 440mm and 450mm , all finished in an anthracite grey on the exterior and white on the interior and all CWCT TN92 Class 2 non-fragile to ensure the safety of anyone walking on the roof .
Whitesales worked closely with contractors ISG throughout the design and
specification process . They visited the site for a survey , attended design meetings and delivered a sample to the site so that everyone on the client team was happy with what was being supplied in terms of both performance and aesthetics . They also ensured that the rooflights were all fabricated and safely delivered to site in manageable-sized elements to take into account the fact that access in and around the city centre site was difficult .
Whitesales has a long standing relationship with ISG , based on the quality of the work carried out on previous projects . For ISG ’ s Trainee Construction Manager Ryan Linnecor , Whitesales impressed
with their knowledge and experience on heritage schemes . He commented : “ Whitesales had a clear understanding of the Grade II * listed scheme and the constraints that presented . They impressed us once again with their approach on how to undertake the work sympathetically and the finished installation is of a very high quality .”
The clients at the Museum have already commented on how the new rooflights are bringing new natural light into previously dull areas of the building , something which will be appreciated by visitors when the Museum and Gallery starts to reopen this year .
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46 FEBRUARY 2024 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM