Clearview National April 2020 - Issue 221 | Page 26

DOORS&WINDOWS
Installer set to make
big splash in 2020
A Glazerite and VEKA installer is starting the new
decade on a high by celebrating phenomenal growth,
just under three years after the company was founded.
» TO DATE, MANCHESTER-BASED
Arctic Seal MCR Ltd has fitted over 6,500
windows all over the UK, and business is
showing no signs of slowing down. Set up
in 2017 by husband and wife team Shahzad
and Hafsa Ashraf, Arctic Seal specialises in
window and door installations for property
developers, including the conversion of office
blocks into apartments and houses.
Over the next few months the installer has
several largescale installs planned, including
a 400 frame Tilt & Turn renovation in
Worthing, East Sussex, and their first foray
into the new build market.
Shahzad credits much of Arctic Seal’s
success to ‘good suppliers, quality products
and industry knowledge’, explaining: “We
work together with our fabricator, the
Glazerite UK Group, and systems supplier,
VEKA, to ensure our installs are of the
highest quality. Both Glazerite and VEKA
help us to meet the correct specifications and
have provided assistance on wind loads and
commercial couplings on all of our projects.
“We also work hard to build lasting
relationships with our customers, allowing
us to focus on the needs and particular
challenges they face. As an installer, we
are flexible enough to meet the demands
of the market, whether that is the rise in
26 » A PR 2020 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
popularity of Anthracite Grey, or fitting
in with like-for-like styling at the request
of local councils. Our commitment to the
property development market in particular
has resulted in us winning more and more
business.”
Managing Director Shahzad followed his
father into the fenestration business and
has years of fitting and project management
expertise, including large-scale, demanding
installs. One such job, their biggest to
date, was the £6 million makeover of the
old Great Universal Stores building in
Manchester, where Arctic Seal installed 1300
VEKA M70 windows over a nine month
period. The 260,000 sq. ft building has been
completely transformed thanks to cladding
and the installation of structurally coupled
VEKA M70 windows in Anthracite Grey,
giving it the modern look Manchester City
Council wanted, especially given it’s the first
office block people see as they arrive by train
into Manchester’s Piccadilly station.
All of the glazing is grey tinted, and the
ground floor windows meet the Secured
by Design accreditation. Now housing a
number of blue-chip companies, Universal
Square includes five interlinked buildings
around a courtyard, as well as a restaurant,
car parking facilities and a fitness centre.
Many of Arctic Seal’s installs involve
specialist glazing applications or are
challenging in nature. A recent project in
Coventry saw the installer replace critall steel
windows with 370 VEKA M70 white frames
in keeping with the style of the original
building. As the windows were larger, VEKA
structural couplers were used to provide the
required strength.
Another recent project saw the conversion
of a town centre office block in Swindon,
Wiltshire, into apartments. Arctic Seal
installed 450 VEKA M70 grey on white
casements, replacing the original aluminium
frames. The install also included the use of
acoustic glass for noise reduction and Lacobel,
the clear float glass covered on one side by
high-quality paint, which was used instead of
plastic panels to give a more contemporary
appearance. Due to the continuous run of
frames VEKA coupler was used and provided
expansion allowance.
Shahzad says: “As an installer, we work hard
to fulfil non-standard jobs, for example the use
of standard frames with different levels of glass
specification, whether that’s for soundproofing
or dependent on elevation.”
Glazerite Sales Manager, Peter Smith, says:
“We first met Shahzad and Hafsa at the Fit
Show in 2016, and when they set up Arctic
Seal we were delighted to join them as their
main fabricator. We’ve developed a great
working relationship and we’re able to support
Arctic Seal with deliveries tailored to meet
their needs, wherever in the UK their install
is taking place. What they’ve achieved in just
three years is phenomenal, and we’re looking
forward to continuing to support Arctic Seal
going forward.”