FIT SHOW 2016
OBSESSIVE ABOUT INNOVATION
»»As Masterframe confesses on its own
website, “We admit we’re a little obsessed!”
And when Clearview caught up with
Managing Director, Alan Burgess, at the
Company’s stand at The FIT Show in Telford,
last month, it became quickly apparent that
this obsession stemmed from a labour of
love, honing a very specific craftsmanship,
which has ultimately lead the business to
develop a niche market in a vast industry
to become a master in the art of creating a
truly authentic looking PVCu sash window. In
fact, Alan actually helped to create the UK’s
first dedicated PVCu box sash in 1984. So
naturally, Alan was very enthusiastic about
the products on the stand.
And rightly so. The Company continues
to deliver genuine design innovation with a
product that takes its appeal from looking
dated, not only pleasing planners but at the
same time giving the discerning customer
something new and market leading, with the
high performance of today’s standards.
Take the new dedicated mullion for
example. Although some sash window
manufacturers make single windows and
then couple them together, Masterframe
has always offered the windows on one
continuous cill. Coupled frames result
in a mullion in excess of 140mm wide
(225mm if you include the sashes). And
a planning stipulation, which ruled out all
other manufacturers in the market, lead to a
customer request for a window to resemble
coupled frames but with mullions of around
100mm.
“Our small team of designers, led by Ray
Rabett, soon established that PVCu would
not be a viable option, as the Eiy would
not be strong enough to satisfy the design
wind loading and overall performance of
the product,” Alan explained. “But, using
a specialist supplier in Europe, a prototype
butt jointed mullion was built and tested for
adherence of the wood foil.”
“As the mullion is screwed together,
not welded, it provides the added benefit
of being butt jointed, just as the timber
originals were, and the staff bead detail
“picture frames” the sashes perfectly to
mimic the same detail found on timber
originals,” says Alan.
The new mullion significantly improves
the aesthetics, doing away with two
frames coupled and is far less bulky, a
regular complaint of coupled windows,
reducing sightlines by 33% (just 99mm).
It also allows more light into the building,
providing more free solar energy gain
and in turn enhances the comfort of the
inhabitants, something customers that
have since specified the window for their
projects are in full appreciation of.
What’s more, the sashes are not limited
to fixed sashes, both sides are able to
operate normally, each can slide and tilt,
giving added functionality not previously
achievable.
But Alan’s obsession really comes in to
play when you notice the nylon inserts in
the latches. These improve the performance
and longevity of the latch function and it’s
this kind of attention to detail that allows
Masterframe products to command a
premium price, something that Alan doesn’t
shy away from. “We’re not cheap. Indeed,
we’d go so far as to say we’re considerably
more expensive than other sash window
producers. But that’s because we include
more.
“People buying sash windows for their
homes tend to consider aesthetics first,
not price. Therefore if you have the most
authentic sash window, packed full of
finer details which recreate the look and
feel of original sash windows and retain
the character of their home, then trade
customers find it easier to demand a
premium and are happy to pay ‘above the
norm’ for the extra enhanced quality they
get from Masterframe,” he explains.
A great example of this on the stand
at The FIT Show, and something that
particularly caught the eye of Clearview,
was the London Sash. Finished with
beautiful pewter and porcelain furniture,
the London sash has been fitted with a trim
on hinges, allowing the window to be able
to tilt. Plastic inserts have also been used
so that the sash is square in appearance
on the inside but appears arched from the
outside, making it ideal for replacement
work that meets planning stipulations
to retain the original character of the
property.
www.masterframe.co.uk
MAY 2 0 1 6 5 9