DECEMBER 2018 | 19
News
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
PILKINGTON UK DELIVERS
GLASS CENTREPEICE IN
ALDI HQ MAKEOVER
St Helens based glass manufacturer Pilkington United Kingdom Limited,
part of the NSG Group, has helped to create a three-story structural glass
cube as part of a makeover and extension at Aldi’s UK headquarters.
Aldi’s £70m investment
in the site has added new
architectural features to
the building’s exterior and
created 14,000 sqm of new
space. Pilkington, working
with Stoas Architects and
Bennett Architectural, has
delivered the ‘glass cube’
and an external glazed can-
opy to form the entrance of
the building.
The installation creates a
welcoming environment for
the building’s visitors. It fea-
tures highly transparent glass
with a solar control coating,
which reduces the amount of
the sun’s energy that is able
to enter the building. This
helps to avoid excessive heat
build-up in the space and
helps to reduce the need for
air conditioning during warm
weather.
To create the appearance
of unsupported, almost en-
tirely transparent glass sur-
faces for the walls and roof,
the designer specified the
Pilkington Planar™ structur-
al glazing system, featuring
frameless double-glazed
units bolted to a supporting
steel frame.
Laminated glass is used
extensively in the project
in both the roof fins and
the roof glazing. The roof
fins consist of two sheets
of 12mm-thick glass with a
1.52mm SentryGlas® inter-
layer while the cube roof
glazing features laminated
glass as part of the dou-
ble-glazed units.
The glass used in the
project was heat soaked to
assure the client of the qual-
ity of the glass, and to min-
imise the risk of breakages
once installed. Heat soaking
is a process designed to
expose faults in glass prior
to installation.
While the roof fins are
single span of glass, the
height of the cube meant
two sections were need-
ed, and these are joined
together by stainless steel
spice plates. The fins them-
selves are then bolted into
the main structure of the
building using fin boxes, all
of which are part of the ex-
tensive range of engineered
components that make up
the Pilkington Planar™
system.
www.aldi.co.uk/awards
SUPPORT FOR INSTALLERS ON BIG
ALUMINIUM GLAZING PROJECTS
Epwin Window Systems
launches Integral
bifold website
Epwin Window Systems has
just launched the website for its
latest product, Integral bifolds.
Integral bifolds combine an
aluminium system with PVC-U de-
tailing. The result is an outstand-
ing, robust and reliable bifolding
door that has superior strength
and suites perfectly with the
leading PVC-U window systems.
The website, which is at www.
integralbifolds.co.uk, showcases
the brilliance of Epwin Window
Systems’ latest innovation.
The new website has a contempo-
rary design that showcases the stun-
ning aesthetics of Integral bifolds.
A gallery section, which is linked
from every page, acts as a source
of inspiration and highlights the as-
pirational lifestyle qualities a bifold
door delivers to the consumer.
There is a clear focus through-
out on engaging the user and
delivering more enquiries for
Epwin’s Integral customers. The
site uses the latest SEO techniques
to drive users to the site. There are
clear calls to action throughout
to encourage visitors to take the
next step and a newsletter sign
up function helps to drive future
marketing campaigns.
www.epwin.co.uk
AluFoldDirect’s new Alumin-
ium Glazing Projects service
offers installers essential support
for large aluminium glazing jobs.
Working with one expert contact
at AluFoldDirect, anyone involved
in domestic or commercial, new-
build construction or large-scale
refurbishment projects can get full
aluminium glazing project man-
agement support.
The service has been launched
to give installers the confidence to
connect with architects, specifi-
ers & developers, take on bigger
aluminium glazing jobs and grow
their business.
AluFoldDirect’s Aluminium Glaz-
ing Projects service follows the
whole job, from start to finish. It
includes initial discussions and ad-
vice around specification, creating
an achievable work schedule and
ensuring that surveys are accurate
to eradicate any mis-measure or
mis-fit errors.
The projects team then works
closely with AluFoldDirect’s lead-
ing production team to ensure that
any unique requirements for the
project are met. Prior to delivery,
the projects team can also identify
installation skills gaps and offer
hands-on training at the Alumini-
um Glazing Installer Academy.
When the project is ready for
aluminium glazing installation,
the Aluminium Glazing Projects
team will co-ordinate delivery to
site, with products arriving on
site, right first time, on time, every
time.