Timber grain effect accepted by Conservation Officers

Timber effect secondary glazing As part of an energy conservation project, councils have been tasked with improving the thermal efficiency of their buildings. Therefore; Selectaglaze was approached by a Grade II Listed Town Hall to provide a solution for single glazed, thermally inefficient large timber windows. Due to its Listed status, it requires that all structural changes must be fully reversible.   This historic building boasts many wood panelled rooms, with the panelling created from a variety of different woods, with the highly unusual installation of Australian Bean Tree in the Committee Room.   After consultation with the Conservation Officer, the project managers at the Town Hall were informed that timber framed secondary glazing would be required. The specification proved hard to procure, with many of the companies who were approached unable to accommodate the specific requirements for the project.     After the unsuccessful attempts of obtaining timber secondary glazing units, the original specification was amended. As with many other companies, Selectaglaze secondary glazing is made from extruded aluminium sections. As soon as the Technical Advisor from Selectaglaze heard of the change in the requirements, he immediately arranged a meeting with the client to propose a new solution.   Prior to the meeting he secured a sample of a secondary glazed unit finished with a wood grain effect. He arrived early on the day to place the unit into one of the reveals to be treated in the room where the meeting was being held. The meeting took place and he suggested the solution of secondary glazing with a wood grain effect finish, which was not well received by the conservation officer. The technical advisor drew the meetings attention to the sample window he had placed in the window and all were amazed that it was in fact produced from aluminium.    Following the demonstration of how well the unit blends into the original surrounds, the conservation officer immediately agreed to the use of aluminium as part of the solution for energy conservation throughout the Town Hall.   As the woods used vary from room to room and the effect of light over the decades has added to the variation in their colour, the final hue and tonal values for the grain effect is yet to be decided. It has been concluded that the chosen colour for the secondary glazing, will be that of a shade in the mid- tonal - range of all the existing openings. It is envisaged that any differences will be minimal and will give the appearance of a continuous timber effect throughout. The next challenge to be addressed is the design and installation of the timber grounds. Many of the reveals are not square and will require extra care, with scribing around existing features.

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