Old Court is the original building for Queens College, dating back to 1448 and founded by Margaret of Anjou wife of Henry VI. Queens’ College is a contemporary of King’s College founded by her husband a few years earlier.
Full of character, this Grade I Listed building is considered to be of significant historical importance; something which requires careful consideration when making any upgrades or changes.
Warm and peaceful interior
The original dormer windows look fantastic, timber mullions, iron casements and leaded lights all framed by oak roof timbers. They are however, single glazed and poorly insulated for heat retention and sound attenuation. Selectaglaze was asked to review the openings to see if secondary glazing could be installed to improve performance.
The treatment proved particularly challenging, each and every opening is different; restrictions from beams and rafters, reveals out of plumb and true, sills and soffits out of level. Such openings require particular attention to the timber grounds to provide a square and true structure into which the secondary glazing can be fitted. Following a careful survey, shaped and scribed timber grounds were produced for every opening before final adjustment and finishing on site before fixing.
As it is such a sensitive building, a full sample was manufactured and installed for inspection by the County Conservation Officer. Colour matched in matt cream and blending seamlessly with the existing sightlines the unit met all the requirements, providing an improvement in thermal insulation by halving the heat loss and increasing the noise insulation to over 40dB.
The solution was accepted by the Conservation Officer and permission was granted to treat all the dormer windows within the ancient library and student rooms. The programme for survey, manufacture and installation was agreed with the facilities manager to ensure minimal disruption for academic staff and students and the process of survey, manufacture and installation begun.
Now when you go into the building you are struck by how warm, comfortable and quiet it is, improving student life, reducing energy use and preserving our heritage for years to come. Or to put it another way Floreat Domus “May this house flourish”, the motto of Queens’ college.
Warm and peaceful interior
The original dormer windows look fantastic, timber mullions, iron casements and leaded lights all framed by oak roof timbers. They are however, single glazed and poorly insulated for heat retention and sound attenuation. Selectaglaze was asked to review the openings to see if secondary glazing could be installed to improve performance.
The treatment proved particularly challenging, each and every opening is different; restrictions from beams and rafters, reveals out of plumb and true, sills and soffits out of level. Such openings require particular attention to the timber grounds to provide a square and true structure into which the secondary glazing can be fitted. Following a careful survey, shaped and scribed timber grounds were produced for every opening before final adjustment and finishing on site before fixing.
As it is such a sensitive building, a full sample was manufactured and installed for inspection by the County Conservation Officer. Colour matched in matt cream and blending seamlessly with the existing sightlines the unit met all the requirements, providing an improvement in thermal insulation by halving the heat loss and increasing the noise insulation to over 40dB.
The solution was accepted by the Conservation Officer and permission was granted to treat all the dormer windows within the ancient library and student rooms. The programme for survey, manufacture and installation was agreed with the facilities manager to ensure minimal disruption for academic staff and students and the process of survey, manufacture and installation begun.
Now when you go into the building you are struck by how warm, comfortable and quiet it is, improving student life, reducing energy use and preserving our heritage for years to come. Or to put it another way Floreat Domus “May this house flourish”, the motto of Queens’ college.- Date
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- Treat Of The Month