Funded by the government's Condition Improvement Fund, The Window Company (Contracts) has just completed an impressive window replacement project at Hatcham College in South East London, part of the prestigious Haberdasher's Askes' Schools Federation.
The award winning commercial installer was appointed as the principle contractor by Arcadis Consulting, working on behalf of the school for 3-18 year olds.
Parts of the historic Hatcham College date back to 1890, so the challenge for The Window Company (Contracts) was to supply and install windows which were in keeping with the age and character building but still represented best value.
Because they are entirely independent, they were able to successfully identify a range of different products from a number of different suppliers which perfectly matched the different elements of the specification.
This included six 4600(h) x 2000(w) bespoke sapele hardwood double glazed sash windows for the school hall from NJL Joinery in Essex, painted white on the exterior but left varnished in the natural wood on the interior to match the hall's existing panelling. These were fitted with Guardian SunGuard SuperNeutral glass to minimise solar gain and even feature the original openers which The Window Company (Contracts) expertly restored and refitted.
In other parts of the building, they installed a mix of arched head vertical sliders and tilt and slide windows with Astragel bars, fabricated by Glazerite in VEKA's Matrix profile which matched the external appearance of the timber they were replacing. They also created a new opening in the dining hall and fitted a new set of Comar Commercial aluminium double doors.
The Window Company (Contracts) has extensive experience in the education sector and its team are all CRB checked and fully trained to work on school sites. It has the flexibility to be able to deploy fitters at short notice to work during school closure times and is renowned for its commitment to always delighting clients.
Mary Williams, Business Manager at the school, was impressed with their approach: "What we liked was that The Window Company (Contracts) did exactly what we wanted on the project and not just what suited them best. We are delighted with the products they recommended, particularly the new timber sash windows, and with the attention to detail they showed on every aspect of the project.
We knew that we could trust everyone on the team and, with one project manager responsible for everything on site, they were very easy to work with. Nothing was too much trouble and we would definitely work with them again."