Sustainability the Byword from Sapa in Award Winning BSF Project
Recycled aluminium window systems from Sapa Building Systems have played a major part in an award winning sustainability project for a new school building - Bideford Community College in Devon.
Dualframe 75mm casement windows, Elegance 52 curtain walling, Stormframe ST thermally broken commercial doors, and 202 entrance doors, plus Dualfold folding /sliding doors from Sapa, all made from recycled aluminium, were a unique feature that satisfied the client’s requirements for the most environmentally efficient building possible.
“The construction of the new purpose built college was undertaken as part of the Government’s ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme, with the emphasis on using sustainable, environmentally friendly and energy efficient products, so being able to supply fenestration from recycled materials was a big plus for the architect,” said Jon Palethorpe, Sapa’s Commercial Director.
“Our design team were also able to come up with a special curtain walling detail to house the large coloured ‘Stow Render’ panels that were required. “As far as we know, Bideford College is the largest project in the UK to use recycled aluminium and is one of the largest BSF projects in Devon, with a fenestration package of £2.4 million.”
Over £40m of investment was used to transform a collection of red-brick Victorian buildings and typical 1970s & ’80s teaching blocks into an exemplar school to meet the needs of students and the wider community for years to come.
Main contractor Morgan Ashurst and architect NPS South West worked closely with Sapa’s Project Consultant Dean Sherwood and Sapa’s technical teams to develop a specification for the fenestration, manufactured and installed by Sapa’s specialist contactor Hazlemere Commercial.
“Providing all the requirements of the project from the same systems company was a major benefit to us,” said Barry Matthews, Commercial Contracts Director of fabricator Hazlemere Commercial. “Sustainability was a key feature from the start of the project, hence the specification of completely recycled aluminium for the Dualframe windows.”
The school also intends to be a carbon-neutral site by incorporating cutting-edge technology such as biomass boilers burning woodchip, incorporating solar and wind generating technology and grounds that encompass parkland and wildlife promotion.
In 2008 it was awarded the accolade of Most Sustainable School, part of the inaugural Excellence in BSF awards run by the Partnerships for Schools organisation and designed to recognise excellence within the BSF programme. Projects from 19 local authorities throughout England were shortlisted. The college has also won a ‘Green Apple Award’ for environmental best practice.
Bideford College’s use of environmentally friendly aluminium demonstrates a genuine commitment to sustainability, as aluminium can be recycled again and again without the loss of quality. This is because re-melting of aluminium requires little energy, saving up to 95% of the energy required for primary aluminium production.
Sapa’s contribution to the planning process included a detailed plan to track the recycled aluminium through the supply chain, from extrusion to fabrication and installation. There was also project-specific advice on value engineering to remove cost without compromising quality and design details to improve the weather performance of the curtain walling.
For further information contact Sapa Building Systems, Tewkesbury, tel: 01684 853 500