Steel window refurbishment specialist, Associated Steel Window Services (ASWS) has been expanding the popular enabling facility available to main contractors on commercial projects.
As well as recent projects working with one of London’s largest demolition contractors, Erith, ASWS has renewed a relationship with main contractor, ISG Ltd., after working together on detailed restoration work at Bush House, the former BBC premises in The Aldwych.
While the conversion work on Bush House involved cleaning and restoring old W20 steel windows as well as architectural ironmongery, the Cabot Square, Canary Wharf project involved removing a series of very large aluminium frame windows from an office building which was being upgraded.
As ISG worked its way up the property, stripping each floor back to the bare walls and floor slabs, ASWS coordinated its visits to remove pairs of windows from each floor, between the 4th and 14th, to facilitate access for teams and materials via a hoist. The six glazing units were removed from each of the 4m wide, bowed-on-plan frames, with all of the components being catalogued and removed to storage. These were later reinstated as each floor was completed and made ready for handover.
In addition, ASWS also offered its repair expertise, carrying out re-glazing works around the building and removing redundant windows from the core of the office building which were then broken down to provide spare parts where new replacements were no longer available. Elements such as beading, glazing and gaskets were all utilised.
The Project Manager for ISG, Andrew Elliott, explained: “As a specialist contractor, we were tasked, at Cabot Square, to carry out a complete refurbishment and infrastructure upgrade, stripping out the building to a ‘shell and core’ state and then completing a Cat B fit-out. We had previously worked with ASWS as a team on the old BBC building, Bush House – where we also involved ASWS for the window work. Following on from that, their provision of an enablement service at Cabot Square – removing, storing and replacing a number of windows – was critical to the successful logistical delivery of the project.”
Contracts Director of ASWS, Kris Bennell, added: “The glass and windows were removed from site, so as to avoid damage, and returned when they were needed, though the windows from level 14, where the main contractor’s offices were located, stayed off-site in our storage facility for three years. Everything was tagged and a heritage register created. This is typical of a service we are increasingly being asked to provide by a variety of clients including for some truly historic properties such as London Olympia and many where heritage bodies are involved.”
