This case study covers the delivery of replacement high-level glass replacements, an architectural glazing survey and report, high-level DGU replacements, façade clean and door refurbishment and replacements at Electric House Croydon delivered by Glazing Refurbishment Ltd.
Glazing Refurbishment is proud to support education and London South Bank University this program was a fantastic example of the challenges we can overcome with this Grade II listed building refurbishment while delivering this project safely, timely, and securely fulfilling our clients' needs and expectations.
London South Bank University (LSBU) has exchanged on a landmark deal at Croydon’s Electric House – with the help of Develop Croydon partners – as it moves to establish a new campus in the borough.
The university has signed a 15‐year lease on the 56,000 sq ft office building with the landlord, a private property company. The new campus will be for students studying health, social care, business, and finance, with courses expected to start in 2021.
Croydon Council’s planning committee granted approval to convert the four‐storey Electric House, in Wellesley Road, to university accommodation, including a lecture theatre, classrooms and a café. It will also include nursing skills suites that replicate hospital wards, while a ground floor business hub will provide shared public facilities.
Listed building consent has simultaneously been given to the Grade II listed building, which was originally an electricity showroom (1939‐42) and has been vacant since the Home Office moved out in 2013. Given the scale and importance of this prestigious Grade II listed building in the heart of Croydon, it required our specialist team at Glazing Refurbishment's Southern Division to complete one of their largest-ever external glazing replacements, while also working alongside the pressures and challenges of keeping to the scheduled opening of the refurbished office block for this prestigious university.
Scope of works was to remove and replace all the identified defective DGU’s refurbish internal architectural bar and upgrade the project also require our team skills with feature door refurbishment.
One of the most significant aspects of the project scope was the delivery and replacement of 34 defective DGU’s suffering from hermetic seal failure this is common with older installations and is any type of sealing that makes a given object airtight (preventing the passage of air, oxygen, or other gases). There are a few things that can happen when your window seals fail – nothing, condensation, or dirt/grime build-up.
At Glazing Refurbishment, we are used to the challenges of working at many top industrial and commercial sites throughout the United Kingdom. We consider ourselves experts in installing, repairing, and replacing internal lift shaft glazing having installed many over our 30 years in business offering an extensive range of services and solutions to suit all your requirements.
Glazing Refurbishment was required to replace 34 specialist glass panels on various floors and locations throughout this listed building. This was particularly challenging as the removal and replacements of the damaged glazing presented our team not only with all the logistical operations necessary to get all materials to the site the difficult access between floors the floor elevations that required the glazing to be moved carefully with our specialist internal access equipment and our team of Glazing Technicians.
Glazing Refurbishment provided the necessary program detail, method statement and risk assessments, alongside the complete removal, procurement, and replacement work.
As part of the project scope, we were required to build a comprehensive and competitive quote for all works. Involved in this was the allocation of surveying team members for report production, gridwork drawings, glazing and façade inspections. On top of this, a written report was produced, which included:
Our clients required our IRATA Level 3 specialist abseil technicians to support the removal and disposal of all the pre-existing damaged glazing panels and site generated waste throughout the works.
Our team was required to use rope access to the external elevations to support our ground team with the replacements. All work was then finalised with a clear down of the working area. The job price included all access and consumables required for completion.
Glazing Refurbishment was able to bring together and deliver a scope of works that satisfied our customer requirements and expectations and fit well within the budget constraints that are often faced on such large and complicated jobs. This work fits in with our growing infrastructure of specialist services more information which can be found on the GR website.
GR’s IRATA trained technicians were deployed on such a significant portion of the work due to the height and difficult access of the project. Following IRATA's safe rope access system method meant that all glass replacements, inspection, and finishing work could be included in this bespoke solution without adding any inconvenience to our long term valued clients.
We have successfully maintained and repaired the glazing at many high-profile businesses and facilities throughout the UK for the past twenty-eight years.
Some of our most challenging projects come in all shapes and sizes. While some are the standard jobs we complete every week, others are more challenging and complex. These challenging projects are the ones that use a lot of time and resources, and really push business resources you to the limit. For these reasons, many companies avoid them, instead preferring to focus on easier projects.
At Glazing Refurbishment, we love a challenge. We believe in taking on projects that inspire us; the ones you can’t stop thinking about even when you’re finished for the day. It’s not that we need extra motivation far from it but we’re at our best when we’re put under pressure by a demanding yet energising project. It’s not just the inspiration that draws us to these projects, though. Over the years, we’ve recognised the many additional benefits that come with successfully completing demanding jobs.
