Steel Window Association member, Associated Steel Window Services, is a long-established member of the Steel Window Association and expert in the repair of metal windows, from the earliest wrought iron examples through to contemporary curtain walling. ASWS also undertakes full restoration works to timber windows and doors, architectural metalwork, specialist glazing, bronze windows and shopfronts. Members of the Steel Window Association together offer a UK wide service for the repair and replacement of various types of old metal windows, doors and screens, as well as being able to manufacture new fenestration which fully meets the requirements of building regulations.
A recent project at The Woolwich Arsenal is a prime example of the SWA’s skills in bringing historic buildings back to life. Aside from converted and new-build residential properties, the huge site has also seen numerous businesses and social enterprises established, including Woolwich Works, a creative quarter for the arts which includes spaces such as The Firework Factory, The Laboratory and The Cartridge Factory.
While recent decades have seen the site transformed from a near derelict munitions factory to become one of south London’s most iconic redevelopments, restoration and repurposing work continue apace, with a completed contract involving steel window specialist, ASWS, highlighting both the challenges and the opportunities the complexity of the buildings can present.
Within Buildings 19 and 41, ASWS was tasked with refurbishing over a dozen large steel windows, including 10 with semi-circular heads, and the removal of three others where the openings were to be blocked up or replaced by new doors. While the company’s operatives are well experienced at demounting very old windows without damage, these posed a particular challenge in that the outer frames had been deeply recessed into the brickwork to help withstand a possible explosion, from inside or outside, with the history of the building and its location.
The 12 windows measuring 2,400mm high by 1,500mm were removed to the London premises of ASWS for careful grit-blasting and the replacement of many heavily corroded sections. This reuse rather than the building industry’s default of recycling old metal offered the client significant cost savings and helped maintain the integrity of a truly historic complex which dates back to the end of the 17th century.
For further information on the Steel Window Association or if you’re interested in becoming a member, please click here.
