West Leigh has won the Commercial Project category at the Steel Window Association (SWA) Awards 2025 for its work on the Len House project in Maidstone, Kent.
History of project
Constructed in 1938 by Howard & Souter for Lord Rootes, the founder of the Rootes Motor Company, a prominent manufacturer of luxury automobiles, the structure was initially referred to as The Rootes Building. Following a brief period during World War II when it produced aircraft engines and commercial vehicles, Rootes Motor Company transitioned to creating and marketing car brands like Hillman, Talbot, Scimitar, and Sunbeam. The company was eventually acquired by Peugeot, which operated the site as a leading showroom until late 2019. Now named Len House, this Grade II listed property sits along the banks of the River Len. Renowned for its Art Deco architecture, the building holds both architectural and historical significance, particularly due to its rich automotive legacy. It is also famously recognized for its vehicle ramp, which served as inspiration for the beloved Fischer-Price classic car garage toy.
The project
West Leigh was tasked with the like-for-like replacement of the existing steel framed windows and doors, matching the originals as closely as possible, along with the replacement of the existing box mullion wind posts to the windows to the rear elevation, and the refurbishment of the existing box mullion wind posts to the River Len Elevation.
Drawings of two proposed W20 windows were issued to the planning department and the architect and a sample window was manufactured and installed on site alongside the existing windows to show the planning department and the architect how closely they could replicate the original windows.
West Leigh installed approximately 130 W20 section steel windows in total, including numerous curved on plan frames and glazing units, utilising single glazed units, Low E double glazed units, and louvre panels, along with numerous steel door sets with W20 fixed frame inserts, to match the sightline sizes of the glazing bars to the adjacent windows. To aid in the replacement of the large wind posts, a structural engineer was engaged by West Leigh to determine the correct sizes required for each post, to suit the correct design wind pressures and structural requirements of the building. The existing box mullion wind posts to the River Len Elevation were refurbished by needle gunning each post to remove surface rust, primed and painted with a rust inhibitor and overclad with channel pressings, polyester powder coated to match the new W20 window frames. Many of the W20 windows to the first floor, known as “The Winter Garden”, provide an enclosed balcony space for the residential units, providing views out over the River Len. The large W20 windows to the ground floor, along the River Len Elevation, provide a light and airy avenue for the retail area, where numerous retail units, bars and restaurants will be located. The upper top hung casements to the windows to this elevation are fitted with mechanical window actuators to allow ventilation to the public spaces.
Andy Bawn, West Leigh Managing Director, commented, “I am very proud of the whole team who delivered a complex project within programme”.
John Ranshaw, Judge of the awards comments, “West Leigh has brought its extensive knowledge and light-touch approach to bear on an architecturally significant building, helping to preserve it for future generations, while also ensuring it meets modern performance standards. The company’s superior technical ability and rigour is not only evidenced in the breadth and variety of the window and door specification, but also in its approach to refurbishing the wind posts on the River Len elevation. The result is a highly convincing project that seamlessly knits both new and old elements together. A deserving winner.”
The ironmongery for this project was supplied by SWA associate member Steel Window Fittings.
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