Steel Window Association Awards

94 Piccadilly is a renowned address that once welcomed royalty and the political elite. Today, this majestic Georgian mansion and Grade 1-listed Palladian-style townhouse are being brilliantly reimagined as a 102-room hotel.

The original steel windows, now 264 years old, were showing signs of wear.
As the building is grade 1 listed, the client wanted to restore the windows; replacement was not an option. The original windows were constructed from a very small steel section now no longer extruded; the brass ironmongery included Duplex sets; and sliding stays and butt hinges all had their own unique design. Everything about these windows made them very rare and irreplaceable. Unfortunately, after over two hundred years of exposure to London weather and use of the frames, the steelwork was now very rusty, and ironmongery was broken and missing.

SWS would carried out a bespoke full restoration of these windows. The casements would be deconstructed and then rebuilt by the company’s craftsman. If items were broken or missing, they would be replaced with identical handmade parts. SWS made their parts due to the age and type of restoration. We did not outsource complete sections or ironmongery other than the spring catches, which were from Steel Window Fittings.

A Victorian house based in North London was in need of refurbishment. Having roots in Japan and having lived in Manhattan, the family knew what they wanted in their new home. While the brief was to renovate the property to reflect the personality of the family, the natural, bright setting was a key factor in Fabco’s work which brought light into the space.

The use of Fabco’s steel windows was an intrinsic part of the design, creating a strong connection between the indoors and outdoors, a critical element for the success of the kitchen design.

The kitchen, a space that was previously just functional, became a destination space with the addition of Fabco’s product, flooding the area with light and opening the space creates a buzzing atmosphere for conversation which is exactly the environment the clients were hoping for.

The Empress Club, founded in Dover Street in 1897, named for the Queen-Empress herself, was even grander than the Alexandra, and boasted two drawing rooms. At one time, the Empress had 70 bedrooms available to its 2700 members.

ASWS was approached to tender for the ‘light touch refurbishment scope’ to the original steel windows.

The project itself was relatively small with just 36 windows but some of these were made of up of 18 faceted individual window sections, which meant the work required was quite considerable. We were tasked with carefully removing all the lead-based paint from the windows, which stayed in place, which allowed us to offer a clean new finish to these windows

We provided a full redecoration of the frames and replaced broken hinges and some corroded frame sections and also undertook the repairs and refurbishment of the ironmongery.

34 Alisa Road, Twickenham – we were asked to specify aluminium framed windows and doors; but the architects then asked to quote for steel.

We initially provided an estimate for a product that could create a uniform aesthetic flow through the building whilst achieving the specifications required for this project.

This included internal door screens, internal fire rated doors, external door screens and external windows.

We proposed W20 steel profiles as these achieved the specific requirements that the architect wanted. The W20 system is very versatile and achieves the correct energy rating for the external door screens and fire rating to satisfy building control for the internal screens. We also supplied W30 external steel windows.

We used Steel Window Fittings’ ironmongery.

Constructed in 1938 by Howard & Souter for Lord Rootes, the founder of the Rootes Motor Company, 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.

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.

West Leigh was tasked with the like-for-like replacement of the existing 130 steel framed windows and doors 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.

The Grade II Listed, Northcliffe House, which stands in the Whitefriars Conservation Area, London, was built in the 1920’s and redeveloped in 2001; it is the former headquarters and print works of the Daily Mail newspaper and needed a historically-sensitive retrofit with sustainability at the heart. ASWS was initially engaged to carry out a full condition survey across the complex elevations, as well as internal doors and screens. This covered all of the steel, timber, aluminium and curtain walling.

ASWS was then asked to tender for the works and received an order to refurbish the heritage steel windows, overhaul all the copper light glazing, decorate the windows and repoint the silicone perimeter externally. We also removed, catalogued, stripped, burnish and lacquered all of the ironmongery across the project, restoring back to its beautiful original brass finish. ASWS was tasked with the refurbishment of the heritage timber sash windows, introducing new weights, double glazing and ironmongery. In the case of the timber windows, all of the sashes were removed back to our workshop for a comprehensive overhaul, which included the routing in of new draught strips, re-glazing and overhaul of the opening lights. The remainder of the windows on site were serviced, prepped and redecorated, including the extensive mastic work to the perimeters and glazing fronts. The decoration involved spot priming, two undercoats and two top-coats, with all necessary prep between coats undertaken by our in-house decoration team.

Having been left completely unaltered for over fifty years, the property comprised a network of closed, insular rooms which made the living area extremely dark.

The client provided a brief to reimagine a grand Victorian terrace house; as a home for a young, growing family. Creating a dynamic, bright space was a key part of the brief.

The project created a large open plan living, kitchen, dining and entertainment space. The lowering of the floors was proposed to match the garden level while the side return infill was designed with a London stock brick facade and glazed roof. The addition of a black metal pavilion glazed on three sides was a key design feature intended to create a unique garden room that merges the interior with the landscape and immerses the new building within the garden.

A complete redesign was undertaken to create a large open plan living, kitchen, dining and entertainment space, along with utility spaces, a cloakroom, and a first-floor master bedroom suite featuring a bedroom, en-suite and dressing room. The existing network of small rooms at the rear of the house was removed, and the suspended timber floors were lowered by as much as two meters to align with the garden level. Two extensions were added to the rear of the building.

The Lord Mayor of London opened the first phase of Whiteleys department store on 21st November 1911, realising the vision of William Whiteley after his death in 1907.

Later in 1925, the second phase was completed having been designed by William Curtis Green, with the addition of the remaining bays on Queens Road and Westbourne Grove, now Redan Place.

Fire protection throughout the building was considered elaborate and extensive; in relation to the fenestration, this incorporated the steel framed windows and fire resisting glazing.

ASWS was contacted to provide support for a proposed façade retention and complete rebuild and later instructed to undertake a full condition survey, with extensive CAD drawings of section and window types. The purpose of the survey was to determine whether the windows could be refurbished, how and what the likely times, costs and potential thermal and acoustic performance would be possible. This survey took over six months to undertake, as the building was mostly occupied and had 147 individual windows with over 16 different types of windows, with 1973 individual panels of copper lights (with approx. 40 panes per copper light).

The scope of the full removal works was as follows:
The full removal of all elements of the heritage windows and façade, including the large cast iron decorative mullions, transoms and spandrals.
The contract was for the careful removal, deglazing, cataloguing, storage and preparation of a full repair scope.

The duration of the project was over 18 months. This involved;
• the careful deglazing of all 1,973 original copper light panels including 7,852 pieces of beading
• removal of all 583 pieces of ironmongery
• careful deconstruction of all 147 windows

This Grade II Listed Building showcases a distinctive squared rubble stone construction, elegantly finished with rendered surfaces and topped with a stone-tiled roof. The two-storey farmhouse originally featured a four-window main range, highlighted by four recessed cyma-moulded two-light windows on the upper level, alongside three two-light windows and one three-light window on the ground floor. A plank door, framed by a chamfered surround, is situated beneath a shallow slab porch between the left pair of windows, with a drip course elegantly positioned above the ground floor. Inside, a Tudor-arched unmoulded fireplace graces the west end of the main range.

The client sought to enhance the exterior with steel doors and screens that would harmonize with the original steel windows. They also requested internal fire doors and a sliding patio door that would match the external frames, envisioning a design where the tracking for the sliding doors would be concealed.

The steel fenestration introduces sleek lines that maximise natural light in the formal dining area. The internal secondary sliding doors further enhance the influx of natural light, and we take pride in our design of sliding doors featuring concealed head mechanisms, along with soft open and close systems. The fire door design also incorporates steel elements in the hallways, contributing to stunning uniformity throughout the project.