West Sussex STEM Project Sees SFS JB-D Plus Window Installation Brackets Speed Progress

SFS UK’s JB‑D Plus pre‑wall window installation brackets have been specified by façade specialist Leay Ltd for the £725 k window‑and‑curtain‑wall package on Chichester College’s new STEM Academy in West Sussex, a choice Leay says streamlines site logistics while guaranteeing the structural integrity of the double‑skinned façade.

Established in 1937 and now a nationwide fabricator of Kawneer aluminium systems, the Aylesford‑based company designed, supplied and installed AA100 HI curtain walling and AA720 high‑performance windows for main contractor Willmott Dixon. The prefabricated bracket system allowed Leay’s sub‑contract teams to meet a tight timetable without on‑site fabrication while accommodating building tolerances and maintaining verified thermal and structural performance throughout the build.

SFS conducted detailed bracket testing in accordance with IFT guideline MO/02‑1 to verify performance across multiple substrates. To meet UK market's demand for values in light‑gauge steel framing systems, the company also ran additional tests in steel frames, enabling its technical Compendium to include certified values for these applications. Armed with this data, Leay’s design team were able to accurately calculate the number of brackets needed for the Chichester College project. When the new JB‑D Plus version launched, SFS supported Leay with samples and on‑site product demonstrations.

A Director of Leay, Jim Matthews, commented: “We have a very good long-term working relationship with Willmott Dixon and have done healthcare, leisure sector and public buildings as well as residential apartment buildings, over commercial premises, and of course education for them. In this case, Chichester is a new STEM facility, a high spec project targeting low U-values where we are predominantly supplying Kawneer windows together with curtain walling, which is being installed at ground floor level, around what is to be used as a vehicle workshop.

“While we have used the new version bracket from the SFS range at Chichester, we were originally introduced to the brackets by Kawneer themselves: for who we are the longest serving dealer in the country – dating back to 1968, and we currently use them on virtually every job we do nowadays. The main benefits to the JB range is that they help avoid cold bridging issues and allow for adjustment: which is particularly advantageous if you are installing long runs of windows across a façade – otherwise in the past you were looking to have sections of 6mm plate cut to size, galvanised and pre-drilled – and using a substantial amount of loose packers.”

Jim reflected: “Things have changed a lot over the years, from where you were presented with a near complete building to fit windows in - to the situation now where a building’s main structure is up - and fitting the windows on these brackets allows the exterior cladding to proceed while fit-out work can proceed indoors in weathertight conditions. So ultimately, they speed up the programme.”

Callum Thornton, fenestration product manager at SFS, explained how the project met the Building Safety Act’s requirements: “With the new Building Safety Act sharpening accountability across the entire supply chain, specifiers and installers need reliable, traceable data for every component they select. By partnering with Leay Ltd we provided our JB‑D Plus brackets together with a full suite of tested values, giving designers certainty during specification, and installers a clear, proven fixing method on site. That blend of transparent information and hands‑on support helps project teams meet the Act’s ‘golden thread’ requirements and deliver first‑time success.” For further information, call 0330 0555888 or visit https://uk.sfs.com/

FP McCann Offsite Precast Concrete Structural And Architectural Frame Solution Specified On Distinctive Buckinghamshire Housing Development

FP McCann has completed a unique supply and build project consisting of 64 luxury apartments in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire. The high-end development is set on 200 acres of historic private gated grounds offering new-build houses and apartments next to a grand Grade II listed Georgian era mansion house. 

Newland Park is a development by London based Comer Homes. The collection of new apartments and houses sits within the modern country estate and is set to become one of the area’s most desirable residential locations. The apartments are located in 4 individual blocks, each on three levels with undercroft car parking beneath each building. FP McCann were approached by Comer Homes at design stage with consideration of the superstructure above the parking being a precast concrete frame as opposed to a traditional block and brick construction.

The Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) precast concrete frame solution has been designed, manufactured and installed by FP McCann, a Tier 2, BIM Level 2 certified supplier. 

As on all such contracts undertaken by FP McCann, BIM Execution Plans (BEP) were prepared for the Comer Homes development, demonstrating FP McCann’s proposed approach, capabilities, capacity and competence to meet stringent Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR). 

The subterranean car park construction consists of precast retaining perimeter walls, internal columns and cross beams, topped off with prestressed hollowcore planks. Access from ground floor level is via a precast concrete staircase. Above the car park, the FP McCann precast structural frame comprises internal crosswalls, prestressed hollowcore flooring planks and precast stair cores and stair landings. Integral to the structural frame itself, are the architectural brick-faced insulated sandwich wall and gable ridge panels, offering the attractive external finish to each building from the ground floor up. 

Another feature of the build are the black acid-etched balconies to levels two and three. Many other MMC features include the factory installation of windows and balcony doors and the fair face finish to internal walls, allowing for follow-on trades to complete their works in a timely and efficient manner. 

The accelerated construction time typically seen in such offsite precast concrete structural frame builds, saw the Newland Park project completed in just 36 working weeks. Commenting on the Chalfont St Giles residential development, David Donnellan, Senior Design Engineer for Comer Homes says, “Reducing construction times by 40%-60% compared to traditional build methods has to be factored into addressing the demand for new housing, whether luxury or affordable. 

Traditional construction methods, while tried and tested, are increasingly less efficient to meet the increasing call for quality and environmentally sustainable housing. The Newland Park apartment development is a clear demonstration that offsite construction and MMC in any location lays the groundwork for a more efficient and sustainable home building industry. By embracing these methods, we can build faster, reduce our environmental impact and provide both high-end and affordable living space.”  www.fpmccann.co.uk

Marmox Multiboard Used By NE Renovation Specialist To Tackle Damp And Cold

A highly experienced contractor, specialising in energy upgrade refurbishments, underfloor heating and heating installations, has cited ease of installation, as well as the waterproofing and high insulation values of Marmox Multiboard, for his practice of using the coated XPS boards for all of his bathroom fit-outs and many other projects.

Richard Percy, a former firefighter, who has been carrying out challenging contracts across the country for the past 15 years and trading as RDP Solutions, recounts: “I work across the North-East and the country as a whole, for underfloor heating and greywater recycling and I have made it my speciality to take on refurbishments which other people say can’t be done!  In the case of the very old building where I am currently working in Mitford, Northumberland, the place had been very badly rebuilt in the past, with poor installation to the vaulted ceiling, no cavity closers and all of the pipework run under the floors. In addition, chipboard flooring had been laid over battens on out-of-level concrete."

"This required a full strip out to enable the installation of underfloor heating. Overlapping layers of Kingspan were installed in the roof-space and different thicknesses of Marmox Multiboard installed across the walls and floors in all the rooms. For example, I uprated all the window reveals using 12.5 mm Multiboard.” 

During the rebuild, all of the pipework for the plumbing was relocated within the studwork, to allow the Uponor minitec underfloor heating system to be laid across a 40 mm thickness of Multiboards. This ensured the maximum amount of heat was delivered to the occupied room above, creating much improved comfort levels for the occupants.  Interestingly, as a proponent of hydronic underfloor heating, he has also adopted the practice of extending it beneath the actual shower tray: in this case, one of Marmox’s own linear wetroom trays.  Other products from the Marmox range employed on the contract include the jointing tape, 360 adhesive and special washers for installation of the different thicknesses of Multiboard. Richard concludes:

“I use Multiboard for all my bathrooms – virtually every job I do – primarily for their waterproofing performance, but also because they significantly reduce heat loss and are very straightforward to cut and fit.  A lot of people go for a cement-based product in bathrooms, but Multiboard is better and easier to install and in new-build situations it also meets the NHBC guidance.”

Marmox Multiboards are manufactured from extruded polystyrene or XPS encapsulated in reinforced polymer concrete, produced in a range of thicknesses up to 60mm and offer a variety of positive physical characteristics in addition to being fully waterproof.  They are both light to handle and easy to cut, while still being able to sustain substantial loadings if required, such as for flooring applications. They further offer good thermal insulation performance, helping to cut condensation risk. Full packs of Multiboard and the ancillary products from the Marmox range were all purchased through the local branch of MKM Building Supplies.  

www.marmox.co.uk