Stella Rooflights 30 Stepnell Wins

A Guide to Conservation Rooflights

There’s a huge variety of choice in the conservation rooflight market and selecting the right product can be confusing. Paul Trace from Stella Rooflight offers some advice on things to consider when planning your project.

What is a conservation rooflight?

If you know that you need conservation rooflights for your project, the chances are that you have searched online and found plenty of choice. But what is a conservation rooflight and are they all the same?

To better understand what makes a rooflight a conservation style, it is important to understand the history behind this type of glazing and why the design is so sought after, not just on period properties but also more modern projects.

Without the ingenious concept of a rooflight the vision of transforming unconventional space into a well-lit property would be a daunting task, and in some cases an impossible option. For that reason, the conservation rooflight could be considered a highly influential building feature, which has given the construction industry a solution to introducing natural light into a property.

Although rooflights, or skylights as they are sometimes known as, have been around for centuries they became more prominent during the Victorian era as technology and building aspirations were stretched and roof glazing boomed. One of the most famous Victorian building projects was the Crystal Palace, which in 1851 used glazing on an unprecedented scale to showcase just what could be achieved.

Mass-produced Victorian rooflights for residential use tended to be made from cast iron and the earliest examples would have smaller, lighter panes of glass. This was partially down to limits of glass technology at the time but also because of excise duties, which were imposed on glass by weight in the mid-18th century. These slim, single glazed rooflights with multiple panels of glass were unobtrusive in design and sat flush in the roof. Today it is this minimalist appearance that many people are seeking to achieve in their glazing designs.

As a result of their popularity, there are lots of conservation roof windows on the market, which can make choosing the right one virtually impossible unless one can identify what the differentiations are. An effective way to make this distinction is to look closer at the attributes of a true replica of a Victorian conservation rooflight.

What material is the conservation rooflight manufactured from?

If a conservation rooflight is all frame, then there is little point in having one. Genuine conservation designs should be manufactured with slim clean lines and a low-profile to match the roofline. A number of skylight companies try to produce conservation rooflights using modern bulky aluminium profiles, which sit proud of the roofline, particularly slate. It is widely accepted that most authentic conservation rooflights are manufactured from steel because it provides great strength while offering a slim profile and excellent glass to frame ratios. There are many types of steel conservation rooflights and for unrivalled protection and lifespan, all Stella rooflights are manufactured from marine grade 316 stainless steel. Internally Stella rooflights are finished with real wood linings. American ash is the most popular choice, but we can produce these from any timber required. The use of real wood gives a neat, warm appearance to the internal element of your conservation rooflight. Nowadays most rooflight suppliers tend to use cheaper soft wood or plastic, which is painted white as an internal finish and these liners can result in deeper frame profiles or reduced viewable areas. While a white internal frame can be sold as ‘clean’ or ‘neat’, these can sometimes feel a little soulless and is a finish more often associated with modern flat rooflights than traditional conservation products.

Single or double glazed?

Victorian rooflights would have been single glazed, however, today’s modern building standards are much higher and so single glazing does not meet the minimum requirements for thermal efficiency (Part L). Double glazing is now the most popular option for genuine conservation rooflights because glazing technology is such that a modern double glazed unit can provide a number of benefits while remaining reasonably slender. The units used in a Stella conservation rooflight offer both self-clean and solar control elements, while also providing excellent thermal efficiency with an inner pane of Planitherm One. Using warm edge spacer technology and argon gas our units are also silicone edge sealed, which gives them greater protection against UV light. Some conservation rooflight suppliers are keen to boast about offering triple glazing in their products but while this does offer a slightly improved thermal performance it comes at the expense of appearance. The optimal spacer bar thickness is 16mm so any decent triple glazed unit is going to be almost 50% thicker than a double glazed version. Now with a flush fitting profile being one of the main requirements of a conservation rooflight, the introduction of triple glazing makes that almost impossible on some roof types.

Glazing bars?

It is often a stipulation from the Conservation Officer that a conservation rooflight should have a glazing bar to replicate that original Victorian appearance. It is not always the case but it is definitely worth checking whether you need them before purchasing any conservation rooflight. If your conservation rooflight does require a glazing bar then it should be a genuine one. This is an area that separates those producing close replicas to the original Victorian rooflights and those who are trying to pass off modern skylights as something more traditional. A genuine glazing bar should be something which not only divides the glazing but also provides additional strength to the casement. So many conservation rooflights have something simply stuck or glued onto the outside of the glass which neither looks good nor provides any benefit to the rooflight. In addition, these stuck on bars (usually plastic) often attract dirt and mould and the lifespan of anything which is simply held on by tape or glue is unlikely to compare with a genuine steel glazing bar. A stuck on glazing bar is one step up from a felt pen but certainly should not be seen as a way to make a modern bulky framed profile meet the criteria of a conservation rooflight. 39

Top hung or centre pivot?

Once again, if you are looking for a close replica of a Victorian rooflight then a top hung profile will be the one you should opt for. Not only does a top hung design offer a more authentic appearance, it maximises the space below because the casement doesn’t stick into the room. Smaller top hung rooflights also utilise beautiful brass ironmongery to operate the casement whereas centre pivot designs tend to rely on modern plastic handles, which are out of reach and offer nothing to enhance the internal aesthetics.

Is any old conservation rooflight suitable for my project?

Just because something is sold as a conservation rooflight, that doesn’t automatically make it suitable for all building types. If your building is Listed or in a conservation area then the criteria for using conservation rooflights are much stricter and you should always gain approval, not only for their use but also the manufacturer that you would want to use. There are only a handful of companies that specifically make conservation rooflights and even fewer who design, manufacture and assemble in the UK. Many conservation rooflights available online are simply other products which have been spruced up to look like they meet the requirements of that type of product. If you ask a supplier what the main difference is between their conservation rooflight and those used on modern buildings and the answer is a stuck on glazing bar, then you should avoid at all costs. Likewise, there are many elements which go into a genuine conservation design and price is always a reflection on quality.

Is there anything else I should consider when choosing my conservation rooflight?

With the UK Government pursuing a carbon neutral environment it is imperative that every action is taken to reduce energy consumption. Rooflights are energy efficient as they let in large amounts of natural light thus reducing the need for artificial lighting. Bringing natural daylight into your home is about much more than creating a bright, welcoming environment, it’s about protecting your health and wellbeing and achieving a more positive way of life. One way to ensure that you maximise the amount of available light is to increase the size of your rooflights… or is it? Just because you have a large rooflight this does not always guarantee lots of light and you should always check what the finished viewable (often referred to as clear viewable) area of the rooflight will be. You might think that a conservation rooflight with a whole frame size of 900mm (w) x 1200mm (h) would have a similar clear viewable area regardless of the manufacturer, but you would be wrong and bulky framed modern types or the flat rooflights posing as pitched conservation styles will let in considerably less light than a genuine steel framed version. With so many choices available, choosing the right conservation rooflight can be a bit of a minefield but with the right guidance and advice it need not be a stressful experience. At Stella we focus on each element of our conservation rooflight and our attention to detail is second to none, providing a realistic yardstick to measure the performance of other conservation rooflight designs. Our aim has always been to provide the best looking and best performing conservation rooflight on the market. Whether you are building from the ground up, renovating an existing environment or extending to create more room, we know that quality is important to you and getting it wrong is just not an option. We go further than anyone else to ensure only the finest quality materials are used in the manufacture of all our rooflights. We are the only rooflight manufacturer to use marine grade 316 stainless steel, offer a marine grade paint coating (C5 application) and provide a real wood internal finish on all our rooflights as standard. No other company provides such a high specification for conservation rooflights. For further information or to discuss your conservation rooflight requirement contact the Stella Rooflight team on 01794 745445 or email info@stellarooflight.co.uk

www.stellarooflight.co.uk

Works start on key SEND schools in Lincolnshire as investment continues

Four Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools in Lincolnshire are set to be expanded as part of Lincolnshire County Council’s £86 million investment programme - to improve and develop special schools across the county - landscape architect Influence has announced.

Four Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools in Lincolnshire are set to be expanded as part of Lincolnshire County Council’s £86 million investment programme - to improve and develop special schools across the county - landscape architect Influence has announced.

Working alongside contractor Willmott Dixon, Newarkbased Influence is providing landscape design services to Willoughby School in Bourne, Eresby School in Spilsby, St Bernard’s School in Louth and The Priory School in Spalding.

The council’s investment strategy seeks to create an extra 500 SEND school spaces across the county, to meet the increasing demand and to combat families having to make long journeys to school.

Of the improvement works at the four schools, Willoughby, Eresby and St Bernard’s achieved planning permission in 2020 to construct extension buildings to existing sites, enabling more school places for pupils, as well as additional space for improved facilities. Works are now progressing on the £6.5million expansion plan for Eresby School in Spilsby, which will deliver five new classrooms, a hall, IT and science spaces, small group rooms, meeting spaces and hygiene facilities. Works also include enlarging the school’s car park, installing a canopy link, introducing new vehicle access points and fencing and landscaping around the site. The £4.25 million works to Willoughby School in Bourne will see 74 new car parking bays provided, along with capacity for 20 minibuses and a new drop off and pick-up point at the start and end of the school day. New fencing, lighting and CCTV security systems will also be installed, with safe, segregated vehicular and pedestrian access routes included as part of the site design.

Works at St Bernard’s School, Louth, will see the demolition of two existing buildings and construction of a new twostorey building, remodelling of existing buildings and the creation of additional car parking and hard play areas.

Construction on the schools is due to begin early this year, with completion expected by early 2022.

Plans for The Priory School, Spalding are nearing completion and are expected to be submitted for planning shortly.

Shona Hatton, associate director at Influence, said: “We are proud to be managing the landscape designs of the extension and improvement plans for Willoughby, Eresby, St Bernard’s and The Priory Schools, in partnership with Willmott Dixon and Lincolnshire County Council and alongside their architects Kier Specialist Services.

“The building works are part of the council’s ambitious investment plans to improve and expand SEND schools in the area, offering more places and improved facilities to children who will benefit hugely from having safe, engaging and enjoyable spaces to learn and interact.

“We have worked on a number of schools in the East Midlands, including other SEND projects, and it is especially rewarding to see plans come to fruition that positively impact the services and quality of education available within our local communities.”

Nick Heath, director of delivery at Willmott Dixon, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be working on these amazing schemes. With only 20 special education schools currently operating in Lincolnshire, we want to do everything we can to increase school places across the county to allow students of all ages easier access to the education they deserve. Despite currently being in a national lockdown, the team will continue to operate by adhering to stringent safety procedures and enhanced social distancing measures. This optimisation of risk management means that we will be able to deliver the project to the agreed timescales and improve educational facilities for students across Lincolnshire as soon as possible. At Willmott Dixon, we pride ourselves on leaving a legacy in the local communities we work among; therefore we are delighted to be working in collaboration Influence to help Lincolnshire County Council establish a school system that provides education that is accessible to all who need it.” Cllr Mrs Patricia Bradwell OBE, executive member for children’s services, said: “We want to ensure that all children can access high-quality education, as near to their family and local community as possible. To help achieve that, we’re investing £86m in improving our special schools over the next few years. “Our ambitious programme will mean more pupils with SEND can attend a local school rather than having to travel large distances for their education, which will be of great benefit to both the children and their families. “I’m delighted to see construction getting underway at Eresby School and Willoughby School, and I look forward to seeing the projects progress.” https://www.influence.co.uk/ 43

Hayward Utility Services Celebrate Quality, Environmental And Health & Safety Award After Continuing To Deliver For Their Customers Throughout Covid

the achievement of our ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 recertification.

“There were a number of complex issues which we had to tackle when lockdown first took hold, but we worked around these successfully.

“We spent significantly on sanitiser, face masks, gloves, etc and put sanitisers on every site to make sure workers had enough for their personal use as well as providing disinfectant cleaning products for cleaning touch points such as machinery controls and door handles after use. We closely followed government guidelines and amended our working procedures to take into account the risks associated with the spread of the virus which was then also reflected in our work instructions.

Hayward Utility Services, based in Bridgend, provides services around enabling works and civil engineering for projects in power generation and renewables across the UK.

“Fortunately a lot of our work One of South Wales’ key providers of civil meant it was not necessary for workers to get too close to each engineering services to the utility industries other and we created a policy for our vans to contain only one has successfully navigated various member of staff, meetings were to pandemic-related issues to successfully be socially distanced and out in the open, where they could not be held increase business at the same time as remotely. getting its quality, environmental and health “We also introduced a raft of other measures such as regular cleaning, & safety management systems recertified. the stopping of visitors coming to site, and office-based meetings being held via videoconference. On-site signage was made up to warn staff, customers and members of the public of the requirement to maintain social distancing and PPE had social distancing messages printed on it.

Even though their work was classed as essential, the family owned and run business found it difficult in the early stages of the pandemic to manage suppliers, materials, deliveries and site operations while the country got to grips with the new way of working.

But they quickly overcame these issues and, through careful management, saw a steady increase in turnover as major companies came to rely on their professionalism and competencies.

Chris Lawless, Managing Director, said: “We’re thrilled that, despite often extremely trying circumstances, we’ve shown how we’ve still been able to give our clients a high level of service and this has been recognised in “We now enter 2021 full of confidence and have purchased new tools, vehicles and machinery.

“The health and wellbeing of our own people and that of our customers was our key priority and, still today, we continually monitor Government guidelines on social distancing to implement, as appropriate, their recommendations.

“I’d just like to thank our whole staff, who have delivered a magnificent response to keep our level of service as high as it has been in extremely testing circumstances. I’d also like to extend our gratitude to The Ideas Distillery who were brilliant in getting us ready for our ISO recertification,” he said.

Valley Road STOR - 5MW capacity reserve power facility exporting to the grid (WPD) at 11kV: works involved the civil & structural design and build of all of the foundations for the site including fencing, ducting, drainage & footpaths. The very compact site presented several challenges including contaminated ground, poor ground quality, a busy public highway and frequent vehicle and crane movements from a busy industrial yard next door, which formed the main access to the works. The works were carried out safely and without incident despite the logistical challenges of the site and the initial effect of the COVID-19 pandemic which was taking effect as the works progressed.

Hayward Utility Services often carry out work on brownfield sites and are used to dealing with complex problems related to previous site uses, working through them to find solutions that will ensure successful project delivery and conformance with safety, quality and commercial targets.

They were quick to set up a COVID strategy which revolved around:

• Setting up a dedicated Management

Team who met daily.

• Issuing new guidelines to all field operations staff including providing them with the appropriate PPE.

• Ensuring a constant supply of hand sanitiser and disinfectant cleaners within the business.

• Introducing agile working for many support functions including working from home, where possible, and removing any non-essential travel. Russell Lawson, Managing Director from The Ideas Distillery, said: “We would like to extend our most heart-felt congratulations to Hayward Utility Services who really stepped up to the plate for their customers in very turbulent times.

“Their great commitment to their quality, environmental and health & safety management system is readily evident and it was no surprise when they were recertified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 despite all of the issues they have had to overcome over the past months.

“We’ve no doubt that they’ll continue to deliver for their customers in the coming months, no matter what else is thrown at them,” he said.

www.ideasdistillery.co.uk www.haywardutilities.co.uk

Construction industry professionals and homeowners across the UK and Ireland can now benefit from an extra rewards boost this spring, thanks to roof window manufacturer VELUX®.

Introduced in 2015, VELUX Rewards is a scheme designed to provide installers, builders and homeowners an opportunity to further benefit from buying roof windows from the premium roof window brand by providing access to vouchers redeemable at top high street and online brands each time they make a purchase. Rewards can be claimed for all purchases of VELUX roof windows, flat roof windows, sun tunnels, blinds or selected combination flashings throughout the year. While rewards typically range from £3 to £30 depending on the product, for this March and April only VELUX is offering £35 of rewards for every white polyurethane roof window. Ideal for bathroom and kitchen projects where daylight is key and rooms can be at risk of condensation.

Velux Rewards Scheme Offers Up to £35 For Purchases This Spring

Installers and builders can take advantage of extra rewards with top retail and high street brands when purchasing selected roof windows

The extra rewards are redeemable at a range of retailers and restaurants including well-known brands Argos, M&S, John Lewis, Adidas and Tesco.

The last day customers can submit a claim is 14 May 2021. VELUX Certified Installer Bruce Poll and his family have received hundreds of pounds

from the reward scheme. He said: “We’ve got a John Lewis nearby, so that’s where we tend to spoil ourselves, it’s a little treat that’s come from VELUX. We’ve also taken the staff out for a meal at Pizza Express and did our entire Christmas food shop at M&S!” Scott Leeder, Market Director from VELUX said: “Spring is traditionally a busy time for the industry, with homeowners keen to expand their homes in time for summer. With renovations keeping installers busy, we were keen to provide an extra boost to our rewards scheme to ensure installers, builders and homeowners benefit even more by choosing VELUX. The range of rewards mean that there’s something for everyone, including home tech and furnishings. Sign up now and you could earn literally hundreds of pounds worth of rewards just by purchasing VELUX products.”

To receive rewards from VELUX, upload your invoice at www.velux.co.uk/rewards