Downing Place United Reformed Church, situated in Cambridge, has benefited from Selectaglaze’s secondary glazing installation
It was established in June 2018 after the merging of Emmanuel and St Columba’s United Reformed Churches. Downing Place United Reformed Church is located at the former St Columba’s building in Downing Place, which was built in 1891 in the Early English style and stands within the Historic Core Conservation Area.
The redeveloped St Columba’s site has been extensively renovated as part of a £3.3m project led by Archangel Architects.
The main contractor Coulson Building Group got in touch with Selectaglaze to discuss secondary glazing solutions for the purpose of thermal retention. Becoming thermally efficient and wasting less energy was of great importance to the Church, not only environmentally, but also on an economical level.
An array of options were assessed during the design process
In the end, the decision was for side hung casements to be installed in the Chapel where the primary windows were rectangular with a very gentle curve at the top.
Fixed light secondary glazing was specified for the much larger windows in the Nave, together with slim framing sections and interlocks.
There was no requirement for the secondary glazing to open as natural ventilation would be acquired through the opening of newly installed roof lights. Furthermore, the Church would only clean these units seldomly.
56 units were installed; consisting of 52 Series 46 slimline fixed lights installed in the Nave and four Series 45 side hung casements in the Chapel. The slimline Series 45 hinged casement system is suitable for treating many types of window and standard sized doors. Neat flush hinges and slim handles or flush locks provide clean internal lines.
The Series 46 slimline fixed light can be shaped or curved to a full circle – ideal for church windows that do not need to be opened regularly. Little maintenance is generally required to well designed and constructed stained glass. Both the Series 45 and 46 secondary glazed units will reduce heat loss by up to 50%. High-performance compression seals will almost eliminate drafts and ensure much greater comfort near the window.
A large circular primary window in the Nave was perhaps the most complex treatment due to its shape and elevated position. A proven method of fixing was used for this secondary glazing treatment.
Having previously worked on a similarly large circular window, a timber mullioned cartwheel frame was expertly crafted to hold the secondary glazing securely.
The timber subframes were built in segments with each mullion split to be screwed together within the window opening during installation, forming the cartwheel frame. Seven bespoke Series 46 fixed light segments were specified for it and glazed with 6mm toughened glass to give additional rigidity and structural strength.
