New life is brought to an Art Deco building on the corner of Russell Square with the help of Selectaglaze.
Built in 1804 and named after the Russell, Earls and Dukes of Bedford, Russell Square is situated in an ideal location midway between the city of London and the West End. Over the years the skyline surrounding the square has dramatically changed and is now lined with hotels, offices and UCL.
Positioned on one of its corners, next to the busy Woburn Place, Stands Russell Square House built during the 1940s to provide accommodation for services personnel. During the latter part of the 1980s, the building was overhauled and refurbished into office space.
After years of continued use, the building was in need of a major make over, in order to bring it up to A grade modern day standard office space. Russell Square House underwent an extensive refurbishment to make it a more comfortable working environment, while still maintaining all of its original Art Deco features.
Selectaglaze was approached to reduce the problematic traffic noise from the busy thoroughfare adjacent to the building. Secondary glazing is a fully independent window, fitted to the room side of a building and is the most effective way of reducing dB levels. When there is a gap of at least 100mm between the primary and secondary glazing, a cavity is created which decouples the panes of glass and reduces noise transmission making a reduction of 45dB achievable. With the use of twin brush seals this further reduces air and sound leakage.
Along with sound reduction, secondary glazing aids in reducing heat loss and can virtually eliminate draughts.
Over 600 units were installed by Selectaglaze from its slimline heritage range, including horizontal sliding and lift-out units to allow access for cleaning. The minimal frames created clean lines complimenting the existing primary windows, making them unobtrusive and virtually unnoticeable. Selectaglaze’s units are a fully reversible adaptation accepted by most heritage bodies.
With fifty years’ experience and Royal Warrant holders since 2004, Selectaglaze has worked on all building types from Listed homes to new build hotels. A wide range of tested products and fully bespoke manufacture allows sympathetic designs to be created for all types of window.
Literature and guidance notes covering acoustics, thermal performance and added security are offered together with a technical advisory service and RIBA approved CPD seminars.
