New Steel Windows Feature in High Profile Town Hall Refurbishment Projects

This article was originally published in Conservation Heritage Journal. You can download the original article or view Clement Windows’ profile on the Conservation Heritage Journal website.

The inter-war period saw the development of a particular style of architecture when it came to municipal buildings in the UK.

Architects in the first half of the twentieth century closely following the end of the Industrial Revolution and the modernist theories of men such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, grappled with how best to represent the power and ideology of an advanced and progressive state in built form. The democratic principles advocated by the Art Nouveau movement lost their allure in an era that saw the rise of the Soviet Union, Fascist Italy and the Third Reich.

A style which became known as Stripped Classicism evolved from the Modern Movement in the UK and was adopted by Government. Defined by bold massing, severe angles and a stylised reduction of classical elements, it was a formal expression of civic grandeur symbolising the power and authority of local government. It was also an architectural style for the people – town hall buildings, while serving an official function, have also provided cultural spaces for the local community in the form of libraries, concert venues or conference and wedding facilities.

High quality, new materials, often obtained due to improvements in industry and engineering, were prioritised with the use of Portland stone or reinforced concrete enabling vast rows of windows to be included.

Steel windows are common in many of these buildings and thus it is not surprising that new steel windows have been a feature of some recent high profile town hall refurbishment projects.

Waltham Forest Town Hall

Waltham Forest Town Hall is the best known instance of this type of architecture in the UK. Grade II listed, it is the headquarters of the London Borough of Waltham Forest Town Council and has hosted concerts by Yehudi Menuhin and Placido Domingo among others. Designed by architect Philip Dalton Hepworth, construction of the building began in 1938 but was interrupted by the Second World War and so it was completed until 1942.

In 2019 the Council approved an extensive programme of renovation works which included the replacement of all the original steel windows. More than 200 steel windows were chosen from the Clement Window Group’s W20 range. The new windows are painted RAL 9010 (Pure White) and include both top hung and side hung opening casements with complementary fittings in a dark bronze finish.

Previously described as aloof and inaccessible, the municipal buildings are now more open and welcoming and the new windows contribute good looks, better security and improved thermal performance. The Town Hall’s Senior Project Manager commented: “The team at Clement provided a great service in supplying new windows as part of the Town Hall refurbishment. Very specific aesthetic and energy performance criteria needed to be met when it came to the window replacement. The W20 windows supplied by Clement were able to meet all of these requirements.

Despite the project being on site at the height of the pandemic, the windows were delivered to programme which enabled seamless installation. Now the building has been brought back into use really positive feedback has been received from both staff and visitors.”

Old Marylebone Town Hall

The landmark Old Marylebone Town Hall building in Central London is another example of a stripped back classical style town hall that has recently undergone major refurbishment.

Officially opened in 1920, Marylebone Town Hall was designed by Sir Edwin Cooper and served as the headquarters of the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone until the larger City of Westminster was formed in 1965. It is also home to Westminster Register Office which has hosted the nuptials over the years of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Claudia Winkleman.

Following an agreement with Westminster Council, London Business School recently leased the Grade II listed town hall on a 35 year renewable contract in order to increase teaching facilities by 70 percent and the building underwent a major £60m refurbishment.

Wates Construction were chosen as the main contractors to undertake the challenge of joining the iconic buildings in an eclectic mix of the traditional and contemporary. The new educational facility is now known as the Sammy Ofer Centre in honour of the late Sammy Ofer KBE, a celebrated entrepreneur and philanthropist.

In the hands of architects Sheppard Robson, the transformation included advanced strip out, major structural and rebuilding works, electrical services and of course replacement of the original steel windows.

Clement EB24 steel windows with genuine T bars were specified to replace the original fenestration as sympathetically as possible, but with the advantage of multi point locking. The slim 24mm frames of EB24 steel windows meant planning the right glass specification was a highly complex task and different combinations of panes were chosen for the various windows. The specified glass included SunGuard which combines solar control with a high light transmission and Low E performance as well as acoustic laminated glass for achieving the desired sound requirements.

Dave Nott, Project Director at Wates Construction London, said: “With Old Marylebone Town Hall one of the challenges we faced was the introduction of a contemporary glazed link between the Council House and the Annex building while conserving the period features of such an iconic landmark. Clement’s windows provided the 1920s appearance, while bringing all the benefits of a modern window, a look which perfectly matches these historic premises. The Clement team were great to work with and any issues were resolved promptly and of course the windows look fantastic.”

Norwich City Hall

Norwich City Hall was considered by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner to be the ‘foremost public building of between the wars’. Many of the tenets of the fashionable Art Deco movement were simplified and combined with Greek and Roman traditions when it came to civic buildings and Norwich City Hall is a great example of this kind of architecture.

Completed in 1938 and designed by architects Charles Holloway James and Stephen Rowland Pierce, it is often compared to Ostberg’s City Hall in Stockholm which was very influential on municipal buildings during this period. It was built to the highest standards, using the superior materials and methods of its day – the materials used include Italian marble, Honduras mahogany and Australian walnut and even the bricks were specially made, each one being two inches longer than usual to better reflect the proportions of the finished building.

Over the years, many buildings of this period have lost their hallmark fixtures and fittings, but Norwich City Hall retains many of its original features. This is particularly fortunate as the furniture, light fittings and other details throughout the building were designed by the architects themselves with this particular site in mind.

Clement replaced the original steel windows with new Clement W20 windows, improving energy efficiency and security, whilst retaining the character of the building. Morgan Sindall, the main contractors on the project, awarded Clement a Perfect Delivery Certificate for the works carried out.

The new steel windows mean improved energy efficiency and security for Norwich City Hall whilst still retaining the original character of the building.

 

The Clement Windows Group manufactures an innovative range of steel windows, doors and screens for both private residences and commercial projects. Based just outside London, in Surrey, Clement also supplies a selection of conservation rooflights, available from stock in either a tile or a slate profile, or made bespoke to individual requirements.

For more information, contact us, we’d love to hear from you.