Saint-Gobain Building Glass looked on proudly last month as a £27.5m university building it helped to design and create was opened by the University of Huddersfield to provide a new home for its Law School and the School of Music, Humanities and Media.
The prestigious new Oastler Building was officially opened by The Duke of York at a VIP ceremony that celebrated the success of apprentices and trainees, via numerous sub-contractors and manufacturers, that were involved in the project.
Occupying a prominent site on the Shorehead side of the campus, the six-storey building is BREEAM Outstanding rated thanks to the use of SGG COOL-LITE SKN 165 II collar control glass in its curved frontage and a 3.5m cantilever. This dramatic design feature helps to self-shade the building’s glass façade to reduce solar gain and energy costs for cooling.
During the project, Saint-Gobain Building Glass worked closely with commercial sealed unit manufacturer Dual Seal Glass to ensure the correct technical glazing specification was provided and ensure that project deadlines and demands were met on time and in full with an excellent quality finished product.
Nigel Meredith, Managing Director of Dual Seal Glass, commented that the project was a success thanks to the collaborative effort between Dual Seal Glass and Saint-Gobain Building Glass.
“The partnership created between our two businesses is invaluable and it helps to ensure that we can meet the ever increasing demands in the commercial building sector,” he explained.
Adrian Adams, facades market manager at Saint-Gobain Building Glass, commented: “The team at Saint-Gobain Building Glass is proud to have been part of a project that was made possible by the involvement of many fantastic local businesses.
"It has been incredibly inspiring to see this project take shape and we look forward to seeing it become an established part of the Huddersfield skyline.”
The new building is a tribute to Richard Oastler, the 19th century reformer who campaigned to curb child labour and improve conditions for all workers in the new factories of the Industrial Revolution.
