Selectaglaze secondary glazing was chosen to help improve the thermal, acoustic and security properties of one of London’s historic palaces near the River Thames in leafy West London.
Fulham Palace, a Grade I Listed building has had a mixed past. Residence to the Bishops of London since AD 704, the existing building dates from the reign of Henry VII. The Palace sits surrounded by a now infilled moat which is an Ancient Scheduled Monument and since the 16th century has had important botanical gardens which are now Grade II* Listed.
The site is rich in history with various objects and artefacts found on the grounds over the years, including; remains of several large buildings and evidence of Neolithic and Roman settlements, pilgrim badges, medieval stones and a sword which has been dated back to the 1st century. During the most recent works there revealed a 600 year old wall painting which had been covered up for hundreds of years. It is now partially on display in one of the office areas with specialist protective casing to maintain its longevity.
The last Bishop of London at the Palace left in the 1970s, when the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham took out a 100 year lease on the site. However, after this, the Palace and gardens suffered a period of neglect, so in 2011 Fulham Palace Trust was set up to oversee the estate.
In 2005 a great restoration project began, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, corporate sponsors and private individuals. The works have been undertaken in three phases, the last of which is due to be completed in spring 2019 with restorations to the Tudor quadrangle and the botanic garden.
To guarantee the sustainability of the Palace for future generations; office spaces around the quadrangle have been sensitively refurbished and brought up to 21st century standards, with nuances and details harking back to the original Tudor building, as well as works to a new museum area.
As part of the £3.8m phase III restoration, Purcell Architects produced the designs, not only with the building at the forefront of the plans, but also ‘future-proofing’ it for years to come. This meant upgrading old electrical circuits/feeds and plumbing, which is now hidden in decorative ducts, as well as building in ways to add extra cabling in the future if needed, with feeds and run-offs to all rooms.
Sykes and Son Ltd, experts in the refurbishment of historic buildings was appointed main contractor and approached Selectaglaze to provide the secondary glazing element of the works, following a previous successful working relationship at Syon House. The original single pane Tudor windows could not be changed due to the Listing of the building and did little to stop draughts, retain heat or stop noise ingress from the overhead aircraft on the Heathrow flight path. As some of the rooms were to be tenanted once again, they needed to be upgraded to provide a comfortable working environment.
The previous tenants had damaged parts of the Palace which had to be put right by Sykes and Son before the secondary glazing could be installed. In addition many areas of the building were decaying inside and out, so a massive restoration was carried out with the application of specialist treatments. Beams have been stripped back to their original state and made a feature of.
Given the age of the building, none of the windows were plumb or true, the walls slope and the ceilings dip. This made the installation of the secondary glazing very testing.
34 units were manufactured for the office areas which were a blend of Series 10 2 and 3 HS, plus some Series 45 HC. 6.8mm acoustic laminate glass was used to improve the acoustic and thermal performance. Fitch catches and slimline lockable handles were used to add an element of security. The most difficult part was the measuring and production of the splayed timber grounds, which were colour matched and then carefully scribed on site to ensure a good fit. 11 units were installed to the museum area; 3 of which were large (2308mm (h) x 1502 (w)) Series 85 2 HS enhanced security units to meet performance requirements for the Government Indemnity Scheme.
Steve Bevan, site manager for Sykes and Son said; “I have been extremely impressed with the work from Selectaglaze and have given them a 10/10. From the visit by the surveyor, through to the installation team; I felt comfortable to leave them to get on with their work. They were efficient, clean and treated the tight site with respect.”
The new offices should help generate income to maintain the estate for future generations and the museum is set to; “Engage people and provide an insight through the stories of the Bishops of London into over 1300 years of English history, and to become one of Great Britain’s most loved and inspiring historic houses and gardens.” Historic England Trust.
Founded in 1966, Royal Warrant Holder Selectaglaze has grown its reputation as a leading secondary glazing specialist offering high performance noise insulation, improved building energy performance, environmental control and certified security. A wide range of literature and guidance notes is available together with a technical advisory service and RIBA approved CPD seminars.
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