Monthly Archives: April 2021

Aldi, Bolton Wood – Case Study

In the wake of current easing of the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, there has been much discussion about how businesses can reopen while adhering to social-distancing guidelines.

Glazed canopies and outdoor shelters are already used by many businesses in the retail and hospitality industry all over the country. These versatile structures offer a cost-effective and quick solution to extending dining and recreational areas as well as offering customers a covered area for queuing to enter a building.

While traditional building extensions can be costly and take months to complete, canopies, shelters and walkways are quick to erect and more likely to fit within budget constraints. If a canopy is fitted with vertical glazing it will provide additional shelter from the elements – and the addition of lockable roller shutters can provide security, so the area can be used for night-time storage. It is also worth noting that the standards and legislation relating to canopies are relatively simple and easier than conventional building extensions to achieve compliance.

Last year, Aldi were looking to open a new store at Bolton Wood Retail Park in Bradford. The opening was delayed due to COVID-19’s first lock-down. An entrance canopy had been incorporated into the design of the store and Twinfix was approached to provide the roof-glazing system for the structure.

Since it opened its doors, customers at Aldi have been benefitting from the stunning 74 square-metre canopy, it enables them to adhere to social-distancing guidelines while sheltering them from the rain and strong UV rays of the sun. The structure comprises of the Multi-Link-Panel, an innovative, modular rooflight system that is incredibly quick to install and that outperforms more traditional systems in terms of cost, performance, and appearance. The system is classified as non-fragile in accordance with the HSE’s ACR[M]001:2014 drop test, providing an extra element of safety to this high-quality CE approved structure.

 

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Our Top 5 Highlights for March

1) Women in Rail: Twinfix are delighted to have joined Women in Rail, an organisation created to improve diversity in the UK rail industry.

Joint Managing Director, Vicky Evans commented, ” I am really happy and excited  to join Women in Rail, it sounds like an exciting forum to exchange best practice and it fits in with our work in the rail sector.”

We look forward to hearing from fellow members and supporting this mission.

2) Manufacturers Alliance: We take great pride in our forward thinking approach to product development and introducing new roofing and canopy products to the market and are delighted to have joined Manufacturers Alliance a community of manufacturing companies who help each other achieve their personal and business ambitions.

3) Rail Alliance: With our work in rail being a fundamental part of our business, we understand the importance of coming together with other industry players to work together to share best practice and look forward to presenting our high-quality, safe products to the Rail Alliance community.

4) Luke Livesey joins our accounts team. Luke has a first-class degree in Accounting and Finance and enjoys going to the gym. Welcome to the family Luke!

5) Here are a few of our completed projects this month – Manchester Islamic Centre, McAuley Mount Care Home, Pathfield School, Pikefold Primary, Ysgol Glan Cegin, Bangor, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital,

Manchester Islamic Centre - Area 1 Pathfield school, Barnstaple - A1 - 2jpeg Pikefold primary - Vertical glazing 2 Ysgol Glan Cegin, Bangor - 2 Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital - 3 McAuley Mount Care Home, Burnley - 1

Preston Station

Preston railway station is on the West Coast Main Line, about half-way between Euston railway station and Glasgow Central station, the North Union railway station was opened in 1838. The current station was built in 1880 and extended in 1903 and 1913.

From Preston you can get to London Euston in 2h 47m every day, connecting the south to the north in a matter of hours. It is therefore a station that is both historical as well as an important transport route.
Alongside the elegant 19th century station building the station has a lot of interesting history. The Free Buffet Association fed servicemen 24 hours a day during the First World War there and the waiting room on platform three eatures a plaque that marks where the buffet once stood.

Moving on to something quite different, but another key feature of this historic station, is the glazed gables at the end of the station. These gables were one of the station’s original features. The gables were last updated in the 1960s and were badly rotten and in need of repair.

In July 2019 we were approached by MPH Construction Ltd and Crouch Waterfall to look at a solution to renew the gables. The solution had to be in keeping with the original features, require limited maintenance and be able to stand the test of time. We visited site to look at
possible solutions, wanting to provide a product that was cost effective as well as in keeping with the heritage features of the original gables. Our Multi-Link-Panel solid polycarbonate glazing system with a bespoke rolled aluminium ladder frame and flashing fit the bill.

We formed a great partnership with main contractor MPH, with MPH commenting:

“As a trusted delivery partner Twinfix have worked with MPH on numerous railway station refurbishment schemes. For this scheme the brief from Network Rail was to replace the life expired glazed façade to the gable end of the train shed building. MPH approached Twinfix to propose a replacement façade using light weight sustainable materials that would sympathetically replicate the historic features of the station. Twinfix assisted MPH with achieving the aspiration of the client and the end result speaks for itself.”

Andy Savage, Executive Director of the Railway Heritage Trust said:

“The Railway Heritage Trust gave a grant of £100,000 towards the renewal of the screens at Preston. We are delighted with how this project’s use of modern, Twinfix, materials has enabled the retention of the original appearance of the screen, whilst making it both stronger and safer to maintain in the future. We are particularly pleased at Twinfix going the extra mile in designing and manufacturing bespoke elements of the glazing bars as part of this.”

Many complexities had to be overcome making it a challenging project to work on. Firstly, taking accurate measurements during the survey was difficult due to the steel frame that had twisted over time. However, we paid time and attention on this up-front survey work to ensure that the project ran smoothly, and the product fitted correctly.

An additional design feature was that we had to clamp to some the existing cast steel rather than fix through it. Although time consuming, it was the correct method for the existing metal framework.

Appearance wise the clear polycarbonate that is glazed into the Multi-Link-Panel frame has the same look as glass, so allows light to flood through. Polycarbonate stands no
chance of breaking so a great safety enhancement for the station.

Polycarbonate and aluminium can both be recycled after their long-life span. They are also manufactured from partly recycled material.

A feature that further enhanced the sympathetic refurbishment of the gables was the addition of a moulded detail that featured at the top of the glazing bar, MPH sourced machined high-density material to replicate the timber details. This really complemented the new Multi-Link-Panel gables and ensured they looked as in keeping as possible.

All in all it was a fabulous project to work on and we are delighted with the finished result which is now a long lasting and durable feature of this historic listed station.