Contractor Bouygues chooses Deceuninck PVC-U over aluminium

More than 700 frames of Deceuninck’s 2500 chamfered windows have been installed in a development of luxury apartments in Southampton. Alexandra Wharf is a collection of two and three bedroom, stylish water-front apartments, forming part of the Ocean Village development at the city’s marina.

Although aluminium profiles were originally specified, Deceuninck fabricator Dempsey Dyer worked with contractor Bouygues to customise the specification to allow the use of sustainable PVC-U. The contemporary look of the 2500 chamfered series closely mimics the look of aluminium – so closely that at street level it’s impossible to distinguish the PVC-U in the apartments from the aluminium used for the Harbour Hotel next door.

The building also called for 150 sliding doors and Dempsey Dyer and Bouygues opted for the clean lines of Deceuninck’s Slider 24, which suited the contemporary design. It’s also one of the highest performing doors on the market for weather, water tightness, and security. All 150 doors and 700 windows were externally finished in Anthracite Grey Smooth Foil on white PVC-U internally.

The harbour location and design of the building posed several technical challenges. The high rise nature of the apartment building design required strong windows to withstand high wind and water pressure – a challenge easily met by Deceuninck’s 2500 window with its Class 4 air permeability, Class 8A water tightness, and Class A5 2000Pa exposure.

The high salt content of the sea air also required special consideration. Austenitic hardware was required to combat the corrosive effects of salt water and all the hinges and screws used in the project have a TRICOAT surface, treated with a top coat containing a micro-corrosion protection system. The seaside location also meant the windows required a low solar gain and the 0.28 G-value of the 2500 window ensured that the building would not overheat.

The project was completed in full and on time within 12 months, and contractor Bouygues was extremely happy with the finished development. Speaking about the Ocean Village development, Darren Gill, Bouygues UK Managing Director for the South said:

“Ocean Village has revitalised this part of Southampton and we are very proud to be part of such an important development.”

Meanwhile, Nicolas Roach, Chairman of development management firm Nicolas James Group said:

“Our new five star hotel and Alexandra Wharf apartments complete Ocean Village and seal its reputation as the finest location in the city to live and work.”

Deceuninck works closely with commercial fabricators and gives comprehensive support on specifications, contract generation tenders, and technical requirements. The company’s full product portfolio is available from the NBS National BIM Library at www.nationalbimlibrary.com/deceuninck-ltd

For Dempsey Dyer call 01977 649641 or visit www.dempseydyer.co.uk. For more information on Deceuninck’s commercial projects and commercial range call 01249 816 969 or visit www.deceuninck.com. Follow @DeceuninckUK.