Listed Buildings & Heritage Projects.
Specialists in renovation and replacement of glass block walls, floorlights, domes & rooflights to heritage and listed buildings.
There are many Listed Buildings within the United Kingdom which feature glass block walls, mullion bar windows, domes and glass/ferro-concrete rooflights. In most instances and with the age of such buildings, these constructions are now suffering the ravages of time and exposure to the elements necessitating renovation or total replacement.
We have been involved in the refurbishment and re-construction of many Listed Building projects. Unlike any of our competitors, Luxcrete can provide a unique service to heritage projects, our specialist knowledge in this niche sector is enviable. With the present company’s roots dating back to 1898 when the concept of pressed glass prisms was first patented, Luxcrete can provide either a full restoration service to existing glass/concrete constructions or total replacement to glass block domes, canopies and rooflights by exactly replicating these features in every respect.
Drawings of the original Pilkington's corner blocks together with several carefully removed samples taken from panels on site were used to enable production of new moulds to manufacture the exact replacements. Minor adjustments were made to the sizes to enable compatibility with the reeded pattern metric blocks manufactured by Oberland A.G. which were to be used to replace all the square glass blocks and keep the project within a reasonable budget.
Eltham Palace, London, SE5....
The original buildings of Eltham Palace date back to the 15th Century. The Courtauld family, owners of the palace during the 1920’s, commissioned an extension to be built as their residence at the palace. Elements of the design included three glass and concrete domes set within the flat roof of the new extension. The largest dome pitches to 1.2 metres at the central apex.
Wallis Special Projects Ltd in association with English Heritage commissioned Luxcrete to carry out the package of restoration works to the dome rooflights. An original glass lens was extracted from the largest of the three domes as seen in the photograph to enable manufacture of exact replacements. In excess of 120 replicated lenses were manufactured by hand and installed within the domes prior to the concrete surfaces being carefully scabbled and painstakingly prepared. The new concrete screed was applied and hand finished within a single pour and in one working day.
Surbiton Station, Surrey....
Surbiton Railway Station, Surrey, dates back to the 1930’s art deco period. The original pressed glass lens and concrete mullion bar windows to three elevations of the building have been entirely replaced during a total refurbishment scheme commissioned by Railtrack. The new windows are an exact replica of the original façade to satisfy Grade 1 Listed Building status. The hand pressed glass lenses, concrete mullions and brass ventilation grilles were reproduced by Luxcrete using patterns and site survey dimensions taken from the existing structures prior to demolition. The rooflights were replaced to match the original panels demolished during the refurbishment works.
Unlike the original panels, the replicated facades incorporate stainless steel reinforcement and fixings together with modern high performance glazing sealants, all designed and installed by us to meet current mandatory design and wind loading requirements.
In addition to the window facades, we were also contracted to remove and replace the existing glass/concrete rooflights throughout the Surbition Station complex during several phases of major refurbishment works. The rooflights are our type R254/125, cast insitu by our skilled operatives to the original setting out and levels of the original panels. We can proudly boast to be the only company able to satisfy current loading requirements and provide proof of design which is of paramount importance to our clients, particularly within projects accessible to the public (see our products section within this website).
Other notable Listed Building projects....
The local county council specified Luxcrete to undertake the demolition and reconstruction of all rooflights to the Southfield Library complex in Leicester. The large expanse of glazed panels were carefully demolished and the replacements cast insitu over the existing supports.
The rooflights incorporate complex falls and cambers, in addition to the curved plan form only available by in-situ construction.
We have designed and manufactured hand pressed walling blocks for the House of Fraser, Kendalls store, Manchester and flooring lenses for the rooflights within the D10 Building for Boots in Nottingham.
Cast Iron Pavement Lights....
Although cast iron pavement lights have become obsolete, in specific situations it may be necessary to replace these panels with an exact like for like construction. We are able to supply and install cast iron pavement lights for specific projects where "like for like" replacement is absolutely necessary; subject to approval of the Local Authority. We also have tooling and stocks of the original pattern glass lenses enabling us to provide exact replica panels. Cast iron pavement lights will always be considerably more expensive than their modern concrete equivalent, due to the nature of "one off" type special production processes.
We do not usually undertake the repair or renovation of original cast iron panels neither would we recommend this in the interests of public safety due to the brittleness and possibility of fracture to the castings. Such defects are irreparable.
Cast iron pavement lights do not have proof of design or load tests available, however, we can assess the necessary criteria on a contract specific basis.