Vacuum glazing retains the look of Churchill’s former home
5th July 2016

When a Grade II former home of Sir Winston Churchill was to be restored, the need for authentic looking windows was paramount. The solution, along with bespoke carpentry, was PILKINGTON SPACIA, which uses a vacuum layer to give double glazing performance from a thickness of 6.5mm, barely thicker than single glazing.

The house, Templeton in Roehampton, South West London, had previously been converted into student accommodation but is now being returned to a luxury family home by contractor Richstone properties, on behalf of its owners, David and Laura Rich-Jones.

Pilkington Spacia features a vacuum, with the spacing between the sheets of glass maintained by a grid of transparent microspacers – small pillars measuring just 0.5mm in diameter, placed 20mm apart across the unit. The solution also eliminates the double reflection visible in double glazing, which was another stipulation made by the conservation officer.

Richstone has appointed Gowercroft Joinery, a Derbyshire-based carpenter specialising in windows and doors for heritage buildings.

The project involves 157 windows and 37 external doors. The age of the building and the size of the windows and doors means virtually no two frames are exactly the same size, and each one has had to be measured and manufactured to an individual specification. The total manufacturing time is expected to be around 12,000-15,000 work hours.

Andrew Madge, managing director of Gowercroft Joinery, said: “It’s a privilege to have been selected to work on such an impressive and important property. It’s great to see the investment being made to restore this building to its true former glory while also bringing its energy performance into line with modern standards.”

Peter Maj, area sales manager at Pilkington United Kingdom Limited said: “When it is complete, this will be a stunning property and the beautiful, hand-crafted glazing will be one of its defining features. We’re proud that the technology offered by Pilkington Spacia means no compromise has to be made between modern standards of comfort and energy efficiency and the need to preserve the character of our architectural heritage.”

Lindsey Eden, head of development at Richstone Properties, said: “We have been delighted to work with Pilkington and Gowercroft Joinery to achieve such an authentic window and door design during the refurbishment of this beautiful family home. Pilkington Spacia was a particularly attractive solution, given the thinness of the glazing and its thermal performance and noise insulating properties.”

www.pilkington.co.uk