SOLAR WINDOWS SHOWS ITS STRENGTHS ON THE SCILLY ISLES
25th September 2012

Rehau fabricator Solar Windows faced a new challenge recently when it was specified to install windows, doors and curtain walling in a new build BSF school 28 miles off the Cornish coast on St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly.

The £14m, 3,350m² Five Islands School was a design and build project by Kier, funded mainly under the Building Schools for the Future programme and project managed by MACE. All 17,000 tonnes of material and components required for the build, which was the biggest construction project ever undertaken on the islands, had to be transported from the mainland so the logistical skills of all the suppliers involved were tested to the limit.

Solar Windows successfully rose to the challenge transporting 185 windows and 46 doors and completing the installation in a 9 month timescale.

The layout of the building around an open cloistered courtyard was deliberately designed to create an interconnection between the inside and outside areas of the school, reflecting both the lifestyle on the Isles and the fact that the school is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

For this reason, Solar was specified by Kier to manufacture and install glazed composite doors in REHAU outerframes in the majority of the classrooms opening onto the courtyard as well as large 2950mm x 1625mm horizontal sliding windows to provide natural light and ventilation.

Elsewhere in the school, Solar installed windows in the REHAU S706 70mm system and a 15m x 3.8m section of glazed curtain walling in the REHAU Polytec 50S composite curtain walling system for the four court sports hall.

All of the composite doors on the project were specified in a variety of rainbow colours to tie in with the overall design scheme by Grainge Architects.

Five Islands School is a ‘through school’ meaning it caters for nursery, primary and secondary pupils from the ages of 3 to 16. It currently has 230 pupils including secondary children from the four off-islands who are weekly boarders.

Visited by Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in July 2011 whilst under construction, the school was officially opened by their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall on July 3rd 2012.

www.rehau.co.uk