Gilberts Blackpool Ltd, a UK leading manufacturer of air distribution and natural ventilation solutions, has efficiently delivered variations of its core WG75 louvre system for the refurbishment of a seven-storey office block with retail space in Charterhouse Square. The company has perfectly balanced the physical building requirements and commercial considerations through a value engineered approach.

The project at the historic location, designed by architects Buckley Gray Yeoman, was executed by 21Construction. It involved upgrading the existing building and remodelling the floor area to increase it from 34,000 sq. ft. to 43,500 sq. ft.

“We had a number of aesthetic considerations to address too. There was a desire for the louvres to mimic the adjacent windows, all components needed to reflect the Grade A quality of the building, yet any solution had to be sympathetic with the history of the surroundings, and comply with budgetary constraints,” said John Hangar from the Gilberts.

Gilberts Ltd worked closely with a design team to develop a solution that will reflect the aesthetics whilst providing a secure fixing and weathering detail. Onto the façade WG75 aluminium standard louvres with a PPC black finish were fixed and a further five louvres were required to mimic the adjacent windows.

Because of the sensitive adjacent buildings, the plant screen on the roof was specified with acoustic mass/performance attenuation, equivalent to a blockwork wall. The company managed to balance the ventilation and sound demands with a built-on-site WGK75 louvre roof screen that yields a 50% free ventilation area. Gilbert’s state of the art test centre, designed and built in-house, is one of the most technically advanced in the country.

“Gilberts was put forward as a solution to meet budgetary constraints. We’re very pleased with the end result, which balanced our core design objectives with the physical requirements and commercial limitations,” said Nick Jones, Project Architect at Buckley Gray Yeoman.