Abandoned building gets new lease of life with EP90

In 2019, a developer had a vision and put a planning application in to remodel the decrepit behemoth into 67 luxury one- and two-bedroomed flats. With an idea that would bring additional living space to the city centre and life back to the community, the Mitchell House Project began.

The Project

When the tender went out for the project's windows, recently established window installation specialist Mega Glaze Ltd put in its quote for the contract. Founded 18 months ago, London based Mega Glaze was started by partners Simon Benesh & Yehuda Bude, who have a background in development projects. Their new company specialises in the commercial and development sectors, so with this background Simon was familiar with projects such as Mitchell House.

When the planning permission for Mitchell House was approved by Eastleigh Borough Council, it came with a caveat - any windows that were replaced in the building had to be replaced with acoustic rated windows which would prevent noise up to 42 decibels. Simon explains how he prepared for this:

"Mitchell House is located across the street from a train station. We knew going into this that the building's age meant that there would need to be significant upgrades to modernise it - including providing some soundproofing from the noise pollution.”

"We did our research on the available options in the market for PVCu windows which would meet this standard but also offer security and excellent thermal performance. We found that the market is lacking in options for this type of product, and there are very few to choose from.”

Simon continues, "After investigation, we chose to go with Liniar's EnergyPlus90 due to its slim frames and patented design features”. One of the only windows with the required acoustic-42 rating, Liniar's EP90 system also boasts PassivHaus accreditation, providing unrivalled thermal performance – as well as exceptional security.

With the Liniar EP90 system ticking all the boxes, Mega Glaze ultimately won the contract for the windows, so we placed our order with a Liniar fabricator for EP90 windows foiled in 7016 Grey on white."

The Challenges

Liniar's EnergyPlus90 system is 90mm wide but looks like a standard 70mm system from the inside and outside - the biggest difference is the weight of the finished product. To achieve an acoustic-42 rating you need acoustic-rated glass - and Simon explains, "We used triple glazed units which are exceptionally heavy. We didn't factor in the challenges in manoeuvring around the building with them. The weight of this on the installed windows proved to be troublesome and because of this a few frames indeed dropped and some subsequently were damaged."

Photo Finish

Simon continues, "Sure, there were some bumps along the way. The frames that were damaged had to be replaced. I contacted Charlotte Curtis at Liniar to see if she could help us to get the job completed by the deadline. She made sure we got the replacement windows in record time, and the finished job is stunning - without the sound of a train in earshot!"

Mega Glaze may only have recently celebrated its first year in business but has already attracted well-known developers and worked on many high calibre projects with exceptional results. For more information about this up and coming double glazing company, visit https://megaglaze.co.uk/.

2023 Update

As regulations to achieve the Future Homes Standard come into effect and the UK’s journey towards Net Zero accelerates, highly energy efficient buildings are more essential than ever. In February 2023 Liniar launched Zero|90, the evolution of EnergyPlus90. A Passivhaus-capable system, Zero|90 delivers the ultimate in superior energy efficiency and noise reduction.