Review 2000

C E N T R E F O R
AND

WINDOW
CLADDING
T E C H N O L O G Y
Calendar 2000

Full details of CWCT courses and seminars are given in

CWCT Training 2000

Date Meeting

Wednesday 8 March Seminar: Fire and facades

Wednesday 29 March Seminar: Architectural glazing - specifying for safety and security

Monday 10 April Members’ Assembly

Wednesday 12 April pm Education & Training Group

Wednesday 3 May Seminar: The Building Regs. and thermal rating schemes - declaring the
thermal performance of facades and windows
Wednesday 10 May Seminar: Design of aluminium and glass systems
Thursday 11 May Seminar: Assessing condensation risk and heat loss
Monday 15 May am Marketing & Publications Group
Monday 15 May pm Board
Tuesday 16 May Seminar: The Acoustic performance of facades
Wednesday 17 May Technical Group (and Standards Group)

Monday 5 June am Education & Training Group

Tuesday 6 June Seminar: Safe and effective access to facades: construction and maintenance
Monday 12 June Seminar: Practical photovoltaics
Tuesday 13 June Two-day residential course in Bath
Wednesday 14 June Supervising the cladding package
Monday 26 June pm Board

Monday 24 July am Marketing & Publications Group

Monday 24 July pm Board
Wednesday 26 July Technical Group (and Standards Group)

Thursday 7 September Seminar: Sealing the building envelope: sealants, gaskets and open joints
Friday 8 September Seminar: Interfaces between facade and structure
Monday 11 September am Education & Training Group
Monday 11 September pm Board
Friday 22 September pm AGM/Public lecture/CWCT Members’ dinner - London

Tuesday 3 October Seminar: Testing of facades for weather resistance

Tuesday 3 October Evening course - Curtain walling for building professionals
4 - 7 pm every Tuesday until 5 December 2000
Monday 16 October am Marketing & Publications Group
Monday 16 October pm Board
Tuesday 17 October Seminar: Refurbish or re-clad? - the options
Wednesday 25 October Seminar: Assessing condensation risk and heat loss
Thursday 26 October Seminar: Design of aluminium and glass systems
Tuesday 31 October Technical Group (and Standards Group)

Wednesday 1 November Seminar: Performance specification of sealant joints - meeting the new ISO
Standards
Monday 13 November am Education & Training Group
Tuesday 14 November Seminar: Fixing of stone - specification, design, testing
Monday 27 November pm Board
Tuesday 28 November Seminar: Specification of glass in overhead glazing

Tuesday 5 December pm Marketing & Publications Group

Booking forms for each of the seminars and courses may be printed from our
website - www.cwct.co.uk

cover photograph courtesy of Structura UK Limited

About the Centre

The Centre for Window & Cladding Benefits of Membership and Organisation of the CWCT
Technology (CWCT), based at Bath Sponsorship
University, is an industry supported CWCT has 177 members and nine
research and technology Membership of CWCT gives Sponsors and is run by a Council
organisation dedicated to the needs companies access to the Centre’s which comprises representatives of
of the cladding, window and curtain technical knowledge and advice. Sponsor companies of CWCT, plus
walling industry. four elected ‘ordinary’ members and
Members: a representative from each of the
The Centre aims ‘to improve the University of Bath and the
quality, performance and value of • have access to the ‘Cladding Department of the Environment,
window and cladding systems Forum’ - CWCT’s password Transport and the Regions.
having due regard to both how they protected website
are made and how they are used’ Council sets the agenda for work at
through input to its Members and its • may sit on the Centre’s steering CWCT and agrees policy. Council
general input to the construction groups for research and training appoints the Board of CWCT and
industry through its research and projects as appropriate the Chairmen of the Strategic
work with other bodies. groups.
• have prior knowledge of the
Since its foundation in 1989, the Centre’s research and The Board meets on a monthly basis
Centre has established a sound publications to control and monitor the business
reputation throughout the industry, and policy aspects of the Centre. It
based upon its publications, • receive the Centre’s newsletter receives reports from the Strategic
seminars and training courses. groups, monitors progress of the
• receive updates on technical, work, sanctions proposals for new
CWCT is independent and balances training, publications and work and manages the finances and
the needs and aspirations of all certification work resources of the CWCT.
those involved in its area of
technology. Its broad membership • comment on CWCT standards There are four Strategic groups,
includes: prior to publication each comprising members of the
CWCT and co-opted experts from
• Clients • seek technical advice from CWCT industry, which meet on a regular
basis:
• Designers • receive discounts on courses,
publications, consultancy and • Marketing & Publications
• Consultants testing
• Technical
• Contractors Sponsorship of CWCT provides
companies with the opportunity to • Education & training
• Manufacturers play an active role in determining the
future of both the CWCT and the • Registration & Certification
industry. Each Sponsor sits on the
CWCT Council and guides the work The strategic groups identify areas of
of the Centre. work that CWCT should pursue,
monitor national initiatives that
Sponsors are at the core of the influence the Centre’s work, seek
CWCT’s work. All have participated external funding for CWCT and its
directly in research and training work; and regulate the quality of the
projects. Centre’s output in all areas.

www.cwct.co.uk 3
Membership

Membership of the Centre for

by right elected
Window & Cladding Technology is Sponsors Council Members
open to all those who have an
interest in the specification, design,
manufacture and installation of 4 No Board 3 No
windows, curtain walling and
cladding and its members come
from the broad spectrum of the Marketing & Education & Registration &
Technical
construction industry, from property Publications Training Certification

owners, architects and contractors

page 8 page 9 page 11 page 12
to manufacturers and component
suppliers.
Council Members representatives on Council
Roger Blundell, Taywood Engineering, Chairman Gerry Love, AMEC
Over the past year the CWCT has Andrew Hall, Arups Peter Rogers, Stanhope
welcomed Comar Architectural Geoff Reynolds, CAB Mark Whitby, Whitby Bird
Aluminium as Sponsors and a further James Cook, Comar Architectural Aluminium
Bill Dickson, Exterior Profiles Board
40 companies have taken Alan Jones, Kawneer Geoff Mann, RHWL, Chairman
membership. Rick Wilberforce, Pilkington Andrew Hall, Arups
Diane Aderyn, University of Bath Barry Smith, W S Atkins
John Stambollouian, DETR Clive Birch, Buro Four
Not only does the Centre work with Bill Dickson, Exterior Profiles
Alan Jones, Kawneer
and for its members but it also Ray Elliott, Taywood Engineering
participates in many other bodies to Richard White, Baker Tilly, Finance
represent members’ views and to
further research and the
dissemination of knowledge; in
particular, the Centre has strong Membership
links with other Universities and Clients
research bodies, international Architects
research groups, trade associations Consultants
and standard setting and certification Main contractors
bodies. Specialist sub-contractors
Suppliers
Companies in membership range in System companies
size from large plcs to highly- Research and testing
specialised one-man consultancies, Trade associations
all of whom need access, from time
to time, to CWCT’s resources. The
wide membership gives the Centre
its balance and the ability to produce
documents and reports which have
the consensus of industry. Current
membership is broken down as
shown below.

Annual subscriptions:
Sponsorship: £5,000
Membership: Manufacturers and
contractors: £1000; Designers and
consultants: £500

Sources of Income - activities Sources of Income - subscriptions

Subscriptions Sponsors
Research Manufacturers & contractors
Publications Clients, designers & consultants
Glass in Building
Other

4 www.cwct.co.uk
Chairman’s Report Director’s Report

CWCT is now, without question, Over the past year we have

nationally and internationally known. welcomed three new members to
Each year Sponsorship and the CWCT team. Henk De Bleecker
Membership are growing. We now is specialising in the thermal
have 177 Members and nine research and consultancy aspects of
Sponsors, including the latest our work. Alan Keiller is a specialist
Sponsors, the Parkside Group, who in materials and structures, including
trade as Comar Architectural structural glass. Emma Paterson is
Aluminium Systems. our administrative assistant.

Members can read about the work One of the targets in our business
of the Strategic Groups in the plan was to increase the amount of
appropriate sections of this Annual training that the Centre undertakes,
Review. I am particularly pleased and I am very pleased to report that
that Bill Dickson has taken the this has happened - our training
Registration and Certification Group effort has doubled over the last year.
forward to produce the list of The balance of our activities has
specialist façade contractors. We all shifted slightly away from research
believe this will be a great benefit to towards providing more advice for
our industry as a whole. our members and consultancy
services. Consultancy is mainly
More firms are requesting training, concerned with thermal analysis and
and attendance at CWCT courses comments on specifications.
has increased this year. To me, this
shows a very welcome trend in that We have sold 1000 documents, and
companies are now investing in a frequent request is “Can I have
people and skills. We believe that the your white folder?”. About twenty
hard work that has been carried out per cent of our document sales go
to create these training schemes is overseas and overseas purchasers
now paying off. tend to purchase complete sets of
publications rather than one or two.
The Board still meets once a month,
usually in London, and interest Glass in Buildings, our conference in
throughout the industry through 1999, attracted 220 delegates, with
participation in the various Strategic speakers from twelve countries and
Groups remains high. delegates from twenty countries. A
truly international event.
CWCT is not only the national centre
for window and cladding technology Our stature as a provider of
but also is now increasingly authoritative information continues to
international, our latest overseas grow. This is in part due to our role
recruit being an Italian systems as a hub of knowledge drawn from a
company. wide range of research projects and
other initiatives with which we are
Finally, none of this would be involved. Examples of these include
possible without the hard work of work with the British Woodworking
Stephen and his team. On behalf of Federation on rating windows for
you all, I would like to thank Stephen energy efficiency, with the
and Brenda and their staff for all that Construction Fixings Association
they are doing to increase the dealing with issues to do with fixings
influence of CWCT. in cracked concrete, and with
Sheffield University looking at the
Geoff Mann practical aspects of photovoltaics.

I believe that the CWCT is now

regarded, quite rightly, as a national
resource.

Stephen Ledbetter

www.cwct.co.uk 5
Networking and the Cladding Forum

The Centre has developed its role as The site contains a number of
a hub, making information available features, including a directory of
to its Members and has achieved a Specialist Facade Contractors;
position where it is able to give Technical Notes and Updates; a list
authoritative information, or access of library holdings, a calendar of
to other sources of authoritative events and a bulletin board.
information.
• The Technical Notes provide
Two members’ meetings are held in advice and guidance on specific
Bath each year when members have subjects.
an opportunity to meet and hear
presentations on topics of general • Technical Updates provide
interest. Members also visit the current views and clarification
Centre informally to talk with the staff realting to Standards and other
and use the library. technical developments.

The Centre’s next step is to make • The Directory of Specialist Facade

this service more accessible to its Contractors contains details of
Members and today that means ‘on 138 specialist facade contractors.
line’. The Centre has for sometime
maintained a website at • The CWCT’s Library holds some
http://www.cwct.co.uk and has 4,000 documents. Over a quarter
now developed the Cladding Forum, of the titles have been put on the
our MEMBERS ONLY site, Cladding Forum site, with a
http://www.cwct.co.uk/forum. keyword search facility that
enables the user to skip through
The Forum provides a gateway to relevant titles.
other websites of benefit to
members and a single source for the • As well as listing seminars, the
information needed by designers calendar of events also lists
and specifiers. Many sources of Board Meetings, the AGM and
information are gathered under a the meetings of the Strategic
single heading of Construction, the Groups.
Cladding Forum provides a focus to
the material and maps the • Bulletin board on which Members
information in a way relevant to can paste technical questions and
cladding and windows. information.

The idea of the Cladding Forum • It will also be possible to send

grew out of the general work on the technical enquiries to CWCT via
web site, and from a DTI initiative the site.
that looked at how technical groups
from a wide variety of disciplines For Members with limited or no
communicate electronically with their internet access, the Centre
membership. maintains its current
communications channels.
The Cladding Forum provides
information of more direct relevance
to the membership than can be
provided by the ‘shop window’ of
the web site. It will gives members
access to CWCT documentation
and allows them to contact one
another.

6 www.cwct.co.uk
FACETS
Fenestration And Cladding Engineering Technology Scheme

FACETS is the pulling together of a

large amount of the Centre’s work
and other technical information into
an easily accessible format that will
be available on CD later in 2000. The
project runs over two years and has
been part-funded by the Department
of Trade and Industry. This is a large
undertaking.

The FACETS CD will include sections

on:

• Glass and glazing

• Advanced glazings

• Sealing the building envelope

• Rainscreens

• Finishes and durability

• Life cycle costs

• Structural performance

• Buildability

• Structural glazing

• Procurement

• Building physics

• Comfort and safety

It will be fully illustrated with

diagrams and images and contains
tables of data wherever applicable. It
is designed to be used as a
reference source and an educational
resource for those learning about
facade engineering.

The fully searchable CD will run on

most common browsers.

Beyond the initial development,

FACETS will be maintained and
updated by the Centre.

www.cwct.co.uk 7
Marketing & Publications Strategic Group

Chairman Web site External Activities

Ray Elliott The Centre’s ‘Members’ only’ The Group reviews how the Centre’s
Taywood Engineering website is maintained to show our output is taken up by its Members
Taywood House latest activities. The website log and works to promote the Centre in
345 Ruislip Road indicates that once members have the wide and diverse construction
Southall visited the site they do so again and industry.
Middlesex UB1 2QX again. Visitors find out more about
publications, seminars, courses and The Group is targeting clients and
Tel: 020 8575 4849 research projects and may print an contractors in order to increase
order form for publications or a awareness of the importance of
Group Members booking form for a seminar. The cladding in the building industry and
Group has undertaken to develop awareness of the benefits of
Brenda Apted, CWCT the website and electronic Members of CWCT. These include:
Geoff Brine, Taywood Engineering communications with the
Andrew Brown, membership. • External lectures
Sheppard Robson
Stephen Ledbetter, CWCT Cladding Forum • Seminars and Workshops
Gareth East,
Solaglas Saint-Gobain The Group reviews the Centre’s • Participation in other industry
Olivia Gadd, communication with its Members groups
Arup and is working to ensure that the
Cladding Forum delivers maximum The Group plans and monitors
The Group’s brief benefit to Members and is user–- coverage of CWCT activities in the
friendly as we work towards media.
• To promote awareness of the electronic communication.
Centre’s activities and to See page 6. The first Annual Review, produced
further the CWCT’s work of by this group, was well received.
raising the profile of the During 1999, the Centre published
cladding sector of the one major document ‘Standard &
construction industry Guide to good practice for slope
glazing’ and in 2000 ‘Performance
• Maintain a high level of and testing of fixings for thin stone
awareness of CWCT’s cladding’
activities amongst the
membership A list of current publications is given
inside the back cover
• Promote key areas of the
Centre’s work, in order to
encourage take up by the
wider industry

• Maximise the exposure of the

CWCT in the media

• Promote conferences, courses

and seminars

• Define and adopt a

co-ordinated approach to the
Centre’s publications and
activities

8 www.cwct.co.uk
 Technical Strategic Group

Research programme Strength of fixings for natural Chairman

stone Professor D Nethercot
Research at CWCT spans the whole As a result of this work a guidance Imperial College
spectrum of facade performance document has been published which Department of Civil &
and construction process. The work covers: Environmental Engineering
varies from near-to-market • Support systems for stone Imperial Road
development through strategic cladding panels; London SW7 2BU
reviews and reports, to blue skies • Loads; Movement;
research. Funding for research and • Building and cladding tolerances; Tel: 020 7594 6049
development comes from Industry, • Fixing types and fixing
Department of the Environment, performance; Group members
Transport and Regions, EPSRC, • Structural design Mike Auty, Auty Associates
University of Bath, collaborative Mike Downing, Trent Concrete
projects with other researchers and Ray Elliott, Taywood Engineering
the Centre’s own resources. CWCT is working closely with the David Fisher, Bovis Lend Lease
following bodies to undertake Ltd
The following projects have been research and improve technical Dr Richard Harris, Messrs
completed recently: knowledge and skills Sandberg
Alan Keiller, CWCT
Preparation of Technical notes British Fenestration Rating Council; Dr Robin Kent, Tangram
for the window and cladding Institution of Civil Engineers; Dr Stephen Ledbetter, CWCT
industry Institution of Structural Engineers; Sandy Mackay, BPGroup
Thirty technical notes have been Chartered Institute of Building Dr Pat Pinnington, CAB
published and are available to Services Engineers; Wind Alan Smith
Members on the website. Engineering Society; Comite John Stamp, Kawneer
Companies not in membership may International du Batiment (CIB) as Tony Tidy, Consultant
purchase hardcopies from the co-ordinator of TG25 - Façade Tony Wilson, Glostal (Granges)
Centre. The titles of the Technical systems and technologies; British Ltd
note are listed on the inside back Woodworking Federation; and the Dr Bill Wolmuth, Independent
cover of this Review. Universities of Loughborough, Building Technology
Sheffield and Leeds Metropolitan.
The effect of edge details on the The Group’s brief
heat transfer through insulated
panels • Propose and seek funding for
This work has been published as a innovation, research and
CWCT report and has been carried development
through into CWCT consultancy.
• Identify the need for good
Durability of facades practice and knowledge
This work is published on the CWCT guides
website and has been promoted at a
CWCT seminar. • Identify the need to produce
and update standards
Review of standards for
fenestration and facades • Oversee the work of the
This is available on the CWCT Standards Working Group
website and is carried through into
work by others who refer to the site. • Be the ultimate technical
authority in any dispute or
issue arising from the technical
programme of the CWCT

• Agree the review of CWCT

publications and ensure their
publication is in accordance
with the policy set by the
Marketing and Publications
Group

www.cwct.co.uk 9
Standards Working Group
a standing sub-group of the Technical Strategic Group

Chairman Much of the Group’s work is

undertaken by ad hoc groups of
Ian Walker experts drawn mainly from the
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates membership, identified to produce
13 Langley Street each publication.
London WC2H 9JG
Maintenance of existing
Tel: 020 7836 6668 Standards

Group members The group receives comments and

questions relating to the Centre’s
Mike Auty, Auty Associates Standards on curtain walling,
John Beasley, BRE ventilated rainscreens and slope
Mike Downing, Trent Concrete glazing. Where there is a need for
Neal McDonald, Taywood explanation or updating, the group
Engineering publishes Technical Notes and
David Fletcher, Kawneer Technical Updates.
David Fisher, Bovis Lend Lease
Ltd Input to other Standard setting
Dr Robin Kent, Tangram bodies
Dr Stephen Ledbetter, CWCT
Gareth East, Solaglas St Gobain The CWCT is represented on BSI
Bob Lilly, CWCT Standards Groups concerned with
Matthew Locke, Bovis Lend curtain walls and windows, Fire and
Lease Ltd Sealants, and on the UK
Dr Pat Pinnington, CAB Fenestration Group that considers
Nigel Swaffield, RHWL and discusses technical and
John Stamp, Kawneer Standards issues across the
Tony Willmott, Sandberg industry. The main topics recently
Tony Wilson, have concerned future thermal
Glostal (Granges) Ltd Standards and changes to the
Building Regulations; Standards of
The Group’s brief fire performance and the proposed
European (CEN) test for curtain
• Identify the need for new walling.
Standards
Future guidance
• Develop new Standards and
approve them for publication The group is currently overseeing the
writing of guidance documents on
• Maintain the Centre’s current acoustics and nickel sulfide induced
published Standards glass failures.

• Oversee CWCT response to

other Standard setting bodies

10 www.cwct.co.uk
 Education & Training Strategic Group

Short courses and seminars Training is provided at CWCT Chairman

Approved Training Centres. Currently
CWCT runs an annual programme of Kawneer, Technal and Schuco are David Fletcher
short courses and seminars which approved, each using the standard Kawneer Europe
over the last months have included: training package developed by Astmoor
CWCT. Assessment of Centres and Runcorn
• Managing the cladding package trainees is undertaken by Bob Lilly, Cheshire
CWCT Training Officer. WA7 1QQ
• Interfaces between the facade
and structure A list of companies employing Tel: 01928 563732
installers registered under the CWCT
• Structural design of aluminium Installers’ Scheme is available from Group Members
and glass systems CWCT. There are currently some
480 cardholders. Howard Elkins, Taylor Woodrow
• Wind tunnel testing Alistair Gibb, Loughborough
Technician Training University
• Cladding finishes and corrosion Dr Stephen Ledbetter, CWCT
protection The Centre offers courses at two Bob Lilly, CWCT
levels for design technicians. Level 1 Derek Parnham, St Martins
• Standard and guide to good is a two-day course designed to Property
practice for slope glazing update the knowledge of Nigel Rees, GGF
technicians; Level 2 courses address Geoff Reynolds, CAB
These courses continue to attract particular topics such as the Tony Wilson,
architects and engineers as part of Interfaces between facade and Glostal (Granges) Ltd
Continuing Professional structure and assessing
Development, and attendance has condensation risk and heat loss. The Group’s Brief
increased, but the number of sales
engineers attending is still too high in In-house courses The Education & Training Group
proportion to the number of is responsible for all aspects of
technical designers. Companies The Centre continues to provide in- training under the CWCT banner:
clearly think they should ‘appear to house training for a number of its
know’ even if they do not have an members. These are mainly of one- • Short courses and seminars
in-depth knowledge. day duration, targeted at specific
issues. The Centre participates in • CWCT Installers’ Scheme
CWCT Installers’ Scheme seminars organised by its members
for others. • Training of fabricators:
Currently the CWCT runs the CWCT technicians, estimators and
Installers’ Scheme which has been MSc in Facade Engineering surveyors
taken up by specifiers and main
contractors as a requirement on Stephen Ledbetter co-ordinates this • Distance learning courses
contracts and is the only Certification course which currently has ten
scheme in this field. students.

There is agreement that the CWCT

Scheme should become part of the See CWCT ‘Training at every level’
Construction Skills Certification for details of courses and seminars,
Scheme (CSCS), presently or visit www.cwct.co.uk.
administered through the CITB, by
the GGF. Installers who are trained
at CWCT Approved Training Centres
and assessed by CWCT will have the
courses endorsed on the back of
their CSCS card.

This new scheme meets the CWCT

requirements, agreed six years ago,
that training should include both
core knowledge and product specific
knowledge provided by the
designer/maker of the system.

www.cwct.co.uk 11
Registration & Certification Strategic Group

Chairman The Group undertook a mapping of

the industry showing who the
Bill Dickson companies are and what they
Exterior Profiles Ltd currently do. This work has resulted
Prudence Place in the Directory of Specialist Facade
Proctor Way Contractors which is linked to a live
Luton database and is now available on the
LU2 9PE Cladding Forum, the members only
website.
Tel: 01582 456595
From a list of companies outlining
Group members the services offered, a visitor may
click on a company name and
Peter Frackiewicz, Land access a page that provides
Securities Properties Ltd information about that company in
Friedhelm Stellet, Schuco terms of systems offered and
International maximum contract value. Some
Steve Wightman, Senior companies have links to their
Aluminium Systems Ltd websites whilst some have provided
Gerry Love, short descriptions of recent projects.
AMEC Construction Ltd The scope of work covered includes
David Fisher, installation companies undertaking
Bovis Lend Lease Ltd contracts to a maximum value of
Kelvin Goodacre, Kawneer £20K to Permasteelisa whose
Europe largest contract is £33M.
David Shorey, Portal Ltd
Stephen Ledbetter, CWCT Following the registration of
Brenda Apted, CWCT companies in the directory, the
Group is initiating a certification
The Group’s brief scheme for companies that reach
given benchmarks. This will require
The group is concerned with the minimum levels of training for all
Registration & Certification of: employees of the companies and
their sub-contractors.
• Individuals skills

• Company ability

• Product performance

12 www.cwct.co.uk
Member’s Assembly 1999
CWCT and the cladding industry’s response to change

The Member’s Assembly, which followed the AGM during the decade. look at the experience and techniques of American
on the 16 September 1999, comprised five But Peter Rogers knows that there are still companies to meet the challenge.
speakers on the subject of the CWCT and the problems: “It is still a struggle to get architects to By 1999 Bovis’s contracts consisted of a
cladding industry’s response to change. The design for manufacture”, and he quoted the broader spread of work, with more medium- and
presentations also took an historic perspective, example of a project with 153 different panel small-scale projects. However, there is still a
which was timely in the light of the Centre’s tenth types out of a total of 336 with 51 different dearth of cladding companies able to take on
anniversary. bracket types! Cladding is still the highest risk, major projects.
The first session, chaired by Alan Jones of both in terms of procurement cost and successful Bovis has been looking closely at the way they
Kawneer Europe, comprised presentations by outcome. Ways of managing this risk include do things, and have decided to take a more
Peter Rogers of Stanhope plc and David Fisher of bringing the contractor in early in the process. intellectual approach to procurement. They use
Bovis Lend Lease Ltd. Sandy Mackay of Building Another problem is still the lack of three routes: single action negotiation, two stage
Performance Group chaired the second session. manufacturers who can design technically competitive negotiation and the conventional
The speakers were Tony Tidy, consultant. Andrew effective solutions that don’t leak. Last but not single stage competitive tender.
Hall (Arup Façade Engineering) and Ray Elliott least, even though Stanhope has a policy that David gave the example of Christchurch Court,
(Taywood Engineering). encourages working with UK Companies, the UK a £45 million shell and core project in London’s
The following pages contain summaries of the still lacks those that can compete with overseas Paternoster Square. This used the two-stage
presentations. companies, particularly on the larger bespoke approach, with four tenders at stage one. The
contracts. second stage design was completed in eight
In the future, clients will be looking for weeks.
Client needs - are they being met? buildings with better environmental control and Their approach is to involve and appoint
Peter Rogers began his presentation by looking lower running costs. The trend is towards more specialist contractors early, and to be closer to
back at 1985 and the Broadgate development, for open plan floors with greater depth. fewer. The aim is to encourage collaborative
which they struggled to find competent companies This will require that more light penetrates the innovation, to improve certainty at all stages of a
and installers to work on such a major project. No floors. Good solutions to higher floor-to-ceiling project, and to measure performance.
UK companies could meet the challenge. By 1987 heights, greater cladding spans more glass and Certainty is defined in terms both of what is
the start of a solution was being worked on by greater heat gain will be required. delivered to the client as well as certainty in what
Stanhope, Pilkington (especially David Button) and Peter Rogers finished his presentation with his the construction manager expects from the
Ted Happold who became the driving force behind view of the next steps for the Centre: cladding industry. Measuring performance means
what was to become CWCT. using benchmarks for productivity, quality and
But the path to the creation of CWCT was not • Focus on supporting manufacturers and their technical performance.
an easy one. A formal proposal by Pilkington to design capability For the cladding and curtain walling industry
the Department of the Environment met with the to move forward, it needs to:
response: “It is not that the Department is • Develop a database of whole life costs
disinterested, but rather that it would not be • Make use of greater sharing of skills and
appropriate to use public funds in this way”, • Support the continuing development of resources, especially by outsourcing to very
although we recognise their support through specialised glasses that provide light control good, small fabrication companies
research funding in subsequent years. as well as solar control
Even with the nine original sponsors in place • Exploit the suppliers’ expertise and knowledge
in 1989, the search for member proved a • Research into low maintenance facades and
challenge. One major contractor replied saying access Systems • Develop people who can manage the supply
“the feeling here is that the funding of a research chain
Centre for windows and cladding technology is a • Research into the effective renovation of 10 to
matter for the UK window and cladding industry 20 year facades • Support CWCT’S training initiative
and not for us”. The reasons given for not being
members displayed a lack of understanding about Peter Rogers is an elected Member of Council; Finally, David Fisher outlined the areas for CWCT
the problems in the industry. This is still found Stanhope Properties plc was one of CWCT’s to concentrate on to move the industry forward.
today. Founding Sponsors. These include:
CWCT ‘s launch was timely, as the industry
faced a number of fundamental issues. There was • Strive for greater and more consistent use of
an absence of standards and a lack of skilled Changes in the procurement process Standards
people in terms of design engineers, installers and David Fisher of Bovis, gave the construction
technically competent UK cladding companies. manager’s view. • Encourage more contractors to become
The CWCT’s achievements over the past ten David Fisher began his presentation with a involved with training
years are many. These include the Standard and look back to projects in the 1980s,citing
Guide to Good Practice for Curtain Walling, the Broadgate, Ludgate, Beaufort House and Canary • Avoid recurrence of façade problems -
registration of 481 installers, an increase in skills, Wharf. Bovis’ workload during this period was companies should work with CWCT on
and an increase in good façade consultants. extensive, concentrated geographically and used collecting and disseminating lessons learnt on
CWCT’s membership represents all aspects of the specialised/bespoke systems. projects, using techniques such as failure
industry, but it is still small in relation to the size of By 1989 the challenges for industry were mode and effect analysis (which is used by the
the industry. However, it should be remembered large and included the enormous scale of projects car industry to design out problem issues on
that 49 member companies have gone bankrupt and the shortage of installers. It was necessary to the next car model).

www.cwct.co.uk 13
• Glass performance data varies - CWCT should success of a project. The future is collaboration - but was only being applied primarily to large or
champion a move towards rationalisation financial, technical and process collaboration. But prestigious projects and by certain architects (e.g.
we can still learn from the projects of the past. Fosters, Rogers, Auketts, Terry Farrell, SOM) and
Research work into the maintenance and The Chrysler Building and the Empire State clients (Stanhope, Land Securities, British Land).
renovation of façade systems will be worthwhile. Building demonstrated speed and contracting at Since that time testing has become much
its best. The Empire State (1930) took one year to more widely accepted. The development of the
build. The main frame took 26 weeks, at the rate CWCT Standard has played a significant role in
Responding to the challenge for better of 4.5 floors per week. this respect. Ray Elliott is in no doubt that the
buildings Back to the Future it is. publication of the Standard and Guide to Good
Presentation by Tony Tidy, consultant and member Practice was a defining moment, both for CWCT
of CWCT since the beginning. and for the industry. It has been adopted by the
Tony Tidy used the subheading ‘Back to the The growing role of the cladding consultant National Building Specification (NBS), it is widely
Future’ for his presentation. He used this title to Presentation by Andrew Hall, architect and used by architects, cladding consultants, and local
demonstrate that, during the last decade, the Director, Arup Façade Engineering. authorities (both from the UK and overseas), and
degree of collaboration required to successfully Façade engineers as opposed to cladding can be considered to be the de facto international
produce a façade design is being appreciated. Yet consultants have only been around for about ten Standard for Curtain Walling.
at the end of the last century, outstanding results years. Andrew Hall described their role as covering From Taywood Engineering’s perspective as a
were being produced that combined architectural the full gamut of projects, from the client’s test house the Standard has clearly had a positive
metalwork with glazing. He cited the work of advisors to dealing with maintenance issues and benefit. The important role that testing plays in
architects Victor Horta and Hector Guimard, trouble shooting. terms of identifying and minimising defects and
including the latter’s Metro Dauphine in Paris For developers who want independent advice, failures; aiding the buildability of a system; and
(1900). the façade consultant is there to question the acting as a visual mock-up, is now accepted. The
These were the results of collaboration brief, obtain value for money and ensure the hotchpotch of specifications that existed ten years
between the craftsman in the metal shop, the adoption of an appropriate design. Therefore they ago has largely disappeared.
architect and the client, who was buying an need to understand materials and the Research has been an important feature of the
unique design. manufacturing process. For architects they act as Centre’s activities in its first 10 years. It was
Yet, despite the evolution of materials science enablers, working with them to help achieve their recognised right at the beginning that there was a
and production techniques (mainly from the vision. With manufacturers, they collaborate to range of technical issues that would require some
influence of other industries) in 1989 the chip had help achieve an appropriate level of performance, fairly fundamental research. Foremost of these
not yet made an impact on our industry. and with construction managers they are was the need for a definitive method for the
Paperwork was produced on electromechanical concerned with quality control. determination of thermal performance. Through a
typewriters, inspection techniques were primitive The façade consultancy team is therefore a number of projects funded under the
and open to endless interpretation. In addition, the multi-disciplined one, bringing whatever skills are Government’s Partners in Technology (now
industry’s relationships between client, contractor required to a project. Arup Façade Engineering Partners in Innovation) programme, the Centre has
and sub contractor were often adversarial. includes architects, engineers, materials scientist, become a leading authority in this area.
In October 1989 the bank base rate was 15%, lighting engineers, building physicists and experts Another significant piece of research, the
creating an environment in which stick curtain from the manufacturing industry. implications of which may not yet really be
walls, site glazing and just-in-time labour of The benefits include strength in depth, the understood, has been the work on Failure Mode
variable quality dominated. Training and staffing ability to bring knowledge from around the world and Effect Analysis. This is a technique widely
were kept to an absolute minimum. to one project, and the provision of independent used in automotive and other industries but has
The end result of all this was the antithesis of advice. not really been applied to construction. Although
collaboration. Fear of litigation and withholding of Behind the growth of the façade consultant David Fisher has been applying it on some
payments had eliminated our history and acted as over the last decade is a number of factors, not projects undertaken with Stanhope, it is a
a deterrent to collaboration and engineering least of which is the decline in manufacturers’ technique for which its time is yet to come.
refinement. design capability. There is also a perception that The CWCT is not the only organisation
During the 1990s our industry has been manufacturers’ advice is not truly independent. So undertaking research of course. The proceedings
tackling its problems and great strides have been the façade consultant can be seen as a bridge of ICBEST 97 and Glass in Buildings demonstrate
made, with the CWCT playing an important role in between the industry and the design base. the wide range of work that is and has been going
this process. on. By organising these two international
This is particularly true in the field of training, conferences, and through its research projects
which now covers the Installers’ Scheme, The benefits of testing, research and which come about through discussion with the
technician training, the evening course in curtain development members and other parties, the Centre has
walling and the MSc in façade engineering. It is Presentation by Ray Elliott of Taywood managed to become a focus for much of this
also true of the research and technical guidance Engineering, and a Founding Sponsor of CWCT work.
available through the Centre’s publication strategy. since its inception. Undertaking research is one thing;
For the industry generally, component design Ray Elliott began his presentation by looking downloading the findings into the industry is
for metal or glass has been taken over by the back to 1986, when Taywood Engineering another. The training that takes place through the
exponential development of the computer for die launched its cladding test facility, just in time to be Centre’s seminars, workshops and courses is a
drawings, casting forms, glass cutting and around for the late 80’s boom in commercial key element in any series of measures to improve
processing to unthought of degrees of accuracy. building. What was apparent was just how many the performance of the industry. A major training
We can use Finite Element Analysis to take the of the major projects in the late eighties were initiative has been the issue of installer training.
engineering of facades to a new level. And some being undertaken by overseas companies - Bob Lilly has been working tirelessly in conjunction
of the confusion and fear of retribution has been Gartner, Permasteelisa, Schmidlin, Zimmcor, with the Education and Training Group and the
taken out of checking the output of software Cupples, for example. At about this time the NEDO system companies to get this scheme off the
packages to reduce the tendency for over-design report on the state of the UK cladding industry was ground over the last few years. Although
and structural redundancy. published. This raised the issue of imports recognising that there are still many more people
Now collaboration starts with the client. The mentioned above and was also one of the drivers to be trained, Ray Elliott believes that a critical
biggest UK client is the Government, and they are to setting up CWCT. mass has now been reached. The promotion of
pushing collaborative processes now, for example By this time testing had become established this scheme is one of the current actions for the
through their PFI initiative. It is recognised that the as an important means of verifying the Marketing and Publications group.
financial health of the supply chain is vital to the performance of cladding or curtain walling system,

14 www.cwct.co.uk
 Technical Notes
Publications The CWCT has published a series of
technical notes on cladding. They
http://www.cwct.co.uk are available electronically to
subscribing members of CWCT at
no charge, on our members website.
Those not in membership may
purchase the notes at £20 per copy.
The first page of each note may be
viewed on our public website
The Centre for Window & Cladding Technology’s publications are available www.cwct.co.uk/
only from the CWCT. Subscribing members of CWCT may purchase
publications at the discounted rates shown. Further titles are in preparation.

Publications may be purchased by completing an order form, or by sending a 01 Representing air leakage
note of your requirements to the Centre. Orders must be accompanied by through windows and glazed
remittance. Overseas purchasers not in membership will be asked to pay cladding systems (9 pp)
shipping charges. Cheques should be made payable to CWCT Services Ltd. 02 Introduction to wind loading
We regret that we cannot accept credit cards. on cladding (9 pp)
03 Wind loading on wall cladding
Standard & guide to good practice for curtain walling and windows of low rise
2nd edition - Three volumes in a purpose made ring binder buildings (12pp)
Standard for curtain walling 04 Issues relating to wind
Guide to good practice for facades loading on tall buildings (8 pp)
Test methods for curtain walling £150.00 Non-members, £75.00 Members 05 Wind tunnel testing (4 pp)
06 Pressure-equalisation (9 pp)
Rainscreen - Four volumes in a purpose made ring binder 07 Threat resistant fenestration
Standard for walls with ventilated rainscreen (9 pp)
Standard for testing of ventilated rainscreen 08 Selection of windows - a
Test methods for ventilated rainscreen checklist for specifiers (8 pp)
Guide to good practice for facades £150.00 Non-members, £75.00 Members 09 Testing pressures (4 pp)
10 Site testing for watertightness
Slope glazing - Three volumes in a purpose made ring binder (5 pp)
Standard for slope glazing 11 Glass types (7pp)
Test methods for facades: slope glazing systems 12 Specification of hermetically
Guide to good practice for facades £150.00 Non-members, £75.00 Members glass units (7 pp)
13 Glass breakage (6 pp)
Performance and testing of fixings for thin stone cladding 14 Curtain wall types (7 pp)
£80.00 Non-members, £40.00 Members 15 Cladding types (7 pp)
16 Joints in the building
Guide to the selection and testing of stone panels for external use envelope (7 pp)
£80.00 Non-members, £40.00 Members 17 Weathertightness and
drainage (7 pp)
ICBEST ’97 - proceedings of 1997 conference 18 Gaskets (7 pp)
£75.00 Non-members, £50.00 Members 19 Selection and use of sealants
(7 pp)
‘Glass in buildings’ - proceedings of 1999 conference 20 Design of sealant joints (6 pp)
£75.00 Non-members, £50.00 Members 21 Tolerance, fit and
appearance of cladding
Thermal performance and condensation risk - four documents (9 pp)
Standard for specifying and assessing for heat transfer (the U-value) 22 Cladding metals 1: ferous
Guide to good practice for assessing glazing frame U-values (7 pp)
Standard for specifying and assessing condensation risk 23 Cladding metals 2: non-
Guide to good practice for assessing heat transfer and condensation risk ferous (7 pp)
for a curtain wall £80.00 Non-members, £40.00 Members 24 Corrosion (7 pp)
25 Selection of applied finishes
Use of advanced glazings £80.00 Non-members, £40.00 Members for metal (8 pp)
26 Introduction to the structural
Guide to the design of thermally improved glazing frames design of stick curtain walling
£100.00 Non-members, £75.00 Members (6 pp)
27 Introduction to the structural
The performance of gaskets in window and cladding systems - a state design of stick curtain
of the art review £80.00 Non-members, £60.00 Members walling: sample calculations
(8 pp)
A comparative study of the facade industry in the UK, mainland 28 Performance requirements of
Europe, Japan and the USA £120.00 Non-members, £60.00 Members curtain wall brackets (7 pp)
29 Design of curtain wall
Video - Weather testing of curtain walling and windows brackets (6 pp)
(price includes VAT) £94.00 Non-members, £47.00 Members 30 Cladding a building subject to
earthquake (5 pp)
 Published by
Membership C E N T R E F O R CWCT
Companies which have come into University of Bath

AND
WINDOW
Membership since January 1999 are Claverton Down
shown in italics Bath BA2 7AY

Telephone (01225) 826541

CLADDING
T E C H N O L O G Y
Fax (01225) 826556

ISSN 1354-6147

Spring 2000

Sponsors Eternit Building Materials Norking Aluminium Ltd

Arup Exterior Construction Management Ltd Parkwood Engineering Ltd
Comar Architectural Facade Technology Ltd Parry Bowen Ltd
Aluminium Systems Terry Farrell & Partners Pendant Aluminium Ltd
Council for Aluminium in Building Faulknerbrowns Permasteelisa
Exterior Profiles Ltd Fitzroy Robinson Plus Plan UK Ltd
Kawneer Europe Fletcher Priest Architects Plus Wall Ltd
Pilkington UK Ltd Focchi Ltd Christian Pohl GmbH
Taywood Engineering Foggo Associates Ltd Portal Limited
Technal Max Fordham & Partners PWA
University of Bath Foster and Partners Quest Technical Services Ltd
T R Freeman Ltd R&R Window Installations
Members Gensler Renton Howard Wood Levin
Abbseal Frederick Gibberd Partnership Reynaers Ltd
Albann Ltd Glamalco Limited Reynolds Architectural Systems Ltd
Albann McKinney Window Company Glass & Glazing Federation Richard Rogers Partnership
Alcoa Systems (UK) Ltd Glass Technology Services Rosegrade Limited
Alfa Aluminium Pvt Ltd Glostal (Granges) Ltd Messrs Sandberg
Alico Ltd GMW Partnership SAPA Holdings Ltd
Allscott Ltd Gotz GmbH Schmidlin (UK) Ltd
AMEC Construction Ltd Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners Ltd Schuco International
Anaco Systems Ltd Haddon Few Montuschi Schumann Smith
Architectural Advisory Service Centre Hamilton Associates Scott Wilson
Architectural Aluminium Ltd Hansen Group Seele (UK) Ltd
Architectural & Metal Systems Hathaway Roofing Limited Senior Aluminium Systems Ltd
Armfield Glass Ltd R A Heintges Architects Consultants Sheppard Robson
Arpal Aluminium Ltd Charles Henshaw & Sons Ltd SIAC Construction (UK) Ltd
W S Atkins HLM Design Skidmore Owings & Merrill
Auty Associates Alan Hone Associates Smart Systems
BAA plc - Group Supply Hoogovens Alum. Building Systems Solaglas Saint-Gobain
Joseph Beattie & Son Ltd Hueck UK Ltd SP Fabricators Limited
Bennetts Associates Hull City Services Technical Consultancy Spectrum Glass Contracts Ltd
Blueprint (Blue & Co Ltd) Anthony Hunt Associates Ltd St Martins Property Corporation Ltd
Bovis Lend Lease Ltd Hunter Douglas Construction Elements Stanhope plc
British Board of Agrement HW Plastics Ltd Steel Window Association
British Steel Strip Products Hynds Architectural Systems Ltd Structura UK Ltd
Broderick Structures Ltd IBA Consultants Structural Glazing Ltd
Building Design Partnership Imperial College Systems Aluminium Ltd
Building Performance Group Limited Independent Building Technology Ltd Technoform Bautec GmBh
Building Research Establishment James & Taylor Limited TREMCO Ltd
Buro Four Project Services Rolfe Judd Trent Concrete Ltd
Buro Happold Kane & Maitland Trespa UK Ltd
CAP Aluminium Systems Ltd P B Kennedy & Donkin Limited Tuffin Ferraby & Taylor
CGL Cometec Ltd Kjelstrup Olsen UK Ltd Universal Architectural Aluminium
Cladtech Associates Labour Management Contracts Systems
Claydon Aluminium Ltd Laing Technology Group University of Sheffield
Colt Group Ltd Land Securities Properties Ltd Van Dam UK Ltd
Compact Metal Industries Sdn Bhd LEAY Limited William Verry (Glazing Systems) Ltd
Contano Aluminium Ltd Lillicrap Crutchfield (Pty) Ltd Vision AGI
Deceuninck Ltd Linn-Tech Scotland Ltd Wacker Chemicals UK Ltd
Dewhurst Macfarlane and Partners Loss Prevention Council Wagner (GB) Ltd
Dow Corning Hansil Ltd Loughborough University Weathershield Specialist Services
Downer Cladding Systems Ltd William J Marshall & Partners Whitby Bird & Partners
Drayton Windows Ltd Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd WHS Halo
Dudley’s Architectural Aluminium McMullen Architectural Systems Ltd Wintech Ltd
Duggan Systems Sales Ltd Meinhardt Facade Technology Wright Style Ltd
Edinburgh Royal Joint Venture Metal Technology Limited WSP South
EDM Spanwall Limited Mott MacDonald Group YRM
Energy Equipment Testing Service Ltd John Mowlem & Company plc A C Yule & Son Ltd
English Architectural Glazing National Building Specification
EPR Architects Ltd Newnorth Limited