Hazlemere Wins Bideford College Contract

Hazlemere Commercial has secured a £2.2 million contract to manufacture, supply and install all the curtain walling, doors and windows for the new Bideford College campus in Devon which will accommodate 1,800 students.

The façade design planning process began in March 2007 and the completion date on site is set for September 2009, which gives an indication of the detail that is involved in a project of this scale.

Hazlemere’s tender presentation had to address such detailed issues as the ventilation requirements and the distance to the site for transport and logistics. The company was also able to demonstrate an excellent track record in managing complex site programmes on large projects.

One unique thing about this contract is that Hazlemere Commercial will be manufacturing the Dualframe 75mm Casement windows from 100% recycled aluminium supplied by Sapa Building Systems. As well as offering superb thermal performance, Hazlemere aluminium windows, doors and curtain walling are all infinitely recyclable. According to ALFED (Aluminium Federation), up to 98% of the aluminium in a building can be reclaimed for recycling at the end of its life.

Around 60% of the world’s primary aluminium is smelted using power generated from hydro-electric plants, which is in turn a natural and renewable energy source. This power does not produce harmful emissions but nonetheless the industry has further driven the use of aluminium obtained from ‘secondary’ or recycled material which requires just 5% of the original energy used during primary production.

Construction company Morgan Ashurst – one of the UK’s leading builders of education facilities – is constructing the new £44 million scheme under the Government’s £2 billion Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Programme. The new buildings, which will replace the existing Bideford College, will be a model for sustainability, both in construction and environmental management.

Hazlemere Commercial’s Sales Director Simon Keegan states: 'We are delighted to be partnering with such a prestigious organisation as Morgan Ashurst, and are thrilled to have been chosen over stiff competition for this exciting new sustainability project.'

Bideford College’s website has further details on this ambitious environmental development with the latest plans and artist impressions of what the scheme will look like. As well as a bird’s eye view of what the overall project will look like, there is an impressive fly through video of the project. If you would like to see the latest up-to-the-minute progress Bideford College have set up two live web cams which are both updated every 20 seconds.

Web: http://www.hazlemere.co.uk/commercial.html