Alumasc Water Management Solutions

Stowford Mill, built in 1787, is one of Devon’s oldest historic industrial sites to still be expanding.Because of its iconic features and characteristic atmosphere, Stowford Mill has long been established as one of the trendiest places to work, eat and shop, bringing commerce and prosperity to the surrounding area, and forcing the town to expand to make room for tourists who just never wanted to leave.Part of this expansion will eventually include Burrington Estates’ eight-acre vibrant community of contemporary new homes. This new development, for which the main contractor is URBN, is due for completion in 2023.Started in March 2018, the existing homes already include Alumasc Rainwater Infinity Steel gutters and downpipes, specified to provide eco-friendly, discreet and resilient water management that will last. Crucially, this system was favoured to the use of plastic systems, to meet the demand for a readily available product that was both environmentally- and price-conscious.As the new development creates a unique new environment in which to live, work and relax in the midst of the historic area, the most important part of the project was to keep the best of the stunning architectural heritage already there, whilst finding innovative ways to incorporate the latest modern building design. Helping to bridge this gap between the historic and the modern, AWMS offered a solution.“Alumasc systems were chosen as it was the project’s requirements to specifically use steel for gutters and downpipes,” David Loader, Key Account Manager at Alumasc, explained.

When the director of a builders’ merchants in Wales took on the project of renovating his own property, his industry experience proved invaluable for the specification of the right products. His challenging coastal location led him to just one option for his rainwater system; it had to be Alumasc Water Management Solutions (AWMS). Andrew Prosser is the sales director at LBS Builders’ Merchants across South Wales, and he recently took on an extensive renovation project, with the intention of creating his family’s ‘forever home’. The property was a single-storey 1970s’ bungalow, nestled on the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales. The construction comprised three additional extension buildings which had been added over subsequent decades, each with its own rainwater system - the result was, in Andrew’s own words, ‘disjointed and unattractive’.Andrew and his construction team have breathed new life into the tired residence, transforming it inside and out. Natural exposed stone forms the centrepiece of the property’s construction, whilst the extension buildings have been finished in fresh white render. Beautiful natural slate roof tiles have been installed across the entire property, so the chosen rainwater system not only needed to perform well, but also had to draw these elements together seamlessly, to create a cohesive visual appearance.Due to his work background, Andrew was fully aware of the tried and tested Alumasc reputation. He explains:“My chosen system would need to withstand the rigours of regular horizontal driving rain, but we also wanted a stylish product which would complement the contemporary feel we’ve achieved with the refurb. I have been supplying Alumasc products for years and knew that their Heritage Cast Aluminium system would be the perfect choice. Not only is the marine-grade aluminium fully fit for purpose for decades to come in this coastal setting, but the jet-black finish, which beautifully mimics the look of cast iron, has created a bold contrast against the natural slate and brilliant-white render.”Heritage Cast Aluminium: Inherent quality and performanceAndrew Prosser’s five-bedroomed family home is now enjoying all the benefits of the Heritage system, which offers a comprehensive range of traditional gutter profiles, round, square and rectangular pipes. Heritage has been designed to provide all the essential architectural features appropriate to traditionally designed buildings, whilst being fully in tune with modern fast-track building contracts.The Heritage system is manufactured in the UK in accordance with BS EN 8530 (formerly BS 2997) and boasts a life expectancy of 40 years in rural/suburban areas and up to 25 years in industrial/marine areas. It is durable and non-corrodible, and its inherent light weight makes it easy to transport, handle and fix.The range can be finished with BBA certificated powder coatings in a choice of colours, or as is the case with The Bungalow, can offer a textured finish to replicate cast iron.Alongside the Heritage Cast Aluminium Rainwater system, Andrew also specified the Skyline Architectural Aluminium Fascia and Soffit system from Alumasc; presenting an entire package of aluminium products which is 100% recyclable.Andrew concludes:“The Alumasc system has not only realised the exact vision I had in mind when I embarked on the project, but has also given me peace of mind with regard to its long-term performance against the weather here.“The use of Heritage all around the property has given the aesthetics a real synergy, which has ultimately turned a hotchpotch of architectural styles into an inviting home that I can be sure is future-proof.”

Located on the picturesque waterfront of West Kirby, Wirral, The Sail is home to eight luxury apartments on South Parade overlooking the River Dee estuary to Wales. The building itself has a striking geometric form with a unique glass façade, reminiscent of art deco coastal properties from the 1930s.The apartments occupy four storeys over one thousand square metres and are flooded with an abundance of natural light thanks to the floor to ceiling windows, which also emphasise a strong connection to the outdoors. Alumasc Water Management Solutions were asked to assist and supply a number of bespoke products including aluminium fascia, modular soffit and coping systems from Skyline.  “Skyline was specified for its quality and ability to provide bespoke designs and solutions,” says Ivan Colvil, Senior Skyline Technical Sales Manager. “Numerous profiles were needed due to the building’s unique shape, which presented a challenge. It took a great deal of technical support and working with the architect to fulfil the brief.

With the reputation of the illustrious Tottenham football club preceding it, the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is an emblematic building that has already secured its place as a sports stadium to be remembered.It has also become one of the more renowned and iconic spaces to have benefitted from Alumasc WMS expertise, receiving the full ‘rain to drain’ treatment.Comprising five core brands and more besides, Alumasc WMS was brought into the project to provide cohesive, integrated water management throughout the project. This eventually included the installation of Gatic Slotdrain systems, Gatic Access Covers and AssistLift Covers, Harmer SML below ground Cast Iron drainage and Wade floor gulliesto ensure effective water management all round.Completed in 2019, the 62,303-capacity stadium is one of the largest in the Premier League and the largest club stadium in London. The state-of-the-art sports and leisure centre can stage major events including football games, NFL American football games and rugby, as well as concerts and other non-sporting events.Populous Architectural Design were the architects on the project, however, it was Buro Happold Engineering that specified Gatic Drainage and Access Covers, Harmer below ground cast iron drainage and Wade floor gullies from Alumasc WMS for the task.

Gatic Civil Drainage was recently specified for Waitrose’s new store in Oxford for its CastSlot system from its market-leading Slotdrain range. Gatic’s CastSlot is designed to create a continuous interception of surface water, as well as provide a discreet and durable surface opening. Manufactured in three metre lengths of galvanised steel, it benefits from fewer joints and improved flow performance. A high flow inlet and channel capacity meant CastSlot provided a tidy, unobtrusive and functional solution. The cast iron finish gives the system a highly durable and ductile iron top.

As part of a major transformation of Wembley Park, which includes Olympic Way, Wade Stainless Steel Linear Channels and Streamline, and perforated gratings were installed beneath the Olympic Steps to provide an effective and long-lasting drainage solution.Built by developer Quintain in a joint project with Brent Council, the Olympic Steps come at the end of Olympic Way—the stretch of road linking Wembley underground station to Wembley Stadium. It was named Olympic Way after it was originally constructed for the 1948 London Olympics.The final stages of this redevelopment were the iconic steps that lead up to the national stadium. The original ramp, known as the pedway, was built as part of the old Wembley Stadium and acted as a bridge over the old coach parks. The Olympic Steps development replaced the outdated, concrete pedway and extended the Olympic Way, increasing the width by 50% and improving accessibility for all visitors in and around Wembley Park. Volker Fitzpatrick was the main contractor on the project.“Working closely with Mick Hawkins, the Site Manager, the aim of the project was to fulfil the client’s drainage requirements to tight deadlines,” says Brian Holden-Earl, Area Sales Manager. “The area is frequently used by visitors, so it was important to deliver our services within a specific timescale.”

Alumasc Skyline and Rainwater package specified at Weston-Super-Mare HospitalA package of products from Alumasc Water Management Solution (AWMS) has been used for the external refurbishment of the roofline at Weston General Hospital in Weston-Super-Mare. Despite the installation’s many logistical challenges, the project was a great success, thanks to expert teamwork and the use of trusted, high-quality Alumasc systems.Weston General is part of the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW). It is located in the Uphill area of North Somerset, serving a resident population of around 212,000, and over 3 million visiting tourists every year. The 1980s building has benefited from a recent period of updating, which included replacement of the existing rainwater drainage system, fascia sub-frame and soffit panelling, around the entire perimeter of the hospital and its seven internal courtyards.Project architect, Sandy Murray, of Bristol-based practice Stretto Architects, was tasked with specifying the replacement system, which not only had to match the existing fascia soffit system visually, but also needed to outperform it in terms of rainwater capacity. A number of bespoke elements would be required in order to meet the building’s exacting specification and it was imperative that optimum results were achieved within strict timescales and budgets.Skyline Architectural Aluminium is a market-leading collection of fascia soffit solutions with a proven track record across many of the UK’s high-profile buildings. Manufactured in the UK from superior lightweight aluminium, Skyline’s high-quality aesthetic could be closely matched to that of the existing system and would easily integrate with the rainwater drainage system to minimise sub-framing and bracketry.The Skyline fascias were supplied polyester powder coated in brown, and the soffits in white. They were combined with Alumasc Rainwater bespoke aluminium box gutter and Flushjoint downpipes in white. In total, a whole kilometre of product was installed around the building envelope, resulting in a comprehensive rainwater drainage solution more than capable of withstanding the daily rigours presented by Weston General.Alumasc’s Technical Support Team provided a comprehensive design service, including full site layouts, sectional drawings and take-off schedules, rainwater flow and outlet/gutter calculations, and site surveys involving prototype product installation and assistance with technical detailing for the structural interfaces. A degree of flexibility was also designed into the brackets and soffit support system to allow for the variability in the existing structure, and to incorporate extensions and additions that are common in all healthcare facilities of this age.Alumasc also worked closely with the installing contractor Creative Construction, to provide all necessary training and assessment, ensuring strict quality and legislative standards were achieved.With all the logistical challenges posed by this project, it was important that all parties on site worked efficiently together to ensure a successful outcome. Sandy Murray comments:“Installing the rainwater, fascia and soffit systems in a live hospital environment required extensive pre-planning and careful consideration. We were dealing with issues of proximity to noise- and vibration-sensitive areas such as surgery theatres, we had to maintain patient privacy and wellbeing at all times, maintain security and safety prior to and during the installation with appropriate site segregation, and provide bespoke solutions such as bird netting to protect the hospital roof space during works; there was a lot to take into account.“A good working relationship was fostered between the UHBW NHS Foundation Trust, Stretto Architects, Creative Construction and Alumasc, which meant any issues arising on site were resolved expediently.”Access was also testing, as Sandy explains:“The most challenging element of the project was the replacement of the rainwater goods, fascia and soffit cladding, in the internal courtyards. Lengths of material were limited to allow them to be transported through the hospital safely, and additional protective measures were required to protect the public and site operatives.”He concludes: “The final result is that the product looks great! Together with the new window frame and steelwork decorations, and the thorough cleaning and maintenance of existing roof tiling, the whole hospital has been given a refreshed and renewed appearance, which will serve the building, its staff and visitors well into the future.”Ivan Colvil is the Senior Technical Sales Manager for Skyline. He was heavily involved in the bespoke design work on the new system at Weston General and spent many hours on site over the course of two years. He comments:“Skyline is a showcase product that adds a striking visual to every project it is installed on. But key to Weston General was product functionality, and our ability to integrate the new system seamlessly with existing elements. When you factor in additional considerations related to staff, patients and public, the project as a whole represents quite a triumph in terms of teamwork. All parties played an important role in its successful delivery, and as always, Alumasc will continue to provide any technical and customer support that may be required post-installation.”

Alumasc creates ideal water management solutions for charming residential property in NorthamptonshireDeep in the heart of rural Northamptonshire lies Willow Bank, a stylish, contemporary property. It recently benefitted from the installation of a number of products from Alumasc Water Management Solutions during its transformation into a modern five-bedroom home.This complex conversion also involved an extension of the existing property that was originally part of the 1960s Ideal Homes exhibition.“The house itself is an unusual ‘A-Frame’ design in which almost all the roof profiles extend down to the ground level at the front and sides of the property,” said James Cockburn, Architectural Technologist from The Harris Partnership, who specified Alumasc for the project. “This required careful specification of Skyline Fascia, Soffits, Copings and Alumasc Rainwater products“The focus of the house is the main entrance A-Frame, which is characterised by full height glazing and a chimney under a large overreaching canopy. This is an extension of the roof pitch which creates clean lines to a dominating form, so no matter where you stand on the site, it provides impressive views.”The unique project incorporates several products from the Skyline ArchitecturalAluminium range: Coping, Fascia, Soffits; a range of Rainwater products including AX and Swaged downpipes; and a bespoke Chimney Cap. Wayne Sharpe, Area Sales Manager for Alumasc, commented on the challenges of working on this project:“The main challenges on this job were working to a tight on-site schedule and making sure all deadlines were met to ensure the project was completed on time. Although it presented a challenge, we were able to manufacture a bespoke chimney cap which adhered to the desired design specifications.“The chimney is unique, not only in scale, but the aluminium capping is a design that is quite rare in this country,” James continued. “The client, wanted to create a feature of the chimney and required something unusual, but synonymous with the modern look of the house. We found examples of cage-like capping in the Americas, and this is a design that the client really liked.“We got in touch with Alumasc and asked, given the fabrication methods of products such as Fascias and Soffits, was the manufacture of the chimney something that they could do. Once we met on site to show them the complex form and discuss the intentions, it was clear that the client’s vision could be achieved and keeping all elements with one company made it so much easier. This is why we chose Alumasc.”Wayne concluded: “We were able to support the contractor on price to secure the works against our competitors and provide a high quality of service which impressed the client.”The project also included the construction of a new external pool house and detached three port garage with generous space above. The project was completed in July 2021.The Skyline Architectural Aluminium range offers a complete collection of unparalleled aluminium design solutions to meet every requirement – giving designers the ultimate freedom to push their creativity to the limit.The Aluminium Rainwater and Skyline Architectural Aluminium ranges are available in a unique range of profiles and finishes. We also provide made-to-order options, making the range suitable for traditional and modern buildings. Specific products in this range are also subject to our BBA approved polyester powder coating process.

Skyline fascia soffits from architectural rainwater specialists Alumasc, have been used for the extensive refurbishment of The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon.Driven by the need to enable all-weather play, renovation of the legendary Centre Court included a state-of-the-art retractable roof. From the outset, Alumasc worked closely with Architects Populous of London, on the massive six-year undertaking which resulted in one of Alumasc’s largest rainwater product installations to date. Alumasc’s Skyline soffit system was specified for the underside canopy of the stadium bowl, in order to meet the demanding performance requirements for the arena’s ceiling cladding. 6000 individual soffit modules were supplied, in 80 varying profiles and sizes, totalling an impressive 6500m² of aluminium and associated fittings. Dedication to client support was priority, with Alumasc attending numerous site meetings and manning extra shifts in order to accommodate workload and deadlines. Alumasc’s premium level of technical assistance involved the provision of full product mock-ups prior to manufacture and regular testing of the Skyline system throughout the construction process, to ensure compliance with the client’s requirements at all times.