AluK has partnered with Arkay Contractors on another landmark residential project – Escapade Silverstone, a £53m development of 44 luxury villas positioned right on the edge of the iconic British racetrack.
Designed as an investment and hospitality opportunity for serious motorsport fans, the contemporary villas are on a 14-acre site next to Copse, Maggots and Becketts, the most nail-biting corners on the circuit, and also give unbroken views over Chapel Corner and Hangar Straight.
There are a mix of trackside, dual-aspect and countryside villas on the project, all configurable as 3-4 bedroom houses or 1-2 bedroom apartments.
With some of them just 11m from the trackside fence, views and acoustics were obviously critical to the glazing specification. Arkay Contractors worked closely with architects Twelve and main contractors HG Construction to refine the specification so that it delivered the slim sightlines, U-Values and dB levels required within the client’s budget.
All the villas feature a mix of AluK SC156 sliding doors opening up on to viewing terraces, AluK C70s TBT and top hung windows in kitchen, bathroom and bedroom spaces and SL52 capped curtain walling maximising the views out and the light into living spaces.
There is 3200m2 of glazing in total, with sightlines of just 89mm for the C70S windows and 50mm for centre interlock on the SC156 sliders. U-Values are 1.4 W/m2K throughout, and 45dB acoustic glass has been fitted in the villas nearest to the track. AluK’s technical team supported Arkay throughout, advising particularly on the compatibility of the systems with the thickness and weight of the acoustic glass.
Arkay Contractors were awarded the window, door and curtain walling fabrication and installation contract for Escapade Silverstone on the basis of their excellent working relationship with HG Construction and following on from their recent joint project at the £77m Canada Street development in London’s docklands.
Canada Street was the first large scale installation of AluK’s C70S window system, and it proved such a success that HG opted for the same system again at Silverstone.
Arkay’s onsite team showed all the benefits of their experience at Silverstone, with a tight programme and numerous individual villas being built at the same time. Arkay had to carefully coordinate with all the other trades, work around difficult weather conditions and overcome the challenge of using specialist glass lifting machinery to fit much of the heavy, oversized glass in areas where space and access were limited.
The Silverstone Escapade villas all feature a steel framing system with rainscreen timber cladding and luxury specification throughout – from the AluK aluminium windows and doors to the underfloor heating, comfort cooling, bespoke kitchens and ensuite bathrooms. They have been rated BREEAM ‘Very Good’.
