Huge congratulations to EYG which picked up the award for Best Commercial Installation at the recent Installer Awards held in Manchester.
Independently judged by a panel of industry experts, these awards recognise excellence in design, manufacture and installation and there’s no doubt that EYG’s stunning transformation of the iconic Monocle building in the centre of Hull delivered on all three.
EYG fabricated and installed more than 400 individual glazing units in AluK’s capped, thermally broken SL52 curtain walling system for the curved glazed façade of what was once Europa House. The team removed mirrored single glazing which had been in place previously and, in a nod to that original 1970s aesthetic, specced all the new frames and panels in a smooth bronze powder-coated finish. The judges described it as ‘a very impressive update to an existing building.’
What made the project really stand out though was the level of precision demonstrated by EYG in surveying, planning and installation. The curve of the façade meant that if EYG had been out by one degree at one end of the building, by the time they reached the other side, they could have been out by 300mm. Ultimately, they were within just 5mm.
And when it came to the installation itself, there was limited space available outside for fitting because of the scaffolding, and the space between the aluminium curtain walling sections was too small for them to be fitted conventionally from the inside, so a robot had to be used. All 400 glazing units had to be brought up to each floor and then the robot used to pick them up, angle them out through the openings and pull them back into position into the glazing rebate. At the awards ceremony, the judges said that the way the heavy glazing units were lifted up to each floor with ease made it ‘a brilliant transformation.’
Russell Yates, AluK’s Managing Director, congratulated EYG on the win and said: “We were proud to be associated with the Monocle project. It was a real testament to the skills and expertise at EYG and a fantastic showcase for our SL52 curtain walling system.”
SL52 is AluK’s 52mm CWCT Sequence B accredited system which offers all the functionality and thermal and weather performance required at Monocle. It is suitable for curved, angled or faceted installation and can accommodate glass sizes from 6mm to 50mm.
