Clacton-on-Sea Shopping Village, Essex

Architects: Dovetail Architects
Fabricator: Alimatic Ltd
Contractor: Clacton Shopping Village
Project value: £225,000
Type of works: supply and installation of Comar 1 ground-floor framing and Comar 7 commercial doors.

Comar Architectural Aluminium Systems, with its approved fabricator Alimatic Ltd, recently completed this aesthetically pleasing, open-air, shopping village at Clacton-on–Sea, Essex. Alimatic Ltd installed the framing and door solutions to 57 shopfronts on this development. The 57 retail units were completed using Comar 1, which is an aluminium, single-glazed, low-rise ground-floor framing system, with 45mm sight lines, variable angle returns, expansion facility and 3-way glazing options. Comar’s integrated suites of ground-floor framing have a long history of providing distinctive façade solutions for retail outlets and shopping centres, reassuring specifiers and clients alike.

In a busy retail environment, Comar 7 commercial doorsets are a natural choice. Not only are they available in swing, pivot, sliding, auto-sliding and sliding/folding, but have been designed specifically for retail applications where high-traffic solutions are required. The Comar 7 swing doors were hung directly from Comar 1 framing with concealed overhead transom door closers with a 90º hold-open facility and maximum security hook locks. For safety, the doors were fitted with anti-finger trap jamb stiles and provided a 1,000mm clear opening to meet DDA requirements.

All systems were finished in a semi-gloss Grey RAL 7015, polyester powder-coated to BS 6496. All Comar approved fabricators are required to have the technical expertise to attend pre-site meetings and provide detailing. Comar Architectural Advisors and Alimatic Ltd liaised closely with the specifiers to provide design advice and detailing, which ensured the project ran smoothly and met site deadlines.