Specified for their sleek profile and excellent environmental credentials, products from Alutec’s Aligator range of aluminium rainwater systems have been installed at a new build primary school project in Kent.

Sissinghurst VA Church of England Primary School was first established in 1840 and still maintains a strong identity as a small village school, where the feeling of family and community is encouraged. When asked to design new premises for the school, Diocesan Architectural Services Limited saw that maintaining this sense of unity was a key part of the brief. Hence, choosing sustainable materials that would last the lifetime of the building was essential.

In addition, the modern design of the new school needed to fitwith the village surroundings, with an emphasis on simple, clean lines. With a smart rectilinear profile, ideal for modern buildings, Alutec’s Aligator Boxer gutter and Traditional 76mm downpipe fitted the bill perfectly.

Project Manager, Kevin Tucker, commented: “We really wanted to make the build as green as possible and so aluminium rainwater systems were an obvious choice, as it is a highly sustainable material. We also needed to make sure that the products worked well aesthetically, as although the building has quite a modern design, it sits within a conservation area and therefore the rainwater products needed to contribute to the overall clean lines of the school.

“We chose Alutec’s products as they ticked all these boxes and having specified them many times before, we knew we could rely on both the quality of the materials and the service we would receive from Alutec as a supplier.”


Manufactured from marine grade aluminium, the Aligator system is 100% recyclable at the end of its exceptionally long life expectancy of 50 years or more. In addition, the system is highly resistant to corrosion, meaning this period is virtually maintenance free.

Aluminium is also 65 per cent lighter than cast iron or steel, making it easier to handle on site – key reasons for its use in many projects, explains John Nason of John Nason Roofing, who installed the products at Sissinghurst Primary School.

“This was a great job, that went really smoothly,” John commented. “A large part of that is down to the products and how easy they are to handle – we use Alutec’s systems on 80 – 85 per cent of the projects we work on and we are always very happy to work with them.”

Cathy Penfold, Headteacher at Sissinghurst Primary School, commented: “We are really pleased with our new school premises and are particularly happy that the materials chosen for the build have been selected with sustainability and long-term performance in mind, as they will give us many years of enjoyment within our new building.”