Double-glazed units from Pilkington were chosen for the extended Alfreton headquarters of weight-loss organisation Slimming World.

The company wanted to create a landmark building that would both provide an ideal working and training space for its people and deliver excellent environmental performance. Glazing plays a key role in the £8.5 million scheme, both aesthetically and in terms of its use of energy.

Because much of the building’s envelope is glazed, the designers faced the challenge of avoiding the need for an energy-intensive climate-control system to create a comfortable environment for users all-year-round.

The curtain walling system uses double-glazed units manufactured by Pilkington, incorporating Pilkington Suncool™ 60/31 T solar-control glass and Pilkington Optitherm™ S1 Plus, a low-emissivity product.

The solar-control glass features a state-of-the-art coating that transmits only 31 per cent of the sun’s energy, while still allowing for 60 per cent light transmittance, so that occupants still get a clear view outward.

The low-emissivity glass meanwhile features a coating that reduces outward radiation of heat, so that less is allowed to leave the building on colder days.

The same glass is used in the atrium wall and roof, but is held in place using the latest structurally glazed units from Schueco. These deliver glazed surfaces with ultra-low-profile frames to minimise interruption of views from the building, as well as daylight flowing into it.

Extra strength is added to the atrium glazing by including a layer of laminated glass on the inner pane, to help the large units stand up to forces exerted on them by the wind and potentially the weight of snow during the winter.