Architect: Franklin Ellis Architects
Type of works: Reynaers windows, doors and curtain walling used in residential development.

Reynaers windows, doors and curtain walling have played a key part in a unique residential development in the historic quarter of Northampton.

Located on Guildhall Road, close to the centre of the town, The Bloomsbury is an eight floor complex comprising 130 one and two bedroom apartments as well as communal gardens and underground parking. Designed by Franklin Ellis Architects of Nottingham, the development is being marketed by Metropolitan Home Ownership as a community in which people from different backgrounds can live together. Apartments, which are available to rent, buy or part-own, are contemporary and elegant in design and built to the highest standards incorporating, comfort, security and the latest energy-saving solutions.

Reynaers CS68 windows and doors system and CW50 curtain walling are used throughout the development and were installed by MB Glass Supplies of Chesterfield. The thermally improved CS68 three-chamber system provides the ideal combination of high insulation levels and optimal safety while double butt strips between the frame and vent and lowered drainage ensure superior wind and water tightness.

It is the blend of old and new, however, which makes The Bloomsbury unique. Part of the development, 27 Guildhall Road, is a listed building to which two new storeys were added whilst retaining its beautifully restored Grade II Art Deco frontage. The adjacent building, which was not listed, has been demolished and replaced with a new build but the existing ornate brick and terracotta Victorian gable feature has been retained, preserving the nature and character of the site. The new building consists of a semi-enclosed courtyard arrangement of apartments overlooking a central landscaped area.

Paul Gooch, Public Sector Business Development Manager at Reynaers added: “We were delighted to be involved in such a unique project. It demonstrates that Reynaers systems are as suitable for the sympathetic restoration of existing buildings as they are for a new build while offering the very best in design and operational efficiency.”