W40 Steel Profiles Designed For Today’s Fenestration Fashion
Stylish W40 window profiles, from members of the Steel Window Association (SWA), have been developed for both new-build and refurbishment projects. W40 shows how steel windows have kept pace with modern tastes and technical demands, while retaining strength and excellent daylight transmission.
Today’s W40 profiles, manufactured from hot rolled steel, provide greater flexibility than their predecessors, as they can accommodate thicker double or even triple glazing units. They are also capable of creating larger window openings without coupling individual frames together.
Doors manufactured using W40 profiles and featuring double or triple glazing can achieve very good thermal performance, while further providing excellent security, with multipoint locking being an option. They can also contain acoustic glass, making W40 designs ideal for many inner-city areas where noise pollution is a common issue.
The versatility of the W40 system is demonstrated by its use at One America Street in London, where Steel Window Association member, West Leigh, supplied W40 frames as part of the major refurbishment of the headquarters of leading architectural practice, TP Bennett. Located close to The Shard and London Bridge Station, the project demanded a solution that could respect the character of the existing building while delivering the levels of performance expected from a modern workplace.
The W40 windows were specified to replicate the appearance of the original fenestration while providing significant advances in weather resistance, thermal efficiency and occupant comfort. On the building's Keppel Row elevation, the W40 frames accommodated high-performance insulating glazing units incorporating toughened and acoustic laminated glass, low-E coatings and Krypton gas-filled cavities.
This specification delivered enhanced thermal and acoustic performance compared with the original timber windows, helping create a comfortable working environment within a busy city-centre setting. The project illustrates how W40 profiles can successfully combine authentic steel aesthetics with the energy efficiency and acoustic control increasingly required across commercial refurbishment schemes.
The SWA represents steel window manufacturers, from expert restorers working with heritage bodies and local conservation officers, to large companies producing W40 frames for commercial offices and leisure destinations as well as modern apartment blocks, schools, hospitals and other public buildings.
Significantly, W40 profiles can be used to fabricate a wide variety of opening formats, including multi-leaf folding and stacking doors, in a full selection of RAL colours. The SWA offers UK-wide coverage, with member companies able to carry out the full range of contracts from the repair and restoration of heritage windows through to the installation of major fenestration packages in contemporary commercial, residential and other development projects. For further information on the Steel Window Association or if you’re interested in becoming a member, please visit www.steel-window-association.co.uk