West Sussex STEM Project Sees SFS JB-D Plus Window Installation Brackets Speed Progress

SFS UK’s JB‑D Plus pre‑wall window installation brackets have been specified by façade specialist Leay Ltd for the £725 k window‑and‑curtain‑wall package on Chichester College’s new STEM Academy in West Sussex, a choice Leay says streamlines site logistics while guaranteeing the structural integrity of the double‑skinned façade.

Established in 1937 and now a nationwide fabricator of Kawneer aluminium systems, the Aylesford‑based company designed, supplied and installed AA100 HI curtain walling and AA720 high‑performance windows for main contractor Willmott Dixon. The prefabricated bracket system allowed Leay’s sub‑contract teams to meet a tight timetable without on‑site fabrication while accommodating building tolerances and maintaining verified thermal and structural performance throughout the build.

SFS conducted detailed bracket testing in accordance with IFT guideline MO/02‑1 to verify performance across multiple substrates. To meet UK market's demand for values in light‑gauge steel framing systems, the company also ran additional tests in steel frames, enabling its technical Compendium to include certified values for these applications. Armed with this data, Leay’s design team were able to accurately calculate the number of brackets needed for the Chichester College project. When the new JB‑D Plus version launched, SFS supported Leay with samples and on‑site product demonstrations.

A Director of Leay, Jim Matthews, commented: “We have a very good long-term working relationship with Willmott Dixon and have done healthcare, leisure sector and public buildings as well as residential apartment buildings, over commercial premises, and of course education for them. In this case, Chichester is a new STEM facility, a high spec project targeting low U-values where we are predominantly supplying Kawneer windows together with curtain walling, which is being installed at ground floor level, around what is to be used as a vehicle workshop.

“While we have used the new version bracket from the SFS range at Chichester, we were originally introduced to the brackets by Kawneer themselves: for who we are the longest serving dealer in the country – dating back to 1968, and we currently use them on virtually every job we do nowadays. The main benefits to the JB range is that they help avoid cold bridging issues and allow for adjustment: which is particularly advantageous if you are installing long runs of windows across a façade – otherwise in the past you were looking to have sections of 6mm plate cut to size, galvanised and pre-drilled – and using a substantial amount of loose packers.”

Jim reflected: “Things have changed a lot over the years, from where you were presented with a near complete building to fit windows in - to the situation now where a building’s main structure is up - and fitting the windows on these brackets allows the exterior cladding to proceed while fit-out work can proceed indoors in weathertight conditions. So ultimately, they speed up the programme.”

Callum Thornton, fenestration product manager at SFS, explained how the project met the Building Safety Act’s requirements: “With the new Building Safety Act sharpening accountability across the entire supply chain, specifiers and installers need reliable, traceable data for every component they select. By partnering with Leay Ltd we provided our JB‑D Plus brackets together with a full suite of tested values, giving designers certainty during specification, and installers a clear, proven fixing method on site. That blend of transparent information and hands‑on support helps project teams meet the Act’s ‘golden thread’ requirements and deliver first‑time success.” For further information, call 0330 0555888 or visit https://uk.sfs.com/