Product category:
Roofing and Roofllights
News Release from: Fakro GB | Subject: FPP PreSelect roof window
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 19 February 2007
FPP PreSelect roof window in
conservation finish
Fakro FPP PreSelect roof window used by Hollick Homes for its steadings conversion at Boll O Bere Farm in Balerno.
As scope for loft conversion design widens, so too do options for roof window use In part, this can be put down to the need to keep pace with performance standards prompted by tighter environmental and building regulation demands
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 9 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Roof window switches from top to centre pivot.
Fakro's FPP preSelect roof window uses a unique, patented mechanism which enables opening to be switched from top to centre pivot at the flick of a switch in the frame.
Wesleyan chapel sees new light
FPP PreSelect Roof windows from Fakro have been used in a conversion by Orchid Developments on a former Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Telford.
But it isn't the whole story.
The need to provide greater diversity of use has given rise to products which meet specific functional criteria, in extremes such as a wet room.
True, such refurbishments may only ever account for a small proportion of conversions, but awareness of the progress of product development can only encourage designers and building owners to give greater consideration to how their unused space can be used.
Further reading
Fakro centre pivot and top opening roof window
FPP PreSelect roof window, from Fakro is a new design concept in roof windows, having the option to switch between either top or centre pivot opening.
Fakro side hung roof windows in stable conversion
FPP PreSelect Roof windows from Fakro have been used in a sustainable conversion of old stable and barns at Netherstead Farm near Studley.
Fakro roof windows for low pitch roofs
Fakro FTP-V centre pivot roof windows have been used in an unusual office redevelopment in North Wales.
Whether to meet the planning constraints of a conservation area or the acoustic demands of land adjacent to an airport, products such as Fakro's new generation PTP and FTT windows are illustrations of what can be achieved.
Even though timber roof windows are invariably well sealed, (in the case of Fakro windows with a triple coating of clear acrylic lacquer), the constant demands presented by high humidity areas mean some specifiers prefer PVCu.
The centre-pivot PTP window, designed in PVCu, wipes clean easily, resisting onset of any fungal attack.
It has already been produced in curved profile for use in metal roofs.
Outer cladding blends with that used for the timber windows used for traditional living areas.
By contrast, for energy efficiency the pine FTT offers a triple glazed option with an exceptional U-value.
Choice is the key factor to come out of this.
Products can combine options, for example by enabling users to change point of opening between centre and top pivot at the flick of a switch.
The FPP PreSelect roof window used by Hollick Homes for its steadings conversion at Boll O Bere Farm in Balerno does just this, though key to selection were the planning constraints in the rural location.
This required conservation style windows with flashing to match the natural slate, while the smallest window used in the development also needed to achieve MOE - Means of Escape requirements.
Among house builders, Balmuir Homes' Netherfield development at Bathgate is one of 30 contemporary, 5 bed, 3 storey luxury homes.
Here too, the PreSelect window was used, but in conjunction with standard, smaller, centre-pivot windows.
For a 3-storey home, the option to switch opening method has added value, as it means not only can windows be opened to provide light ventilation (though inbuilt vents can provide this), they can be swiveled through 180deg to clean outer panes from inside the home.
Self-cleaning glass is a further option, good news for everyone unless you are a window cleaner.
Global warming may be offsetting climatic extremes, but in the pursuit of energy efficiency well sealed windows are no less desirable.
Osborne Homes' Demonstration House at the BRE Innovations Centre demonstrates how to build affordable, sustainable, energy-efficient homes.
Design Consultants Baily Garner, WSP and Tully De'Ath incorporated a range of energy saving and waste reduction measures, and used the FPP.
The developer had tested 32 triple glazed FTP roof windows in situ on another of its developments, to meet stringent acoustic, air leakage and thermal performance criteria.
The results were the best ever obtained.
Brian Wilson of Osborne Homes commented, "The standard set for the roof windows required them to be virtually airtight".
"They performed beyond our expectations, and utilised timber from a FSC accredited source".
"Advice provided on site throughout installation by Fakro's Service Division was also invaluable, as a consequence of which we also fitted their airtight XDS Linings".
A patented opening mechanism used in these windows guarantees stability and, more importantly security in any position.
So, whether to provide a look and feel for older building styles or the stylish clean lines demanded for today's urban roofscapes, the roof window has truly come of age.
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