Riverside Gardens in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, is a thoughtfully designed development of 61, two and three-bedroom apartments created by Adlington Retirement Living.
The scheme forms part of the company’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality, future-focused retirement accommodation that enables older people to enjoy safe, independent and sociable lifestyles in a setting shaped around their wellbeing.
A defining aspect of every Adlington development is the emphasis on generous natural light and private outdoor space, which together create uplifting, spacious homes. This design philosophy places particular importance on the specification of windows and doors, which must combine aesthetic finesse with stringent safety, security and thermal performance requirements.
For this project, Adlington appointed Kingfisher Windows to supply and install the windows and doors, confident in the company’s ability to meet the scheme’s stringent technical requirements. Kingfisher’s long-standing experience in delivering large, complex retirement developments, combined with its expertise in interpreting detailed design criteria and providing precise supporting calculations, gave the client full assurance that the specification would be achieved without compromise.
Image Caption: A development defined by attention to detail in design, performance and specification
An Exacting Specification
On this project, the windows needed to comply with PAS 24:2022 security criteria while achieving a U-value of 1.2 W/m²K. There were also demanding barrier-loading requirements associated with the balconies and upper-floor apartments to ensure the safety of residents and visitors. Kingfisher worked closely with the wider design team to develop a fully compliant solution, including the judicious use of couplings and reinforcement to satisfy structural loading parameters without compromising visual consistency.
Paul Short, Kingfisher’s Commercial Estimator, commented:
“Windows and doors are a significant cost on every project, so it is vital to be confident they will meet the specification. Adlington had experience of windows and doors not meeting the necessary standards on a previous project with a different contractor, which led to costly remakes that delayed the timescale. Our ability to design a compliant project and provide detailed drawings and calculations in support provided the confidence needed.”
In total, Kingfisher manufactured and installed 249 casement windows and 67 sets of French doors using the chamfered Profile 22 system from Epwin Window Systems. Profile 22 is recognised as the UK’s leading commercially approved window and door system, noted for its efficient design, clean sightlines and reliable, long-term performance. For Riverside Gardens, the frames were manufactured in an external RAL 7016 finish with white interiors, creating a striking contemporary exterior while ensuring that the interior décor remained understated and adaptable to residents’ tastes.
Image Caption: Creating bright, secure and energy-efficient homes for later living
Kingfisher delivered the full programme with the accuracy needed for a development where architectural aesthetics, energy efficiency and resident safety all carry equal weight.
A High-Quality Result for an Award-Winning Provider
The completed scheme reflects the award-winning standard associated with Adlington Retirement Living, an organisation that has repeatedly been recognised at the WhatHouse? Awards for its excellence in design and delivery. Riverside Gardens continues this trajectory, offering light-filled, secure and high-quality homes that exemplify best practice in modern retirement living.
The attention to detail demonstrated in its window and door specification to ensure results meet the highest possible standards demonstrate exactly why it has achieved these accolades – and why residents at Riverside Gardens look set to enjoy high-quality retirement living.
The Value of Getting Specification Right
By Sonia Holden, Head of Commercial, Epwin Window Systems
“Specification should never be viewed as a box-ticking exercise. It is fundamental to how a project performs, both during construction and long after completion.
Taking a considered approach from the outset helps ensure systems are correctly matched to the demands of the building - balancing compliance, performance and design intent. It also reduces risk, providing greater certainty around programme and budget by avoiding late changes or unforeseen issues on site.
Importantly, good specification brings clarity. It creates a shared understanding across the project team, so that what is designed is what gets delivered. Ultimately, it supports better-quality outcomes - buildings that not only meet standards but continue to perform for the people who live in and use them.”
For more information on Profile 22, please visit https://www.profile22.co.uk or email commercial@profile22.co.uk
This article was featured in the latest edition of BIMCRUNCH. To learn more about Epwin Window Systems or download their BIM objects, join Bimstore for free. For additional information, visit the Epwin Window Systems manufacturer profile or their company website and social media pages.
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