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Alexandra Road Estate, better known as Rowley Way, is a housing estate in the London Borough of Camden. The modernist block was designed by the revered architect Neave Brown in the late 1960s, with construction completed in 1978. The block is constructed from unpainted reinforced concrete, and along with 520 apartments, also houses a school, community centre, youth club, heating complex and parkland.
In 1993, Rowley Way was granted Grade 2 Listed status, becoming the first post-war council housing estate to be listed, and was described by then Heritage Secretary Peter Brooke as “one of the most distinguished groups of buildings in England since the Second World War”.
The project
The entire Rowley Way estate will shortly be undergoing a major refurbishment, which includes the replacement of all the roofs, kitchens, bathrooms, and heating systems. The windows are also to be refurbished and replaced with high performance vacuum glass.
Thanks to extensive specialist knowledge and many years of experience in refurbishing windows, TRC was selected to undertake the window refurbishment on a pilot flat. The work included paint stripping the windows and carrying out timber repairs using a repair care system, overhauling and replacing the windows with new draught and acoustic seals, and overhauling and replacing the ironmongery.
As part of the project, TRC replaced the window glass in the pilot flat with high-performance Landvac vacuum glass. Compared to standard double glazing and triple glazing, vacuum glazing has a number of benefits, including more energy efficiency and less heat loss, better insulation, higher noise reduction, better light transmission, a slimmer profile, and a longer service life. LandVac vacuum glazing offers a perfect solution for architects seeking both beauty and performance. Its ultra-thin profile seamlessly integrates with heritage projects, preserving architectural integrity.
Following completion of the pilot flat’s refurbishment, it will now be closely monitored in conjunction with the new heating system for 12 months to enable a decision to be made on how to progress with the remining project.