Specifying for high rise regeneration

As we all know specifying for high rise regeneration brings with it a whole different set of criteria than specifying for standard two storey accommodation. The normal building regulations do not readily apply to this environment. For example, windows are not regarded as appropriate means of egress in the event of fire in high rise applications.

So what are the guidelines you need to be aware of? And what are the window options available for you to use when looking to work on high rise applications?

Firstly, Health and Safety in use by the tenants are prime considerations to be taken into account when deciding on a window type, and a window configuration. Guidelines for consideration are laid out in BS8213 Safety in Use and Cleaning For High Rise; and of particular importance is the need to take account of the following:-

1. The lowest part of the opening aperture should be in excess of 1100mm from the floor.
It is generally agreed that by achieving this, the possibility of a tenant falling from the window is greatly reduced. Of course many windows installed during the original build do not conform to this, and therefore careful consideration has to be given to designing the proposed replacements. A like for like replacement often will not conform to the present day requirements for safety.

2. Due consideration should be given to how the window can be cleaned, safely.
BS8213 provides a series of statements and drawings highlighting some of the difficulties faced by tenants when it comes to cleaning the product safely. The maximum ‘safe reach’ for a tenant extending their arm to clean a fixed light is 610mm when leaning downwards. It is not considered to be safe practice to lean out of any window to clean fixed lights either above, or to the side of opening lights. Where there is a fixed light below an opening light, it is essential that someone potentially cleaning this from the inside must be able to have both feet on the floor.  If this is not achieveable, then the proposed design should be reconsidered.

3. Consider the size of the opening lights.
Many of the older high rise blocks include large steel or timber pivot windows, many of which exceed the sizes that PVCu frames would normally be produced at today. But functionality is a key consideration here. For example could an elderly or infirm tenant reasonably open a single aperture pivot window at 1500mm wide, and clean safely?

So what are the options?
There are 4 main options of windows which you can consider when specifying windows for use in a high rise application, and which meet the requirements for safety in all aspects of use.

Tilt and Turn

The Tilt and Turn has undergone a renaissance with specifiers in recent years, largely due to the use of ‘concealed’ gearing which takes away many of the traditional problems associated with use and maintenance of Tilt and Turns, and which is considered to be easier to use, more robust, and generally safer.

Full cleaning is available from within when the window is in the Turn position, and ventillation is readily achieved by putting the window into the Tilt position, offering air movement without the loss of security (ground floors) or child safety.

It is increasingly the case that specifiers are requesting ‘Tilt First’ windows rather than the often used Turn first version. The perceived downsides to this kind of window is the fact that the opening light intrudes into the room, and, in the turn position, the aperture is fully exposed offering the potential for accidents.

Fully Reversible or Top Swing

The Fully Reversible, or Top Swing Window, invented in the Scandinavian countries, first came to the UK mainland in the early 1960’s. Often referred to as the ‘H Window’, this product allows the full sash to ‘swing’ within the axis of its own hinge, and ‘lock’ in the reversed position to allow cleaning from the inside in a safe manner. This product is traditionally slimmer in appearance than some of its competitors and therefore has proven to be aesthically attractive to specifiers in the UK. With the sash ‘swinging’ within its’ own axis, there is no intrusion of the product directly into the property, and therefore no detrimental impact on the use of curtains, or ornaments.

Pivot Windows

The introduction of Pivot Windows for use by specifiers in the UK was driven by the rapid growth in the amount of high rise stock being built throughout the country in the late 1960’s and into the 1970’s. Chosen for their ‘pivotting’ action as an ideal solution to enable cleaning in the high rise situation, many windows originally installed were made to sizes which now exceed the recommended maximum dimensions for manufacturing, and for ‘safe’ use by tenants. As a PVC-U product there are two options, the ‘In Line’ Pivot and the ‘Saddle’ Pivot.  Both options entail the sash opening into the property, and enable the window to be cleaned in a safe manner with the sash ‘locked’ in the reversed position.

The In Line Pivot is traditionally used to replace existing steel pivots due to its slimmer sightlines and smaller manufacturing parameters, while the Saddle pivot is normally used to replace existing timber pivots where the opening lights and the overall windows are generally much larger.