Successful Window Fitting RIBA Flash Event at the Mayville Community Centre

The window fitting flash event was attended by 20 very keen architects and students last Thursday at the Mayville Community Centre all eager to learn from this practical training opportunity. The group witnessed the installation of one of the south elevation windows being installed in two pieces by the main contractor. The installation demonstrated the German techniques for fitting windows including positioning the windows to avoid cold bridging in an externally insulated building; fitting tapes with ‘rabbit ears’; positioning windows with inflatable air bags and fixing windows without plugs and with headless screws to ensure the windows are not distorted during fixing. The session was led by Justin Bere and Daniel Hayes of bere:architects who had previously provided the contractor on the Welsh Passivhaus project with training in how to fit the windows based on German methods and as learnt from Bayer, the windows supplier. This passing of skills and knowledge from architect to contractor is critical in order to achieve the important draught-free details necessary for a passivhaus refurbishment and is a principle that bere:architects whole heartedly support and encourage. Sitaram Mudumbi, architect, who attended the session since commented that ‘it was a very informative morning’s session and a perfect day for it to boot. I also picked up a reference for a PassivHaus course in Oxford through chatting with the other architects on site, so I’m doubly grateful to you. More power to the Bere: ethos and I look forward to attending another day.’ Further RIBA flash events focusing on passivhaus principles at the community centre are currently being planned and details will be released soon.