5/17/2016 CPD92016:Specifyingsecondarywindows|OnlineFeatures|Building

CPD92016:Specifyingsecondarywindows
13April2016

Secondaryglazingoffersarangeofbenefitsforbothnewbuildsandrefurbishments.ThisCPDhighlightsthekey
designconsiderations.ItissponsoredbySelectaglaze

Howtotakethismodule
UBMsCPDdistancelearningprogrammeisopentoanyoneseekingtodeveloptheir
knowledgeandskills.Eachmodulealsooffersmembersofprofessionalinstitutionsan
opportunitytoearnbetween30and90minutesofcreditstowardstheirannualCPD
requirement.

ThisarticleisaccreditedbytheCPDCertificationService.ToearnCPDcredits,readthe
articleandthenclickthelinkbelowtocompleteyourdetailsandanswerthequestions.You
willreceiveyourresultsinstantly,andifallthequestionsarecorrectlyanswered,youwillbeabletodownload
yourCPDcertificatestraightaway.

CPDCREDITS:60MINUTES

DEADLINE:27MAY2016

TheBREEAMexcellentratedHamYardHotelin
Soho,London.

ThismoduleissponsoredbySelectaglaze.

INTRODUCTION
Secondaryglazingisafullyindependentwindowsysteminstalledtotheinsidefaceorroomsideoftheprimary
window.Itcanberetrofittedintoanexistingbuildingorinstalledaspartofanewbuildtoprovidetripleglazing.
Althoughitisoftenperceivedasanoutdatedsolution,crudeandunsuitedtolistedbuildings,aluminiumextrusion
technologyallowstheproductionofcomplexframesthatarestrongandlightweightandsupporthighstandardsof
insulationandsecurity.Itisrecommendedforuseinappropriatecircumstancesbyallheritagebodies.

ThisCPDwilloutlinethebenefitsofsecondaryglazingandthekeydesignconsiderationsinitsspecification.

BENEFITSOFSECONDARYGLAZING
Secondaryglazingcanoffersignificantnoiseinsulation,thermalinsulation,enhancedsecurity,acleaner
environmentwithimprovedairqualityand,subjecttoglazingspecifications,protectionagainstthedamagingeffects
ofUVlight.Herewelookindetailatsomeofthekeybenefits.

Controlofnoise
TheWorldHealthOrganisationandBritishStandard8233bothsetoutguidelinesforacceptablesoundlevelsina
rangeofenvironments.Anacceptablesoundpressurelevel(SPL)is3035dBAforabedroom,3550dBAfora

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classroomormeetingroomand4550dBAforatypicalopenoffice.
Trafficnoiseclosetothefacadeofabuildingonfairlybusyroadswill
be7080dBAandhencesoundreductionof3050dBAisrequired.

Asingleglazedopeningwindowwithoutsealswillachieveareduction
ofonly1825dBA,risingtoabout30dBAforasinglefixedpane.A
typicaldoubleglazedunitcanoffer34dBA,butasecondarywindowwithanairspaceofatleast100mmwillachieve
45dBAormore.

Thisisbecausesoundistransmittedthroughawindowbydirectvibrationoftheglass.Thelargerairspacecreated
bysecondaryglazingdecouplesthemovementoftheinnerandouterglass,whichmeanstheyactasseparate
barriers,therebyreducingresonance.Bycontrast,asealedglassunit,wherethetwopanesofglassarerigidly
connectedandhaveaminimalcavity,performslittlebetterthanasinglepane.

Airbornesoundisalsoamajorproblemwithillfittingwindowsa1%gapinthetotalwindowareacanreducesound
insulationbyasmuchas10dB.Apurposemadesecondarywindowsealsthewholeoftheexternalwindowwith
framesbeddedinnonsettingmasticandopeningpanelsfittedwithtwinbrushorcompressionseals.

Energyconservation
The2008ClimateChangeActcommittedtheUKtocutgreenhousegasemissionsby80%against1990levelsby
2050.Sincebuildingsaccountfor40%ofemissionsand80%ofexistingstockwillstillbestandingin2050,retrofit
solutionswillbeessentialifthetargetsaretobemet.

EnergyefficiencyinbuildingsundergoingrenovationorupgradeiscoveredbyPartL1BandL2BoftheBuilding
Regulations.Controlledfittingssuchaswindowsmustmeetstrictperformancestandards,buttheregulations
acknowledgethesensitivityofworkingonlistedbuildings.Hencesingleglazedwindowsthatarepartofthehistoric
fabricofthebuildingcanberetainedandsecondarywindowsincorporatinglowemissivityglassfitted,subjectto

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listedbuildingconsent.

Asecondarywindowtrapsaninsulatingmassofairbetweentheinnerandouterglassandtheresultingwarmer
surfaceoftheinnerglasslimitsconvectioncurrents.Isolatedframesarealsolessconductiveanddraughtsare
significantlyreducedbyefficientsealsappliedbothtotheframeandopeningpanels.Ifalowecoatingisappliedto
theinnerglassitwillreflectbackinfraredradiationandsoretainenergyintheroom.

AsingleglazedsteelwindowachievesaUvalueofabout5.7W/m2K,whichfallstoabout4.7W/m2Kwithabetter
insulatingtimberframe.Asecondarywindowwithstandardglassachievesasignificantreductiontoabout2.9
W/m2K,andifahardcoatloweglassisspecifieditfallsbelow2W/m2K,anear60%reduction.Theinclusionof
sealedunitscreatestripleglazingandwillachieveUvaluesdownto1.4W/m2K.

RefurbishedwindowsatthegradeIlistedCornwallTerraceinLondon.

Security
Secondaryglazingcanprovidevaryinglevelsofprotectionagainstintrudersandtheeffectsofblast.Itcanalsoaid
containmentinlocationssuchaslaboratoriesandsecurehealthfacilities.

ProtectionagainstintrudersMostintrudersdonotbreakglassbecausethenoisecandrawattention,and
becauseweakwindowframeswithpoorfittingsarequiteeasytoforceopenusingsmalltools.Astandard
secondarywindow,evenwithsimplelocks,providesasecondbarriertoentry.
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TherecognisedteststandardforenhancedsecurityisPAS24:2016.Thetestassumesastealthattackand
sodoesnotallowforglassbreakage.Framesaresubjectedtoa3kNstaticloadfollowedbyattemptsto
removetheglassorforcethewindowopenusingarangeoftools.Secondarywindowswithmorerobust
framesandstrengthenedlockswhichmeetthesecurityrequirementsofPAS24areacceptedasapolice
preferredspecificationundertheSecuredbyDesigninitiative.

Areasofhighrisk,includingthoseneedingcontainment,requiresystemsthatcanresistsustainedattackon
boththeglassandframe.TheapplicablestandardisLPS1175fromtheLossPreventionCertificationBoard
(LPCB).Thisisusedforarangeofbuildingelementsincludingdoors,shutters,grilles,andwindows.Test
levelsaregradedbyreferencetotheattacktimeandseverityoftools.Secondarywindowshavebeentested
tolevel3.AllcertifiedproductsarelistedintheLPCBsRedBookLivewebsiteandtwiceyearlyauditsensure
continuedcompliance.

BlastmitigationSecondarywindowscanincorporatelaminatedglasswhichdoesnotbreakintodamaging
shards.Thelevelofprotectionwillbedecidedbyanumberoffactorsincludingglassedgecover,thestrength
oflocks,framedesignfeaturesandstructuralfixings.

TheteststandardusedforproductsincludingwindowsisISO16933.Thisallowsforarangeofchargesbut
100kgTNTequivalentiscommonlyusedagainsttargetspositionedatcontrolleddistances.

TestlevelEXV45usesastandoffdistanceof45mandcanbemetbylightweightproductsfittedwith
standardlocksandglazedwith6.8mmlaminateglass.
EXV33at33mrequiresmorerobustframesandlocksbut6.8mmlaminateglasswillstillperformwell.
EXV25at25misastandardusedwhendesigningprotectionforsignificantbuildings.Thelaminated
glassmusthaveaminimum1.52mminterlayerofPolyvinylbutyral.Thethinnestglassis7.5mmbut
9.5mmand11.5mmareregularlyspecified.Frames,locksandfixingsareallsignificantlyenhanced.
EXV15at15mdealswithaveryhighlevelofriskandcanbemetwithademountablefixedframe
glazedwitha15mmthickfiveplylaminate.

DESIGNCONSIDERATIONS
Therearemanyfactorsaffectingthedesignspecificationofasecondarywindowanditsinterfacewiththeother
elements.Thesewillinclude:

thepurposeoftheinstallationnoiseorthermalinsulation,orsecurity
howtheclientwishestousethewindows
aestheticsparticularlyimportantforlistedbuildings
howwindowsshouldbemaintained.

Frameoptions
Thereareseveralstylesofframedesign.Theseinclude:

HorizontalslidingsystemsTheseareveryversatile,withtwoormorepanelsrunningonglidepads,orrollers
forlargerwindows.Thepanelsslidewithintheframesotherearerarelyproblemswithbulkheads,blindsor
curtains.Thepanelscanberemovedquitesimplyformaintenancebyliftingthemintotheheadframeand
swingingthemout.Framesrangefromslimlineformostapplications,toheavydutyforenhancedacousticsor
security,andhighsecuritywhereincreasedlevelsofprotectionareneeded.
VerticalslidingsystemsThesearemostlyusedtotreattraditionalsashwindows.Theyoperateonspring
balancesthatfullysupporttheweightoftheglazedpanelorsash.Aminimum75mmframecavityis
recommendedinordertoprovidesufficientaccessforcleaning.Optionsincludeslimlineframesincorporating
lightweightspringsandtiltinsystemsthatallowthesashestohingeinwardsforcleaning.Thisstyleshould
haverestrictorstaystoensuresafetyinoperation,andbrakingmechanismsaredesirabletoinhibitslidingin
theopenposition.Heavydutyframesthatacceptlargerdiameterspringsofferenhancedacousticsor
security,andhighsecurityframesoffersignificantlevelsofprotection.
HingedcasementsThesealloweasyaccesstotheouterwindowandareunobtrusive,withnotransomsor
mullionstoimpedetheview.Theycanbesingleordoubleleaf,andinatophung,bottomhungorstabledoor
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format.Colourmatchedflushhingescanprovideverycleanlinestotheroomsideandhighmemory
compressionsealsminimiseairleakage.Multipointlockingensuresagoodsealandimprovedsecurity,and
aflushlockoptionisofferedinsomeranges.Slimline,heavydutyandhighsecurityframesareavailable,as
wellasaminimalheritageoptionthatcansitwithinthestaffbeadofasashwindow.
ShapedandcurvedframesManybuildingshaveshapedorcurvedwindowsandsecondaryglazingshould,
wherepossible,followthelinestoprovidethemostsympathetictreatment.Aluminiumisparticularlysuitedto
bendingandcurvesonelevationoronplanareavailableinmanyofthewindowstyles.Rakedwindowscan
beproducedinallstyles.

OfficerefurbishmentatthegradeII*listedChapterHouseinStPauls,London.

Framefinishes
SecondarywindowsnormallyhaveapolyesterpowderpaintfinishinastandardwhitebutawiderangeofRAL
colourscanbespecified.Otheroptionsincludepaintedtimbergraineffectsandanodisedfinishes,usuallyinsilver,
bronzeorblack.

Glazing
Secondarywindowscanincorporateaverywiderangeofglass,includingsealedunitswhentripleglazingisrequired.
GlazingandsafetyiscoveredbyBS6262,thecodeofpracticeforglazing,andApprovedDocumentN,requirement
N1protectionagainstimpact.Thisrequirestheuseofsafetyglasswhereverapaneofglassextendsbelow
800mmfromfinishedfloorlevel,or1,500mmfordoorsandwindowsnexttodoors.

Ventilation
RulesontrickleventilationarecontainedinApprovedDocumentF,requirementF1meansofventilation.Theseare
designedtoreducethedamagingeffectsofcondensationandapplytonewbuildandmajorrefurbishments.Itis
normallysufficienttoopeninternalsecondarywindowstoprovidethisventilationbutsometimestrickleventilators
arerequiredinbothinnerandouterwindows8,000mm2forhabitableroomsand4,000mm2forotherrooms.They
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canbefittedwithinanenlargedtimbersubframeusuallyatthehead.

Practicalissues
Itisimportanttoestablishanyphysicalrestrictionsandinterfaceswithotherbuildingelementsatanearlystage.
Thiswouldincludeissuessuchaslackofreveals,clearancesforpivotwindowsandsillsupportbutmustalsotake
intoaccountarangeoffactorssuchasceilingbulkheads,partitionlayouts,newraisedfloors,curtainorblind
positions,extractorsandwindowcleaningeyebolts.Failuretoconsidersuchissuesearlyinthedesignprocess
couldleadtolatechangesthatimpactonprogrammeandcosts.

AbombblasttestunderthestandardISO16933.

Healthandsafety
CDMregulationsrequiretheproducttobedesignedsothatitcanbesafelyoperated,handledandmaintained.
Manualhandlingguidelinesrecommendaweightlimitof25kgforafitman,and6mmglassweighs15kg/m2.Itis
thereforeimportanttoconsiderpanelsizes,safeaccessforinstallationandcleaningandthephysicalcapabilitiesof
theendusers,aswellastheinstaller.

ControlofSubstancesHazardoustoHealth(COSHH)regulationswillapplytosealantmasticsandsomecleaners.

Maintenance
Adetailedmaintenancemanualshouldbeprovidedforallproductsandpassedtothebuildingownerortheiragenton
completionofaninstallation.Maintenancewillinvolvegeneralcleaning,occasionaladjustmentofspringbalances,
ensuringrunningtracksofhorizontalslidingunitsareclearand,whennecessary,lubricationofhingesandhandles.

Sustainability
Optimisedcuttingprogrammescanreducealuminiumuse,andallcuttingwasteandusedframesarerecyclable.
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AccordingtotheCouncilforAluminiuminBuilding,anestimated90%ofaluminiumusedinbuildingsisrecycledat
endoflifeandthisrequiresonly5%oftheenergyusedinproducingnewaluminiumfromrawbauxite.Innew
products,30%ofaluminiumisnowrecycled.

Paintfinishescanbespecifiedthatarenontoxic,andsoftwoodusedforsubframescanbeFSCcertified.Inaddition
glassculletcanberecycledinanumberofways,somebeingturnedintonewglassandsomeintoalternative
materialssuchasroadsurfacing.

Howtotakethismodule
UBMsCPDdistancelearningprogrammeisopentoanyoneseekingtodeveloptheir
knowledgeandskills.Eachmodulealsooffersmembersofprofessionalinstitutionsan
opportunitytoearnbetween30and90minutesofcreditstowardstheirannualCPD
requirement.

ThisarticleisaccreditedbytheCPDCertificationService.ToearnCPDcredits,readthe
articleandthenclickthelinkbelowtocompleteyourdetailsandanswerthequestions.You
willreceiveyourresultsinstantly,andifallthequestionsarecorrectlyanswered,youwillbeabletodownload
yourCPDcertificatestraightaway.

CPDCREDITS:60MINUTES

DEADLINE:27MAY2016

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