Lewes Station is clearly steeped in history and character, with records of the initial terminus dating back to 1846 while the full station, including its Swiss chalet style building, was opened 11 years later in 1857. Twinfix, working alongside BAM Nuttall Ltd, provided a lightweight and quick-to-fit Georgian wired polycarbonate Multi-Link non-fragile rooflights on the recent refurbishment project of the East Sussex station.
The initial site survey took place in spring. Some unique characteristics were present in the building – from the ornate pillars and feature brick building housing the café, to the many decorative flower beds – the building was certainly unique. These features showed that the station was well cared for and much loved, giving it a strong sense of ingrained memory, important to the local residents.
Despite the great features it was evident that the years had caught up with some areas of the station and the roof in particular was in dire need of repair. The old glass was failing in places. It was cracked, discoloured and in some areas it was actually missing. Areas that should have been light and bright were tarnished due to the condition of the existing glazing.
The remit for Lewes was to replace the 1,178 panels of roof and vertical glazing and the product put forward by Twinfix was Georgian wired polycarbonate Multi-Link non-fragile rooflights.
It was of maximum importance to retain the feel of a station, so a sympathetic restoration is crucial. However, it is equally important to not just replace like with like, as although traditional materials may look the same there are often disadvantages associated with them. Georgian wired glass is an example of this. It suits these old stations, it is in keeping, but it just replicates the same old problems; it breaks, it needs replacing. The cycle continues. Durability and sustainability are key in any refurbishment, why replace with something susceptible to breakage?
The clear solution to this problem was our Georgian wired effect polycarbonate. This polycarbonate glazing mimics the traditional Georgian wired glass that it will be replacing, but it will not break in use. It is therefore safer to install and to use as an overhead glazing material, with no risk of glass cracking and shards of glass dust falling onto the platform below.
The long term cost saving of not needing to replace broken panels, accompanied by the massive safety advantages, and practical benefits in terms of easy fitting, just have to be considered as key benefits of our Georgian wired polycarbonate roof glazing.
Twinfix Limited, 201 Cavendish Place, Birchwood Park, Birchwood, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 6WUTel: 01925 811311 Fax: 01925 852855 Email: enquiries(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)twinfix.co.uk www.twinfix.co.uk