Clearview National March 2016 - Issue 172 | Page 56

DOORS&WINDOWS A LOT MORE CHOICE Freefoam has announced the addition of even more products to its extensive colour range of fascia and soffit. »»ALL COLOURS ARE NOW AVAILABLE in an 18mm thick square leg fascia in 150mm and 250mm wide boards and also a 10mm thick general purpose soffit board in 175mm and 225mm wide, and with the increasing popularity of grey window frames it has also introduced the 250 and 350mm general purpose board in three shades of grey, Storm grey, Dark grey and Anthracite grey. In the last few years, the UK has started to see a significant shift in commercial specifications from white roofline to colour. In Continental Europe most windows are coloured and in Ireland it’s about 50%, whilst in the UK colour has doubled in the last fifteen years to 20% this trend is only predicted to increase. Colin St John, UK General Manager summarised: “Our view is that colour is here to stay. As specialist colour roofline manufactures we have the expertise and capability to structure our production process to meet the changing demands of today’s housebuilder and specifier.” www.freefoam.co.uk MAKING SENSE OF SECURITY »»SLIDERS UK HAS launched a new campaign aimed at encouraging home insurers to offer discounts on policies if doors and windows are accredited to a Secured by Design (SBD) standard. Ian Longbottom, Chairman, Sliders UK, said: “Secured by Design accredited products and building specifications have been shown to cut burglaries and crime by almost half. “Given the cost to the insurance industry of break-ins, it seems to only make sense that a reduced premium should apply to those properties where SBD approved products have been installed in exactly the same way as they do for other security measures, for example burglar alarms.” Sliders UK is encouraging the window and door industry to get behind the campaign ‘Home Security Sense’, by promoting the benefits of SBD products to homeowners. The fabricator is also writing to insurance companies and MPs, highlighting the contribution that SBD products can make in cutting crime. Visit www.sliders-uk.com or contact [email protected] Adding More Flexibility »»THE AVANTEC SIMPLYSMART range of concealed window fittings from Schueco UK has been made more flexible with the addition of a number of new parts designed to increase the system’s versatility. Among these is the Schueco SmartActive window handle which provides one answer to widespread concerns about the increasing numbers of germs that are becoming resistant to conventional antibiotics. In addition, an AvanTec anti-slam fitting has been introduced. Fully concealed within the window rebate, this emp loys various opening limiter stays to counter the problem of a sudden air-flow causing vents to slam shut. 56 » M AR 2016 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M The AvanTec range now also includes Comfort fittings: these have been developed in response to the architectural trend for specifying larger and heavier vents. They provide mechanical assistance to make vents easier to open and close by reducing operating forces. Of course, the principal benefit of AvanTec SimplySmart fittings is that they make fabrication simple and faster. This is because the main components use secure clip-on technology, rendering drilling and separate screws unnecessary. Schueco AWS windows with AvanTec SimplySmart fittings have also now received certification from Exova BM Trada. Visit www.schueco.co.uk