'Beautiful Partnership'

When partnerships succeed the results can be outstanding, the new Southcote Community Centre Reading is an excellent example. Designed by the Reading Borough Council, the project was constructed off-site using Framework’s semi volumetric panel building system, combined with timber aluminium composite windows provided by AM Profiles.

The new building offers a much needed new nursery school for the area and a community centre. With prohibitive costs for traditional methods of construction and in order to use taxpayers’ monies more wisely, the council decided to opt for an off-site build solution.

The designers were given the freedom of design and choice of materials whilst keeping within tight cost constraints and tight deadlines for completion. Predominantly timber was chosen for construction for its ‘warmth’ and environmentally friendly nature. As the construction was primarily undertaken off-site in a production environment, quality was exemplary, which was also reflected in the choice of composite timber aluminium window system for the project.

The composite windows chosen bring out the best of each material, timber for insulation and unquestionable sustainability, and powder coated aluminium for outstanding weathering characteristics, high strength to weight ratio and recyclability.

The projects proposed value was £520k and from start to completion there was an allowance of a little over 3 months. Upon tender there was only one company that could meet these tight constraints and Framework were duly appointed. Working in close liaison with AM Profiles, the window designs matched exactly to the architects requirements and were supplied to Framework fully glazed for building into the off-site manufactured system.