Thanks to the expert support of its technical team and the long-term durability of its products, Alutec’s rainwater and eaves systems have been installed as part of a major refurbishment project at St Michael’s primary school in Southfields, London.
The project has expanded the school’s capacity with the construction of a new build extension, as well as an extensive internal refurbishment of the existing buildings. The rainwater specification initially called for aluminium gutters attached to timber fascia. However, after consulting with Alutec’s technical team, Jason Tait, architect at Wandsworth Council, decided to opt for products from Alutec’s Evoke fascia and soffit range instead, to maximise the longevity of the system as a whole.
Manufactured from highly durable composite aluminium, Evoke is a low maintenance and long lasting alternative to timber, sheet aluminium or plastic eaves systems. Featuring a unique nano self-cleaning coat, it requires minimal maintenance, has a life expectancy of 50 years or more and is fully recyclable at the end of this period.
Jason specified the Evoke system in the white RAL 9010 colour, combining it with Alutec’s Aligator Classic gutter and Traditional 63mm downpipe in black, resulting in an extremely durable and low maintenance system overall.
“The longevity of the Evoke system was the key reason that I chose to use it instead of the original timber specification,” Jason commented. “We had already decided to use aluminium rainwater products because of their durability so it made no sense to then attach these to an eaves system that didn’t have a similar lifespan. PVC didn’t offer the quality that we wanted and as timber normally requires repainting every five years or so, the fact that the aluminium system will last for 50 years with no maintenance was really appealing.”
Throughout the project, Alutec’s Technical Services team were on hand to ensure any design queries were easily solved. Rainwater system design can be a complicated process and Alutec’s knowledgeable technical staff are well equipped to provide specifiers and installers with expert support on a wide range of issues, including correct system choice, roof drainage design, flow rate calculations and installation advice.
Jason concluded: “The technical advice from Alutec was really valuable and definitely helped ensure the design and installation process went smoothly. For example, the team was able to advise on drainage from the building’s flat roof, via a hopper to the adjoining pitched roof, which helped us solve that particular design challenge. Overall I’m really happy with the products and service from Alutec and would certainly specify them again in the future.”
