Framing systems and windows and doors by architectural aluminium systems supplier Kawneer proved the perfect traditional as well as contemporary fit for the £6 million redevelopment of a shoe factory into luxury apartments.

Kawneer’s 451PT thermally broken framing system has been used over four of the building’s five storeys as the centrepiece of a dramatic new concave ceramic façade and is complemented by the company’s 190 heavy duty commercial entrance doors.

In addition, Kawneer’s AA®605 swing doors have been used on the apartment balconies and AA®601 top-hung casement and AA®603 tilturn windows on the front and rear elevations. These windows are in turn complemented by Kawneer’s GT70 slimline renovation windows which were specified by Metropolis Architecture* for their slim sightlines to replace the original steel windows in the main façade and internal courtyard.

Metropolis’ brief from developer Pearmain Developments was to provide a variety of contemporary living opportunities from Hill and Cunningham’s 1919 shoe factory, formerly known as Boston House, while retaining and exposing the best parts of the simple industrial aesthetic and contrasting them with simple, contemporary additions.

Now called The Shoe Factory, the 18-month project by main contractor Hallam Contracts has resulted in 44 apartments ranging from one-bedroomed units to three-bedroomed duplex penthouses built of steel and lightweight metal framing on the roof of the original building. All have wraparound terraces to make the most of their enviable location on the banks of the River Soar overlooking Abbey Park in Leicester.

Metropolis wanted to keep the narrow bar format of the original steel windows for the main industrial facades. “And Kawneer’s GT70 system gave us that,” said director Mark Guyatt.

“The Kawneer system was one of only two narrow bar systems for steel replacements and was offered by local installer Norman & Underwood.”

The glazing division of the Leicester-based and Kawneer-approved specialist contractor was on site for five months. An unusual element to the contract was the use of internal and external-applied glazing bars to the existing openings using the GT70 window system.

Mark Guyatt added: “The Kawneer systems keep the original aesthetics on the retained facades and provide modern, simple lines to the new additions. They have certainly enabled our initial design concepts to be realised on site.”

Throughout all the units, the emphasis is on modern living, using the building’s expansive floor-to-ceiling heights, open-plan interiors, industrial aesthetic and large Kawneer windows.

The Shoe Factory is the first of six planned phases of building activity by Pearmain to transform Wolsey Island into an exciting residential area in line with the Leicester Regeneration Company’s masterplan.

Email: kuk.kawneer@alcoa.com