Fenetek is one of the North’s leading fabricators of high quality aluminium fenestration products to the commercial and domestic glazing industries. It recently demonstrated why it has achieved this status with the installation of the glazed curtain walling shopfront for the new Starbucks in Stockton on Tees.
The project requirements included curtain walling glazed with high performance solar control glazing and a custom designed “drive-thru” serving hatch incorporated into the build.
Fenetek has been working with Exlabesa for four years and trusted its products to deliver in this case. James Lagan, Director at Fenetek, commented: “The products are well designed, easy to fabricate and easy to install.” In this case, Fenetek used Exlabesa’s KLW Curtain Wall system and the KSF Non Thermal Shop Front, both of which maximise the glazed area and offer a powerful combination of design flexibility and cost efficiency.
The expertise of the Fenetek team meant that they were able to bespoke manufacture the required drive-through serving hatch. James said: “This project was a great opportunity to demonstrate our innovation abilities and we were delighted with the results.”
When it came to installation the combination of the scale of the curtain walling and the specification of the glass meant the glass units were too heavy to be installed safely by hand so the team used a glazing robot instead. James commented: “We work on lots of projects were the glass units are too heavy to be safely installed by hand, in these cases we look to use the most suitable and efficient machines based on site layouts, which in this case was the glazing robot.”
But despite these complexities it is perhaps the speed at which Fenetek completed the project that best demonstrates the value the business can offer contractors in the commercial marketplace. Fenetek took the project from initial site survey to completion in less than four weeks including the Christmas break, an impressive demonstration of the company’s expertise and fast-track approach.
The project is the first drive-through Starbucks on Teesside and is the perfect example of what can be achieved when a high quality fabricator uses high quality aluminium products to complete a project.
