Structura UK delivers excellence in architectural glazing design, fabrication and installation for commercial buildings. The company has achieved Carbon Neutral Certification and demonstrated its sustainable credentials in sensitive renovations. Managing Director Daniel Rickman spoke with Andy Probert about curtain wall, carbon emissions and the company’s strategies for success.
Based in Chessington, Surrey, Structura UK is one of the UK’s foremost curtain wall engineering companies. For more than 30 years, it has been at the heart of some of the most iconic glazing renovation projects. In partnership with leading European curtain wall system manufacturers and glass producers, Structura UK operates as a central hub for the design, manufacture and installation of bespoke, ambitious and out-of-the-
ordinary projects that effectively breathe new life into commercial buildings.
The company embraced sustainability 12 years ago, being among the first to install solar panels at its factory. However, its ‘green journey’ has gathered impetus under Managing Director Daniel Rickman and Sustainability Manager Regina Singer. “The shift to carbon-neutral emissions is not achieved by massive leaps, but by an accumulation of small steps,” said Mr Rickman. “The carbon emergency is here, and Structura is tackling that issue head on.”
Engineering excellence
Sustainability sits as a permanent, silent partner on the shoulders of the 100-strong workforce. It is present in everything they do. While giving a chic new look to an office block, the company’s glazed curtain walls often extend the serviceable life of a building, façade, entrance or fenestration and provide considerable energy savings.
Structura UK has been entrusted with refurbishing some of England’s highest
profile landmarks, including Grade II listed properties such as the BT Tower in London, Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre and Bath School of Art and Design.
“While we are involved in new build projects, most renovations we work on don’t have any As-Built drawings,” Mr Rickman said. “We create the design to understand any issues and historic challenges – if it is a listed building. It is a niche skillset, and an experienced-based approach.”
That experience is what Structura UK revels in, given over half of its staff have been with the company for more than 10 years.
Project shift
Grade I and Grade II listed buildings, with all the tight planning regulations involved, do not faze Structura’s engineers.
“Having extensive experience in retrofitting historical monuments is crucial,” Mr Rickman explained, “as the skillset is not the same as new build construction. Demonstrating this gives confidence to our clients that we know what we’re doing.”
Structura UK is primed to take on what might be regarded as its most important 2023 project with the renovation of a national monument, a Grade I listed building in London. “While we cannot mention the landmark’s name, it is as good as it gets for our profile,” Mr Rickman added. “I believe we
secured the contract because of the feedback we received for our commitment to sustainability.
“That is a critical differentiator that sets us apart from our peers. That feedback was very rewarding to hear and reflected the conscious decisions we made.”
As part of this tender, Structura UK will responsibly recycle the original glass that requires replacement. This will be done in partnership with a glass recovery scheme launched by Arup, a collective of experts dedicated to sustainable development.
The project will be the first in England to receive Arup certification. The architectural-grade glass and components will be separated and recycled into the circular economy with a focus to be used upstream.
“With Arup’s approach, we will have the certification showing the volume of glass
being reused in that circular economy,” Mr Rickman said. “It is highly significant in our industry and very different from simply recycling downstream.
“The shift from office development to include high-profile renovation work for listed buildings post-Covid has been welcomed and a testament to our growing experience in this field. Stakeholders of these landmark properties are concerned about employing a safe pair of hands. That is essential because the risk is great, and if something happens, then that building’s historical significance could be lost.”
The company’s multi-faceted approach and reuse of original materials have also won it several of this year’s prestigious Schuco Excellence Awards, notably for ‘Sustainability’ at the Bath School of Art & Design project, where the company also secured ‘Overall Winner’ 2023.
Sustainability and synergy
“Sustainability is at the heart of what we do,” Mr Rickman said, “from in-office recycling, removing single-use plastic drinks machines, less paper working, LED factory lighting and stringent waste reduction of construction materials. Sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have for any business, it is an integral part of how we should be driving the industry forward.”
Shifting to an electric-vehicle fleet and keeping a closer eye on its energy usage, has given the company greater visibility and clarity on its biggest costs, financially and on carbon emissions. That approach has been adopted on-site, with deliveries
of locally sourced materials delivered by electric vehicles, while waste reduction, recycling and reuse are key priorities. The company’s proactive stance has been underlined by its Sustainability Manager, Regina Singer, who joined nearly three years ago as a buyer, but adopted her passion for sustainability in-house, according to Mr Rickman: “That passion and drive enabled Structura to become carbon-neutral, effective from June 2021, and we aim to continue maintaining that status going forward.
“We also want to encourage that sustainability drive in our supply chain, working with as many Environmental Product Declarations as possible, and providing support and encouragement to our small local suppliers in tackling carbon emissions.”
It has saved 140 tonnes of CO2 since its solar panel installation in 2012, equivalent to over 250MWh of renewable energy. In early 2023, the company invested in solar battery storage to capture the energy it creates to fuel its head office, factory and EV fleet.
The company has ISO 14064-1 accreditation confirming its Carbon Reduction performance. “We’ve been on our sustainability journey for several years, recording our greenhouse gas emissions
since 2018 and having a representative year (post lockdown) to draw a fair comparison,” Mr Rickman added. “The result proved a reduction of over 12 per cent of our operational Scope One and Two emissions across two comparable years, which is highly encouraging.
“Understanding the reality of our emissions has been eye-opening and is now influential in our decision-making. Our commitment is to continue reducing this as part of our Net Zero plan by 2030.”
Maintaining long-term relations with suppliers and clients is based on transparency and Structura’s knowledge, value and experience handling client properties and systems. “There is also an acknowledgement in our supply chain that we are reliant on one another to succeed,” he added.
Structura UK recently underwent an overhaul of its management, although the founding directors remain a part of the business.
“The new management team is planning beyond the founders,” Mr Rickman concluded. “The team brings new vision, direction and energy, while ensuring the founders’ legacy remains alive for the long term.
“We have secured a pipeline of orders valued at over £20m for the next 12 months and have had to replan with a stretched budget. Performance has never been better. So, our immediate future looks very promising, both commercially and sustainably.”
