Urban Design & Developments consists of three dedicated companies, each one focused on a different area within the development of features for external building facades. Managing Director of Urban Facades Dave Newton, Managing Director of Street Structures Tim Cowley and Managing Director of Urban Windows, Doors & Conservatories Billy Hawes, discussed the group’s latest developments with Inside Sustainability. Report by Imogen Ward.
SAa collective, Urban Design & Developments has achieved an impressive turnover of circa £10 million. This accomplishment is shared by its three subsidiaries: Urban Facades, Street Structures and Urban Windows, Doors & Conservatories.
“All three businesses work out of one industrial estate on 55,000 square feet of land,” said Managing Director of Urban Facades Dave Newton. “This really helps with manufacturing and resource sharing.”
“Each company can, and does, operate as its own entity, but we often work collectively as well, which is really beneficial, especially when one part of
the group is a lot busier than the rest,” added Managing Director of Street Structures Tim Cowley. “This also helps us maintain our edge in the market.”
The group originated from a failed company called Street Scenes in 1998, when the company’s subsidiary, Street Structures, was acquired and renamed Urban Design & Developments. From there Urban Design & Developments flourished and grew, establishing three limited companies along the way.
Engineering excellence
From the ingenuity of Street Structures’ architectural metalworks to Urban Facades’ creative curtain walling – and Urban Windows, Doors & Conservatories’ expertise in the residential market – each business brings its own strengths to the collective.
“We also fabricate everything in-house,” Managing Director of Urban Windows, Doors & Conservatories Billy Hawes explained. “This helps us stay ahead on lead times and means we can reassure our clients on quality.”
According to Mr Newton, this would not be possible without the support of the
group’s suppliers, who have been selected based on their quality, reliability and sustainability credentials: “Our suppliers are a massive element of our success. We choose to work with companies that operate responsibly. When it comes to our aluminium curtain walling, windows and doors, we rely on buying our aluminium profile from Seniors Architectural Systems and Metal Technology.
“Aluminium has infinite recyclability; so it is one of the most sustainable building products to use and is 100 per cent recyclable. Recycled aluminium meets almost 40 per cent of the demand where our
suppliers are close to 70 per cent in their production. This is nearly double: and those are the kind of standards our suppliers are setting.”
With a focus on going green, the three companies have completed many successful projects that help improve the energy efficiency and carbon footprint of buildings. This includes several collaborations that have gained BREEAM good and excellent status.
Building the perfect portfolio
One particularly noteworthy project involved the largest Grade II listed building in Europe. Undertaken by Urban Facades, the curtain walling expert was honoured to partake in the £40 million Phase 2 refurbishment of Park Hill in Sheffield, providing subcontract works to a value of £2.3 million.
“The Park Hill flats had fallen into a state of disrepair, and we were very fortunate to supply the windows, doors,
balustrades and lift shaft curtain walling f or this redevelopment project,” Mr Newton explained. “We completed this project at the beginning of 2022, and it was a huge success.”
Street Structures has also been involved in its fair share of projects for high-profile customers. One such example is its work for Ascot Racecourse Ltd. Tasked to complete trackside glazing for the ‘Windy City’ concourse, the company set to work installing four full height laminated glazed screens alongside a new internal steel structure. In addition to this, the company was also asked to install four sets of double-glazed sliding doors measuring 2.8 metres in height and a further set of toughened clear glazed doors.
“The overall aim of the project was to reduce thermal wastage at the end of the concourse, whilst also creating a warm space for guests on race days,” Mr Cowley explained. “This also helped the company reduce heating costs, because the
space had previously been open, which allowed wind to travel through.”
Off the back of this successful £400,000 project, the company has been contracted to remove and re-install windbreaks pertaining to the concourse’s adjacent entrances to reduce heat loss over the winter period. This work will be completed i n two stages, the first of which will begin in May.
As the youngest of the three companies, Urban Windows, Doors & Conservatories has been busy building its portfolio, and recently completed a successful job for the Casey Group. Embarking on the Halton Bank Apartments in Salford, Urban Windows, Doors & Conservatories aided the building’s renovation with a first-class glazing package.
“We replaced the existing timber windows with our fully reinforced,
energy efficient, white uPVC Rustique Flush Casements,” said Mr Hawes. “As per the client’s specification, these were partially glazed in some areas with A2 S1 Fire Rates Aluminium panels that featured a powder coated soft silver finish.”
Foundations for the future
With 2024 set out to be another successful year, the group intends to continue delivering high quality projects, whilst growing organically. In particular, Urban Windows, Doors & Conservatories is anticipating a busy year ahead, thanks to its new accreditation.
To undertake Green Deal and ECO installations, a PAS 2030 accreditation is required. As an installer of Building Fabric Measures, Urban Windows, Doors & Conservatories has successfully gained its PAS 2030 certification.
“This enables us to retrofit energy efficient glazing into existing dwellings,” Mr Hawes explained. “We are really ahead of the game with this, because there aren’t a lot of window companies that hold this accreditation. It includes quite an involved application process, because a company needs to produce a lot of documentation to prove it has the underlying processes to achieve efficient installation.
“Now we have this, we hope to fill the rest of the year with jobs that really leverage the accreditation.”
Residential growth is also on the cards for the group despite the current market conditions.
“2024 is set to be a challenging year for the entire industry, because people are reluctant to invest in property development,” said Mr Newton. “Despite this, we are going to remain focused on developing the residential side of the business, whilst exploring our existing customer relationships further.
“We have set our sights inwards as well to improve the efficiency of our operations, which will really help us to provide the very best customer experience.
“Whilst working for Urban Design & Developments, I have had the opportunity to leave my mark on a lot of fantastic projects, and I love being able to point them out to my kids. The thought that these buildings will likely still be here in 100 years’ time, is also really pleasing.”
“All three businesses are really great at sharing resources as well, which helps us save costs and support one another,” Mr Cowley added, in conclusion. “Everyone at Urban Design & Developments work as a team, utilising our strengths to ensure that we maintain a strong presence in the market for years to come.” n
