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Crittall Protects Art Deco Heritage

17 January 2006

The Thistle Hotel Marble Arch in the heart of London is currently undergoing a refurbishment, replacing the original steel windows by Crittall

The Thistle Hotel Marble Arch in the heart of London is currently undergoing a cosmetic refurbishment, with the original steel windows being replaced with modern, more advanced, units from Crittall Windows.

Crittall are directly employed by Thistle to supply a quantity of its Corporate W20 units in a like-for-like replacement programme which will be staggered over 25 weeks. This is due to the location of the hotel, along Oxford Street, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the country.

The building is part of the Portman Estate, and falls under the jurisdiction of the City of Westminster, with an exterior designed in the late Art Deco period. His architectural style is to be retained and the choice of windows reflects this decision, and the planning requirements of the area which recommend like-for-like. The building was constructed in the post second world war era, a structure of 6 storeys above a row of high street shops. Although the hotel underwent a renovation programme in 1998, the original windows are still in place. The decision to replace them means that more updated units can be used, with the most significant change from single to double glazing.

"This is one of the most significant projects for replacement steel windows that Crittall Windows has been involved in," says Peter Brown from Crittall. "The logistics behind the programme is complex as the hotel's location means that on-site work must be unobtrusive, safe and fast. Prior to any work being carried out, we produced a detailed brief which included drawings and a mock-up design to ensure that all requirements, from both the planning angle and from the safety aspect were met."