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Arkoni have been based in Brighouse, West Yorkshire since 1991 and has been involved with some pretty amazing projects. They currently employ an experienced team working in various areas of the business including design, engineering, quoting and manufacture.

One particular project, The Sevenoaks School’s Science, Technology and Global Study Centre this year has stood out as one that should be celebrated, hence their decision to enter it into the prestigious Schuco Awards – and guess what they won the category for Best Steel Work Project!

Schuco awards celebrate the collaboration between architect, fabricator and specialist contractor and showcase the very best contributions.

The Sevenoaks School Science, Technology Centre and Global Study Centre was designed to put science and technology at the heart of Sevenoaks school. This was a place to create, where innovation, curiosity and exploration are encouraged – so no ordinary solution would be on the cards.

The exterior of the building features steel windows and doors with glazing to filter the sun, black out blinds, louver and damper systems. The louvers feature an insect repellent mesh and the top of the louver features an automatic temperature controlled damper unit, to maintain a consistent temperature and air quality. These features built in by Arkoni ensure that the atmosphere is as near perfect as possible for studying.

Some of the windows were almost 10 metres long and to cope with the British weather, had to be structurally enhanced and assembled on site. Arkoni admit that a few late nights were required to figure out the best way to achieve this, they achieved it with resultant superb aesthetics and practically.

The north side of the building required a jumbo glazed door set, too large for any conventional door set system. Again, the team pulled out all the stops to design, manufacture and install one.

To complement the glazing and add extra light to the laboratories, the project required Vitrine showcases internally adjacent to the laboratories. These were constructed in steel and glazed with glazed panels that where necessary were fire rated. LED light panels featured at both the top and bottom.

Customers of Arkoni know that its attention to detail, understanding of legislation and building requirements, along with their immense technical know-how make Arkoni a winning choice for the many customers who work with it.

Congratulations to all the team for winning this prestigious award showcasing the manufacturing excellence of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ to the nation.

Arkoni is well known in the industry for it’s ability to come up with solutions for unusual projects and Matt is really enjoying working on the many varied and interesting projects that the company is engaged with. “Two projects are never the same, one moment we could be working on the refurbishment of a listed building, the next it could be a state-of-the-art futuristic brief, I love it  - it’s never boring and keeps my mind challenged” says Matt.

In his spare time Matt is an accomplished musician, he plays in a brass band that is ranked in the worlds top 10 and has even played at the Royal Albert Hall!

Matt is looking forward to further developing his skills at Arkoni and hopefully being involved more with many of Arkoni’s award winning projects.

The challenge to sympathetically renovate an older property yet adhere to modern building regulations can be a challenging one. Many old buildings although architecturally very interesting, can be Grade 1, Grade 11* and Grade 11 listed, which can throw up all sort of aesthetic and build problems.

Arkoni have many years of experience been working alongside architects and contractors on new build projects and renovations of old properties. Many problems that can be encountered include having to fit fire or ballistic resistant frames and glass to irregular or uneven walls, the thickness of modern units and keeping the new look in line with the original. Arkoni often work alongside bodies such as Historic England to unsure that the historic nature of the building will be retained and enjoyed by generations to come.

These listed buildings can also be open to the public, for example tourist attractions or buildings that house shopping centres and town halls that may be situated in city centres. In these situations, the need to protect the public from fire or ballistic attacks, insulate the property for fuel efficiency, protect the buildings interiors from harmful UV rays and keep the property cool in summer and warm in the winter are some of the considerations while renovating with integrity.

Shrewsbury Flaxmill is a perfect example of this type of project. With the status of the world’s first iron-framed building built in 1797, the flaxmill had to be restored with care. Arkoni manufactured 111 windows for the mill that are state-of-the-art thermally broken steel windows.  The windows replicate the original style but offer strength security, elegance and insulation ready for the world today.

Naturally, the finish of the windows had to be RAL colour matched to mimic the original specification. The glazing fitted was a laminated Sunguard product incorporating the latest warm edge thermal spacer bar, which helps to reflect the sun’s rays keeping areas cool in the summer whilst protecting the building from damaging ultraviolet light. The mill is a perfect example of how new technologies and systems can be combined with traditional buildings and blend seamlessly to create a building fit for the 21st century.

Another fascinating project that Arkoni was part of was the renovation of the Old Post Office building in Liverpool. The brief for this building was different in that although the integrity of the building still had to be retained, the blend of ultra modern and original features was the desired outcome. Liverpool prides itself on being proud of its history but focuses firmly on the future and so the mix of old and new had to be embraced in this project. Arkoni manufactured and installed a stunning metal Internal feature canopy that complemented the internal roofline of this building. The canopy welcomed visitors that entered the building, which was transformed into a shopping complex aptly named the ‘Met Quarter”.  The canopy was constructed from anodised aluminium plates and bespoke patterned laser cut panels to meet with the architect’s vision. Arkoni also constructed the External feature canopy, which was also constructed from anodised aluminium with cut-outs to accommodate feature down lighting

Smaller projects are just as interesting to the Arkoni team. We are proud to have worked on many properties both large and small for private clients where modern technologies and building standards need to work alongside each other to retain the historic significance of the building. Country properties, manor houses and much more have all benefited from Arkoni’s expertise.

Read more about Shrewsbury Flaxmill here