Setting the Standard for Social Housing Developments

Location	King Street West, Stockport
Installer	New Look Windows
Year	2025
Product	TOTAL70

When two landmark housing developments were set to be built in the heart of Stockport’s Town Centre West regeneration zone, contractors, installers and fabricators needed a reliable windows manufacturer that could meet stringent energy, thermal and aesthetic targets. REHAU’s credentials and established relationships positioned its products as the perfect solution.

A showstopper in social housing

The King Street West project in Stockport is a £14.5 million contract for 73 apartments secured via the Innovation Chain North (ICN) Framework led by Great Places Housing Association. The contract was awarded to Hargreaves Contracting through a two-stage tender process in 2022, marking one of Great Places' first major apartment developments.

The apartments are offered as rent-to-buy units, rented for five years at 20% below market rate, with savings intended for deposits, creating a pathway to home ownership. The development also includes high-end amenities like roof gardens, communal lobbies, and co-working lounges.

The contract for King Street West emphasised the importance of significant social value commitments, as is outlined within the ICN framework's National Social Value pledges. To achieve both positive social and environmental impact, Hargreaves Contracting needed an installer, fabricator and product that could achieve the high demands and expectations of the project.

Hargreaves has worked with installer, New Look Windows, for over 25 years. In that time, New Look Windows has expanded operations in the social housing sector. New Look Windows sourced its window and door frames for this contract from a well-known and trusted REHAU fabricator.

The ICN framework specifies REHAU profiles due to the product’s reliability, something which was reaffirmed by long-standing REHAU advocate, New Look Windows.

Conquering challenges

As well as prioritising social impact, the King Street project had a unique set of challenges that REHAU’s technical team was enlisted to help tackle.

An overheating report commissioned for King Street West revealed the need for multiple glazing types within single apartments to balance solar gain (G-values) and heat loss (U-values). The site’s proximity to a busy road, railway, and airport also introduced significant noise pollution, requiring input from acoustician, Azymuth Acoustics, to specify glass types per apartment.

Collaboration among REHAU, acousticians, energy assessors, and New Look Windows’ design team resulted in a complex schedule, managing glass specifications for each and every window, to ensure compliance with all competing demands.

The team adopted a fabric-first approach using low G-value solar control glass to minimise the need for costly comfort cooling, limiting mechanical cooling to a single communal lounge.

Preparation is key

Thanks to the extensive planning and technical evaluation by all parties, REHAU’s windows were installed without a hitch by New Look Windows, from June 2024 to June 2025. The panes were positioned within light gauge steel frame panels manufactured by Metsec which enabled off-site panelisation and faster on-site erection before brickwork. This panelised steel frame approach provided watertightness and allowed concurrent brick façade work, improving overall site productivity.

Nearly 300 TOTAL70 REHAU windows and door combinations were installed on the project. By using the same TOTAL70 system across the entire project, installers benefited from simpler procurement and easier installation.

Neil Ashworth, managing director at Hargreaves Contracting, said: “REHAU’s profiles met the high standards required for this project including energy performance certificates (EPCs) and standard assessment procedure ratings. This, paired with the design expertise from our long-standing installer, New Look Windows, resulted in a fantastic outcome. But the products didn’t just perform well, they looked great too.

“The broad colour and profile range available from REHAU allowed us to choose an agate (pearl) grey colour which has elevated the outside of the apartments and has become a real talking point for the project.”

While meeting energy efficiency, noise and thermal targets were a key part of the King Street project, so too was ensuring the local community and workforce benefited from the build, as outlined in the ICN framework.

Rob Benn, Commercial Sales Manager, at REHAU, said: “It has been so rewarding for our team to work on the King Street project. The build has set the benchmark and become a key point of reference for other high-specification social housing projects across the country and it’s great to see how proud the town of Stockport is of this new development.

“Our product portfolio, especially the TOTAL70, really had chance to show its capability in the project. Not only does it look fantastic, but it also met all the rigorous standards as specified in the ICN framework. King Street was a true team effort and we look forward to seeing the ripple effect this build has on other social housing projects across the country.”

To find out more about REHAU’s social housing services, please visit https://window.rehau.com/uk-en/pvcu-windows-doors-composite-curtain-walling-specifiers/rehau-in-the-frame/retrofit-right