More than 80 windowpanes are set to be refitted after they were installed inside-out during remediation work on one of the first high-rise estates evacuated following the Grenfell Tower fire.<\/p>\n
The windows were affected by the issue during a \u00a377m remediation job to London Borough of Camden\u2019s Chalcots Estate, causing overheating in flats on two buildings.<\/p>\n
Construction News <\/em>understands the issue occurred because installers were unaware of a manufacturing change.<\/p>\n In a letter to estate residents, Astrid Kjellberg-Obst, the council\u2019s project director, said that \u201csome of the glazing is in the wrong orientation due to a manufacturing process\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis results in the glass not performing as it should, particularly relating to minimising overheating,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Two of the estate\u2019s five buildings were affected, Camden Council said. McLaren is leading the remediation job on both blocks, but the windows were installed by a subcontractor.<\/p>\n The council has identified 85 windows that need replacing on the Dorney high-rise block, and the council is now examining windows on the Bray block, where it has identified similar problems.<\/p>\n CN\u00a0<\/em>asked the council how many windowpanes were affected by the issue across the two blocks. A spokesperson said it was still assessing the full total and declined to provide an updated figure.<\/p>\n In her letter, Kjellberg-Obst said quality inspectors \u201ccheck all installations and construction elements are carried out in the correct way and to standard\u201d during the works.<\/p>\n Camden Council said rectifying the issue on the Chalcots Estate will not delay the project\u2019s completion and will not cost it or the taxpayer anything extra. The issue has not had an impact on the buildings\u2019 safety, the council added.<\/p>\n In a separate letter sent to residents, McLaren Construction project director Steven Luker said all glazing could be changed from inside the block, adding: \u201cThere is no need for the scaffold to be used or rebuilt\u201d.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the council said: \u201cAll works on the windows will be checked independently once completed.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for McLaren Construction said it was aware of the issue and was working with its subcontractor and the council to resolve the problem.<\/p>\n \u201cThe window replacements have been part of a refurbishment of the estate by Camden Council and its partners to make homes safer, more energy efficient and more comfortable for residents for the long term,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n The estate was one of the first to be evacuated following the Grenfell Tower fire of 2017, due to fears over its aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding.<\/p>\n McLaren scooped a \u00a377m contract to remediate dangerous cladding on the four housing blocks on the estate back in January 2022<\/a>. The work also included replacing 950 windows across the four housing blocks, as well as other, unspecified upgrades.<\/p>\n McLaren has since completed most of the remediation work and started removing the scaffolding from all the blocks.<\/p>\n Graham is also on the site, after it was appointed to remediate cladding on the fifth estate building <\/a>\u2013 Blashford<\/a> Tower \u2013 to the tune of \u00a322m. The council has not found any issues with the windows on Blashford Tower.<\/p>\n The high-profile remediation job on the Chalcots Estate was beset by delays throughout the programme,\u00a0 following a last-minute change of contractor<\/a>.<\/p>\n