Another bread and butter job for Cornwall Glass Bristol

Cornwall Glass & Glazing recently completed a high-profile project in Wadebridge, Cornwall, which involved early design input, when the original structural design team left the project. This involved a close collaboration with the end client and their on-site team.

Wadebridge-based Malcolm Barnecutt Bakery approached the Truro branch of Cornwall Glass & Glazing to design, manufacture and install curtain walling with entrance doors for its new bakery and café in Wadebridge. Initial conversations led the Truro team to bring in the expertise of the Bristol Team, who have vast on-site experience, headed by Branch Manager Neil Ford and assisted by their hands-on Glazing Manager Steve Lawler.

“Malcolm Barnecutt Bakery’s stylish new café on the outskirts of Wadebridge is a modern steel and glass building, which has already become a local landmark,” Cornwall Glass & Glazing Director Barrie Gazzard said. “We were approached very early on in the design process, and we were able to offer a competitive cost framework, and workable solutions to how different elements of the building interfaced with each other.

“We were also able to offer a turnkey solution thanks to our close working relationship with our suppliers such as Source Aluminium Systems and Metador, who ended up supplying us the steel doors to fit on the project.

Bristol-based Source Aluminium Systems manufactured and supplied 145m2 of curtain walling using Senior Architectural Systems profile. Cornwall Manufacturing (Plymouth) supplied 130m2 of specialist units consisting of 8.8mm laminate glass and 6mm toughened 176 SKN weighing up to 160kg per panel.

“Working closely with our supply partners, we helped to improve the overall aesthetics of the project,” Barrie said. “For example, where the lower section of the building met the upper section, we designed a solution where the frames passed the steel structure that ran around the building to give the impression of one continuous façade, rather than two separate ones.”

Once on site, Cornwall Glass & Glazing had to overcome site restrictions, including a soakaway that put weight restrictions in place, meaning an alternative lifting plan was required.

This meant all glass had to be lifted into place by crane.

“Sparrow Crane Hire used a 60-ton crane at the rear of the property to lift all glass panels into place, with guidance from our fitting team,” Barrie said.

“We then met further complications when we tried drilling through 12mm steel using a Mag Drill – the magnet would not work on the steel as the fire-retardant paint was too thick to allow this to work.

“We were met with various challenges as the project began to take shape and we pulled in resources from across the group to assist our colleagues at Bristol – including our branches in Plymouth, Exeter and Truro – to ensure that we kept the project running to schedule, even as we were battered with high winds and rain.”

Malcom Barnecutt is a family run Cornish bakery, that has been making and supplying pasties, cakes, bread and other baked products to the region for more than 90 years.

The new shop in Wadebridge is its largest shop to date, where customers can enjoy indoor and outdoor seating, with views of the Cornish countryside.