SL16 offers Part Q compliant integral blind solution for new build windows and doors

The slimline ScreenLine® SL16 system, which is exclusively available in the UK from Morley Glass, makes it possible for installers involved in new build housing designed to Part Q’s enhanced security requirements to provide windows and doors complete with Venetian integral blinds in standard PVCu frames – without having to go beyond a standard 28mm IGU.

This ‘security plus integral blinds’ functionality in a single Uni-Blinds® unit is possible thanks to the slimmer design of the SL16, meaning it will fit comfortably within a 16mm cavity, rather than the 20mm cavity needed for standard sized integral blinds.

This could be a powerful sales proposition to residential developers who are increasingly looking to incorporate integral blinds into windows and doors that are at risk of opportunistic burglary, such as door vision panels and French doors.

Using the SL16, a 28mm IGU can be manufactured using a P1A security glass, which is usually an outer pane of 6.8mm toughened laminated glass, and a 4mm inner pane. The addition of an integral blind is additionally beneficial from a security perspective, given how they provide an easy and quick to use privacy solution that keeps prying eyes out.

The SL16’s recently expanded colour range also ensures the integral blinds can be specified to match contemporary window and door frame choices. For example, the slimline Venetian blind slats are available in Agate Grey (S120), Anthracite (S159) and Black (B160) – three of the most ‘on trend’ colours amongst today’s window and door buyers, as well as classics such as White Beige (S125) and Grey (S155).

All new build residential developments must be built to all applicable Building Regulations, and that includes Part Q, or Approved Document Q, in England & Wales, but it does not cover most domestic refurbishment or extensions. Part Q applies to all easily accessible doors and windows, which is why they should be specified and manufactured to the PAS24 enhanced security standard.

Ian Short, Managing Director of Morley Glass, said: “With many window and door systems used in new build based on a 28mm IGU, the SL16 overcomes the challenge of ensuring Part Q compliance where the property buyer would like integral blinds, such as in their French doors. And the great thing is, thanks to the increased range of colours and the upcoming launch of a brushless motorised version, the SL16MB, it is a system that is on a par with all our standard ScreenLine® systems in terms of style options and control choices.”

Under the terms of Part Q, an ‘easily accessible’ window is defined in one of two ways. Firstly, it could be a window where any part is within 2m vertically of an accessible level surface, i.e. the ground, basement level or balcony. The second definition is a window within 2m vertically of a flat or sloping roof with a pitch of less than 30° within 3.5m of the ground level.

In all these doors and windows, for a housebuilder to comply with Part Q, they are likely to require a P1A double or triple glazed unit. This is a security classification according to the European standard EN 356, which is demonstrated by withstanding a low level of impact. It is established by resisting three strikes from a 4.11 kg steel ball dropped from a height of 1500 mm in a triangle formation.

As with all the ScreenLine® integral blind systems manufactured by Morley Glass in its Uni-Blinds® range, the SL16 is made to order at its Yorkshire factory and supplied to customers with complimentary delivery in as little as 10-12 working days (from a cut-off order point at 10am every Thursday).