About Stanley Cohen House
Stanley Cohen House is a four-storey block of flats which forms part of the Golden Lane Estate, located on the eastern boundary of the site on Golden Lane itself. The building contains 32 flats - a mix of studio,1-bed, 2-bed and 3-bed homes, split across all four floors. The building was constructed in 1954-6 with later infilling to the ground floor. It is connected to two of the maisonette blocks - Basterfield and Bayer House.
Here you can see images of Stanley Cohen House:
The building is Grade II listed by Historic England. Special features of Stanley Cohen House includes:
Strongly horizontal form, which is emphasised in the materials and detailing use The slab edges of the middle two floors and concrete wall ends are white; these contrast strongly with the continuous black concrete spandrels on the first and second floors Coarse pick-hammered concrete (later used on Crescent House) Strongly expressed palette of black and white, together with the yellow muroglass cladding (and the yellow-painted refuse chutes) All windows have opening lights of standard steel section in softwood timber surrounds The qualities of light and space - windows are large and balconies generous
Window Condition
Studio Partington has undertaken a visual survey of a selection of windows at Stanley Cohen House. After over sixty years of use, the condition of the windows across the estate has deteriorated. The painted finish on the timber frames is visibly deteriorated, implying possible deterioration of the softwood timber frames beneath. Likewise, the finish on the steel-framed opening lights has deteriorated over time, leaving the steel frame exposed and vulnerable.
Although it is clear that most windows are damaged and decaying, the extent of repair or replacement works that are required is unknown and a thorough condition survey is required to confirm this. It is highly likely that windows on the exposed parts of the building, where they are not protected by projecting balconies, have deteriorated to an extent that would not prove economic to repair.
Here are some images on the condition of the windows:
The Options
There are two core options for how the window improvements can be approached: refurbishment or replacement.
Refurbishment is the option which would result in the least amount of change from a heritage perspective, but it also means that there is the least amount of improvement from a thermal performance/resident comfort/ease of use perspective.
It's worth noting that low impact does not mean minimal disruption for residents during the construction phase. Refurbishment requires expert craftsmanship which can be time-consuming and may not negate the need to remove and/or replace the existing windows.
Replacement is the option which would result in the most change, from a heritage perspective and also a thermal performance/resident comfort/ ease of use perspective.
It's worth noting that although this option is high impact, it does not mean it will be the highest level of disruption to residents. When planned effectively, replacement can be a time-efficient solution.
Downloads (opens a PDF window - warning, some of these files are large)
Click here to access the full report on the windows -
click here to access the report.