ASWS, The Cotswold Casement Company, West Leigh, and Joseph Ash Galvanizing are among the companies that have triumphed at this year’s SWA Awards.

Building on the success of an inaugural year, the Steel Window Association added two new categories for the 2025 Awards, presented at its AGM in County Hall, London. This brought the number of awards to four: Domestic Project of the Year, Commercial Project of the Year, Refurbishment Project of the Year, and Supplier of the Year. John Ramshaw, Technical Editor at Architecture Today, was again invited to judge the awards, with Taylor Alden’s Michele Andrews providing support and offering guidance on the judging criteria.

The 2025 SWA Awards winners. Pictured (L-R) are Daniel Lyons, Commercial Sales Manager at Joseph Ash Galvanizing, Andy Bawn, MD at West Leigh, James Barrett, MD at Steel Window Fittings, Carl Fisher, Operations Manager at The Cotswold Casement Company and Kris Bennell, Operations Director at ASWS.

The projects were assessed in terms of their architectural attributes, technical excellence, attention to detail, and collaboration with the client/architect. Ramshaw commented, “Once again, I was highly impressed by the quality and diversity of the schemes submitted. As ever, the stronger contenders stood out on closer inspection, and after further deliberation and analysis clear winners emerged in each category.”

Domestic Project of the Year went to The Cotswold Casement Company for Wiltshire House in Neston, Wiltshire.

Domestic Project of the Year
The Cotswold Casement Company won Domestic Project of the Year with Wiltshire House, an extended and refurbished Grade II listed farmhouse in Neston, Wiltshire. “The large yet sympathetically designed ground-floor extension incorporates sleek, floor-to-ceiling steel windows and door screens, which maximise daylight and views of the rear garden,” commented Ramshaw. “The doors feature concealed head mechanisms and soft opening and closing systems, creating a seamless, threshold-free transitions between the two spaces. Meanwhile, an elegant fire door design incorporating steel elements bring style, safety and functionality to the associated hallways.”

“The breadth and vision of this project’s approach to using steel windows and doors really impressed,” said Ramshaw. “There is a strong sense of connection between the exterior and interior thanks to the expert deployment and skilful design of the steel fenestration. The internal sliding doors not only complement the exterior screens, but also imbue the interior spaces with a sense of style and sophistication, which extends to the hallway doors to form an integral part of the overall design concept.”

The Commercial Project of the Year went to West Leigh for Len House in Maidstone, Kent.

Commercial Project of the Year
West Leigh won Commercial Project of the Year with Len House in Maidstone, Kent. Constructed in 1938 by Howard & Souter for Lord Rootes, founder of the Rootes Motor Company, Len House is a retrofitted and extended Grade II-listed Art Deco building. West Leigh was tasked with the like-for-like replacement of the existing steel-framed windows, doors and structurally challenging box mullion windposts.

The company installed 130 W20-section windows, including curved-on-plan frames, single-glazed units, Low-E double-glazed units and louvre panels, as well as several steel door sets with W20 fixed-frame inserts to match the sightlines of the adjacent windows. The windposts were treated and overclad with channel pressings, before being polyester powder coated to match the new W20 window fenestration.

“West Leigh has brought its extensive knowledge and light-touch approach to bear on an architecturally significant building, while also ensuring it meets modern performance standards,” reflected Ramshaw. “The company’s superior technical ability and rigour is not only evidenced in the breadth and variety of the window and door specification, but also in its approach to refurbishing the windposts on the River Len elevation.”

ASWS won Refurbishment Project of the Year with Empress at 35 Dover Street in Mayfair, London.

Refurbishment Project of the Year
ASWS won Refurbishment Project of the Year with Empress at 35 Dover Street in Mayfair, London. Formerly home to the exclusive women-only Empress Club, the property has now been converted into offices and retail units. ASWS undertook the meticulous refurbishment of the 36 original 1897 ‘blacksmith’ windows incorporating welded T, U, I, and flat steel sections. These were fixed into stone surrounds, ruling out removal, and prompting ASWS’ response of employing a chemical poultice system to strip multiple layers of lead-based paint, with three to seven applications needed in some areas. Once stripped, the frames received full rust treatment and a hand applied, five-coat decorative finish in white internally, and black externally. Repairs included replacing broken hinges and corroded sections, as well as reglazing into shallow 3mm upstands using bespoke, hand-cut glazing.

The ironmongery presented a mix of blacksmith-forged and more modern fittings, which ASWS consolidated, restored, or replaced from heritage stock. Brass components were burnished and lacquered, with other ironmongery painted to match.

Ramshaw said, “ASWS’ meticulous approach to window refurbishment has paid dividend. Its rigour and attention to detail has seen the building’s fenestration lovingly restored and preserved for future generations to enjoy. This has played a key role in the overall success of the scheme; the façade being dominated by large, beautifully-proportioned bay windows.

Supplier of the Year
Voted for by SWA members, the Supplier of the Year was Joseph Ash Galvanizing (previously known as Medway Galvanizing). Joseph Ash Galvanizing was nominated by Govette Windows who has worked with the company for decades. Joseph Ash provides quality galvanising and powder coating for discerning customers. Govette Managing Director Darren Lloyd said, “The team’s knowledge is exceptional, and they are always available for queries. “Joseph Ash supplies products to more than one SWA steel window and door manufacturer. One of the great benefits is the collection and delivery service, which means that we just have to pallet our products up and wait for them to be collected or delivered. They have a great turnaround time that is generally within a few working days.”

Associated Award
Steel Window Fittings was presented with the Associated Award as the company’s ironmongery had been specified on two of the winning projects: Domestic Project of the Year, and Commercial Project of the Year.

Ramshaw concluded, “The ambition and scope of the SWA Awards, which is only in its second year, is clear to see and reflected in the new award categories added for 2025, as well as the growing interest from, and increasing number of projects submitted by SWA members. This has served to further highlight the quality of SWA’s members’ work and their dedication to design and manufacturing excellence.”

Contact Details
For further information on the Steel Window Association, or if you’re interested in becoming a member, please visit www.steel-window-association.co.uk.