Getjar Special Projects, Masterson Holding’s specialist demolition division has worked on the recovery and recycling of glass from the landmark, New Zealand House in St James’s, London, as part of a £150 million refurbishment project, being led by Multiplex, on behalf of Crown Estates.

Built in the 1960’s and considered London’s first tower block, the 19-storey building was one of the first in the City to feature continuous glazing on all elevations.  Since being opened, the main tower has been the base for the New Zealand High Commission.  Following the planned refurbishment, the tower will still be home to the New Zealand government but will also feature new, official function facilities and 95,000 square feet of commercial office space.

Finding the most sustainable approach to all aspects of the refurbishment of New Zealand House is vital to the success of the project. Stakeholders involved in the project are aligned on their net-zero CO2 targets. At tender, Getjar Special Projects committed to recycling the entire glazed façade, and Getjar Special Projects has delivered, by working collaboratively with The Crown Estate, Multiplex and Saint-Gobain Glass, to remove and recycle glass from New Zealand House, into new, high-performance, building glass.

Getjar Special Projects, with the help of Saint-Gobain, introduced the process of closed-loop, glass recycling, using Saint-Gobain’s Glass Forever programme to Crown Estates and Multiplex.  The New Zealand House site was audited by Saint-Gobain and a plan to remove the glass from the building and transport it to Saint-Gobain’s manufacturing site in East Yorkshire was developed.

The Getjar team has carefully deglazed the building, using nickel-free blades to cut the large panes of glass, some up 6 metres in height, into smaller 750cm2 pieces, then placing the pieces into collection bags.  By cutting the glass, rather than breaking the glass using a safe-break table, Getjar has managed the limited space on site and has optimised the process of recovery for this project.

Getjar commented “recycling 100% of the glass was our aim and we have achieved that target. Working closely with Saint-Gobain from the very start of the project has helped to create a plan that has led to a near perfect recycling process. We’ve used the most appropriate tools and methods to remove, store and transport the glass, and most importantly we’ve ensured the glass has been returned to Saint-Gobain’s furnace, free of contamination”.

Richard Calcutt, Technical Project Manager at Saint-Gobain Glass commented: “This project presented a unique set of challenges in deglazing large single panes of annealed glass, using specialised tooling, from an existing façade structure. Despite these challenges, Getjar demonstrated their exceptional ability to remove the glass façade safely and efficiently, while adhering to strict quality controls. This project underscores Getjar's commitment to more than just efficient execution, it also highlights their deep understanding of sustainability and their dedication to the circular economy.

To date Getjar have recovered 88.2 tonnes of glass with the final figure expected to be 101 tonne, which will save over 70 tonnes of CO2 emissions (a saving equal to flying around the world 12 times or providing energy for 70 UK homes for an entire year)