FC&A July 2014 Supplement

Supplement

Floors, Walls & Ceilings

July 2014 www.fca-magazine.com

Sika: Your Refurbishment Solution

SECTOR: HEALTH | York Hospital

Combining innovation in product development, exceptional performance and technical expertise, Sika offers an unrivalled range of hygienic flooring systems that meets and exceeds client expectations, industry best practices and building regulations.

Call us now on 0800 1123863 and let us know how we can help with your next project.

To find out more, visit www.sika.co.uk

In association with

Mixed Media Information Pear Platt, Woodfalls Farm, Gravelly Way, Laddingford, Kent, ME18 6DA Tel: 01622 873229 Fax: 01622 320020 www.fca-magazine.com www.mixedmediainfo.com

Editor Hannah Frackiewicz hannah@mixedmediainfo.com 01622 873229

Welcome

...to our Floors, Walls & Ceilings special

F

loors, walls and ceilings play a key part in the overall performance of a building. With a vast surface area, these surfaces are often exposed for all to see therefore must deliver aesthetically as well as meet strict requirements demanded by Building Regulations and the client.

Managing Director Sam Ball sam@mixedmediainfo.com 01622 873229

In this dedicated supplement, FC&A has combined a whole host of projects where the application of these systems has delivered outstanding results in spite of challenges.

You can also find tips on avoiding the acoustic pitfalls when designing commercial or public buildings and specifying moveable partitioning systems.

Publication Manager Steve Gull steve@mixedmediainfo.com

We hope you enjoy this special focus. For further information about any of our contributors or if you wish to comment on a particular issue addressed within this edition, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the usual email.

Studio Manager Chris Lilly chris@mixedmediainfo.com Production Ben Bridgeman ben@mixedmediainfo.com Artworker/Sub-editor David Perry david@mixedmediainfo.com Accounts Simone Jones simone@mixedmediainfo.com Terms and Conditions:

Contributions are invited and when not accepted will be returned only if accompanied by a fully stamped and return addressed envelope. No responsibility will be taken for drawings, photographs or literary contributions during transmission or in the editors hands. In the absence of an agreement the copyright of all contributions, literary, photographics or artistic belongs to Mixed Media Information Ltd. The Publisher accepts no responsibility in respect of advertisements appearing in the magazine and the opinions expressed in editorial material or otherwise do not necessarily represent the view of the publisher. The Publisher does not accept any liability of any loss arising from the late appearance or non publication of any advertisement.

Hannah Frackiewicz Hannah Frackiewicz Editor, Future Constructor & Architect

Contents 5

Fast track:

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Customised canopy:

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Treading carefully:

Front cover:

F.Ball has for many years created flooring products and systems that deliver not only a superb finish, but a fast drying finish too.

Engineering students at the University of Edinburgh are getting a little extra help with their studies from Armstrong Ceilings.

With infection prevention and control an absolute prerequisite in healthcare, flooring must be smooth, impervious, as well as hard and seamless, as Sika explains.

10 Vintage appeal:

Forbo has responded to continuing growth in demand for luxury vinyl tiles with a cutting edge floorcovering collection, Allura.

12 Sound design:

Steve Gosling of Acoustic and Noise Control Consultants, 24 Acoustics, explains the acoustic pitfalls to be aware of when designing buildings.

14 Ringing the changes:

A replacement church in Buckinghamshire now features Axiom canopies from Armstrong Ceilings.

16 Access all areas:

For those in search of a trouble-free, low maintenance raised flooring solution, look no further than the Levato Mono system from Decktile.

One of many new Allura Luxury Vinyl Tile designs recently introduced by Forbo Flooring Systems. See page 10.

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Safe bonding:

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Automated style:

The adhesives expert profiles its complete range of Ultrabond Eco Adhesives, which provide uncompromised performance, combined with eco-benefits.

Moveable partitioning walls offer attractive opportunities to create flexibility within the interior of an education establishment.

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LEVATO MONO porcelain paver system The Levato Mono porcelain paver system is the pinnacle of external raised flooring technology; enabling the specification of lightweight, slip resistant and attractive raised flooring solutions, combining incredible technical properties with uncompromising aesthetics; making them the ideal choice for commercial and domestic use alike.

Just a few of the benefits at a glance: • 20mm porcelain pavers 40x80 45x90 60x60 75x75 30x120 40x120 60x120 • ‘Floating floor’ – installation over single ply membranes • Eternal product - zero maintenance required – offering massive over-life savings • Highly abrasion and stain resistant • Highly slip resistant ; R11 and achieved up to +65 wet in the BS pendulum test • Lightweight – 45kgs per m2 • High load bearing and impact resistance • Timber & stone effects ; 40+ finishes available • Ideal for balconies, roof terraces and piazzas, for both commercial & residential use • Completely non porous • Fire & frost proof • Height-adjustable support from 9mm up to 550mm

t: 0845 2700 696

e: info@thedecktileco.co.uk

www.thedecktileco.co.uk

Floors, Walls & Ceilings

Whether you’re a professional footballer waiting for kick-off who’s expected to deliver a great result within the next 90 minutes, or a contract flooring professional who must complete a project as quickly and efficiently as possible, on budget, and with a perfect finish, you really need a fantastic team on your side. Here’s where F. Ball and Co. products come into their own.

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o matter if you’re working at an education facility, a care home, a hospital, social housing or a busy commercial or retail environment, your customers need you to do a great job at a reasonable price, and complete it in record time.

This is why the technical experts at F. Ball have for many years created flooring products and systems that deliver not only a superb finish, but a fast drying finish too. F. Ball products are guaranteed to deliver both, meaning that your project can be completed in the optimum time without ever compromising on quality.

Time matters If you have the need to use a very fast drying smoothing underlayment, there’s nothing faster than F. Ball’s Stopgap Fast-Track 30. This self-levelling solution is suitable for use in light to heavy-duty applications over a wide range of subfloor types, including Stopgap waterproof surface membranes, sand/cement screeds, granolithic, calcium sulphate (e.g. anhydrite) epoxy and polyurethane resins,

ceramic and quarry tiles.

With an amazingly fast walk on time of 30 minutes (@20°C), Stopgap Fast-Track 30 can receive floorcoverings from just 45 minutes – so when time matters there’s nothing faster.

If a damp subfloor is an issue, then you could wish to have no better product to hand than F. Ball’s Stopgap F77 – the ultimate high performance accelerated waterproof surface membrane onecoat application system. This two-part, solvent-free epoxy resin system cures in approximately three hours (@20°C) and is perfect for use where residual construction moisture up to 98% RH is present and will also impede rising damp.

Stopgap F77 is available nationwide in both 7kg and 14kg kits and truly delivers a fantastic solution to subfloor moisture.

F. Ball’s F78 is a one component, two-coat rapid drying waterproof surface membrane that impedes residual construction moisture up to 95% RH. Delivering a curing time of 15-30 minutes for the first coat (@20°C) and only 30 minutes for the second coat, Stopgap

8 www.f-ball.co.uk * mail@f-ball.co.uk

( 01538 361622 Images: Above left: F. Ball’s F78 is a one-component, two-coat rapid drying waterproof surface membrane Below: Stopgap Fast-Track 30 can receive floorcoverings from just 45 minutes

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Choose a winning team

F78 comes ready to use in either 12kg and 18kg packs which can be resealed, meaning there’s no mixing, but more importantly there’s no waste.

For problematic subfloors where a fast acting solution is needed, there is no more cost effective product available today than F. Ball’s award-winning high performance Stopgap 1200 PRO. This innovative twopart smoothing underlayment can be used directly over old adhesive and carpet tackifier residues, and over bituminous floors or waterproof membranes alike.

Stopgap 1200 PRO has excellent selflevelling properties, is ammonia free, protein free, and has a fast setting time of 60 minutes (@20°C) and can be ready to receive floorcoverings from four hours.

So whatever the project and whatever the time restrictions, you can trust and depend on F. Ball products to consistently deliver perfect results whatever the subfloor, on time – every time – and be more cost effective than the competition.

Make your transfer to the awardwinning team today and you’ll be on the winning side every time.

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Floors, Walls & Ceilings

Armstrong Ceilings reigns at Kings Engineering students at the University of Edinburgh are getting a little extra help with their studies from Armstrong Ceilings.

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and Grade B listed, featured 180m2 of Armstrong’s 1200mm x 600mm Ultima OP tiles installed on a Prelude XL2 grid.

These mineral tiles perform acoustically to Sound Absorption Class A. The £330,000 project was the subject of a “Pimp my school” project to improve the student social/break out study space.

This resulted in the opening up of a larger room to create an additional such space.

There were also cosmetic improvements to teaching rooms and toilets, with a third phase comprising the removal of a small unused servitor’s box and lobby to accommodate a mobile staffed coffee bar and some lounge seating.

Armstrong Ceilings were supplied by SIG Interiors and installed in the 850m2 single-storey 1950/60s concrete crosswall building by Universal Ceilings in two phases, culminating by March 2014.

Adrian Cavaye, an interior designer at the university’s design group in estates and buildings, has used Armstrong Ceilings

for the past 27 years, most recently on a refurbishment of the Edinburgh College of Art. He said: “We specified Armstrong for their range of timber tile and grid solutions. There were no set performance or aesthetic requirements but the finish quality was as I would expect from Armstrong.”

He added: “We made use of an underused room to increase the student space by incorporating some group discussion desks, individual study/laptop work desks and lounge seating. It was this area primarily that I wanted to soften the feel of the ceiling by incorporating a flyover timber veneered ceiling.

“This creates a more defined, quieter work area and softens the feel with the wood finish. The lay-in grid tiles were set in a standard MicroLook grid but the contrast in finish between a plastered ceiling and wood always works.”

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ood lay-in tiles and a customised wood canopy are helping to define and soften a new student work/social area as part of the interior refurbishment of the university’s Hudson Beare Building on its Kings Buildings campus south of the city centre.

The 50m2 canopy comprises 1200 x 600mm US cherry veneer plain wood planks, some containing smoke detectors and movement-sensitive lighting, with a Vector edge detail which gives a narrow 6mm reveal for a sleek, monolithic look, within a Prelude 24 XL2 grid.

This is complemented in the same room by three rows of 600 x 600mm plain US cherry MicroLook lay-in tiles, installed between plasterboard, on a Prelude 15 XL2 grid, as well as 16m2 of these tiles in circulation areas.

In addition, the main lecture theatre, which is one of the early purpose-built concrete lecture theatre structures

8 www.armstrong-ceilings.co.uk * sales-support@armstrong.com

( 0800 371849 Images: Above: The canopy is complemented in the same room by three rows of 600 x 600mm plain US cherry MicroLook lay-in tiles Left: Wood lay-in tiles and a customised wood canopy are helping to define and soften a new student work/social area

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Floors, Walls & Ceilings PERFORMANCE CEILINGS M o re s c o p e f o r i n n ova t i o n

AMF Acoustic Range Perfect for acoustic applications

The AMF THERMATEX® Acoustic Range offers a totally new concept for suspended ceiling systems. The tissue-faced tiles provide different levels of sound absorption while displaying the same appearance. Starting Starting with with sound sound reflecting reflecting tiles, tiles, through through absorption absorption to to panels panels with with high absorption values - AMF covers the complete performance range. Exceptional Exceptional sound sound insulation insulation can can also also be be achieved. achieved. With Withup uptoto 44 44 dB dB room-to-room room-to-room attenuation, attenuation, THERMATEX THERMATEX®® Silence Silence gives a very high performance for a suspended ceiling with an open void.

The AMF THERMATEX THERMATEX®® Acoustic Acoustic Range Range can can provide provide solutions solutions for for almost almost every every application. application. The The key properties properties of the range ensure that not only a single product can be used, but also a combination combination of products products giving giving different different performance performance characteristics but with the same same smooth smooth appearance appearance (e.g. THERMATEX THERMATEX® Alpha ® ® and THERMATEX THERMATEX Acoustic AcousticRL).

RL).

Knauf AMF Ceilings Ltd. 1 Swan Road, South West Industrial Estate Peterlee, Co. Durham, SR8 2HS Phone: 0191 5188600, Fax: 0191 5860097 E-mail: info@knaufamf.co.uk, http://www.amfceilings.co.uk

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MADE IN GERMANY

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Floors, Walls & Ceilings Images: Left: In healthcare facilities it is imperative to specify products with the expected use, level of traffic and cleaning regime in mind Below: With infection prevention and control an absolute prerequisite, floors, walls and ceilings must be smooth, impervious, as well as hard and seamless

In the healthcare sector, infection prevention and control is of utmost importance and how the materials used within a building contribute to this must always be considered by building owners, facilities managers and the occupants themselves.

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ealth Building Note (HBN) 00-10 outlines the policy and performance requirements for building elements in healthcare facilities, highlighting that selected building materials and finishes must be compatible with the intended function, minimising maintenance. It also states that the choice of finish should form an integral part of the design process. But what does this actually mean to specifiers and installers of flooring and wall coating systems in healthcare facilities?

Flooring must be safe, accessible and inviting for all, including patients, doctors, staff and visitors. Just as “seamless care” has become a core NHS value, seamless resin materials have become an increasingly common specification to achieve the standards set out by HBN 00-10 for fire performance, life cycle maintenance and perhaps most importantly, infection control.

With over 40 years’ experience in the flooring industry, global building products manufacturer Sika has a range of high performance resin floor systems, suitable for the most demanding healthcare environments. The company’s Sika Comfortfloor range of seamless systems take into account design life, construction

joints, floor to wall connections, surface design and installation details to meet and exceed HBN 00-10 guidelines.

As healthcare facilities are subject to a range of hazardous substances, all floors, walls and ceilings must be designed with cleaning and maintenance in mind.With infection prevention and control an absolute prerequisite, floors, walls and ceilings must be smooth, impervious, as well as hard and seamless.

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Seamless surfaces in healthcare

minimising maintenance requirements in line with HBN 00-10: Part A Life Cycle Maintenance.

For floor finishes it is also crucial to integrate slip resistance as falls in healthcare facilities remains a significant problem. Available with a textured or slip resistant finish, the application of Sika Comfortfloor maintains the attractive, seamless finish whilst preventing the need for traditional and visually unappealing anti-slip treads.

In healthcare facilities it is imperative to specify products with the expected use, level of traffic and cleaning regime in mind.

Where infection prevention and control is of utmost importance, the application of Sika Comfortfloor systems and the Sikagard Hygienic Coatings provide a ‘seamless box concept’ that will fully encompass the requirements of HBN 00-10 and help to ensure that the internal healthcare environment can be kept to the highest possible standards of hygiene.

8 www.sika.co.uk * sales@uk.sika.com

( 01707 394444

Hygienic coatings Cracks, fissures, open joints and crevices, are not only unsightly but can impede the cleaning process by holding dirt and moisture and becoming a breeding ground for bacteria. With a wet scrub resistance of Class 1 (according to EN 13300), the Sikagard Hygienic Coatings have been specifically developed to be seamless and compatible with the most common cleaning regimes.

Due to their elastomeric and highly flexible nature, Sikagard Hygienic Coatings can also withstand expansion, contraction and minor impacts without cracking or flaking. As the systems are liquid-applied, they are also easy to repair – optimising their life expectancy and

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Floors, Walls & Ceilings

Alluring luxury vinyl tiles Forbo has responded to continuing growth in demand for luxury vinyl tiles with a cutting edge floorcovering collection that pushes aesthetic and manufacturing boundaries and captures the very essence of LVT design.

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design is required to create a welcoming atmosphere, where customers will want to spend time.

Julie Dempster, Marketing Manager at Forbo Flooring Systems, comments: “Based wholly around key trends and in response to market demands Allura provides specifiers and end users alike with an all-together balanced collection, where elements can be used individually, or as part of a modular format to create a bespoke flooring concept.”

Sustainable as well as stylish, every Allura product is produced in Europe using 100% electricity from renewable sources, with each component complying with REACH. Allura now contains up to 30% of controlled recycled waste in its backing layer and thanks to the introduction of new technology, such as ultrasonic cutting directly from the roll, Forbo has reduced trim waste to less than 5% – significantly less than traditional press cutting methods.

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he Allura brand represents best quality on all levels, with European manufacturing advances opening up new possibilities to deliver bigger XL sizes and formats, innovative embossed finishes and creative colours; from reclaimed and vintage woods with paint effects to bright linear abstract designs, ideal for mixing and matching with new textured tiles.

Responding to the trend for more open, brighter spaces within the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, there’s a move away from dark and tropical wood types to much lighter hues. This subtle natural-look provides the perfect backdrop in any large open space for an injection of colour, via deep and rich supporting shades or colour pops from fittings, furnishings, signage or merchandising.

The larger tile and plank formats together with the introduction of large scale designs really helps to open up interior spaces. The new Allura collection offers planks up to 1.5m in length, conveying an overall natural effect with excellent dimensional stability. This works particularly well in spacious interiors where an understated but effective

8 www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/allura * info.flooring.uk@forbo.com

( 0844 822 3928

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Images: Above: This subtle natural-look provides the perfect backdrop in any large open space for an injection of colour Below: The larger tile and plank formats together with the introduction of large scale designs helps to open up interior spaces

Floors, Walls & Ceilings

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Floors, Walls & Ceilings

“Noise is a parasite...

Anything noisy is poorly designed,” is the view of Raymond Loewy, the iconic American designer, known as the ‘father of industrial design’. Here, Steve Gosling, Principal Consultant for Acoustic and Noise Control Consultants, 24 Acoustics, explains the acoustic pitfalls to be aware of when designing commercial and public buildings.

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chools are typically noisy places.

The detrimental effects of high levels of noise on students’ education and behaviour used to be overlooked when designing school buildings. In 2003, the Building Bulletin 93 came into force giving guidelines on how to provide acoustic conditions in schools which allow clear communication of speech (speech intelligibility) to ensure noise does not interfere with learning.

Common acoustic problems in the classroom are background noise and reverberation. Most schools are built using hard surface materials for walls, floors and ceilings causing sound to reverberate and linger in the room. High reverberation interferes with speech, resulting in the teacher having to shout to be heard.

Background noise is any unwanted sound, which can be either outside noise coming into the classroom or noise transmitted from adjoining rooms. Internal noise produced by students, or machinery, can build and become a distraction.

Cutting-edge systems The general acoustic quality of a classroom can be controlled by the amount of absorbent material in the space. Installing acoustic ceilings and wall panels is a cost effective solution for reducing sound and improving speech intelligibility. Knauf AMF Thermatex ceilings provide outstanding

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sound absorption, which helps to reduce reverberation and minimise the amount of noise bouncing around and travelling through adjoining classroom walls.

Thermatex ceiling tiles have the highest Class A sound absorption rating because they are manufactured from mineral wool, a natural sound absorber.

One of the first educational facilities to have developed a cutting-edge acoustic system is the Kimmeridge Lecture Theatre, Bournemouth University. Designed by 24 Acoustics, the active reverberation system overcomes the challenges of providing a dead acoustic environment for speech alongside a lively acoustic atmosphere for music performances. A combination of Thermatex ceiling tiles and Soundmosaic tiles – flat-panel loudspeakers in a modular ceiling format which work on the

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principle of wave conversion – provides an integrated appearance and excellent masking of the sound source.

Schools are not the only places where unwanted noise is a problem. Staff working in open-plan offices can often find their concentration is disturbed by noise.

Employees working in close proximity to each other are exposed to a greater level of background noise including office machinery, conversations, and noise coming in from corridors and circulation areas.

Disruptive levels of noise can result in Images: Above: Prestigious office refurbishment benefits from acoustic comfort Above right: Cutting-edge acoustic system in the Kimmeridge Lecture Theatre, Bournemouth Right: High sound absorbing ceilings minimise noise-related disturbance in hospitals

Floors, Walls & Ceilings

heights and the need to preserve original architectural features. Alternative ceiling solutions, including ceiling rafts, baffles and wall panels can achieve high levels of sound absorption in open-plan layouts without disturbing the original architecture.

Unwanted noise Thermatex Sonic Sky Rafts provide acoustic control by absorbing sound on both sides.Their layout and positioning in the space can be tailored to suit specific areas within an open-plan office, for example, above noisy equipment or staff break-out areas, to improve acoustics in

these noisy places.The ceiling rafts are easy to install with semi-concealed hangers providing an elegant floating appearance.

To create a healthy, healing environment, noise must be controlled in hospitals.

Patients require a stress-free, calm place in which to recuperate. Hospitals are built using hard materials which are easy to clean. But hard flooring and walls found in corridors and waiting areas, are a contributor to the problem of noise transferring into adjacent rooms; patients can hear footsteps, the sound of voices and trolleys moving around – which are intrusive.

Thermatex Alpha ceilings were specified for offices, recovery rooms, suites and circulation areas in a new hospital extension.The high sound absorption properties of the ceiling tiles help to keep these busy areas free from unwanted noise transference and allow quiet and private conversations to take place.

Most acousticians and architects agree that sound absorption is the acoustic characteristic that has a positive impact on reverberation time, speech intelligibility and privacy. Installing acoustic ceilings, either on their own or with wall panels, is the most effective way of reducing unwanted noise and creating calm learning, working and healing environments.

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poor concentration, loss of productivity and staff absence. Having a healthy acoustic environment is integral to providing staff with a sense of well-being and satisfaction in their work place.The British Standard BS8233:2014 ‘Guidance on sound insulation and noise reduction for buildings,’ states that the minimum acceptable sound insulation between two offices in a cellular office layout is approximately 38dB Dw. In areas where privacy and confidentiality are important, this is increased to 48dB Dw. Knauf AMF ceilings were installed in a brand new 15,000ft2 office facility designed for over 100 employees.The contemporary layout has open working spaces located near to quiet cellular offices and confidential meeting rooms.

To control unwanted noise, a Thermatex Alpha ceiling system was fitted throughout the office areas to maintain a comfortable level of ambient sound; allowing staff to concentrate in the open plan areas and for privacy in the meeting rooms.

It is not just new buildings that can suffer from poor acoustics, refurbished spaces can be problematic too.The main reason for this is that the original building may have been designed for a very different purpose and may not convert easily into a modern-day office space, making sound control tricky. Installing a traditional suspended ceiling is not always possible for a number of reasons, including low ceiling

8 www.amfceilings.co.uk * info@knaufamf.co.uk

( 020 8892 3216

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Floors, Walls & Ceilings

Armstrong Ceilings rings the changes Ceiling canopies from Armstrong were recently specified for a new community church for their aesthetics, acoustics and green credentials.

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allows more than 70% of the heat to be recovered.

Ian Caveen added: “The auditorium is mechanically ventilated and acoustically attenuated to reduce the noise impact on the surrounding housing. Noise break out from the auditorium was a key design constraint which required careful design consideration, particularly to the roof, windows and mechanical services. There was also a budget for the ceiling which could not be exceeded, with valueengineering workshops done at key stages through the design process.”

The Axiom Classic canopies are an easily relocatable modular system comprising an aluminium grid with a choice of highly light-reflective mineral, metal or soft fibre tiles manufactured from up to 82% recycled content.

Specified either at initial design stage, as at King’s Church, or as a quick-fix refurbishment solution, they help to reduce reverberation time and noise levels and increase speech intelligibility.

They also allow specifiers to play with different planes and levels to conceal and co-ordinate with services such as the LED lighting.

They were supplied by distributor CCF Manchester and installed at graduated heights at the steel-framed King’s Church

by Conron Ceilings who had a team of between two and five working on site for two months.

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ome 52 of Armstrong’s Axiom Classic square canopies (1.8 x 1.8m) and 14 triangular ones at half that size, each comprising white mineral Dune Supreme tiles within a 24mm Prelude exposed grid, feature over 1500m2 of the stunning auditorium of King’s Church, Amersham.

Built over a year at a cost of £2.8m by main contractor Jarvis Construction, the new church is located on the 2.69-hectare site of a disused school playing field. Its leaders had been searching for a larger site for their church for some years and submitted a joint planning application with CALA Homes.

Architects Byrom Clark Roberts were briefed with designing a landmark building that had a civic presence but did not look like a church, even incorporating a paved cafe forecourt as public space. It is also future-proof, capable of accommodating a balcony if required in future.

As well as traditional worship, the 375-seat auditorium had to be able to cater for activities including concerts, conferences and banqueting. And it was used as the latter at the celebration service in November 2013.

Byrom Clark Roberts had used Armstrong Ceilings on a church before – the LifeChurch in Sale, Manchester, but the one for King’s Church was developed to incorporate LED lighting into some of the square canopies.

Architect Ian Caveen said: “I came up with the ceiling cloud idea when designing a church in Leeds in 2007. We had used Armstrong Ceilings on a previous scheme but for this one, sustainability was a key issue, so the Axiom canopy was a given.”

King’s Church is served by ground source heat pumps for low-temperature hot water heating throughout, underfloor heating and heat recovery ventilation that

8 www.armstrong-ceilings.co.uk * sales-support@armstrong.com

( 0800 371849 Images: Above: The Axiom Classic canopies are an easily relocatable modular system comprising an aluminium grid with a choice of highly light-reflective tiles Left: Armstrong’s ceiling canopies are helping to reduce reverberation time and noise levels and increase speech intelligibility

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Floors, Walls & Ceilings

Floating floors The Levato Mono porcelain paver system is the pinnacle of external raised flooring technology.

Allowing architects to specify a lightweight, slip resistant and attractive raised flooring solution, which is combined with incredible technical properties and uncompromised aesthetics, makes Levato Mono the ideal choice for commercial and domestic use alike. replicated pattern allowing for a completely natural looking surface.

Recently specified for external dining areas at London Zoo as well as for the new Portico Terrace at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane; one of the DTC’s Levato Mono sandstone effect paver ranges was considered so similar to natural sandstone material, that it was sanctioned for use on this grade 1 listed building by English Heritage.

Natural-looking surface Used in conjunction with height adjustable fixed head, self-levelling head pedestals or fixed height paver support pads, the Levato Mono system makes it possible to create perfectly level surfaces over uneven subsurfaces.

Images: Above: Hidden services with easy access Below left: Excellent slip and fade resistance; ideal for roof terraces and pool surrounds

Ideal for installation over all waterproof membranes, DTC’s support systems cover height ranges from 9mm up to 550mm and incorporate a patented self-levelling slope correction facility with the convenience of height adjustment after the pavers are installed.

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igh load and impact resistance; extreme wear and scratch resistance; frost and fireproof; colour fast and extremely resistant to staining; resistance to mould and algae growth – these qualities ensure an extremely low maintenance and troublefree flooring solution.

Matching internal tiling options are also available allowing for seamless visual transition between internal and external spaces.

Available in 40+ colours and finishes in both ultra-realistic timber and stone effects, combining 3D printing and mould making technology, to reproduced identical copies of natural materials and with up to 30 prints available for each paver range, once laid, the eye is unable to discern any

8 www.thedecktileco.co.uk * info@thedecktileco.co.uk

( 0845 2700 696

Benefits at a glance • ‘Floating floor’ – installation over single ply membranes • Eternal product – zero maintenance required – offering massive over-life savings • Highly abrasion and stain resistant • Highly slip resistant; R11 and achieved up to +65 wet in the BS pendulum test • Lightweight – 45kgs per m2 • High load bearing and impact resistance • Timber & stone effects; 40+ finishes available • Ideal for balconies, roof terraces and piazzas, for both commercial & residential use • Completely non-porous • Fire & frost proof

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Floors, Walls & Ceilings

A solid, safer bond

Images: Above: The Ultrabond Eco Adhesives range provides fast, safe and reliable bonding Below: Ultrabond Eco 380 for PVC creates a high initial bond

Mapei’s complete Ultrabond Eco Adhesives range includes six individual solutions for the fast, safe and reliable bonding of carpet, vinyl and rubber, PVC and linoleum. All products provide uncompromised performance, combined with a raft of health and eco-benefits. free, fibre-reinforced adhesive designed for bonding of internal LVT and PVC floors, and semi-flexible vinyl tiles. Its smooth formulation promotes fast, safe application on a wide variety of substrates, providing a high initial bond for rapid flooring fixing.

Harmless systems All products carry EC1 GEV Emicode labelling for ultra-low emissions of volatile organic compounds. Installers working in close proximity to the adhesives aren’t subjected to any harmful gases and occupiers/visitors will not be affected by harmful emissions once floor installations are complete. Recent applications include Highfield and Penn Fields School, where Mapei products contributed to a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent.’

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he solvent-free formulas are water-based, non-flammable and have ultra-low VOC emissions.

They are also non-staining and suitable for high traffic environments, as well as application with underfloor heating.

Part of Mapei’s Green Innovation programme, the range includes Ultrabond Eco 170 for carpets and Ultrabond Eco 380 for PVC – which each create a high initial bond – and acrylic-based Ultrabond Eco 520, for linoleum. Ultrabond Eco Tack is also designed for carpet tile application and retains a tacky film for easy removal and replacement of carpet tiles. High temperature acrylic adhesive, Ultrabond Eco VS90 bonds vinyl sheet and tile, PVCbacked carpet, rubber sheet and tiles, whilst pressure sensitive, multi-purpose adhesive – Ultrabond Eco Fix – provides temporary fixing of PVC, vinyl, carpet and underlay.

Mapei has also introduced a new high performance adhesive, Ultrabond Eco 4 LVT which is a high temperature, solvent-

8 www.mapei.co.uk * info@mapei.co.uk

( 0121 508 6970

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Floors, Walls & Ceilings

A question of acoustics Ian Matthews, acoustician with Red Twin Ltd summarises the potential acoustic barrier delivered by modern partitioning systems and offers practical advice for specifying moveable partitioning systems.

M

oveable partitioning walls offer attractive opportunities to create flexibility within the interior of an education establishment. With careful planning, a well thought out system maximises the use of space to the best creative opportunities and educational value. But can a moveable wall ever really deliver sufficient sound insulation and absorption to make it a comparable option to a fixed internal wall?

The minimisation of sound transmission between areas is critical in ensuring the practical success of any new build or refurbishment project often forcing difficult decisions to be made between aesthetics, flexibility of space and practical design.

Seek impartial advice To make meaningful comparisons between different manufacturers’ partitioning systems, acoustic performance results achieved under independent laboratory conditions must be used.

The Sound Reduction Index (SRI) is the industry standard and results are expressed in terms of ‘Rw dB’. However it must be remembered that these results are achieved under perfect lab conditions where there is no flanking

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or other sound leakage that would otherwise lower the result. As a general guideline, the on site Rw of an installed moveable wall will be between 7-15dB below the laboratory tested Rw although differences as high as 20 dB or more are not uncommon.

Pre-installation, a professional contractor should employ the services of an acoustician to offer impartial advice regarding the realistic expectations of a moveable wall system in a particular location. The acoustician can: • Survey the plans to assess where flanking may occur and its possible severity • Assess the overall quality and robustness of surrounding walls, ceiling and floors – considering construction, materials utilised and age • Detail in the site plans, where action could be taken to minimise flanking and offer invaluable pre-installation guidance • Consider absorptive treatment to improve acoustics and reverberation times within the room Clearly there is much that can be done to minimise noise travelling between two areas during building construction and installation of a partitioning system but as you would expect, poor quality panels will

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never be up to the job. With good use of modern materials and clever design, high values of sound insulation are possible with ever decreasing panel thickness. The more effective panels are constructed from dense cladding boards with a sound absorbent infill product, such as mineral wool, used within the cavity.

It is now possible to have movable and folding wall systems that function at the touch of a button. One of the most impressive systems on the market today has to be the Skyfold from Style Partitioning which recently announced impressive acoustic lab tested results of 59Rw dB – an industry first for a fully automatic system.

This is the only system that stores away into the ceiling cavity, ascending smoothly at the press of a button to leave

Floors, Walls & Ceilings Images: Left: The minimisation of sound transmission between areas is critical in ensuring the practical success of any new build Right: Skyfold from Style Partitioning recently announced impressive acoustic lab tested results of 59Rw dB Below: Skyfold is the only system that stores away into the ceiling cavity Below right: It is now possible to have movable and folding wall systems that function at the touch of a button

Acoustic integrity The convenience of an automatic system is obvious in terms of encouraging the space to be divided and opened out repeatedly during the day but it also helps deliver a system with greater acoustic integrity. The margin for human error in manually installing panels in place and then tightening end seals cannot be underestimated and can often lead to a significant reduction in the effectiveness of the system.

There are of course other, extremely high quality manual and semi-automatic sliding partitions available that offer the same sound insulation rating and which represent viable acoustic alternatives

to standard internal wall constructions.

However as not all systems are equal and it is worth running through this checklist from partitioning experts, Style when considering specifying a moveable wall: • Is the manufacturer clearly mentioned in the quotation, accompanying sales brochures and supporting documents? It’s vital that you know the manufacturer so you can be assured that long term maintenance and repairs are possible.

• Has an acoustic test certificate been provided and does it have the manufacturer’s name on it?

• Check that the manufacturer has authorised the certificate to be used to support the product that has been offered? Even though a certificate has

been produced, it is invalid unless the manufacturer confirms it can be used by the particular supplier.

• Does the acoustic test certificate clearly state the name of an independent laboratory and that the product has been tested to the latest standards (BS EN ISO 10140-3:2010)?

• Is the test certificate supplied for the product that is being offered? If a manual system is offered then the test certificate must show this and not be for a semi-automatic wall as seal pressures will be different.

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the entire floor space available to users.

But it is Skyfold’s acoustic performance that really sets it apart. Once in place, fully automatic pressurised rubber seals along the floor and sides of the unit are activated, expanding to exactly the right level to maximise acoustic seal. Unlike many traditional sliding or folding partitions, Skyfold has a dual wall construction comprising of two steelfaced panels with an insulated cavity in between to allow sound to effectively dissipate.

8 www.style-partitions.co.uk * sales@style-partitions.co.uk

( 01202 874044

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