Local Authority Building & Maintenance October 19

LABMONLINE.CO.UK

OCTOBER 2019

LOCAL AUTHORITY BUILDING & MAINTENANCE

SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS & COMMUNAL BUILDINGS LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL & ENERGY EFFICIENCY FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY

SPECIAL REPORT Homes for Later Living research says poor housing is set to contribute to almost one million more older people suffering falls-related injuries. LABM reports.

THE LEADING MAGAZINE FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY AND HOUSING ASSOCIATION SPECIFIERS, INCORPORATING

CONTENTS

October 2019 Vol.35 No.8

REGULARS 5 COMMENT Crisis Management 6 News Project Etopia builds landmark demonstration home at the BRE — Low Carbon Home event in Manchester — London Development Conference 10 INDUSTRY COMMENT Matthew Warburton, Policy Advisor at the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) SHOW PREVIEW 12 Healthcare Insights A guide to what visitors can expect from this year’s Healthcare Estates in Manchester

A guide to the conference programme and exhibition highlights at this year’s Healthcare Estates in Manchester

14 LEGAL UPDATE Winckworth Sherwood considers airspace development methods 17 VOICE OF THE ARCHITECT Vicky Saunders, Managing Director of architecture firm BTP SPECIAL REPORT 18 Later life Homes New report into later life living

20 A Seismic Transformation for Construction How a consortium is hoping to transform the way schools are designed and built 23 Changing Façades Creating inspiring school buildings with rainscreen cladding systems

56 Products & Services 57 Reference Library 59 Guest Comment Ian Montague, Consultant Engineer, with leading electrical body NICEIC

Project awards and contract updates

SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS & COMMUNAL BUILDINGS

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27 Making the Grade Advice on the legislation around the creation of school washrooms, including Technical Annex 2A 31 Pushing the Boundaries The construction of a new ambulatory care facility at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital 34 Round-up

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LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL & ENERGY EFFICIENCY 36 Better Energy Performance The four-steps that can dramatically improve the energy efficiency of local authority stock 39 Reduce your Footprint Advice on minimising the carbon footprint of lighting in buildings 42 Light’s On The new lighting design at Cae Glas Park public toilets in Oswestry 43 Round-up

FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY 44 Raising the Standard The revised British Standard for domestic fire alarms 47 Lessons to Learn from the Grenfell Fire Rethinking attitudes to ideas like value engineering versus ‘over-engineering’ 51 Fire Safety Compliance The pressure on specialised housing landlords and how to keep residents safe

School construction and design

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53 New CPD training C-TEC’s new CPD-certified training events: ‘Fire Alarm Systems for Domestic Dwellings’ 55 Round-up

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EDITOR’S COMMENT

Editor Claire Clutten labm@hamerville.co.uk Contributing Editor Bernadette Noble Group Editor Jonathan Cole Advertisement Manager Jacob Tatum jtatum@hamerville.co.uk Northern & Midland Area Sales Eddie Wright ewright@hamerville.co.uk Group Advertising Manager Craig Jowsey Digital Group Manager Stuart Duff Digital Assistant David Molloy Design Adeel Qadri Group Production Manager Carol Padgett Circulation Manager Kirstie Day Managing Editor Terry Smith Publisher Bryan Shannon Printed by WALSTEAD ROCHE Published by Hamerville Media Group Regal House, Regal Way, Watford, Herts WD24 4YF 01923 237799 Email: labm@hamerville.co.uk

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Crisis management A new report calls into question undersupply as the root cause of the housing crisis and highlights the need for more social housing.

In August, thinktank the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change published a report written for the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaHE). Written by Ian Mulheirn, Executive Director and Chief Economist of Renewing at the Tony Blair Institute, the report argues that the housing crisis is not due to a lack of supply, but instead, a range of other factors, a key element of which is a significant lack of social housing.

Tackling the UK housing crisis: is supply the answer? highlights that ‘UK average house prices have risen by over 160% in real terms since the middle of 1996’ and home ownership is at its lowest level for a generation. The general consensus amongst policymakers and political leaders is that the crisis is due largely to a chronic and sustained undersupply of housing since the 1980s. However, the report suggests this isn’t the case, referencing official data to support its argument.

The report cites data from the official count of dwelling stock and the Labour Force Survey in the Executive Summary where it says: ‘since the 1996 nadir of house prices, the English housing stock has grown by 168,000 units per year on average, while growth in the number of households has averaged 147,000 per year. As a result, while there were 660,000 more dwellings than households in England in 1996, this surplus has since grown to over 1.1 million by 2018. Similar trends are apparent in Scotland and Wales’.

For over a decade now there has been a recurring theme in the political narrative. For Example in 2004 the Barker Review concluded that there was ‘growing evidence of a persistent inadequate supply’. In 2014, the Lyons Review said: ‘House prices and rents are going up faster than earnings because demand massively outstrips supply.’ More recently the House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs’ Building more homes report in 2016 argued that: “[Too] few homes have been built over [recent

The report cites multiple “factors as major contributors to the widening housing crisis. ”

decades]. House prices and rents in some parts of England have risen sharply.’ A year later in the Government’s housing white paper their message was clear: ‘The housing market in this country is broken, and the cause is very simple: for too long, we haven’t built enough homes.’

The report cites multiple factors as major contributors to the widening housing crisis. The issues referenced in the publication are — ‘high prices caused by global macroeconomic conditions; low home ownership driven by the withdrawal of mortgage finance to first-time buyers (FTB) in the years after the financial crisis; and rent affordability problems for some groups caused by slow wage growth, benefit cuts and the erosion of the social housing stock’.

With government statistics released in September highlighting that homelessness went up by more than 10% in the first quarter this year, government’s recent announcement in the Spending Review of £54m to tackle rough sleeping is very welcome. However, there was no reference to housing, in particular social housing, beyond the funding to tackle homelessness, the additional £1.5bn for adult social care and the £24m to support the introduction of the new Building Safety regime.

This is extremely disappointing. It will be interesting to see what the Queen’s Speech has to say about housing. With affordability a huge ongoing issue, now more than ever we need more social housing.

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& COMMUNAL BUILDINGS LIGHTING, ELECTRI CAL & ENERGY EFFICIENCY FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY

COVER STORY: Nottingham City Homes recently completed the refurbishment of the Winchester and Woodthorpe Courts tower blocks in Sherwood, where Windoor balcony systems have been installed. Look out for the November issue where we revisit this project.

OCTOBER

SPECIAL REPORT Homes for Later Living research says poor set to contribute to almost one million housing is people suffering more older falls-related injuries.

LABM reports.

THE LEADING MAGAZINE FOR LOCAL AUTHORIT AND HOUSING Y ASSOCIATION SPECIFIER S, INCORPORATING

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Insights: Adhesive free flooring

NEWS

Fast track

Project Etopia demo home at BRE

Forbo offers advice on the specification of its adhesive free flooring solutions.

Modular homes provider Project Etopia built a landmark demonstration home at the BRE with the aim of being the first to meet a new UK offsite construction standard.

There are a number of factors that need to be considered when it comes to choosing floor coverings for a public building, especially one that needs to be refurbished. For example, not only should they be fit-for-purpose in terms of performance, but they should also be quick to install and contribute positively to an occupants’ comfort and overall experience.

Luckily, Forbo Flooring Systems’ Modul’up collection ticks all of the boxes. Requiring no adhesive, tackifier or double-sided tape, Modul’up can be installed quickly and walked on immediately after installation, which reduces downtime by over 50% and minimises the impact on day-to-day functions. It also contributes positively to a better indoor environment, as it is free from the usual constraints associated with adhesives such as odours, dust or VOCs from subfloor preparation.

The collection offers a palette of 20 colours, all of which are available in the compact version, which ensures minimal indentation and is perfect for high traffic areas, and the enhanced Decibel (19dB) version, which is ideal for environments where impact noise needs to be minimised.

From the 10 natural wood items, including realistic rustic oak shades with wood embossing, to the seven elegant concrete and stone effects, alongside three bright colour pops which are particularly suited for primary education, Modul’up delivers an unrivalled choice of design in adhesive free vinyl.

What’s more, Modul’up is also featured within Forbo’s new Fast Fit collection, which encompasses a range of its adhesive free flooring solutions, all developed to save valuable downtime by reducing installation time by over 50%.

For more information visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/modulup or to learn more about Forbo’s Fast Fit collection visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/fastfit For more on the Modul’up visit www.rdr.link/li001 For more on the Fast Fit collection visit www.rdr.link/li002

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The weather and fire resilient home constructed at BRE’s Watford Innovation Park is intended to be the first modular home in Britain to be awarded the body’s soon-to-be-released BPS 7014 Standard for Modular Systems for Dwellings certification, the UK's first offsite construction standard. Introduction of the standard promises to be a watershed moment for the offsite construction industry.

Ground was broken on 4th September by Project Etopia CEO Joseph Daniels and the company’s Chairman, Lord Stanley Fink and the ground floor was completed in just two hours. The building — which uses Etopia’s panelised build system — will be a leading example of how modular housing can embrace ecotechnology to create high-quality, greener homes that significantly reduce electricity bills for consumers. Project Etopia homes are built on average three times faster than traditional builds.

BRE’s BPS 7014 will assess levels of performance of buildings using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) against sustainability and building standards. Project Etopia’s house will be tested for its ability to withstand hurricanes, fires and floods. It will be thoroughly evaluated to prove it can match up to — and surpass — the equivalent Building Regulations as bricks and mortar homes.

The smart home features its own solar cladding in conjunction with Great British Voltaic (GBV), solar panels and tiles, triple glazing, as well as a Daikin Heating and Cooling System. It will also incorporate E-Smart’s plug-and-play smart home system with Samsung smart appliances. The build cost of the 108sqm three-bedroom detached house is around 20% less than a conventional home.

Joseph Daniels, CEO of Project Etopia, comments: “The team has worked so hard and it’s an incredibly proud moment. Our hope is that the work we do here is also hugely positive for the whole industry.”

Zero carbon ambition UK’s specialist domestic energy efficiency event comes to Manchester to support 2038 zero carbon ambition.

On November 14th 2018, Manchester City Council adopted new sciencebased climate change targets on behalf of the city, to rapidly cut emissions from 2015 levels by 50% by 2022, 83% by 2030, and down to zero by 2038. The city's ‘Draft Zero Carbon Framework 2020-38’ document confirmed that — for domestic property — this would involve reducing energy demand and shifting to lower carbon heat sources, lifting families out of fuel poverty and saving residents money on their energy bills, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

A year later to the day, Cogent Events will open the doors to the North West edition of Low Carbon Homes — its nationwide regional event series — in Manchester. Working with Manchester City Council, Manchester Climate Change Agency and wider stakeholders, the event’s programme has been curated to ensure that speakers and delegates at the event tackle the particular challenges of retrofitting existing housing stock, while helping to develop the Zero Carbon Framework 2020-38, and the city’s emerging Zero Carbon Housing Strategy.

Jonny Sadler, Programme Director of Manchester’s Climate Change Agency, and speaking on the Low Carbon Homes programme, emphasises that: “Bringing Manchester's existing housing up to a zero carbon standard is a vital component of our zero carbon ambition, which will not only improve the wellbeing of our residents, but will stimulate a retrofit market, boosting our local economy.

“We need local businesses, homeowners, landlords, Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester, government and others to come together to help create an ambitious programme of zero carbon improvements across the city. The Low Carbon Homes event is a key part of kickstarting this hugely exciting work.”

Aimed at architects, heating engineers, local authorities, landlords, contractors and related sector professionals, the free-to-attend event features plenary sessions, practical workshops, training and exhibitors.

“If there is a city in the UK that can get to Zero Carbon by 2038, it’s Manchester… and we’re honoured to be playing a part in helping make that happen, ” says Graham Lock, Founder of Low Carbon Homes.

To find out more visit: lowcarbonhomes.uk/event/low-carbon-homes-forummanchester/.

DIARY DATES London Development Conference The conference will take place on the 12th November at etc Venues Fenchurch Street, London and will focus specifically on the challenges and opportunities impacting affordable home developers in the capital and the South-east. It provides the opportunity to discuss ideas with like-minded professionals and hear from some of the industry's key influencers. Sessions at the event will debate questions such as where will the funding come from to build at the scale required?

Is the sales market slowing? If so, what does that mean for the cross-subsidy business model? How do we tackle our construction and development skills shortages? How can you ensure resident ballots are effective and worthwhile for both residents and developers? 2020 mayoral elections: who can offer the solutions to the housing crisis?

To join the debate and attend visit: londondevelopment.housing.org.uk.

HOMES UK The annual event will be taking place from the 27th – 29th November at ExCel in London. The show will look at the entire ecosystem of home building and maintenance for every type of accommodation in the UK, from affordable to market sale and the rapidly growing build to rent, student, co-living and retirement sectors. The conference sessions will cover a diverse array of topics, debating the answers to questions such as how can the sector take a holistic approach to building safety? And what is successful placemaking? In addition there will be sessions discussing design quality and the need to build better, instead of just focusing on volume.

Speakers include Mary Parsons, Group Director of Placemaking and Regeneration at Places for People; Wayne Hemingway MBE, Designer, Entrepreneur and Broadcaster, Hemingway Design; Polly Neate,Chief Executive of Shelter and Lord Richard Best OBE, Chairman of the Affordable Housing Commission.

For details of the conference programme and to attend visit: homesevent.co.uk.

NEWS: CONTRACT UPDATE Scotland Excel launches its largest framework for New Build Residential Construction services The groundbreaking £1.5bn framework was developed to help accelerate the delivery of 50,000 new affordable homes. The Centre of Procurement Expertise joined forces with 11 Scottish councils to create the four-year framework to support the Scottish Government’s £3bn commitment to fund the building of 50,000 affordable homes, including 35,000 for social rent by 2021. This investment is expected to leverage economic output of around £1.4bn per year, supporting up to 12,000 jobs.

The New Build Residential Construction framework was developed to significantly reduce the time taken to procure the building of a range of social housing properties from contractors. The framework covers a wide range of property types including affordable houses; flats, residential homes, student accommodation and social

©Leonid Andronov/AdobeStock

rented or mixed-tenure. The framework was specifically designed to create opportunities for SMEs to participate. Companies can tender to build small projects of one to 15 properties with the choice of ‘build only’ or ‘design and build’ depending on their capabilities, and there are further lots for 16 to 25, 26 to 40 and 40 plus properties.

Speaking about the new framework, Councillor John Shaw, Convener of Scotland Excel says: “The £1.5bn New Build Construction framework is a major opportunity for Scotland’s councils and housing associations. The contract makes it easier for contracting authorities to engage with suppliers and deliver housing that benefits society.

“It covers all 32 council areas and supports the Scottish Government’s ambitious plans to build 50,000 new homes

by 2021. The way the framework is designed means it will not only speed up the process, it will also free up resources and finances that can be invested in employment initiatives, deliver community benefits and reduce environmental impact.”

Councillor Shaw continues: “The 19 suppliers on the framework represent a cross-section of the construction industry in Scotland today. Almost 70% are SMEs and all pay the Scottish Living Wage to employees as standard. If we can help to create jobs in the areas where the houses are being built then we’re not only contributing to employment opportunities, we’re helping to create communities.”

The framework allows for innovative construction methods including offsite construction and PassivHaus, creating greater flexibility for contracting authorities.

Planning permission for 118 new affordable homes in Bolton The homes will revitalise a derelict former car park off Chorley Street. Once complete, the development will offer 17 two, three- and four-bedroom houses with landscaped gardens, which will be available to buy through the Government's shared ownership scheme. The remainder of the homes will be apartments offering a mix of tenures including affordable rent and Rent-to-Buy, as well as dedicated housing for older people.

The development has been designed

by TADW architects and will be built by Watson Homes.

Dominic Conway, Director of Development and Growth at Bolton at Home, says: “We’re thrilled to have gained planning permission for this development. It will play a key role in our plans to create over 1,400 new

CGI of the proposed housing development off Chorley Street

Mark Binns from Esh Living and Rebecca Marshall from believe housing on site in Truro Avenue, Murton

affordable homes across the borough.”

Claire Griffiths, Executive Director of Growth, Development and Assets at Irwell Valley Homes adds: "It will help to kick start the regeneration of this area of Bolton and make a positive impact on achieving the targets for delivering new homes across Greater Manchester."

Sandwell presses ahead with council housing construction Sandwell Council is pressing ahead Councillor Joanne Hadley, Sandwell's Cabinet Member for with its plans to build hundreds of Homes at Carisbrooke Road with local councillors and representatives from Sandwell Council and Seddon much-needed new council homes and families have already moved into 50 new properties at Carisbrooke Road, Friar Park in Wednesbury. Work has also started on another 63 new homes at Strathmore Road in Tipton.

Seddon is the council’s partner for both schemes. The council has committed to investing around £70m from 2018/19 through to Councillor Joanne Hadley, Sandwell's 2020/21 as part of its on-going plans to Cabinet Member for Homes says: "We’ve provide around 600 new council homes. already handed over the keys to around The £7.5m scheme at Friar Park, 240 new homes to tenants with the Wednesbury — funded by the council’s building of a further 400 either underway investment programme and Homes or in the planning stages. We’re achieving England — is made up of four two-bedroom this by building on council-owned sites apartments, 29 two-bedroom, 15 threewith partners such as Seddon, or buying bedroom and three four-bedroom homes. off plan from developers."

Work starts on 50 affordable homes in Murton Construction has begun on a £6.9m affordable home project that will bring much-needed new bungalows and family homes to Murton in County Durham.

Housing association, believe housing, will create 28 wheelchair-adaptable bungalows and 22 three-bedroom family homes on a brownfield site at Truro Avenue in the north of the village.

More than £1.7m of funding from Homes England has been secured for the Murton project through the Government agency’s affordable homes programme. The 50 new homes are part of believe housing’s £70m new-build programme.

Local contractor Esh Living — the affordable housing division of Esh Group — is constructing the properties.

Development Project Manager, Rebecca Marshall, from believe housing says: “We want to provide secure homes that will help the communities in areas like Murton flourish for decades to come.

We focus on developing slightly smaller sites, like this one, and creating much needed new housing. It’s an approach that helps communities grow organically by integrating new-build homes into existing neighbourhoods.”

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

INDUSTRY COMMENT

The Queen’s Speech and housing Matthew Warburton, Policy Advisor at the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH), considers the Queen’s Speech and what it will have to say about housing.

ith the odds on a November General Election, the Queen’s Speech on the 14th October will be less a statement of what Boris Johnson expects his government to achieve in the next legislative session than a list of highlights from his re-election manifesto. Nevertheless it will be interesting to see what it has to say about housing, particularly social housing, which was conspicuous by its absence from the Chancellor’s Spending Round statement on 4th September.

In a speech which he claimed heralded the fastest planned increase in day-to-day departmental spending for 15 years, “turning the page on austerity”, the Chancellor announced significant new money for schools, the police and the NHS and a 2.7% real increase in the 2020/21 MHCLG budget. However, while this included an additional £1.5bn for adult social care, the only sums specifically identified for housing were an additional £54m to help reduce homelessness and rough sleeping and £24m to support introduction of the new Building Safety regime.

As part of a commitment to continue support to increase home ownership, Homes England were set to receive additional funding “to deliver homes where people need them”, but no specific amount was identified. Neither council housing nor housing associations were mentioned — this from a Chancellor who, in his previous role as Secretary of State for Housing

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promised a return to “social housing we can be proud of”.

There is significant unfinished business on social housing inherited from Theresa May’s government. One item is implementation of the 2017 Social Housing Green Paper, including introduction of a new regulatory regime strengthening tenants rights. Theresa May promises publication of the Government’s planned next steps in September, but with the prorogation of Parliament this now looks unlikely.

Building safety regime Another part of the wider response to the Grenfell tragedy is the introduction of the new building safety regime, on which MHCLG consulted earlier this year. Both will require primary legislation and the failure to include either in this Queen’s Speech would be widely interpreted as evidence that the Government is not taking these issues seriously.

While primary legislation is probably not needed to achieve it, it is still not clear whether the new Government supports either Theresa May’s ambition to increase housebuilding to 300,000 homes a year or her commitment to a “new generation of council housing”. Johnson’s record as London Mayor on housing for social rent is not encouraging; whatever their differences on Europe, he seems to have shared with key members of David Cameron’s government a distinct lack of enthusiasm for council housing, believed by some to be motivated by the view that

There is significant “unfinished business on social housing inherited from Theresa May’s government.

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there were no Conservative votes to be had from supporting it.

Even if this were once true, when reelection of a Conservative Government probably depends on capturing a large number of leave-leaning seats in the North from Labour, the votes of council tenants and aspiring council tenants will likely become much more important. There’s no need for a Bill, but some firm evidence in the form of additional funding or greater freedom for councils to re-use capital receipts would go a long way to convince doubters that a new deal for council housing is still on the agenda. I shall be listening with interest to the speeches at the Conservative Party Conference.

www.arch-housing.org.uk

HEALTHCARE ESTATES PREVIEW

The Healthcare Estates IHEEM Awards Dinner will be held at The Principal Manchester

Healthcare insights The exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to browse Healthcare Estates 2019 in October offers new products, innovative solutions and talk with experts from over 250 organisations in the healthcare sector more exhibitors, speakers and exhibition theatres, in addition to a new venue for the dinner and awards. There will also be a special plenary theatre on the exhibition floor this year where keynote presentations will take place. LABM reports.

eynote sessions are open not only to delegates to attend, but to VIP visitors, exhibitors and apprentices. The event hosts the International Federation of Hospital Engineering, and delegates from around the world will be visiting Manchester to attend the event.

Healthcare Estates will take place on 8th and 9th October at Manchester Central.

Whether an Estates and Facilities Director, an apprentice, or any professional level in between; the learning opportunities are many and varied at the two day show and this year the event will host the International Federation of Hospital Engineering. Experts

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from all over the world will also be attending and speaking at the conference.

Exhibition features Healthcare Estates is the only national conference and exhibition to bring together those who design, build, manage and maintain healthcare facilities. The exhibition offers Estate Managers, Directors, and Facilities Managers the opportunity to come and browse new products, new ideas, innovative solutions and talk with experts from over 250 organisations working across the healthcare sector.

Visitors have access to the Healthcare Estates exhibition, plus all the additional

supporting content in the hall, seven theatres of high quality free content. To attend the conference sessions, you need to register as a Delegate.

Conference streams and keynotes The conference has four streams — Strategy and Leadership, Engineering and Facilities Management, Planning Design and Construction, and Innovation.

Keynote sessions in the Plenary Theatre are followed by content that anybody attending the event can go to — a session from the IHEEM Diversity and Inclusion Group on 8th October, and on 9th October, a workshop from NHSI, and an international

Healthcare Estates is the only national conference and exhibition to bring together those who design, build, manage and maintain healthcare facilities

case study session. In addition, there are seven exhibition theatres to choose from.

The presentations in the Plenary Theatre on the first day focus on diversity and inclusion, with speakers from the IHEEM Diversity and Inclusion Working Group; including Chairman of the group Dr Manju Patel, Suzie Mertes from Police Scotland, Claire Hennessy from Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Ashley Dunsmore from Kier Construction, and Trish Marchant from Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Kim Shelley from ETA Projects and Elizabeth Donnelley from WES add to the power of this session, with Simon Adamson from South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and James Chadwick from University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust discussing Engineers of the future.

The afternoon of 9th October will feature international case studies from the Falkland Islands, Germany, and Ireland, covering exemplars in hospital design, energy saving, and facilities management.

Conference programme In the strategy and leadership conference stream, a range of management issues will be covered, including Locality Asset Review (LAR), in which public sector assets will be assessed against current and projected clinical need and future demographics of the area, to ensure efficiency and make savings. Other sessions include Offsite construction and the benefits of extending existing clinical space with minimal disruption to ongoing service.

There will also be a session on the creation of an index for healthcare

planning, to ensure that cities are ready for future healthcare requirements and the rise in urban-based populations. Coupled with planning healthcare infrastructure for the climate of the future, the emphasis is on planning for healthcare provision beyond the decade that is about to begin.

The engineering and facilities management conference sessions on the Tuesday include ventilation and air quality, cleaning and decontamination, and water hygiene risk assessment. The second day of the event dives deep into the technology of energy saving and electrical safety, covering electrical infrastructure design, low energy buildings with renewable energy technology, and energy saving in compressed air systems.

on the mental health and performance of building users will be discussed.

Acoustics and noise in the hospital environment is an important topic up for discussion, whether noise is in regular wards or the ICU environment, low noise levels and appropriate acoustics are important for patient recovery, relieving pressure on beds and speeding recovery time. The conference also features exemplars of hospital planning, design and construction, one covering a new hospital in Strasbourg, and the 10-year planning, design and build process involved, and another example of the integration of new and old healthcare buildings at a maternity and paediatric care facility in Italy.

Exhibition theatres The seven exhibition theatres give visitors plenty of opportunity to catch up on the latest products, regulations, and best practice with free content for all and relevant exhibitors providing solutions to the many topics discussed. The seven theatres are — HVAC & Engineering Theatre; Infection Control and Water Theatre; Design and Construction Theatre; Training, Staffing and Apprentice Zone; Energy and Sustainability Theatre; Facilities Management Theatre; and Fire and Security Theatre.

Healthcare environments Planning, design and construction will begin with a session by Procure 22, looking at achievements and initiatives within the framework for the past 12 months, an update on the P22 EPP programme, and the framework in practice. This will be followed by the importance of art in the healthcare environment to reduce stress and aggression, research into the influence of design on physical and psychological health, and the impact of outside spaces and gardens within hospital settings, on the wellbeing of patients, visitors and healthcare professionals.

Hospital accessibility for patients with specific mobility issues is also considered, with a new wayfinding scheme showcased. Mental health and the design that this specialist patient group need in a healthcare setting, including a case study of patient-centred hospital design in Finland, and biophilic design and its impact

Awards dinner The Healthcare Estates IHEEM Awards Dinner takes place on Tuesday 8th October at the iconic building, The Principal Manchester. A magnificent terracotta Grade II listed building, the hotel has a history dating back to 1890, when it first opened as The Refuge Assurance Company headquarters. The awards ceremony and dinner will take place in the Grand Ballroom, with the pre-dinner drinks reception in the Whitworth Rooms.

With an expected 600 guests attending, the awards dinner celebrates excellence and achievement in the industry. The After-Dinner speaker this year is Peter McDonald, who has been a Consultant General Surgeon at Northwick Park and St. Mark’s (NPM) since 1991.

■ To register for Healthcare Estates visit www.healthcare-estates.com

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LEGAL UPDATE

Deborah Rowntree is a Senior Associate in the Housing Finance team at Winckworth Sherwood.

■ Deborah can be reached by email: drowntree@wslaw.co.uk.

Visit www.wslaw.co.uk for more information.

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irspace development involves building units offsite using modular construction and then installing them on top of existing residential, commercial or retail properties.

An innovator in this sphere, Apex Airspace recently received just under £20m of funding from the GLA and Homes England representing a welcome further emphasis from all levels of government on innovative methods of housing delivery.

Apex has estimated that there is space on top of existing buildings for 180,000 new homes in London alone, which would represent 42% of the need identified by the London Plan.

One of the major benefits for housing associations of airspace development is that it means affordable housing can be developed on existing housing stock providing opportunities to maximise their existing assets and to increase the value of existing buildings in the process. As the units are built offsite, development is done

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Reach for the skies Change is clearly required if we are going to solve the ongoing housing crisis in the UK, and embracing alternative methods of development, such as airspace development, will be a major step, says Winckworth Sherwood’s Deborah Rowntree. with minimum disruption to existing residents. Modular is one of the most exciting innovations across property and is favoured by government as one of the keys to addressing delivery shortages and improving efficiency.

The result is precision-engineered affordable homes, built on top of existing developments in ready-made communities.

And by building on existing developments, homes are delivered in areas which already contain the necessary infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and transport links for people to move into established neighbourhoods straightaway.

If we are going to meet housing targets, housing associations need to be ambitious.

However, there are undoubtedly challenges as airspace development continues to grow.

Homes England funding, we were involved in extensive negotiations with existing freeholders and leaseholders, and had to consider planning impacts on rights to light. Further, there is the ongoing challenge of convincing lenders and mortgage providers to accept modular built homes as security.

Housing associations “need to team up with specialist developers who bring the necessary expertise to navigate this new form of

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Overcoming the challenges

development.

Identifying suitable buildings for adaptation is typically the first hurdle. While there is great potential to build upwards, finding the right base can be an intricate process.

For this reason, strategic partnerships are crucial. Housing associations need to team up with specialist developers who bring the necessary expertise to navigate this new form of development.

Another challenge is that bespoke financing arrangements and development documents are required for airspace development, as it is not adequately covered by standard documentation.

Also, when we acted for Apex on the

However, as more rooftop homes are built and modular construction becomes more widely used, the potential of airspace development to help housing associations build affordable housing will become more and more evident.

Every suitable property in the country represents an opportunity, and in the context of a national housing shortage, housing associations should give serious consideration to this method of providing new affordable homes.

VOICE OF THE ARCHITECT

Architects are at the coalface when it comes to the planning process — let them do their jobs, says Vicky Saunders, Managing Director of architecture firm BTP. Here Vicky explains why she believes a new ministerial team and policy agenda provides an opportunity to bring architects to the forefront of the planning process.

At the coalface

he architect is the champion of quality, but currently has no power to influence the developer led planning process. If we want to achieve quality design that lasts the pace, this needs to change. Let’s resist a negative reliance on standards and look at how we can simplify the planning process while bringing architects to the forefront.

Over the years we’ve seen that a system focused on standards that excludes architects does not have the positive impact and lasting legacy we are all striving for. Yet several new pieces of planning policy are on the horizon. These include the Accelerated Planning Green Paper (APGP), which is due to be published in the autumn.

At the moment the pre-application system significantly protracts the whole process. The pre-application stops communication with planners. It would be a welcome step forward if the Green Paper leads to a change that simplifies the process so that planning can be more agile, efficient and effective.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is also another factor. It is meant to put a stronger emphasis on high-quality design of new homes and places. It includes a new Housing Delivery Test for local authorities focused on ‘driving up the numbers of homes actually delivered in their area, rather than how many are planned for’.

Add to this a new Design Manual with 10 key principles of good design that is in the pipeline from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government as part of their

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Planning Practice Guidance, and you have several pieces of well-meaning policy.

But how will these all align in practice?

These tend to be London-centric policies and neglect to involve architects even though we are at the coalface. They also sidestep the fact that the driver behind all these policy changes is cost. And now, in light of the appointment of our new Prime Minister, another new housing minister, Robert Jenrick and Esther McVey put in charge of planning; what will happen to the APGP and other policies?

Important role My plea in the face of the tide of all this additional policy is simple. Let architects do their job. Put us at the centre of the planning process so we can deliver excellent design.

Let’s recognise best practice guidance cannot be a substitute for skilled designers and their ability to analyse places and design with flair and sensitivity.

We have an important role to play in defending the quality of design, but all partners involved in a project need to be pulling in the same direction and communicating effectively or it can inhibit development and slow projects down to a standstill.

While I have worked on many successful collaborative projects, there are those where a good design has been stripped right back by the developer.

Money must not come before quality — good designs are too often watered down.

We need to empower certified architects, allow them to be more handson at the site of developments. A self-audit checklist could be an effective tool.

Architects could also be accredited to validate planning applications for small schemes to simplify the process.

Design process I believe including renewables and a refocusing on the sustainability and carbon footprint of each build should be an important part of the design process and the level of self-auditing I’m suggesting. We would all follow the same basic standards and it would result in a lighter touch planning process, helping to accelerate developments.

It is also worth considering ways processes could be changed to make section 106 more efficient. It could be prepared alongside the planning in the early stages with a standard template rather than adding up to 12 weeks to the process.

Some standards that have been abolished mean we have lost valuable guidance. A reintroduction of Standard Scheme Development Standards for all tenures would be a really positive step. This leads to an internal quality of the layout, which is as valid as the external appearance.

I hope the Head of National Architecture, Andy von Bradskey can offer us architects some hope too. I urge him to champion the importance of design in the planning process as all these policy plans come to fruition in the coming months.

By putting architects at the centre of a simplified planning process we can prioritise quality design and create homes that not only look great but also are built to last.

■ www.btparchitects.co.uk

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SPECIAL REPORT: HOMES FOR LATER LIVING

©Rawpixel/AdobeStock

Later life homes Poor housing is set to contribute to almost one million more older people suffering falls-related injuries. A new report authored by former Treasury economist is calling for 30,000 additional homes for later living every year to boost mental and physical health of older people. LABM reports. he NHS could be overwhelmed by nearly a million extra older people suffering from falls related injuries, as new research reveals a link between good quality housing and physical and mental health outcomes for older people. The findings are part of a major research project by WPI Strategy for Homes for Later Living, a new consortium of housing providers who specialise in homes designed for older people.

The report, authored by former Treasury economist Chris Walker, says that as Brits are living longer, the number of people aged 80 or over who will suffer from falls is expected to rise from 1.6 million today to around 2.5 million in 2032, a rise of 900,000. In line with this increase, by 2032 the total cost to the NHS of falls amongst the elderly will rise to £2bn a year.

The report says more needs to be done to focus on the link between poor health and the quality of housing available to

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people in later life. It highlights a severe shortage of housing being built specifically for the growing numbers of retirees. The result is that many older people are often living alone in mainstream housing that is unsafe, unsuitable and unhealthy, and this is where they are most likely to suffer from falls, social isolation and dementia.

Key findings include: ●

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Each person living in housing specifically designed for later life designed for later enjoys a reduced risk of health challenges, contributing to fiscal savings to the NHS and social care services of c. £3,500 per year.

Those in specialist housing are half as likely to have falls with resulting fractures, injuries and costly inpatient bed stays.

Building 30,000 more retirement housing dwellings every year for the

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next 10 years, which is the estimated demand, would generate fiscal savings across the NHS and social services of £2.1bn annually.

Based on a selection of established national well-being criteria such as happiness and life satisfaction, an average person aged 80 feels as good as someone 10 years younger after moving from mainstream housing to housing specially designed for later living.

Ageing population According to latest government forecasts, the number of people aged over 80 is set to rise from around 3.2 million today to five million in 2032. Meanwhile, the number of people aged 100 or over has increased by 85% over the last 15 years, with 14,430 centenarians living in the UK.

John Slaughter, Homes for Later Living, says: “There is currently a severe shortage of suitable housing for the growing numbers of people in retirement. The consequences are severe, both to the NHS, which will be under increased financial pressure from falls related injuries, and to individuals who are often living alone in mainstream housing that is unsafe, unsuitable and unhealthy. This is where they are most likely to suffer from physical and mental health problems."

Rachael Maskell MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Ageing and Older People comments: “As people in the UK get older, there is currently a severe shortage of housing being built specifically for those in later life. The result is that many older people are often living alone in substandard accommodation, where they are more likely to suffer from falls, loneliness and dementia.

"This is why we urgently need more specialist retirement housing. Building more homes across all tenures for later living every year would give people more choice and flexibility on how they live their lives."

Greater planning powers

Good quality housing critical

Responding to the report, the Local Government Association’s Housing Spokesman, Cllr David Renard, says: “Councils are working hard to meet the housing needs of older people, including working with developers to offer suitably designed and affordable specialist housing. Councils need to be given greater planning powers and resources to hold developers to account, ensuring they build the right homes in the right places with the required infrastructure needed by different groups within local communities.

“But it is crucial to acknowledge that the majority of older people will live in existing housing. The Government needs to continue to invest in supporting the adaptation of homes to meet the needs of people as their circumstances change, keep older people safe and independent in their homes and prevent avoidable admissions to hospital and care homes.

“However, for councils to be able to do more, the Disabled Facilities Grant needs to be fully funded to keep pace with future demand and be easier for people to access.”

Cllr Tom Beattie, District Councils’ Network Spokesperson for Better Lives, commentd: “Good quality housing is absolutely critical to supporting everybody’s health and wellbeing, and district councils are committed to making sure people are safe and well at home.sHowever existing housing stock is not suitable for meeting the needs of people as they get older, increasing the risk of falls in the home.

“This is why the Government needs to increase the size of the Disabled Facilities Grant so districts have the funding to provide the home adaptations older people need and rely on.

“With more than 70% of future households including someone over the age of 65, it is really important that we build more homes which support people to age well, by giving districts more powers to build the homes our communities need.”

■ To download a copy of the Healthier and Happier report visit www.rdr.link/li003

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SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS & COMMUNAL BUILDINGS

A seismic transformation Richard Crosby looks at how a pioneering consortium could transform the way schools are designed, procured and built offsite. he innovations developed by the Seismic Consortium have been unveiled and have been hailed as a trailblazer for transforming construction. Seismic was established to carry out research and development into the increased use of standardisation to help reduce costs and lead times, and radically improve productivity in the delivery of outstanding schools.

An innovative open source app has now been launched for the design of primary schools, and a universal connection solution and standardised structural frame for schools built offsite.

The project was funded by UKRI through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and Innovate UK. The partners involved in the Seismic initiative recognised its potential and invested significant resources into the initiative. ● The original concept was developed by blacc who then provided project leadership. ● Leading offsite specialists The McAvoy Group and Elliott collaborated to standardise the structural components

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for schools built offsite, with a view to expanding the market and de-risking offsite for clients. In an unprecedented move, these partners successfully combined their offsite manufacturing expertise for the success of the project.

The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) co-ordinated the bid submission and was a catalyst to create the consortium. The MTC gave the partners the opportunity to think beyond how schools have been delivered previously and apply more manufacturing principles to the construction of new schools, helping to develop more efficient processes.

Bryden Wood provided digital expertise and led the development of the technology for the configurator.

Standardising offsite construction for school buildings The starting point with the framing solution was to engineer a single, standardised way for McAvoy and Elliott to interconnect their respective modular building systems. An engineered solution was developed to

Lauren Allen, Project Manager at the Manufacturing Technology Centre with David Clark, Manufacturing Director of The McAvoy Group at the Seismic launch

connect each of the steel frames that make up a module — and to interconnect each module vertically and horizontally. The result is fewer welded joints and connections — which means less steel, less weight, faster assembly and therefore reduced cost.

The framing solution has been standardised around building clusters developed by the Department for Education (DfE). It has a single width and height, and three length options to suit schools — using the same connection solution.

The principle of standardised, manufactured components is that greater volumes will drive down costs and simplify procurement. For example, the DfE can pre-order a series of modules from a number of manufacturers that will be available ‘off the shelf’ for faster building assembly when a site receives planning.

The productivity, cost and environmental benefits By rationalising the design of the steel frame, the number of components have been reduced. This means faster assembly

The framing solution has been standardised around building clusters developed by the Department for Education (DfE)

in the factory — increasing productivity by up to 50%. Work on site to interconnect modules is also more efficient.

Research has shown that this approach significantly reduces the number of frame components and will therefore use 25% less steel. The reductions in steel components and assembly time generate a cost saving for these elements of up to 25%.

With fewer components, the weight of the modules will reduce by 25% with no compromise on structural rigidity — resulting in 25% lower carbon emissions for the offsite construction of an average 40-module school. This is equivalent to 155,000 miles of car driving or 17 flights from London to Sydney.

The Seismic School Configurator An innovative open source app has been developed which enables the full spectrum of community to get involved in the design of primary schools. The Seismic School app is a user-friendly, free web-based tool developed to accelerate the initial design and feasibility stages.

It will enable anyone from architects, planners and manufacturers to teaching professionals, parents and pupils to configure a primary school building that will precisely meet their user needs on a specific site in compliance with DfE and

An engineered solution was developed to connect each of the steel frames

The partners have demonstrated an unprecedented “level of collaboration which we hope will inspire other forward-thinking projects to help innovate in construction and produce more efficient, sustainable and affordable buildings.

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regulatory requirements. The tool reduces the time and cost of the initial design phases from weeks to minutes and democratises the input of stakeholders by including them in the process.

Inspiring future innovation Sam Stacey, Challenge Director – Transforming Construction at UKRI, said: “Seismic is a powerful example that the targets set out in the Construction 2025 Strategy are achievable. It is one of the first Innovate UK projects under Transforming Construction to be completed and demonstrates that this level of collaboration is the future of construction.

“The initiative has been a tremendous success and has hit all of the targets for Transforming Construction. The partners have demonstrated an unprecedented level of collaboration which we hope will inspire other forward-thinking projects to

help innovate in construction and produce more efficient, sustainable and affordable buildings “These innovations have the potential to change the way education projects are designed, procured and constructed, helping to meet the rising demand for school places and increase capacity in the construction industry.

“The commitment, investment and R&D capabilities of each of the partners has been very impressive. Seismic has shown how by working together as an industry, even greater progress and innovation can be accomplished.”

Next steps The benefits are already being realised in new DfE procurement frameworks. The team is in the process of completing testing of the framing solution. The next stage is collaboration with steel fabricators to develop the standardised components and establish a supply chain to make these available to the offsite market in the coming months. This approach will aggregate demand to reduce cost.

The longer-term aim is to develop a ‘product family’ for different types of buildings, such as residential. The team also has aspirations to ‘componentise’ other parts of a school building to offer a whole school solution, including walls and roofs.

Richard Crosby is Director of construction consultants blacc Seismic School app

■ To access the Seismic School app visit www/rdr.link/li004

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SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS & COMMUNAL BUILDINGS

Mulberry Park Community Hub

Changing façades Simon Gregory considers how rainscreen cladding systems are enabling architects to move away from traditional school building design to create structures that inspire a new generation of students. chool buildings have evolved dramatically over the years as architects move away from traditional bricks and mortar and are instead opting for contemporary materials that create structures that both stand out and positively impact teachers and students. Many of these new schools, particularly large academies and primary schools, are also being developed for use outside of teaching hours, for example, acting as a central community building, gym and even with facilities for hire.

The RIBA Better Spaces for Learning report states that school buildings have a significant and positive impact on pupil behaviour, engagement, wellbeing and attainment and on staff productivity, with the most comfortable and well-designed facilities demonstrating a 15% overall increase. As such, architects are recognising that the design of a school is extremely important and should incorporate plenty of light, space and colour amongst other things.

The studies, conducted in recent years, have also cited that the design of the external learning environment can have a

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substantial effect on creativity, security, and play quality of pupils; so how the school looks on the outside is important.

Innovation in cladding materials over the last few years has resulted in façades developing from simply providing an outer shell that protects a building, into one where it has the ability to define the style and form of an entire project. Modern rainscreen cladding systems have progressed to a stage where they now provide architects and designers with the freedom to create aesthetically pleasing school buildings that also improve the overall teaching experience for pupils.

Community hub The new Mulberry Park Community Hub is a great example of such a building. The cantilevered structure, which acts as a local primary school and nursery as well as a mixed-use commercial facility and public hall, shines bright at the centre of a new residential development near Bath and features a combination of Proteus perforated and solid TECU Gold cladding panels.

The £10m building, commissioned by housing association Curo and designed

The ‘Gold’ façade material is a mix of copper and aluminium

by architects BDP, sits at the heart of Mulberry Park, the renovation of the former Ministry of Defence site on Fox Hill in the village of Combe Down on the southern fringes of Bath.

The Hub supports a contemporary development of 700 high quality homes and open spaces. Within easy reach for local residents, the building, fronting on to a new public square, accommodates a 210-place primary school, a 70-place nursery and public use facilities including a café, clinic, a fitness suite and business enterprise and flexible spaces for hire.

The eye-catching development features our TECU Gold panels with a PPC coated aluminium support frame on the school hall and the third floor, cantilevered above the main entrance and Public Square. Proteus SC is an engineered panel system that is offered in either solid, perforated or mesh panel formats. By utilising an extensive range of metals, colours, textures and forms it can add another dimension to any façade cladding project.

The perforated pattern within the façade at Mulberry Park is derived from historic aerial photographs of the harbours

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judges commended “theRICS project ‘for creating an exemplary community hub that is a trailblazer for future community buildings’.

and was developed in conjunction with the supporting frame, which was required due to limitations in material thickness. We used our framing system on this face, which meant the architects could specify a thinner perforated skin on the face of the panel without resulting in deflection or distortion, helping the striking façade remain within budget requirements.

Complementary solid TECU Gold rainscreen cladding panels feature at ground floor level, adding structure and providing an aesthetically pleasing, hardwearing layer that protects the building from the elements.

The ‘Gold’ façade material is a mix of copper and aluminium and offers outstanding mechanical abrasion and is highly corrosion resistant and durable. The initial bright gold appearance of the façade will gradually oxidise following installation, forming an enchanting warm golden surface.

Architectural creativity Buildings featuring cladding systems made from copper alloy materials, like the Mulberry Park Community Hub, provide a vast scope of opportunities for architectural creativity.

The striking natural, ever-changing surface creates unique, one-off designs that simply

The eye-catching development features TECU Gold panels with a PPC coated aluminium support frame from Proteus

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are not possible with some other cladding materials. The use of the colour yellow and its varying shades, including gold, is also found to be beneficial to learning as it creates a positive feeling in pupils and is optimum for maintaining attention and encouraging creativity.

This is one of the reasons the Mulberry Park Community Hub was recently crowned the winner of the South West Community Benefit category at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards 2019.

The award recognises outstanding achievement in providing a facility that directly benefits the local community and can demonstrate its success through local community feedback.

RICS judges commended the project team — BDP Architects, housing association and housebuilder Curo, Rydon Construction and surveyors Ridge & Partners — “for creating an exemplary community hub that is a trailblazer for future community buildings.”

With a distinctive design that not only stands out but also benefits learning and provides the community with a base that features a nod to the heritage of the area, it is no doubt that Mulberry Park will be valued by residents. It will also shine bright not just as a mixed-use development utilised by people of all ages, but as a beacon of the local community for future generations — thanks in part to its aesthetically pleasing and engaging gold façade.

Simon Gregory is Sales Director at Proteus Façades ■ For more information on the range of TECU cladding materials visit www.rdr.link/li005

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Check out...

LABMONLINE.CO.UK Designed as an essential information resource for local authority and housing association specifiers, LABM’s website provides details on all the latest industry announcements, regulatory changes, contract awards, case studies and upcoming events.

The site showcases project videos as well as new technologies and construction solutions, in addition to featuring opinion from leading industry commentators, councils, HAs, contractors and suppliers.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for all the latest news @LABMmag

SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS & COMMUNAL BUILDINGS

To comply with the new regulations handwashing taps in schools need to be easy to use, hygienic, durable and water-efficient

Making the grade Tony Rheinberg discusses Annex 2A and offers advice on how education specifiers can meet the grades in school washrooms. eeling safe and comfortable is so important for school children when visiting the washroom, especially for nursery and early years pupils who may still be developing their confidence around their own toilet routines. Decisions over what these environments look and feel like can have a significant impact on a child’s overall experience, and it’s important to note that much of this is regulated very explicitly in the UK. In November 2017, the Government restructured and added to the legislation around the creation of school washrooms, including a new technical annex (Technical Annex 2A). This document, most recently updated in May 2019, covers sanitaryware requirements for all stages of education from early years through to primary and secondary schools, setting out new performance criteria.

Meeting these requirements has become mandatory for any project funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). At Armitage Shanks, we aim to make it as easy as possible for schools to meet these requirements and our education product offering gives specifiers a wide range of solutions for all age groups, as well as literature for guidance. However, it’s crucial that decision-makers are aware of what standards they need to meet to

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ensure they specify the correct products.

So, what do specifiers need to know to create compliant school bathrooms?

Better basins Central to the new standards is the provision that any wash troughs or clusters of basins for all age groups need to have fully concealed plumbing. This is intended to maximise safety while also eliminating the risk of tampering. Annex 2A specifies that any wash troughs must be built out of a completely non-porous material, such as recycled plastic or china, which allows for an even and smooth surface and prevents the build-up of germs. Additionally, these basins need to be supported off the wall so there are no legs or other connections to the floor for ease of cleaning.

Armitage Shanks Contour 21 school troughs allow for total compliance with Annex 2A. Our 1,000mm two-person and 1,500mm three-person wash troughs are free of sharp edges and built with hidden access panels which come in a variety of vibrant colours. This helps reduce the risk of accidents in the washroom and ensure pipework is concealed but accessible for servicing. They are also made to reduce the risk of waterborne infection as both troughs are made of virtuous china, making them quick and easy to clean. Their shape

minimises the risk of splashing, reducing the spread of germs and damage to the surrounding washroom. At the same time these wash troughs are both fire retardant and UV stable, meaning they don’t bleach in sunlight.

When it comes to individual hand washbasins, much like the wash troughs, Annex 2A states that the pipework such as traps and waste pipes must be concealed within vanity units or other furniture.

Engineers should be able to access maintenance equipment through a removable panel, using tamper-proof fixings. They also need to be able to meet the performance requirements set out in BS EN 14688:2015 to withstand the daily high-traffic in school environments.

Robust, compliant and economical Another key thing to note in Annex 2A is the requirement that toilet pans and cisterns in schools, as well as the parts inside them all need to be sourced from a single manufacturer, helping improve standardisation and traceability. As with the aforementioned products, the internal components have to be concealed, tamper-proof, but accessible.

All toilets must be made out of china, or another material which can be demonstrated to work equally as well, and have internal

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Annex 2A states that the

must allow for an even surface when fixed to the sink or trough, so they can be cleaned effectively. Alternatively, taps can be wall mounted, as long as there is the necessary level of robust wall panelling that conceals the system.

pipework such as traps and

Accessible and safe

When it comes to “individual hand washbasins, much like the wash troughs,

waste pipes must be concealed within vanity units or other furniture.

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overflow systems. They also require a dualflushing capability which shall be either a 6/4 litre, 4.5/3 litre or 4/2.6 flush. The flushing mechanism itself should be a dual flush plate with separate buttons for low and standard volume flush. In terms of performance, it must comply with the Water Regulation Guide WRAS as well as the UK Class 2 Flush Test. The toilet seats and lids chosen for schools all need to be top fitting and made in accordance with BS 1254:1981.

Installation is key The new regulations make it clear that handwashing taps in schools need to be easy to use, hygienic, durable and waterefficient. This means the specification of non-concussive press taps (ones which turn themselves off after a certain amount of time) is a good option. These taps can be adjusted to give a longer or shorter run time, helping deliver the optimum amount of water. Alternatively, sensor taps are another viable product which will deliver the desired specification of water. When installed, Annex 2A requires that deck mounted taps

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Creating the right environment for accessible toilets is crucial within schools when making spaces for children and younger adults who are less independent.

The new Annex 2A document states that washrooms must include accessible cisterns with tamper proof plates to avoid both dirt and bacteria build-up.

Additionally, visually distinctive, contrasting colours must be used on products such as sanitaryware, grab rails and alarm cords. This is to allow people with visual impairments to locate the fittings. At the same time the toilet seat should be in a contrasting colour so visually impaired people can see if it is up or not.

Colour and contrast in inclusive bathrooms are areas in which Armitage Shanks has been investigating for a number of years, which is why we have created our enhanced Doc M offering which guarantees compliance in schools and a better solution for those with sight loss. Research we’ve conducted has found the colour red is more easily seen than other colours by those living with visual impairments.

Better looking washrooms Research suggests that children are often more reluctant to use toilet facilities when they are unattractive and even reduce their intake of fluids so they can avoid

Annex 2A requires that deck mounted taps allow for an even surface when fixed to the sink so they can be cleaned effectively

visiting the toilet . With this in mind, it is imperative that designers and specifiers equip washrooms with welcoming and softer aesthetics. For example, Armitage Shanks’ Splash range is designed with bright colours and child friendly features such as easy open seats and green eco buttons, appealing to younger children to promote positive bathroom behaviour.

1. https://www.cypcs.org.uk/ufiles/ToiletsLiterature-Review.pdf

Tony Rheinberg is Senior Sector Marketing Manager at Ideal Standard ■ Armitage Shanks has created a new brochure containing all its Annex 2A compliant washroom solutions. For more information on the company’s standardised educational washroom range visit www.rdr.link/li006

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A new digital service for our readers

With a wide array of online resources supporting the latest solutions – from videos to technical guides, PDFs to Podcasts – it can be a challenge to locate what you need.

To ensure you don’t miss out on these valuable resources, we are introducing rdr.link – a new, rapid service to transport you immediately to the online resources mentioned in our stories.

So, in articles you may now see things like: “To view an exclusive time-lapse video of the process use rdr.link/AB101”

Simply enter rdr.link/ with the unique 5 digit code into a browser and it will take you directly to the mentioned resource – in this case the video.

Or, on other pages, you may notice: “For more new products & solutions use rdr.link/AB101” Just type rdr.link/AB101 into your browser and be transported to the products section on our website, packed full of new solutions.

Designed to help busy professionals rapidly locate more information – look out for & use rdr.link

SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS & COMMUNAL BUILDINGS

Raymond Millar looks at how a new ambulatory care facility was delivered at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in less than a year – an unprecedented programme for the scale and complexity of the project.

Northumbria Hospital

Pushing the boundaries n March 2018, Northumbria Healthcare Trust called the McAvoy offsite healthcare team to a meeting to discuss their ambitious schedule of accommodation.

The Trust had established a clinical need for a purpose-designed ambulatory care facility to help decompress a very busy emergency department and ensure patients are seen quickly by the most appropriate healthcare professional.

Ambulatory care provides urgent same day medical care without the need for patients to stay overnight in hospital.

Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital opened in 2015 and is England’s first purpose-built specialist emergency care hospital, with emergency consultants on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, supported by consultants in a range of specialties. However, the existing facilities did not suit the type of service provision offered by ambulatory care — which was operating in a converted ward. The Trust believed the most effective solution would be a dedicated, purpose-designed unit to provide a much-improved environment for patients — and built using offsite construction to achieve earlier occupation.

The new building had to follow the architectural principles of the existing hospital. This has a bold, striking and simplistic design, and is finished in the Trust’s corporate colours of blue and white.

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Award-winning healthcare architects P+HS had worked with both the Trust and The McAvoy Group previously and were brought into the team to develop the schedule of accommodation with the users and the design to suit offsite construction.

Advancements in digital technology Virtual reality (VR) and 3D modelling were used to assist the user group in assessing the building design and layout. This also helped to inform stakeholders about how the proposed spaces would be used on completion. Nurses could ‘walk through’ the building for familiarisation. This digital solution gave the client full awareness of the space and how the different specialisms would interact.

The user group was able to experience the facilities, check adjacencies and select colour schemes in a virtual environment as part of the detailed design phase. One Virtual reality (VR) and 3D modelling were used to assist the user group in assessing the building design and layout

person wearing a headset would ‘drive’ the VR with others in the group looking on.

Rob Sanderson, Deputy Director of Capital Projects at the Trust says: “Having a VR model of our proposed new facilities was invaluable. It allowed us to demonstrate the clinical environment to our staff and stakeholders, equipping them with all the information they needed while the project was under construction. As a Trust, we are committed to utilising the latest digital technology and will aim to use VR on future development projects wherever possible, following its success with this scheme.”

From briefing to building envelope The structure for the 6,500m2 threestorey building was manufactured offsite

by McAvoy in a £15m contract using the latest modular technology to minimise disruption to patient care and reduce the build programme by half. The building was The structure for the 6,500m2 three-storey building was manufactured offsite by McAvoy

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Key facts and project team: Client:

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Value: £15m Building size: 6,500m2 Design and build/offsite specialists: The McAvoy Group Cost consultants: Summers Inman Architects: P+HS Architects Consulting engineers: DSSR Civil and structural engineers: 3e M&E contractor: Dowds Group

The structure being assembled in McAvoy’s factory

craned into position as 294 steel-framed modules in a highly complex operation and just 10 months after the initial meeting with the Trust.

The new wing is linked to the existing hospital on three levels. The first floor was fitted out by McAvoy as part of this contract to accommodate one of the UK’s first purpose-designed Ambulatory Care units, with the two other floors fitted out in the next phase of the development.

The project features a number of innovations. It used larger, bespoke modules up to 14.85m long which were specially engineered to provide a structural flooring solution that seamlessly integrates the existing hospital building on each level.

This met the key requirement for efficient patient flows. Mechanical ventilation, heating and cooling systems were installed in the ceiling voids in the McAvoy factory — an industry first in the healthcare sector.

New model of care

The Clinical Perspective

The dedicated, 2,025m2 facility for ambulatory care provides medical, surgical and gynaecology care in a relaxed and comfortable environment. It also accommodates a fracture clinic. This allows around 100-120 patients to be treated the same day across four specialisms, without the need for hospital admissions — seven days a week. This is helping to de-congest the emergency department.

Dr Eliot Sykes, Clinical Director for Surgery and Elective Care, says: “The building was clinically designed and led and there was fantastic collaboration and engagement across the clinical, estates, design, and construction teams. This strong working relationship at every level was key to the project’s success.

“The users were very engaged from the outset and had the freedom to express their views on the design development. The design of new hospital facilities is too often finalised without clinical input — which then compromises efficiency and the patient environment. This was not the case here. The engagement process was very agile.

“The amount of natural light is an excellent feature and was a fundamental design requirement. This is so important for staff and

The latest offsite technology McAvoy pushed the boundaries of offsite construction with this project. It is a highly complex scheme on a live hospital site. The design of the existing hospital has been integrated into the extension and offsite construction has delivered the building to a very short programme. A hybrid solution was developed which incorporates both offsite and in-situ building methods. This approach enhanced quality and reduced disruption to staff and patients.

The construction solution has a threestorey offsite structure with an in-situ built curved link on each floor, a roof-top plant room and full-height stair towers.

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patients. The new ambulatory care unit has already made a very real difference to our patients. It will significantly enhance our ability to manage peaks in demand whilst still providing dedicated ambulatory care. Offsite construction has been brilliant in terms of build quality and the pace of construction.

We were amazed at the rapid progress from our first meeting to commissioning, and for a building of this scale.

“Most importantly, feedback from patients has been extremely positive. They love the design and talk about the progressive model of care. Their experience is that waiting times are shorter and they are impressed with the rapid diagnostics service. This is an outstanding facility for the Trust and is really unique in the UK.”

Raymond Millar is Construction Director at The McAvoy Group ■ For more information about offsite solutions for healthcare buildings visit www.rdr.link/li007

SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS & COMMUNAL BUILDINGS ROUND-UP

Modular flooring system gives university a touch of class The Altro Ensemble modular flooring system is providing Cardiff University with an attractive, modern and flexible way to create stunning interiors. Cardiff University has fitted wood-effect Altro Ensemble LVTs in the reception area and ground floor corridors of its Business School, as part of a refurbishment that was designed and managed by WSP. The aim was to create a modern, stylish space that would be easy to maintain. The flooring offers colour blocking to geometric patterns, with a range of plank and tile sizes as well as textures, with 57 options to mix and match and natural wood and stone variants too. The flooring is 2.6mm thick with a 0.55mm wear layer. It features 15dB sound reduction qualities and offers added comfort underfoot.

■ For more information on the modular flooring range visit www.rdr.link/li008 New inclusive washroom at Royal Preston Hospital Armitage Shanks recently worked in partnership with Royal Preston Hospital to create an inclusive and welcoming new children’s washroom for the paediatrics ward. The new washroom has been designed to include a sunny beach theme to put the children being cared for, as well as those around them, at ease. The project involved the refurbishment of the children’s washroom, and included the installation of grab rails, back supports and a hoist to help accommodate young patients with physical limitations. Back-to-wall, supportive toilets were also chosen for the ward, which include an anti-microbial glaze to reduce the risk of infection. The installation of the supportive healthcare solutions has created a space that minimises the chances of patients slipping and falling.

■ For more information on Armitage Shanks inclusive range of healthcare washroom products visit www.rdr.link/li009 Uxbridge school celebrates 150th anniversary with mural BAL helped an Uxbridge school celebrate its 150th anniversary by providing fixing materials for a special tiled mural. The large mural on the side of the school features a tree made up of handprints from every one of the 250 plus pupils and staff. Site Manager Gerry McGuire tiled the mural using BAL’s new Flex One enhanced S1 standard set adhesive and grouted with Micromax2 in Snow. Suitable for use internally or externally it offers a long open and working time, excellent non-slip properties and six-hour set. Using up to 15mm bed depth aids building out in problematic isolated areas — such as this project on external render.

■ For more information on the Flex One enhanced S1 standard set adhesive visit www.rdr.link/li010 School gets help shielding children from sea storms Due to the poor condition of the roof at George Hastwell School in Barrow-in-Furness, surveyors Cunliffes determined that the roof be stripped according to the BMI UK & Ireland specification and that none of the existing system be left in situ. Calculations showed that both the membrane and the insulation beneath would be subject to windloads of up to 2.79kN/m2 at the corners. This meant the insulation had to be bonded separately using TPI insulation adhesive — a foaming, odourless, VOC-free twopart rapid curing polyurethane adhesive manufactured from bio-renewable materials. For the non-flammable concrete substrates, BMI Icopal Tecnatorch Sand and Siplast Primer were applied as the vapour control layer. For the plywood decks, the vapour control layer comprised BMI Icopal TorchSafe TA VCL Sanded and SA Primer.

■ For more details of BMI UK & Ireland’s flat and pitched roofing solutions visit www.rdr.link/li011 3 4

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Modular classroom solution for Isle of Anglesey schools

The Isle of Anglesey County Council appointed Elite Systems to provide a twoclassroom unit to Ysgol Morswyn in Holyhead and a one-classroom unit to Ysgol Pencaernisiog in Ty Croes. The modular buildings at the school both comprise nursery space, after-school facilities, WCs for infants and staff, storage, kitchens, offices and staff rooms, as well as an entrance lobby. Elite Systems built both classroom units in its West Yorkshire factory, ensuring high quality standards and that the classrooms achieved the required acoustic and thermal insulation performance levels. The units were transported to Anglesey to be finished onsite and the installation was completed ready for use at the start of the new term in September.

■ To find out more about Elite Systems’ solutions visit www.rdr.link/li012 Commercial stainless steel WC now in a white wash A new white powder coated version of Pland Stainless ‘popular Atlanta2 back-towall WC pan is now available. The new model offers the same hygiene and strength properties as stainless steel but in a clean white finish. The Atlanta2 model is 400mm by 360mm with a 580mm projection from the wall. It comes in 304 grade stainless steel but is available in 316 on request. It has been designed to be suitable to use with all leading WC frames.

It’s a rear inlet pan with the option of P or S trap and it comes with a white heavy duty seat and cover, ideal for high traffic commercial applications. Pland Stainless design and manufacture a huge range of stainless steel products largely for the commercial sector, including healthcare, education and secure accommodation.

■ For more information on the Atlanta2 back-to-wall WC pan visit www.rdr.link/li013

School overcomes heritage refurbishment challenges

Retrofitting Remeha high-efficiency replacement boilers has proved a highly effective and efficient solution to achieving improved heating performance at Thomas More Catholic School in Purley. For the last two decades, the listed Venetian Gothic building that houses the school had relied on two dated cast-iron pressure jet boilers for its heating.

When the old boiler plant began to fail, surveyors Faithorn Farrell Timms LLP (FFT) recommended an immediate boiler replacement. FFT appointed Cowley Group to carry out the work. Cowley Group’s MD Anthony Gurr recommended installing two high-efficiency Remeha Gas 610 Eco Pro 13section replacement boilers. The high efficiency condensing boiler range has a compact design, which means it fits through any standard doorway. For restricted or awkward access, it can be disassembled into parts, reducing labour and time costs.

â– For more information on the Remeha Gas 610 Eco Pro range visit www.rdr.link/li014

Fast fix for problem drains Bad odours and the possibility of an easy way in for vermin such as rats and mice are familiar drain problems faced by facilities managers and caretakers in commercial environments such as kitchens, care homes and hospitals. Grate Seal by Gentec is a fast and easy solution to the problem.

Developed in Australia and exclusively available in the UK through The Sanitaryware Supplies Company, it is a durable selffitting seal, available in a choice of sizes. It can be retrofitted to an existing drain without damage to the surrounding floor. Products in the range are made from a single piece of rubber (standard is Neoprene), which can be inserted into any new or existing drain. The rubber composition includes a silver-based bactericide, which reduces the growth of bacteria, mould and biofilm.

â– For more information on the Grate Seal range visit www.rdr.link/li015

LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL & ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Centrica Business Solutions has installed one of the country's largest commercial battery storage schemes for Gateshead Council

Ian Hopkins shines a light on the four-steps that can dramatically improve energy efficiency – helping local authorities to relieve the pressure of rising energy costs and improve the sustainability of their stock.

Better energy performance o make the most of squeezed public finances, it's essential to minimise energy waste. Our Energy Opportunities research with more than 1,000 energy decision makers uncovers four key opportunities to improve efficient energy management.

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1. Gain visibility of your energy consumption If you do not know precisely how, when and where you are using energy, how can you understand where your energy costs really lie? How can you pinpoint where energy is being wasted, or the best opportunities to make savings?

Energy-efficient organisations understand the impact of monitoring and measuring energy consumption on cost and carbon reduction. By monitoring equipment with

Gateshead

low-cost, wireless sensors, connected to an Internet of Things (IoT) analytics platform, you can quickly gain deep and insightful energy analytics across single or multiple sites. This means that you can pinpoint where energy waste is occurring and inform energy efficiency improvements to turn visibility into cost savings.

2. Use advanced energy efficiency solutions to reduce energy costs 40% of the organisations we interviewed for our research have significantly reduced energy costs after investing in advanced energy solutions. 'Quick wins' include replacing traditional light fittings with LED lighting, which is around 90% more efficient than traditional incandescent or halogen bulbs and uses up to 70% less power than fluorescent lamps. It also has a

significantly longer lifespan. Other energy efficiency measures with a rapid payback include improving insulation and installing energy control and management systems.

3. Reduce your reliance on the grid with Combined Heat and Power (CHP) CHP provides an effective solution for local authority sites, particularly where there is sufficient heat demand. It can reduce energy costs by up to 40% and unlock greater sustainability benefits by using renewables to fuel the CHP process.

By providing a stable, secure, off-grid energy supply your site resilience is enhanced, protecting you from energy supply disruption. And in combination with battery storage you maximise opportunities to generate revenue and avoid peak power costs through energy optimisation or participating in Demand Side Response programmes.

We've installed one of the country's largest commercial battery storage schemes for Gateshead Council, which is storing power from its CHP system to provide enough electricity to supply 3,000 homes for one hour. This will provide cost savings and strengthen resilience, while

Durham

Centrica Business Solutions’ wireless sensor technology

Gateshead Council is storing power from its CHP system to provide enough electricity to supply 3,000 homes for one

Centrica Business Solutions’ battery storage solution installed in Gateshead

generating an income by relieving peaktime pressure on the National Grid.

4. Improve sustainability with Solar Solar energy is one of the most cost-effective methods of improving both financial and environmental performance. Reduce electricity costs by offsetting more expensive grid supplies and increase sustainability by using 100% renewable power. Generate revenue by selling excess power back to the grid while you improve resilience by combining solar with energy storage.

Flexible finance Lack of budget and manpower are no barrier to seizing the opportunity to improve energy performance. There are many flexible finance options and Centrica has the capability to deliver end-to-end projects — removing the financial and management burden from time and budget-pressed public sector bodies.

Improved energy efficiency Centrica Business Solutions has partnered with Durham County Council to maximise the energy efficiency of select council buildings. This has delivered a 34% reduction in electricity usage and saving

£44,000 per year. The County Council wanted to cut carbon emissions and amplify the energy efficiency of its buildings. The Council embarked on a major energy assessment of some of its building stock. In the first phase it tackled large places of work before addressing smaller, rural offices. In the next phase it wanted to renovate three, large vehicle depots.

Full audit, design and install Centrica Business Solutions started by conducting an energy assessment of the three sites. Working alongside the Council, Centrica Business Solutions designed and installed a range of energy saving solutions. These included LED lighting to replace the fluorescent strip lighting, pipe insulation, automatic doors to ensure heat loss was kept to a minimum, and destratification fans. The refits were completed within three months, with all three depots fully operational throughout.

The solution has delivered an immediate impact. Most strikingly, the depots are now warmer and more efficiently lit. "They are more energyefficient now," says Paul Wilkinson, Senior Projects Manager, Durham County Council.

"This gives us peace of mind that we are

being as efficient as possible, but it also means that the staff working in the depots are benefiting from the changes."

The cost savings have been remarkable. Across the three depots there has been a 34% reduction in electricity consumption (380,000 kWh saved), resulting in a cost reduction of £44,000.

"The LED lighting produced the quickest return," continues Paul. "But the range of measures – doors closing automatically, lights going off when no one is in the area, circulating hot air from ceiling to floor – these have all helped to maximise the efficiency of our operations.

"Centrica Business Solutions has helped us reduce energy costs and become more energy-efficient. Implementing these energy-saving solutions has not only allowed us to reduce our carbon emissions, it has also helped us define a long-term energy management strategy.”

With thanks to Ian Hopkins of Centrica Business Solutions for preparing this article ■ For more information on Centrica Business Solutions’ services visit www.rdr.link/li016

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LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL & ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Implementing energy-efficient lighting can be a complex procedure

Reducing your footprint Neal Paley offers advice to local authorities on reducing the carbon footprint of lighting. host of voluntary certification and labelling programmes enable the identification of the most energyefficient lighting products. These regulations and voluntary programmes are being continuously updated to reflect the introduction of new lighting technologies that promise even greater energy efficiency.

Directive 2009/125/EC, also known as the Ecodesign Directive, is the primary regulatory instrument in the European Union (EU) regarding all energy-using products, including lighting products, and it covers more than 40 separate product groups. The Ecodesign Directive is complemented by the Energy Label Regulation, which provides a framework

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for mandatory labelling requirements and other means of providing end-users with product-specific energy consumption information. Together, these establish minimum efficiency criteria for most major categories of energy-using products.

Rating schemes There is also a vast range of countryspecific Green Building rating schemes, each having their own ecolabel. For example, BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is the UK’s recognised benchmark for the environmental rating of new and major refurbished buildings. BREEAM helps developers, local authorities and building

owners manage and mitigate risk through demonstrating sustainability performance during planning, design, construction, operation or refurbishment. This helps to lower running costs, maximise returns through the market value of a building, as well as attract and retain tenants by providing desirable places to live and work.

In the UK, Part L of the Building Regulations (England and Wales) contains requirements relating to the conservation of fuel and power, and is a direct outcome of the UK Government's Energy White Paper. The commitment within this is to raise the energy performance of buildings by limiting heat losses and excessive solar gains, ensuring that energy-efficient fixed

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LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL & ENERGY EFFICIENCY building services are installed, and that the local authorities are provided with the information required to maintain their building and its services.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2012/19/EU sets collection, recycling and recovery targets for electronic equipment placed on the market. This has placed obligations upon users and producers to handle their electronic and electrical waste more carefully. Such waste can no longer simply be placed in landfill as targets have been set by the European Parliament for member states to recover certain percentages of their waste via recycling facilities. Lighting plays a key role here, as some manufacturers charge a WEEE levy at the time of purchasing lighting products, which then goes into the recycling scheme.

The right products In Europe, the CE marking on products such as luminaires, lamps, drivers and other electronic components is a sign of a manufacturer’s or importer’s selfdeclaration that the product conforms to European requirements. Such a product should come with a Declaration of The LED technology evolution is moving quickly

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Conformity that states which standards the product has been tested to. However, CE marking is not in itself a guarantee of quality, but it does offer assurance that minimum demands have been met.

Depending on the outcome of Brexit negotiations, at the time of writing this article, it is likely that UK lighting manufacturers will be required to replace the CE marking with a new ‘UK Conformity Assured' symbol for the British market. UK lighting manufacturers will still be able to sell products that have been made and assessed against EU regulatory requirements and which carry a CE marking for a certain transition period.

Achieving efficiency Energy efficiency is now a key feature of any lighting design as schemes must meet the latest criteria. However, there are many other important reasons for implementing energy-efficient lighting innovations, ranging from the more obvious reduction of power consumption, to benefiting from incredibly low-maintenance requirements and associated costs.

When we work with local authorities, we tend to find that they want to be seen as being ‘green’ so they are more than happy to work closely with you to help ensure they become energyefficient. The simplest way is to replace the dated lighting with LEDs. This helps to bring costs down, from the energy used right through to ongoing tasks such as reducing maintenance cycles.

Implementing energy-efficient lighting into a welldesigned scheme can be a complex procedure, as the lighting designer must ensure that efficient luminaires are used.

This makes it necessary to think about the design as a whole, both creatively

and technically — from the downlight, associated drivers and right through to the lighting control system.

Other technical considerations must also be made. For example, not all drivers are fully compatible with every downlight or linear LED, and any dimming may not be smooth when dimming is required, as it could flicker or not dim down to a really low level without a sharp cut off.

However, the design options are endless, as the LED technology evolution is moving so fast. LED light sources are becoming brighter, smaller and more efficient, and double height spaces can now be illuminated to the required lux levels from the smallest of luminaires. Leading lighting manufacturers are also producing everimproving optical systems for luminaires, which is increasing their efficiency.

Increasing popularity Wireless lighting is now also a reality across the commercial and residential sectors and is increasing in popularity.

Although Bluetooth is still relatively new in the lighting controls world, its mesh technology brings simple wireless control to large installations. Our familiarity with Bluetooth and the open protocol nature of the technology will mean its entry into the mainstream lighting market is not far off.

With all of these regulatory considerations, product choice variables and other technical considerations that must be made, the design process should be started early within the building development plans. While the introduction of more efficient lighting technologies has resulted in considerable energy savings around the world, new lighting technologies also create ever-changing regulatory compliance challenges for both manufacturers, designers and end-users.

Neal Paley is a Specialist Lighting Designer at TÜV SÜD, an international building services engineering consultancy, specialising in sustainable MEP (mechanical, electrical and public health), BIM, lighting design, and vertical transportation.

■ For more information About TÜV SÜD www.tuv-sud.co.uk/real-estate

Local Authority Building & Maintenance is independently verified by ABC. So our advertisers know they are getting what they paid for.

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LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL & ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Light’s on

The public toilets at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry, Shropshire

A number of innovative lightning solutions have been installed at Cae Glas Park. The new lighting design is part of an important refurbishment project in Oswestry, Shropshire. LABM has all the details. he renovation project focused on the refurbishment of public toilets in Cae Glas Park. After years without being renovated, the old toilet block had started to look dated and was showing signs of wear and tear.

Oswestry Town Council approached its electrical contractor partner, Highline Electrical for a solution. Following a meeting with its merchant partner, the contractor was recommended Megaman’s low-energy lighting solutions.

After being impressed with the company’s technologies, the contractor met with Megaman’s Project and Specification BDM, Lloyd Robson to discuss the refurbishment plan. During the meeting, Megaman’s team drew up a design to replace the lighting units in the toilet. The new lighting solution emitted the appropriate lux levels, but also helped to significantly reduce energy consumption. What is more, the new system was designed to run off a dedicated solar panel, which was installed at the top of the structure.

After agreeing on the plan, Highline Electrical met with the council who signed off the lighting design. The council were impressed with the planned refurbishment and gave the contractors the greenlight to begin work. In total, the team fitted over 20 new Megaman lighting units. Included in this installation were RICO LED downlights, as well as the company’s

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FONDA Integrated LED bulkhead. Both ranges have been designed, tested and produced to comply with the necessary environmental legislation and industry codes of practice.

The downlight range is an ultra-slim LED light — ideal for any ceiling recess with a limited depth. The unit operates with industry standard constant current, making it compatible with a wide range of drivers on the market. Similarly, the bulkhead is suited for use in common spaces as it features corrosion free tough polycarbonate vandal resistant paint. The unit meets IP66 and IK10 requirements, making it an effective and efficient LED replacement for conventional outdoor CFL luminaires.

Reduced energy bill Commenting on the project, Andy Vaughan, Director of Highline Electrical says: “We were delighted to be part of the Cae Glas Park project. The toilet block has now been completely redesigned and fitted with new lighting units. The space looks a lot better than it did before and is running off far less electricity. Thanks to Megaman’s lowenergy lighting solutions the toilets are operating more efficiently, which is helping to reduce the council’s energy bill.”

The ease of installation of Megaman’s products facilitated a quick turnaround for the development team. The project, which broke ground in February 2019, was

Megaman’s RICO LED downlights were installed at the public toilets

completed in March, just one month after the units were installed. Crucially, the redevelopment was finished just in time for summer and the park’s busy schedule of live music, fun days, sponsored walks, bowling, tennis competitions and band concerts.

Speaking on the refurbishment, Lloyd Robson, Project & Specification Business Development Manager at Megaman comments: “This was a great project to be involved with. For companies and councils alike, there has never been a better time to make the move away from fluorescent lights to LED units. There are a number of tax offsets on offer to those moving to more low-energy lighting solutions. It’s great to see Oswestry Town Council join the movement and make real efforts to cut its carbon footprint.”

With thanks to leading manufacturer of low energy light bulbs, Megaman for preparing this article ■ For more information on the LED downlights visit www.rdr.link/li017

LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL & ENERGY EFFICIENCY ROUND-UP Flagship customers feeling the benefit of renewable heating Residents of Quayside Court in Lakenheath, Suffolk, are enjoying warm homes with significantly lower heating bills, thanks to the installation of a new communal ground source heat pump from Finn Geotherm. Owned by Flagship Housing Group, the 21 bungalows in Quayside Court were built during the 1970s and heated by individual electric storage heaters and a shared oil boiler — which were inefficient and expensive to run. The new district heating scheme uses one central ground source heat pump system to provide heating and hot water for all homes on the estate. Heat is collected from under the ground via 14 boreholes installed beneath the parking area and two LämpÜässä EMI 43 ground source heat pumps generate all the heating and hot water for each home.

■For more information on Finn Geotherm’s ground source heat pumps visit www.rdr.link/li018 Surge protection advice for electrical contractors According to recent industry research, surge protection remains the number one Reality Check: Surge Protection area of concern for electrical contractors following the introduction of the 18th Edition of the Wiring Regulations. A poll 30%

by Hager highlighted almost one in three contractors admitted to still being unsure about their responsibilities around surge protection. To provide an at-a-glance overview to help contractors, Hager has produced a Reality Check graphic guide.

It sets out the key points to consider when thinking about where surge protection devices should be fitted on commercial installation projects, and outlines the range of potential overvoltage scenarios contractors need to be mindful of. It also highlights instances where risk assessments should be undertaken, as well as offering practical guidance about approaching residential applications.

The 18th Edition of the Wiring Regulations introduced a number of changes, including the topic of surge protection, which has caused some confusion within the electrical trade.

Our recent survey showed almost of contractors were unsure of the new responsibilities around surge protection ...

... with most confusion on appropriate solutions for residential and commercial installations.

So, what do contractors need to know about surge protection to remain compliant?

For commercial installations, a surge protection KL]PJL :7+ ZOV\SK IL Ă„[[LK PM [OL JVUZLX\LUJLZ caused by an overvoltage result in:

, or loss of Serious injury human life

of public Interruption or damage services and/ age to cultural herit

l of commercia Interruption activity or industrial

For an installation outside this, a risk assessment according to Regulation 443.5 will determine if protection against transient V]LY]VS[HNLZ PZ YLX\PYLK

Bringing daylight into County Council Hall and Civic Hub As part of major refurbishment works for the County Council, VELUX Modular Skylights were installed to bring natural light into Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown’s County Hall and new Civic Hub. The system was specified because the company could provide a large-scale, cost-competitive solution for bringing in natural light effectively. The Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown project was delivered by Moston Construction as part of a wider specification to modernise the council building and create a new public space for the delivery of important council services.

Modular skylights can be combined in a number of rooflight configurations, creating ideal solutions for a wide variety of building types: narrow corridors, internal courts, studios, large circulation spaces and much more. Each roof glazing solution is delivered with a special prefabricated flashing.

â– For more information visit www.rdr.link/li021 Rooflight solutions support college upgrade project

For residential applications, the home owner will ultimately make the decision if an SPD is to be included, however, if an SPD is not installed, contractors should make a written record for any future reference.

er of A large numb iduals co-located indiv being affected.

/HNLY WYV]PKLZ WYL Ă„[[LK KPZ[YPI\[PVU IVHYKZ ^OPJO PUJS\KL :7+ WYV[LJ[PVU I\PS[ PU ;OPZ YLTV]LZ [OL need for additional wiring.

For more information on the 18th Edition, including the range of training courses offered by Hager, visit www.hager.co.uk/18thEdition

■To download the Reality Check graphic guide visit www.rdr.link/li019 Innovative robotic technology added to warm homes Q-Bot technology has been added to the range of energy efficiency measures offered under Warmer Homes Scotland. The scheme’s Managing Agent, Warmworks Scotland, has now confirmed that the technology, a robot that is controlled via remote control, will be used to insulate the area underneath suspended timber floors, thus creating a warmer, more comfortable home, with fewer draughts, more even temperatures, and a reduced risk of damp or mould. The introduction of Q-Bot technology for insulating suspended floors should result in increased energy efficiency ratings in addition to lower energy bills for householders struggling to stay warm. As the robot is deployed through a small access hatch, the service is less disruptive with a typical installation time of just one to two days.

â– To find out more about Q-Bot visit www.rdr.link/li020

Holy Cross College, a Catholic sixth form college, saw an extension join together existing buildings and create walkways around a quadrangle all of which now enjoy the benefits brought by modern glazing solutions. Two X-Span canopies from Xtralite, a thermally enhanced self-supporting rooflight, measuring approximately 16 by 4m and 23 by 3m were specified over the student walkways with 25mm, five wall x-structured protected polycarbonate providing the glazing solution. This allowed natural light to penetrate into the student circulation area and access to the coffee shop. In addition, two X3 rooflights were specified in the main building. Both had double glazed glass, argon filled units providing enhanced thermal protection. This thermally broken metal system, provides an insulated barrier within the frame.

â– For more information on the glazing solutions visit www.rdr.link/li022

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FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY

Raising the standard

Andy Speake discusses the requirements of the revised British Standard for domestic fire alarms for social housing specifers.

S 5839-6 is the code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises. Since its introduction in 1995, BS 5839-6 has been adopted as standard practice in both existing dwellings and new-builds; its importance cannot be over emphasised.

A new version of BS 5839-6 was released on the 30th April, which has some major changes that will impact directly on specifiers in social housing. These changes relate to the Grades of alarms, which determine the type of alarm to be used, and the Category, which identifies the type/level of protection for each identified dwelling.

more interlinked mains powered smoke alarms (and heat alarms if required), each with an integral back-up supply; the back-up supply to be in the form of a rechargeable lithium or alkaline battery. Under the revised BS 5839-6, Grade D has been replaced with Grades D1 and D2, which differ in terms of the back-up power supply:

Changes to Grades

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B

Under BS 5839-6, fire alarms are classified into Grades, from A to F. Grades B and E have been removed in 2019. Under the previous standard, Grade D required one or

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D1 calls for a tamper-proof standby supply consisting of a battery or batteries, with lithium being the standard battery type.

These are long life battery cells lasting the recommended lifespan of the alarm and are designed so the user cannot easily remove them. Grade D1 alarms are the preferred option for social housing as they remove the risk factor.

D2 requires an integral standby supply consisting of a battery or batteries (usually 9 volt PP3), which need to be replaced at regular intervals throughout the life of the alarm by the user.

Whilst Grade D alarms feature most heavily in BS 5839-6:2019, Grade F systems also warrant mention here due to changes in Scottish legislation earlier this year, which permits their use. Grade F systems use battery only powered alarms. As with Grade D, Grade F has now been divided into F1 and F2 in the same fashion as that noted above.

New minimum levels of protection Under BS 5839-6 different class of premises are identified and the minimum Grade of fire alarm system and Category of fire protection provided for that specific type of property are listed. It is here, in the 2019 revisions, that we have seen the biggest changes that will have a major impact on what type of fire alarms are fitted and where. In the main this is due to an increase in the Category of fire protection from LD3 where previously listed, which requires one mains powered optical alarm in the hallway and another upstairs on

With larger fire alarm “systems comes issues over control and maintenance as more alarms will need to be tested, plus it’s important to

systems or incorporated within them. BS 5839-6 states that mains powered carbon monoxide alarms conforming to BS EN 50291 and installed in compliance with BS EN 50292 may also be interlinked with the fire detection and alarm system if the manufacturer of all the components makes such a recommendation.

be able to locate the precise alarm which

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originally triggered.

the landing, interconnected together, to Category LD2. LD2 involves additional alarm coverage, with a heat alarm in the kitchen and a further smoke alarm in the main living area; once again all interconnected.

This upgrade in fire protection is most notable in existing rental properties and Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs): ●

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Existing two — three-storey maisonettes and houses in the rental sector have now been upgraded from the low Category of fire protection (LD3) to the medium Category LD2 and graded D1, i.e. mains powered alarm with tamperproof battery back-up power. Properties of this nature remain LD3, unless a risk assessment indicates otherwise.

Existing Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) have been set as Category LD2 whereas before it was a mixture of LD2 and LD3 depending on the nature of the property and inhabitants. Grade D1 is now the requirement.

Implications for the future BS 5839-6:2019 is a standard for fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises, not a set of legal requirements; there is no penalty if a local authority chooses to ignore the standard and no date for ‘compliance’. However, the standard is considered best practice and those who choose to ignore it do so at their own risk. Certainly, social housing organisations place great emphasis on it and complying with it is regarded as essential. Many RSLs have been moving towards LD2 systems over the past year in the anticipation of the revisions and we are now witnessing a large number rewriting their alarm specifications accordingly and planning upgrade programmes.

wireless alarm interconnection technology such as Aico’s RadioLINK+ and SmartLINK, and by using alarms that have been designed to be quick and easy to install.

With larger fire alarm systems comes issues over control and maintenance, as more alarms will need to be tested, plus it’s important to be able to locate the precise alarm that originally triggered. In these cases, an alarm controller should be considered (especially important if a carbon monoxide alarm is included in the system).

These wall mounted devices feature test, silence and locate features, adding a very valuable extra measure of controllability to an LD2 system.

We’ve lived by BS 5839-6 for almost a quarter of a century and the standard has served us well; there’s no doubt they have helped save lives. BS 5839-6:2019 builds on the success of the original standard and, if adhered to properly, ensures greater safety and even better practice in the industry.

Andy Speake is National Technical Manager at Aico ■ For more information on Aico’s RadioLINK+ and SmartLINK technology visit www.rdr.link/li023

Other changes of note Weekly alarm testing was previously recommended in BS 5839-6 but this has been changed to monthly (apart from Grade A systems). Recommendations contained within the NFCC Specialised Housing Guide regarding all fire detection, alarm and transmission/signalling to an Alarm Receiving Centre has been incorporated into BS 5839-6:2019, which is useful and recognises that valuable document.

Carbon monoxide alarms have been acknowledged for the first time in BS 5839-6 2019 as they are increasingly being installed alongside fire alarm

With the 2019 revisions we have benefited from greater clarity and, in a number of cases, an increase in the level of fire protection. Of course, with this comes a need for additional alarms per property, which has an associated cost, not just in alarm units but also installation.

Some of this cost can be mitigated by using

EI450 Alarm Controller in action

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FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY Enfield fire doors exceeding testing at 51 minutes

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations will change how we build and maintain our buildings, says Nigel Sill. But we do not have to wait; we already know most of what we should be doing.

Lessons to learn from the Grenfell fire s designed and built the Grenfell Tower building had many good features: the concrete walls, ceilings and floors were noncombustible, the fire doors as originally fitted could contain a fire in a room for half an hour, which meant the fire brigade had a good chance of gaining access and extinguishing it. It would have been much better if there were two staircases to give residents evacuating the building enough room and time to get out safely and quickly, without impeding the fire brigade who were entering the building to fight the fire. A complete sprinkler system would also have been effective at reducing the spread of fire. Many new tall buildings have water tanks on the upper floors to support this.

On the 14th June 2017, at the time of the fire, it was particularly hot, and understandably many occupants had the windows open to help get a cooling airflow. It’s possible that many doors were also open, to improve the airflow and for convenience perhaps, so they would not have operated as intended in containing the fire. And although the advice was to stay in the flats on the assumption the fire could be contained in one room, long enough for the fire service to get there and

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deal with it before it spread, the fire spread so fast it rendered this guidance completely wrong.

It is now apparent the wrong cladding was put on the building for thermal and appearance improvements. It was also fitted incorrectly, which resulted in accelerating the fire

Doors replaced Over time some doors had been replaced, and some of these were tested afterwards and failed after 15 minutes and not 30 minutes. However, if annual inspections had been carried out to check the integrity of the building, many non-conforming components could have been found and remedial action taken.

For example, had any of the doors been changed? If so, was a fire certificate provided for both the flats and escape routes. Were both windows and doors suitable for a tall building? Was the cladding fireproof and did it have a zero spread of flame? Had any holes been made in floors, walls and ceilings for new services or repairs, e.g. broadband wiring, electrical wiring and plumbing and then had all these been fitted with appropriate fire-resistant filling?

Enfield fire doors ready for testing

The enquiry is still hearing evidence and no recommendations have been produced, but it would seem so long as the timber fire doors were properly fitted and kept closed, they work well and predictably.

It also transpired that it was not until many hours after the fire started, the main gas supply was turned off. As soon as this was done, the fire calmed down very quickly.

So, there are many lessons to be learnt and implemented, which must be done as soon as possible before another preventable tragedy occurs.

Sticking to the specifications Good fire protection uses a mix of passive and active fire protection that work successfully together. Active fire protection systems such as sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers and smoke alarms operate in the event of fire to sound the alarm and put it out.

Passive fire protection uses systems such as fire-resistant walls, floors and doors that are built into the fabric of the building to slow or contain the spread of fire and

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FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY fire protection that provides building occupants and the fire service time to get in and out safely in the event of a fire. New buildings should be inspected and signed off as fire safe, and they should be inspected throughout their life to prove they remain safe and provide reassurance to building occupants and the fire service.

Value engineering versus ‘overengineering’

The Grenfell fire was a preventable tragedy

smoke. Active measures such as sprinkler systems can be very expensive, and they may not always work properly.

It’s not well understood or remembered that both active and passive measures need to be correctly specified, properly manufactured and installed, and need to be regularly maintained and monitored. If the building is maintained or modified then it needs to be restored to the specified fire protection. It’s very important that what is specified is what is installed and does not get substituted for a lower spec, cheaper product.

As individuals and corporate entities, we’re used to the idea that we are legally obliged to keep our vehicles maintained and safe on the road. We’re used to the need for regular check-ups and policing, the idea that we’re liable if we do not. That idea, that people and companies are similarly responsible for the safety of their buildings, has not yet taken hold to the same degree.

Who knows about fire?

Recent research by Zeroignition among UK architects, commercial directors and specifiers as part of an international study, found that just over a third were unable to correctly define the concept of active fire protection and just over half were unable to do the same for passive fire protection.

Almost three quarters were unable to define ‘fire resistance’.

Zeroignition Chief Operating Officer Ian King said none of the UK architects

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interviewed said they’d had comprehensive fire protection training. Most said they’d had some, but 8% had none. “There’s a lack of understanding as to the basics of fire protection which is worrying.” Jeremy Wiggins, Director at Clerkenwell-based architecture and interior design practice Gpad London, said it was easy for knowledge to become “half remembered” if it wasn’t used every day.

“We make it part of our design thinking from day one, involving end users and fire consultants as soon as practical,’ he said. ‘Beyond this we make sure each project has a named person for fire safety responsibility.”

We cannot eliminate the risk of fire but applying what we know can minimise the risk of damage to life and property. When the Grenfell Inquiry ends it is likely to recommend many things we already know we should be doing.

At every level, the industry needs to be better informed about fire. Specifiers need to be more knowledgeable, so fire safety is not compromised in the interests of energy saving or appearance. Changes to specifications should be challenged robustly to demonstrate equal or better fire resistance.

Manufacturers should aim to pass fire tests by a comfortable safety margin and not aim to scrape through, because however careful people are you get variation in normal manufacturing and installation on site. Regardless of this variability, we need

Most importantly I believe we should rethink our attitudes to ideas like ‘value engineering’ and ‘over engineering’. In the perfect world when everything and everyone performs as we’d like them to, we can rely on 30 minutes to get in and out of a burning building safely. In an ideal world, products and systems can be value engineered to remove ‘excess’ value and cost, so they just scrape over the line. But in the real world that’s an unrealistic expectation.

In the real world, small product variations and the myriad of variations in how a building is built or maintained add up and eat into our safe time. In a fire that can result in loss of life and severe damage to property. The sum of small individual product and human variations can turn a safe outcome with a comfortable margin into a near-miss or catastrophe.

That’s why we deliberately ‘over engineer’ our Fire Doors so they have extra safety time built-in to every door, and why in recent tests sponsored by MHCLG, Enfield’s doors passed the tests with a reassuringly large margin: ‘opening in’ exceeded the time by 19% and ‘opening out’ by an exceptional 70% (51 minutes).

We need to know that the buildings we live in, visit and use every day — social housing, hospitals, schools, libraries, leisure centres and more — have a comfortable fire safety factor built in. The lessons learnt from Grenfell must be implemented quickly before another preventable tragedy occurs.

If it initiates a lasting change in our thinking as a nation, we’d all sleep a lot safer.

Nigel Sill is Chairman of Enfield Speciality Doors ■ To watch the fire doors being tested visit www.rdr.link/li024

FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY

Fire safety compliance

As the UK strives to improve fire safety and building standards, Karen Trigg discusses the pressure on specialised housing landlords and how to keep residents safe. or housing landlords, providing residents with a safe environment is key. For residents living in specialised settings, such as sheltered housing, extra care and supported living accommodation, fire safety is critical. In fact, landlords and providers of specialised housing and houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) have a duty of care under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 20051 to ensure that their properties meet all aspects of fire safety compliance.

Yet, right now, question marks reside over the state of fire safety in the UK. Each week, the news highlights a number of incidents, suggesting a lax approach toward fire safety compliance by some.

While it’s true that the running of HMOs and specialised housing facilities is more varied, fire safety compliance remains the same for all.

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In 2017, the National Fire Chiefs Council produced a comprehensive guide, titled Fire Safety in Specialised Housing2. The guide includes a series of recommendations designed to protect the estimated three quarters of a million residents in specialised housing. Amongst escape routes and warning signs, fire doors are recognised in the document as a major contributing factor to fire safety. For all buildings, fire doors are the first line of defence when a fire does occur, helping to protect premises by preventing or slowing down smoke and fire from spreading.

Vulnerability at night Fire doors act as protection for residents when they’re most vulnerable — while sleeping. It’s documented that most fires in the home occur when people are asleep (between the hours of 10pm and

6am3). Through compartmentalisation, fire doors are key in providing occupants those extra seconds, and in a building with multiple residents, this can be a huge contributing factor for successful escape.

With this in mind, the importance of correct installation and maintenance cannot be understated. Without it, fire doors simply will not function effectively. However, all too often, fire doors are the one piece of equipment that is subject to neglect, becoming a secondary concern by landlords and facility managers. In some cases, they are the first item to be downgraded in a specification as a way of saving money.

Even if the correct fire door is chosen, they can often be used incorrectly, being left propped open or even locked, and are often badly maintained and damaged.

It’s no surprise to learn that fire door failure is still a prominent problem in many

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This chart shows the relative risk in sheltered housing (taken from the Fire Safety in Specialised Housing guide produced by the National Fire Chiefs Council

Using what is commonly “known as ‘the five-point check’ — checking certification, gaps, seals, hinges and closing mechanics — enables a user to see if a fire door is

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functioning as it should be.

residential settings. In 2015 alone, 58% of all fire door fines were issued to landlords of HMOs in the UK4. Adding to this, a recent report led by the Fire Door Inspection Scheme5 (FDIS) found that 61% of the fire doors inspected had fire or smoke seals missing or were installed incorrectly. At the same time, one in three had gaps of 3mm or more between the door and the frame — making them susceptible to increased fire damage.

Failure to meet the stringent regulations associated with fire safety compliance can result in legal action and heavy financial penalties. So why are we seeing this large number of incidents in this sector?

A sound sleep In order to remain compliant, education is key. It’s now as important as ever for landlords and facility managers as a collective to improve their understanding of fire safety and alleviate the pressure

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associated with fire safety compliance.

When used correctly, fire doors can protect occupants from danger for anywhere between 20 minutes and 120 minutes — depending on the specification of the door.

Using what is commonly known as ‘the five-point check’ — checking certification, gaps, seals, hinges and closing mechanics — enables a user to see if a fire door is functioning as it should be. Responsibility lies with the landlord, but any staff should also have a responsibility to report any doors not functioning correctly that are in a HMO or specialised housing facility.

The smallest of changes in a fire door’s function can have detrimental effects. Although landlords have ultimate responsibility for ensuring that fire doors are compliant and fit for purpose, sometimes a full inspection may need to be carried out by a qualified specialist.

Should an issue be found with a fire door, it’s important to know that contacting a certified inspector is an option, as opposed to leaving it to chance.

There’s no longer an excuse to leave fire safety to chance. Moreover, there’s no longer a need to lose sleep over fire safety compliance. Begin with the basic checks and seek further advice should it

be required. No occupants of specialised housing or HMOs deserve to live in constant concern of fire safety.

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https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/regulatory-reform-fire-safetyorder-2005-guidance-note-enforcement https://www.nationalfirechiefs.org.uk/ write/MediaUploads/NFCC%20Guidance%20 publications/NFCC_Specialised_Housing_G uidance_-_Copy.pdf https://www.firstalert-online.co.uk/fire-safetyfacts/ https://www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk/ council-and-social-housing/ https://www.ifsecglobal.com/fire-features/ infographic-5-common-fire-door- faults/

With thanks to Karen Trigg at Allegion UK for preparing this article ■ For more information on Allegion’s solutions visit www.rdr.link/li025

FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY

New CPD training Life-safety systems manufacturer, C-TEC, has launched a new series of free CPD-certified training events entitled ‘Fire Alarm Systems for Domestic Dwellings’.

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he CPD (Continuing Professional Development) will give an overview of how domestic and commercial fire alarm systems have developed over the years, as well as discuss the legislation and standards that apply to such systems and the impact they have.

The events will also summarise the key points of and changes to BS 5839-6 2019: The code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of domestic fire alarm systems, as well as explore if 'Stay Put' is still a safe policy to deploy for evacuating a building during a fire. The CPD will also outline a new approach to fire alarm systems for purpose-built flats and apartments with multiple advantages that can help make strategies such as stay put/defend-in-place safer.

The new series of CPD training events are aimed at consultants, specifiers, housing associations, local authorities, facilities managers, building developers and installers and will be hosted at six key venues across the UK. Upon completion, attendees will receive a CPD certificate worth three hours of CPD points. Refreshments and a buffet lunch will also be provided.

Andy Green, C-TEC’s Marketing Manager comments: “Our new CPD events are suitable for anyone interested in the latest developments in domestic fire detection and alarm technology and the recent changes to BS 5839-6.”

The CPD seminars have been assessed by independent experts.

■ For more information about the event and to register visit www.rdr.link/li043

FIRE PROTECTION & SECURITY ROUND-UP Carbon monoxide alarms specified by Exeter City Council

New fire clip available

Exeter City Council is installing 6,000 Aico Ei208 Lithium battery powered carbon monoxide alarms across its properties in every room with a gas appliance. The Ei208 is a quality, cost-effective carbon monoxide alarm that uses sealed-in 10year life Lithium batteries to address the problem of battery removal by tenants. The alarms benefit from a sophisticated electrochemical carbon monoxide sensor. A key feature is Aico’s AudioLINK technology, which allows real time data to be extracted using the free AudioLINK App. The data is displayed in a simple colour coded Alarm Status Report, providing useful information such as any alarm activations — with details of when it occurred, if any background carbon monoxide has been detected, battery life, alarm sensors status, number of times tested and removed.

REHAU is launching the new LINIAN Push-fit Fire Clip in response to the 18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations, which came into force earlier this year. The regulations now require all private and public buildings ensure wiring systems are sufficiently supported against premature collapse in the event of a fire. The changes apply to all non-metallic cable trunking systems, and though PVC trunking systems are still acceptable, standard cable clips or ties are no longer suitable as the sole means of cable support. Where PVC or non-metallic trunking systems are used, an additional fire-resistant means of support and retention is mandatory. The new fire clip set provides fire-resistant cable support compliant with the 18th Edition IET Wiring Regulations and is fitted with firerated stainless-steel cable-ties to contain the cables.

■ For more information on the Aico Ei208 carbon monoxide alarms visit wwwrdr.link/li026 North View Housing Association specifies smoke and heat alarms FireAngel Safety Technology is working in partnership with North View Housing Association to provide its wireless interlinked battery powered smoke and heat alarms — SM-SN-1 and HM-SN-1 — to 700 refurbished and new-build properties across Glasgow. The contract has been secured following the Scottish Government’s changes to the Housing (Scotland) Act, which now requires an LD2 Specification.

Ady Tester, Maintenance Manager at North View Housing Association, says: “We were confident the products would deliver the levels of protection we require as they’re used by over 90% of the UK’s Fire and Rescue Services.

The wireless interlinked smoke and heat alarms are reliable products, reinforced by excellent service support that we can always rely on.”

■ For more information on the new LINIAN Push-fit Fire Clip visit www.rdr.link/li029 The key to independence

■ For more information on the interlinked smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms visit www.rdr.link/li027 New Interface Modules launched to improve connections Nittan Europe’s series of new Interface Modules allow for improved connection of the company’s Evolution range to even more third-party equipment than ever before. The six new modules cover a variety of interface applications, including door release, sounder control, communication with industrial plant and equipment and non-addressable detectors, plus a mini Module for mounting within other equipment such as Firebeam or Aspirating detectors. They feature the same uniform, sleek design for aesthetic appeal, are all EEPROM Addressed (Programmer) and come complete with Short Circuit Isolator; many also have mains rated relay.

The modules were launched at Firex and were displayed alongside key Evolution products such as Analogue Addressable detectors, Audio Visual Devices, Bases, Manual Call Points, Isolators and existing Modules.

■ For more information on the new Modules visit www.rdr.link/li028

The Key Safe Company is supporting a local South Lanarkshire charity to provide independence to elderly and vulnerable people in the area. Care and Repair fit the company’s Supra C500 KeySafe on behalf of South Lanarkshire Council. Jamie Burgess, Company Manager at Care and Repair in South Lanarkshire, comments: “The key safe allows clients to continue to live at home in an environment they are comfortable in whist still allowing carers, medical professionals and emergency services to gain access to the property, which we believe greatly contributes to their wellbeing. By using the police accredited key safe it provides family members with the peace of mind that loved ones are protected, whilst being cared for.”

The Supra C500 KeySafe achieves the LPS1175: Issue 6, security rating 1.

■ For more information on the Supra C500 KeySafe visit www.rdr.link/li030

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PRODUCTS & SERVICES

New wet room former launched AKW has launched Tuff Form8, a superstrong, easy installation wet room former.

It combines all the benefits of the company’s existing Tuff Form former with a new octagonal fitting plate, allowing for up to 15 different waste positions and ensuring easy installation every time. The Tuff Form8 wet room former has been added to the existing range to offer specifiers and installers even greater installation flexibility and increased weight capacity. With pre-formed fixing points and an innovative, octagonal waste plate, all obstructing joists can be quickly navigated, making installation trouble-free. In addition, made from high strength Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC), it has a weight capacity of 381kg (60 stone), making it ideal for heavier wheelchair users and their carers.

■ For more information on the Tuff Form8 visit www.rdr.link/li032 Paint emulsion range gets a formulation upgrade Un upgraded Ultimate Opacity formulation has been introduced to Crown Trade’s popular range of Clean Extreme Stain Resistant Scrubbable Matt emulsions, which is said to offer excellent coverage. The new high opacity formulation is available on Crown Trade’s Clean Extreme Stain Resistant Scrubbable Matt, as well as the matt versions of its Clean Extreme Anti-Bacterial and Mould Inhibiting paints. The new water-based Ultimate Opacity option offers increased scrubbability and excellent flow as well as being quick drying and low-odour. Easily identifiable thanks to the Ultimate Opacity seal on the cans, the new matt paint has been specifically designed to cover existing paint colours, stains and imperfections and to provide a hardwearing, washable and long-lasting white finish.

Timber frame construction specialist gains BBA certification to construct six-storey buildings An innovative building product developed by Wales’ largest specialist timber frame manufacturer based in Neath, has been given the green light to be used in six-storey buildings. The Triso-Warm structurally insulated panel modular build system, developed by Sevenoaks Modular, has been given the seal of approval by the BBA. The system comprises specially engineered timber frame panels injected with PUR highly insulated foam, which expands and adheres to the inner panel, creating an airtight seal. The product is extremely thermally efficient, addressing three key issues required for excellence in thermal efficiency: very low U-values — typically 0.11W/m2K; good performance to resist cold bridging — y-values typically of 0.04W/m2K; and good air permeability — as low as 1m3/m2h @50pa.

■ For more information on the Triso-Warm structurally insulated panel modular build system visit www.rdr.link/li035 Two new online tools to help contractor

■ For more on the Clean Extreme range visit www.rdr.link/li033 Your Housing specifies cloud fob system for large estate Fob readers and the accompanying Cloudbased management system from Intratone have transformed the management of keys and access to properties for Your Housing Group. Previously, facilities managers had to manage a physical set of keys and log who had taken them, at what time and for what purpose. Many keys were never returned. The HA upgraded a number of properties within its portfolio to fob access, but the original system was not properly managed, almost 100 fobs were issued to one block of six flats, for example, without being able to trace who had them. To address the issue, Intratone proximity readers were installed during refurbishment works at the front and rear entrances of 34 apartment blocks in Liverpool and Manchester by Maintec.

■ For more information on Intratone’s solutions visit www.rdr.link/li034

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Sharmans is introducing two contractor support tools — a Budget Quote tool and a Surveying & Fitting Guide. The Plygene Gutterline Surveying & Fitting Guide is an interactive digital system that is easy to access on mobile or desktop and provides up-todate installation and support information for use on site. Simple to navigate, it takes the pressure off the surveyor by ensuring that they have selected the correct watertight finishing detail, no matter the type of roof. For every metal or asbestos roof build-up, there is an easily identifiable solution, which can be selected at survey stage allowing the instructions to be passed to the installer, minimising errors onsite.

■ For more information on the Plygene Gutterline Surveying & Fitting Guide visit www.rdr.link/li036 ■ For information on the Budget Quote tool visit www.rdr.link/li037

REFERENCE LIBRARY New flue guide available ATAG Commercial’s new Flue Gas System Guide contains all the essential information about the extensive flue options available for the company’s range of boilers. The new literature features all the relevant technical information, product codes and installation advice heating engineers require. There are also dedicated sections on the flue systems available, including cascade kits, as well as components, dimensions and essential design and sizing information for all ATAG Commercial boilers. With the company offering open, room sealed, concentric and communal flue systems, there are options available for a wide range of domestic and commercial applications. The document offers guidance on the requirements and regulations for the construction of flue systems, as well as which items are suitable for use with each of the A Series, Q Series and XL Series boilers.

■ To download a copy visit www.rdr.link/li038 Advice on achieving accessible, adaptable bathrooms As the Government is urged to make accessible, adaptable housing mandatory within Local Plans, public and private sector housing developers are being offered a simple way to achieve it. Leading social provider Habinteg is lobbying the Government to ensure more new homes meet the Building Regulations Approved Document M4(2) baseline. It points out that currently only 7% of homes in England meet the basic ‘visitable’ criteria, yet there are almost 14 million disabled people in the UK. Closomat has produced a simple quick reference guide that highlights key areas to consider in the bathroom in accessible housing. The company offers C(DM) compliant support from design advice to supply, installation, and — if required — subsequent service and maintenance options for public and private housing providers.

■ To download the guide visit rdr.link/li039 New document produced for mechatronic cylinders DHF (Door & Hardware Federation) is making available a new downloadable document for the building and hardware sector, named TS 007 2:2019 - Enhanced security for mechatronic cylinders and/or associated hardware.

The new Technical Specification (produced with the Glass and Glazing Federation) has been prepared following the emergence of an attack method focused on cylinders used in locks. New door assemblies are covered by PAS 24 and complete mechatronic lock assemblies by DHF TS 621. The ‘TS 007 - 2:2019’ publication aims to provide a level of security for mechatronic cylinders comparable to that specified in BS 3621 and PAS 24. The document provides information on enhanced security mechatronic cylinders and security hardware intended to be used on dwellings and other buildings requiring similar levels of security.

■ For a copy of the new specification visit www.rdr.link/li040

New ventilation specification guide released

Domus Ventilation, part of the Polypipe group, has launched an in-depth Specification Guide, covering its full range of award winning, energy-efficient ventilation products for the domestic and light commercial markets, plus Best Practice Guides drawing on the company’s extensive knowledge in the ventilation sector. The new 108-page guide has been developed by the company’s in-house Technical Department to support consultant’s specifications and text data. The full range of Domus Ventilation products are included within the new guide, including the recently released high performance HRXE Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) and the highly energy-efficient CMX Mechanical Extract Ventilation (MEV) units; including the brand new CMX-MULTI which boasts the best Specific Fan Power (SFP) on the market.

■ To download the new Specification Guide, along with detailed product datasheets visit www.rdr.link/li041 New guide to water system disinfection The WCS Group’s new guide to water-based disinfection control, highlights the different methods of preventing bacterial proliferation and their pros and cons; ideal for FMs, building services and H&S professionals responsible for safe water used in processes, as part of HVAC systems, process and potable water.

Protecting your water and water distribution system includes information on both primary and secondary disinfection. Every industry has its own set of challenges and priorities when it comes to water hygiene and the guide aims to address each method's characteristics, comparing commonly used options based on a range of parameters — from the effectiveness of the disinfection, to safety considerations and environmental impact.

■ For more information and to download WCS Group's new guide, visit www.rdr.link/li042

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Coming up in the November issue of LABM… SPECIAL REPORT ● VIVID, one of the largest housing associations in the south of England, has been operating in partnership with it’s local Solent NHS Trust and the Keep Well Collaborative to provide front line health professionals to it’s customers and residents, enabling earlier interventions, reduce

delayed discharges and support high intensity users of NHS services. LABM finds out more.

HOUSING & REGENERATION ● The First Digital Skills Academy in Southwark will see volunteer champions given free training and support to help develop the digital

skills of other residents in the borough. Hyperoptic and Southwark Council talk to LABM about the project and offer advice for other authorities when it comes to building community engagement to enhance digital inclusion rates. ● The opportunity low carbon heating presents for social housing providers.

DOORS, WINDOWS & HARDWARE ● The benefits to local authorities of partnering with suppliers that are able to provide a sustainable closedloop windows and doors service, including a case study with North Lanarkshire Council.

VENTILATION & AIR MANAGEMENT ● How Building Regulations Part F needs to address indoor air quality more closely as it is based on the assumption that outdoor air is of reasonable air quality, which is not true for the majority of buildings in UK towns and cities. This feature will look at how whole house mechanical ventilation, with filtration, is more effective than opening windows and using trickle vents, as it can address the issue of bringing polluted air into a home and how this can have a more positive impact on the health of occupants.

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Myson .........................................................................................(page 16) Nationwide Windows Limited .........................................(back cover) Pegler Yorkshire Group Ltd .................................................(page 35) rdr.link ........................................................................................(page 29) Samuel Heath & Sons ............................................................(page 54) SAV Systems ............................................................................(page 26) SE Controls ...............................................................................(page 46) Structherm Limited .................................................................(page 25) Tarmac Blue Circle ..................................................................(page 15) The Concrete Centre .............................................................(page 53) Wavin ........................................................................(inside front cover) Wilo (UK) Limited .....................................................................(page 38) Winkhaus ..................................................................................(page 50) Xtralite .......................................................................................(page 29)

GUEST COMMENT

Fit for purpose When it comes to providing electrical safety it is important to understand that not one approach fits all. Ian Montague, Consultant Engineer, with leading electrical body NICEIC, explains the danger of overloading circuits with additional electrical equipment and the need to carry out the appropriate safety checks to ensure it is fit for the purpose intended. n 2017/2018 there were 17,809 accidental domestic fires in England of an electrical origin. Sadly, a large proportion of these fires occurred in rented accommodation. The risk of fire from electrical origin is greater in this sector possibly due to the extra wear and tear placed on electrical installations from a high turnover of tenants.

So, when it comes to providing homes which are fit for purpose there is a huge onus on landlords (particularly in the social sector since the Grenfell tragedy) to ensure the electrical installations and appliances are safe to use as intended.

Installation Condition Report (EICR) is one recommended way in which these checks can be recorded. In layman’s terms it is comparable to an ‘MOT of the electrics’ in a property and provides an up to date account of an electrical installation. Just like an MOT it will provide a satisfactory or unsatisfactory rating along with recommendations for improvement if required.

An EICR is also advised when a property has had a change of use from its original intention, and now may contain additional electrical equipment which places additional load on the original circuits within a property.

Electrical safety

Rise in housing adaptations

Social landlords have a responsibility to ensure all residents — or anyone entering a property — are not put at risk, by making sure that the electrical installation remains in a safe and serviceable condition for continued use. To meet this requirement a landlord will need to regularly carry out basic safety checks to ensure the electrical installation and appliances are safe and working. This means ensuring:

We visit a huge number of properties nationally on behalf of housing associations and local authorities every month. One marked change over the last few years is the increase in the number of homes that have been adapted to suit the particular needs of tenants who might be elderly, disabled or have long-term health issues requiring full or part time care.

These homes in some cases have been altered to allow for additional electrical equipment such as hoists, additional heating, or medical devices which can in some cases substantially increase the load on the electrical installation. These increases in load can easily be underestimated and in some cases pass unnoticed by the tenant/the landlord.

Tenants are often unaware of the effects of adding the additional electrical equipment until a problem arises.

This is of particular concern when electrical circuits were originally installed 20 or 30 years previously and have not been updated for some time. This is just one of the scenarios which can catch out even the most vigilant landlord and one that we at

● That the electrical installation in a

rented property is safe when tenants move in and maintained in a safe condition throughout its duration. ● That a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) has an Electrical Installation Condition report (EICR) carried out on the property at least every five years, or at every change of tenancy based upon the findings of the inspection and testing that has been carried out.

Electrical services deteriorate over time, and an increase in load does not help. As with most things in life, electrical installations deteriorate over time. An Electrical

An electrician working on a light fitting

Our advice for anyone “managing properties is to ensure the electrical installation is fit for continued service at the prescribed intervals...

”

NICEIC Consulting have identified as a growing problem in recent years.

Our advice for anyone managing properties is to ensure the electrical installation is fit for continued service at the prescribed intervals and to consider any changes of use which may increase the loads placed on circuits.

Technical assistance NICEIC consulting provides a cost-effective service to help social housing providers avoid technical pitfalls, reduce compliance costs and most importantly, enhance safety. Enabling the landlord to see where they currently stand on a multitude of electrical and gas safety management regulations and code requirements.

■ For more information about your responsibilities regarding electrical safety visit www.niceic.com/consultancy.

■ Domestic electrical safety advice is also available on the Electrical Safety First website: www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk.

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