The Essential Building Product Review - May 2015 Issue 2

review

May 2015 - Issue 2 www.ebpr.co.uk

The Essential Building Product

Altro safety flooring fitted at the headquarters of NestlĂŠ in Barcelona, Spain Page 20

Caesarstone’s interpretation of natural Calacatta marble, Calacatta Nuvo Page 38

Metal Technology Products Showcase Fire Service In Omagh, Northern Ireland Page 55

Smoke ventilation extraction system from SE Controls has been installed at Buxton Opera House Page 69

Contents 4 ProjectView

The latest design practice project news

10 OverView

Building product manufacturers share their thoughts and opinions

18 InsideView

A closer look at two key building product groups and industry news

34 GrandView

Building products combine form with function in the picture gallery

42 The Product Review

News, developments, product and project information for the building designer

84 RearView Front cover: Tessera Diffusion Carpet Tiles From Forbo Full story on page 21 Visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/diffusion Page2/3: ArtLed Sheds Light On The Mauritshuis Full story on pages 40-41 Visit www.lightprojects.co.uk

Reader Enquiry E-Service If you would like to receive further information about any of the products and services featured in this issue, just email us at info@link2media.co.uk, type ‘EBPR15/2’ in the email title, include the enquiry numbers of interest and your contact details. We’ll do the rest! (If you’d prefer to fax the information, it’s 0845 862 8639, or you can even post it to us!)

Some of the colour photography used in The Essential Building Product Review is provided and paid for by contributors. The publishers do not accept liability for errors that may appear in the publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of the publisher. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the consent of the publisher.

Published by: Link2Media Limited Editorial Office: The Moat House, 133 Newport Road, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 2EZ Tel: 01785 240883 Fax: 0845 862 8639 info@link2media.co.uk www.link2media.co.uk @Link2Media www.link2media.co.uk/facebook pinterest.com/link2media issuu.com/link2media

4

P

Malmö Live Represents A New Cultural ‘City In The City’ Saturday, 2 May 2015 marks the opening of Malmö Live, the new cultural centre in Malmö, Sweden.

In 2010, schmidt hammer lassen architects in a team with Skanska, Nordic Choice Hotels Akustikon and SLA won a competition to design the 54,000m2 concert, congress and hotel complex. The masterplan also includes 27,000m2 for housing and commercial use.

Malmö Live is an open, expressive, dynamic building offering numerous activities within its architecture. The point of departure for the building’s design is the modern Scandinavian architectural tradition, which focuses on clear, functional organisation and an accessible, open ground floor layout. The building will become a focal point and landmark in Malmö, offering a setting in which the spirit of the city and its diversity and intimacy receive an architectonic expression.

“The idea was to create a ‘house of the city’ incorporating the architectonic expressions of Malmö to develop a building that will contribute to existing urban life,” says Kristian Ahlmark, Senior Partner at schmidt hammer lassen architects. He adds, “The context inspired our choice of materials and colours as well as the various sizes of the building’s areas, yet the building design itself points to the future.”

Malmö Live is situated on Universitetsholmen in Malmö. The building consists of cubic areas that are twisted and given different sizes to match the directions and heights of buildings in the surrounding city. The facades are designed with a homogeneous expression to make the composition appear as one architectonic sculpture.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

The main entrance is found at the northern part of the building, which has a classic loggia motif facing the plaza in front. From the south, visitors enter the building directly from the promenade running along the canal. The different functions of the building are organised as separate elements to resemble a small city.

The lobby becomes the street, which runs through the entire ground floor and ties everything together. Like medieval cities, which had curved, narrow streets organised around plazas and squares, the lobby is designed to form small gathering places and recesses where visitors can stop, sit and enjoy the view of the canal and the park.

“We have broken the building mass down into smaller entities that interact with the context.

The clearly defined volumes also create a hierarchy in the way in which the building is perceived. The exterior expression uses the city’s scale and its colour and materiality as a starting point.

Here, qualitative and differentiated spaces are created around the building in conjunction with the surrounding buildings. These spaces include a common space for skating or watching football on a big screen, a green park path, a new promenade along the canal to the south

5

and two large wooden decks that connect the water and the building,� says Kristian Ahlmark.

Inside, three volumes hold a large symphony hall, a flexible hall and a conference hall, which are clearly defined elements that, through their mutual composition, set the tone for the musicality of the building. The three building masses have an almost-urban scale that supports the idea of 'a city within the city'. The interior is simple, consisting of rough black concrete, stone, wood and brass. The street life outside is drawn directly inside to support the open nature of the building. In the concert hall, the mood changes. The hall is an intimate space outfitted in oak and brass.

"We worked in very close cooperation with Akustikon to achieve two things: an absolutely world-class sound and a room with a musicality that works with the music, like sitting inside an instrument. The result is a composition of cubic elements. Each surface has a function, angle and size that supports the acoustics. Light is integrated into the walls so the mood can be changed depending on what is being performed in the hall," concludes Kristian Ahlmark.

The official opening of the Concert Hall will be held on 26–28 August 2015. On 4 June 2015, the new outdoor areas within MalmÜ Live will be inaugurated. www.shl.dk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

6

P

Wilkinson Eyre Unveils University Of Oxford’s Weston Library As World-Class Research Centre

Oxford University’s Weston Library, home to some of the nation’s most valuable literary treasures, will reopen on 21st March 2015 following an £80m renovation by leading architectural practice Wilkinson Eyre.

Part of the University’s world famous Bodleian Library, the Grade Il listed building (formerly the New Bodleian) was originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in the 1930s.

Situated opposite Nicholas Hawksmoor’s iconic Clarendon Building and Christopher Wren’s exquisite Grade I listed Sheldonian Theatre, its renovation is at the heart of an ambitious period of renewal of the Bodleian’s facilities aimed at safeguarding its vast and unique collection of books and manuscripts.

The much-anticipated project has created high-quality storage for the Libraries’ valuable special collections, which have been preserved for scholarship; developed the Libraries’ space for the support of advanced research; and has expanded public access to its great treasures via its new exhibition galleries and a lecture theatre.  By opening up the building to promote its special collections to the wider public, Wilkinson Eyre has also addressed the building’s identity and related it more closely to its immediate context by improving its perception and approach. Once described as a ‘dinner jacket made of Harris Tweed’, the Weston Library is now successfully connected to the core Bodleian buildings.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

The new Blackwell Hall, supported by a £5m donation from Julian Blackwell, is a publicly accessible, top-lit 13.5 metre high space which forms the heart of the new library and features a café, information desk, a 16th Century tapestry map (the Sheldon Tapestry) and a 15th Century gateway on permanent loan from the V&A Museum. The gateway originally led to the garden of the historic Dorner family’s estate at Ascott Park in Oxfordshire and was the only surviving structure following a fire in 1662.

With the support of Oxfordshire Buildings Trust, the incorporation of this gateway sees this grand piece of architecture returned to its original home county in a new and unique setting, emphasising the theme of old and new that runs through the entire building.

Blackwell Hall opens up to two new exhibition spaces and a café, creating an enticing proposition and welcoming experience for the general public, being directly accessible through the new public entrance on Broad Street.

Exhibition galleries have been added, along with other new facilities including a Digital Media Centre, a Visiting Scholars Centre, a lecture theatre, and a suite of seminar rooms to enable teaching and master-classes based on the library’s special collections.

These facilitate contemporary research practices and techniques, supporting the library’s academic users, as well as enabling public interaction with the library’s collections and treasures. The newly refurbished library

7

includes world-class conservation workshops and facilities, where collections can be preserved in a secure and environmentally stable setting. The Bodleian’s Special Collections experts will now all be co-located in the building with their Conservation colleagues, as will the Centre for the Study of the Book.

Whilst carrying out the refurbishment and enhancement of this iconic library building, Wilkinson Eyre has addressed major challenges with its infrastructure and upgraded its facilities without compromising the building’s charming, historic character. Scott’s original design replicated the typology of an Oxford University college but with the traditional quadrangle space in the centre occupied by an 11-storey book stack based around a large complex of unprotected steel framework.

With the New Bodleian previously struggling to meet national standards for the storage and exhibition of archival documents, Wilkinson Eyre’s renovation has now provided a safe repository for the nation’s literary treasures. The architects have revised the layout, removing the upper floors of this colossal central stack, and replacing them with a dedicated reading room and suite equipped with the latest research facilities. The three- storey stacks underground have been partially rebuilt and upgraded to modern archival standards, and for the first time, controlled shafts of daylight permeate into the heart of the building.

Blackwell Hall South side - James Brittain

View from roof terrace - Will Pryce

The highest storeys of Scott’s original building, hidden Fully glazed micro vewing during the 1960s by an extension, have been re-instated points into Blackwell Hall and restored to include a new reading room boasting the James Brittain best views of the city’s iconic spires. The slit windows arranged in rows, through which the spires are visible, are a signature Scott feature and a key expression of the building’s 1930s character.

Scott was renowned for embracing modern building techniques and glazing in the building, including the slit windows, were the first large- scale use of anodised aluminium in the UK. Particular care has been taken to restore and match Scott’s high-quality craftsmanship and original materials palette. From stone to metal to plaster, as well as joinery and furniture, Wilkinson Eyre’s attention to proportion, materiality and light in the new spaces gives rise to a quiet, scholarly gravitas emanating from this previously unloved building. 140 tonnes of salvaged stone was re-used in the new façades and external stonework — including two angels holding the University of Oxford coat of arms, and the bust of Bodleian Libraries’ founder Sir Thomas Bodley above the King George VI door — has been expertly cleaned and repaired.

The ‘tour de force’ of original joinery is the main reading room, including a decorative, inlaid timber ceiling, which mimics Native American and African designs in a stylised Art Deco manner, and has been cleaned and restored to its original splendour. New bespoke additions such as shelving and tables have been designed and specified sympathetically. www.wilkinsoneyre.com

Rare Books and Reading Rooms including Original Gilbert Scott detailing - Will Pryce

8

P

FORE Starts HighlySustainable London Office Development

FORE Partnership, the pan-European real estate investment club for family offices and private investors, has begun development of a highly-sustainable, speculative office project by the River Thames in central London. VIEW 58 will provide 47,000 sq ft of Grade-A office space at 58 Victoria Embankment on the north bank of the Thames in Midtown, and is being delivered with development partner Kier Property.

The development has been sensitively designed by architects TP Bennett to retain the historic feel of the façade, while providing a contemporary, highly-functional office environment behind it.

Each floor opens into a central atrium and has exposed lifts and walkways. Sustainability is central to VIEW 58. FORE and Kier have adopted green construction practices - incorporating technologies not seen before in the UK - and are actively engaging with the local community.

On the roof they will install 22 KW in solar photovoltaics that generate power from the top and underside of the panels, the first UK use of this technology. During demolition, 99% of waste was diverted from landfills and was recycled. The building is designed to exceed BREEAM’s ‘Excellent’ sustainability rating.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

Basil Demeroutis, Managing Partner of FORE Partnership, commented: “The building has been designed with a highlysustainable ethos, underpinning a Grade-A specification.

Not only does this future proof the building, but it also cuts the operating costs for tenants by almost a third. A key part of our philosophy is to bring sustainability mainstream, to use it as a tool to unlock value just like any other asset management strategy and to widen the view of ‘green’ beyond the traditional narrow focus on energy, water and waste.”

FORE has been keen to ensure the development benefits London and the wider community. During the planning process for the development, FORE operated the building as a charity hub with 24 non-profit organisations occupying the building for more than a year at no cost.

Phil Sutton, Associate Director at Kier Property, commented: “The building is expected to reach practical completion in the second quarter of 2016. The location, in the heart of London, is fantastic, and VIEW 58 has iconic views of the River Thames from every floor – including of course the three roof terraces.” Letting agents for VIEW 58 are Savills and Ingleby Trice. www.forepartnership.com

Value engineering

Byron House, Nottingham Architect: Church Lukas Contractor: Vinci Construction Specialist Contractor: Alucraft

When you specify a Schueco system, you’re getting more than just unrivalled choice and the engineering excellence needed to reduce CO2 emissions.

You’re getting the in-depth system knowledge and technical expertise that can deliver great design and unbeatable thermal and acoustic performance at an economic price. We call it value engineering; you may call it simply the best system solution on the market. www.schueco.co.uk

OverView 12 How Can ‘Smart Design’ Box Off The Legionella Threat With

Hot Water Heating Products?

Chris Goggin of Rinnai

14 Technical Tips On Kitchen Ventilation

Steve Leonard, Managing Director of Ledaire Fabrications

15 Swinging Or Sliding Entrance Doors?

Julie Jarvis, Technical Director of DR Services 16 British Hardwoods

by Vastern Timber

12

O

How Can ‘Smart Design’ Box Off The Legionella Threat With Hot Water Heating Products?

Chris Goggin of Rinnai looks at what smart design and control considerations are available to help design ‘out’ Legionella profileration.

Legionella control and risk avoidance are rightly regarded as a ‘must’ for product and system design consideration within the heating and hot water industry. The whole supply chain - manufacturers, distribution, contractors and end-users dread the thought of having a Legionella problem at any of their sites.

It is one problem where avoidance and prevention are the only sensible action. Modern lifestyles means that we are using more and more hot water – and it is even overtaking the provision of heating in some instances. So how can installers and designers avoid the problem - and give peace of mind to their customers and end-users?

A glance through the Health & Safety Executive ‘Approved Code of Practice’ highlights the vast amount of detailed maintenance needed to keep a stored hot water system Legionella free; the level of work involved is time consuming, expensive and must be adhered to religiously and rigorously.

According to the HSE stored hot water systems present an enhanced risk for the proliferation of Legionella, especially at the base of calorifiers where the incoming water merges with the existing hot water. Legionella bacteria multiply where temperatures are between 20-45°C. Water at the base of the calorifier is liable to collect sedimented organic and mineral deposits, which support bacterial growth, including Legionella, which is then distributed throughout the system.

To ensure total safety, therefore, the whole water contents of the calorifier, including at the base, must be heated to a temperature of 60˚C for one hour each day. A lot of these problems are solved by choosing to install a continuous flow hot water heating system. With a gas-fired continuous flow system there is no cylinder to cause problems because the cold water enters the water heater directly from the mains and is immediately heated to advisory levels. enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

13

With Rinnai continuous flow units water temperature for distribution is accurate to ±1˚C. The fact that there is no stratification as there is no storage ensures permanent even temperature. There is no requirement to heat a volume of water just to ensure the elimination of Legionella bacteria as the minimum temperature that a continuous flow unit achieves is in excess of advisory levels.

However, when considering design parameters that incorporate secondary return systems pipework and dead legs can act as water storage. Engineers and installers can argue that ‘tankless’ (continuous flow units) systems and point of use have a much reduced risk of legionella proliferation. They are correct - until it comes to secondary return systems.

When the taps or shower heads stop running, after use, the pipework will be full of cooling water capable of breeding Legionella bacteria; therefore you do have stored water and appropriate safeguards must be put in place with that type of system.

For example, a large leisure centre of usual size and public usage, where there may be no tanks but the pipework could hold up to 10,000 litres of static water when not in use.

which is a timer channel programme and a temperature controller. The timer will over-ride the temperature control for a short period and then revert back to safe levels. This combination allows for safe running of water at 42°C core temperature during the day and thermal shock of the system at 60°C intermittently at times when the building is not in use.

By the time the building opens again, core temperature is back down to 42°C for safe use.

It is a very simple technology that takes advantage of innate high tech controls within the water heater, it eliminates risk from Legionella bacteria and is ideal for use in schools, office blocks and sports clubs - any large or small scale site. In fact, it could even have uses in domestic environments as the current house building trend is to add more bathrooms. If a property is to be used as commercial premises, including landlord’s rented accommodation, then there is a duty of care to protect employees, tenants, and the public from the possible dangers of hot water systems including scalding and Legionella.

Some parts of the hot water system, such as rarely used shower heads or terminal fittings, will require regular maintenance and frequent checks should be carried out to ensure the hot water system is operating correctly. www.rinnaiuk.com

So what is a smart design consideration to eliminate any risk of Legionella bacteria multiplying in a hot water system without keeping water circulating constantly at 60 degrees? The technology is available in the form of smart controls linked the water heating system, inside enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

14

o

Technical Tips On Kitchen Ventilation Steve Leonard is Managing Director of Ledaire Fabrications, a specialist producer of tailor-made stainless steel extract canopies and hoods for commercial and public sector kitchens.

Here, Steve advises on standards, guidance and product selection designed to overcome some of the health and safety concerns about working in a hot, steamy, grease-laden environment.

From what I’ve seen in some kitchens, grease, dust and all kinds of flying things can accumulate on equipment and in hoods and canopies. This becomes dangerous and a health hazard.

What are the main risks chefs and other staff face in a busy, commercial kitchen? There are three types of risk: to personal health, to food hygiene and to third parties. In all cases efficient ventilation is needed, expelling fumes while bringing in fresh, clean air for a comfortable, safe working. Carbon monoxide poisoning from incomplete combustion is a well-known risk. A carbon dioxide build-up above 1000ppm, from complete combustion of gas, can cause headaches, drowsiness and loss of concentration.

Besides evacuating fumes, systems need to avoid a build-up of grease in ducting and prevent insect pests being drawn in with replacement air. Most cooking oils flash off inflammable vapours above 200oC, and this flashpoint reduces with oxidation from repeated use, while differing cooking styles produce different mixtures of grease and vapour. Prevention of grease accumulation is very important. If not addressed, it provides a feeding ground for bacteria and insects and also accelerates fires. Many grease filtration options are available and fire suppression systems can also be built into hoods. However, filtration is only fully effective with regular maintenance, and performance can be enhanced with the right choice of hood.

OK, so how do we make a start finding out how to overcome these problems, whether it’s for a new or refurbished kitchen? HSE information sheet "Ventilation of kitchens in catering establishments" gives extensive advice on good ventilation practice. This is fairly complex, as removal of "used" air and fumes must be balanced by introducing fresh air, but this must come from "clean" areas and cause no uncomfortable draughts. Complementing the HSE advice are publications from the Heating & Ventilating Contractors Association: DW/172 is a "Standard for kitchen ventilation systems", while TR/19 is a "Guide to good practice, cleanliness of ventilation systems".

Can you pinpoint any specific features that you regard as an absolute ‘must’ in canopy design? The HSE document recommends canopy overhangs of 250 to 300mm for island extractors and, for wall-mounted extractors, 250mm at the front and 150mm either side.

However, we regularly advise greater overhangs in very hot zones.

What about any ‘fail safe’ mechanisms that are pretty well foolproof, no matter who activates them? Systems must also comply with British Standard BS6173:2009, which requires interlocking of mechanical ventilation systems and gas supplies for all types of commercial kitchen appliance, preventing a gas appliance from being switched on before the ventilation system is operating.

How do I know if my ventilation system is right for the size of kitchen I’m working in? HSE recommends a kitchen ventilation rate of at least 17.5 litre/s/m2 of floor area, or 30 air changes per hour.

This is fine in summer, but not in winter when more controllable ventilation may be desired. A basic hood will extract a given volume of fume-laden air, together with heat, but induction hoods partly separate fume extraction from ventilation. They draw in fresh air for high-velocity discharge into the hood, which creates a low-pressure zone over the area and helps to extract fumes via the hood and filters.

Only 20% of extracted air comes from the kitchen, so energy is conserved, although induced air can also be used for ventilation as required. We believe using atmospheric air in this way improves filtration efficiency as the bulk gas temperature is lowered, helping suspended grease condense on filter elements. Induction hoods offer more control over kitchen heating and ventilation but whichever system is chosen it pays to work with experienced suppliers and installers who are familiar with the latest standards, regulations and guidance. www.ledaire.com

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

15

Swinging Or Sliding Entrance Doors?

By Julie Jarvis, Technical Director, DR Services Architects and interior designers, as well as the housebuilders or developers on whose projects they are involved make many judgements based on price, quality and aesthetic taste; though this is only part of the process – as we can understand by looking at the significant differences between swinging and sliding doors. Though the most contrasting characteristic is in the geometry of their motion – one a rotation while the other translates through a single plane – there are various other criteria to be considered.

So what will decide the choice between swinging or sliding doors?

Certainly for the vast majority of domestic and even commercial situations, a basic swing door will suffice; but dozens of different factors can dictate that some type of sliding door installation may be appropriate or even essential. The arc described by a swing door as it is opened is the single most relevant factor, in that the amount of clear space required in front of, and to the side of a doorway, can count against their use.

Although this is readily apparent, the full implications only impressed themselves upon most designers following the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act. For an able bodied user, the act of turning a conventional door handle and swinging back the door leaf is completed without conscious effort. However, for someone confined to a wheelchair, or even a person with an infant, or heavy packages, the operation can be both inconvenient and potentially hazardous. Since the advent of the DDA, we are used to seeing sliding door adaptations on quite humble high street outlets, while they far outnumber

revolving doors in very high pedestrian traffic locations. What is more, top hung or bottom sliding gear can permit even very heavy door leafs to move aside easily and quickly with a minimum of noise and inconvenience. In fact D R Services can supply sliding door gear capable of dealing with leaf weights from 15 kg up to three tonnes, either opened manually or electrically powered. Some of the guard barriers used are quite obtrusive, but our aesthetic answer is in the form of a frameless section of safety glass or a simple stainless steel railing appearing out of the ground.

One of the challenges that we are regularly set by clients for is to create a sliding door that runs independently of the soffit, normally because there is a suspended ceiling that cannot bear weight. The Trojan 120 manual system can span openings in masonry walls and stud partitions, while the tracks can also be mounted across glass walls. This can create a completely transparent division where glass doors permit or deny passage. There is also a growing market for curved doors where D R Services has introduced a totally visible, external stainless steel system which features rectangular section rail and conceals the wheels within a square housing.

Sliding stacking walls in frameless glass are frequently high on the menu for interior designers to make the space more flexible; and at the Intercontinental Hotel on Hyde Park, D R Services created a glass wall which, when not in use, can be completely concealed behind oak panelling. www.drservices.co.uk.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

16

O

British Hardwoods As the construction industry increasingly embraces sustainability, so timber is becoming increasingly popular and is reclaiming ground that had been lost to plastics and metal in recent decades, certainly for structural use, says Vastern Timber.

Modern building designs incorporate sustainability through advanced building designs and techniques, but also through the materials chosen. And there is a growing popular expectation that sustainability will be a founding principle of new projects and indeed major refurbishments at the design stage. The same thinking increasingly applies to furniture and other products as customers and consumers expect responsible sourcing and manufacture.

communities and environments that rely on it. And of course you are avoiding the increased carbon footprint that importing timber carries with it.

However, while sustainability is a primary driver for growth in the use of timber, designers and architects are re-familiarising themselves with the aesthetic and creative advantages of timber, and in particular British timber.

The other major advantages of British timber are the character and quality of the wood, and the design flexibility provided by local sawmills that can cut bespoke sizes and lengths to suit. Imported woods are invariably generic in both grade and available sizes, yet by visiting your local sawmill, specific requirements can be discussed and you can often view the actual timber before making a choice. So where imported woods are ‘off the shelf’, it’s worth thinking of British timber as more akin to Savile Row.

British timber is inherently more sustainable than imported timber. Through using British timber, designers and builders are assured the timber comes from properly managed woodlands, and the ecological, social, and economic effects of the entire timber process can be easily inspected and measured. In choosing British timber you are supporting the British timber industry and the

Oak is perhaps the most typical of the hardwoods used in British construction. Yet there are clear differences between home grown oak and imported oak. For example, British oak is considered to be stronger than French oak because it has a more interlocking grain. There is also more of an option to choose ‘character’ grades with home grown oak than there is with imported oak, and once again, for

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

17

the architect or designer looking for something special, they can visit a local sawmill to inspect and choose specific timber. English oak tends to feature a more interesting grain and more in the way of knot clusters and burrs. For designers who are looking for a rustic appearance British grown oak is the perfect choice.

Vastern Timber has recently supplied premium English oak to landmark restoration work at the Tower of London. Working in close partnership with heavy framing company GMT Timber Frames and leading furniture designers Luke Hughes, Vastern Timber has supplied wood for the reinstatement of a drawbridge dating back to 1834, as well for the production of furniture for the restoration of the iconic Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula.

Following years of planning and five months of construction, the drawbridge, which originally allowed munitions to be brought into the basement of the iconic White Tower from the wharf, has been completely reinstated and officially unveiled, giving millions of visitors the opportunity to once again witness the rising of the drawbridge, a sight not seen since the 1970s when the rising drawbridge element was replaced with a permanent fixture.

English oak is the ideal timber for these projects. It is robust enough to last centuries and is the most iconic of the English woods.

And as Geoff Foers at GMT Timber Frames explains, “It is important to a lot of our customers to use English timber instead of imported wood, and the Tower of London were very happy that we were using English oak.�

While there are clear advantages to choosing British hardwoods, there is still much ground to be made up over imported timber. Currently, only 6% of hardwoods currently used in the UK are native, as unfortunately we have become overly reliant on imported hardwoods in the UK, to the detriment of our own domestic hardwood industry.

This in turn has had a negative effect on our own native woodlands.

The loss of manufacturing, and specifically the furniture making industry, and the associated loss of skills in combination with the rise in imports, has resulted in the contraction of demand for British timber. As a result our domestic industry has contracted, with inevitable job losses and impacted communities. And with this contraction there has not been the investment made into making sure our woodlands are properly managed. Research has shown that up to 65% of our native mixed broadleaf woodlands are unmanaged.

Yet there is no reason why designers should ignore the design and sustainability advantages of British woods. From a design perspective, as well as social, economic and environmental perspective, there are plenty of good reasons to Buy British. www.vastern.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

InsideView This months special features: 20 Floors 27 Roofs

20

EI

1

Nestlé Spain Achieves High Design With Altro Safety Flooring

1,000 people work daily at the headquarters of Nestlé in Barcelona, Spain, and the company hosts more than 50,000 visitors annually. This high level of traffic also spills over into the catering and cafeteria areas. These areas have been modernised with a range of Altro safety flooring products to provide better service to staff and visitors.

An essential part of the refurbishment was the choice of flooring. There was a need for a high design using different colours and shapes, but it also had to adhere to safety and hygiene regulations for dining and catering areas. The project also needed to be completed quickly to minimise disruption to the normal activity of the dining rooms. With 250,000 meals served annually at the offices of Nestlé, Eurest Catalunya, a company belonging to Compass Group, was able to install Altro safety flooring without interrupting the normal business day.

In the self service and dining room areas, approximately 1,000m² of Altro Walkway 20 in two different colours and Altro Wood Safety were used. Altro Stronghold 30 was used in the kitchen. For the cafe on the ground floor, about 200m² of two different shades of Altro Walkway 20 were used. Altro flooring was chosen for its slip resistance, versatility and ease of installation and the ability to create a high spec design without compromising on safety.

Jordi Massip, Restoration Supervisor at Eurest, said, “The floor was installed in stages and the dining room was not closed during the installation. The flooring was easy

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

to install, and in two days the area was open and fully operational. The slip resistance of the flooring was the most important feature for us. In areas where kitchen staff were working we installed Altro Stronghold 30. We chose this product because it provides safety, hygiene and cleanliness in the kitchen.”

The Altro safety flooring was used to create special effects with the combination of different tones. Altro Stronghold 30 is Altro’s specialist commercial kitchen flooring, and is ideal for areas where grease, oil and fats may be present.

It achieves Altro’s highest rating for slip resistance (TRRL≥55, R12). It is designed to minimise risk in wet and greasy conditions for the lifetime of the flooring. As well as helping to keep staff safe from slips, it also helps reduce their fatigue, thanks to its 3mm thickness which provides noise reduction and comfort underfoot.

Altro Walkway is a hugely popular, hard-wearing 2mm safety flooring which provides lifelong slip and abrasion resistance. The range has 42 colours – featuring bright and subtle, sparkle-free designs, and decorative chipped options which give you enhanced design flexibility.

When you want to create a homely, comforting and familiar look but you don’t want to compromise on safety, Altro Wood Safety is ideal. The range offers 16 wood-look designs, including classic, contemporary classic and ontrend – so you can vary the mood from cool and classy to warm and nurturing. www.altro.co.uk

21

2

Tessera Diffusion Carpet Tiles From Forbo The latest addition to Forbo’s carpet tile portfolio builds on the continuing trend of softening geometric structures. Tessera Diffusion incorporates a beautiful prism pattern that plays with light and shade resulting in a fascinating oblique design that meets all the current requirements for contemporary commercial applications. Stepping away from the more definitive linear trend of angular blocks, Tessera Diffusion is inspired by crystalline structures, with fractal shapes that fade in and out, creating an almost three-dimensional effect with a much softer background.

There are 16 colours in the new range, which reflect a tonal movement with an urban edge. Muted and natural shades, ranging from intensely dark to very pale, inject character whilst responding to demand for warmer, neutral hues and lighter LRV’s in workspaces. Practical and versatile, Tessera Diffusion sits perfectly with Forbo’s luxury Westbond fusion bonded carpet tiles in zoned floorspaces, and perfectly complements durable tiles from Forbo’s Allura Flex LVT collection which are fitted using the same tackifier.

Janet Lowe, UK Market Manager at Forbo Flooring Systems comments: “Tessera Diffusion also meets SKA rating criteria for M12 soft floor coverings, contains over 50 per cent recycled content by weight and is manufactured with Refresh fibre; a 100 per cent solution dyed nylon 6.6, with recycled pre and post-consumer carpet fibre that delivers exceptional performance and sustainability. This new carpet tile is therefore the perfect choice for office environments.” For more information on Forbo flooring System’s Tessera Diffusion range please call 0844 822 3928 or visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/diffusion

3

New Virtual Showroom And Wood Floor Resources At kahrs.com Kährs has launched a new, interactive website at www.kahrs.com. The new site combines a wealth of wood-floor related resources, along with a virtual showroom, where Kährs designs can be laid within decorated roomsets, to aid in selection and specification.

With a simplified structure and easy navigation, Kährs website provides an inspiration hub for retailers, designers and specifiers, and home-owners. The new, combined Floorfinder/Virtual Showroom allows you to choose a floor and install it within a bespoke roomset, within minutes, and compare designs side-by-side. A new pattern-laying tool can also be used within the Showroom area, allowing you to ‘lay’ floors from Kährs new Bloc pattern range – In a variety of design combinations – and then calculate the required floor quantity.

Generic and product-based content covers different wood species, environmental information and construction benefits. The site also presents Kährs history, takes a tour of the factory and includes comprehensive design, installation and maintenance advice, as well as inspirational images gathered from around the world. For more information, please contact Kährs (UK) Ltd on tel. 023 9245 3045, sales@kahrs.com or www.kahrs.com

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

22

4

I

Howe Green Provides Easy Access To Essential Services At Southmead Hospital

Over 100 Howe Green Visedge access covers have been installed at Bristol’s £430million state-of-theart Southmead Hospital, where the final phase of redevelopment is underway. With the floors of the new super-hospital facing heavy foot traffic from visitors, patients and staff each year, a heavy duty and tamper-resistant solution was required to provide access to under-floor drainage and services.

Howe Green’s Visedge covers offered the most costeffective and low maintenance solution and they were fitted by AC Flooring for main contractor Carillion. Easy to install and unobtrusive in design, Visedge covers are double-sealed to meet the highest standards of hygiene and security. The range was specifically developed for use with flexible sheet flooring systems its excellent resistance in highly trafficked areas is proven.

Unlike similar products, the Visedge Series also allows sheet flooring, which can include PVC or linoleum, to be locked into the cover and frame by hot welding to a pvc section sealed to the surface. This creates a permanent joint and eliminates water ingress and peeling which can cause a health and safety hazard.

Howe Green manufactures a comprehensive range of access cover solutions for floors, walls and ceilings including bespoke specifications with no added

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

premium to pay. They also supplied 7500 Series stainless steel access covers to Southmead. These were installed in ground floor areas of the hospital, where a heavier loading for service vehicles and bulky medical equipment was required.

7500 Series panels have a standard depth of 75mm with a minimal show-edge for a seamless look. They are suitable for internal and external paved areas and fire rated options are available to BS476:Part 20: 1987 Built by main contractor Carillion and designed by BDP, the Southmead Hospital was constructed for North Bristol NHS Trust complete with 800 beds, 24 theatres, patient gardens, a public square, a helipad and multistorey car park.

With Howe Green’s robust and maintenance-free access covers installed throughout the building, both client and contractor can be reassured that the underfloor drainage services will remain safely concealed and that gaining access for routine or emergency maintenance will be reliably straightforward. www.howegreen.co.uk

23

5

Mapei Introduces New Ultratop Loft For Floors, Walls And More!

Mapei UK has launched Ultratop Loft F and Ultratop Loft W, a highly decorative cementitious product that can be used on walls, floors, staircases and ramps to complement its existing Ultratop range of products. Ultratop Loft F and Ultratop Loft W are one-component, trowellable, cementitious products available in two different aggregate sizes; either coarse (Ultratop Loft F) or fine (Ultratop Loft W) offering two different appearances depending on the ultimate finish required.

Both products are ideal for creating aesthetically pleasing and original floors and walls, with a classic trowelled or mottled effect. The product can be used in both new build or refurbishment projects and helps to produce a variety of contemporary stylish walls and floors, ideal for creating a distinctive designer appeal.

Ultratop Loft should be applied as a system, installed over Eco Prim Grip on vertical surfaces and Primer SN and 0.5mm Quartz on horizontal surfaces, and sealed using either Mapefloor Finish 53 W/L, 54 W/S, 58 W or 630, depending on the type of finish required. Each product is supplied in 20kg bags and is mixed with water to achieve the paste-like consistency required for application. The product is

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

ideal for professional users, to be trowel applied onto a number of different floor and wall substrates to provide a finished system that is around 2mm thick.

Ultratop Loft is available in two colours, Standard and White. However, if required, Ultratop Color Paste (a special coloring agent for Ultratop Loft) can be added to create an extensive colour pallet that can perfectly fit in with any desired colour scheme.

With its excellent resistance to abrasion and rapid drying time, Ultratop Loft is suitable for both commercial and residential areas subject to intense pedestrian traffic which can include shops, restaurants, reception areas, private homes, cafes, hotels and showrooms.

For more information on any Mapei products please visit www.mapei.co.uk, email info@mapei.co.uk or tel. +44 (0)121 508 6970.

24

6

I

Timóleon Saves 18th Century Barn From The SledgeHammers

Property programmes such as Grand Designs or Restoration Man frequently show scenes of building owners or their contractors taking sledgehammers to demolish the internal walls and floors of old properties, but the reasoning behind such drastic action is normally due to their being in the wrong place or rotten beyond repair.

Imagine though, the feelings of the family in Cambridgeshire, who were told that their immaculately restored, Grade II listed home had to be virtually gutted due to a problem with the heating system. It might sound extreme, but when the owners of the brick built barn conversion in its idyllic rural setting dating from 1765, discovered that the underfloor heating circuits beneath their feet needed to be replaced.

Indeed the building services contractor they had called in to investigate problems of noise, pressure drop and damp spots was adamant that the only way to replace the pipework was to take up the ground and first floor, including the majority of the internal partition walls.

What is more, the timescale for the repairs was uncertain with the occupants being required to move out into hotel accommodation while the work was carried out with no prospect of any recompense from their buildings’ insurance providers. Overall the case is a nightmarish example of a situation many householders find themselves facing: in so far as the cost of fixing plumbing or heating leaks is inflated by inaccessibility of the pipework or connections involved.

Thankfully, however, the owners decided to seek another opinion, subsequently calling in Pure Plumbing and Heating of Cambridge. Although the company’s director, Steve Dunn,

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

was of the same opinion that the existing underfloor heating system needed to be replaced, he had past experience of the underfloor heating range manufactured by Timóleon and believed the manufacturer’s systems offered a far more convenient as well as a more economic alternative.

As a result, the owners of the elegantly restored barn did not have to watch the place being ripped apart and were actually able to remain in residence while Pure’s engineers completed the installation of an overlay system in just three weeks. In fact, Pure Plumbing and Heating’s approach was to tackle the upstairs to the beautifully timbered barn first; although this did involve bringing in a carpet specialist and a small team of carpenters to lift the floorboards on the upper level. Ingeniously, the carpet fitters took up the existing high quality carpets and suspended the rolls from the ornate trusses which divide the tall living space. Then with the 8 x 2 inch joists exposed the engineers were able to insert insulation batts between them ready to begin installation of Timóleon’s ToronFloor system.

As a key element to the Timóleon’s Underfloor Heating Products range, ToronFloor presents a rapidly laid and versatile approach to fitting pipework which can be fitted floating over a concrete base as well as across joists or battens. The high quality moisture resistant particle board panels feature routed channels to take the 12 mm diameter heating pipes and were glued as well as screwed over the existing joists to prevent squeaking. Then with the continuous lengths of pipe in place and connected back to the first floor Axios manifold, the surface was covered by the special foil diffuser layer. 6mm thick plywood was secured over this and the carpets re-laid.

25

7

Remmers Industrial Flooring Systems have been used extensively as part of an expansion project to double the size of the manufacturing area at the Promat BD warehouse.

Capeland Industrial Flooring were contracted to install 1800m2 of Remmers flooring system to the new extension that was being built to create additional warehouse space, as well as a requirement for 1200m2 of flooring to the existing machining area which was over 10 years old.

It was decided that the new, more durable flooring being applied in the extended building would also be implemented to the existing building with a new finish within the whole warehouse area. The flooring needed to be durable, non-slip and resistant to oils whilst the warehouse floor required a hard-wearing, smooth finish suitable for fork-lift traffic and incorporating a DPM as it was being laid over freshly applied concrete. www.remmers.co.uk

Back on the ground floor, the specification switched to the use of LowBoardTM a system sitting within the Timóleon range which offers a total installed depth of just 15 mm and is therefore suitable for overlaying existing floors in most refurbishment situations without loss of headroom or the need to take more than a shave off internal doors. While the upstairs installation consumed a length of 660 linear metres of pipe, this figure nearly doubled downstairs and prompted Pure to utilise a pair of the Axios manifolds.

Nine circuits totalling 600 metres of pipe were connected to the first manifold and a further 400 plus metres completed the seven circuits linked to the second. This arrangement enabled the various ground floor rooms, including bedrooms, to be effectively zoned and controlled via thermostats and valves, while more plywood sheets covered the 12mm diameter pipe runs prior to the floor finishes being laid.

Steve Dunn of Pure Plumbing and Heating comments: “In this instance the pipe in the original system featured a seam, which was perished, leading to leaks and replacing it would have meant dismantling the partition walls across the ground floor. The client was initially quite apprehensive about what the contract would involve and it was originally planned that there would be a break between our carrying out the work on the first floor and then the ground floor. However they were so impressed with the speed and lack of disruption – which was in part down to the Timóleon system’s ease of installation – that this was reviewed and we carried straight on.

“There had never been any insulation between the upstairs joists, so we packed the spaces with Rockwool to offer acoustic as well as thermal performance and then laid the ToronFloor chipboard panels in that position.

On the ground floor the LowBoard was an easy fit, creating no issue where it met the staircase.” www.hydronik.co.uk

Remmers Industrial Flooring System Earns It’s Stripes

8

Viva La Rollution!

Schönox iFloor is a revolutionary new system incorporating a unique rollable adhesive providing a fast and clean installation ensuring the mess and waiting times of standard flooring adhesives are a thing of the past. Supplied in kit form, Schönox iFloor contains Schönox KH Fix Primer, primer roller, iFloor Adhesive and adhesive roller. The kits are available in two sizes, each containing the required components to fit either 50m2 or 125m2 of LVT’s. www.everbuild.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

26

9

E

Virgin Active Add Value With Gerflor

At the Virgin Active Health Club 97 Aldersgate Street in the City of London, they don’t do things by half measures. They believe in adding membership value all the way down the line.

It’s a philosophy that’s made the brand what it is today. With the very latest exercise equipment on the most extensive gym floor in the City of London, Virgin Active 97 Aldersgate Street in the Barbican have some of the best cutting-edge equipment available. It’s a shrine to getting fit and staying healthy in a safe, comfortable environment that oozes quality.

Ensuring that their members could enjoy every aspect of the clubs facilities including the exercise, the type of flooring was going to be key in their overall offer to new and existing members and their guests. Looking for the very best solution, Virgin Active turned to international flooring and finishing solutions specialists Gerflor to supply a sports flooring product that would not only perform to the highest standards but would also look fantastic. Taraflex™ Sport M Evolution would be the chosen product and the gym would need a total of some 324m2 of this remarkable sports flooring.

Taraflex™ is versatile enough to be used in various multispecialist applications and affordable for all new projects and refurbishments. This sports flooring solution is used within the education, community, leisure, health & fitness sectors. Taraflex™ Sport M Evolution sports flooring is ideal for a variety of applications including a myriad of sports and leisure activities. Taraflex™ has been used in every summer

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

Olympics since 1976 and is available in 17 colours and two wood-effect designs. The Sport M Evolution product offers a P1 category shock absorbency 25% to 35% and meets the EN 14904 Standard for indoor sports surfaces. Taraflex™ is also recognised for providing durability, safety and comfort without impairing performance. The range offers greater than 45% force reduction.

A key area that Virgin Active were interested in were the bespoke Taraflex™ designs which are available by either water cutting, HD printing or line marking. Virgin Active opted for Taraflex™ in red with painted line marks. This was specified because of the protection it offers, the vibrant red colour and the effectiveness of applying line paint making it a safer, more edefined environment for the clubs’ members.

Taraflex™ meets the EN Standard of 22196 for anti- bacterial activity (E. coli - S. aureus - MRSA) (3) returning >99% levels of growth inhibition. The product is also treated with Protecsol®, which renders polish redundant and is triple action meaning no polish is ever required, it contributes to easy maintenance and is anti-friction burn and slide/grip.

Taraflex™ has a double density foam backing and as another bonus, it’s environmentally friendly. www.gerflor.co.uk

27

10

Refurbishment Of Nottingham City Council Roof Is Disruption-Free Thanks To Decothane Ultra

Refurbishing the roof of Loxley House, the central hub of Nottingham City Council, caused no disruption to essential public services, thanks to Sika Liquid Plastics’ new low odour cold applied liquid roof membrane, Decothane Ultra.

other single pack polyurethanes available in the market. It achieves more than 80 percent reduction in odour strength five minutes after application and greater than 95 percent reduction after just one hour against a similar one-component competitor.

The roof of Loxley House, located in Nottingham’s city centre, has large amount of detailing and upstands, and due to its age was prone to leaks.

After water ingress problems it was decided that the roof required a new waterproof coating, which could be applied around plant and detailing and would protect the building for years to come. A liquid applied solution ticked all of these boxes.

To add to this, the Decothane family of products are cold applied, eliminating the risk of fire in an occupied building during installation and cure to form a completely seamless waterproof membrane.

These benefits over traditional roofing systems have enabled liquid waterproofing to become the fastest growing sector of the flat roofing market.

The main challenge arose when the project started, as the waterproof coating for the roof needed to be applied around the air handling units for the building. As the offices below were in constant use, it was essential that any potential smells were minimised as any odour from roofing products used during installation that may have entered the building would cause inconvenience and disruption.

Luckily it was at this time that Sika Liquid Plastics was bringing Decothane Ultra to the market, a new low odour liquid applied roof membrane. During development, Sika Liquid Plastics worked closely with Odournet, a team of independent consultants that deliver top level expertise on sensory analysis techniques and their application for product optimisation and material testing. According to test data, Decothane Ultra was scientifically proven to be much lower odour when benchmarked against

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

Midland Roofing chose to use Decothane Ultra with fantastic results. The impact of the work on the staff and visitors was greatly reduced with the building remaining fully functional. This was achieved by use of the low odour product, good management and communications between site agent and FM team, and effective management of the air intakes.

Over 3,000sq m of Decothane Ultra will have been applied to the roof by the completion of the project, which is split by various plant and access areas. These sections presented their own unique challenges, with some low plant presenting a clearance of only 10mm. The choice of a premium liquid applied product proved instrumental for these more awkward roof elements. Decothane Ultra is available in the UK from Sika Liquid Plastics. For further information visit www.liquidplastics.co.uk or call the Enquiry Line on 01772 259781

28

I

11

DuPont™ Tyvek® Sails Through New Wind Resistance Tests

As building regulations become ever more stringent, so DuPont™ Tyvek® keeps pace by virtue of its inherent quality, longevity and proven performance. Always at the leading edge of the industry, all DuPont™ Tyvek® roof underlays have passed the necessary tests for the new BS5534 guideline (Code of practice for slating and tiling) which sets strict new requirements for resistance to wind uplift in pitched roofs. Taking effect as of March 1, 2015, the new requirements are defined by different zones for wind exposure (from 1-5) and for varying installation and site conditions.

Three advanced breather membranes from DuPont have sailed through qualification for the new code, meeting the new criteria for all wind zones (including market leading DuPont™ Tyvek® Supro), thus offering a comprehensive range of BS5534 compliant membranes with full certification. DuPont is a world-class science company with a long-standing commitment to ensuring the fitness of its products in terms of performance, sustainability and safety – and these results confirm its leadership in the field.

The BS5534 compliant membranes from DuPont Building Innovations are:

•

DuPont™ Tyvek® Supro, the premiere breather membrane with an outstanding track record of protecting roofs against wind and rain, while also enhancing energy efficiency

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

•

•

DuPont™ Tyvek® Supro Plus, which offers the above benefits together with an integral adhesive lap tape designed for use in the Tyvek® ‘sealed roof system’ for increased energy performance and now also for additional security against wind uplift.

DuPont™ Tyvek® Enercor Roof, a metallised version of the vapour-open roofing membrane designed to optimise the thermal performance of a building, now leading the field for wind uplift resistance.

These membranes are suitable for use in pitched roof systems at maximum batten gauge in all five categorised wind zones, when the products are installed in line with BBA certificate 08/4548 and DuPont’s own trusted technical guidance.

DuPont™ Tyvek® proposes a simple, practical and professional solution to meet the new wind uplift requirements, without the need for any special installation processes or accessories. All three versions of the renowned membrane have a BBA certificate, full CE marking and a Declaration of Performance (DoP) and each can be easily installed, the battens fixed, and details for general weathertightness checked to offer an optimum solution to the multiple requirements of the modern building envelope.

For more information about DuPont™ Tyvek® in the UK please visit: www. tyvek.co.uk

29

12

New VMZINC Roof For Grade 1-Listed Church On World Heritage Site

As one of the nation’s most precious Victorian architectural gems, the Grade 1-listed Saltaire United Reformed Church, built in 1859, is a unique example of Italianate religious architecture. Renovation work on what was the spiritual centre of the model village, focussed on the mausoleum in which Sir Titus Salt and his family are buried.

Saltaire is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and work on the mausoleum roof involved hand crafting of a new ornamental, stamped natural zinc roof by VMZINC craftsmen. The zinc panels were then hand-worked and folded on site by restoration specialists Norman and Underwood, a VMZINC@Work Partner to ensure they matched the curvature of the stonework. Zinc was used to replace lead in order to remove the threat of theft following the approach by Overton Architects to English Heritage.

The result is a restoration which is considered to have brought the building back to a standard not seen for more than a century. www.vmzinc.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

30

13

Ei

Solvent-Free Kemperol 2K-Pur Helps John Lennon Airport Stay In Control

Many roof refurbishments need to take place while the building remains fully operational and sometimes a business-as-usual approach is a business critical necessity. That was certainly the case at Liverpool John Lennon Airport when wear and tear demanded the installation of a new roof for the control tower without any disruption to its 24/7 operation.

This demanding environment meant that the roof refurbishment had to be carried out without any disturbance to air traffic controllers. As a result, roofing contractor, W Swindells & Son Roofing selected Kemper System’s odourless Kemperol 2K-PUR cold applied liquid membrane for the project.

Explains John Swindells from W Swindells & Son “Nuisance odours from a solvent-based or low odour system could have been distracting for the air traffic controllers who work in a relatively confined space for several hours at a time. Specification considerations also included noise levels as the air traffic controllers talk to the flight teams in the aircraft and must be able to hear them clearly so a liquid system that can simply be applied using rollers and brushes was the most appropriate choice.”

Not only did the air traffic control tower require the team to work at height in an exposed location with the airport terminal on one side and the River Mersey on the other, it also involved limited access and strict security procedures, which prompted the contractor

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

to complete the job with just a two man team. Most challenging of all, the contractor had to complete the works without ever interrupting the line-of-sight signal that is transmitted from the rooftop satellite to Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

The control tower’s existing roof surface was bitumen which had not been replaced since the building was first constructed. The refurbishment saw W Swindells & Son overlay the existing substrate with the Kemperol 2K-PUR liquid membrane in a single wet-on-wet process.

After cleaning the substrate, the installation team applied Kemper System’s D Primer which was left to cure before application of the liquid membrane began. The Kemperol 2K-PUR resin was applied section-by-section to the roof using rollers. The flexible reinforcement fleece was cut to size and shape on site and laid onto the wet resin. The installation team then immediately applied more resin to fully saturate the fleece removing any air bubbles or creases with the rollers. The resin then cured to form a seamless, durable and U/V stable monolithic membrane.

Once the new roof surface had been installed, a nonslip maintenance walkway by applying a central strip of Kemper System’s Kemperdur TC surfacing on the roof along with anthracite-coloured quartz aggregate as the wearing course. This finish was also applied to the section of the roof where access is gained from the control room. www.kempersystem.co.uk

31

SAFE_ARCHTECH_JUNE14_103X257_Layout 1 28/05/2014 16:35 Page 1 15

Maximum protection Minimal effort

A Victorian Addition To The Redland Family Redland is introducing a new tile colour to its hugely successful Rosemary Clay Craftsman range after seeing an increase in demand from customers.

The Victorian colour is much darker and grittier than the original Albury and Hawkhurst colours giving roofs a greater depth of texture and character. A unique manufacturing process gives the newly-released Victorian colour the look and style of a premium heritage tile combined with the strength and reliability of modern-day manufacturing. The Craftsman Victorian, with its distinctive black patterning and pitted surface imitates a wellweathered tile. www.redland.co.uk

16

A Faster Internal Finish With Unispan MW Roof Panels Unispan MW structural insulated roof panels from UNILIN, division insulation, allow the creation of better performing thermal roof structures and with a wide range of internal finishes, they can help to bring roof spaces to life too.

Using Mineral Wool insulation for a more ecological alternative to PIR foam, Unispan MW panels are available with OSB, plywood, chipboard, white painted chipboard, gypsum fibreboard and tongue and groove inner lining, leaving a ready for final-finish or completely finished internal roof.

Unispan MW panels are a structural sandwich panel available in a range of different thicknesses dependant on the insulation values required. www.unilininsulation.com

Safesite’s GUARDRAIL range is designed to provide permanent edge protection where regular access is required. The flexibility of the systems offers the choice of free standing edge protection including standard, raked, radiused, folding and counterweight free systems, as well as collective protection for metal profile and standing seam roofs, providing a solution for every situation. As fall protection specialists, Safesite offers the complete range of health and safety solutions, from site survey to design and installation – all backed by system training and annual recertification.

Guardrails / Mobile Man Anchor / Demarcation / Mobile Valley Frame Fragile Roof Access Solutions / Kee Anchor Beam / Ladder Restraints Self Closing Gate / Life Line Systems

www.safesite.co.uk

17

Klober Air-Open Underlay For Highest Performance With a water vapour resistance of 0.03 MN/ sg, Klober Permo® air is approved by the NHBC for use without supporting high level ventilation.

The BBA-certified, air-open underlay has consistently proved to be the most breathable membrane available and prevents formation of condensation in the roof space during a building’s critical drying out period. Permo air has been independently tested for wind uplift by the BRE which found it to be suitable for use up to Zone 5 on the recently introduced BS 5534 wind speed map (with laps taped or battened in zones 4 and 5). www.klober.co.uk

14

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

32

Ei

18

Dome Skylight Transforms Care Home

Since his success in using a Solardome skylight to improve quality of life for residents at a care home in Wales, architect Tim Worsfold has picked up more work in the healthcare sector. We spoke to him about the project at Brindaavan Care Home to find out exactly what he did and whether he would do it again…

When the owner bought the care home in 2014 the day areas were quite fragmented, which meant staff were dotted around the spaces. According to Tim: “The main area requiring development was an enclosed courtyard with the building running round it on three sides and a leaking glass conservatory.”

One innovation was a coloured LED ring around the base of the dome that lights up and changes colour as it mingles with the ambient light from below. This has a therapeutic effect on residents, many of who live with dementia. But that’s not all…

“The second thing it does is work as a brand recognition tool. When it was first installed they had an audience outside. People stopped in the street to admire it,” Tim enthused.

Tim explained: “The owner wanted to bring together the dayrooms by building a roof over the whole of the courtyard, which then produced a room of about 106 square metres.

But being enclosed, he needed to bring in more natural light into the middle of this area.”

Will Jones, Home Manager added: “The local authority is delighted by the dome and feels it has improved the home environment, and as a result they have part-funded the provision of cutting-edge support and training to further enhance the life experience of the residents.”

After a period of exhaustive research and careful consideration Solardome Industries emerged as the favoured contractor to deliver the vision. Now the work is done the new improved day area has a large flat roof with a six-metrediameter geodesic glass dome right in the middle.

Since completing this project Tim has gone on to get more healthcare work. When asked whether he would use Solardome Industries again, the architect said: “If a client rang up and wanted a skylight I would be more than happy to recommend Solardome. I did like working with them. I got on well with everybody and I knew where they were coming from. They were receptive to changes, so yes, I would do it again.” www.solardome.co.uk

Tim said: “When the sun shines it’s like being outside. Add to that the actuators for venting and underfloor heating, and the residents are in the perfect constant environment.”

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

33

19

Seafood Restaurant Contract Proves Steadmans Remains A Big Fish In Building Products Manufacturing Steadmans have netted another enviable order when it supplied materials for a new seafood restaurant in Northumberland. The company provided 145 square metres of Meta-Slate Plus for the roof of Blyth Boathouse Restaurant. This material consists of Steadmans' Meta-Slate roofing sheets fixed to its AS35 insulated panels. The organisation supplied all flashings and purlins for the project too. www.steadmans.co.uk

20

Axter Supplies On Show At Fulham Wharf Fulham Wharf has become one of London’s most coveted addresses, and it’s clear to see why; striking architecture, a variety of homes and amenities, as well as enviable landscaped outside space with access to the River Thames. Axter Ltd knew they were the right waterproofing designers and manufacturers for the project. Axter Ltd supplied their Wilotekt® - Plus system, a robust, inverted, second generation hot melt structural waterproofing system that met the demands of this challenging project. www.axter.co.uk

21

Triple-Glazed Roof Windows For North Berwick Passivhaus Design Another highly insulated, airtight home to use FAKRO roof windows is a self-build for Michelle Sutherland and Neil Thompson in fashionable North Berwick. 14 FAKRO FTT tripleglazed roof windows were specified for the home by Certified European Passivhaus Designer Julie Wilson of Dunbar-based Brennan and Wilson Architects. They were installed on the south-facing roof alongside solar PV and solar thermal panels, the combination of which provides high thermal efficiency and net credit on energy bills. www.fakro.co.uk

22

Rodeca Helps Peterborough Make Recovery Transparent Work is drawing to a close on the installation of some 1,200m2 of Rodeca’s translucent cladding panels as part of Phase 1 of the £76million Peterborough ERF (Energy Recovery Facility) project. The PC3550-10 Rodeca polycarbonate panels, in the duo-colours Kristall and Petrol, are being installed on all three phases of the two-year build by KGM Roofing for main contractor Interserve. They are capable of delivering U-values as low as 0.80 to 0.89 w/m2k. For a time lapse video of construction to date, go to www.viridor.co.uk/ourdevelopments/peterborough-efw/

23

Roofing Manufacturer Bauder On Sunday Times Top 100 Best Small Companies List For 3rd Time Flat roofing specialists Bauder have once again been recognised for organisational excellence at this year’s ‘Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies To Work For’ annual awards, which took place at an event in London hosted by TV Personality Ben Sheppard and supported by Comic Relief’s Richard Curtis. This is the third time that the company has made it onto the prestigious list and has also maintained its 3-star accreditation status that it was awarded in both 2010 and 2012 for ‘outstanding’ workplace engagement.

Now in its 15th year the awards recognise the best of Britain’s happy, engaged and motivated workforce, and its appearance has become highly anticipated in the business calendar. This year the level of competition was extremely high with over 550 companies with less than 250 employees competing for a place on the coveted ‘100 Best Small Companies To Work For’ list. This represents a staggering 25% increase on the number of entrants from last year. A wide range of criteria are taken into consideration when determining company ranking, which is based entirely on employee feedback around some key headers that include; leadership, management, wellbeing and personal growth. The Sunday Times surveyed over 30,000 employees to compile the list, which is acknowledged as the most extensive research into employee engagement carried out in the UK. Family-owned company Bauder, who deliver flat roof, green roof and photovoltaic solutions, possess a workforce of 129 employees located throughout the UK; however they are all frequently brought together to participate in the company’s many employee engagement and teambuilding initiatives.

Angeline Barnes, Bauder’s HR Manager, stated, “The business truly believes it’s success is driven through its people, and as such places great attention to detail to engage with employees and ensure they are challenged, developed within the business and rewarded. Fit to team therefore is a key characteristic of our recruitment strategy.”

Bauder has recently experienced remarkable growth, tripling in size during the industry’s recession. The average length of employment at Bauder is over six years and current employees gave an 84% positive score to the statement “I love working for this organisation” highlighting the company’s credentials as a great employer. Last year, the firm also donated its expertise, materials and over £9,000 to CRASH - the construction industry’s chosen charity for homeless people. www.bauder.co.uk www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/best100companies

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

GrandView 34 ‘Aluprof Transforms the Soapworks’

www.aluprof.eu 36 ‘An Everyday Masterpiece’ www.caesarstone.com

38 ‘Artled Sheds Light on the Mauritshuis’ www.lightprojects.co.uk

36

G

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

37

24

‘Aluprof Transforms the Soapworks’ The Ivy Wharf Development in Salford is one of Manchester’s most recent redevelopment projects. Utilising the former Colgate Palmolive factory buildings, the new development is of mixed use which includes offices, supported by ancillary consumer focused space on the ground floor.

Using the existing external frame concrete structure, new aluminium curtain wall screens constructed from Aluprof’s MB-SR50N system, were used to create a continuous glazed and aluminium panelled facade behind the concrete columns. On the existing four storey block a further storey has been added which follows the lines of the curtain wall below, giving the impression that the concrete frame surrounds an existing aluminium glazed structure.

The Aluprof aluminium systems were installed by Commercial Systems International Ltd who have been successfully installing glazing and cladding systems for over 20 years. Based in Humberside the company has developed a reputation for innovative design and a positive, proactive approach to problem solving.

The Soapworks accommodation provides a total of 40,000m2 of grade A office space with units starting at 200m2. The site also has planning permission for a further 200-bed hotel, a retail area and residential, as well as further office space. Designed by Architects shedkm and constructed by Galliford Try, the building is already being occupied by local businesses.

A sustainable and low carbon redevelopment, the project has been awarded a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. The office accommodation, when completed, was the largest speculative office scheme to be completed outside of London.

With the UK head office and distribution base in Altrincham, Cheshire, Aluprof systems are specified on a wide range of residential and commercial projects across the UK. Systems are designed, fabricated and installed by selected, specially trained companies, to ensure each fabricated product meets Aluprof’s exacting standards. Further information is available at www.aluprof.eu and specialist advice is available from Aluprof on 0161 941 4005.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

38

G

25

An Everyday Masterpiece Caesarstone's interpretation of natural Calacatta marble, Calacatta Nuvo brings you wide, elegant, cascading, grey veins on a white opaque base.

Calacatta Nuvo makes an unforgettable impression and upgrades any interior design into a masterpiece.

This latest design from Caesarstone offers the beauty of luxurious natural stone with the ease of Caesarstone care and maintenance. www.caesarstone.com

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

39

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

40

g

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

41

26

ArtLed Sheds Light On The Mauritshuis Following a two-year restoration, the stunning Mauritshuis in The Hague has now reopened with the galleries illuminated using Light Projects’ specially designed ArtLED fitting. Light Projects is now lighting some of the world’s most famous works of art. From Vemeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ through to Rubens and Rembrandt, the ArtLED is used to help create wonderfully atmospheric galleries dramatically lit in a scheme by Hans Wolff lighting design and distributed

by Q-Cat Lighting in the Netherlands.

Manufactured from extruded and diecast aluminium with an epoxy polyester powder-coated finish, the ArtLED uses the latest Xicato XSM 1,300lm Artist series LED and combines a highly crafted and designed lighting fitting with high CRI (Ra ≥ 95) and colour consistency.

The fitting is available with a self-dim facility or Dimmable Via Analogue 1-10V and DALI. Beam reflector options include 14°, 27° and 52° and a special Wall Wash Reflector allows the ArtLED to be used for a range of different lighting tasks and applications. The advent of a Glare Guard Baffle for both narrow and medium reflectors eliminates the large quantity of glare traditionally associated with LED fittings. In addition, a unique forward throw heat sink, also designed by Light Projects, ensures the cool running of the module while maximising the reflector depth. A proprietary ‘Easy Clip’ cassette facilitates quick change of reflectors and easy addition of accessories.

The ArtLED is fully compatible for use on many existing single and 3 circuit tracks including Eutrac, Erco, Staff, Concord, Global, IGuzzini and Hoffmeister. It is also suitable for both ceiling and wall mounting. www.lightprojects.co.uk And, if you don’t want to take Light Projects’ word for it …………

Renowned BBC Art’s Editor, Will Gompertz comments, “The Mauritshuis renovation and new extension has been elegantly executed. The paintings are hung against a variety of wallpapers befitting the building's 17th Century design, and benefit from some excellent 21st Century lighting, provided by the English firm Light Projects Group”. www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27941037 Mark Hudson, writing for the Daily Telegraph comments, “The damask wall coverings have been replaced, many in a deep and sumptuous blue. I’m informed that the lighting has been vastly improved, but as the essence of good lighting is that you don’t notice it, I’ll take their word on that!” www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/museums/10916549/MauritshuisRefurbishment-The-Hague-review-nearly-perfect.html Photographer: © Ronald Tilleman, Credits: Mauritshuis, The Hague

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

The Essential Building Product Review 44 News 48 Doors, Windows & Glazing 56 Walls 58 Interiors 66 Environmental Control 70 External Works 74 Structures 76 Projects

44

27

E

First Company Achieves BM TRADA Q-Mark Certification For Fire Stopping Installation

29

Logic4training has introduced a Mechanical to Electrical Conversion Course which will enable mechanical engineers to achieve a multi-skilled status and develop electrical maintenance competencies; such as isolation and termination of a range of cables; to support and enhance their role. Training is available at Logic4training centres in Northolt, Basildon and Luton. For more information or to book, visit www.logic4training.co.uk or call 0345 845 7222.

BM TRADA is pleased to announce Panache Fire Services Ltd as the first company to achieve certification under its Q-Mark Fire Stopping Installation scheme. The scheme aims to ensure that fire stopping solutions are being fitted correctly and to verify the competence of installation companies, while offering building owners and Responsible Persons with a certificate of installation. For further information, contact Simon Beer, email sbeer@bmtrada.com call 01494 569 821, or visit www.bmtrada.com

28

BDA Announces Launch Of Design Day Brick Works!

Multi-Task With New M&E Conversion Course!

30

Gypsum Fibreboard EPD Unveiled By Fermacell

The Brick Development Association is launching its inaugural Design Day Brick Works! To be held on 16 June at the Building Centre, London. it is a meeting of contemporary architecture, specialist contracting and artistic interpretation: all focused on brick. It is a high-profile event conceived by the BDA as the champion for current and future use of brick products. It is a ticketonly event that is CPD accredited.

Tickets are £40 each (student tickets £22) and are available via the BDA website www.brick.org.uk

Building panel manufacturer Fermacell has revealed that its gypsum fibreboards have been awarded an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The certification (EPD-XEL2009411-D) follows an independent life cycle assessment by Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V., that reviewed raw material extraction and energy generation, raw material transport and the actual production of coated gypsum fibreboards including packaging and disposal. www.fermacell.co.uk

31

Introduction To Unitised Curtain Walling – A New CPD Module Available From Reynaers There is a new CPD certified module available on the Reynaers Aluminium website accessible to anyone seeking to develop their knowledge and skills. Entitled ‘Introduction to Unitised curtain walling’, the module presents a comprehensive and extremely clear guide to the façade system and includes a series of questions that have been compiled to test the knowledge gained in order to qualify for CPD credits. Successful completion of the module gives 60 minutes of CPD credits and the module can be accessed on the Reynaers website www.reynaers.co.uk Detailed examples on types of unitised curtain walling, distinguishing features and benefits along with installation advantages of the façade system are given throughout the module. The module has to be read in full and then a data entry completed on line followed by a series of questions, all relating to the module in order to qualify. Results are returned within 14 days of completion of the module and if all the questions are answered correctly a CPD certificate is issued. Extolling the virtues of the system a unitised façades brochure from Reynaers Aluminium emphasises the endless design possibilities and solutions the system has to offer. It also makes useful reading to accompany the CPD module. A selection of façade installations is covered in the brochure, demonstrating the versatility and adaptability of the systems in helping to turn conceptual designs into stunning reality.

The 32-page brochure provides full details on the company’s innovative unitised façade range of curtain wall systems the use of which facilitate a fast and economical on-site installation. One of the many benefits is that each unit is prefabricated, allowing greater control on quality, before delivery to site in time for installation. Copies of the Unitised Façades brochure are available from: Reynaers Limited, Tel: 0121 421 1999, email: reynaersltd@reynaers. com or visit the website: www.reynaers.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

45

32

HM The Queen Honours Ancon With A Second Queen’s Award Three years after receiving the prestigious Queen’s Award for Innovation, Ancon’s outstanding business performance has been recognised again in 2015 with a second Queen’s Award, this time in the International Trade category.

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are presented annually by HM The Queen for exceptional business achievements in International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development. Ancon are now honoured in two separate categories. www.ancon.co.uk

33

Eaton’s Security Business Announces The Latest Addition To Its Intruder Alarm Control Panel Range Eaton’s Security business has announced the latest addition to its industry leading intruder alarm control panel range – the i-on1000EXKP. Designed to meet today’s challenging requirements, it is also capable of directly replacing the company’s heritage multi-bus system. Ideal for use in a diverse range of applications, the i-on1000EXKP will be particularly popular amongst security professionals looking to install or replace large systems in educational establishments, as well as hospitals and large commercial buildings. www.eaton.com

34

36

Make a Statement.

Surfaces for your home.

Comprised of 93% natural quartz - one of nature’s strongest minerals, Caesarstone quartz surfaces offer the ultimate combination of form and function, allowing for a diverse, durable, and practical surfacing material with its stain, scratch, and non-porous properties.

www.caesarstone.co.uk

Johnson & Starley Announces 2015 Training Course Dates Johnson & Starley has announced dates for 2015 Training Programme for installers. Warm Air Heating courses include a one day familiarisation session on the new WarmCair range of Condensing Warm Air Heaters and a Heater Replacement/Upgrade course, Fault Finding and Servicing. All courses take place at Head Office Training Centre in Northampton, dates are: 17th June - Replacement and Upgrade, 24th June - WarmCair, 8th July - Fault Finding & Servicing.

Please contact Charlotte Shirley 01604 762881 charlotte.shirley@ johnsonandstarley.co.uk www.johnsonandstarley.co.uk

35

GEZE UK Appoints Robert Workman As Specification Sales Manager GEZE UK has appointed Robert Workman, who has worked in the construction industry for nearly 40 years, as Specification Sales Manager for London and the South East. In his new role, Robert will draw on his extensive experience to provide specification sales and technical support to architects and specifiers across all GEZE’s range of automatic and manual door and window technology ranges. www.geze.co.uk

Bianco Drift 6131

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

46

E

37

ALM Celebrates The Best In Lead

For those who work with lead on some of the UK’s most well-known historic buildings, the Murdoch Awards are widely recognised as the ultimate accolade. Now in their 30th year, they continue to be sponsored by Associated Lead Mills with the latest awards seeing another year on year increase in entries. Now in the BRE Green Guide with a rating of A or A+ (depending on the use), lead is once again being looked on as a contemporary building material with a key role to play in sustainability.

Overall winner was John Fulton (Plumbers) who followed similar successes in 2006 and 2009. Their project, 6-9 Water Row in Greater Govan and Glasgow Harbour, is an impressive B-listed, red sandstone tenement built for the YMCA in 1897. The restoration involved roofing, stonework, joinery, chimney and structural repairs, refurbishment of sash and case windows, overhauling of the tower and repointing. Because of its prominent location, the project was considered to be ‘high impact’ in terms of enhancement of the Conservation Area character, improvement of the streetscape and provision of confidence in Govan’s regeneration.

The judges decided that the work done was complex and technically demanding as ALM’s Andy Denham commented. “This project is a perfect example of how time-honoured skills and methods used for lead work are key to the restoration and conservation of historic buildings. In conjunction with Jamestown Metals in Glasgow, ALM is proud to be associated with such craftsmanship and high contracting standards.”

Of the three finalists for the Murdoch Sponsor’s Award (projects using less than five tonnes of lead) the winner was D Blake and Co for their work at Dumfries House in Cumnock, Ayrshire. This has enjoyed a high media profile ever since Prince Charles invested £20million of his

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

charitable foundation’s money and brokered a £45million deal to secure the house and its collection of Chippendale furniture. The leadwork package involved covering the roof of a newly built belvedere within the Queen Elizabeth walled garden. An extremely tight time frame was involved to meet the scheduled opening by Her Majesty the Queen.

Just a 2 week window was available, entailing 12 hour shifts for the 4 installers involved. 3.5 tonnes of code 6 lead was supplied by Jamestown Metals and installed with a gutter at base level discharging through ornamental leadcast dragons and a welted step section. 56 panels were fitted to the tower on a 22mm thick timber substrate with open gap boarding. Panels of up to 2.0 metres x 800mm diminishing in size towards the top were head-fixed with 3 rows of copper clout nails. Standard wood core rolls to the panels and a king roll at the hips were fitted with a separate welted cap.

ALM also supplied the two other finalists for the Sponsor’s Award, Conservation Leadwork and S J Baker & Sons. As a consequence of its longevity, lead usage in construction continues to grow and the scope to produce decorative elements for heritage projects provides proof of ALM’s determination to play its role in maintaining standards of craftsmanship. In addition to its BRE Green Guide ratings and recyclability lead is said to have the lowest carbon footprint of all roofing metals. www.associatedlead.co.uk

47

38

Contactum Unveils Amendment 3 Compliant ‘Defender’

It’s robust, it’s Amendment 3 compliant, and it’s here!

The non-combustible Defender single phase consumer unit range from Contactum has been revealed to the industry. With a pedigree in manufacturing British quality circuit protection, Contactum’s Defender beats your average consumer unit with a styling that is aesthetically attractive, and still packs a punch with its versatility.

Whilst metal (steel) enclosures are deemed to offer the best non-combustible characteristics, any installed consumer units with plastic enclosures is not necessarily a fire risk if the consumer unit and its incorporated components conform to the relevant product standard(s), do not have latent defects, and have been installed correctly to the manufacturer’s instructions. It is however, better to be safe than sorry!

This modern sleek design is suitable for all installations and offers a comprehensive range comprising 12 different enclosures sizes. IP2X rated and compliant with BS7671 and 17th Edition Wiring Regulations,

• •

The amended Regulations include changes to: the electrical condition report section new requirements for mobile and transportable electrical units the installation of luminaires and light fittings, bringing them in line with the latest international and European standards

• •

the Defender allows up to a 22 module board as standard and installers can combine boards to increase the number of outgoing ways. This flexible board configuration enables optimal combinations of RCD, MCB and RCBO use – there are even pre-populated configurations available.

Amendment 3 to the Wiring Regulations has been introduced as a result of London Fire Brigade reporting that a rising number of domestic house fires were being caused as the result of the consumer units catching fire. The purpose of this Regulation is to contain any fire within the enclosure and to minimise flames from escaping, caused mainly as a result of poorly installed connections and poorly located units in the home.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

It also includes a NEW Regulation 421.1.201, which requires that within domestic (household) premises, consumer units and similar switchgear assemblies shall comply with BS EN 61439-3 and shall have their enclosure manufactured from non-combustible material, or enclosed in a cabinet or enclosure constructed of non-combustible material and complying with Regulation 132.12.

Using London Underground approved low smoke and fume paint on the enclosure, the Defender offers maximum protection, ample cable space and an extensive number of cable entry points allowing easy installation.

To find out more about Defender visit www. connectnprotect.co.uk where a Key Facts Poster, brochures and price list can be downloaded, or contact Contactum on 0208 208 7419 or defender@contactum. co.uk

48

39

e E

Network VEKA Has The Online Tools For The Job Says Frames Conservatories Direct

40

Securikey Launches Brand New Digital Door Locks Securikey has launched two new models as part of its best selling Keylex digital door lock range. The Keylex 700AR Series for commercial applications and the Keylex 700M Series for domestic use extend the options for customers requiring a high quality, user-friendly and quick to install access control solution. The Securikey Keylex 700AR combines robust structure with adaptable functionality. The 700M Keylex model is suitable for all residential external doors where a conventional multi-point lock is required and offers two modes of operation depending on the level of security required. www.securikey.co.uk

Network VEKA member, Frames Conservatories Direct, has revealed one of the secret weapons behind its National, Regional and Fitter of the Year wins, awarded at the organisation's AGM. Making the most of the Network's marketing support, the company turned to its Web Tools offering to create an instant-quote-generating price engine for the Frames Conservatories Direct website. Companies interested in learning more about Network VEKA's package of Web Tools can view a series of helpful videos at www.networkvekatools.co.uk

41

Comar 5P.i ECO+ Comar are pleased to launch their latest development: the Comar 5P.i ECO+ range. Comar 5P.i ECO+ has been designed to perform, whilst backed by Comar’s market leading delivery. Comar 5P.i ECO+ offers additional thermal performance to the Comar ECO product range: by extending the polyamide strips and inserting thermal foam, this product range will provide a future-proof solution for casement windows meeting U-values up to 2016.

With more and more onus on the environment, window and door systems must be sustainable. Using aluminium the Comar 5P.i ECO+ system is 100% recyclable. Aluminium can be recycled an infinite number of times with no loss to its capability. Comar operates an Environmental Management System certified to ISO 140001. www.comar-alu.co.uk

42

Five Shades Of Grey From Vicaima Is A Real Leaf Turner When it comes to the latest trend for interior door colours, Vicaima really know how to excite the imagination.

Grey is proving to be a very popular choice with interior designers and developers right now, so Vicaima have come up with five finishes that seem sure to satisfy the growing desire for shades of Grey. The shades include Dekordor 3D Grey, Grey stained Oak veneer, Dekordor HD Dark Grey, Straight Line veneer Grey and Dekordor SD Grey Walnut.

Dekordor 3D Grey, launched earlier this year is already in great demand. With its embossed and very tactile surface, displaying a horizontal grain design, the doors make an ideal choice for hotel room and apartment entrances. Another recent introduction is the Grey stained Oak veneered door.

With its natural wood tones these doors provide the perfect accompaniment to the current fashion for stained wood flooring, stairs, kitchen cabinets and even furniture. Embodied with the natural grain of real Oak veneer, the faces have been enhanced with a matt lacquered stain finish which requires no further treatment once fitted.

Where added durability is required, Dekordor HD Dark Grey provides the ideal solution. This scratch resistant laminate finish also provides protection from UV shading, making it ideal for more demanding locations. If these were not enough, two further shades from the Vicaima Grey palette are sure to inspire ideas. Grey Straight Line veneer offers a strikingly even grain configuration, otherwise lacking in conventional veneered doors, while new Dekordor SD Grey Walnut introduces a foil finish that gives a slightly weathered look at an economical price. www.vicaima.com

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

49

43

Launch Of Schueco Parametric Façade System Offers Architects New Level Of Design Freedom The launch of Schueco’s Parametric Façade System by sustainable building envelope specialist, Schueco UK Ltd, offers architects a new level of dynamic design freedom. For the first time ever, geometrically complicated 3D façades can be designed as straightforward system solutions whose cost can be calculated with the certainty of a series product.

Like all Schueco systems, the Parametric Façade is highly insulated, with Uf values up to 0.5 W/m2K, and surface elements that can be transparent or opaque. Sunlight and shading, guided views and daylight optimisation can all be employed as active design factors. The system can also accommodate BIPV panels for solar energy generation.

Central to the Schueco Parametric solution is the continuous, closed digital process chain that operates in all phases of design, planning and fabrication.

The result is that commonly encountered interface problems are eliminated and a uniform, consistent data model for every individual involved in the process is guaranteed. Schueco parametric planning tools include a library of ‘intelligent’ façade modules for CAD programs that can be freely combined and incorporated into a parametric façade during the design phase.

Their use allows complex shapes to be progressively simplified, establishing rules and connections between individual design elements that can lead to extraordinary reductions in detailing time: for example, instead of the current norm of 24 hours per unit, use of SchüCAD Inventor slashes the per-unit time to 8 minutes. www.schueco.co.uk

2 44

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

50

45

E

Is This The Most Secure U-PVC Door Available In The Market?

47

Aspex has launched the Novista Riser door range, which are designed to ‘disappear’ within the wall construction. The Novista Riser doorset includes a steel doorframe, which is supplied pre-cut and mitred for easy assembly on site and which, when fitted, is totally concealed within either a stud or block wall rendering the door virtually invisible, when closed, as there are no obtrusive architraves. The Novista Riser doorsets are ideal for use in hotels as bathroom access doors, or risers, and also in commercial office buildings and apartments. www.aspex-uk.co.uk

Total Glass has introduced a new advanced multi-point locking system as standard on all its single and double U-PVC entrance doors manufactured in-house at its Liverpool production facility. Incorporating a ‘next generation’ anti-bump, anti-drill, anti-pick cylinder, the new Yale 8 superior locking solution has a high-security tandem bolt system with an additional centre hookbolt, providing improved resistance to attack.

The system’s unique hook and linear bolt combination locking points assist door seal compression and maximise security. www.totalglass.com

46

CMS Takes Smart Construction Lead With BIM Investment

Invisible Innovation From Aspex

48

Leading building envelope contractor CMS has invested more than £50,000 to support architects and main contractors in the digital building revolution by becoming BIM (Building Information Modelling) ready. The move provides clients with the assurance that CMS is skilled and equipped to deliver all kinds of projects designed and managed in a BIM environment, which will soon become the norm across UK construction. www.cmswindows.com

GEZE UK Reinforces Its Foundations With Training!

More than 20 members of staff from GEZE UK are undertaking the newly launched ‘Foundation in Hardware’ qualification from the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI). The qualification is designed to provide an insight into many of the aspects of architectural hardware, including hinges, closers, locks and furniture for those people who don’t ‘live and breathe architectural ironmongery during their day to day job’. www.geze.co.uk

49

How 30 Pence Can Make The Difference Between A Damaged Window And A Ransacked Home Imagine this, you have a Tilt&Turn window fitted in your home. One day, when you are out, a burglar arrives with a bag of tools, determined to break in because they believe you have some things worth stealing: iPads, laptops, TV etc. The wouldbe thief starts to attack your window. Amongst the tools in their kit are crowbars, screwdrivers and wedges. They also have a drill.

Your Tilt&Turn window has a good level of security. They are not going to be able to easily prise it open. But what they are going to do is try to unlock the hardware mechanism. This is a clever technique, because it doesn’t need brute force. What they are trying to do is drill in and access part of the hardware mechanism, so they can slide the locking points into the ‘open’ position.

If they can expose one of the locking cams, they might be able to push a screwdriver or something in there and move the cam out of its striker plate. If it moves, all the others will follow. But there is one obstacle to this: the handle. With your handle closed and locked, the hardware mechanism is effectively deadlocked. The drive train cannot move, so even if a cam is accessed and pushed, it won’t be able to move.

For the thief, there’s an obvious way around this: attack the gearbox into which the handle is connected. They don’t need to guess where it is, because they can see where the handle is located through the glass. If they can effectively drill out the gearbox, the hardware will be much more free to move. This is where 30 pence can make the difference between a damaged window and a ransacked home. Because that is the cost of an anti-drill plate. This small and unobtrusive item is made from hardened steel. It is designed to clip onto the side of the hardware gearbox and protect it against drilling attempts. It really can make the difference between mere exterior damage and a full break-in, with all the hassle and heartache that causes. Ask Roto about anti-drill plates for Roto NT gearboxes. www.roto-frank.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

51

50

Printed Glass Solutions Turning Glass Into Art

Printed Glass Solutions have over 30 years experience in the printing industry. Based in custom built premises housing the very latest in digital printing machines, they are the experts in the creation of stunning printed images onto glass.

The last ten years has seen a massive change in how glass is used within interior design. New manufacturing processes allow glass to be made stronger and in more intricate shapes and sizes which has seen it become used more widely for aesthetic rather than architectural purposes. It was this change that led us to move away from the more traditional areas of printing to concentrate fully on printing images to glass.

Every order they undertake at Printed Glass Solutions is bespoke both is terms of size and image. Their in house design team are able to take any image you may have and turn it into a glass print of any size. Their printer table allows them to print images onto single panels of glass up to 3 x 2m, however they are skilled at creating much larger images by splitting images across several panels and creating a tiled solution.

Their latest work can be seen on the walls of the new entrance and ticket office at the newly refurbished Tottenham Court Road tube station, designed by world famous artist Daniel Buren and covering over 250sq m

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

and spread over 200 panels, this striking black and white design is set to be joined but even more designs later in the year as more of the station opens.

All of their glass in manufactured to all BSI standards and their printer inks are sourced from around the world to ensure that we produce industry leading clarity and colours in their printing. It is this commitment to quality that has seen us work closely with many architects, interior designers and brand managers helping them transform their ideas into vibrant, eye catching reality.

For more information visit www.printedglasssolutions.com or call their team on 01371 870418.

52

E

51

CONTRAFLAM® By Vetrotech Saint-Gobain Provides Fire Safety In Iconic Buildings New Atrium The Atria Building adjacent to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre ( EICC) has a stunning glass atrium which has been created using CONTRAFLAM® by Vetrotech Saint-Gobain. CONTRAFLAM® has a class A safety rating consisting of two sheets of toughened safety glass which are separated by a transparent advanced intumescent interlayer. When exposed to fire the interlayer turns opaque and expands to form a partially insulating heat shield.

This effectively reduces the transmission of radiated and conducted heat. The layers also provide an integrity barrier against smoke, flames and hot gases for maintained integrity in excess of 120 minutes. The opaque insulating interlayer blocks the view of the fire helping to minimize panic and acts as a guide for emergency services to indicate the presence of fire. CONTRAFLAM® can be used for internal and external applications, for installation into steel, aluminium or timber frames, partitions and doors.

CONTRAFLAM® is one of three product ranges in the Clear Fire Resistant range by VETROTECH. PYROSWISS® and VETROFLAM® make up the portfolio of products.

VETROTECH also provide blast, bullet and attack-resistant glass in their PROTECT range.

All VETROTECH UK-manufactured products are UV stable and carry a Class A safety rating as standard.

Available as single-pane or double-glazed units, they can incorporate acoustic or solar control options for added comfort, safety and practicality. There are also additional aesthetic options, including patterned, tinted and acid-etched glass. www.vetrotech.com or call 02476547620.

CONTRAFLAM®: www.glassolutions.co.uk/products/contraflam

Centor Integrated Doors Win Red Dot Award

52

Centor is celebrating worldwide recognition of its pioneering Integrated Doors after winning a Red Dot Award in the internationally respected design competition.

Challenging all concepts of what we know as a door today, Centor has integrated doors, screens, shades and hardware as one, to create a new category of Integrated Doors that connect people with the world outside without the compromises.

The innovative built-in screens and shades provide unprecedented versatility, allowing control of sunlight, insects and privacy so homeowners can enjoy insideoutside all year round. Concealed locks and hardware contribute to the contemporary look, while doors move with fingertip operation thanks to Centor’s patent-pending hardware.

Nigel Spork, Centor’s Managing Director, is thrilled with the award: “I’m hugely proud that we can delight people at home by combining beautiful design and phenomenal thermal performance with some mechanical magic.”

Centor’s Group Manager of Product & Engineering, David Chappell, added: “Turning vision into reality is not easy.

But winning such a prestigious design award validates all the hard work we have all put in to create a truly best-inclass product, and gives us confidence to keep striving for ultimate perfection.”

Integrated Doors are sold through a network of Centor Integrated Dealers across the UK. www.centor.com

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

Notes from the Comar design team...

Standard profiles range allows Capped, 2 or 4sided Structural Glazing.

High span profiles keep same box sizes throughout the facade with greater spanning ability.

BIM ready Models.

Comar keep all profiles in stock = market leading delivery.

Highest Ix and Iy values in the industry.

Concealed vent for discrete ventilation.

Facetted options 7.5 o convex or concave.

Reassurance: CWCT Tested, Audited and Certified to 3600Pa Sequence B.

comar 6EFT Curtain Walling - Capped, 2sided SG and 4sided SG Comar Architectural Aluminium Systems have designed additional mullions, transoms and feature cover-caps to Comar 6EFT to launch the most comprehensive 50mm curtain wall system available today. After extensive research with our architectural and fabricator network we are pleased to offer additional high span mullions and transoms with the highest Ix and Iy values in the industry, allowing you to span further or keep the same flush box size throughout glazed areas.

From one range of profiles Comar 6EFT offers capped, 2sided structural glazing with vertical or horizontal capping and 4sided structural glazing. Comar 6EFT 4sided SG offers the slimmest structural glazing joint available today and can be either silicon or EPDM gasket sealed.

For details and downloads, take a look at www.comar-alu.co.uk today.

We are pleased to offer BIM families to our architectural and contractor colleagues, please email projects@parksidegroup.co.uk for further information.

For more information about comar6EFT please contact us: + 44(0) 20 8685 9685 Tel: Email: projects@parksidegroup.co.uk Web: www.comar-alu.co.uk 53

54

E

54

Exclusive Access For Residents Residents of the prestigious Boydell Court in Swiss Cottage, London, enjoy the convenience of two automatic entrance systems designed and installed by TORMAX. Giving access from the private car park into the ground floor of this development of high quality apartments, the full-glass sliding doors are driven by technologically advanced TORMAX iMotion 2202 operators.

Boydell Court is comprised of four recently refurbished 1960’s purpose-built Pottered blocks. Incorporating 130 impressive properties, potential residents can enjoy a high standard of living in or one of the three and four bedroom apartments and houses or penthouse suites, all with impressive internal dÊcor.

A gated-development, vehicular access to the property is gained via an electronic barrier to an open area car park from which residents enter the reception area through the TORMAX automatic entrances.

The iMotion 2202 door drive features unique AC motor technology and a state-of-the-art microprocessor control system. These work in tandem to guarantee permanent monitoring of door leaf movements, making automatic adjustments as necessary to deliver exceptionally reliable operation.

With a slender profile, the operator has an installation height of just 100mm, which combined with exceptionally quiet movement of door leaves thanks to vibration-absorbent mountings of the guide rails, delivers a solution that is elegantly unobtrusive and ideal for upmarket environments such as Boydell Court. As well as being certified for rescue and escape routes, an electro-mechanical locking mechanism ensures a high level of security burglary protection. www.tormax.co.uk

55

Ventilated Garage Door Systems For New Housing Project In Cambridge Rundum Meir ventilated garage doors in solid oak have been installed on new houses in Cambridge.

The vertically slatted design met architect requirements for bringing light into integrated carports. Each garage door was made-to-measure ranging from 2200 mm to 2800 mm in height from solid European oak and is fully automated, allowing remote control.

The garage doors were installed on new houses by Countryside Properties in Abode, part of the Great Kneighton development which was a project winner in the Housing Design Awards 2013. The houses in Abode at Great Kneighton were a project winner in the 2012 Housing Design Awards. www.rundum.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

55

56

Metal Technology Products Showcase Fire Service In Omagh

A wide range of Metal Technology products has been installed at The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service's (NIFRS) new Community Fire Station and District Headquarters in Omagh, Northern Ireland.

The station represents the first of a series of

The station will also be used for multi-agency resilience planning and emergency training exercises and has a dedicated transport and engineering workshop that is utilised by all 20 Fire Stations in Western Area Command. Integral to the design brief, Metal Technology’s System 17 Latitude curtain walling system delivered a strong aesthetic appeal to the expansive all-glass façade that combines structural integrity with weather performance and thermal enhancement.

Interior comfort and environment management is enhanced by Metal Technology’s System 22 Brise Soleil and System 23 louvres. The glass facade is complemented

by System 4-35 Hi casement windows, System 10 commercial doors and System 5-20DHi + high performance doors. www.metaltechnology.com

innovative stations. It is equipped with an incident command room that will be used during major incidents or as a multi-agency facility where a coordinated response is required.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

56

E

57

Trespa® Meteon® Extends Range With Timeless Grey

Trespa® has extended its range of Meteon® exterior cladding panels with the addition of six distinctive grey wood tones.

The new grey wood tones, available at new.trespa. com, are designed to influence the experience, age and appearance of the building’s exterior. They combine beautiful natural wood appearance with the solid durability associated with Trespa® products, adding an understated yet bold aesthetic.

the product smooth and easy to clean. Three thousand hours of weather exposure simulator testing showed outstanding performance and guarantees the product’s longevity worldwide. Which is why Trespa offers a 10 year conditional product warranty on the entire range.*” * Please refer to your local sales representative for more information.

The striking impact of grey notes in an exterior is well known, and a lasting favourite with architects the world over. The grey wood decors now in the Trespa® Meteon® range are distinctively designed to stand out from the crowd. They also have a tactile matt surface with a grained effect that perfectly mimics the source pattern of the original wood. And, because they are designed to complement the total vision of the architect, they seamlessly match other façade elements like doors and window frames.

Mr. Stevens concludes: “for architects looking for durable design and timeless expression that outlasts any passing trend, these new greys have to be seen first-hand.”

“Like all Trespa® products these new colours have been tested extensively on weather- and UV-resistance,” explains Lucas Stevens, Design Expert at Trespa, “the product has a closed surface structure, which keeps

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

Discover the power of grey at new.trespa.com and order your sample pack.

57

58

Mapei’s Mapetherm System Provides Eco-Solution At Berwick

An External Wall Insulation and protection system – The Mapetherm System, has been installed throughout an eco-funded refurbishment project in Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the Scottish Borders.

the existing thermal performance of the properties, whilst enabling the occupants to remain in their own homes at all times. The Mapetherm System offers protective benefits to the structure, and gives the whole estate a fresh, modern, low maintenance decorative finish coat.

Meeting the demands of a steady supply of materials around a residential estate was made possible through UK manufacturing by Mapei, facilitating the demanding fast-track requirements and intense program time frame. The complete Mapei system included Mapetherm EPS+ expanded polystyrene insulation panels, which were bonded to the external walls using Mapei Mapetherm ARI GG one-component cementitious mortar.

The 175-house refurbishment, by Berwick Housing Association, occupies multiple sites across the Borders and includes Cruden and Blackburn-style ‘system-type’ non-traditional housing.

During a two-month time frame over the winter period, the Mapetherm System was installed on all external walls by Lime Technology Ltd, the total application amounting to 25,000m2 throughout the mix of social and private dwellings. The system provided a fast, cost-effective method of improving

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

The polystyrene panels received a leveling coat of Mapetherm AR1 GG which was reinforced with Mapei Mapetherm Net alkali-resistant glass fibre mesh, prior to the application of a water-repellent silicone base coat primer. All surfaces received a protective and decorative coating of Mapei Silancolor Tonachino textured silicone finish.

For more information on Mapei wall protection systems, visit www.mapei.co.uk, email info@mapei. co.uk or tel. +44 (0)121 508 6970.

58

59

E

Inta Turns On The Style With New Radiator Valves British manufacturer Inta has unveiled its new range of chrome thermostatic and decorative radiator valves. Inta has introduced a polished chrome version of its best-selling i-therm thermostatic radiator valve, which features a liquid-filled sensor, frost-protection setting and anti-chatter cartridge to eliminate post-installation noise. Designed to enhance the look of feature radiators, Inta has also introduced five new decorative valves to its range, replacing the traditional, white valves with an elegant new look. www.intatec.co.uk

60

61

Interior Film Provides Refurbishment Solution For Dunkin Donuts A Dunkin Donuts store in Cambridge was recently refurbished by specialists Pro AV Direct who used Interior Film from David Clouting to refurbish the walls in the public seating area which had become damaged and scuffed.

David Clouting provided Pro AV Direct with a range of designs samples of Interior Film to show Dunkin Donuts who selected ‘Pine Cube’ for the high wear wall areas. Interior Film is part of a wide range of innovative interior surface products offered by David Clouting Ltd. www.davidclouting.co.uk

Bright Goods LED Filament Lamps Offer Vintage Appeal LED Eco Lights has launched an innovative range of filamentstyle retrofit LED lamps. Designed to provide a timeless vintage feel, the new Bright Goods products include a wide selection of popular shapes, including globes, squirrel cages, candles, long tubes and traditional GLS bulbs to create the designer-induced decorative glow, previously only the territory of energy-hungry incandescents.

The new range is designed to invoke nuances of Victorian nostalgia, whilst offering the energy saving benefits of a 21st century LED lamp. Inspired by the charm and elegance of a bygone era, the Bright Goods lamp range provides a stylish choice across a broad spectrum of commercial, hospitality and domestic environments.

With packaging made from 100% recycled material, the Bright Goods range is incredibly eco friendly. Where a filament bulb consistently in use over 10 hours a day would require replacing in less than a year, all lamps in the Bright Goods range are dimmable and provide a high-performance lifespan of 30,000 hours which is around ten times that of a conventional filament bulb. www.brightgoods.co.uk

62

Tile Mountain’s Top Quality Tiles State-of-the-art Doblo polished porcelain range of tiles from Tile Mountain are highly durable and suitable for both floor and wall installation.

Available in a choice of four colours, three finishes and two sizes, the tiles have rectified edges and a subtle fleck pattern. Suitable for both domestic and commercial use these tiles can be delivered directly to site from Tile Mountain. www.tilemountain.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

59

63

TV Chef Rosemary Shrager Has A Taste For Granite Transformations

Colourful chef, writer and TV personality Rosemary Shrager has chosen top quality Granite Transformations materials for new kitchen worktops and resurfacing counters, tiled areas and floors at her celebrated Cookery School and nearby Patisserie shop.

Although her business premises and Granite Transformations’ UK headquarters are all located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Rosemary actually came across the brand when presenting regular cooking slots on ‘The Alan Titchmarsh Show’ and discovered the agglomerate materials’ ‘forget about it’ practicality and luxurious good looks. The fact that existing surfaces could be refaced within a single day, without dust, debris or inconveniencing customers, was also a considerable bonus for Rosemary and her busy culinary and retail operations, where disruption of trade would cost money and goodwill.

Offering a variety of full-day and weekend culinary courses and hosting exclusive Chef’s Table dining experiences, the Cookery School is located in the gourmet heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells, in the Lower Pantiles. Her French Patisserie opened in January 2014, and is located on the Upper Pantiles.

A brand new addition to the Cookery School is The Dining Room on the second floor, where Rosemary and Executive Chef John Rogers dazzle guests with exclusive dinner events.

For this high traffic area needing worktops that would withstand all the regular knocks, scrapes and stains of a professional kitchen, Rosemary approached Granite Transformations about installing their extremely hardwearing and luxurious agglomerate materials.

The kitchen makeover experts, best known for ‘the top that fits on top’ installation technique, were delighted to prove their worth and their worktops’ technical performance in such a distinguished commercial setting.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

Granite Transformations’ highly distinctive approach to both domestic and commercial projects is to prefabricate worktops off-site, then drop the finished components into place over existing surfaces, making for neat, hassle-free installations.

Rosemary selected elegant, mottled grey quartz Pietra Serena surfaces for the Chef’s Table worktop and splashbacks and Patisserie retail counters, the oversized slabs enabling full widths to be installed with minimal joins and bonded edge pieces giving a pleasing impression of depth.

For the cookery school cloakrooms, Rosemary has specified Black Sapphire granite floor tiles, quartz Polar Ice liners for refacing the tiled walls and elegant Subway Pearl rectangular glass mosaic tiles as feature panels.

The non-porous and stain, scratch, impact and cigarette burn resistant qualities of these materials will make them ideal for bathroom duties, whilst the ability to install these finishes over existing tiles and flooring should keep washroom downtime to a minimum.

The same quick turnaround will be an undoubted bonus when the counters are refaced in the Patisserie shortly. One working consideration is that the large commercial espresso machine has to be disconnected and removed by the suppliers, but the ‘top that fits on top’ technique will allow it to be reinstalled on the same day, losing the minimum of trading time.

Rosemary Shrager is delighted that Granite Transformations’ agglomerate and mosaic finishes are robust enough for commercial use, beautiful enough to enhance the existing decor and sufficiently quick to install that normal business can continue without a break. www.granitetransformations.co.uk

60

64

E

Vogue (UK) Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary 66 Vogue (UK) is extremely proud to be celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary. Founded in 1990, Vogue (UK) is a true market leader in its field, offering the most comprehensive range of contemporary and traditional towel warmer and design radiators available in heating, electric or dual fuel options. To celebrate, Vogue (UK) will be launching a brand new full colour brochure in which they will showcase a number of new models that demonstrate the very latest innovations in heating and design. In addition to this, there are several upcoming initiatives and collaborations in the pipeline for Vogue (UK), so watch this space for updates… www.vogueuk.co.uk

65

Cubicles Find A Good Home High Pressure Laminate from Abet Laminati has been used to clad the cubicles of the new headquarters of East End Homes in central London.

Fabricated by specialist washroom and cubicle manufacturer Decra Ltd, the 616 Walnut Sabec finish has created a warm, executive and luxurious feel to the washrooms.

The Legni News range of woodgrain effects is a popular choice for surfacing.

With around 100 different wood species patterns available in the Legni and Legni News collections, designers have an impressive range to choose from including complementing shades and tones which facilitate subtle contrasts and design.

As with all the finishes from Abet Laminati, the range meets or exceeds all European and British performance standards for resistance to wear, heat, moisture, impact and scratching. visit www.abetuk.com. Decra Ltd can be contacted on 020 8520 4371 or by visiting www.decraltd.co.uk

Mapei Introduces Additional Colours To Its Ultracolor Plus Grout Range Mapei is pleased to announce the introduction of seven additional colours to its best-selling grout range, Ultracolor Plus.

Low in VOC and certified in compliance with the strictest international standards, Mapei’s Ultracolor Plus coloured grout is suitable for most types of floor and wall tiled finishes including: ceramic and porcelain tiles and mosaics, natural and agglomerate stone and glass and mosaics – both internally and externally. www.mapei.co.uk

67

Architects’ Office Divided With Style Partitioning experts, Style has recently completed the installation of a moveable wall system at the London offices of leading architects, Pattern Design Ltd. Working directly with the client, Style advised using DORMA Moveo to divide the main meeting room into two private areas.

The panels can be effortlessly moved into place where ComforTronic® automatic seals creates a firm acoustic barrier every time. A practical whiteboard finish ensures the wall is put to good use when in place.

Working with Pattern at its London offices, Style was asked to provide greater flexibility to the large, open meeting area. DORMA Moveo was agreed as offering the best solution, enabling the meeting area to be quickly divided, whenever required. www.style-partitions.co.uk

68

Versatile Partitions Delight School Hebden Green Community Special School in Cheshire were in need of a way to separate areas of their main hall for different types of events and activities. This large folding or concertina partition supplied by Building Additions provided the perfect solution.

The room divider can be very easily and quickly be opened or closed to adjust the room size and close off the corridor area behind to keep noise and distractions from the main hall area. When opened the narrow stack style takes up hardly any valuable space at all.

With the noise levels of concern, Building Additions used the Acoustic 200 (24 dB) fabric. With the colour scheme already set in the hall, the graduated colours of blue where a perfect choice. At the other end of the hall a single leaf fabric partition was installed in the same blue tones to enable that end of the hall to be opened up or closed off. www.buildingadditions.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

61

69

A Burning Passion For Fire

The German premium manufacturer of firing technology Spartherm proudly presents an exclusive range of bioethanol fireplaces branded ebios-fire® which are now also made available for the discerning customer in Great Britain.

product safety and outstanding German quality are key values at Spartherm's production facilities were all ebiosfire® models are originally designed, crafted and tested by passionate, skilled craftsmen. Test certificates issued by TÜV Germany further underline the outstanding safety of ebiosfire® bioethanol fires, which feature a wide choice of manual and automatic bioethanol burners.

Versatility Is Key The ebios-fire® range of products is available in a vast variety of finishes meeting the requirements of architects and interior designers on an international level.

Please visit www.ebios-fire.com or write to info@ebios-fire. com for further information.

Spartherm – The Fire Company – www.spartherm.com

Made And Tested In Germany In order to provide an optimum of customer service, the expansive range of ebios-fire® models comprises both standard and made to measure built-in fireplace models in almost any thinkable layout. Great versatility, highest

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

62

70

E

LG - Providing Quality Solutions To The Solution Providers….

LG is one of the prime suppliers of air conditioning equipment across the globe and is rapidly building its market share in the UK. Its reputation is growing as more and more customers select LG products. One such customer is leading engineering consultancy, Cundall. As soon as you arrive at reception on the fourth floor of its Its new offices in the heart of Birmingham, you know these are very special offices – a great place to work and a great place to meet up with the Cundall team.

Vitally their staff and visitors to the building needed to be comfortable and that’s where LG came into the equation, providing the most advanced heating and cooling equipment, but importantly the most easily controlled environment, using complex but simple to operate equipment so Cundall’s team was always in control.

Cundall retained access to the landlord’s centralised air handling plant whilst renewable energy was harnessed by the VRF heat pumps. Distributor LG Comfort Cooling, who specialise in the supply of LG equipment, provided two LG Multi V IV heat recovery VRF units providing a total of 56kW of cooling and 63kW of heating to eleven individual indoor units across the office. The heat recovery units enable the indoor units of the system to operate independently of each other in either cooling or heating modes – increasing the responsiveness across the floor space.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

The performance of these VRF units is genuinely sector leading with, in the case of synchronised operation, the total rate of return – both in cooling (EER) and heating (COP) - able to reach 8.5. The system is controlled by LG’s AC Smart Premium touch screen central control. It features a user friendly, high resolution, graphic user interface (GUI) with a 10.2 inch touch screen.

Selecting the AC Smart eliminated the need for a dedicated third-party Building Management System (BMS), cutting further cost for BMS hardware and integration. The AC Smart is simple to use and can if required, be linked to the company intranet. It offers the option of remote control too via the internet, so those responsible for the heating and air conditioning can make adjustments to the system when they are not in the building itself.

It offers a wide range of benefits including the ability to provide statistics including power consumption or actual usage of air conditioners in real time, provides reports including errors in the functioning of the units, and allows you to control and monitor the system from a central unit. Cundall has confirmed that having seen the success of LG equipment in their own offices, they will be looking to incorporate similar approaches in buildings they work on for customers.

63

71

MX …A Well Kept Secret In The Bathroom Sector?

MX is recognised as the leading manufacturer of shower trays in the UK. Manufacturing 100s of different tray sizes, in 6 main product types, means that MX can cater for the specific needs of virtually any customer.

In recent months, MX has launched an impressive new range of thermostatic mixer shower valves offering its usual combination of incredible quality, great looking product, excellent warranties and keen pricing. So confident are MX of the quality of their new Thermostatic Mixer Showers, that they offer a three or five year guarantee on their Atmos range of valves. All materials used in these products are WRAS approved and Phthalate free where applicable. There are 22 showering choices in the

Atmos and Options ranges with most Atmos options complying with TMV2 regulations.

On the accessory front, MX Group has long recognised that UK water systems are unique and require specialised products to work correctly. It has been at the forefront of this sector for many years, producing carefully engineered accessories that are used by most of the UK electric shower manufacturers. MX produces high quality shower accessories at very competitive prices, whilst ensuring that its products meet all health and safety requirements and wherever possible uses WRAS approved materials.

MX continues to be a growing influence in the Electric Shower marketplace. It recently launched its QI –

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

Quick installation – range of electric showers that sets new standards for simple installation.

Featuring eight entry points for water and electric – these showers are the simplest shower installation available. The range is ideal for new build or retrofit opportunities. Take a closer look at MX Group – its impressive web site at www.mx-group.com is a good place to start…

64

e E

72

Wood-Effect Balustrade Chosen At College Project NEACO’s Timberline wood-effect aluminium balustrade is providing high aesthetic value to an impressive new extension at Oldham Sixth Form College. Designed by AA Projects, the scheme required an extension to the main entrance and internal remodelling of other existing buildings.

Combining a tension wire infill with metallic-finish stanchions and wood-effect handrails, Timberline is featured on an internal stairway, a mezzanine floor and external steps at the entrance.

NEACO’s UK Business Development Manager, Peter Melia, said: “Timberline has become one of the most popular specifications in our Spectrum balustrade range. Its powder coated reproduction of oak grain is impressively detailed with a durable non-chip finish providing the rich aesthetic of real wood without its high maintenance and vulnerability to surface damage or hygiene problems.”

“The Oldham Sixth Form project is an example of how timber’s traditional style can be complemented by contemporary features – in this particular specification, the contrasting stanchions and tension wire add a modern touch which combines superbly with the oak-finish handrails.”

Further information on NEACO’s full product range is available at www.neaco.co.uk

73

Silence Under The Iceberg The so-called Iceberg residential block in Aarhus is another remarkable design from celebrated Danish architects Cebra. It is also a showcase for the way in which bare basements and indoor car-parking areas can be transformed into pleasant and quieter environments by using soundabsorbent ceiling panels.

The building’s unique geometry is the result of a desire to maximise the views of every apartment over the water.

Consequently, it has transformed the former container port of Aarhus into a vibrant and lively local community with a variety of different apartments for 7000 people and 12,000 workplaces.

Like many other residential blocks, cars are parked under the building together with special niches around the staircases to accommodate cycles. In this large and rather ‘cold area’ with hard concrete surfaces, it was considered important to upgrade by reducing noise from cars and other resident activities. The architects’ solution was to install 2000sqm of Troldtekt panels in natural colours to improve the acoustics and create a pleasant texture and warmth.

Danish manufactured Troldtekt acoustic tiles are specified throughout the UK and Europe. Made with 100% natural wood fibres, their benefits are high sound absorption, high durability, natural breathability, low cost life cycle performance and sustainability. roldtekt sustainability has also been recognised with certification at Silver level within the Cradle to Cradle concept. This international certification has been achieved because the panels do not contain hazardous substances and can be recycled. www.troldtekt.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

65

74

Introducing Mast Screening And Shelving Systems From The Shopkit Group

Mast is a versatile range of screens and partitions available in different heights, materials and with various fixing options to suit most interior applications including retail, exhibitions, offices, receptions, café’s and domestic installations.

It is elegant and adaptable and has the unique concept of combining the strength and simplicity of rigid posts to support tensioned cables. This then allows The Mast System to provide an easy, cost effective and durable way to create fixed, freestanding and temporary screening/room dividers with a virtually limitless range of shelving and accessories.

The Mast posts are available in various heights and can support single or double cable set ups on one or both sides, allowing for sophisticated combinations of screening, graphic panels and shelving that can be used as stand-alone units or as part of a multi display

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

system and can easily incorporate Shopkit’s TZ lowvoltage lighting range. Retail units / Shop in Shops can be produced from the different Mast systems, with display shelves available in a variety of materials and finishes to co-ordinate with other elements within the retail environment.

Made to Measure and Installation options available Mast offers a wide standard product range to meet most requirements and Shopkit also offer a custom design / manufacturing service to meet all other individual needs. Delivery and installation is possible on all elements - quotations will be supplied on request. www.shopkit.com

66

75

E

Boost For Mori dMEV At H&V Awards

77

Elta Fans’ Mori dMEV decentralised mechanical extract ventilation unit has been awarded HIGH COMMENDATION in the H&V News ‘Domestic H&V Product of the Year. The Mori dMEV has been painstakingly designed. During a 24 month development and testing programme every aspect of the product’s design was scrutinised. For the impeller alone, in excess of 35, 3D models were created. These were reduced down to 19 prototypes which eventually became the Mori dMEV unique ‘bladelet’ impeller. www.homevent.co.uk

76

Vent-Axia Named As Finalist In Housebuilder Product Awards

Ecodan Heat Pumps Now Offer EPC Cashback Mitsubishi Electric has teamed up with Green Deal advice service ‘Easy EPC’ to offer homeowners a full cashback on the cost of an Energy Performance Certificate and a Green Deal Assessment. All Ecodan systems purchased, installed and commissioned between 9th April 2015 and 9th October 2015 will be eligible for a refund of £147.95. This applies to anyone who has bought the system between these dates, and also had the Green Deal / EPC assessment carried out by Easy EPC. For further details visit the ‘For Homeowners’ section of www.ecodan.co.uk

78

Vent-Axia is delighted to announce that its horizontal Sentinel Kinetic 200ZPH has been shortlisted in the prestigious Housebuilder Product Awards 2015. Part of the company’s innovative Lo-Carbon range, this new mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) solution has been nominated in the Best Brand New Product of the Year category.

The winners of each category will be announced at the Housebuilder Product Awards lunchtime ceremony on 25th June 2015 in Birmingham. www.vent-axia.com

Biomass Maintenance Courses Tailored To Your Needs!

Natural energy provider, Euroheat, has added bespoke biomass maintenance courses to its training portfolio designed to keep biomass installers up-tospeed with all their servicing and maintenance requirements on its range of domestic and commercial biomass boilers. The courses are held at Euroheat’s training centre in Bishops Frome, alongside its rMCS and HETAS training programmes. www.training.euroheat.co.uk to access the online enquiry form.

79

Greening The Urban Environment As the urban environment grows, with new developments taking up brownfield sites and encroaching on greenbelt areas, there is an increasing challenge in ensuring towns and cities incorporate enough greenery and vegetation. The benefits of plants within the urban environment are well understood. As well as absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, plants are important in helping to absorb airborne particulates and significantly reduce pollution. And of course they encourage insects and birds vital to the success of gardens.

However, in the increasingly busy urban space, the challenge is to incorporate greenery in a way that does not take up too much room. Fortunately, there are products available that not only deliver robust plant solutions, but which are also extremely space efficient, while delivering a range of other added-value benefits.

Mobilane’s Green Screen is a pre-cultivated screen which features a galvanised high carbon steel weldmesh that supports 65 ivy plants, each of which is trained through the mesh as it grows. The steel weldmesh itself delivers a very effective security barrier, while the ivy flourishes and requires minimal maintenance – unlike a traditional hedge which requires periodic heavy pruning and is prone to collapse in high winds or snow. As well as different species of ivy, the screens can also feature Hornbeam, Beech, Ligustrum and Pyracantha. dual carriageways, where they help to improve road safety.

In the private urban environment Green Screens are often used on roof gardens and even as mobile living screens on patios. Installation is simple and takes just a few hours, and Green Screens can either be installed free-standing, or adjacent to an existing wall. Green Screens represent an innovative and highly efficient solution to incorporating living plants into the busy urban environment, and with a wide range of applications, and multiple benefits, are becoming increasingly commonplace. www.mobilane.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

67

80

Remove The Guesswork - Aico Launches New Technology For Its Carbon Monoxide Alarms

82

Condair, formerly JS Humidifiers, has supplied and installed three Condair HP high pressure spray humidification systems at Wellcome Trust’s headquarters in London. The humidifiers are maintaining the humidity in the building’s atrium for the health, comfort and well-being of staff and visitors.

The new Condair HP humidifiers provide low energy, hygienic humidity by introducing finely atomised sprays of RO water directly into the airstream. www.condair.co.uk

Renowned for its innovation Aico is pleased to announce the launch of AudioLINK™, a revolutionary new data extraction technology integrated into all of its Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms. AudioLINK allows for invaluable real time data to be extracted via the Alarm’s sounder - all you need is an AudioLINK enabled CO Alarm, a tablet or smartphone and most importantly the free AudioLINK App. This data is converted into an Alarm Status Report, which is simple to review and store. www.aico.co.uk/audiolink

81

New Stratos Launched By Wilo

Wellcome Trust Condair HP Humidifier

83

Wilo has launched its new improved version of the popular Wilo-Stratos glandless circulating pump for hot water heating systems, air conditioning and closed cooling circuits. The enhanced version of the pump can now deliver to systems based on actual need thanks to the efficient ‘Q-limit’ operating mode and it also boasts a new and improved energy efficiency index (EEI) of 0.20 or less. www.wilo.co.uk

Pegler Yorkshire Launches Essential Tool For HVAC Installers Pegler Yorkshire, UK manufacturer of plumbing and heating solutions, has brought to market a tool that no HVAC installer should be without!

The Tectite Tube Straightener exclusively supplied by the company has been launched for 15mm pipe sizes. This handheld, compact lightweight tool allows pipe to be passed through its centre, by working it in both directions, the spiralling rollers will straighten and strengthen the pipe providing a professional looking and more efficient length. www.pegleryorkshire.co.uk

84

Panasonic’s New Bivalent Controller Maximises Energy Savings Panasonic has added an innovative bivalent controller to its Aquarea range of air source heat pumps. The controller will maximise energy savings in installations where the heat pump is operating alongside an existing energy source, for example in refurbishment projects, where there is often pressure to minimise investment costs.

Panasonic’s bivalent controller enables a heat pump from the Aquarea range to operate alongside a gas or oil-fired boiler and controls sequencing to minimise running costs. The controller includes three different operating modes and all necessary sensors are included in the package to operate both energy sources and a secondary pump. A thermostat can be connected to stop both the pump and the heat pump/boiler according to room temperature.

The three bivalent operating modes are: Alternative; Parallel; and Boost/ Parallel Demand. In alternative mode, if the outdoor temperature is below the threshold design value, then the system stops the heat pump and starts the gas/oil boiler or other alternative energy source. In parallel mode, if the outdoor temperature is below the threshold design value, then the system starts the gas/oil boiler or another energy source, and the heat pump and the gas/oil boiler work alongside each other.

In boost/parallel demand mode, if the outdoor temperature is below the threshold design value, then the controller starts to monitor the buffer tank temperature. If the buffer tank is below a set temperature over a specific period, than the gas/oil boiler is switched on. The system switches on the gas/oil boiler according to the demand. www.aircon.panasonic.eu

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

68

E

85

Timóleon Stacks The Odds In Owners' Favour For Newbury’s Energy Stakes

Purchasers of the new luxury homes being built alongside one of England's most famous racecourses will not only have access to attractive local amenities and excellent transport links, but thanks to the developer's commitment to sustainability and the involvement of Timóleon Limited, residents will enjoy a comfortable living environment with low running costs.

Newbury Racecourse is a high spec development of luxury houses and apartments by David Wilson Homes offering views of the course itself and surrounding countryside, where prices span from £183,000 to £880,000. The three-storey townhouses are being constructed to achieve high insulation standards, while underfloor heating systems from Timóleon's range have been specified in order to help optimize heat delivery.

It also highlights the properties’ green credentials. The publication cites an NHBC report that homeowners can save up to £1400 a year by buying a modern, high efficiency dwelling. There are four different house types for prospective owners to choose from a three-storey townhouse of which there are six, has an entrance hall, dining area, cloakroom and one of the bedrooms on the ground floor, all served by six 16 mm pipe loops.

The 384 metres of PE pipework are installed in the Clip Plate system and connected to one of Timóleon’s Axios

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

manifolds. Another six-port manifold on the first floor serves two more bedrooms along with the lounge and main bathroom, consuming a further 320 metres of 16mm PE pipe.

Then on the top floor of the property David Wilson Homes presents the master bedroom with en-suite bathroom plus a study. These are served by a five-port manifold and 250 metres of pipe in five coils, with the Fareham based installer, Turnpike Plumbing and Heating Limited – switching to the Timóleon’s Staple System to hold the pipe down over the insulation on both of the upper floors. In total each of these six town houses are heated by some 950 metres of the high transmittance pipework.

Across all of the 16 houses on this exclusive estate there will be more than 13,000 metres of pipework and over 40 Axios manifolds consumed; including several nine-port models. All of the materials for the underfloor heating within the Newbury Racecourse development are being supplied through Timóleon’s stockist PVC Building Supplies of Southampton. Overall the selection of systems and products from Timóleon’s range has facilitated the fast and effective installation of high output underfloor heating, which offers occupants rapid heat delivery while helping to optimize energy efficiency. www.hydronik.co.uk

69

86

At Last! A Saltless Water Softener That Actually Softens Water The Pureau range uses traditional ion exchange resins to produce superb, soft water for household or commercial use. The 3 models (Eau 1, Eau 2 and Eau 3) range from 20 litres per minute to 70 litres per minute and are suitable for both gravity and pressurised water systems. As the systems are cartridge based maintenance is simple.

The main cartridge lasts an incredible 36 months, the carbon pre filter cartridge lasts 12 months and the post filter cartridge will last for 2 to 3 months depending on hardness levels. The Pureau Range has been designed to meet the demands of providing a water softener without the use of salt that provides softer water to the touch. Pureau water treatment systems remove a high percentage of scale forming minerals. Water readings of under 100ppm is considered soft.

Magnesium and calcium in the water is essential for good health so Pureau systems do not remove it all, just enough to bring it down to accepted soft water levels. The systems do not waste water or require a power source or drain. The range is suitable for gravity fed and pressurised water systems, they are also suitable for combination boilers.

As the units do not add sodium to the water they can be used on properties with septic tanks. Purea systems incorporate a raw water feed which ensures trace minerals are left in the water for health, they also provide perfect water for ice making, tea and coffee. www.aquatiere.co.uk

87

JS Launches Finesse Recessed Air Curtain JS Air Curtains is launching the Finesse, a discreet and high-performance recessed air curtain suitable for a range of environments from banks and boutiques to shopping centres and airports.

With its easy to install compact design, fits neatly into a suspended ceiling system. The aesthetic Finesse is available in white RAL 9010 as standard but any RAL colour on request. www.jsaircurtains.com

88

SE Controls Puts On A Safe Performance At Buxton Opera House A new high duty smoke ventilation extraction system from SE Controls has been installed at Buxton Opera House as a key part of fire safety system upgrades at the theatre. Originally opened in 1903, a recent detailed fire risk assessment of the Grade II listed theatre showed that while the majority of the fire safety systems were compliant, the original spring operated smoke ventilation system above the stage could not meet the necessary ‘free ventilation area’ to provide adequate smoke control and maximise escape times.

The decision to adopt the mechanical smoke ventilation system from SE Controls ensured that the required smoke extraction rates could be readily achieved without major modifications to the historic building.

The SE Controls’ system involved the installation and commissioning of a high capacity 1000mm diameter duplex fan set, for duty and stand-by operation, together with an automatic roof louvre, fan system ductwork and a dedicated control panel together with all the necessary fire rated cabling.

In the event of a fire, the theatre’s fire and smoke detection system automatically signals the opening of the roof mounted louvre and the operation of the high capacity mechanical smoke ventilation system, which is capable of extracting 8 m3/sec. Due to the building’s Grade II status, the design, location and installation of the system had to be handled sensitively by SE Controls to ensure the interior and external impact was minimised.

To address this, the fan and ductwork was located within the Opera House roof space and the external roof mounted smoke louvre was located out of sight below existing parapet wall facade, while also being finished to match the building’s existing slate roof. www.secontrols.com

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

70

E

89

The Perfect Timber Solution For Decking When it comes to timber decking, James Latham offers the perfect solution to architects, joiners and the construction sector looking to specify a product which is not only dimensionally stable and highly durable, but also legal and sustainable.

A revolution in wood technology, Accoya® is modified, certified softwood, which incorporates Accsys’ proprietary wood acetylation technology that delivers outstanding levels of performance, stability and durability. With a 50-year above ground and 25-year below ground warranty, there is no better wood for timber decking, where beauty, strength and all-weather performance are of paramount importance.

Plus, when it comes to decking, it is also crucial that the wood is barefoot friendly, non-toxic and therefore totally safe for people and pets and Accoya®LathamDECK ticks these boxes as well.

James Latham’s Group Product Sales & Development Manager, Paul Leach, commented: “As the decking season approaches and with the demand for sustainably modified wood continuing to grow, Accoya® LathamDECK offers the perfect solution to those wanting to buy responsibly sourced and modified timber while at the same time creating a deck that will not only look fantastic but will perform brilliantly as well.”

Accoya® LathamDECK is now available nationwide and directly from stock at all eight of James Latham’s timber depots. As well as decking, Accoya® is suitable for a wide range of external joinery applications, including cladding, windows, doors, structural and much more. www.lathamtimber.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

71

90

Dural Expansion Joints Specified At Cheltenham Racecourse Dural UK Ltd recently supplied an order for 160 metres of Speckled Effect Expansion Joints to SureSet UK Ltd for their installation at the Garden Terrace at Cheltenham Racecourse.

The Garden Terrace area has a concrete base so Expansion Joints were an unavoidable requirement when laying the Permeable Resin Bound Paving.

Dural colour matched the epoxy resin within their Expansion Joint to the chocolate coloured Permeable Resin Bound Paving laid by SureSet. The speckled texture within the expansion joint also matches the resin floor texture creating the impression of a seamless floor finish.

Sureset installed their 6mm Chocolate Permeable Resin Bound material from their Natural Aggregates Range. The Main Contractors were Keir Construction, the project was designed and specified by Illman Young Landscape Design, SureSet provided the new paving and Dural provided the Expansion Joints.

Rachel Parkinson SureSet Operations Manager said “Dural were very helpful throughout the Cheltenham project. This was the first order SureSet placed for the speckled Dural expansion joints. SureSet weren’t overly aware of the slightly longer lead time however, Dural did everything in their power to ensure we had the expansion joints to use at the required time.

Excellent service, good communication skills and friendly!”

For more information on Dural products and service please visit www.colouredmovementjoints.co.uk or phone 01924360110.

91

Pop Up Power Supplies® Specified At Covent Garden Pop Up Power Supplies® recently supplied six retractable service power units for installation in the Piazza at Covent Garden. The 450kg units are buried out of site beneath the famous cobbled piazza and are raised out of the ground when required by a turning handle. When not in use the units do not impact on the historic appearance of the Piazza as they are barely noticeable.

Covent Garden Technical Services Team needed a power solution for temporary stalls and events that are put on throughout the year. The solution was Pop Up Power® retractable service units located near to the Transport Museum and next to the Portico of St Paul’s Church in the Piazza.

The Covent Garden Services team staff now has access to a combination of 16A and 32A sockets in both single and three phase all with RCBO protection.

Pop Up Power® also supply electricity through Inground Units with flip top lids and Bollards in a variety of designs to suit the surroundings.

For more information please visit www.popuppower.co.uk or call 02085518363 / 02082270208.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

72

e E

92

Howe Green’s Tree Grilles Give Greener Access At Education City Howe Green has supplied a bespoke solution for greener landscaping in one of the world’s most arid environments. Over 130 made-to-measure stainless steel tree grilles have been supplied to Doha based contractor Redco for a new phase of soft landscaping at Education City, Qatar.

The grilles provide easy, stylish and reliable access to tree pits along the Western Green Spine, an area planted with 8 different tree species to create a network of lush and colourful routes for vehicles and pedestrians. Howe Green’s high quality frames and panels not only give easy access to root chambers for easy maintenance, they also reduce risk of soil compaction and contamination. www.howegreen.co.uk

93

Hauraton Drainage Channels Used At Penarth Learning Community School Penarth Learning Community School, Cardiff, South Wales, comprises a mainstream comprehensive school with 1280 places, together with a Special Educational Needs (SEN) school, catering for 205 pupils with a wide spectrum of learning needs including those with learning and physical difficulties and those on the autism spectrum. Together with a learning facility, there is also a 1500 m² residential home, allowing 19 pupils to stay over at any one time to provide respite to their families.

With the site being quite flat and the new buildings’ surrounded by block paved areas and asphalted surfaces, it was essential rainwater is drained effectively.

Two Hauraton systems were chosen to drain surface water: RECYFIX® PRO fitted with FIBRETEC® C250, HEELSAFE 9mm slot gratings for the asphalted yards and car park and RECYFIX® STANDARD SLOTTED CHANNELS fitted with symmetrical galvanised steel covers. Once installed this system provides an unobtrusive, narrow line of slots in the paved surfaces.

Steve Wiseman, Hauraton‘s Project Engineer comments; “By using two types of channel the overall appearance of the block pavements and asphalted surfaces was enhanced with the drainage requirement fully met”.

For full Case Study go to www.drainage-projects.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

73

94

CCTV As A Service The exceptional versatility and scalability of the CCTV systems supplied by Security Products from Siemens are helping Douglas Borough Council (DBC) in the Isle of Man to develop an innovative concept of delivering CCTV as a service to public sector users, such as schools, car parks, libraries, and the police.

The revenue generated by this service will ultimately not only cover the cost of providing the packages, but also the Council’s own costs in providing island-wide CCTV coverage for shopping streets and other public areas. The CCTV equipment used would have to be very versatile as it would need to work with existing cameras of various types, and it would also have to be easily scalable so that its capacity could be expanded easily and cost effectively as the number of users grew.

It was determined that Vectis HX digital video recorders (HVRs) and Vectis HX NVS network video software from Siemens would provide by far the best solution. While designed with high-definition images up to 1080p in mind, Vectis HX HVRs are equally well suited to working with lower resolution images from older cameras, irrespective of whether these cameras use analogue or IP connectivity.

system. This is because, rather than flooding the school with cameras and installing expensive recording and monitoring facilities, DBC carefully analyses the requirements and installs cameras only in problem areas. Initial response to the system has been very positive, as experiences during the period of the TT motorcycle races demonstrate. DBC arranged temporarily enhanced CCTV coverage for duration of the 2012 event.

So impressed was the Isle of Man police force by the benefits that it has now asked for this part of the system to be made permanent. For further information please contact: Sam Lord, Security Products for Siemens, T: 01291 437920; E: sam.lord@siemens.com ; or visit www.siemens.co.uk/ securityproducts

These features mean that systems based on Vectis HX HVRs are compatible with almost any type of existing camera, and are also fully future proofed to cope with the ultimate replacement of older cameras by modern HD types. The first third-party users of the system are schools, and the DBC service is proving to offer much better value for money than would be possible with a standalone

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

E

95

Off Site Builds Finished With Eurobrick For many years now, housing associations and local authorities have embraced modern methods of construction as a fast track way to improve their housing stock. With the focus firmly fixed on speed and budgetary demands, extension pods are a popular way to upgrade existing properties. The pods are constructed off-site in factories before being transported to site to be bolted onto the buildings. The advantages are clear; the impact of the weather, time on site and disruption to occupiers are all reduced.

These adaption pods often require a brick exterior, to achieve a consistent finish with the original houses. Traditional brickwork is not suitable in this situation, so brick slip cladding provides an ideal alternative. Eurobrick Systems specialise in this and supply X-Clad, a lightweight cladding system, to companies constructing the pods.

Eurobrick’s cladding is faced with kiln fired clay brick slips, so that the finished walls are indistinguishable from traditional brickwork.

Not only is the cladding robust, it can easily withstand transportation and being craned into position. It is extremely low maintenance, has a guaranteed lifespan of at least 25 years and has third party certification from the British Board of Agrément (BBA). These benefits, together with the fact that X-Clad doesn’t require skilled labour for installation, are making it a popular choice within the industry. www.eurobrick.co.uk

96

Design is in the detail

Image © Quantum Immobilien AG

74

Lindapter Hollo-Bolt® Flush Fit The unique steelwork fixing is concealed within hollow section, preserving clean architectural lines.

• Aesthetically pleasing • For SHS and conventional steelwork • Fast, cost effective installation • Tensile loads up to 10.5 kN per bolt • Shear loads up to 15.0 kN per bolt • JS500 coated for corrosion resistance • Available in stainless steel Project: Brooktorkai, HafenCity, Germany Application: Secures the steel frame of the glazed roof and façade

T: +44 (0)1274 521 444 F: +44 (0)1274 521 130 E: enquiries@lindapter.com

www.lindapter.com Half Page FF ad.indd 1

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

10/06/2011 12:42:16

75

97

PFI Extra Care Scheme Benefits From Schöck And Hollowcore Innovation

A £14.4m three-storey PFI Extra Care complex at Knowsley, Merseyside, is benefiting from a speedier build time using off-site manufacturing that integrates Isokorb structural thermal break units from Schöck with the Hollowcore system. Bluebell Park Extra Care Facility homes are being built for Knowsley Housing Trust, part of the First Ark Group and is their largest Extra Care development to date. There are two blocks.

The first provides 101 single and two-bedroom Extra Care apartments for rental; and the second, 21 twobedroom apartments available for purchase through an Older Persons Shared Ownership scheme.

Many of the apartments feature spacious balconies, so combatting thermal bridging is critical. Quite apart from heat loss, condensation can cause structural problems and worse, lead to mould growth, with possible implications for residents in the form of respiratory problems and dermatitis.

One of the most effective countermeasures on the market is the Schöck Isokorb structural thermal break; and the type KS14, for concrete-to-steel connectivity is installed at Bluebell Park to meet the steel cantilever requirements. This is in conjunction with the Hollowcore floor system. The precasters broke out selected cores and cast reinforcement bars in their works and then fixed the KS14 units to a template which matched the broken out Hollowcore.

The complete modules then supplied to site, dropped into position and the broken out Hollowcore filled with insitu concrete.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

The Hollowcore has full length voids, so there is a huge weight saving over floor slabs of equivalent thickness and strength, resulting in transportation and material cost efficiencies. With the slab sizes on the project being typically 1200mm wide x 4m long, they are faster to install and provide an immediate working platform for following trades.

In addition to the Hollowcore benefits, the Isokorb type KS14 offers its own verifiable performance values as well. It provides BBA Certification, LABC Registration – and comfortably exceeds the requirements of BRE IP1/06 and Part L of the Building Regulations. Here the temperature factor used to indicate condensation risk (fRSI), must be greater than, or equal to, 0.75 for residential buildings, which is comfortably exceeded by incorporating the Schöck product into the design.

A comprehensive 236 page ‘Technical Guide’ is available, which displays in detail the complete range of thermal break applications for all construction types – concrete-to-concrete, concrete-to-steel, steelto-steel and concrete-to-timber. A new ‘Thermal Bridging Guide’ is also available free on request. www.schoeck.co.uk

76

E

100

Super Low Energy SIPS House ‘Riding’ On Marmox Thermoblock A regional developer specialising in very low energy and PassivHaus projects is making use of the ThermoBlock structural insulation for the first time as part of a bespoke SIPs construction for a client in Yorkshire. RM Developments concentrates on building eco-friendly, mainly residential properties for individual clients.

98

On its most recent project near York, RM Developments is creating a spacious two storey family home where instead of blockwork or timber frame, the main loadbearing walls are all formed of SIPs- Structural Insulated Panels. These are located on top of the beam and block oversite whose ends are carried by a course of the Marmox ThermoBlocks to prevent heat loss at the critical wall/floor junction.

Encasement Covers Up At McCarthy & Stone Assisted Living In Basingstoke A stylish assisted living development by McCarthy & Stone in Basingstoke is using 16 ‘Forma’ aluminium column casings and a bespoke bulkhead from Encasement, to conceal exterior structural steelwork and enhance the aesthetics of the apartment block’s extensive four-storey front elevation.

Manufactured and installed by Encasement, the column casings and aluminium bulkhead are integral features of the development’s exterior design. While the column casings are equally spaced along building’s front elevation, the 30 metre long bulkhead is located above them and spans the entire length of the building.

Ranging in height from 2000mm up to 3000mm, the Forma casings are manufactured from 3mm thick aluminium in diameters of 425mm and 450mm and are finished with an RAL 7047 PPC coating, which is also used on bulkhead.

Since Fabric Energy Efficiency Standards (FEES) were incorporated in Part L of the Building Regulations, ThermoBlock is increasingly being used by specifiers to tackle thermal linear losses at both the ground floor and upper level junctions. Its composite construction does this by surrounding micro-columns of concrete with high performance insulation to create a horizontal barrier to heat loss. Using the ‘default value’ in Building Regulations incurs a heavy penalty under SAP which

101

Encasement’s Managing Director, Martin Taylor, commented: “This is an excellent example of how Forma column casings can be used not only to conceal structural components, but also enhance the appearance of a building by becoming one of its distinguishing features. Also, as Forma is manufactured from aluminium, it is light weight, durable and weather resistant, which makes it perfect for exterior applications, as well interior use.” www.encasement.co.uk

99

Lanes Utilities Clears 10-Tonne Fatberg That Caused Major Sewer Damage Lanes Utilities is removing a 10-tonne fatberg on behalf of Thames Water from a sewer under streets in West London.

The 50-metre-long fatberg was so heavy that it weakened the sewer to the point that it began to collapse when Lanes engineers tried to remove it. Lanes Utilities, part of Lanes Group Plc, is Thames Water’s wastewater maintenance and repair partner, and is coordinating work to remove the fatberg and install a new concrete sewer pipe. www.lanesfordrains.co.uk

A Touch Of Glass For Luxury Forest Cabins New luxury holiday cabins at three woodland sites across the UK have been installed with energy efficient windows and doors and a range of interior glass accessories from Glassolutions. The new cabins at Cropton in North Yorkshire, the Forest of Dean and Sherwood Forest will benefit from double glazed windows and doors incorporating SGG SECURIT PLANITHERM Total+, a thermally toughened safety glass offering high energy performance, for ultimate occupier comfort.

The kitchens have also been enhanced with Vitrio back painted glass splashbacks. At Cropton, Glassolutions has also installed the glass façade, atrium roof and doors and windows within the Forest Retreat – a central building hosting reception, customer service, café and shopping facilities. www.glassolutions.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

77

103

Aperam Stainless Steel Shingles For 80,000 sq. ft. M&S Development Architects Cooper Cromar have specified stainless steel shingles for the 80,000 sq. ft. façade of the £45m Marks and Spencer store on the Glasgow Fort retail park. Described by the architects as ‘an elegant stainless steel-clad box’, the store is located to the south of the existing retail park, the frontage forming a distinctive new entrance feature when approached from the motorway. The stainless steel was of 0.6mm thickness and is estimated as having saved around 18 tonnes in façade weight over an equivalent in zinc or copper.

is why specifiers are routinely adopting Approved Construction Details (ACD or Enhanced Construction Details (ECD).

Significantly switching from an ACD to using ThermoBlock can reduce carbon losses by some 90 per cent: offering a very rapid pay-back on using the product. A 9 N/mm strength version of ThermoBlock is being introduced in addition to the existing 6.5 N/mm product in order to support higher loads in multi-storey structures. www.marmox.co.uk

102

Aperam spokesman Kevin Jones explained, “The project brief was to closely match the existing building dating from 2006 so a 2K finish, one of the smoothest polished finishes, was selected. The low surface roughness is designed to prevent accumulation of organic growth and fine contaminants while providing a standard of corrosion resistance which is ideal for external applications and marine environments.” www.aperam.com

Glassolutions’ Advanced Approach Changes The Face Of One St. Paul’s Churchyard GLASSOLUTIONS’ latest generation of advanced multi-functional glazing has delivered the optimum balance of thermal, solar and acoustic control for two high-end refurbishment projects in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral. The stunning One St Paul’s Churchyard re-fenestration and facelift projects comprises extensive office space and 23 guest rooms from the five-star Grange St Paul's Hotel.

Partnering with External Envelope Contractor Euro Windows, GLASSOLUTIONS designed a glass specification featuring the new SGG Cool-Lite Xtreme 60/28 to complement the bespoke window system being used and to achieve the demanding requirements of the clients.

Over 600m2 of double glazed units were crafted for the new complex, which takes on a neutral aesthetic appearance to complement its famous neighbour – St. Paul’s Cathedral. www.glassolutions.co.uk

104

Metal Technology Products Add Style In Polwarth Terrace Metal Technology curtain walling, door and window systems have been installed on the Polwarth Terrace development of high quality homes in Edinburgh. Each apartment and penthouse features energy-efficient panoramic windows to maximise light. System 17 curtain walling offers a wide and diverse range of profiles that provide structural integrity, weather performance and thermal enhancement. www.metaltechnology.com

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

78

E

105

Student Housing Fixed

By Kladfix Kladfix, the rainscreen cladding support system specialist has supplied its KX01 fittings for a new £14.5 million development project transforming the historic Deaconess House on Edinburgh’s Pleasance into 315 student apartments for the University of Edinburgh.

Deaconess House opened in 1894 and ran as a hospital for just under a century, at which time it was renovated into office accommodation.

Twenty four years later and the site is transformed into three blocks of student residence. Situated in the heart of the University of Edinburgh city centre campus, the four and five storey buildings will be centred around a courtyard which includes an amphitheatre. Lakesmere, the building envelope specialist specified Kladfix’s KX01 vertical cladding support system for this project.

“The KX01 system is extremely cost effective” said Morton Anderson, Lakesmere’s Business Development Manager. “We were under extreme cost pressure with this project and required a product which would fit within the tight budget. Kladfix offers affordable yet high quality solutions, so the KX01 system was the ideal product for this project.”

Kladfix KX01 fittings have been used to fix approximately 1000m² of stone cladding and 300m² of aluminium cladding on the three student apartment blocks. These fittings are suitable for use as a back frame system and are the basis to all of Kladfix’s systems. KX01 fittings are also used for face and rivet fixing for fibre cement, high-pressure laminate, ACM and metal rainscreen cladding panels.

Kladfix holds extensive stock to ensure orders can always be met and where necessary, immediate delivery can be provided. All Kladfix cladding systems can be engineered to project specific requirements thanks to the expertise of its technical design support service.

This provides architects and specifiers freedom with an almost infinite range of façade appearance and layout options. For further information on Kladfix Rainscreen Systems, visit www.kladfix.com or call the company direct on +44 (0)1707 333 396.

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

79

106

Brett Landscaping Partners With Ashridge Contractors To Deliver Aesthetic Solution That Really Performs Leading paving manufacturer Brett Landscaping has provided materials and design concepts to ensure kerb appeal at a new housing development in Sheffield. Hull-based Ashridge Contractors turned to Brett for assistance on Keepmoat Homes’ Cutler’s View development to provide a durable paving solution that can withstand traffic loadings and provide good looks to complement the project.

The Alpha Antique Charcoal paver from Brett Landscaping was quickly identified as the optimum choice aesthetically, but the structural requirements of the carriageway surface – which had to resist the horizontal forces exerted by passing traffic – meant that Brett needed to engineer an appropriate solution.

The team from Brett advised combining their Alpha Antique block paving in Charcoal – laid using a herringbone pattern – with the new silver grey Lugano Black Fleck Kerbs. This latest 2015 addition to the Brett commercial paving range provides a granite aesthetic to create the strongest possible paving configuration for vehicular traffic. The new Lugano range provides both a light silver grey as well as a darker graphite grey granite aesthetic and is available in a comprehensive range comprising block paving, flags as well as kerbs to offer a fully integrated solution to the urban designer. www.brettpaving.co.uk

Selectaglaze Takes On A Titan

107

“Atlas House”, 1 King Street is an impressive Grade II Listed building just a short walk from St. Paul’s Cathedral. The four storey building partly dates back to 1842 but has undergone a number of additions and renovations and the latest, designed by architectural practice TateHindle Limited, has brought the building up to the highest modern standards for office use.

The building has a classic façade with traditional sash windows, an important and attractive feature of the building’s design that could not be changed.

However these single glazed windows are thermally inefficient, draughty and incapable of dealing with the high noise levels found in the City.

Using secondary glazing set with a cavity of 100mm ensures that noise levels are typically reduced by 45dB. Higher insulation levels are attainable if the cavity is increased or heavier glass specified. TateHindle approached Selectaglaze as the latter has considerable experience of working within Listed and period buildings. A sympathetic design was required which achieved the standards of acoustic and thermal insulation needed.

The solution was a hinged casement set with a cavity of 150mm. Full sized hinged casements were used wherever possible but in locations with lowered ceilings a high level fixed panel was introduced to allow the casement to clear. A total of 165 windows were treated. Founded in 1966, Royal Warrant holder Selectaglaze is a specialist in the application of secondary glazing within buildings of all styles. www.selectaglaze.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

80

E

108

New Sixth Form Centre For Pioneering Education Partnership Constructed Off Site In Less Than Four Months The Portakabin Group has constructed a new sixth form centre in Wakefield using a Yorkon off-site solution to reduce the programme to just 13 weeks on site. Crofton Sixth Form is a pioneering partnership between Wakefield College and Crofton Academy which has opened to meet the increasing demand for post-16 places in the region. Crofton Academy was keen to build on its status as a highly successful secondary school catering for 11-16 year olds with the addition of a new sixth form facility. At the same time, Wakefield College had a requirement to expand its own post-16 provision in the region. The two institutions formed a unique partnership to create a purpose-designed learning centre.

We knew the approach would result in delivery of the building on time, on budget and built to a very high standard – and to a much shorter programme than on-site construction could achieve. Their team is always thorough, proactive and often brings additional thoughts and ideas to a project, as well as aesthetic flexibility. Use of a Yorkon solution will also allow the sixth form centre to be expanded very quickly in the near future to meet the increasing demand for places.”

The building was designed with partitions which will be removed to open up the spaces on completion of the second phase and Portakabin has already installed the ground works and service infrastructure required for the sixth form’s expansion.This was a challenging project with the site being located so close to existing school buildings and between steep grass banks. This involved the use of a 500-tonne crane to lower the steel-framed Yorkon modules into position. Portakabin provided a full service, including modular design and engineering, manufacture, fitting out and landscaping.

The concept architects for the scheme were P+HS Architects, who have previously collaborated with the Portakabin Group on a number of Yorkon projects including the award-winning science centre at Christ College in South Wales. The 528m2 building on the site of Crofton Academy was handed over after just 13 weeks on site and the cranage phase was carried out during school holidays to minimise disruption to teaching. Its distinctive external envelope features a bold green and black vinyl wrap which contrasts with the building’s dark grey external finish.

Commenting on the project, Jon Howard, Director of Estates at Wakefield College, said, “The use of a Yorkon off-site solution radically reduced the programme time and the impact of construction on the school’s existing operations. We simply could not have achieved that with site-based construction. We have a very good relationship with the Portakabin Group, and their team met every one of their commitments.

“The building’s performance and appearance have exceeded all our expectations. We wanted an eye-catching facility and that is exactly what has been achieved. It definitely has the ‘wow factor’ and reflects the college’s identity and values very well. The new facility has been exceptionally well received by everyone who has visited it, including other schools and colleges. The internal layout utilises every inch of space and we now have an outstanding sixth form centre for up to 150 students. I am also delighted to report that this is the first building I have ever received with absolutely no defects.”

Phil Bentley, Director at P+HS Architects, said, “We recommended a Yorkon solution for this project having worked with the Portakabin Group previously.

Facilities at Crofton Sixth Form include six classrooms, a quiet study area, computer suite, common room, office, circulation areas, lift, toilets with disabled access and plant room. All teaching and study areas have full IT connectivity and one of the classrooms has a computer game design facility to accommodate a specialist course offered by the college. Yorkon building solutions from the Portakabin Group offer unrivalled aesthetic flexibility and thousands of configurations and permutations to meet almost any design brief, site and building footprint.

The Yorkon approach is also highly sustainable – the number of vehicle movements to site is reduced; there is less material wastage; air leakage is less for lower running costs and improved thermal efficiency, and there are fewer internal columns to facilitate space planning and future reconfiguration to meet changing local needs. For further information about Yorkon off-site building solutions for schools and colleges, call 0845 2000 123, email info@ yorkon.co.uk or visit www.yorkon.info

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

81

109

Portakabin Hire Delivers More Than 300 Disaster Recovery Projects Portakabin Hire, the UK’s leading supplier of interim building solutions, has delivered 345 disaster recovery projects to date, helping organisations across the UK to get up and running again as quickly as possible after major incidents such as flooding, fire and the discovery of asbestos.

“It is really important that all organisations – from schools to businesses and regardless of size, can be fully operational as fast as possible to minimise the impact of a major incident”, said Robert Snook, Director and General Manager of Portakabin Hire.“Our local hire teams around the country have a wealth of knowledge in disaster recovery and work closely with a number of major insurers to help ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. We have a fleet of modules held in stock across the UK which allows us to supply emergency accommodation within hours. Speed of response in an emergency situation is absolutely critical.”

With over 50 locations from Inverness to Plymouth, Portakabin has the largest hire centre network in the UK and so is ideally placed to provide advice and emergency accommodation to businesses, public sector organisations and schools nationwide. Should a building become unusable, for example after flooding or other urgent situations such as fire, power failure or the discovery of asbestos, Portakabin Hire can assist with a number of options:

• • •

Single modular buildings can be rapidly delivered to an organisation’s site, often within 24 hours, from its national hire fleet of modules.

This allows core operations to be working again very quickly.

A bespoke, longer-term accommodation solution can then be prepared to an organisation’s exact specifications if the existing building has been so severely damaged that it will be out of use for a number of months.

•

An agreed set of fully furnished buildings can be prepared and stored for delivery to site in a matter of hours in the event of a crisis situation, as part of a contingency plan.

The Portakabin Hire team can help with: Generators for emergency power Furniture Connections to waste tanks if it is not possible to connect the interim facilities to mains services Security and alarm systems which can be an important requirement if interim accommodation has to be located outside the customer’s site Access ramps Patching data communications into the organisation’s main network Foundations for interim buildings.

• • • • • • •

Portakabin Hire also sets out a number of important commitments in its ground breaking customer charter. These include: Meeting the most challenging timescales – 80 per cent of Portakabin buildings for hire will be delivered within 14 days and some within just 24 hours Providing cost certainty – accurate project quotations with no hidden cost variations Visiting every customer within 24 hours of initial contact Providing a 24-hour service, seven days a week Delivering every project on time and on budget.

• • • • •

For further information about interim modular buildings for emergency applications, visit www.portanews.co.uk

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

82

E e

110

The Light Halls Of Vauxhall

The Kalwall translucent glazing system is widely specified in many different retail facilities. These include supermarkets, warehouses and car showrooms across the UK. The latest example is a showroom for the Thurlow Nunn Vauxhall car dealership in Milton Keynes.

Designed by architects Bisset Adams, this two storey building covers nearly 2300sqm. It features Vauxhall’s new premium Delta architecture, also designed by Bisset Adams, incorporating the latest corporate imagery expressed in furniture, signage and space requirements. This forms part of a new roll out across the company’s network of 428 car dealerships.

The Kalwall features as a large translucent screen above the main entrance with an unusual Tuckerman Grid configuration using square cells.

It is designed to diffuse daylightling evenly into the entrance area and showroom creating a well-lit and aesthetically pleasing ambience while at night the façade emits an ethereal glow.

The crispness of the structure’s modelling and the clever use of natural daylight are designed to showcase the extensive stock which is displayed on two floors for

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

dramatic effect. Unlike conventional glazing, Kalwall eliminates shadows and glare and the stark contrasts of light and shade. The system also enhances simplicity by eliminating the need for blinds, curtains or solar control.

Even on cloudy days, the entrance and showroom are flooded with natural daylight, which means less artificial lighting and, because Kalwall is highly insulating, energy costs are reduced.

Kalwall is distributed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by Structura UK, a leading supplier, fabricator and installer of glass curtain walling, rainscreens, glass atria, windows and other architectural glass building products.

The company has recently had all three of its ISO certifications successfully renewed for three years: OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety Management, ISO 14001 Environmental Management certification and ISO 9001 Quality Management certification.

Apart from being specified for all types of new build, Kalwall is increasingly used for the refurbishment of cladding or rooflights on aged buildings. Case studies and technical information are available from Structura UK Ltd, Tel: 01233 501 504 or visit www.structura-uk.com/kalwall

83

Building Regulations When Tackling New And Existing Flat Roofs

111

Building Regulations now require where feasible the extent of insulation within specified elements is upgraded as part of renovation works if the existing provisions are insufficient. Accordingly when constructing or replacing a cold flat roof, both ventilation and insulation qualities are normally reviewed.

Despite the growing popularity of converting to a warm roof, there are commonly situations where this is not possible. This is often because the roof surface cannot be raised because of the proximity of external sills, openings, soil pipes etc. Where a cold roof is the selected or default construction, there is an accompanying need to cross ventilate within it as well as ensuring any link from it to an external cavity wall complies with Building Regulations.

The Type RAV-FL is a flat roof ventilator from Cavity Trays of Yeovil. It is fitted by opening it like a book so one edge can be secured into the top of a timber upstand vertically battened off the wall surface. The Type RAV-FL is then closed until its adjacent edge is against the external wall masonry to which it is then secured. The result creates a protected airflow route via which air can travel and cross ventilate the roof space. The opposing roof edge incorporates a ventilator in the soffit or fascia. Cavity Trays offers a range of ventilator styles and ventilator colours from which to choose to achieve a balanced arrangement.

To arrest water gravitating within the external skin (above the Type RAV-FL) a preformed cavitray with an external flashing is located. The flashing is dressed down over the ventilator upper surface, ensuring protection against wind-driven rain.

Protecting the building envelope is the purpose of a wide range of products offered by Cavity Trays, and it is also the name of the latest technical manual released by the Company. To secure your copy contact Cavity Trays of Yeovil . www.cavitytrays.com

112

RAK Lounge Porcelain Joins Prestige Spec At Weston’s Preston Hall Weston Homes plc has specified RAK Ceramics for its new development at Preston Hall, near Aylesford in Kent. The new, luxurious homes are located within a former Grade II listed historic mansion, dating back to 1102 and occupying over 53,000 square feet.

Beige and grey-toned porcelain finishes, from RAK’s best-selling Lounge Collection, were chosen for all bathrooms and en-suites. The installation follows earlier RAK specifications at Weston Homes Markyate, Napsbury and Hornchurch developments.

The meticulous Preston Hall restoration will include 36 one-to-four bedroom homes, set within 2.5 acres of landscaped gardens and accessed via a dramatic great hall. Period details used alongside cutting edge materials result in new homes that combine history with modern living facilities.

Throughout the spacious, stone-paneled bathrooms, RAK’s two-toned Lounge surfaces provide a sleek and elegant finish – on floors, walls and countertops. The tiles also provide a host of practical benefits, including resistance to water, stains, abrasion and impact, as well as easy care. The first phase release at Preston Hall consists of 16 residences, including four premiers, with occupations anticipated from June 2015.

For further information, visit www.rakceramics.co.uk - or Weston Homes on tel.

01279 873 333 or visit www.westonhomes.com

enquire online at www.ebpr.co.uk/card

are you responsible for the lifts in your building? are you up to date with how to fulfil your responsibilities? clear on what should your lift service provider be doing for you?

register Now for your

free

training session

Join us on Wednesday 17th June at the Facilities Show for a FREE ‘Lifts: your questions answered’ training session on lift maintenance and more.

The session will be no more than one hour, but will leave you with up-to-date information on the latest regulations – in particular the EN81 family and the latest update of EN81-20, health and safety issues and a ’what happens if?’ overview.

Register now at www.stannahlifts.co.uk/facilities-training If you haven't already, make sure you register for the 2015 Facilities Show.

113

Meet the family

Passenger Lifts

Escalators and Moving Walkways

Platform Lifts

Goods and Service Lifts

Lift Refurbishment

Bespoke Lifts

Lift Service and Repair

www.stannahlifts.co.uk