Construction and Civil Engineering Issue 110 Early Edition

TH E

M AGAZINE

FOR

IN DUST RIA L

LE ADER S

EARLY ISSUE 110

CONSTRUCTION

&CIVIL Engineering

Roads:

A design for life The advantages that geosynthetics can bring to highway and access road construction See page 8

News: Builders and Flooring finishes Construction designers are and floorcoverings firms are still constantly finding can contribute to wary of investing new and exciting the ambience and in growth applications for despite upturn in acoustics of an concrete economy interior space

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8Cover story

CONTENTS

FEATURES

Chairman Andrew Schofield

Flooring 2 Danny Hanlon gives an overview of the trends in the flooring market, and offers advice on how to choose the right product

Group Managing Director Mike Tulloch Editor Libbie Hammond

libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

NEWS 6,7,11 Updates and information from the construction and civil engineering market

Editorial Design Jon Mee Advertising Design Fleur Daniels

2

Staff Writers Matt High Jo Cooper Steve Nash Andrew Dann Editorial Admin Emma Crane

14

Head of Research Philip Monument Editorial Researchers Keith Hope Gavin Watson Tarj Kaur-D’Silva Mark Cowles Laura Watling Tony Wright

Geosynthetics can offer advantages to highway and access road construction

SPECIAL FEATURE 12 Present day builders and designers are finding new and exciting applications for concrete

CASE STUDY 14 A new CHP solution from Dalkia is bringing costs down for Marriott hotels

WATER PROOFING 16

18

Sales Director David Garner

Sports stadia must receive the right levels of waterproofing protection to ensure they offer a warm and dry welcome for visitors COMPANY PROFILES

Sales David King Mark Cawston Production/Office Manager Tracy Chynoweth Schofield Publishing Cringleford Business Centre, 10 Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, U.K. Tel: +44 (0)1603 274130 Fax: +44 (0)1603 274131

ENVIRONMENT 8

24

Sprayed cONCRETE ASSOCIATION 18 Junttan 21 ENGCON 24 ROCKWOOL 27 ATLAS COPCO MEYCO 30

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Š 2014 Schofield Publishing Ltd

Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Construction & Civil Engineering 1

FLOORING

The

finish under your

feet

Specifiers need to consider a whole range of factors before deciding on the right floor covering for a project, as Danny Hanlon explains

T

oday’s flooring surfaces are often literally overlooked, in contrast to the complex floor mosaics and ornate carpets of yesteryear. Yet, carefully selected and specified, flooring finishes and floorcoverings can contribute to the ambience and acoustics of an interior space, the health and safety of the occupants, even the green rating of the

2 Construction & Civil Engineering

overall project, and will accommodate the anticipated foot traffic and environmental conditions.

Naturally enough, cost-per-squaremetre is an important factor when considering commercial flooring options, although likely maintenance and repair expenses, functional life and sustainability need to be taken into account. Increasingly, perceived quality and evolving consumer tastes, especially a growing preference for continental style flooring, mean that many companies are looking beyond old favourites like carpet, vinyl and concrete, toward hardwood, laminates, epoxy and agglomerates, in the search for aesthetic, low maintenance, long lasting surfaces.

Before examining the various

factors that should be taken into consideration when weighing up the flooring options for any specific project, let’s briefly review the mainstream materials on offer for residential and industrial applications: Carpet – traditional broadloom and carpet tiles project comfort and style, as well as providing noise insulation, but can get stained, harbour dust, need regular cleaning and have more limited service life.

Concrete – low cost, yet offering highly durable flooring solutions, mostly overlaid with another floor covering, polished and decorated concrete floors are growing in popularity.

Laminate – offering the look of hardwood or stone flooring without the expense or maintenance requirement, laminate is available as sheets, tiles and tongue-and-groove planks and is reasonably durable.

Cork – a natural sound insulator, used for sound studios and play areas, cork is an eco-friendly outcome of bark stripping, yet must be sealed regularly and can be stained by oil, dirt and spills.

Hardwood – among the more expensive flooring options, solid timber and engineered hardwood bring grace and elegance to the surroundings, but are susceptible to scratches, dents and staining.

Vinyl – resilient vinyl sheet, VCT (vinyl composition tile) and LVT

Ceramic – ceramic and porcelain tiles are hardwearing and easy to maintain, with porcelain regarded as tougher, more durable and with a higher resistance to moisture, although spills can cause them to be slippery.

Car showroom

(luxury vinyl tile) that can mimic the look and feel of more expensive options, are gaining market share, but have a shorter functional life and may show signs of wear and tear.

Linoleum – a reusable, environmentally friendly flooring type, made from natural ingredients, but it can trap sub-floor moisture and can be cut or marked by sharp, heavy objects.

Stone – natural stone materials like granite, slate and marble have a timeless elegance and add a distinctive character, but have limited stain and chemical resistance and an ongoing resealing programme is essential.

Construction & Civil Engineering 3

FLOORING

Terrazzo – seamless terrazzo solutions, laid in situ to create a smart, joint-free finish, are being increasingly specified in high traffic developments, as are pre-cast terrazzo tiles, although installation costs can be high and tiles are heavy.

Agglomerate – a composite material made from granite, quartz, recycled glass or porcelain bonded with polymer resin, agglomerate is slim, lightweight, extremely tough, nonporous and stain resistant, available in large format tiles and sheets.

Rubber – a durable, stain-resistant natural flooring, available in sheets and interlocking tiles, rubber is used in athletic, healthcare and residential setting, but can be quite expensive and difficult to maintain.

Worldwide, commercial flooring sales top £4 billion, with carpet currently dominating the market, followed by vinyl and ceramic tiles.

Nevertheless, a growing taste for upscale continental-type hard flooring has seen wood, laminate, porcelain and agglomerate all on an upward trend, while seamless terrazzo

flooring is a strong choice for high traffic, commercial developments like shopping malls and airport terminals. Certainly, experts predict we shall soon reach a ‘tipping point’, where sales of hard surface floors will permanently overtake carpet, especially as carpet has an expected life cycle of seven to ten years,

whereas hard flooring can last 40 years or more.

Another market trend, which is likely to continue as the economy emerges from recession, is that redevelopment and repurposing of existing buildings is now a larger part of the commercial flooring sector than new-build construction.

This throws into focus floor solutions that are comparatively lightweight for overlaying existing surfaces, that are fast and easy to install for minimising building downtime, and that offer architects and interior designers an exciting new colour palette.

With some materials costing as much per square metre to clean and maintain as it did to purchase them, it is important to undertake a broad lifecycle analysis of the various flooring options and take into account other hidden factors.

So let me outline the various considerations that should be borne in mind when specifying and buying commercial flooring: Installation expenses – lengthy floor preparation and laying times, as well as specialist installation techniques, will all add to labour costs and delay building availability.

4 Construction & Civil Engineering

Slip resistance – most flooring surfaces will meet R9 anti-slip standards for regular internal applications, but factor in textural finishes, abrasive inclusions and special surface profiles for higher ratings.

Refacing possibilities – save labour and waste disposal costs on remodelling projects, by choosing lightweight material that installs neatly over existing flooring, extending upwards for a co-ordinated floor-toceiling look.

Choice of formats – regular tile sizes, extra-large formats, lengthy flooring planks and large sheets for minimising the number of joints, all in the same flooring type, will cover various technical and design requirements.

Annual maintenance – the ongoing cost of resealing and polishing some flooring types, as well as the need for repairs, compares unfavourably with inherently low maintenance floors.

Functional life – even with routine maintenance, many commercial flooring types will need to be replaced within ten years, whereas terrazzo and agglomerate can last for 40 years.

Ease of replacement – carpet tiles, floating floors, tongue-and-groove planks and click-together formats can be easily uplifted, reducing ‘whole life’ costs and enabling temporary flooring.

Sustainable material – not a price issue, but sustainability remains an overarching concern within commercial flooring and the corporate market, so look for a high recycled content.

Minimising emissions – eliminating the need to strip and reseal floors helps minimise emissions of volatile organic components (VOCs), while Greenguard certification means low material VOCs.

As comparative newcomers to the global flooring market, with our distinctive agglomerate products, Trend relish the prospect of bringing exciting new hard surface materials and innovative installation techniques to the residential and commercial sectors. Our colour choice is amongst the widest on the market, with custom shades available for minimum orders of only 400 square metres, which enables us to meet new flooring trends for bold, bright colours, as well as traditional favourites like black granite finishes and muted cream and earthen tones.

Marketed in the States under the name Trend Terrazzo, our

agglomerate flooring is now being widely specified for high-end retail and hotel developments, upscale apartments, automotive showrooms, restaurants and bars, corporate offices and other flooring applications where technical performance, long-term value, quality of finish and vibrant colours are all top priorities. Our quarterinch product profile and innovative methods of laying tiles and planks without adhesive has also given us a head start in the burgeoning market for building repurposing.

In conclusion, these days budgets are still challenging and value-formoney continues to be a priority, but businesses do need to look beyond cost-per-square-metre and factor in other considerations like service life, speed and ease of installation, performance characteristics, sustainability and aesthetics, to arrive at the optimum flooring solution. But, given that specifiers highlight the importance of eco-friendly products, then often carry on purchasing flooring with questionable sustainability credentials, it seems that we upand-coming producers of alternative materials may need to try harder to get that message across. m

Danny Hanlon is chief operating officer at Trend GB. Established in 2000, the Trend Group has imposed itself on the global market as an innovator of new ideas in architectural finishing products. Its search for distinctive new products is reflected in an extensive catalogue of Italian glass mosaics and agglomerates, designed for both interior and exterior applications.

For more information, please visit

www.trend-group.com Tel: 0800 0445 395

Construction & Civil Engineering 5

NEWS

Grand for golf Planning consent has been granted for a hotel and leisure development in the heart of Scotland.

The development will include a 240 bedroom luxury resort hotel along with a championship golf course designed in conjunction with golfing legend Sandy Lyle who says the development has potential to rival any in Scotland.

Planners have also given the green light for a phased development of 250 chalet style villas on the site which will feature lakes and forestry, an equestrian centre, and other popular outdoor leisure facilities.

Alexandra Hayward of Debutesq Group who are handling international sales say: “Scotland is crying out for a resort hotel with conference and leisure facilities on a grand scale and this development will help the country compete better internationally.”

Edinburgh is the UK’s largest international and domestic tourist destination outside London with hotels enjoying some of the highest occupancy levels in Europe.

Scotland is a favourite with international conference organisers

Joining the community

but is limited in what it has to offer in terms of convention space. While Scotland enjoys a good level of corporate visitors, larger global companies looking to accommodate 200 or more delegates under one roof are limited in choice.

Edinburgh Airport is less than 30 minutes drive from the site, another factor in attracting international visitors. A number of new routes through Edinburgh Airport including the Middle East helped drive passenger traffic to almost one million in June.

The owners have not ruled out selling the development but are at this stage interested in engaging with international hotel operators and resort developers.

Urban flood specialist Richard Allitt Associates (RAA) has become a partner in ‘susdrain’, the community for sustainable drainage. Other members include Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and the Environment Agency.

Associate Director Martin Allitt commented: “We have been working with ‘susdrain’ for the last two years and our moving from supporter to full partner cements our relationship with other leading members of the industry, including some of the leading agencies as well as our clients.

“Susdrain provides valuable information and support for the country’s drainage and highways engineers, planners, urban designers, landscape architects, land and housing developers. The growing membership demonstrates industry support for the wide delivery of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS).”

Award nominations Story Homes has been nominated for two prestigious UK Property Awards. The developer, which builds homes across Lancashire, Cumbria, North East England and South West Scotland, has been put up for Best Residential Development in Lancashire for High Wood, Lancaster, and for Best Developer Website.

Steve Errington, chief executive of Story Homes said: “To be acknowledged by these awards is a big honour. The UK Property Awards recognise excellence across the board and to be shortlisted for not one but two awards is a very high accolade and recognition of our achievements.”

Built on the former Lancaster Moor Hospital site, High Wood in Lancaster is a development of 197 new-build houses. It is a sustainable community of three, four and five bedroom homes with a mixture of detached, semi-detached, terraced and town houses; designed and finished with a mix of natural stone, render and brick.

Catherine Cannon, marketing manager, was responsible for delivering the website. She said: “Story Homes’ new website was created to give customers the best-possible experience when viewing our developments. The company felt that the quality of our homes should be reflected in the website’s user experience, while also showcasing Story Homes’ company values. Since launching in Autumn 2013, the site has proved popular with customers and we are obviously pleased with the recognition that has been achieved through the UK Property Award nomination.”

The winners of the UK Property Awards will be revealed on October 24 at an awards dinner in London.

6 Construction & Civil Engineering

NEWS

Advanced science complex Guide available

Reproduced courtesy of Capita

Interserve has been selected to start work on an £8 million advanced experimental station and electron microscopy facility at Diamond Light Source on the Harwell Oxford Campus in Oxfordshire, which will showcase the company’s expertise in cutting-edge building technology.

Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron science facility accelerates electrons to produce bright X-ray light. This light is then fed to 24 experimental stations known as ‘beamlines’ where scientists use it to conduct cuttingedge research into numerous areas as diverse as fossils and viruses.

The new facility will use Diamond’s intense X-ray light to power an X-ray nanoprobe: a powerful microscope used to examine materials as small as one billionth of a metre. It will also house a new national facility for high resolution electron microscopy, providing tools to examine materials with ultra high precision, as well as cryo-electron microscopes, which will allow users to see biological samples in atomic detail.

The new experimental facilities are designed to complement the existing facilities at Diamond, which currently attract scientists from all over the world, allowing them to undertake highly complex research that would be impossible in their home labs.

The advanced centre will be at the forefront of its field, and will require significant environmental controls to ensure the accuracy of the scientific data it produces.

Particular control is required over temperature variation, acoustic control, vibration and electromagnetic interference. In order to meet these demanding requirements, Interserve will be working at the limits of building construction technology.

Examples of this include the construction of high tolerance anti-vibration structural slabs; the use of stringent air tightness and insulation measures to control temperature variation; and the inclusion of austenitic stainless steel reinforcement where required to minimise electromagnetic interference from the building structure.

Get a grip TV Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden and 19-year old inventor Jordan Daykin have a roaring success on their hands, according to sales figures released by IronmongeryDirect. Sales for their Grip It Fixings product have rocketed by over 600 per cent since the show featured the invention in August 2014. Grip It is a revolutionary new design of universal fixing, designed for use with all types of plasterboard installation. The unique wing design makes the fixing easily removable and reusable meaning no parts get lost in cavity walls, and it can also support loads of up to 180kg. To prove the strength of the fixings in the Den, Deborah put her trust in the product by sitting in a chair suspended by chains from a number of Grip It Fixings in a plasterboard wall.

Seventy-six year old grandfather Stan Daykin and his grandson Jordan Daykin (then aged 13) originally invented the Grip It Fixing when attempting to fit blinds in a house. Jordan took the product to market in 2013.

Grip It is already trading in Germany and Belgium, with a patent pending in America where the market is seven-times larger than the UK. Jordan’s plan is to take the product to the rest of Europe and Australia as well.

Building engineers, architects and installers needing to understand the myriad of legislation surrounding the sizing and specifying of private drainage can now benefit from clear, professional guidance.

Kingspan Klargester, has published a new presentation on specifying commercial wastewater treatment entitled, A Guide to Sewage Treatment Systems (www. kingspanenviro.com/CPD).

The advice is designed to ensure that engineers and installers feel confident in designing the correct solutions for offices, schools, hotels etc, and that their professional recommendations meet the stringent legally binding requirements that surround wastewater management.

The Chartered Institute for Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has approved the presentation for its Continuous Professional Development programme, created to help members keep up-to-date on legal requirements, technical advances as well as their own personal development.

“Determining what represents the best off-mains solution for a building that might have varying levels of occupancy is understandably still a testing challenge for engineers, architects and installers,” says Geoff Oakley, Kingspan Klargester’s technical sales manager.

“Our advice and solutions can be trusted because our expert team have always been at the forefront of influencing legislation, from the very start.”

Construction & Civil Engineering 7

ENVIRONMENT

Wind farms in remote locations require stabilised access roads

Working in the field of geosynthetics for more than a decade, Mike Horton has seen the effects that poor ground conditions can have on a project. In this article he discusses the problems of using chemical subgrade stabilisation and the advantages that geosynthetics can bring to highway and access road construction 250 riverfront apartments at Carrow Quay in Norwich, believed to be the largest scheme in the UK designed to Passivhaus principles

Roads:

Adesignfor life

I

n recent months the durability of roads has been a prominent issue. While funds have been allocated for repairing damaged highways, the problems often run deeper than the surface, with the roads’ initial design being to blame for their subsequent failure. As well as general weathering and erosion, this failure can be caused by weak foundations or

8 Construction & Civil Engineering

subgrades, allowing the road surface to crack when subjected to the stresses created by the passage of repeated heavy loads.

Lime, cement and traditional methods for paved roads Mike Horton - product and technology manager at Tensar

Traditionally, where poor ground conditions are present, the subgrade or foundation will be

strengthened through the use of lime or cement. However a number of environmental concerns need to be taken into account when using chemical stabilisation, including measures that are needed to ensure the safety of those on site.

Performance of lime stabilised roads Stabilisation using lime or other

lateral and vertical drainage and, as lime is soluble over time, rainfall can also weaken the treated subgrade. Moisture flow can also result in leaching of the lime, making the use of lime inappropriate in environmentally sensitive areas.

Advantages of using geosynthetics over traditional methods

chemicals requires optimal conditions in order to provide suitable performance. While its use in heavy clay soils can offer the desired result, lime’s stabilisation qualities are greatly impacted when it is used in soils that contain soluble sulphates. This occurs as the calcium present in lime reacts with the sulphates, creating crystalline ettringite, which in

turn leads to ‘heave’, raising the ground surface and damaging any pavement laid above. Similar effects can be seen in cold climates where freeze-thaw cycling can cause limetreated soils to deteriorate, shrink and swell, leading to cracking which may result in the premature failure of the pavement.

In addition, lime stabilised soils may also drain poorly, slowing

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and sustainability consultants ESU-Services produced a report in 2013 to identify the lifetime environmental impact of the three most common road types; conventional non-stabilised roads, those utilising lime or concrete stabilisation and those with a geosynthetics-based foundation.

The report considers nine different environmental impact indicators with the intention of providing comprehensive results: acidification, eutrophication (increased algae growth in bodies of water causing deoxygenation), global warming, photochemical oxidation, renewable and non-renewable cumulative energy demand, particulate matter, land competition and water use.

The study shows that, when compared to geosynthetic reinforcement, a conventional, nonstabilised road results in greater impact for each indicator. This is largely caused by the increased emissions and resource consumption resulting from the production and transport of additional gravel required to create a stable foundation.

The research also concludes that, with regard to global warming, roads constructed with a cement- or limestabilised foundation have a higher impact compared to both traditional, non-stabilised roads and those using geosynthetics, mainly due to CO² emissions caused by lime production.

However, in addition to avoiding these environmental issues, the use of geosynthetics such as geogrids can offer a number of other advantages.

Effective for all types of soil, durable in cold climates and

Construction & Civil Engineering 9

ENVIRONMENT

Traingular aperture geogrids offer multi-directional tensile stiffness

Road construction can be made easier with an engineered approach permeable to allow drainage, geogrids increase the effective bearing capacity of subgrade soils. Unlike chemical stabilisation methods, they can also be installed in any weather conditions without the need for specialised equipment or testing.

Furthermore, geogrids are manufactured under controlled conditions, producing consistent results once in situ. This allows roads to perform as expected, without the need for later design revisions in order to ensure their stability. Available in a range of profiles and aperture sizes, the range of geogrids available makes them the ideal choice for a wide variety of ground conditions.

At Tensar we have built on these benefits with the development of our patented TriAx geogrids, which are based on a triangular structure to offer multi-directional tensile stiffness, resulting in improved load bearing properties, while an enhanced rib profile further improves performance.

Additional concerns for access roads For instance, we were recently called upon to provide our TriAx geogrids for the construction of access roads to the Keadby wind farm site in North Lincolnshire.

Given that the site was so remote, a total of 24km of temporary roads

10 Construction & Civil Engineering

It makes sense to limit environmental impact in the creation of on shore wind farms

had to be constructed and had to stand up to the weight of heavy traffic in less-than-ideal weather conditions.

By using TriAx, it was possible to limit the amount of aggregate required, reducing both the impact on the surrounding area and the project’s total CO² output, which is an important consideration for green energy projects such as this.

How this can benefit road construction With an additional £168 million promised to local authorities in

the Chancellor’s March Budget statement to repair more than three million potholes in the UK, it is clear that there is a need to consider alternative construction methods and the role they can play in the future of the country’s road infrastructure. The same is true for the construction industry as a whole, with the creation of safe, stable access roads proving invaluable.

Rather than spending time and money on the ongoing repair of under-performing roads, why don’t we look at optimising pavements using the tools currently available?

By looking beyond traditional design and taking advantage of recent advances in ground stabilisation technology, it is possible to reduce long term costs while also lowering the environmental impact of initial construction. m

Mike Horton is product and technology manager at Tensar International. Tensar provides its customers with an integrated suite of innovative products, technologies and application expertise for a wide variety of end uses, including high performance roadways, earth retention structures, building foundations and erosion and sediment control.

For more information visit:

www.tensar.co.uk

NEWS

Significant contract iWS Group has been appointed as construction manager to procure and manage the basement construction, piling and concrete works at 45 Millharbour, Isle of Dogs. The project is worth £30m-40m in construction costs.

A fully integrated solution, iWS Group, will manage the construction over a 48 week period, whilst Clarson Goff Management (CGM), also part of the Front3 Group, will act as project manager, employer’s agent and CDM Service provider on the project. Jackson Rowe, leading chartered quantity surveyors and also part of the Front3 Group, will act as cost consultants on the project.

The project will include 138 apartments over 13 floors, totalling approximately 13,221 sq. m. (over 140,000 sq. ft.) of residential accommodation. Commercial space available on the ground floor provides the building with a further 805 sq. m. (8,665 sq. ft.)

All affordable apartments and most private apartments have private balconies and there will be a public amenity space running on the ground floor between Millharbour Road and the dock. The design is in compliance with the requirements of the London Plan, BREEAM & Code for Sustainable Homes.

Recovery in sight?

Analysis of the largest UK construction contractors indicates that despite greater deal-flow, the financial position of many contractors remains weak, with cash balances and margins down, according to a report published

by KPMG. The report ‘Construction Barometer: Recovery in Sight?’ analyses the operating margins, cash balances and order books of 14 Tier 1 contractors from 2007 through to 2013. The detailed analysis revealed: l Net cash balances declined in 2013 and are now close to half their 2010 peak l As cash generated from operations have all but dried up since 2010, cash balances have been increasingly supported by significant sale of assets l Operating margins in construction continue to be squeezed. From a high of 2.8 per cent across the industry in 2010, operating margins have fallen to an average of just 1.2 per cent in 2013 l Persistent inflation in sub-contractor markets suggests that the negative pressure on margins is unlikely to ease off any time soon. This position is further highlighted by the several profit warnings issued in the first half of 2014 l Order books tell a slightly more optimistic story from margins and cash, reporting growth from 2012 to 2013

l The UK government’s infrastructure spend indicates that there is plenty yet to come with over £116 billion committed to over 1886 projects Richard Threlfall, KPMG’s UK head of infrastructure, building and construction said: “Construction contractors have been struggling with some of the most difficult market conditions ever encountered and even now – with all evidence pointing to sustained recovery – the industry faces real profitability challenges.

“Current margin and cash levels are unsustainable. With subcontractor rate increases and labour market shortages largely outside of contractors’ control, it is critical they continue to focus on improving their own efficiency.

“The industry can though take heart from the first signs of a recovery in order books.

Ultimately, we believe contractors need to hang on until supply and demand for subcontractors and labour come back into balance, which we predict is still a year off. With good forward planning, strong businesses should be investing now in their supply chain and technology to take advantage of the £45 billion a year tidal wave of future work.”

Firms still wary New research commissioned

by Lloyds Bank has found that more than a third of construction UK businesses have no plans to invest in capital expenditure, despite the sustained economic upturn. Even more strikingly, almost three quarters of respondents said they had no idea what the annual capital investment allowance was, with only three per cent correctly identifying the annual limit – the most a business can invest in plant and machinery and deduct from taxable profits – as £500,000.

The findings highlight the low level of experience of alternative funding sources such as asset based lending – only five per cent had used it to fund capital expenditure in the previous five years – which suggests that businesses could be missing out on growth opportunities by not exploring all their financing options.

Mark Parsons, sales and client director, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance, said: “The UK economy has been experiencing a strong recovery and was predicted to be the fastest growing in the G7 this year, so it is surprising that so many firms still have no plans to invest in growth. It may be that many construction businesses are not investing for the future because they are unaware of the funding options that are open to them beyond just taking a loan or using their overdraft.”

Construction & Civil Engineering 11

6 Construction & Civil Engineering

SPECIAL FEATURE

The refurbishment engineers’ friend The engineers of ancient Rome made concrete famous but present day builders and designers are constantly finding new and exciting applications for the most basic of construction materials writes Carl Richardson 12 Construction & Civil Engineering

T

he word concrete comes from the Latin ‘concretus’ – which means compact – and Roman engineers were the first to use concrete as more than a bulk construction material. The famous Parthenon in Rome can still boast the largest unreinforced solid concrete dome in the world but the use of concrete dates back a long way before the Roman Empire - at least as far back as 1400BC Greece.

Three and a half thousand years

‘‘

The famous Parthenon in Rome can still boast the largest unreinforced solid concrete dome in the world but the use of concrete dates back a long way before the Roman Empire

later we are still finding new ways of employing concrete. At aspect. co.uk we carry out maintenance and refurbishment work to both commercial and residential properties and the increase in the use of concrete within high end finishes in both sectors over the last ten years has been astonishing.

Polished concrete floors and work surfaces have become very common throughout both commercial and residential buildings: from cafes and restaurants, to offices and private homes.

Polished concrete The principle benefit to a property maintenance and refurbishment company of using polished concrete for floors is that they can be refinished for a completely new look or total overhaul relatively cheaply. From the customers point-of-view concrete floors are very low maintenance and easy to clean. Also, they last a very long time and are very robust.

The constantly changing myriad of colours, textures and finishes arriving on the market means that there is a concrete product for most applications.

Concrete work surfaces are also now widespread throughout both commercial and domestic property sectors. Work surfaces can be created by pouring the concrete in situ which means that they can be virtually any shape and size without visible joins. The cost of stone and slate work surfaces has been prohibitive for many customers over the years but by using concrete they

can let their imaginations run free. If a carpenter can make frame to fit it then the concrete can be poured in.

Stonework surfaces crack or become damaged and were virtually impossible to match if a section had to be replaced. Concrete worktops can be repaired or even replaced far more cost effectively. And they can also be re-finished to refurbish work areas at a later date.

A versatile product As well as floors and work surfaces you can now also find concrete wall finishing, basins and even furniture.

Gone are the days when concrete is just associated with large scale construction and poured slabs, concrete now really is an incredibly versatile product that can easily be finished in many different ways to achieve great high end product.

As well as poured concrete there has also been an upsurge of stamped or textured products that replicate slate, stone, flagstone or brick. They can be use to create or repair driveways, patios, deck areas and extensively throughout landscaped gardens.

Stamped concrete can be used to repair a stone or tiles driveway when the original material is no longer available. There is such an array of colours and finishes available that the concrete products can be made to blend in almost unnoticeably. In every instance concrete products will be considerably cheaper than the materials they are substituting for!

Stamped concrete tiles or especially finished concrete surfaces can provide good contact for pedestrians or wheel

chair users and are often a good option for areas of public passage.

Flagstones and some polished surfaces can be slippy for pedestrians - especially in wet or sub-zero temperatures - but concrete tiles can be laid to create a safer surface.

And the other attribute of concrete that should not be forgotten is that it is recyclable. Gone are the days when trucks have to cart away masses of concrete rubble to landfill sites that could be miles away. Crushing machines of all sizes can be brought to the site to restore old concrete to useable aggregate.

On major construction sites old concrete can be crushed to gravel sized pieces to form base layers. But portable mini-crushers can be used to produce aggregate on smaller jobs that is good enough for new concrete creations . m

Carl Richardson is head of refurbishment at aspect.co.uk, a leading property maintenance and refurbishment company operating across the domestic and commercial sectors, 24 hours per day.

With the tagline – ‘one call property care’, www.aspect.co.uk manages all maintenance issues, from the drains to the roof and everything in between.

For further information, visit:

www.aspect.co.uk.

Construction & Civil Engineering 13

CASE STUDY

Globally green Marriott hotels embrace CHP through ECO2Synergy

14 Construction & Civil Engineering

D

etermined to further increase energy savings across its properties, the Marriott hotel group is having the second generation of combined heat and power plants (CHP) fitted across 14 UK hotels.

The group is underpinning its commitment to low-carbon energy generation in partnership with utilities and energy management services provider Dalkia, taking advantage of its ECO2Synergy financing package.

A global leader in hospitality,

Marriott International runs nearly 3700 properties in 73 countries and territories worldwide. With the aim to build greener hotels, the hotel group has established energy and environmental action plans that help its properties achieve higher energy efficiency levels and water reduction targets.

As part of its energy efficiency policy, Marriott has installed and run CHPs at its UK sites for over 15 years. The installation of new CHP replacement units across 14 of its 58 UK properties in co-operation with Dalkia will bring Marriott a

‘‘

With the aim to build greener hotels, the hotel group has established energy and environmental action plans that help its properties achieve higher energy efficiency levels and water reduction targets

step closer to achieving its 2020 goal of further reducing energy consumption by 20 per cent per kWh/conditioned m2 enterprisewide, a target set by the group’s Global Green Council.

With the hotel’s existing CHP fleet nearing the end of its operational life and engine technology advancing over the past decade, Marriott International has its units upgraded

by Dalkia’s CHP division, Cogenco.

The utilities and energy services provider has been Marriott’s longterm partner since 1999.

Each of the 14 hotels will benefit

from its own co-generation plant that produces electricity and heat from a single fuel source to cover energy demands. To match the locations’ base electrical and thermal loadings the plants are individually sized, ranging from 121kWe to 400kWe. This latest CHP update will take the total co-generation capacity across sites to 4.22MWe. The CHPs produce electricity and simultaneously recover the heat that is given off as a by-product during the electrical generation process. This thermal energy is retained within the system where it is used to heat water. Thus each onsite plant is able to cover electricity demand and domestic hot water usage, including the utilisation of leisure facilities at the respective hotel. Particularly, in hotels with high occupancy rates the application of state-of-theart CHP can achieve a significant reduction of utility costs and carbon emissions.

John Conlon, head of engineering, facilities and capex planning europe at Marriott International, sees the new CHP fleet as a significant contribution to environmental conservation: “Our energy plants directly impact the environment that our business operates in. To preserve its health, it is vital to embrace those technologies that help to reduce our carbon footprint and

the new CHPs will do just that. In collaboration with Dalkia, we are already planning the replacement of further CHP engines over the next two years.”

The new units are incorporated under Dalkia’s ECO2Synergy energy finance agreement. The ECO2Synergy service gives Marriott access to the carbon and cost savings of combined heat and power technology without the need for capital investment. This means that Dalkia retains ownership of the CHPs, while Marriott pays a periodical service charge to cover for engineering work, installation and commissioning, operations management, and financing conducted by Dalkia’s specialist arm, Cogenco.

The installation will be completed in the coming months. “We are expecting a smooth transition from the original fleet to the new units as the infrastructure for a CHP installation is already in place at the hotels. Our project managers ensure that any downtime is kept to an absolute minimum between the removal of the existing unit and the commissioning of the new unit on each site,” affirms Cogenco’s sales director, Damian Shevloff. m For more information on Dalkia, visit:

www.dalkia.co.uk.

For more information on Marriott Hotels, visit:

www.marriott.com.

Construction & Civil Engineering 15

WATERPROOFING

Ahead of the

game In any building the role waterproofing plays should never be underestimated, but in modern sports stadia and facilities that can hold more than 100,000 spectators it is absolutely crucial

M

any new stadia may now have retractable roofs but water can never be kept out completely, so how can these complex structures remain protected from the elements to ensure their longevity and guarantee the safety of spectators?

Water on a sports pitch is undesirable but water ingress in the structure itself has far greater consequences. Less than five per cent of a typical construction budget is spent on waterproofing, yet as much as 90 per cent of posttenancy problems are attributable to water ingress. As seemingly minor imperfections lead to long-term structural damage, it’s vital to get the waterproofing specification right first time.

Trusted by sports stadium architects, designers and contractors for over a quarter of a century, Grace Construction

16 Construction & Civil Engineering

Products offers an expansive range of waterproofing systems that have been chosen to protect some of the world’s most famous and iconic sports stadia – from the Yankee Stadium in New York to the City of Manchester Stadium and Old Trafford in Manchester, England.

“Sports facilities have become extremely complex structures to waterproof,” said Neil Chapman, regional manager Northern UK and Scotland at Grace Construction Products. “With parts of the structure demanding specific waterproofing requirements – such as car parks, offices and even swimming pools located under pre-cast concrete seating areas – every element of the construction process must be carefully considered and a suitable waterproofing solution specified.

“Across the North West of England we have completed a number of waterproofing applications which perfectly demonstrate our capabilities to meet the ever

changing demands of modern sports facilities,” he adds. “And with each project presenting a unique challenge, it’s crucial that every waterproofing system is fit for purpose.”

Versatility and flexibility have proven key in many of Grace’s specifications. Offering a portfolio of products which meets virtually every demand, Grace installed a waterproofing system beneath the UK’s longest indoor skiing and snowboarding slope at Chill Factore, whilst the company’s membranes also met the challenging gas and water remediation requirements at the new Eastlands training facility for Manchester City Football Club.

From the substructure to the roof, and the structural steel to the engineering façade, high performance bonded systems from Grace have been proven to offer the highest levels of waterproofing protection at every type of sports

facility. Specified to protect racetracks and indoor arenas to multi-use concert and sports facilities, the company’s products rise to the challenge and meet clients’ ever-changing demands.

Protecting the next generation of sports stadia In recent years the concept of the sports stadium has evolved considerably. Not only do these complex structures welcome thousands of spectators every time they host a high-profile sporting event, they often act as cultural and architectural icons and stand as exemplars of modern construction techniques and capabilities.

A sports facility’s waterproofing specification has never been more crucial than at one of the world’s most iconic venues – the new Wembley Stadium in London, England. As the first of a new generation of sports stadia, it offers state-of-the-art facilities, which make it the most versatile stage for both major sporting and musical events.

With the structure’s design incorporating a ground bearing slab and the original specification calling for a self-adhesive waterproof membrane, Grace was required to provide a system, which could be applied directly to the blinding concrete. Ground conditions also meant any future settlement of the soil beneath the slab could leave the membrane unsupported and not fit for purpose.

Due to the presence of high voltage electrical transformers and heating systems to power the stadium, a high grade waterproofing system was a necessity. Grace offered in-situ concrete contractor PC Harrington a comprehensive waterproofing system, comprising Technical Design Service, on-site technical support and a combination of its Preprufe waterproofing membrane and waterstops.

Grace’s full specification

included Preprufe 300R preapplied waterproofing membrane and Bituthene 4000 & 8000 self-adhesive water and vapour proof membrane. Using Preprufe waterproofing membrane enabled contractors to report up to 50 per cent savings in installation times when compared to traditional systems – whilst also enabling work to resume quickly following inclement weather.

In addition to improving productivity on site and reducing the risk of membrane failure, the unique bond that Preprufe forms with the poured structure provides long term benefits to the client. Structural waterproofing at Wembley Stadium will remain unaffected by ground settlement for the lifetime of the structure and moisture will be prevented from migrating around the external face of the basement.

“Responsible for the installation of all concrete work at Wembley National Stadium, we understood that the client wanted delivery of the project safely, on time, to budget and with the quality that suits the greatest stadium in the world,” said PJ Harrington, project director at PC Harrington. “That’s why we chose to use Preprufe rather than other membranes.”

Dublin stadium is home and dry At the €410 million Aviva Stadium in Dublin, more than 8,000m2 of Grace’s Preprufe waterproofing membrane was chosen to ensure waterproof protection under the stands and beneath slabs in all the stadium’s habitable areas.

Utilising an advanced acrylic surface coating developed by Grace, the Preprufe membrane simplified the installation process by removing multiple layers and complicated detailing. Protective layers of concrete or boards were eliminated, reducing the depth of excavation and spoil and minimising materials required – all accelerating the critical

path of the project to ensure it was delivered on time.

Grace completed the specification with 7,000m2 of Bituthene 8000 self-adhesive waterproofing membrane. Applied to the retaining walls around the stadium stands, the ultra-tough Bituthene membrane has been tested to withstand more than 70 metres head of water when fully supported, so will ensure the watertight continuity of Grace’s fully bonded waterproofing system.

As well as the Preprufe and Bituthene application to the main stadium areas set to host 51,700 spectators, Grace also provided waterproofing protection to the pedestrian underpass and access tunnel into the underground car park. The Aviva stadium welcomed a new era of stadium construction in Ireland by combining contemporary design elements with the versatility to host major sporting and music events.

The comprehensive solution Whatever the next generation of sports stadia looks like, it’s crucial that they receive the same levels of waterproofing protection to ensure they provide a warm and dry welcome for generations to come. The successful applications of Preprufe at sports stadia and facilities worldwide perfectly demonstrates the importance of specifying a waterproofing membrane which is fit for purpose, economically and environmentally sustainable and delivers performance like no other system on the market.m

Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts; engineered and packaging materials; and specialty construction chemicals and building materials. The company’s three industryleading business segments - Grace Catalysts Technologies, Grace Materials Technologies and Grace Construction Products - provide innovative products, technologies, and services that enhance the quality of life. More information about Grace is available at www.grace.com.

Construction & Civil Engineering 17

PROFILE: Sprayed Concrete Association

Skatepark, The Gas Works, Bridlington

Through the

eyeof the

nozzle

The Sprayed Concrete Association was originally formed in 1976 by a small group of leading Gunite contractors, establishing a governing body to light the future path of the trade and provide assistance and guidance to its members

T

he multi-million pound industry has surprisingly prehistoric affiliations, with sprayed concrete technology first engineered in the US as a method of applying mortar to re-create primitive animals. Essentially, the technology supports the application of concrete without the need of shuttering, which is a standard requirement for conventional casting. The century old trade first became popular in the UK in the 1970’s, leading to the formation of the Sprayed Concrete Association (SCA) and the establishment of its key aims.

Recently the SCA has become part of the Structural Concrete Alliance. The Alliance brings

18 Construction & Civil Engineering

together the Concrete Repair Association, Corrosion Prevention Association and the Sprayed Concrete Association to provide a single co-ordinated voice and source of reference for the Structural Concrete refurbishment and repair industry.

The Structural Concrete Alliance provides authoritative guidance on asset protection and repair including: l The repair, refurbishment and renovation of concrete l Cathodic protection of steel and concrete structures l Sprayed concrete technology and application techniques Representing over 90 companies drawn nationally from contractors, manufacturers, distributors,

consultants, test houses and equipment suppliers, the Alliance offers a single point of contact for major clients and a definitive source of information and advice for all involved in the repair, refurbishment and management of concrete infrastructure and the protection from corrosion of a wide range of structures.

A key aim of the Sprayed Concrete Association is the development and promotion of sprayed concrete on a national scale.

The promotion of sprayed concrete is mainly communicated through numerous exhibitions, presentations, roadshows, email listings, members meetings and the SCA website. For information on all publicity events please contact the association

Shotcreting a piled wall

Fireproofing to Vessel Skirt

Gunning Repairs at Hunterston Power Station

at www.sca.org.uk or by calling 01420 471 622. The SCA has worked closely with members to develop the codes of practice and also the materials that are required to meet the advances in the technology of sprayed concrete, and ultimately provide an end product that conforms to the requirements of the specification and the client.

The production and maintenance of specification and codes of practice represents a key aim of the SCA, regulating both how sprayed concrete should be applied and who should be applying it, as Peter Cotton, SCA chairman explains: “Contractors should hold membership with the SCA. However, there are some companies that contravene these regulations,

which is not beneficial for either the client or the industry. Sprayed concrete contractors and associated companies who apply to become members must be assessed in order to gain membership. Operators should then undertake a series of written and practical assessments, and if successful, will be issued with an SCA card which clearly states the certified categories for which they can perform their tasks.

This guarantees that an approved standard has been achieved and also that the operator has the necessary experience and ability to successfully carry out the task.”

In some instances, the application technique of sprayed concrete makes it more desirable to engineers than conventional poured concrete, enabling it to be used in a wide variety of constructions particularly those which are free formed such as landscaping, zoo structures, rock features, theme parks, water parks, skate parks and swimming pools. It is also extensively used in new construction, embankment stabilisation, underground construction, retaining walls, water retaining structures, protective coatings and strengthening and repair. “One of the most significant sprayed concrete contracts currently being undertaken is the

construction of the tunnels and shafts on the Crossrail project.

The focus of the media, governing bodies and construction industry as a whole, has generated a positive reception for the sprayed concrete method. This was definitely needed after the much published Heathrow tunnel collapse in 1994. Both robotic and conventional hand spraying techniques are being used to apply the concrete to the shafts’ walls, tunnel walls and arches.

Operators intending on working at Crossrail complete an assessment at the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA), which is a purpose built state-ofthe-art facility in Ilford, London. The project has helped drive forward standards, with Crossrail insisting that nozzlemen have EFNARC certification, the European standard for sprayed concrete,” says Peter.

The materials today are far more advanced than the simple sand, cement and aggregate mix used initially. Sprayed concrete has high early and ultimate strengths, low water / cement ratio, excellent adhesion and bond strength, low permeability, high abrasion resistance and improved frost resistance. The advantage to the user and the client by introducing

Construction & Civil Engineering 19

PROFILE: Sprayed Concrete Association

additives and/or accelerators is best illustrated in marine environments, where the concrete can be applied to a greater thickness and the fast initial set means that the concrete is not susceptible to being washed out by the tide. Incorporating polymers and other additives to modify the mix enhances the physical characteristics of the concrete and opens opportunities to undertake projects such as bridge repairs, underground reservoirs, tunnel linings, repairs to large areas of structural concrete, marine structures and encasement of steel structures. “In certain applications the use of sprayed concrete is much quicker and easier than using conventional methods. Work is carried out at high speed resulting in cost reduction through high outputs, and difficult access problems are addressed with relative ease,”

Gunform Specialist Sprayed Concrete Contractors Gunform has been a member of the Sprayed Concrete Association (SCA) since its formation in 1976.

Dedicated to the promotion and development of sprayed concrete methods, equipment, training and implementation, the Association and its members aim to ensure that clients can rest assured they receive a high quality end product installed safely by a qualified, trained workforce.

Gunform supported the recent formation of the Structural Concrete Alliance, incorporating the Sprayed Concrete Association, Concrete Repair Association (CRA) and the Corrosion Prevention Association (CPA).

In addition to carrying out sprayed concrete works, its associated company, Gunform (Equipment Supplies) Ltd., can supply a full range of sprayed concrete equipment for sales and hire.

20 Construction & Civil Engineering

Peter highlights.

Appropriate training and education must support the industry, indicated by the SCA. “The core method is surface preparation, reinforcement – whether fabric mesh or fibres, sprayed concrete and curing. The delivery of each part requires fundamental knowledge, skill and experience.

The SCA assessment ensures Typical Sprayed Concrete Repairs, Hunterston Power Station

this is upheld. It is important all the operatives have a good knowledge of health & safety and hold an appropriate CSCS card.

The success of spraying concrete relies heavily on the skills of the nozzleman and his team. It is vitally important therefore that specifiers and designers insist upon and verify the experience and certification of their prospective contractors,” says Peter.

TUCA offers a wide range of courses for anyone who is joining or already working in the sprayed concrete and tunnelling construction industry. “The facility at TUCA is second to none, and they have invested a lot of money on practical facilities where operatives can carry out sprayed concrete either using actual robotic or conventional spraying equipment. Combined with the tuitions and simulation software in the class rooms, which is intended to replicate a real life situation, this ensures that the level of training is as required in the industry,” points out Peter. Recognising that the quality of sprayed concrete and its reputation is dependent on the operatives in the field, the SCA, in addition to assessing operators and issuing an SCA card, has been working closely with the CITB to introduce an NVQ and specialist Upskilling programme for operatives. “In addition to the SCA card, operators can attend courses at TUCA or a CITB institute and achieve a recognised qualification, which is good for skill recognition, but furthermore, will hopefully attract more school leavers into the trade. The CITB see this as an important expansion of the civil engineering sector, and the future looks very positive,” he concludes. m

Sprayed Concrete Association www.sca.org.uk Services: Represents leading contracting, consulting and manufacturing companies engaged in sprayed concrete

PROFILE: Junttan

Piles of opportunity Founded in 1976, Junttan Oy has more than 30 years of experience in the development and manufacture of leading piling equipment

S

ince inventing the concept of a fully hydraulic piling machine in the year of its inception, Junttan has not only remained at the forefront of hydraulic piling machinery development, but has become the global leader in hydraulic pile driving and piling equipment. “We specialise in the design, manufacture and service of hydraulic piling equipment; the product range comprises of piling rigs, deep stabilisation rigs, hydraulic impact hammers, rotary heads and power packs,” says Kari Pollanen, product manager of piling. “Our customers include major world leading contractors as well as smaller local firms that are specialised in piling and our equipment is working in more than 45 countries on all continents.”

Based in Kuopio, eastern Finland, Junttan believes its success stems from its reliability in delivering the most dependable of equipment.

Committed to high standards, the company’s high quality equipment and machines have been used by leading construction companies to ensure success for the most challenging of foundation projects.

The most notable construction sites that Junttan machinery has been used on includes the new terminal buildings at the John F

Kennedy Airport, the Panama Canal, facilities for the Salt Lake City Water Olympics, harbours in China, skyscrapers in Manhattan, and, more recently, the Corinthians Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the World Cup. Another major contract for the company was the Eastern Alberta Transmission Line Project in Canada. With an estimated cost of $1.8 billion, the construction of the 485 kilometre, 500 kilovolt (kV), direct current (DC), Eastern Alberta Transmission Line (EATL), which

Construction & Civil Engineering 21

PROFILE: Junttan

runs between Brooks and GibbonsRedwater, north-east of Edmonton, Canada, as well as two converter stations, began in December 2012.

Construction activities include rightof-way clearing, installation of tower foundations, tower assembly and

22 Construction & Civil Engineering

tower erection and the construction of the two converter stations.

Resourced by Northstar Energy Services, the main contractor for the $42 million transmission line foundation project, during the installation of 18,000 piles and

3400 cap assemblies, Junttan used more than 150 personnel and nine Junttan Piling Units (PM20, PMx22, PM23, PM25) to help ensure the job was a success. With the entire system anticipated to be in-service by 2014, the successful completion of the EATL project will cement its place in history as one of Alberta’s best electricity transmission and distribution projects.

Trusted by customers across the globe, Junttan’s state-of-the-art piling equipment combined with its unrivalled customer service, has led to a solid foundation that goes above and beyond conventional solutions. “For over 35 years Junttan has been the forerunner in piledriving products.

We have actively developed new products and taken the industry as a whole forward with new thinking and innovations.

Research and development (R&D) is very important to us and we are constantly putting more effort into our own R&D department, both in our personnel and our co-operation with third parties. We are also known for working closely with contractors and for developing our products and services by listening to the evolving needs of our customers,” says Kari.

As it strives to deliver the optimum in versatile, comprehensive piling solutions, Junttan remains focused on the efficiency, usability, maintainability and safety of its equipment; to ensure its values aren’t compromised, the company uses the very best components and carries out stringent tests. The most recent product to be developed is the J-reX (PMx28), which offers a powerful solution for driving long piles (max 28 metres). Instead of improving or developing an existing model, the J-reX was re-designed from the ground up following a wealth of customer feedback, which has resulted in a machine that combines productivity, long life and strong resale value, as well as efficiency of use, easy maintenance and versatility. “J-reX handles long piles as smoothly and rapidly as our

smaller x-series rigs. The PMx28 is also equipped with an intelligent pile driving data management system to ensure both quality and precision in the piling process,” confirms Kari.

Despite a core focus on quality and innovation, Junttan has always prioritised its customers needs through a high quality team of customer care professionals that are ready to deliver technical support, spare parts or reliable maintenance and repair services on the field. Experts in the piling industry, Junttan’s dedicated and competent personnel ensure that their customers’ machinery is operating to the best of its ability and that they are taking advantage of the technology available. “Our goal is to steer our operations in an increasingly customer-orientated direction,” highlights Kari.

With its piling equipment in use all over the world and a strong market presence in Europe, North America, Australia and Russia, the future looks positive for Junttan as it is presented with growing opportunities in Middle Eastern areas such as Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

“Russia and North America have long been our most valuable markets, which still remains the case. We are also seeing that Scandinavia and Europe are finally starting to rise from the economical collapse, so we are seeing a positive upturn in the whole market,” concludes Kari. m

Junttan Oy www.junttan.com Services: Piling Equipment Manufacturer Construction & Civil Engineering 23

PROFILE: engcon

engcon also produces buckets, grabbers, compactor plates, ripers, etc for excavators

engcon Tiltrotators, a type of wrist for excavators in 1-32 tons class allowed the operator to tilt and rotate the bucket or other chosen tool

Encouraging excavation

engcon, established in 1990 in Sweden, is a big group with business worldwide that primarily produces and sells tiltrotators and quick couplers for excavators

D

uring the first years of the business, the privately owned engcon was a very small company but today has developed into a group with a turnover of approximately SEK 700 million. The engcon Group comprises the trading names of engcon (attachments for excavators), Mählers (attachments for trucks and graders) and Drivex (attachments for wheel loaders

24 Construction & Civil Engineering

and tractors), each of which is the market leader in the development of different attachment systems. engcon Group offers a broad range of high-quality attachments. The sales is handled by its own sales companies engcon Sweden, engcon Denmark, engcon Finland, engcon France, engcon Germany, engcon UK and a couple of prioritised distributors in Norway, Netherlands, Canada, Italy. It also utilises dealers across the world to access

other markets.

The main product, tiltrotators – a wrist on the excavator is developed for one to 32 tonne excavators and a large range of similar compatible products. All products together create what the business refers to as ‘system engcon’, the complete solution for an efficient excavator.

The company was awarded an International Innovation Award for its Q-Safe lock technology at the GaLABau exhibition in Nuremburg, Germany in 2014. Commenting on the benefits and importance of the product, Krister Blomgren, CEO says: “Q-Safe provides threefold safety, thanks to hydraulic locking with non-return valve, mechanical locking function and electronic monitoring. With Q-Safe, the operator simply cannot connect the tool incorrectly or release the bucket by mistake. This eliminates ‘the human factor’ as a cause of accidents. Another advantage is that Q-Safe fits all excavators and control systems on the market. The innovation award shows that we are on track in terms of our safety and is one of many products in our concept ‘non accident generation’.”

There are several other products produced by the company that have played a large part in getting the business to where it is today. This includes EC-Oil, engcon’s system for hydraulic and electrical connection of hydraulic tools and attachments, specially adapted for the security

The tiltrotator allowed the operator to dig beside/behind obstructions

engcon tiltrotators are standard equipment on almost every excavator 3-30 ton

coupler Q-Safe and the new series of tiltrotators. “We also have a product DC2, which is our stepless proportional control system for tilt rotators that allows the operator to control the tilt rotator very smoothly. DC2 was developed using the latest technology, Microprop DC2 which also offers remote support. Following the indication of a fault, the operator contacts the remote support, which then takes control of the system via a server link and an app on a Smartphone,” explains Krister in some detail.

A third product, the Mig 2, is the new generation of joystick that can be fitted with three rollers and seven buttons, or a total of six rollers and 14 buttons on two joysticks. When used with the Microprop DC2 control system, all the rollers can be operated simultaneously. This combination of Q-Safe, EC-Oil and DC2 on engcon’s new generation tiltrotators (Gen 2) gives the operator the absolute best solution on the market. “We sell our products via distributors and dealers but we are very focused on establishing good relationships with the ‘endusers’. This ensures that we have a very good sense of what they need for the type of product in order to perform their missions in the best way,” says Krister. engcon has developed many new and effective products in the past five years, such as the second-generation tiltrotators, Q-Safe, and EC-Oil, and

it has greatly increased the level of product sales, recording a 30 per cent increase in 2014.

The largest share of customers is found in the Nordic countries and the rapidly growing markets of France and Germany. The spread

of interest in its services is a result of the many strengths that hold the business in a competitive position in the market. “Our biggest strength is that we listen to our customers and help them become more profitable in their

Construction & Civil Engineering 25

PROFILE: engcon

work. We do not manufacture our products for our own sake, it is for our customers, and because of the relations with the customers we have innovated products that help the owners and drivers of excavators,” points out Krister. Being part of a large group allows the company to offer a wide range of products and in addition the knowledge within the organisation can be interchanged between departments, providing customers with an unbeatable service.

In the Nordic countries the tiltrotator is standard on almost all excavators from three to 30 tonnes. The goal of the company is to promote the product range to the rest of Europe so that it may discover the benefits in the coming years. “As the world’s largest manufacturer of tiltrotators we will continue the work of developing the

System engcon is a concept with the tiltrotator in the centre and then a variety of tools that together makes excavators efficient

product line to make our customers even more profitable. Our strategy as we move forward is to continue to grow on the outside of the Nordic countries and we have now recruited more staff in Germany and France.

The new organisations are now working methodically to build their customer bases through dealership.

We are building a broad service network in parallel with selected service partners, which gives our customers a further degree of security in owning engcon’s products,” concludes Krister. m

Every operator that has started to dig with an engcon, will never go back and dig without one

engcon www.engcon.com Services: Produce and sell tiltrotators, quick couplers and other attachments for excavators.

26 Construction & Civil Engineering

PROFILE: ROCKWOOL

‘U’value

Products

Product

Production

ROCKWOOL makes and supplies a full range of smart and sustainable insulation products for the construction industry based on innovative stone wool technology

T

he properties of stone wool were discovered in the early 1900’s in Hawaii, where the naturally occurring wool-like material hung from trees near the active Kilauea volcano.

When scientists found that it had exceptional fire protection and insulation qualities, work began on a manufacturing process to reproduce it commercially. In 1937, Gustav Kahler brought the volcanic principle to Denmark and set up ROCKWOOL’s first factory near Copenhagen, making building

insulation that could cope with the tough Danish climate. Having proved its success at home, the company began to expand abroad, throughout Europe and international markets. Today, ROCKWOOL operates 27 factories across Europe, Asia and the US. ROCKWOOL’s UK factory was built on a reclaimed industrial site in Wales and opened in 1979.

The plant expanded in 2009, opening a new production line, and now houses some of the most advanced stone wool manufacturing technology in the

world supplying a diverse product range from solutions for every element of the building envelope to fire protection products. “The market is showing strong growth in most key sectors which impact the business. The new private housing market is leading the way with good performance in the industrial, commercial and refurbishment sectors, and public new housing and refurbishment has taken a step backward and looks like it will be a while before we see a significant turnaround,” explains Rory Moss, managing director.

Construction & Civil Engineering 27

PROFILE: ROCKWOOL

Production R&D and innovation are essential activities for ROCKWOOL to ensure its future growth and success as Rory explains: “Product development enables us to stay a step ahead of our competitors but it is driven by a desire to provide solutions to our customers both in terms of our products and our

28 Construction & Civil Engineering

service. At the beginning of 2014 ROCKWOOL introduced a new way of adhering facings to our flat roof board, which enabled a range of flat roofing solutions to be developed. The uniqueness of the combination of new binders and a unique fleece bedded into the ROCKWOOL has allowed us to

develop a flat roof board that will allow mechanically fixed, single ply adhered, liquid applied, torch direct and pour and roll flat roof finishes to be applied to one solution.”

ROCKWOOL Hardrock is the only product in the market capable of meeting all possible surface finishes which dramatically reduces complexity to the roofing customers and eliminates waste, as leftover product can be utilised on other projects, regardless of roof finish, assisting its distribution partners’ stock profiles. “The introduction of ROCKWOOL Hardrock significantly reduced our SKUs; reducing production change overs, reducing on-site stock levels and has led to the product being accepted into stock by our distribution partners for the first time in history, which has improved our service offer to the end customer in terms of lead time and minimum order quantities.

Due to its makeup, Hardrock is the only flat roof solution on the market that can meet all fire and acoustic, and major roof cover requirements in building regulations without requiring additional layers. The solution also reduces the amount of fixing to the deck required for wind uplift, speeding up installation and reducing system costs,” highlights Rory.

Each year the Insulated Render and Cladding Association (INCA) 2014 Awards recognise the leading external wall insulation (EWI) projects that demonstrate innovation and excellence. “We are delighted that four of our REDArt EWI projects have been shortlisted for awards. The winners will be selected on the basis of outstanding thermal performance, a high level of technical difficulty, excellent workmanship and striking design and aesthetics,” he says.

In 2009, a £70million investment was made by the business to open up a new line in the UK, doubling the manufacturing capacity at the plant. As part of this investment, a new recycling facility was built enabling the recycling of virtually

all of its production waste, as well as significantly expanding the capacity to recycle waste returned by customers. State-of-the-art packaging processes and stock control systems were also put in place to optimise production runs and improve the service offered to customers with best available technology environmental systems installed to reduce the factory’s environmental impact.

Its products save over a hundred times more energy and carbon in use than is produced during manufacture, and created from a natural, sustainable and recyclable resource, it is continually replenished naturally from within the earth. “Our high-tech production process utilises filters, pre-heaters, after-burners and other cleaning collection systems to ensure an environmentally responsible approach. Waste material, refurbishment and demolition waste, along with off-cuts, can all be transformed into briquettes and recycled into new ROCKWOOL products. The dedicated recycling facility at our Bridgend plant allows contractors and builders to recycle their unused insulation, and reduce dependence on landfill,” points out Rory.

Looking ahead, new construction and refurbishment in both private housing and commercial sectors present great opportunities for the company to grow with the market, take share and present new products and services, as Rory concludes: “ROCKWOOL has a legacy based on outstanding and truly differentiated products which provide real value to customers and end-users. We need to build on that legacy with new products, penetrate new markets and provide market leading service and expertise to our customers.” m

Flatroof

Factory

ROCKWOOL www.rockwool.co.uk Products: Sustainable insulation products for the construction industry Construction & Civil Engineering 29

PROFILE: atlas copco meyco

map

Put on the

Through continued innovation and commitment, Atlas Copco MEYCO helps its customers achieve durable new space underground

S

ince inventing the first gunite machine to operate according to the rotor principle in 1957, the MEYCO GM, which was followed by the MEYCO Piccola, Atlas Copco MEYCO, originally known as MEYCO Equipment, has continued its tradition for innovation with further technological developments that have led to an increasingly stronger market position.

Through this commitment to modification, alteration and enhancement of its product range, the strong team at Atlas Copco MEYCO is able to take on all of its customer’s engineering

30 Construction & Civil Engineering

requirements in a safe, cost-effective and punctual manner. Through its mobile equipment range, the company can apply sprayed concrete in underground operations.

Options within the company’s product range include MEYCO Piccola, a smaller version of the first rotor-type machine, the MEYCO GM, that Atlas Copco MEYCO invented more than 60 years ago.

Today both MEYCO GM and MEYCO Piccola are modernised versions of the original machine and operate in accordance with the widely used rotor principle. These highly robust, versatile and easy to operate dry spraying machines are used for the pneumatic transportation and

spraying of sprayed concrete/gunite, mortar, repair, dry materials and sprayable membranes; they can be used for all types of dry shotcreting projects and can be custom equipped to the customers specific requirements.

Benefits of using the MEYCO Piccola include its highly robust and simple design, its long operational life from its ease of use and its high degree of safety; meanwhile, MEYCO GM offers customers adaptability and an extremely flexible performance and control due to its modular system. The MEYCO Piccola has a maximum conveying distance of 500 metres horizontally and 100 metres

vertically, has a maximum grain size of 16 millimetres and runs off electric and air engines.

There is also the MEYCO Altera, a twin-piston pump that is suitable for concrete conveying, grouting, handspraying, repair work and spraying with small manipulators. Compact and durable, the MEYCO Altera wet spraying system is versatile enough for use at any site in the world; it maintains CE standards of safety despite being easy to construct and operate. It boasts a covering distance/height of up to 300/100 metres, a maximum grain size of 16 millimetres and runs off an electrohydraulic engine.

In addition, the company

offers the wet spraying MEYCO Suprema; specifically designed for the spraying of medium to large volumes of concrete, it is equipped with integrated MEYCO total dosing control (TDC) as well as a patented push-over system. To compile and extract data for analysis and quality control, the machine operates through an interactive display and MEYCO data; it has a maximum conveying distance of 300/100 metres, a maximum grain size of 16 millimetres and runs off an electrohydraulic engine.

Perfect for large profile tunnelling, MEYCO Potenza offers customers a completely mobile spraying system that comes with integrated

accessories such as MEYCO TDC, MEYCO Data and an optional compressor, all of which are mounted on a 4x4 chassis. MEYCO Robojet, a spraying manipulator with a large range, can be mounted on the carrier to offer a maximum spraying height of 14.5 metres and comes as the standard. Meanwhile, MEYCO Compacta, (14.7 metres), MEYCO Maxima (16.8 metres) are available options. However, Atlas Copco MEYCO is not just a supplier of its own designed and manufactured products, it also provides customers with an efficient after-sales service via the worldwide Atlas Copco network of competent personnel.

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PROFILE: atlas copco meyco

Originally under the ownership of chemical giant, BASF Construction Chemicals Europe AG, the Switzerland-based company’s equipment segment was acquired by industrial group Atlas Copco in April 2013, while BASF retained the materials segment. With shotcreting becoming a growth area due to increasingly stringent safety standards in tunnelling, Atlas Copco was keen to add MEYCO’s broad range of products to its portfolio. Indeed, by placing Atlas Copco MEYCO in its Mining and Rock Excavation Technique business area, Atlas Copco has extended its service offering to existing customers with a unique package of equipment, innovative technology and application expertise.

The Mining and Rock Excavation Technique segment, which boasted 13,347 employees and

revenues of MSEK 26,092 in 2013, provides equipment for drilling and rock excavation, as well as a comprehensive range of related consumables and services through a worldwide network. Focused on innovation for sustainable productivity in surface and underground mining, civil works, well drilling, infrastructure and

geotechnical applications, this business area develops and manufactures products in units based in Sweden, the US, Canada, India and China.

Since becoming part of Atlas Copco, MEYCO now benefits from its parent company’s sales outlets that are based in 60 countries, which has led to a change in Atlas Copco MEYCO’s sales channels.

Furthermore, the subsidiary can now also offer its customers an increasingly local service thanks to the 4000 service engineers operating within its parent company.

Looking ahead, Atlas Copco MEYCO will become further integrated into its parent company, while Atlas Copco and BASF co-operate in the development of state-of-the-art concrete-spraying technology.

Through merging experience and combining operational strengths, all companies involved will benefit from a leading position in a fast growing market. m

Atlas Copco Meyco www.meycoequipment.com Services: Manufacture Concrete Spraying Equipment for tunnelling, civil and mining sectors 32 Construction & Civil Engineering

Editor Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Sales Team

+44 (0) 1603 274130 Schofield Publishing 10 Cringleford Business Centre Intwood Road Cringleford Norwich NR4 6AU