BFM July/August 2016 by Abbey Publishing

JULY/AUGUST 2016 www.bfmmagazine.co.uk building & facilities facilities management management

FIRE & HAZARD PROTECTION | SECURITY & ACCESS CONTROL | WASHROOM

Wilson Access Machines Tackle Theme Park Ride See page 8

INSIDE:

IMPRESSIVE CENTER PARCS ROOF REFURB COMPLETED WITH ZERO GUEST DISRUPTIONâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; PAGE 19

BRINGING TOGETHER THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND SIDES OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY. • Free seminars and discussions • Take knowledge and critical insight from industry leaders and case studies back to the office • Networking and opportunities to learn from industry leaders • Make new contacts with industry leaders that can help drive your organisation forward • Discover the latest technologies • Find new products that will improve your energy efficiency • Meet energy suppliers and consultants • Get the best contracts for your energy supply and make savings for your business

13-14 SEPTEMBER 2016 | NEC BIRMINGHAM

OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNER:

SECURE YOUR FREE TICKET AT: WWW.THEENERGYEVENT.COM

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

On the cover: Wilson Access Machines Tackle Theme Park Ride July/August 2016

See page 8 for more details. www.wilsonaccess.co.uk

BFM Team

Contents

Business Development Director

James Scrivens james@abbeypublishing.co.uk Creative Director

Sarah Daviner sarah@abbeypublishing.co.uk Accounts Manager

Katie Brehm accounts@abbeypublishing.co.uk Print

SAXO PRINT

News

Health & Safety

Boss Design task chair set to revolutionise office seating

Building & Refurbishment

Pub Progress-es into fully accessible venue

Advanced PAT technology provides all-round safety management at HMP Winchester

Fire & Hazard Protection

The smarter way to hold open fire doors

Sustainability BFM is published 10 times a year by Abbey Publishing Ltd. To receive a copy free of charge, contact our offices.

17 Whitley Close, Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, NN9 5GN Tel: 01933 316931 Email: bfm@abbeypublishing.co.uk www.bfmmagazine.co.uk www.abbeypublishing.co.uk

Energy

www.twitter.com/ BFM_Magazine

Subscriptions are available to non-qualified readers for £50 per annum (postage incl.), £60 (Europe), and £70 (rest of the world) Cover Price: £5.00 PAPER USED TO PRODUCE THIS MAGAZINE IS SOURCED FROM SUSTAINABLE FORESTS. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without prior permission from the publishers. The publishers do not accept any responsibility for, or necessarily agree with, any views expressed in articles, letters or supplied advertisements. Some manufacturers and suppliers have made a contribution toward the cost of reproducing some photographs in this magazine.

Washroom

Portakabin announces more sustainability initiatives

Updated heating system improves efficiency at top performing school

Red is the colour

Facilities for the Disabled

Making leisure fully accessible

Workplace Planning & Design

One seating range – infinite possibilities

Cleaning & Hygiene

Security & Access Control

All contents © Abbey Publishing Ltd 2016 ISSN: 1470-5281

SICK Laser Scanning Technology Makes Reliable Building Security Easy

Losing the ground war

Special Feature

BIM takes protection to another level

Portable & Modular Buildings

‘ Phenomenal’ four-day response from Portakabin provides classrooms for 480 Edinburgh children

Corporate Partners:

Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

News

Boss Design task chair set to revolutionise office seating

enowned for its pioneering advances in office furniture design, Boss Design continues to innovate with the unveiling of Trinetic at Clerkenwell Design Week – a unique task chair that incorporates a brand new type of movement to create a superior and completely natural user experience. With tangible ergonomic and commercial benefits, Trinetic will be the benchmark against which future task chairs are compared. Trinetic has no manual user adjustments. Instead, it uses three independent pivot points that combine to create a chair that ‘follows’ rather than resists the user. This promotes better support through a wide range of body movements, and has been proven to increase contact with the user’s body through the full length of the seat and back surface compared to traditional synchronised mechanisms. This provides greater comfort and encourages a more dynamic user experience. Boasting a sophisticated and refined aesthetic, Trinetic is built around an

aluminium cradle, which can be finished in a wide array of styles. It can be supplied in any combination of mesh, fabric or leather seat and backrest, together with a choice of four and five-star base options. It is ideal for those who want a task chair, but can also be specified as a touchdown work, meeting or conference chair. Commenting on this groundbreaking development, Mark Barrell, Design Director at The Boss Design Group says: “Trinetic is set to revolutionise office task chairs as we know them, and represents a significant investment for our company. “There are many ergonomic benefits to the product: improved contact and support; better pressure distribution and a better fit for a broad range of user shapes and sizes, without placing the emphasis on the user to make any adjustments. The absence of a lockable backrest also encourages users to remain dynamic; avoiding static postures – the primary cause of musculoskeletal stress,” adds Mark. He continues: “Commercially, Trinetic

also demonstrates tangible advantages by reducing the need for training – a significant financial burden to clients and manufacturers alike – as this model has no manual user adjustments. Instead, the Trinetic video can be uploaded onto our clients’ intranets in order to educate users of the product’s benefits.” Trinetic is visually and functionally unique, and is the perfect chair to facilitate flexible working. The product is certified as a task chair against EN 1335 Part 1 and ISO 9241, as well as being accredited with FIRA’s ‘Ergonomic Excellence’ Award. For further information contact Boss Design Headquarters: 01384 455570 or Boss Design London Showroom: Tel.: 020 7253 0364. Alternatively, visit www.boss-design.com

HWM wins Manufacturing Excellence Award

Company achieves right-first-time rates above 98 per cent

ollowing significant improvements to several areas of its manufacturing process, multi-utility monitoring and telemetry specialist HWM has won a coveted award from parent company Halma. In Halma’s words, the Manufacturing Excellence Award for 2016 “recognises companies where major changes in manufacturing have resulted in sustainable, improved business performance.”

news

Beating off competition from more than 40 other subsidiaries, HWM took the award thanks to right-first-time pass rates above 98 per cent and on-time deliveries over 95 per cent. The company has standardised product design platforms to reduce work in progress and increase throughput. It has improved its design process, developing novel design validation tests and online test and calibration systems. Achieving ATEX certification has allowed HWM to move into two new markets. Operations Director Mick Bolton explained: “The whole operation is engaged with continuous improvement – it is now embedded in our daily routine.” In a separate development, HWM has also received the Halma Innovation Award for 2016 for the PermaNet+ remote leak noise monitoring system. A vote among more than 200 of Halma’s senior executives returned HWM as the winner. PermaNet+ senses vibration in water

distribution networks caused by leaky pipes. The system analyses the acoustic wave signature form produced by the leak sound, decides whether a leak is present and reports the status to a remote user over the GSM network. The remote user can ask for the leak sound file to be transmitted over the network. By listening to and correlating the leak sound a remote expert can conclude whether there is a leak present, exclude the potential for false positives and prioritise field resources. If two or more PermaNET+ sensors are in leak mode the remote user can request noise waveforms from both sensors and perform remote correlation to conclude that there is a leak and to pinpoint the leak between the two sensor locations. PermaNet+ is the only system to provide this capability via entirely belowground architecture, offering customers asset security and the ability to move assets easily. www.hwmglobal.com Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

News

First Smart Urban Centre in Shanghai Integrates Siemens Smart Building Management System The Lilacs International Commercial Centre completed in January 2016, is a landmark building in Shanghai’s Pudong business district and the latest addition to the world famous, futuristic Shanghai skyline.

his sweeping, state-of-the-art complex integrates retail areas, commercial and office activity as well as a cultural centre. It is the first smart building complex in Shanghai to install a total Siemens building management system package. The project scope demonstrates Siemens’ capabilities and opportunities for smart buildings of the future. The industry-leading smart technology delivers safety, security, comfort and reliability for tenants and occupants and also optimises the energy efficiency of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified centre. The 150,000 m2 building complex comprises two towers, each with 32 floors of office space plus retail, leisure, cultural and exhibition areas, with extensive green spaces both inside and outside the complex. Siemens has an established long term strategic partnership with the developer and operator of the Commercial Centre, Shanghai Shanchuan Real Estate Co Ltd. This early involvement meant that Siemens was able to provide technical expertise during the design stage, and led to the decision to appoint Siemens as sole partner from design to implementation with responsibility for the delivery of the entire building technology solution. Lilacs International Commercial Centre now utilises a complete Siemens building management system package incorporating integrated disciplines such as building automation, lighting, fire safety and security as well as low- to medium-voltage power distribution. The project included the effective networking and coordination of 6

news

individual areas, defining specific scenarios and then testing suitable solution packages. This was followed by internal certification of the new solution packages to verify the error-free operation and seamless interoperability of the components, thus ensuring the reliability and stability of the operating systems for a wide variety of users. The system operation, including monitoring and control, is managed from a central command centre featuring powerful analytics and reporting, its cloud-based platform offers comprehensive monitoring of the building infrastructure and is an important tool to maximise its energy and operational efficiency.

Smart access control One of the special features of smart energy automation ties the Siemens SiPass time tracking and access control system into the HVAC systems. SiPass combines employee time tracking with reliable building security. In addition, SiPass can adjust energy consumption in the Lilacs office towers in a matter of seconds: “When employees enter the building, for instance to get to their place of work, they activate the SiPass access control system from Siemens, which is installed throughout,“ explains Li Hang, Assistant General Manager and Head of Engineering at Shanghai Shanchuan Real Estate. “As soon as employees have authenticated themselves using their chip card, the intelligent system

not only knows which floor they want to go to and calls the right elevator to automatically take them there – it also knows where energy will be consumed in the next few seconds.”

Comfort in the workplace Within the office environment, employees experience a comfortable and yet energy-efficient room climate and optimum working environment. Intelligent LED lighting systems ensure constant lighting control and biosensor lighting systems ensure lighting efficiencies in the office units. A smart heating system delivers an economic warm water supply, and multiple integrated sensors constantly measure the rooms’ carbon dioxide concentration, temperature and humidity. Cool air, hot air and fresh air are all adjustable in real time. As the Head of Engineering at Shanghai Shanchuan, Li Hang is keen to push the boundaries and move further into Big Data territory. His goal is to turn the new business complex into a smart building that is able to generate its own predictions regarding energy consumption and user requirements. “We aim to cut down on energy by an additional 12 to 18 percent by reducing the amount of energy that is repeatedly circulating in our systems.” Li Hang explains. “It involves building a space-state model of the entire building and then performing analysis and real-time calculations in the backend databases.” www.siemens.com Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Save time & money with Green Plant

With fixed price repairs of Variable Speed Drives, Green Plant is by far the most cost effective solution for broken drives and the resulting loss in production. Service includes: Repair services on all industrial automation products including PLC’s, HMI’s and even 3rd Party equipment Free 2 Year Warranty with every repair Dedicated workshop at our Telford manufacturing site

www.schneider-electric.co.uk

News

Wilson Access Machines Tackle Theme Park Ride

ilson Access tracked mounted access platforms were hired by contractors working on one of the most thrill-seeking theme park rides at Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire. Whittle Programmed Maintenance hired two Teupen Leo 21 machines for cleaning and painting work on the theme park’s extreme ride, the Flip Flop. Andrew Simpson, Whittle Programmed Maintenance Operations Manager, said: “We told Wilson Access the type of work we needed to carry out on the Flip Flop and they conducted a site survey before recommending the Leo 21 machines. “The Flip Flop ride is situated over a vast water filled basin and, once the water was drained away, we needed

to get powered access equipment into the basin to begin our work. The Wilson Access machines were an excellent choice. Because they are track mounted they didn’t cause damage to the grassed area around the ride and easily negotiated the raised kerb surrounding the basin. They also offered our two-man crew easy access to the complex structure of the ride.” The Wilson Access Leo 21 has a working height of 21m and an outreach of 12m. It is one of the few tracked mounted units to offer a full 250kg lifting

capacity, even at full outreach. Its nonmarking tracks means that it is ideal for internal applications and built in outrigger pads provide low point loadings for sensitive surfaces. Tel: (01924) 224384 www.wilsonaccess.co.uk

Jangro addresses key safety issues with latest training module

angro, the UK’s largest network of janitorial supply companies, has launched a new addition to its award-winning suite of eLearning modules and is offering people the chance to receive instant access with a voucher code. The Manual Handling module has been developed by in-house experts following calls from the industry for this subject to be added to Jangro’s hugely popular Learning Management Solution (LMS) website. As well as explaining and demonstrating recommended techniques,

news

the module also explores how to plan and prepare before any handling activity and identifies different manual handling injuries. Anyone wishing to take advantage of the instant access offer should visit http://jangrolms.net/ and add JangroMH in the voucher code section when registering for an account. Joanne Gilliard, Operations Director at Jangro, said: “Our LMS website was developed to help employers ensure staff are fully trained in all aspects of any job they might be expected to do. “We are constantly looking at opportunities to add further modules and take feedback from customers very seriously. “It is vitally important for staff to understand the importance of correct manual handling. Whether it is lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying, manual handling is common

practice within the cleaning industry and something that should be explained thoroughly and efficiently. “This module is the perfect addition to the suite and we are looking forward to hearing feedback from customers who take advantage of this offer.” The LMS programme originally launched in 2012 and consisted of eight different modules. Since then three new ones have been added, including Manual Handling, following feedback from customers. Full list of available modules: • Manual Handling • Introduction to Cleaning • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Awareness • Introduction to Equipment • Kitchen Hygiene • Carpet Care • Washroom Hygiene • Floor Care • House Keeping • Colour Coding and Infection Control • Health & Safety For more information about Jangro, or to find your local distributor, please call 01204 795 955, email enquiries@jangrohq.net or visit www.jangro.net. Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Make fixed vertical ladders safer. Add a LadderUp® Safety Post Securely mounted to the top of any fixed, vertical ladder, the LadderUp® Safety Post provides a positive hand-hold just where you need it most. And it telescopes, so you can stow it away – or use it beneath roof access hatches, floor doors, and manhole covers. For more information visit www.bilcouk.com

Roof Access Hatches

Automatic Smoke Vents

Floor Access

Safety Products

www.bilcouk.com email: bilcouk@bilco.com Tel: 01284 701696 Fax: 01284 702531

Ladders

News

World Water Week: Vivreau’s Call to Action for Sustainable Water Policies This year’s World Water Week takes place on 28 August – 02 September 2016 with key experts from across the globe heading to Stockholm to discuss the world’s water issue.

n time for this important event, Vivreau, a global leader and innovator in the development and manufacture of purified drinking water systems, has compiled its top tips for businesses to create sustainable water policies. Sustainability is at the core of Vivreau’s ethos, with reducing water miles a key objective for Vivreau and its clients. Stephen Charles, Managing Director at Vivreau comments: “Sustainable growth is high on the agenda for many business leaders. For World Water Week 2016, we call on all businesses to develop an ethical approach to water, ensuring water policy doesn’t harm the environment but instead promotes an exemplary commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility.” Vivreau’s top tips include: • Reusable bottles. Although recycling facilities are available, reusing will always be more efficient than recycling and will provide an immediate and dramatic impact on carbon footprint. • Reduce water miles. Consider where your manufacturer is based in order to reduce the number of miles taken to deliver your water and minimise CO2 emissions. • Instant boiling water. Millions of litres of water are wasted in offices across the globe when kettles are filled to the brim unnecessarily. Instead, consider a system which provides instant boiling water so that only what is needed is used. • Reduce your chiller units. Investing in one central chiller unit instead of multiple individual units around the building can be up to 45% more cost effective and up to 55% more energy efficient. • Get staff buy-in. Communicate to staff the positive implications of your company’s approach to workplace hydration. Staff pride in working for an environmentally friendly firm will increase, which will in turn improve the company’s reputation and CSR credentials. Many facilities managers have decided to invest in Vivreau’s products in order to make these top tips a reality. 10

news

The products suit a range of business settings, including the care sector. Lindsay Forrest, site facilities manager for Jewish Care, partnered with Vivreau and invested in 21 Vi tap drinking water systems across seven of its care homes. The Vi tap dispenses mains-fed purified chilled still, sparkling and instant boiling hot water from one single tap with a touch sensor control and zero splash. She explains: “You have considerable challenges with environmental policy for a care home. As people get older they do require more heating which uses up more energy than your average home would. We have to have certain levels of lighting for people with dementia and visual impairment. “We now have no deliveries of bottles of water coming in, therefore no wasted plastic or glass. With the Vi tap, the correct amount of water is dispensed; we are no longer wasting energy by boiling more water than we need or having to run the tap to wait for it to get cold. “The Vi tap helps compensate the extra heating and lighting we need to provide for our residents – it helps relieve our environmental impact without compromising the wellbeing of our residents.” Sustainable water is increasingly a demand in the hospitality sector. Jonathan Minshull, Head of Catering Operations for Taste Manchester wanted to meet the changing expectations of conference delegates. He decided to invest in a Vivreau Table Water Bottling System for its conference facilities and a Vi tap in its new café area, Vasaio. The mains-fed Table Water Bottling System, which dispenses unlimited quantities of purified filtered chilled still and sparkling water in-house, that can be served in branded reusable Designer glass bottles. Jonathan explains: “The expectation of conference delegates has increased and they now expect to be offered filtered water. Being able to offer the Table Water Bottling System as part of our conference package has been a big plus for us. We have also improved the offer for our conference delegates as the system looks more professional than the plastic

bottles that we previously offered.” Moreover, the Swan at Streatley hotel has the Table Water Bottling System and the Vi tap Plus. General Manager Michael Westenbrink, says: “We wanted to widen our offering for our customers, and provide an alternative to bottled water. Vivreau was coming on to the market, so we tested the system, thought it was a great quality offering and decided to use it. The impact on deliveries is substantial -– we’ve now gone a step further and don’t have any bottled water on site at all.” Vivreau was founded in the late 1980s as a family business. Vivreau has established its position as a global market leader by providing the highest quality mains-fed drinking water dispensers and consistently excellent service. Today, Vivreau is part of the Brita Group and continues to lead the way with new technology, improved water filtration and product development accommodating a range of drinking water dispensers unrivalled across the world. For more information, please visit www.vivreau.co.uk. Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

There are an estimated 20 million workstations in the UK and the typical office worker accounts for 20 metres of exposed cabling – that’s 400 million metres! On average, 500 trips occur daily in UK workplaces – some have devastating consequences and cable hazards are a common cause. The HSE tells us that over 2.1 million work days were lost in 2015 due to slips, trips and falls – many absences were in excess of 3 days. Overloaded socket blocks and/or damaged cables can create electric shock and fire risks. Socket blocks and associated cable clutter can be impossible to clean around, creating breeding grounds for dust mite allergens. Accidents, injuries plus the costs of lost productivity and compensation claims from cable hazard incidents are almost entirely preventable. The dangers can easily be resolved by applying cable management products which simply fit around trailing cables and socket blocks – requiring no electrical competence to install thus minimizing costs further.

That’s why D-Line have organised the 'Cable Safety at Work Campaign' (www.cable-safety.com). It aims to highlight awareness of these potential risks by pointing out extensive legislation surrounding employer/employee responsibilities regarding trips and falls in the workplace, going on to look at what should be being done - with a recommended minimum of regular risk assessments - by working with Health and Safety professionals, Facilities Managers, businesses, public bodies, installers and wholesale suppliers to make all workplaces safer and cleaner. D-Line, award winning cable management experts, have offered their extensive range of affordable, fastfitting cable-management solutions for over 10 years – now in 26 countries. These solutions minimise trip and tug hazards, facilitate tidy cable routing, make socket blocks less accessible (minimising overloading and disconnection risks) and save time retrieving fallen cables – Take a trip to the website (www.d-line-it.co.uk) to see what they can do for your business.

Trailing cables can be very costly…

News

One training solution but not a one-size-fits-all approach In the complex and hectic world of FM, busy managers seek a simple and efficient solution to sourcing the full training provision for their entire workforce. With such a wide range of courses available, finding the right options (at the right price) can be challenging.

any busy organisations who need to ensure all staff are competent in their specific job role, rely on brokers to manage their full training requirement. But providing a complete training solution brings its own challenges, so how can you be sure that your broker fully understands the needs of your business and each of your employee’s competencies? Not to mention their suppliers’ competencies and methods of quality control? Following our recent acquisition of SERAC UK, we are rolling out our own “one stop shop” to some of our multisited customers who require a consistent and efficient training service across multiple UK sites. In our experience, to be effective, the appointed training supplier must always be prepared to learn and invest time in integrating with your business. When it comes to training, relevance is key – one size does not fit all. We believe it’s most vital that the coordinators who arrange training for your business have a comprehensive understanding of any training courses or qualifications offered. Always ask how they achieve this and how this is

fed through to your teams. We’ve prepared a quick fire checklist of must-ask questions when recruiting a training provider: • What systems do you use? • What are your quality control methods for those systems and processes? • What accreditations or standards do you work to and what accreditations do you yourselves hold? • How often do you complete supplier audits and what are your methods of association with a provider? • How will our business work with you and what are the communication channels? • How will you demonstrate visibility of learner outcomes? • What methods of evaluation do you use and how are the results reviewed and actioned? • Why do you feel that you are the best provider for our business? • Who will manage and coordinate our training requirements? (always

aim for a small pool of contacts but more than just one; this can limit your service provision) • Commercials – check costs, terms and conditions, invoicing and the release of certification A good provider should be able to answer all these questions and give you confidence that your business’ unique needs will be met, if not exceeded. With competence now a real priority for businesses and managers already struggling for time in busy working days, the right provider can make all the difference. For more information on Mentor’s complete training, qualification and assessment solution, please call 01246 555222. www.mentortraining.co.uk

Wilson Access truck mount in action at Reading FC

he largest truck mount in the Wilson Access fleet was signed up for Reading FC’s Madejski Stadium to help with the installation of a new stateof-the art video screen. The 57m Palfinger P570 was hired by the management team at Reading FC to help installers to dismantle 65 individual screens that made up the existing screen and to replace it with 35 larger screens that comprise the new high definition screen.

news

The maximum working height of 57m and 41m horizontal outreach of the Wilson Access truck mount gave the installation team easy access to erect the new video screen, which is positioned high up above the seating areas in the 24,161 capacity stadium. To prevent any damage to the football ground’s turf, the 26 tonne truck mount was positioned on a trackway system laid out on the pitch’s surface. The Palfinger P570 has an x-jib feature that enables the platform to go up and over buildings so that an operator can work on a rear fascia of a building whilst the vehicle is parked at the front. Tel: 01924 224384 www.wilsonaccess.co.uk Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Critical POWER Supplies

Design & Build

UPS

Cooling

Data Centres

Projects

Support

ONE SUPPLIER â&#x20AC;Ś Batteries & Accessories

Voltage Optimisation

Providing turnkey critical power solutions, including design, installation & maintenance 3-Year warranty Call now for a FREE site survey & health check

Generators

PDU

World class impartial advice saving you time & money Nationwide sales & engineering team, on hand 24/7

Onsite 24/7 Services

Racks & Enclosures

NEED INSTALLATION? We can help you. We provide a range of on-site services whether your project is for a single UPS and Generator or remote monitoring across multiple sites.

Call sales: 24 hr service: E-store: Email:

0800 978 8988 0845 519 3928 criticalpowersupplies.co.uk sales@criticalpowersupplies.co.uk

criticalpowersupplies.co.uk

CRITICAL POWER : When it matters most

News

Tudor ship the Mary Rose finally released from her ‘hotbox’ and revealed dry for the first time since 1545 Culmination of a 34-year restoration project with 16th century maritime engineering protected by The IMC Group’s 21st century Hanwell technology.

n important new milestone in the conservation of the famous 16th century Tudor naval ship, Mary Rose, has been reached. The Mary Rose was built in 1510 and was in service until she sank in 1545. The sunken ship then lay beneath the water for more than 400 years until she was discovered in the Solent in 1971 by a project team initiated by Alexander McKee and the Southsea branch of the British SubAqua Club and finally raised in 1982 by more than 500 divers, archaeologists and scientists who developed new techniques in diving and conservation. A ‘ship hall’ was actually constructed over the ship in the dry dock, located in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, in an ambitious and challenging conservation of this officially-listed monument and 2013 saw the opening of a wonderful new museum. During the museum’s construction the ship’s hull was contained inside a sealed ‘hotbox’, and in April 2013 the polyethylene glycol (PEG) sprays that gradually replaced the water within the timber were turned off, and the process of controlled air-drying began. Ducts were placed evenly around the ship for the air-drying process to ensure that the ship dried evenly, minimising distortion and cracking of the wood that would occur if some sections dried faster than others. Specialist engineers from Hanwell – part of the British-based IMC Group – were called in to install the firm’s sophisticated technology and 30 environmental monitoring sensors were placed on or near the hull, continuously checking and recording temperature and humidity. The ship is now sufficiently dry to remove the ducts, lower the intensity of the drying system, and open the museum up further to the public. IMC’s Hanwell technology continues to play a crucial role in protecting the historic ship’s safe passage back into the limelight, explains the Trust’s Head of Conservation & Collections Care, Eleanor Schofield. “The Hanwell monitoring 14

news

system was easy to set up to give us all the data we needed and we link it to alarms, which are set so that if one sensor reports an environmental factor has become out of tolerance we can react quickly. We currently have the limits set at 50-58% RH and 18-20°C and we’ve had a few alarms, but the system enables us to get the problem sorted quickly, as well as helping us with routine maintenance.” The IMC Group’s Engineering Director, Dr Martin Hancock said: “Because of the unique nature of the project, we had to design a unique solution. The technology that we introduced gave the conservation team a form of insight and measurement that hadn’t been available to them before, and has proven crucial to the successful completion of their work.” Now, the ‘hotbox’ itself has finally been removed and for the first time since 1545 the ship will be revealed dry, along with many of the artefacts recovered from within the ship – fully integrated into the museum environment dedicated to the warship and the historical context in which she was active. Until now the public have had only a limited view of the ship due to the tightly-controlled environment. Now that the ship is sufficiently dry, it is possible to open more of the ship to visitors. The salvage team discovered only half the ship so as part of the £35m project, galleries representing the lost half of the ship were created, to give visitors a real insight in to what life on board the Mary Rose was like. There are three viewing levels: The top level is a balcony looking down on the ship, the other two levels allows visitors to view the remaining hull on one side and the artefacts found on

the Mary Rose on the other side, such as weapons, the crew’s possessions and even musical instruments, all of which help to capture the atmosphere and complete the story. Hanwell monitoring will continue. “It’s a vital integral part of the conservation programme, added Eleanor Schofield. “The Hanwell system has been a key indicator in monitoring the drying of the timbers – if something had gone wrong it would have affected the whole ship but there were no isolated areas of concern and we continue to experience a good working relationship with IMC and support whenever needed. Our need to monitor and control the stability of the environment of course continues, measuring and reacting to how changes in weather, visitor traffic and so on affect the ship, so our Hanwell system will continue to be crucially important to the Mary Rose.” For more information please visit www.the-imcgroup.com Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

News

Xion Water Launches in the UK Xion Water Solutions has officially launched in the UK, and has begun providing high quality water treatment solutions to businesses nationwide.

s the UK’s new innovative water management company, Xion Water Solutions has been founded with the sole purpose to re-stablish that personal, one-to-one relationship with companies who need a high quality customer centric supplier. With Head Offices based in Peterborough and London, at the heart of some of the UK’s largest market sectors, Xion Water Solutions provide both bespoke and ‘off-the-shelf’ water treatment solutions and services which can cater to those in Food manufacturing, Healthcare, Engineering, Automotive and the Leisure Industry. “Our team have extensive experience in the water treatment sector and take immense pride in demonstrating our core values of teamwork, respect and trust.

We aim at achieving and maintaining complete customer satisfaction”, comments David Tate, Managing Director. With economic and customer focused trends now meaning more than ever, Xion Water Solutions are firm believers that these values should be the pinnacle of success and not simply the solution. As the customer is at the heart of everything, delivering upon expectations and providing high quality treatments underpins the Xion Water ethos. Despite water management being an element that is vital to many industries, many businesses have voiced their concern at the lack of customer facing

support they have received. A review by Deloitte revealed that over half of 185 global companies in water related sectors have experience negative impacts due to water challenges in the past five years, showing that the water industry is business critical, and needs to be more proactive rather than re-active. As the water industry is heavily dominated by many international corporate brands, Xion Water Solutions are making it their mission to become that friendly face that will be with a business every step of the way. http://xionwater.com/

Siemens once again European Building Technologies Company of the Year

onsulting firm Frost & Sullivan has honoured the Siemens Building Technologies Division with its 2015 European Technologies Company of the Year Award, recognizing its outstanding services and solutions. Peter Hallberg, Head of BT Region Europe North, accepted the award in London on 29 June 2016 from Aroop Zutshi, Global President and Managing Partner at Frost & Sullivan. Explaining their decision, the experts at Frost & Sullivan emphasized Siemens’ leading role in driving developments for the entire industry: “In the building technologies industry, Siemens has demonstrated exemplary performance focused, above all, on customerorientated innovation,” said Zutshi. The Siemens Building Technologies Division’s claim as an innovative market leader for safe, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly buildings and infrastructures is underpinned by a comprehensive solutions and service portfolio. A current example is the cloudbased Navigator energy management Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

L-R: Peter Hallberg, Head of BT Region Europe North, Aroop Zutshi, Global President and Managing Partner at Frost & Sullivan.

platform. The visualization software displays data streams in condensed and, typically, graphical form. The result is an enterprise-wide view of the energy and operating performance, both at a high level and in detail. Navigator

is a customizable, scalable and easy to use portal that efficiently supports the monitoring of building system performance, energy demand and energy supply. www.siemens.com news

News

“ Office of the Future” in Dubai is first office produced by 3D printer

he world’s first office building produced by a 3D printer has just opened in Dubai. The 250 square metre “Office of the Future” was built using a 3D printer measuring 20 feet high, 120 feet long and 40 feet wide and is erected near the Emirates Towers in Dubai. The building technology with access control and surveillance systems was provided by Siemens and is integrated into a central building management platform. The technology ensures low operating costs and reduced energy consumption. “We are proud to be participating in this pioneering project and supporting Dubai’s Smart City strategy by providing state-of-the-art technology for intelligent, digitalised building automation and controls,” said Matthias Rebellius, CEO of the Siemens Building Technologies Division. The key components of the “Office of the Future” are integrated with the help of Siemens’ Desigo CC management platform. The platform enables the control and optimisation of the building’s technical infrastructure, surveillance, air conditioning and access control systems from a central location. A customised platform displays the status of the various systems in real time, enabling operators to accurately monitor and

control the building’s performance. The “Office of the Future” concept uses a Siemens video surveillance system with high-definition cameras and web-enabled access via apps and web clients and an access control system based on biometrics and smart cards. Siemens also supplied fire protection technology for detection, alarms and control, including multi-sensor detectors which can adapt to changing environments, analyse signals for false alarms and protect against hazards such as the presence of carbon monoxide. The system can also be analysed, evaluated and diagnosed remotely for more efficient maintenance. “Integrating key functions into an intelligent building management system has clear safety, cost and efficiency benefits and Siemens is a

leading company able to combine the management of all building disciplines in one integrated platform,” continued Rebellius. “Desigo CC gives building operators a precise overview of their assets, not only allowing them to be managed more efficiently and transparently, but also ensuring flexible usage and energy conservation.” The Desigo CC building management platform is also able to accommodate a wider range of building systems including heating, ventilation and air conditioning, power, lighting and shading, and components can be added when requirements change. Worldwide installations of Desigo CC have led to reductions in building operating costs of up to 20 percent. www.siemens.com

ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions supplies hospital

South Yorkshire District General Hospital has been supplied with a range of hardware by ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions, a UK division of ASSA ABLOY, the global leader in door opening solutions. South Yorkshire hospital is a 500-bed hospital, run by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Each

news

year the hospital treats around 150,000 patients along with 95,500 A&E patients. Foris Solutions worked closely with the Estates and Facilities team at the hospital to explore a range of hardware solutions. ASSA ABLOY cam action door closers were supplied, to ensure that the doors within the hospital are light to open while retaining closing power; ideal for use by disabled people. This assists in helping to meet the requirements of The Equality Act, specifically BS8300 and Approved Document M of The Building Regulations. In addition, ASSA modular lock cases were supplied, which are engineered to offer a smooth performance in high usage areas over a number of years, ASSA classic lever handles were also provided. Simon Barrett, Capital Projects Manager at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“South Yorkshire hospital has a historic relationship with ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions, and ASSA products are specified throughout the hospital, so it made sense to specify hardware from a brand that we know we can trust.” Sean Falkinder, Regional Sales Manager at ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions, said: “Facilities managers in hospitals are charged with the difficult task of prioritising budgets for all areas of maintenance in hospitals. We are increasingly seeing the longer-term cost of projects becoming more of a priority; we supply quality products that offer good whole life costing, through reducing maintenance, repair and replacement expenditure.” For further information on the full range of products from ASSA, please visit www.assa.co.uk/en/site/assacouk/

Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

News

iApply helps keep Britain through uncertain times

n the last six years, there has been a huge increase in house building in the UK. The effects and results of this increase can be seen throughout the country, with many villages and towns, especially in rural areas, undergoing expansion that a decade ago would have been unthinkable. As demand continues to increase for new homes and more people seek to escape the endless loop of renting, it’s essential that the house building and planning process is both fit for purpose and streamlined to its optimum efficiency. New-build has hit an eight-year high. In an effort to sustain and grow the current housing boom, the Housing and Planning Act 2016 aims to consolidate the UK’s robust approach to getting houses built as fast as possible. Key changes that will be implemented as a result of the 2016 Act have been somewhat overshadowed by recent political events, uncertainty and turmoil, as Westminster wrestles with Brexit and its fallout. But the act is essential in contributing its part in continuing this thriving time for British building. In May, the UK’s Housing and Planning Act became law. The far-reaching bill was hotly debated in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Its aim is to ensure one million homes are built in the UK by 2020. The bill deals with several aspects of housing and planning, including house building, estate agents, rent charges, planning and compulsory purchases.

A helping hand for first-time buyers Many of the changes are minor amendments to legislation, additions to clauses, redefinitions and clarifications, but there are some more significant changes introduced in the act too. One of the most eye-catching pledges made in the bill is to build 200,000 starter homes. These will be available to first-time buyers aged between 23 and 40, at a price 20% below their market value, encouraging first-time buyers and renters to be able to get on the property ladder and own a home of their own. With the huge increase in planning applications, new technologies such as iApply help to keep the process running with efficiency. iApply is the UK’s first combined online planning and building control submissions service. Developed by Idox, iApply has been created to bring greater flexibility, transparency and interactivity to the planning and building Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

control submissions process. Planning and Building Control will be affected by the new legislation, particularly in areas such as the granting of ‘permission in principle’. As an amendment to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the act introduces legislation, which is designed to allow automatic consent for potential housing sites identified in Local Plans and brownfield registers, subject to discussion of the proposals. This will help local planning authorities to ‘get the ball rolling’ and begin the process of planning permissions more swiftly.

Improving efficiency The planning and housing reforms are a timely tie-in with the ethos of iApply, which aims to further facilitate the planning and building control process. iApply’s goal is to make the interaction between local authorities’ planning and building control procedures and those developing and building future projects more fluid and flexible. As more local authorities begin to use iApply, the more efficient the planning and building control processes will become. Lorenzo Pandolfi is a young planning professional based in London, who has found that iApply provides invaluable

information during the early stages of planning too. He explained: “To assess the redevelopment potential of a site, the knowledge of planning history is extremely important, so it is key to see what has been done before, what has worked well and received planning consent. Every project is different but it is useful to be able to understand what has been successful in an area in the past, as this can help inform future work. iApply provides an easy, searchable platform of all projects at different stages. Using key words I am able to search for a specific type of development, in an identified area, in a specified period. This makes it so much easier to make up-to-date comparisons and draw realistic conclusions.” For further information on iApply, please visit www.iapply.co.uk or watch the introductory video highlighting just some of the major advantages of investing in the service https://iapply.co.uk/lgdp/#why news

Building & Refurbishment

Pub Progress-es into fully accessible venue

ne of Bedford’s most popular pubs is set to be even more so, as it reopens its doors after a major refurbishment that has turned it into the most accessible inn in the area. JD Wetherspoon has invested £3.5million in refurbishment of the historic, 150 years-old Pilgrims Progress, creating a 31 bedroom hotel above, and enhanced facilities in the main pub. Those include a stateof-the-art assisted accessible toilet, a Changing Places, supplied and installed by Britain’s leading toileting independence provider, Clos-o-Mat. The Changing Places means anyone who needs a carer’s help with their personal hygiene has the appropriate space and equipment to do so hygienically. The alternative would be to curtail their visit, or lie their loved one on the toilet floor to change them. Bigger than conventional wheelchairaccessible toilet, it also has a hoist and adult-sized height adjustable changing bench as standard. JD Wetherspoon has conveniently located it adjacent to other WC facilities, by the beer garden entrance, and ensured level access throughout. Users simply need a RADAR key to enter.

“Wetherspoon’s has a reputation for setting the standard for toilets in the hospitality sector. We have won the UK Trophy for Accessible Toilets, and almost 450 of our pubs won at least a gold rating, at the Loo of the Year Awards. It was at the Awards we saw Changing Places,” explained Pilgrims Progress manager Mark Judd. “Changing Places toilets are included wherever possible can as part of our ongoing upgrade schemes. The size and layout of the Pilgrims Progress made it an ideal candidate.” Added Kelvin Grimes, “The Changing Places at the Pilgrims Progress means that visitors who have special needs can relax and enjoy their time at the pub, knowing there are suitable toilet facilities for them.” A Changing Places toilet is now ‘desirable’ under Building Regulations Approved Document M 2015, and BS8300:2009, for all new build and refurbishment projects involving buildings to which numbers of the public have access. So far, over 850 Changing Places have been opened at venues across the country. Clos-o-Mat is the leading player in the supply and installation of Changing Places facilities. Its ability to deliver

design advice, project management, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance across the ambit of accessible toileting equipment means it is uniquely provide a reliable, single source for the whole process. Further, its website www.clos-o-mat.com, is an essential reference point for anyone considering installing a Changing Places toilet, offering white paper, 2D and 3D CAD drawings, standard layouts, and video. Tel: 0161 969 1199; www.clos-o-mat.com; Email: info@clos-o-mat.com

Stop leaks fast with the ‘water stopper’ Vandex Plug from Safeguard

he Vandex Plug from Safeguard Europe – the UK’s leading specialist in damp- and waterproofing, and masonry repair solutions – is a fast-acting cementitious mortar that will stop leaks and seepage through, and seal cracks in, masonry, concrete, earthenware and stone in seconds. It can also be used as an installation mortar for fixings in wet areas, and even underwater. Examples of applications for the Vandex Plug would include: plugging leaks in clay pipes; caulking tunnel segment joints; installing fixings in water structures requiring immediate use; installation of steel elements in concrete or masonry; erosion resistant shoring of canal sealing – and as a general erosion resistant mortar for elements affected by rain. For optimum results, substrates for application must be clean, sound and free of surface contamination such as salts or 18

building & refurbishment

algae. Leaks must be cut out, leaving an appropriate ‘chase’ for the plug. Setting time is largely dependent on the quantity of mixing water used: standard value at 20°C is 1kg of plug mortar to 0.25 litre of water. The plug must be added to the water and mixed quickly – mixing time is about 15

seconds, with setting taking place in about 30 seconds. Vandex Plug from Safeguard is available in 15kg resealable plastic tubs, and has a storage shelf life of around 12 months. Email: info@safeguardeurope.com. Tel: 01403 210 204

Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Building & Refurbishment

Impressive Center Parcs roof refurb completed with zero guest disruption

ith capacity for almost 4000 guests and 96% occupancy, keeping the central area of Center Parcs Longleat Forest open was key to the refurbishment of its impressive Subtropical Swimming Paradise. A massive challenge for Delomac Roofing, the project to renew the roof with a Sika Sarnafil membrane was accomplished with two years of meticulous planning and 30 months of onsite construction. Originally completed in 1994, the Subtropical Swimming Paradise roof and glazed rain-screen systems were in need of refurbishment. The new roof installation was planned in close discussion with the Sika Sarnafil and Delomac supply chain, developing the specification to address all the client’s strict performance, environmental and aesthetic requirements. Chris Meadows, Technical Advisor, Sika Sarnafil explained: “The client needed a durable, long lasting roof system that would complement the woodland setting. This was complicated by differences between the swimming pool side and dry side, with restaurants and meeting rooms, of the building. “We proposed two distinct solutions– a mechanically fastened system using Sarnafil S327-18EL for the dry side and an adhered system using Sarnafil G410-18EL for the more humid area. Both were specified in Patina Green to blend with the natural environment. Sarnafil membranes are cold applied and free from naked flames, the obvious choice for an open site.” An innovative temporary terraced platform was designed and installed, suspended underneath the main structure by cables and lattice beam scaffold units. Work was carried out over 16 separate sections, like a wagon wheel – ensuring the structure was not compromised by uneven load distribution. This stepped, terraced temporary roof was then covered with plywood and completely weathered by Delomac with a Sarnafil membrane. With the temporary roof in place, existing glazing and coverings could be safely removed, maintaining watertightness with guests enjoying the facilities below. Scheduled over more than two years, this way of working Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

resulted in a dry building envelope, despite some of the wettest weather on record. Comprehensive vapour barrier measures were used on the pool side of the building to ensure the high humidity chlorinated environment was contained. Robust SFS sealant and Sarnafil metal-lined vapour barrier detailing at all Glulam beams and fascia interfaces ensured no risk of condensation. Sarnafil membrane and accessories were used for all the coverings, and again overall specification development was tailored to suit the varying build-ups; new, overlay, bonded and mechanically fastened. An increased thickness membrane was manufactured in one single batch to ensure colour consistency. Sika added further value with an impressive 17 visits to the site by the Applications Team to advice and support. Brendan McNulty, Delomac Roofing, described the challenges the team faced during the project: “Installation methods and curved roof areas required our operatives to work from harness and rope access. We developed an innovative material loading trolley with the builder to deliver materials to the work sections

safely, without compromising finishes. “Workmanship standards remained exceptionally high, despite the challenging logistics, and met the client requirement of consistent lap and detail arrangement. This was also helped by the quality of the Sarnafil membranes. The finished installation has transformed the internal and external appearance of the building. Rooflights and white soffit finished decking have provided a bright and airy environment, with the external green finish blending subtly with the landscape. “Most importantly, safe, unlimited guest access to the pool, restaurants and meeting areas was maintained throughout the entire project; something we’re very proud of.” Tel: 01707 394444, Fax 01707 329129, Email sarnafilroofing@uk.sika.com, visit www.sarnafil.co.uk or follow @SikaSarnafilUK on Twitter. building & refurbishment

Washroom

Red is the colour

Virgin Trains choose Colani toilet seats for on-board refresh

irgin Trains have chosen a vibrant red Colani toilet seat from Pressalit Care for their fleet of East Coast Mainline trains. Matching Virgin Trains distinctive corporate colours, the Colani toilet seat offers a range of special features that makes it the ideal choice for on-board installation where comfort is a chief consideration. Andrew Lowndes of Pressalit Care says, “Always seeking to enhance their customer experience, Virgin Trains are implementing a £21m refurbishment of their East Coast Mainline trains. “This includes a refresh of the onboard toilet facilities, for which they have selected the Colani toilet seat

for its comfort and stability.” Pressalit Care’s Colani toilet seat has a number of specially designed features for user comfort. Stabilising buffers are fitted at the front of the rim, while a cross bar hinge along the back creates a secure seating position. The ergonomic curved bowl of the toilet seat features raised side edges for added strength. The Colani toilet seat is produced from thermoset plastic with stainless steel strap, in red, as well

as blue, white and anthracite. As with all Pressalit Care products, the Colani toilet seat has been tested to the highest degree, statically up to 375kg. www.pressalit.com or email uk@pressalit.com

UK manufacturer announces new toilet alarm control panel Baldwin Boxall is pleased to announce the introduction of a new toilet alarm system which will be available in October this year.

he control panel certainly looks stylish and is packed with some great features. Baldwin Boxall staff reported that this system received a lot of interest from visitors to their stand at this year’s International Firex. Users of the system will like the fact that a quick glance will show the location of an incoming call. It is then a simple matter of pressing the relevant ‘call accept’ button (there is one for each toilet alarm connected) and then providing the assistance required. The person waiting for help will immediately know that someone is on the way, due to a change in both the visible and audible alarms – a true method of reassurance (and therefore fully BS8300 compliant). Electricians and engineers will like the simplicity of installation as only one mains connection is required – there is no need of additional power supply boxes or inputs. Furthermore, a single power connection to one panel will feed up to nine other control panels and all corresponding toilet alarms (additional panels are simply ‘daisy-chained’ from the first one). Each control panel has the ability to control to up to four toilet alarms, represented at the panel independently 20

washroom

with space for zone labelling. There are four ‘call accept’ buttons and ‘call incoming’ LEDs, making the location of any incoming call immediately obvious. If more than one call for help is received at the same time these will also show on the panel; responder(s) are able to independently accept the call they are answering. The programmable alarm ‘re-sound’ feature will operate if a call, which has been acknowledged, is not reset at the point of call within the specified period of time. The design team at Baldwin Boxall has also considered the possibility that the panel may be installed in an area which is not constantly manned. This is resolved by connection of a separate indicator/ sounder to the output provided on the panel. The remote indicator/sounder can be installed in an area such as a reception and will alert staff to an unanswered call. Another benefit of the system is that it is self-monitoring and will alert staff to a problem (‘short’ or ‘open’ circuit). It does this by the illumination of two LEDs on

the panel (‘Fault’ and the ‘Call Indicator’ for the affected toilet alarm). Available in a choice of finishes – white or brushed stainless steel – the toilet alarm panel is certainly a great solution for many projects. More information can be found on the company’s website: www. baldwinboxall.co.uk/disabled-toiletalarm-kits or by contacting the marketing team marketing@baldwinboxall.co.uk. Baldwin Boxall is based in Sussex in England and all its products are designed and manufactured in the UK to a very high standard. The company has a very clear mission statement – which can easily be found on the website www.baldwinboxall.co.uk and is proud of its position in the industry. Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Facilities for the Disabled

Making leisure fully accessible

new £8.4m facility designed to take leisure in North East Lincolnshire to new heights, and into the 21st century, is delivering state-of-the-art facilities, especially for disabled users. Grimsby Leisure Centre is the second venue in the borough to feature a Changing Places room, which offers more space and more equipment than conventional accessible toilets, for people who need a carer’s help for their personal hygiene. The state-of-art facility, plus an additional room which includes similar equipment and will be used for first aid, have both been supplied and installed by Clos-o-Mat, Britain’s specialist in the provision of assisted, accessible toileting in and out of the home. Both rooms at the new centre are strategically located in the ground floor main Changing Village for the pool, and are complimented by a conventional disabled changing facility on the first floor, and conventional accessible toilets on both floors. As a result, appropriate facilities are provided throughout to enable disabled people to make use of the competition standard swimming pool, Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

gym, fitness suite, sauna and steam room in the new centre, which is operated by Lincs Inspire, a not for profit leisure & culture organization based in North East Lincolnshire. “There was a desire to have alternative changing facilities, that would ensure the offer for disabled customers was maximised,” explained David Gelder, Head of Architecture at ENGIE, which worked in partnership with North East Lincolnshire Council on the project. “The one room is a fully-compliant Changing Places, with peninsular toilet, height adjustable washbasin, privacy screen, hoist and adult-sized changing bench, whereas the hygiene room, which does not have a changing bench, enables us to optimise space usage as it doubles as a first aid room.” Added Kelvin Grimes, Clos-o-Mat’s Changing Places/hygiene rooms project manager, “We go to the toilet on average eight times a day, so the chances are if you are away from home, you will need to access a toilet. Tens of thousands of people who need a carer’s help for their personal care find that conventional accessible toilets are not suitable: they need additional equipment and more

space. Changing Places toilets and hygiene rooms mean they can make use of a facility, that previously they either could not have enjoyed, or guests are now able to stay longer when previously they would have had to curtail their trip.” Under current building guidelines and legislation, Changing Places toilets are now ‘desirable’ in any building to which the public has access. Since the concept was devised, over 800 have been opened in venues across the country. Clos-o-Mat has a proven track record in the supply and installation of fully accessible toilets, including a substantial number of Changing Places facilities. It is unique in its ability to deliver – in-house – design advice, supply, installation, commissioning, project management and maintenance across the ambit of accessible toileting equipment, including the Clos-o-Mat wash and dry (automatic) toilet. To help leisure venues ‘get it right’, Clos-o-Mat has a raft of downloadable information on its website, www.clos-o-mat.com, including sector-specific white papers, CAD blocks, room renders and videos. Email: info@clos-o-mat.com Tel: 0161 969 1199; www.clos-o-mat.com; facilities for the disabled

Workplace Planning & Design

One seating range – infinite possibilities In response to the growing demand for flexible seating solutions, Komac – by Boss Design – has unveiled a new and diverse range of upholstered modular furniture. Completely flexible and reconfigurable, this versatile collection provides specifiers and designers infinite layout configurations.

omplete with eleven linkable seating units, three privacy screens, side tables and arms that accommodate power, a series of modules can be created and combined to suit any shape desired for complete flexibility. Together with an infinite choice of fabric configurations and vibrant leg finishes, Myriad is guaranteed to revive any interior space. Private ‘huddle’ spaces, together with stunning ‘islands’ and ‘chain’ modules form the basis of Myriad’s infinitely flexible design. Whilst huddles assist with collaborative working, islands facilitate touchdown connectivity. Complete with or without backs, and integrated power modules, islands also support the ‘work

workplace planning & design

anywhere’ philosophy. Meanwhile, Myriad’s chain modules enable the furniture to be mixed, linked and easily moved around, thereby offering endless possibilities for a more dynamic and collaborative workspace.

matched to enhance each configuration. These include laptop tables, privacy screens, linking arms (with or without power), portable media units, freestanding tables, coffee tables and multi-purpose chairs.

Commenting on this market changing design, Julie Skipp at Komac says: “Myriad sets the benchmark for flexible seating in the corporate, hospitality and education sectors. Thanks to its infinite versatility, specifiers can not only meet the brief for multiple design configurations from one dynamic collection, they can also satisfy a wide range of users and environments.”

For the ultimate in comfort, Myriad boasts solid plywood internal frames, moulded foam seats and backrest foam and sprung seats. A wide choice of leg frames and finishes are also available to provide the ultimate design solution.

Myriad also boasts an extensive line-up of extras that may be mixed and

For further information contact Komac Headquarters: +44 (0) 1384 455570 or the London Showroom: Tel.: +44 (0) 20 7253 0364. Alternatively, visit www.myriad.space

Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Security & Access Control

SICK Laser Scanning Technology Makes Reliable Building Security Easy Technology developments to SICK’s LMS range of 2D laser scanners have made it easier than ever to secure and protect outdoor open spaces reliably, even where there are frequent vehicle movements, with one scanner capable of covering an area the size of a football pitch.

oth intrusion and anticollision protection have been made more customisable and adaptable for building security, distribution centres and critical infrastructure, including railways, airports and bridges, thanks to innovative developments to the SICK LMS141 range of time-of-flight laser scanners. Neil Sandhu, SICK (UK) Product Manager explains: “SICK laser scanners are well known for their robust and reliable protection, even in challenging environments or weather. Now, with the LMS 141, security monitoring and collision protection for a whole range of complex profiles and changing situations is possible while avoiding false alarms.” The new LMS 141 2D laser scanner has been optimised for building and outdoor security, providing reliable scanning protection in which the fields can be precision-configured through an easy-teach function to suit the shape, size and permitted areas of almost any location. Scanners can also be integrated with CCTV and lighting systems for full image identification purposes. Regular moving objects such as vehicles in designated spaces can be taught-in to the sensor software, and the LMS 141’s Core and Prime options offer differing degrees of complexity depending on the application, with automatic or configured fields and the ability to teach-in with or without a PC. The unit also allows for gradual profile build-up to avoid false alarms, for example, with snow accumulation, piles of leaves or grass growing. Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

“The LMS 141 has our widest-ever scanning field, capable of detecting even black targets over an area up to 30 metres by 20 metres, almost football pitch sized,” Neil Sandhu continues. “So you can protect large areas like building perimeters and vehicle yards with very few scanners. “Because you can define and configure a number of fields and profiles to allow for changing conditions over time, fields can be easily be set. For example, you can allow for pre-set access paths during the day, which are automatically protected at night, or you can guard around objects, vehicles, windows and doors, allowing set proximity only at designated times. “The LMS 141 offers invisible protection with superior performance to non-laser technologies such as radar and infrared, at a competitive price to installing a high security fence, for example.” With its IP67, tamper-resistant housing, the LMS 141 has a wide temperature range of between -40°C and +60°C capability, can operate

independently of changing light levels and is unaffected by rain, fog and snow. The SICK LMS 141 time-of-flight laser scanner emits an infra-red laser beam pulse which scans a field range up to 270° via a rotating mirror. The scanner’s sensor measures the return time of each pulse to build a profile which is compared to the taught-in profile. The unit can be mounted horizontally, on its back, vertically, on the floor or on posts or walls to provide the required protective field. Connected via a tough, UV resistant cable, the LMS141 is available with Ethernet and CAN communication for easy integration to local control networks; smartphone alarms can be set up via a PC for remote monitoring. The compact, discreetly coloured unit is only 162mm by 102mm by 106mm and 1.1kg for easy installation. For more information on the SICK LMS 141 laser scanner, or any of SICK’s security and protection scanning devices, please contact Andrea Hornby on 01727 831121 or email andrea.hornby@sick.co.uk

security & access control

Security & Access Control

Biometric security for Shetland construction site

hetland Facilities Management (SFM) Security have provided Morrison Construction Ltd with a robust access control system utilising the very latest state-of-the-art fingerprint biometric recognition devices for their New Anderson High School and Halls of Residence development at Lerwick in the Shetland Islands. As main contractor for the £56m project, Morrison’s brief for SFM was for an integrated access control system during construction which could give an accurate count of the workforce in each of the site’s two zones, split by company and trade discipline, for not only HSSE requirements but also emergency response, robust time and attendance recording and to capture the data and metrics required for project controls. SFM’s solution was an integrated platform that combined biometric fingerprint readers from ievo Ltd, the Newcastle-based manufacturer of biometric recognition systems, with a Paxton Net2 access control system. Eight ievo fingerprint readers were installed

on four entry turnstiles together with an ievo desktop enrolment reader for initial registering employee fingerprint templates in the site control room. SFM installed the equipment in two 20ft ISO container security portals (one for each zone of the project) which provided efficient through-put and foot-fall at peak and off-peak times. Simon Orchard, Director of Security, Shetland Facilities Management, commented, “Logistical issues with using SMART cards alongside a large workforce we always found problematic. Using ievo’s biometric solution allows us to save costs whilst also improving efficiency. ievo devices are easy to install, robust, operational in harsh climates and working conditions and surpass all our operational needs. ievo provided the perfect biometric security solution and we are already planning on using them for our next project.”

Shaun Oakes, Managing Director of ievo Ltd, added, “It was vital that the fingerprint system would maintain operational regardless of the weather conditions or the amount of users enrolled. Being able to provide a system that can help identify and manage a large workforce is what ievo is designed for. The installation of the solution has now bedded in very effectively and Morrison Construction Limited staff liked the ease of use for both enrolment of fingerprints, and generating accurate and reliable reports.” www.ievoreader.com

A new generation of big rig security devices

fter three years of development a completely new vehicle security device called Guardian Anti Theft is available to protect vehicles over 7.5 tonne vehicles from thieves and hijackers. So what makes Guardian Anti-Theft so different? Quite simply, this highly discreet device – with the press of a button on a remote control – shuts down the vehicle’s engine and keeps it locked down until Guardian is disarmed by the driver or operator. Guardian Anti Theft is a mere 17cm x long, 8.5 cm wide and 5.3 cm deep. Installation is straightforward and quick for automotive electrical technicians – and all necessary wiring and connectors are provided – meaning ‘down time’ is kept to a minimum. The internal engineering of the core Guardian Anti-Theft device is of one third ‘bogus’ elements and has rugged semipotted electronics within the enclosure. Should the unit be opened to establish how the unit can be disabled, there is no indication of which components are redundant and which are not. Only top 24

security & access control

quality materials and components are used – the two 16 pin mating connects are of aeronautical standard. Whatever type of over 7.5 tonne vehicle, thieves and joyriders will not be able to hot-wire the ignition, clone remote control codes or hack into the electronics within the Guardian control unit. This small device is so discreetly sneaky that even an on-board security system will not be able to detect it and Guardian does not interfere with any manufacturers’ in-built electronic systems in any way. Guardian Anti Theft also has a strong defence against hijacking. Should an on-the-road vehicle be subject to a hijack attempt, all the driver has to do is discreetly press the button on the remote control whilst walking away. There are no similar devices available; Guardian Anti-Theft has founded a completely new generation of nonmicroprocessor vehicle security devices. As a recent, widely reported review by Allianz Cornhill Engineering revealed, it is estimated that the UK’s construction industry alone is losing over £70 million

worth of plant stolen from operational sites. This rises to a staggering £800 million a year when other costs related to the theft of each vehicle is taken into account. In the same review the point was made that because of the operational need for operational immediacy vehicles often now have a generic key. Now, with a Guardian AntiTheft device installed, even having the ‘right’ key will be of no use to thieves. Guardian Anti Theft for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes is available for £1275 plus VAT – a small price for a vehicle security device with a big impact on reducing on-site thefts and on-the-road hijacking. This price includes delivery in mainland UK by secure delivery to a site of the buyer’s choosing. www.guardianantitheft.com Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Security & Access Control

Door panelware and security for server racks – EMKA

erver racks are a specialist type of cabinet today often requiring the highest level in access control along with the simplest in hinging and gasketing. Primary concerns of course are regarding physical security and nullifying the possibility of data theft via removal of servers or connecting of unapproved memory devices such as thumb drives. Whereas the ventilation needs of the housed equipment leads to lightweight largely perforated doors with little need for sealing externally but a need to maintain ventilation integrity, along with a simple cushioning requirement to absorb rattles and ensure correct feel and function of the door when required. Such a package is provided by hardware specialists EMKA with their program 3500 BioLock which adds high level fingerprint technology packaged at the door with the convenience of a low profile swinghandle, so ensuring that it really is the authorised person opening the door while ensuring gangways to be as narrow as practical – and snag free.

3500 BioLock can be used on individual racks or suites and integrated into site-wide monitoring/ control systems. The requirement for door hinging is met by EMKA with their captive pin program 1031 for lay-on doors and suits the narrow 25mm return used on such lightweight fabrications. Hinge pins on the 1031 may be readily withdrawn but are held captive. For especially light doors and side panels the 1117-U6 pin hinge is a simple, low cost, push-fit solution. Sealing and vibration absorption of these lightweight doors is very effectively managed with a simple clip-on D profile gasket strip such as the EMKA 101124 which is self-gripping on flanges of 1mm to 2mm while providing up to 2.5mm of compression to ensure

that unwanted materials are kept out and that the internal ventilation is not compromised by leaky door flanges. Further information on EMKA products can be found on the EMKA website – www.emka.co.uk. Readers can find the latest information and news on the EMKA blog – www. emkablog.co.uk or follow them on Twitter – http://twitter.com/emkauk.

OPTEX detectors secure new HQ and warehouse of top CCTV distributor

hen DVS Ltd, one of UK’s fastest growing distributors of electronic surveillance products, moved to new premises, it chose a range of highly reliable, proven outdoor REDWALL detectors and infrared beams from OPTEX to protect the perimeter and approach of its new warehouse and offices. Formed in 2003, DVS Ltd quickly established itself as a successful multi-brand distributors of electronic surveillance products and is now the largest independent distributor in the UK. In November 2015 DVS Ltd moved into new premises with five times the capacity for stock, making security a key concern. The system chosen to protect the new facility has two principal purposes: firstly, to secure the property, staff and stock; secondly, as a way of demonstrating the use of the intrusion detection system to potential clients in a new state-of-the-art demonstration room. “Our new large premises include open spaces and open access from public areas into the private space, so we had Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

to choose technology that would prove not only to be reliable and robust, but was easy to setup and provide the cover for the layout,” says David Davies, Technical Sales Manager, DVS Ltd. “Given our knowledge of the latest intruder detectors, it was an easy decision to work with OPTEX to create the solution required.” A system was designed by DVS Ltd in consultation with OPTEX engineers. The detectors chosen included five outdoor IP REDWALL PIRs (SIP-4010-IP units) installed on the front of the building situated on a CCTV Tower, covering the building’s approach and securing the car parking area. Since the sensors are PoE compliant, cabling was simplified, cutting down on installation and power costs. The side and rear of the building are protected by OPTEX beam towers that form a virtual perimeter. These were specified to accommodate the

wildlife and environment; trees and shrubbery surround the premises. The detectors are integrated with HIKVision cameras, triggering preset positions and the CCTV system is monitored outside opening hours by a remote Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). Any activations are filtered and acted on giving DVS Ltd peace of mind knowing it is protected 24/7. “Since the system went live we have not had any false alarms from events that other products would suffer from,” adds David. “I’m happy that we chose to work with OPTEX and look forward to growing our relationship together.” www.optex-europe.com security & access control

Health & Safety

Advanced PAT technology provides all-round safety management at HMP Winchester Advanced portable appliance testing instrumentation is helping the facilities management team at HM Winchester Prison fulfil a range of essential health and safety responsibilities.

ollowing last year’s transfer of facilities management services at a number of prisons to Carillion, the FM team at Winchester is using a Seaward Apollo 600 tester to combine electrical testing with a range of other workplace safety tasks. To meet its health and safety responsibilities, the in-house facilities management team at Winchester has established rigorous inspection and testing procedures to ensure that all prison equipment and systems remain safe for use by both staff and prisoners. Importantly, as well as the safety of all electrical equipment and appliances used on the prison site, this includes the regular testing of water systems for Legionnaires disease, the condition of emergency lighting systems and fire alarm control panels. To help the team meet its responsibilities, the focal point of the prison’s health and safety inspection and testing programme is the multi-purpose Apollo 600 tester, supported by the PATGuard 3 Elite software program. Together, the specialist tester and comprehensive software provides an all-round health and safety management tool that combines appliance testing with a universal risk assessment capability, sophisticated data collection, and the ability to produce a wide range of reports, certificates and other safety documentation. As part of the safe systems of work established in the prison, the Apollo is used to produce bar codes to identify all individual electrical appliances and other items of equipment included in the health and safety inspections. This includes water tanks and emergency lighting

health & safety

system components, so that the correct data and records are stored automatically against each item as inspections are undertaken. In addition, the instrument’s on board camera also enables images taken during visual inspections and risk assessments to be tagged against records to provide evidence of decisions taken and a traceable audit trail of all safety conditions. Jeff Foster, FM services manager for Carillion at HMP Winchester, said: “With the huge variety of equipment and appliances in use in the prison, there is a considerable time saving in being able to identify items, carry out tests, record results and make any notes as part of a fully streamlined process. “Having all non-electrical inspections alongside the results of traditional PAT tests, in the same system and in the same format, also means that reports and certificates can be produced quickly and easily. “This all round capability enables us to manage our safety responsibilities very effectively, and is particularly helpful when inspections on different types of equipment are carried out by different teams such as electricians and plumbers.” At HMP Winchester, the electrical team uses the battery powered Apollo 600 to carry out all of the electrical safety

tests required by the IET Code of Practice on the many different appliances used in the prison’s workshop, office, kitchen, recreational and accommodation areas. In total some 6,500 items are tested each year, with the weekly testing of all new equipment being supported by comprehensive annual inspections and testing of everything in use across the complete site. As well as portable appliances, the electrical team also carries out emergency lighting system checks, with the plumbing team being responsible for Legionnaires testing on the water supply. In both cases, the system checks and assessment records entered in the PATGuard 3 software enables the FM manager to log inspections and identify any issues arising that can be flagged up in reports to senior staff and heads of departments. More details at www.seaward.co.uk

Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Health & Safety

Acquisition creates new market-leading safety management group

eading environmental and occupational safety group, Lucion Services, is continuing its record of growth with the acquisition of long-established asbestos and environmental consultancy, Redhills. The move will double the size of Lucion’s current business, creating a market leader in the health and safety sector with a 395-strong workforce around the country and a turnover of £25 million. Lucion Services is a group of environmental and occupational safety management companies that specialise in the identification, measurement, control, remediation, and education of risk management. Dr Patrick Morton, managing director at Lucion Services, explained: “There is tremendous goodwill associated with the Redhill’s brand and we are delighted to have completed this purchase. The acquisition totally complements our existing business offering, making it an ideal fit for us and a game-changer for our industry. “Rapid growth of the asbestos management market place in recent

times has brought with it many challenges. I’m proud to say that as a business we’ve always adapted quickly and been creative in our approach to supporting clients. “From technological advances to technical skills and knowledge, we have consistently placed ourselves at the cutting edge of industry development. As demand for trusted, quality providers of asbestos management services hits an all-time high, we couldn’t be better placed to join forces in delivering a more efficient, stronger and robust service offering for both Lucion and Redhills clients.” The Redhills name will continue as a trading style within Lucion Environmental Ltd and the network of regional offices will share back office systems and processes in addition to collaborating on new ideas for innovative service provision. Headquartered in Dorking, Surrey, with a network of eight regional offices across

LtoR: Dr Patrick Morton of Lucion with Dr Lee Carter of Redhills

England, Wales and Scotland, Redhills has a turnover of £12.8 million and employs 215 people, of which 140 form an expert team of highly qualified and experienced environmental consultants, surveyors, analysts and project managers. Dr Lee Carter, managing director at Redhills, said: “There is huge potential for an exchange of ideas and development, which can only be a good thing for our employees, our customers and the industry.” www.lucionservices.com

Courtney Thorne introduces Altra advances

ireless nurse call specialist, Courtney Thorne, has developed its HTM08-03 compliant ‘Altra’ system with the addition of new accessories, a new software architecture and a three year warranty as standard with all installations. Designed specifically for hospital environments, the Altra Health range from Courtney Thorne offers Department of Health HTM08-03 bedhead services compliance with all areas of the stringent guidelines. The system offers unparalleled wireless reliability, utilising the dedicated European 869.2Mhz social alarms frequency to avoid any risk of interference, along with ‘listen before talk’ anti-collision technology and call acknowledgement to underpin call integrity. Bluetooth and WiFi sensors have now been incorporated into the groundbreaking wireless nurse call to enable full connectivity without using any of the hospital’s administrative bandwidth thanks to a dedicated internal WiFi network. The system can be integrated with hospitals’ DECT telephone systems Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

to enable alerts to be answered by interdisciplinary nursing and clinical teams located across the building and further integration capabilities with Android and iOS devices are currently under development. Wireless installation of the Altra system is fast and simple, with minimum disruption to patients and no noise or dust. The system can be programmed and re-programmed remotely to meet the hospital’s changing needs and all calls are displayed on the ’Altra Touch’ touch screen unit. The Altra Touch unit also collects call data, response times and call duration information to aid with management and planning of staffing levels and enables detailed reports to be generated for complete accountability and evidencing. Courtney Thorne has now also introduced the new ‘Altra MiniTouch’

unit to the range, offering a smaller wall-mountable touch screen display that can be located in communal areas to provide call alerts and location information for staff without requiring them to return to the nurses station to consult the Altra Touch. A number of innovations have now also been included in the Altra Health range to address issues of wandering and patient falls, providing discreet wireless solutions for dementia, geriatric, paediatric and mental health environments. In addition to traditional call buttons (Altra Call), pull cords (Altra Pull) and bathroom/ toilet pull cords (Altra Assist), the range will also include wireless pressure mats and floor sensors along with ‘Altra Guard’ door sensors and an ‘Altra Wear’ pendant that can be worn on patients’ wrists or carried on a lanyard around their neck, giving them access to a call button when they are away from their bed. www.c-t.co.uk health & safety

Fire & Hazard Protection

The smarter way to hold open fire doors Based in County Durham, the manufacturers of the Agrippa fire door holder and closer launched the wire-free range at the International Trade Show, Firex. Three years on, sales of the Agrippa devices have gone from strength to strength. Here we look at what makes them stand out from the rest.

ntil now, the reliability of wire-free fire door holding and closing devices has been questioned by fire safety professionals due to false activations and damage caused to soft furnishings and the fire door itself. It was in response to these concerns that innovators of fire safety products, Geofire developed its unique ‘listen and learn’ technology. This advanced pre-programing means that the devices pre-record the sound of the building’s specific fire alarm and only release the fire door should they hear this particular sound. Geofire’s Agrippa range of wirefree fire door holders and closers have been very popular in environments where minimal disruption is desired such as care homes, schools and hotels. The cleverly designed batterypowered units mean that there is no need to re-wire a building’s current fire door activation system. The devices can be fitted in a matter of minutes and are even complete with a handy, step-by-step installation video. Both products are hygienically installed at the top of the door, ensuring

there is no damage to floors/carpets or any warping of the fire door. It is often beneficial in such environments to hold open fire doors to ease access and increase ventilation during busy periods, where as many building facilities managers fall into the trap of wedging open fire doors without realising they could be prosecuted for doing so. The Agrippa fire door holder is a simple solution to holding open internal fire doors. It is competitively priced and easy to install. The holder is particularly useful for holding open fire doors in corridors and there are many accessories available including chain keepers and extension brackets for non-standard installations. The Agrippa fire door closer is a swing-free device which allows the fire door to be held open in any position. It will make the door resistance-free and so it will feel light and easy to move. The closer has been installed into care homes in the UK to reduce isolation for residents in their rooms.

For more information go to www.geofire.co.uk or call 01388 770 360. fire & hazard protection

• STEP 1 Fit the keeper plate to the top of the door. • STEP 2 Align the keeper plate with the magnet face and use the paper template supplied to drill the holes into the wall for the screws. • STEP 3 Fit the holder to the wall and insert supplied batteries. • STEP 4 Sound the fire alarm and press the red button on the holder to start recording.

Last but by no means least, the devices comes supplied with two C-cell batteries, can be programmed for daily release, have a battery life indicator and both products are approved to EN1155 and CE marked. The illustrations show how the Agrippa fire door holder can be installed in five easy steps. Designed with the installer in mind, the holder can be fitted in less than ten minutes.

Five easy steps to install an Agrippa fire door holder

• STEP 5 Perform a fire test to ensure the device will release the door should the fire alarm sound. If required, you can then set up the daily timed release option to ensure all of the buildings fire doors will close at the desired time.

Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Fire & Hazard Protection

Allegion gets behind Fire Door Safety week

Specialist security manufacturer, Allegion, will be showing its support for Fire Door Safety Week (FDSW) with a host of awareness activities.

DSW takes place 26th Sept to 2nd Oct 2016, with the aim of raising awareness of the critical element of fire safety in every commercial, public and multiple occupancy building. It is further supported by the British Federation of Woodworkers’ (BWF) #ClickItKickIt campaign, which is raising awareness of the dangers of wedging fire doors open and empowering people to photograph fire doors being wedged or propped open. The BWF has stated that: “A wedged-open fire door renders that door useless. It can no longer protect your safety or your property. It’s an open door to danger.” Allegion has benefits of 130 years of experience keeping people safe and will continue this by supporting FDSW with: • Radio coverage to include a questions and answers session on fire door safety and installation • Demonstrating the correct installation of fire door hardware at Screwfix Live in September • Hosting events at their new offices in Aston, Birmingham • Distributing guides on how to correctly install and maintain fire door hardware • Giving end users and facilities managers the chance to try a door closer for free, with its no obligation ‘Try Me & Keep Me’ programme Worryingly, a recent report from the Government has shown that there were 213 deaths and more than 6,700 casualties from building fires in England in the six months of April to September 2015. Full year figures are likely to show a significant increase on previous years. Paul Barrows, demand creation leader at Allegion, said: “It’s terribly sad to read the latest Government figures on deaths and casualties from building fires. At Allegion, we offer door closers that link with an electro-magnetic hold open system to the fire alarm, which will release a door to its closed position when the fire alarm actuates. This Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

negates the need for any sort of wedge, or even worse, propping the door open with a fire extinguisher. “Alternatively, a free-swinging electro-magnetic door closer linked to the fire alarm system will facilitate a barrier free operation to the door whilst still allowing the door to be manually closed if required for areas of personal space where an element of privacy is required. Our events will aim to help people to find solutions to fire door safety – which could save lives. “We fully support the BWF in its efforts to encourage building owners and users to check the condition of their fire doors, and will help in any way we can to ensure that the right

fire door hardware is selected, fitted correctly and regularly maintained.” Allegion products are suited for the education, healthcare, commercial, leisure, transport and hospitality sectors, and are fully compliant with current EN requirements. For further information visit www.allegion.com/uk or contact the Customer Care Team on + 44 (0) 121 380 2400. fire & hazard protection

Sustainability

Portakabin announces more sustainability initiatives The Portakabin Group, the UK’s leading modular building specialist, has announced more sustainability commitments and initiatives to help its customers further reduce their carbon footprint.

aste streams from the manufacture of its modular buildings at its international production centre in York have been increased from 18 to 26 and now include: • Used vinyl flooring recycled for traffic cones and other plastic products • Take-back schemes for batteries, fluorescent bulbs, printer cartridges and new vinyl flooring offcuts • Waste streams for plastics increased from 3 to 5 and mastic tubes are now recycled • 5 metal waste streams for recycling different grades of steel, aluminium and copper • Waste from solvents is re-used as furnace fuel. The Group has invested £100,000 in a new high-tech saw machine which uses advanced technology to optimise material usage, further reducing waste. Derek Carter, Chief Executive of the Portakabin Group said, “Our objective of zero waste to landfill at our York factory was successfully achieved in 2013 – and since then we have won a number of awards for environmental excellence. However, we are firmly committed to continually raising the bar and achieving even more improvements to our waste management processes and sustainability performance. “Our teams across the business are constantly looking at new ways to increase recycling, reduce waste, further improve the recycled content of our products and the re-use of our buildings when they reach end of life.

sustainability

This is all outstanding work which gives our customers even greater confidence in the sustainability of our approach and in the reduced carbon footprint of all of our buildings.” Other new waste minimisation initiatives: • The Group’s 50 UK Hire and Visitor Centres now separate out paper and cardboard for recycling, and plasterboard on the larger sites. • Investment in specially-designed containers to hold and protect components for the modular manufacturing process. These ‘stillages’ are then sent back to suppliers for re-filling, removing the need for packaging. • The introduction of a new reporting structure to achieve further reductions in energy consumption and waste, and demonstrating the importance Portakabin places on leadership in this area. • Increased use of internal education programmes to continually raise awareness of waste management best practice among staff at every level. • An active Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme which instigates and promotes community recycling initiatives across the Group – such as collections for local clothes

banks and for the distribution of spectacles to developing countries; the donation of carpet tiles and furniture to local schools and libraries following an office refurbishment, and timber offcuts to help Portakabin volunteers transform an area of wasteland into an allotment for local children. • The extension of a programme to segregate and recycle six streams of office waste. This is now being rolled out across the whole of the York headquarters site, following successful trials. • Portakabin now has compactors for general waste and bailers at its York manufacturing centre to put cardboard, soft plastics, plastic bottles and plastic strapping into bails. This reduces transportation and carbon emissions by achieving higher tonnage with each truck movement. These latest initiatives follow a host of existing commitments, which include Portakabin sourcing its steel supplies locally. 79 per cent of the steel used in its modular manufacturing process continues to be supplied from within the UK, which is more sustainable, strongly supports British manufacturing, procures steel of the highest quality, and minimises the carbon footprint of Portakabin buildings. www.portakabin-group.co.uk

Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Sustainability

Five Tips: Cutting Energy Spend, Efficiently

hen it comes to improving your building’s efficiency, knowing where to start and how to maintain a successful, long-term programme can prove challenging given the array of systems and processes that impact energy use. Robust energy management is about striking a balance between business needs and operational effectiveness. This entails taking a holistic view at how energy is both consumed and purchased, and the resulting gains can be significant.

Here are five things to keep in mind as you look for savings beyond the lights: 1. View your building as an interconnected ecosystem that should run in sync Ballasts, bulbs and thermostats are just the tip of the spear. The building is an extensive collection of equipment that should all be working in concert. By viewing it as a living ecosystem, you’ll be better equipped to gather, analyse and act on data. You can then uncover connections between the building’s performance, comfort, safety and energy costs to make more informed adjustments in the future.

2. Understand your utility’s pricing structures and available incentives Utility pricing, tariff mechanisms and incentives for participating in programmes, such as the UK National Energy Efficiency Action Plan,that help solve transmission and distribution issues all present opportunities to trim your spend. Understanding how you pay for energy gives you the ability to develop and implement strategies for things like peak pricing, points in time that can make or break an energy management programme. Even if you’re using an outside consultant, stay informed and engaged.

Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

3. Establish your base and peak load benchmarks To better respond to external factors like utility pricing, take an inventory of your building equipment and establish a baseline of performance at all times of the day. Improving efficiency is all about determining how to manage a building’s base load and making adjustments when grid-wide energy use and costs peak. It’s not one or the other. With this insight, you can ensure your building is only using the amount of power necessary at specific times, helping to squeeze out as much energy savings as possible.

4. Don’t ignore the obvious when looking for improvements In your busy day-to-day life of managing a building, it’s easy to fall into a mode of responding to the most urgent needs and overlooking seemingly minor tweaks. However, what initially looks insignificant can potentially be a gold mine for energy savings. Take HVAC system alarms for example which are so routine they’re often ignored. These alarms, however, not only highlight a concern that needs near-term attention, but analysed in aggregate they can show patterns that indicate much larger issues and opportunities. Using technology to your advantage can ensure you don’t overlook the obvious. And now, cloud-based software like Honeywell Attune can help ease the burden of synthesising data generated by your building and accelerate the discovery process to provide smart, targeted recommendations for efficiency improvements.

Joan Vidal, Energy Solutions Development Leader at Honeywell Building Solutions 5. Assume energy efficiency opportunities are always available While it’s true that a newer building may not have as many savings opportunities as an older building – or one that’s been poorly managed – all buildings will display some level of degradation, and steps can be taken to mitigate or slow that process. It’s important to adopt the mindset that there are energy-efficiency opportunities in all buildings. For example, we’ve seen new buildings that weren’t properly commissioned from the outset. As a result, we uncovered significant efficiency opportunities, catching what was initially missed. Whether you’re managing a school campus or in charge of a hospital site, improving energy efficiency is likely an ongoing theme in your daily operations. Use these pieces of advice as a starting framework to give these efforts the necessary, holistic attention they deserve. However, also keep in mind that improving efficiency is more than just following a series of steps. It takes establishing a culture that believes there’s always a better way to do things – and a culture that is committed to uncovering the insights necessary to make those improvements. buildingsolutions.honeywell.com

sustainability

HVAC

Updated heating system improves efficiency at top performing school

ounded in 1991, Thomas Telford School in Telford, Shropshire has been singled out as a “remarkable school”, by Ofsted and as a “beacon of excellence”. The mixed ability school has consistently ranked as one of the top performing comprehensive schools in England and was first to achieve a GSCE pass rate of 100% A-C grades. With such high standards in terms of an educational environment, Thomas Telford naturally wanted to maintain these conditions when it came to the heating provided to both staff and students. As an existing 25 year old heating system was proving unreliable and often broke down, site manager Darren Crook enlisted the help of contractor McQueens M&E Ltd to provide an alternative. Darren said, “We wanted a like-for-like replacement that would improve efficiency and would ensure the comfort of students and staff throughout the school. A reliable, local company whose products could easily integrate with minimal disruption would be perfect.” McQueens M&E Ltd were happy to recommend Viessmann Vitocrossal commercial boilers for the school, as they were confident the standards and requirements of Thomas Telford would be met. Three 500 kW floor standing Vitocrossal 200 CM2 boilers were installed in the third storey plant room 32

hvac energy

to provide heat for the large site which includes; over 250 radiators, 9 science labs, 21 classrooms, 5 learning bases, 12 toilets, a hospitality suite, library and kitchen. The new 1.5 MW Viessmann system provides heating only for the school and has easily replaced the 70% efficient previous system, integrating seamlessly with 4 gas fired direct hot water heaters and existing BMS system. With improved efficiencies now up to 98%, the floor-standing boilers utilise the Inox-Crossal stainless steel heat exchanger to provide high operational reliability, leading to long service life. The stainless steel surface not only improves the performance of

the boiler, but creates a self cleaning effect, leading to lower maintenance. As a result of the new installation, Thomas Telford School is now saving 40% on it’s annual heating bill, equating to over £36,000 per year. This is mainly because of the advanced technology available in Viessmann boilers, including a modulation range from 33 to 100% and the MatriX radiant burner which ensures particularly quiet and economical operation. Darren Crook, site manager for Thomas Telford School commented, “We are extremely happy with the new heating system, which combines the best quality available with the best deal for the school.” www.viessmann.co.uk Building Building & Facilities & Facilities Management Management – July/August – January 2014 2016

Energy

Energys boiler management controls boost Devon schools’ economy drive

rom low-consumption lighting infrastructures to more acutely optimised heating systems, schools and colleges of higher education throughout the UK are beginning to reap the benefits of technologies designed to boost operational efficiencies and reduce energy bills. As a company with a variety of solutions in this area, Energys is wellplaced to observe this ongoing transition – and has a rapidly expanding portfolio of project credits to prove it. A recent installation at two related schools in Plymouth, Devon – namely Hyde Park Juniors and Hyde Park Infants – is a case-in-point. Occupying a site dating back to the Victoria era, the schools have lately been engaged in an economy drive that has also included the specification of solar panels and a change in energy service provider. During 2015 the schools’ attention was drawn to the possible contribution to be made by Energys’ boiler optimising technology, which is able to improve the efficiency of a boiler without affecting the temperature of the building. As bursar Stella Copping recalls: “Carl Challinor from the Primary Association of Plymouth Headteachers recommended Energys’ Dynamic Burner Management Units (DBMUs) to our team, and it soon became evident that this technology could play a fundamental role in helping us to reduce our energy consumption. The general ease of installation was another factor that made us keen to investigate an installation of this kind.” Implementation became even more attractive when the schools were made aware of a leasing arrangement to fund the project, available through Utility Rentals Ltd. This scheme enables educational establishments, council premises and Government departments to enjoy the benefits of this technology without incurring significant upfront costs. “This scheme made it possible for us to press ahead with a programme of work to bring Energys DBMUs to a total of four boilers on our site,” notes Ms Copping.

Minimum disruption Regarding the operating principles behind the DBMUs, Energys project and operations director Gavin Skipsey explains that they are “based on a technology that optimises the firing pattern of a boiler – thereby delivering gas/oil consumption savings by extending the cooling curve. Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

It has also been shown to greatly reduce dry cycling as a consequence.”

Payback in 2.5 years In the case of the Hyde Park schools, Energys estimates that the project’s supply and installation costs of £4400 will be recovered in approximately 2.5 years. An annual energy saving of 15% – equating to £1734 per year – is predicted by Energys, equating to a robust yearly CO2 reduction of 9.45 tonnes. “These forecasts are of course greatly encouraging as we continue to develop a programme that will reduce energy bills and carbon consumption across the board. This is very much an ongoing initiative for us, and one that is highly important to the future projection of the schools,” remarks Copping. But equally compelling in the preinstallation period was the assurance that Energys and Utility Rentals were able to provide about the non-invasive nature of the fit-out. The Energys DBMUs can be installed in as little as half-an-hour, and indeed the work at the Hyde Park schools was carried out during the course of a single half-day. “There was also the fact that the work could be undertaken while the boilers were live, so there was no need to take them offline for a period,” notes Ms Copping. “The result was an installation that entailed no disruption in the short-term, but which promises to deliver substantial benefits for our schools over the long-run.”

‘Well worth investigating’ The fact that the energy saving forecasts resulting from the DBMUs are so significant is further magnified by the knowledge that the schools’ boilers are actually relatively contemporary in design. It therefore follows that on premises with older, legacy systems, the reductions in energy expenditure can be even more dramatic – frequently as high as 30%. “Our experiences with the introduction of this technology over the past six months have been hugely positive, and I would consider any school looking to minimise their heating expenditure to investigate the possibility of installing boiler optimisers,” concludes Stella Copping. “And whereas modifying or replacing some other systems can be time-consuming and disruptive to daily school life, this was about as easy an upgrade project as you could imagine! I would also highlight the high standard of support offered by Energys throughout the project.” Final word goes to Gavin Skipsey, who remarks that the experience of the two Plymouth schools is “By no means uncommon as education providers become more highly informed about the role of boiler optimisation as part of a broader commitment to reducing their energy bills and carbon footprints.” www.energysgroup.com/ technologies/boiler-controls/ www.utility-rentals.co.uk/equipment/ energy-saving-technologies/boileroptimisers/ www.hydeparkjuniorschool.co.uk/ energy

Cleaning & Hygiene

Losing the ground war In the high-pressure environment of food service, lapses in hygiene make casualties of customers, reputations and even businesses. James White of Denis Rawlins Ltd focuses on a forgotten front in the war against food contamination where outdated methods abet the enemy.

afeguarding food safety is a constant battle, requiring consistently high standards in processing and storage, personal hygiene, staff training and supervision, and cleaning. One slip – not washing hands, undercooking food, failing to chill it properly, cross-contaminating cooked ingredients via a surface or knife used for raw meat – and the consequences for customers and the business can be catastrophic. So in the heat of the kitchen, it’s not surprising if the surface that staff stand on is not seen as a major risk. Yet the contaminants lurking beneath our feet can easily be transferred to hands and utensils. The risks from poorly cleaned floors are not so well appreciated. And this is where the battle against the ever-present threat of germs and pathogens can often be lost. Kitchens generate greasy soils that coat floor surfaces. In this warm and damp environment bacteria multiply, especially in crevices and grout lines between tiles. Workers’ footwear also tracks dirt and invisible microbes from other areas, including toilets and washrooms, into cleaned areas. So, whether floors look clean or not, they can end up harbouring a stomach-churning mix of microbes. Studies in the US and elsewhere have shown not only that floors can become reservoirs of health-threatening pathogens, but also how staff have many direct and indirect contact with floors every day. This could be tying a trailing shoe lace, picking up a dropped utensil, gathering an electrical cord from the floor, or lifting a carton of food that had been placed there. It’s estimated that 70% of all floors in 34

cleaning & hygiene

the UK are still mopped by hand, and that includes many kitchens as well as dining areas. The obvious problem with mopping is it spreads rather than removes soil. Even if cleaning solution and mop heads are changed frequently, mopping inevitably returns some of the soils to the floor. And a mop cannot be expected to dislodge dirt ingrained in crevices. This whole process – mopping with a degreaser or bleach, and then rinsing with ‘clean’ water – is as laborious and time-consuming as it is ineffective. Moreover, in this constant war against germs, mopping is effectively aiding and abetting the enemy. Hence the Denis Rawlins campaign to Chop the Mop.

In kitchens, or any environment where hygiene matters, cleaning has to remove soil, leaving a sanitised surface. For floors, this means dispensing fresh cleaning solution and recovering the liquid along with soils, by suction or squeegee. Whether this is achieved mechanically by a scrubber dryer or other machine, it’s also essential the floor is left virtually dry and thus safe to walk on. Food factories test work surfaces to check they’re not contaminated. We too advocate science-based cleaning, and have extended this to floors and touch points, including those in washrooms. Like the food industry, we use ATP meters to measure the universal Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Cleaning & Hygiene

(adenosine triphosphate) marker for animal, bacterial and mould cells. We test before and after cleaning to show how effective the process is. And we have researched the global market for cleaning equipment to identify the most hygienic and cost-effective methods. We were impressed by a comparatively low-tech cleaning system that achieves very high standards. As a supplier of wide range of cleaning equipment, we were struck by how this modular system could match more sophisticated, and expensive, technology. This was borne out by a threeway test by university scientists who compared manual microfibre mopping, a scrubber dryer and the OmniFlex™ system. Based on a patented trolley bucket, as components are added it can be configured to dispense and vac, spray and squeegee, or spray and vac. The tests involved a solution of Escherichia coli (the E. coli organism responsible for many food poisoning outbreaks) with ‘before’ and ‘after’ measurements using ATP monitors and bacteria plates. The microfibre mop at best removed less than 51% of the soil, but that dropped to 24% as the plates revealed how the mop dragged bacteria from dirty areas back into cleaner parts of the floor. By contrast, more than 99% of the bacteria were removed by the scrubber dryer. Significantly, the same standard was achieved by the AutoVac – which is the OmniFlex unit with a drop-down squeegee head. The Food Service Dispense and Vac uses the same technology as the AutoVac, is simple to use, even for kitchen or casual staff with minimal training. It has proven its effectiveness and productivity cleaning hard floors in the manufacturer Kaivac’s native US, becoming a staple floor cleaning machine in the food service sector. Studies show the Omniflex™ Dispense and Vac is 30-60 times more effective than a mop and bucket. At least one fast food chain halved its cleaning time while achieving superior cleaning results for no more than its annual spend on mops and buckets. Given our Chop the Mop mission this is compelling, as it means that food processors and outlets using traditional methods can save money while raising the standards of hygiene in their premises. www.rawlins.co.uk/omniflex/

Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Rendall & Rittner saves 477 tons of CO2 emissions with new eco partnership

esidential managing agent Rendall & Rittner has unveiled it will save an estimated 477 tons of CO2 emissions each year after partnering with ecological cleaning company, Delphis Eco – this equates to the same amount of CO2 needed to circumnavigate the world 330 times. The company that manages 44,000 units across London decided to change all its cleaning products to the plant-based cleaning solution. This reduced the number of different cleaning products staff used by 40%, which in turn reduced the company’s environmental impact in line with its sustainable policy. Directors at Rendall & Rittner switched to Delphis Eco’s award-winning product range that now has two Royal Warrants, after a successful pilot scheme at three of its developments. The use of the cleaners including multi-purpose cleaner, washroom cleaner and antibacterial sanitiser, are now being used at all its sites. Rendall & Rittner also took the bold step of mandating its supply chain to use the products, with one cleaning contractor saving £6,000 per year by converting to Delphis Eco. Cleaning staff and contractors are happy with the switch. During the trial programme 98% of those surveyed said they felt the new products were better or the same as the incumbent ones. It also proved that Rendall & Rittner could reduce its chemical spend and save its customers a total of £50,000 per year. Rendall & Rittner Director, Catherine Riva, comments: “We recognised that switching to the ecological cleaning products would work in-line with our sustainability policy. This project has enhanced our approach to sustainability, not just through our company but across our supply chain. We wanted to make our suppliers aware of the products and show them the benefits of going green. This successful partnership has shown that we can play a proactive role in managing sustainable developments by asking those we work with to follow our lead. “As committed and responsible agents we will always look for innovative ways to enhance our sustainability offering not only in terms of energy efficiency and savings, but also in relation to community engagement, support and improvement.” Delphis Eco’s uses rainwater during its production process and its

product ingredients, transportation and packaging are all positively impacting carbon footprint. For example, delivering a box of two, five litres of products compared to 55 boxes of six ready-touse trigger sprays results in a saving of 332 trigger bottles, 54 less deliveries and 331.84kgs of CO2 emissions. Mark Jankovich, CEO at Delphis Eco comments: “We are solely focused on green issues and when we were approached by Rendall & Rittner we knew that we could work with them to reduce the amount of products that they were using, save them money and decrease their CO2 emissions. “All of our products are shipped in concentrate form to reduce transport and carbon miles. But that’s the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sustainability! “This project with Rendall & Rittner is a great example of one company influencing their supply chain to make that green step change. It has forged the way for other FM companies to use ecological products and we would love to see more companies taking the lead.” Cleaning contractors Mara that works with Rendall & Rittner, has since also switched to using Delphis Eco products. Michael Foy, business development manager, adds: “Since the adoption of procuring and utilising Delphis Eco we have benefited financially and operationally, and in turn so have our clients. “Since the introduction of these sustainable products we have reduced our range without impacting quality or productivity. We have also observed various health benefits such as improved skin care and respiratory improvements in some of our cleaning operatives and we know that cleaning teams employed directly by our clients have seen the same.” www.delphiseco.com cleaning & hygiene

Special Feature

BIM takes protection to another level The growing use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) is becoming significant with central government requiring the use of it on all of its projects. Here, Bob Glendenning of SherwinWilliams Protective & Marine Coatings Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) tracks the relevance and benefits of BIM for protection of complex modern steel structures.

he level of protection afforded on any building where large numbers of people move about has to be proportionate to the structure. If this falls short, the time the protection provides for rescue services in the event of a real fire could be reduced and potentially the load bearing capacity of the steel breached much more quickly than anticipated, threatening the safe evacuation of people. Increased knowledge of how real buildings react in fire and of how real fires behave has led many authorities to acknowledge that improvements in fire safety may now be possible in many instances using the BIM process and technology. The essence of Buildings Information Modelling (BIM) is to support complex supply chains with a platform which helps collaboration, essentially enabling data sharing. On major projects such as those rising in our major cities, there can be

special feature

issues of logistics and handover of one phase to another, from concept, design, installation of products and application of fire protection. The principles of the BIM process bring together all the data associated with that project into one place. The UK Government’s requirement for Level 2 BIM on all central government projects means the construction industry wants to know which suppliers are BIM compliant. Indeed, the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) for steelwork contractors has provided detailed training to more than 100 of its members, and has launched the Steel Construction BIM Charter. This means that BCSA Member companies can now be certified as meeting the requirements of both PAS 91:2013 and PAS 1192-2:2013. The certification process requires companies to carry out an online assessment, which is then followed up by an onsite audit. Certified companies are provided with a comprehensive document summarising the company’s BIM capability, which they can then provide to the supply chain. The BCSA’s online directory means

clients and main contractors can see which companies have been assessed against the BIM Charter, with the Charter providing a simple way to pre-qualify steelwork contractors. Under BIM, an essential component addresses budgeting and cost estimating, known as 5D. This can be a valuable source of information to reach better estimates, reduce assumptions, and create a better dialogue early in a project. Ideally, BIM 5D is used either to link model elements to unit cost or assembly processes to produce an estimate. The BIM trend of collaboration and real-time input continues to bring efficiencies to cost controls and is creating a shift in input as data, and the ability to report from the field begins to replace input from the office. The transparency of those in the supply chain who follow the principles of BIM can help in making previously challenging projects financially sound, fitfor-purpose and more importantly - safe. Benefits in the process are apparent for main contractors, architects, structural engineers, steel fabricators and site inspectors. Being able to access a BIM model collaboratively allows much more efficiency and versatility, particularly on projects that have global players where

Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

Special Feature

project team members may reside in different geographies around the world. All can access the model over the internet including cloud sharing technology as well. At Sherwin-Williams, our own fire design estimation tool Firetex Design Estimator 2.0 - is offering a new calculated solution to the issues of fire engineering safety, and embraces BIM with an integrated tool allowing 3D modelling data to be directly linked into the software. This offers the capability of providing calculations for coatings thicknesses of all shapes and sizes of steel sections, fire engineering, and in the case of cellular beams, allows for any configuration of web apertures to be seamlessly designed and passed back into the model. We believe this software helps to eliminate any personal interpretations or assumptions. Many of the buildings currently being designed present difficulties further down the line in terms of fire protection design and this software supports the industry in keeping pace with advances in design and materials. For the steelwork fabricator, the approach under BIM means they can manage the whole process from concept to design through to delivery of materials on site including the off-site applied fire protection. The same principle could also be adopted for use with on-site applied fire protection, offering advantages to the main contractor and eventually to the owner/operator. Once the fire protection properties have been passed back into the BIM model, future interested stakeholders can access any of that information to manage many areas such as inspection and onward building fire maintenance as well as building insurers. Even fire and rescue services could create strategies using this data. Under the current Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, those responsible for commercial buildings including the employer, owner, or any

Building & Facilities Management â&#x20AC;&#x201C; July/August 2016

other person who has control of any part of the premises, must carry out a detailed fire risk assessment identifying the risks and hazards in the premises. The responsible person usually has to call in a fire engineer or qualified person to assess the risk and make calculations about fire engineering design depending on the type of building and the risk. Based on the findings of the assessment, employers need to ensure that adequate and appropriate fire safety measures are in place to minimise the risk of injury or loss of life in the event of a fire. Although fire deaths are falling, insurers are concerned at increasing fire losses, which are at the highest level ever experienced since records began, totalling around ÂŁ3.4 million per day across the UK. Designing structures in the ambient state with no consideration for the fire condition presents unacceptable risk. Our current industry procedures mean that this can easily happen and the burden of ensuring fire safe design, which may well include additional costly measures, is placed with either the wrong party or, in the worst case, missed altogether.

Bob Glendenning is the Global Fire Engineering Manager, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA). For more information contact Sherwin-Williams, Tel: 01204 521 771 or visit http://sherwin-williams. com/protectiveEMEA The danger in cutting corners is that the fire safety measures will be compromised. We believe the responsibility in modern building design should lie with the designer up to handover of the building and then, with full knowledge of all fire safety requirements, it becomes the responsibility of the owner-manager. Using modern fire protection design as part of BIM can play a major part in delivering a safe, cost-effective project which meets the expectations and agreements made by all parties at the outset.

special feature

Portable & Modular Buildings

‘ Phenomenal’ four-day response from Portakabin provides classrooms for 480 Edinburgh children When the Royal High School of Edinburgh had to be closed for urgent remedial building works, Portakabin, the UK’s leading modular building specialist, responded with 16 classrooms to enable 480 children to resume their studies – and in just four days from the initial enquiry.

he local Portakabin Hire Centre team in Edinburgh provided the exceptionally fast response – sourcing 16 buildings for high quality classrooms, transporting each building to the school, and putting in place external power connections to generators, emergency lighting, fire alarms and extinguishers, and access steps and ramps. The Portakabin building solution allowed the school to re-open and most importantly, with all children at Royal High School on their original site. This avoided the need for any displacement which would have been very disruptive to the running of the school and the children’s education. Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council said, “I am delighted that Portakabin was able to meet our requirements at such short notice, particularly given the scale of the project – getting 16 buildings ready for the pupils in just four days is no mean feat!” “It was great to see such collaboration, commitment and focus on the urgency of the project to ensure the school could re-open so quickly. We have received only positive feedback from the school about the quality of the classrooms and could not have asked for a better service.” Pauline Walker, Head Teacher at the Royal High School said, “We cannot believe what was achieved in the timescale. The experience has completely changed our perception of interim modular buildings. The quality 38

portable & modular buildings

of the classrooms far exceeded our expectations and the teaching facilities are completely different to the temporary accommodation we had to endure as children.” “The site team could not have done more to get our school up and running again. Portakabin was on site within half an hour of the initial call and their performance was exceptional. We also have the impression that their team really enjoys a challenge!” She added, “Being able to have all the children in one location has made a huge difference to the running of the school. This is a really good solution which has delivered robust, comfortable and secure classrooms. We would definitely recommend the approach to other schools in a similar situation.” Portakabin has delivered a further project for the City of Edinburgh Council while remediation works and quality checks are completed at Gracemount High School. Eight buildings were installed over a weekend to provide welfare and classroom facilities for 260 children. In the event of any urgent situation, such as fire, power failure, flooding or the discovery of asbestos,

Portakabin can assist with: • The rapid delivery of buildings to an organisation’s site from its national hire fleet. This allows core operations to be up and running again very quickly. • A bespoke, longer-term accommodation solution developed to an organisation’s exact specifications if the original building has been so severely damaged that it will be out of use for a number of months. • Contingency planning – the preparation of up-to-date disaster recovery plans, which can cut an emergency response programme by up to two weeks. For further information about interim modular buildings for urgent applications, visit www.portakabin.co.uk, email information@portakabin.co.uk or call 0845 401 0010. Building & Facilities Management – July/August 2016

To receive regular copies please complete and return or register online at www.bfmmagazine.co.uk

building & facilities management The Public Sector FM Magazine

Name:

.......................................................................................................................................

Job Title: ...................................................................................................................................... Organisation: ............................................................................................................................... Address: ...................................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................................... Postcode:...................................................................................................................................... Email: (for digital copies) .............................................................................................................. Telephone: .................................................................................................................................... Date:

.......................................................................................................................................

Signed: .......................................................................................................................................

r Please register me for a free DIGITAL copy of Building & Facilities Management. (To be sent via email)

17 Whitley Close, Irthlingborough, Northants, NN9 5GN. www.bfmmagazine.co.uk www.abbeypublishing.co.uk Tel: 01933 316931 Email: mail@abbeypublishing.co.uk