9 minute read
Fire & Hazard Protection
Fire & Hazard Protection Cori-Seal® Systems highlights the hidden fire safety dangers within schools and commercial buildings
Cori-Seal® is an innovative new solution for missing smoke stoppers within existing schools and buildings that have trapezoidal perforated decks or beams within its structure. Due to recent growing concern regarding fire safety within the built environment, CoriSeal® Systems Ltd have developed Cori-Seal® to help protect existing buildings.
It has been quoted that out of a 1000 schools inspected by Zurich Municipals, 2/3 or 66% of these schools where rated as ‘poor’ for fixed fire products such as sprinklers. In recent times Firefighters have been called out to 2000 school fires in the last three years, which is a staggering 40 per month*. Both go to prove that fire safety within existing schools is critical and needs to be urgently reviewed and re-addressed.
One reason that Cori-Seal® was developed is due to parent company Thameside Fire Stopping Ltd discovering that many buildings do not have smoke stoppers fitted into their decking (see image 1). With smoke stoppers not being fitted into the roof it will affect the means of escape and allow smoke to travel into emergency escape routes. Smoke stoppers cannot be retro fitted without major upheaval and costs, so there is no alternative for a complete seal to combat this hidden danger. Cori-Seal® is the perfect answer, it is easy to apply in most cases and is simple to use. It works by applying a patented material over the trapezoidal perforated decks to block smoke travelling into the escape routes (see image 2). The patented solution is fire tested and has been proven to work at 600°C for 30 minutes.
With many schools and commercial buildings lacking compliance products to aid means of escape during a fire, it can be seen that CoriSeal® is the ideal solution. For more information: Website: www.cori-seal.co.uk Email: info@cori-seal.co.uk Enquiries: 01634 713535
*Pre-Covid and lockdown figures.
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Fire & Hazard Protection
IS YOUR FLAT ROOF ESTATE... AN ASSET OR A LIABILITY?
The Government’s response to the Naylor Review acknowledged the importance of the collection of data to support strategic estate planning and stated:
reducing backlog maintenance not only provides a safer and higher quality estate but reduces running costs in the longer term.
A roof is a significant ‘out-of-sight’ asset and when its condition is unknown, often issues can develop over time.
Easily accessible data is a crucial element in managing any estate. Without reliable data, any long-term strategic approach is unattainable and the management of the estate budget is rendered a purely reactive one. Langley provides a long-term approach by creating a full asset management plan for your flat roof estate by carrying out a comprehensive roof condition survey. The data gathered then supports preventative planning and cost-effective budget management, this is achieved by minimising the risk of sudden unexpected remedial expenditure. If work is required immediately, we are a trusted single-source of responsibility and handle every aspect of your project, from initial consultations and design, right through to final installation, after sales care and maintenance - for peace of mind.
We provide systems that are durable, guaranteed, safe and fully compliant with Building Regulations.
BOOK YOUR FREE ROOF CONDITION SURVEY TODAY
W: www.langley.co.uk E: enquiries@langley.co.uk T: 01327 704778
SUITABLE FOR ALL SECTORS DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER HERE
HOW TO ENSURE A ROBUST AND SAFE FLAT ROOF SYSTEM SPECIFICATION
The White Paper, supported by Zurich, covers: Regulations, Broof(t4) classification, fire performance materials, the risk of Fire & Hazard Protectionnon-compliance and specifying the correct system. 11
Fire & Hazard Protection
ROCKWOOL® unveils Interactive City for easier specification and product visualisation
The virtual 3D cityscape aims to inspire design, save time and lead to faster decision making
ROCKWOOL has further enhanced its range of resources for specifiers, contractors and building owners with the launch of the ROCKWOOL Interactive City, a 3D environment that makes visualising, specifying and learning about its non-combustible stone wool insulation easier.
Intuitively designed using cutting-edge augmented reality, the ROCKWOOL Interactive City allows users to explore its solutions across the whole of the built environment from housing and offices, to transport hubs and education in a single simulated space. Through features like zoom, 360º views and panable application build-ups, the city provides a virtual ‘handson’ experience when it’s not possible to touch, see or hear products in practice. Featuring a wide variety of applications, the tool can also be used to explore the versatility of ROCKWOOL’s solutions, understanding where its non-combustible products can enhance thermal, acoustic or fire performance in places users might not expect.
As well as saving specifiers’ time and aiding building design, these capabilities lead to smoother, faster decision making and a more collaborative process for project stakeholders.
“The Interactive City takes product specification to the next level,” said Paul Barrett, Head of Product Management at ROCKWOOL. “As the whole of the built environment is covered, you can quickly and easily find out how to achieve any desired outcome with our stone wool insulation, whether that’s improved patient experience, increased student attainment, or a safer, warmer and quieter home.
“It’s also been created for complete flexibility. You can either browse the city or jump straight to the area or building you need, delving into substrate build-ups and system designs.” The ROCKWOOL Interactive City has also been developed to help achieve the all-important golden thread of construction data. Each 3D application provides a complete package of suitable ROCKWOOL solutions, with quick links to product documentation, installation guides and BIM objects that can be downloaded for use offline or integrated into construction modelling software.
The ROCKWOOL Interactive City can be found at www. rockwool.com/uk/interactive-city
Can video tech ensure safety when staff return to the office?
Nigel Dunn, Managing Director, Jabra EMEA North Teams are collaborating more. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have seen video collaboration become the norm. While it certainly has its challenges, people now expect professional video conferencing solutions to make global collaboration as easy and seamless as possible. Video is here to stay. With a large number of staff set to return to the office in the coming weeks and months, having the right technology in place to deliver exceptional user experience for video conferencing has never been more important.
When it comes to AV solutions for the traditional office meeting room, facilities managers are often forced to choose between outstanding audio and high-definition video. Of course, there is also a new consideration. The solutions chosen should help employees follow safety protocols laid out by the new policies that will be introduced when staff return. Ensuring people social distance, don’t overcrowd meeting rooms, and use spaces responsibly will be hard to guarantee. What many facilities managers are crying out for is technology that addresses all these challenges; something which offers a plug and play solution, delivering the most immersive and engaging video experience available on the market today that also helps manage staff safety. Insight driven behaviour
Of course, safety has always been a concern of responsible facilities managers, but never has it been in the spotlight more than now. Implementing the right technology might just be the most efficient way to help facilities managers keep the office safe.
New AV conferencing solutions like Jabra’s PanaCast 50 delivers an independent always-180° data stream which provides anonymous people count meta-data as realtime numerical information. The PanaCast 50’s unique 180° field-of-view achieves 100% coverage of a meeting room and provides the best opportunity to count everybody within that room in real time. This information is anonymous as the device simply counts people; it doesn’t “recognise them”, ensuring privacy of your staff.
A feature like this enables the system to compare its head-count with a defined room capacity limit number to determine if the room is over such capacity. If the number of people exceeds this limit, the technology will provide visual and audio cues to the individuals present, enabling them to make good decisions for their safety and wellbeing. This means that anyone present in the room gets instant, real-time notifications when local and office guidelines are exceeded. By using this feature you can even get anonymous room occupancy data via email alerts to ensure local safety guidelines are being followed. This is clearly a major win for facilities managers as they can rest assured that they do not have to constantly “police” meeting room capacity across the entire building.
Additionally, through the network interface, longer-term analytics data is available for IT administrators and office managers, enabling them to make data-driven decisions about how they’re utilising their meeting spaces. In our new world, facilities managers must have an overview of how many rooms are being used, even when there is no active
meeting, to help them inform decisions on office space and staff safety going forward. Improving the office experience
Clearly, the role and challenges of facilities managers have changed since the start of the pandemic. As discussed, ensuring the safety of staff is now a key concern for facilities managers across the country ahead of the return of workers. But, some of the challenges remain the same, such as optimising the use of all office space, improving the office experience for workers and selecting, and maintaining the best technology possible for staff. People have managed at home. To get people wanting to return to the office, a strong case must be made. Technology is one such example where staff may get a better experience when in the office.
New-normal-ready intelligent technology should be at the forefront of facilities managers’ minds. One of the big issues people have found with video conferencing at home is that the sound and video quality is often very poor. Even before the work from home revolution, poor audio and video in conference rooms affected the quality and productivity of meetings. Staff need a solution that combines the best of all worlds, with industry-leading professional audio and innovative 180° video, to solve all of their meeting communication issues. By implementing a solution that is superior to working from home, the office and covid-safe meeting rooms will become the location of choice for video conferencing.
Additionally, technology should make facilities managers’ lives better. It is easy to assume that cutting edge tech might not be user friendly and will lead to multiple maintenance and IT issues. Cast your mind back to 2019… How much time did you spend on issues with meeting room hardware? Newnormal-ready intelligent video bar solutions should be plug and play and once installed, it must be even easier to maintain. Innovation in 2021
The new normal requires new technology. In a world where we’re more physically separated than ever, facilities managers play a huge role in helping businesses achieve great audio and great video for meetings in the office. But, perhaps more importantly, facilities managers need to find smart ways of making offices and collaboration spaces safer for everyone who uses them. By deploying new normal ready tech in covid-safe offices, facilities managers will help people safely collaborate both in person and remotely, sooner rather than later.
Jabra PanaCast 50: Available from 15th June 2021 in Black and Grey.
