BFM June 2016

JUNE 2016 www.bfmmagazine.co.uk building & facilities facilities management management

FIRE & HAZARD PROTECTION | INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS | ROOFING

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020 8813 4895 bfm@vivreau.com www.vivreau.com INSIDE:

SELF-POWERED WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY ADDS FLEXIBILITY TO BUILDING LAYOUTS – PAGE 26

On the cover: Vivreau – The Drinking Water Pioneers June 2016

BFM Team Business Development Director

James Scrivens james@abbeypublishing.co.uk

See page 16 for more details. www.vivreau.com

Contents

Creative Director

Sarah Daviner sarah@abbeypublishing.co.uk Accounts Manager

Katie Brehm accounts@abbeypublishing.co.uk Print

SAXO PRINT

News

Workplace Planning & Design

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Electrical Firm Named Which?

Trusted Trader Of The Year

Energy

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Hanwell technology chosen by The National Trust to protect Britain’s industrial heritage

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High Street food outlet toilet problem solved with Space to Change

Health & Safety

32 Building & Refurbishment

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Portakabin emergency response team provides new school for 650 children following Cumbria floods

Taking a stand for public health – Bulk soap is a proven risk

Lighting

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New easy-install LEDS from Aura Light

Security & Access Control 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

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Roofing

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.

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

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State-of-the-art CCTV is dramatically cutting construction security budgets

Roof-Pro Delivers Roof Access Systems for Royal Derby Hospital

Intelligent Buildings

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First Smart Urban Centre in Shanghai Integrates Siemens Smart Building Management System

Fire & Hazard Protection

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Controlling False Fire Alarms in Care Homes with AlarmCalm

Corporate Partners:

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

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News

Electrical Firm Named Which?

Trusted Trader Of The Year ECA member and ELECSA registrant Electricians in Reading Ltd wins prestigious award

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ne of the leading electrical firms in the south of England, ‘Electricians in Reading Ltd’, has been named ‘Which?

Trusted Trader of the Year 2016’.

Based in Reading, Berkshire, Electricians in Reading provides a range of services to commercial and domestic clients. The firm, which was founded in 2012, is both an Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) member, and an ELECSA registrant.

On hearing his company had won the award, Managing Director Chris Gordon commented: “This is fantastic news. Electricians in Reading worked very hard to get to the Which? Awards and are we are delighted to have won this prestigious industry accolade.”

South Central Deputy Regional Manager Phip Woodhatch of the ECA added: “We are delighted that ECA member-firm ‘Electricians in Reading’ have been recognised by Which? for their high quality work and service.

“The success of Electricians in Reading is a testament to the levels of technical capability, professionalism and expertise offered by ECA members to their clients.”

Emma Clancy, CEO of Certsure, which operates the ELECSA and NICEIC brands, commented: “The ELECSA and Which? Trusted Trader logos provide consumers with the added peace of mind that they are hiring a qualified professional they can trust. Choosing a registered electrical contractor is always a householder’s best option and we are pleased to see Electricians in Reading pick up this prestigious award.”

Paul Smith, managing director for

Which? Trusted Traders, said: “It’s great to see a Which? Trusted Trader like Electricians in Reading Ltd recognised for the importance they place on putting customers at the heart of their business.”

Last year Electricians in Reading was shortlisted for the Which?

Trusted Trader award, and the firm has also been named ‘Which? Trusted Trader of the Month’ twice.

For more information – please visit www.eca.co.uk

HWM unveils new corporate identity Evolution into multi-utility company prompts rebrand

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WM has unveiled a new corporate identity to reflect its evolution into a multi-utility monitoring and telemetry company.

HWM’s primary focus for more than 30 years has been clean water and network distribution system monitoring.

But in recent years the company has expanded into new sectors such as gas, water and electricity meter consumption; gas network monitoring; and sewer, river and flood monitoring.

Explaining the reasons behind the company rebrand, Director of Sales and Business Development Mike Tennant said: “The rebrand gives a clear identity to each of our business sectors and is designed to make it easier for multi-industry customers to find solutions for their applications.”

HWM’s new website streamlines 4

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the company’s product range into five groups: water networks, wastewater, gas networks, AMR and facilities. The website can be found at www.hwmglobal.com.

HWM’s customers include major UK utility providers and facilities managers.

The company is a framework supplier for most UK water companies and many commercial organisations.

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

News

Siemens provides first European data centre with unique 3D visualisation DCIM platform

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ofely Services’ Agility data centre is located in the south of Belgium and serves both in-house GDF SUEZ Group clients and external customers with an independent ICT infrastructure.

The centre is the first in Europe to offer Datacenter Clarity LC with 3D visualisation, which offers a virtual tour through the data centre infrastructure while managing and monitoring remotely. The unique, flexible 3D visualisation adds transparency to the data centre infrastructure resulting in accessible reporting, optimised operations, smarter decision, higher flexibility and future-proof architecture.

Datacenter Clarity LC is an advanced software solution that delivers Data Centre Infrastructure Management (DCIM) and guarantees a scalable, secure, seamless, resilient and intelligent data centre. It monitors and evaluates the performance of a data centre but also, and most importantly, bridges the gap between the two distinct areas of IT and facilities management. As a result, the creation of a systematic and automated workplace mitigates the risk of human error for a businesscritical resource such as a data centre.

As data centres need to consume significant amounts of energy, Cofely Services decided to focus on largescale sustainability. One of the basic requirements for the Agility Centre Cofely was a DCIM platform that would provide a comprehensive overview of all assets. Datacenter Clarity LC optimises energy consumption thereby facilitating the cost effective operations that the Agility data centre required.

Alexandre Gera, Data Centre Manager for Cofely Services in Belgium and its Agility Data Centre, describes their decision making process: “We definitely needed a software tool that could monitor, manage, and measure our data centre performance, usage, and energy consumption in relation to our building management system (BMS). As such, the platform also had to be configured for power usage effectiveness (PUE) as well as water and carbon usage effectiveness (WUE and CUE).

“By delivering a guaranteed level of efficiency, it qualified as a ‘green’ data centre. We did not plan on a standard platform, but we really needed a very flexible and high-performance DCIM that could handle multiple features in 6

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order to ‘tour’ through the data storage. It had to provide an overview of all assets, like usage parameters, capacity numbers and energy consumption.

“Siemens offered us the Datacenter Clarity LC software tool with a complete package of features, which were flexible enough to be evaluated and modified during the rollout of the project. It also allowed us to insert additional features like a ticketing module or a maintenance tool at any stage,” explains Alexandre.

Siemens designed the solution and architecture of the Datacenter Clarity LC platform, installed and deployed it, and arranged the integration with the existing building management system used by Cofely Services. “Datacenter Clarity LC at our Agility Data Centre is the key to any facility information, whether it concerns our own data or that of our clients,” Alexandre continues.

“It offers all information and knowledge related to the IT assets and the technical infrastructure and can be tracked daily. Clients can rely on a high-end environment for their IT infrastructure, and the overall view is managed and monitored with only one dedicated software tool. We are

the first in Europe to offer a DCIM platform with 3D visualisation.”

Agility Centre Cofely exemplifies the movement towards green computing and energy efficiency. Alexandre Gera confirms: “Our Agility data centre is a Tier III+ with an excellent PUE score. This is a key metric that compares energy use for the overall facility to that of the IT equipment. An ideal metric would be a 1.0 score, where all energy is used for IT equipment and there is no additional waste. A typical data centre’s PUE is 2.0.

Cofely Services has designed and met its target of PUE 1.3, which represents a strong performance for a Tier III+ data centre requiring high resilience and redundancies.” www.siemens.com/ buildingtechnologies

ARCA joins Build UK

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RCA, the UK’s leading association representing asbestos removal contractors, is pleased to announce membership of Build UK. The Association, which represents the interests of over 350 asbestos removal contractors and associated businesses, has attained membership with a view of working closely with Build UK. ARCA, dedicated to promoting safety and professionalism throughout the licensed asbestos removal industry, will work with Build UK to promote safe and effective management of asbestos across the construction industry.

“Health and safety of the workforce and also the public is critical during the removal of asbestos, a Category 1 carcinogen,” commented Steve Sadley, Chief Executive of ARCA. “At ARCA we are committed to promoting safety and professionalism throughout the licensed asbestos

removal industry, so we welcome the opportunity to work with other leading construction trades to ensure asbestos is properly managed throughout the extensive construction industry.”

“We are delighted to welcome ARCA into Build UK membership. We look forward to working with them to promote one training standard for asbestos removal and in doing so support the decision of the Construction Leadership Council for the industry to show consistency in qualifications and recognise card schemes carrying the CSCS logo,” stated Suzannah Nichol MBE, Chief Executive of Build UK. www.arca.org.uk Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

When working at height, your life depends on the quality of your safety gear. Whether you’re inspecting a new installation or maintaining a high rise. That’s why Arco products go through a strict 5 Stage Product Assurance Process.

And why we’re the only safety distributor to have a UKAS accredited testing lab. Because when lives are at stake, there’s no room for doubt.

arco.co.uk/productassurance

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New team members reflect Sto’s increasing success in the UK

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he appointment of two highly experienced recruits to the Sto UK technical sales team has underlined the increasing popularity of the company’s range of external wall insulation, rainscreen cladding and façade render products. Brendan Culleton and Melanie Hayman will expand Sto’s presence in the UK marketplace, and increase the level of support which the company supplies to architects, contractors, developers and applicators.

“We have been steadily strengthening our position in the UK market and our products are being specified for more and more high-profile projects,” says Regional Sales Manager, Mark Dawling.

“Adding Brendan and Melanie to the team will help increase Sto’s presence in the market whilst making it even easier for Architects to specify Sto

systems, and customers to access our products and services.”

Brendan Culleton brings a wealth of experience to his new position as Key Account Manager. Having previously worked within senior sales roles in the construction industry, specifically within the main contractor arena, Brendan will operate on a national basis developing Sto’s profile within the UK’s major construction groups.

Melanie is appointed to the role of Technical Consultant and will work throughout the London and Home Counties region. With over 10 years of technical sales experience within the construction industry, Melanie will be working with applicators, architects and specifiers, demonstrating Sto’s leading position in

Sto UK had added two highly experienced recruits to its technical sales team. Brendan Culleton (left) and Melanie Hayman will increase the level of support which the company supplies to architects, contractors, developers and applicators.

the market, providing technical and sales support to assist them in successfully tendering for Sto-specified projects.

To find out more about Sto, please visit www.sto.co.uk, or call 0141 892 8000.

Family run FM firm launches food division with purpose

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Bristol headquartered total Facilities Management company is celebrating the launch of its new business division.

Family run Almeda Facilities Ltd has launched Food with Passion (FWP) – a new initiative and concept that is set to lead the way in changing perceptions around food and sustainability.

This first-of-its-kind service offered by a FM company looks to represent genuine positive change by valuing local, organic, nutritious and ethically sourced produce above everything else.

Food with Passion aims to be the leading authority on food based health and wellbeing in the UK. Its vision is to deliver ethical health and wellbeing, ensuring that the general population make better food choices and are ultimately happier and healthier.

Food with Passion is in the ‘feel good business’ and looks to enable spaces, places and people to be well, healthy and sustainable, offering individuals a new and happy lease of life.

It also gives organisations the opportunity to re-invigorate their on-site staff restaurants and food areas.

International building materials company Hanson UK has already engaged Almeda to completely renovate its inhouse restaurant, with the family-run

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firm not just building the space but also providing and cooking the food.

As part of the process, Almeda surveyed staff on the types of food they wanted and created a menu around this which is rich in vitamins, minerals and iron.

Gordon Cox, who has been brought in to head up Food with Passion, comments: “What we’ve launched isn’t just another catering division that has been bolted on to a facilities management offering. FWP is simply about the desire to do the right thing.

“It takes the collaborative efforts of many who share a conviction to change an industry through educated and heartfelt decisions that bring about meaningful transformation. It’s about being ethical, sustainable and responsible, supporting local food suppliers and minimising our impact on the planet.”

Brady George, who is MD at Almeda, comments: “Food with Passion expands beyond the remit of the foodservice and

catering market. It is a platform for good where people and the planet are at the heart of everything that it does. Local, ethical and sustainable food is not always the easy option, but it is the correct option, and we have a responsibility to our children and our planet.

“We want to lead the way in this sector, creating a revolution that supports organic and ethical practices while tasting absolutely delicious and inspiring imagination. It’s about proving that doing the right thing doesn’t have to impinge a businesses’ growth and is, as a matter of fact, of immense benefit to everyone in the long-term.” www.almeda.co.uk Building & Facilities Management – June 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

iDaC Solutions Allegion announces new Ltd achieves Area Sales Manager ISO 9001 A

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handlers Ford based Specialist Cable Distributor, iDaC Solutions Ltd has achieved the internationally recognised standard ISO9001, establishing it as one of the leaders in its field.

This independent assessment was conducted by the leading Certification Body, the British Assessment Bureau and demonstrates iDaC Solutions commitment to customer service and quality in delivery. iDaC Solutions Ltd has now earned the right to display the coveted British Assessment Bureau ISO 9001 certification mark to demonstrate its conformance to the standard.

ISO 9001 was first introduced in 1987 and requires organisations to demonstrate that they do what they say they do and that they have a quality management system in place to ensure consistency and improvement; leading to high levels of performance and customer satisfaction. Certified organisations are committed to continuous improvement and are assessed annually to ensure progress is being maintained. iDaC Solutions Ltd has shown that it has good service reliability and process controls which means lower costs for its customers!

The benefits of registration to the ISO9001 standard include:• Streamlining an organisation’s procedures.

• Bringing consistency to an organisation’s service delivery.

• Reducing cost and rework.

• Improving an organisation’s management practices.

• Enhanced status.

• Competitive advantage. iDaC Solutions quality ethos also extends to the cabling systems it supplies.

By partnering with industry leading cable manufacturers, such as Swiss-based Datwyler (est. 1915), iDaCs provide a high quality cabling infrastructure with superior performance and unrivalled reliability; to support customers’ critical business applications. With the drive to integrate a variety of services utilising the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT), the reliability of the infrastructure supporting it has become even more important. Cost savings derived from PoE lighting and security systems, as well as other integrated building management systems, and of course the general business communications will all depend even more on the quality of the network cabling system installed. www.idacs.uk.com 10

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llegion, specialist safety and security manufacturer, has appointed a new area sales manager to join its sales team to deliver superior customer experience to customers in the UK hospitality sector.

Trevor Ball joins Allegion in this role and will oversee sales efforts in the southern UK. He will be responsible for raising awareness of Allegion’s CISA eSIGNO and eGO brands, as well as increasing sales of Allegion’s growing portfolio of hotel locking systems.

Ball joins Allegion from ESP Leisure Ltd, where he looked after business development and sales to the hospitality and leisure sector; prior to this, he worked within the golf and leisure industry.

The hospitality and leisure sectors are two of Allegion’s key markets, and Ball’s experience within both of these sectors allows him to bring new, invaluable skills and knowledge to the role.

At Allegion, Ball will be working closely

with independent hotels, small and large hotel groups and hotel management companies to provide a bespoke, innovative security technology solution that fits their specific requirements.

The CISA eSIGNO and CISA eGO product ranges combine superior Italian design with practical features and technology that integrate with the day-to-day running of modern hotels. The extensive portfolio includes hotel locking systems, contactless locks, electronic cylinders, energy savers, safes and mini bars.

For more information on Allegion’s CISA hotel locking systems, visit www.cisahotels.com.

Money-saving maintenance service

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ump specialist, Dura Pump, has launched its new maintenance service, Proserv, to support its customers and provide reliable solutions in the long term with tailored, regular maintenance plans, to save customers hundreds of pounds in unexpected repair costs.

John Calder, Technical Director at Dura Pump, explains: “The frequency of maintenance depends on the demands and loads of a system, and how critical its application is. Yet it is always a good idea to have regular maintenance carried out so if any repairs or renewals are required, your maintenance team has the knowledge and understanding of your system to do it with minimum downtime.

“We have worked with a retail park that had spent over £140,000 in 18 months maintaining and servicing pumps before properly reviewing them. Our team rebuilt the eight pump stations and included remote monitoring enabling them to be proactive. The customer now spends only £17,500 per annum on maintenance and has experienced no pump failures. Combined with regular service visits, our engineers obviated the

problems which otherwise would have caused serious damage to the pumps.”

Dura Pump advises that good maintenance increases the lifetime of the pump system, reduces energy consumption, saves money and increases the safety of any system. Proserv provides customers with proactive pump maintenance and offers a variety of different service levels which can be tailored to suit individual business needs.

The service is delivered by engineering experts who care about providing reliable solutions for the long term.

To find out more about the tailored service visit www.durapump.co.uk/proserv or call the office on 01604 648 800.

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

Q. Is it a smoke vent or is it roof access?

A. Yes. Don’t forget that Bilco CE-marked smoke vents can also be used for access onto a flat roof, eliminating the need for additional roof penetration.

Just add a fixed vertical ladder to the side of the vent (opposite the actuator), and your smoke vent becomes dual purpose.

• Saves space on the roof • Motorised operation for access • Reduces cost of having separate access hatch

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

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Spectrum Industrial Further Strengthens Sales Team

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pectrum Industrial, the leading UK supplier of signs and safety products, has further strengthened its sales team with the appointment of Abi Piper as Sales Manager for

London and the South East.

With over 12 years’ experience and comprehensive knowledge within and of the construction industry, Abi joins Spectrum from Brady/Scafftag, where she worked on a variety of national accounts, developing tailored solutions for her customers. In addition, Abi is on the committee of the London Health & Safety Group. As Sales Manager for London and the South East, Abi will be responsible for sales of Spectrum’s entire product and service portfolio within the region.

“I am excited to building upon Spectrum’s already excellent reputation and I am very pleased to have been given this opportunity to help raise the company’s profile

further within my region,” Abi said.

Peter Stone, Sales and Marketing Director said, “We are delighted that Abi has decided to join us as we know her extensive experience and knowledge of the industry, especially within the construction sector, will hugely benefit the company.

“Spectrum Industrial continues to go from strength to strength and we’re confident Abi will become an integral member of the team as we move forward.”

More information on Spectrum’s range of signs, lockout tagout, tagging systems and other services can be found in the Spectrum Industrial catalogue, via the website at www.spectrum-industrial.co.uk or by calling 01302 800222.

Precision Pneumatics celebrates 25 Years as Atlas Copco Premier Distributor

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recision Pneumatics, based in Knowsley, Liverpool, is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a Premier Distributor for Atlas Copco Compressors.

According to managing director Phil Hood: “Our continued success is the result of offering quality products combined with the exceptional customer service and support provided by our highly experienced and dedicated team.”

As the result of these endeavours, the business has enjoyed a history of continual growth and for most of its quarter century has been among the top three performers within Atlas Copco Compressors’ nationwide distributor network.

The company was originally established in 1991 by Phil Hood, Julie Prescott and John Bevan (now retired) who between them have over 68 years’ experience in the compressed air and pneumatics industry. The company has been an Atlas Copco Premier Distributor ever since its inception, and its sales territory covers Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and North Wales.

Authorised to undertake surveys and the design, supply and installation of Atlas Copco compressors and compressed air equipment, Precision Pneumatics offers products from Atlas Copco’s industrial compressor range including fixed speed 12

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oil-injected rotary screw compressors, from the GX and GA ranges, and oil injected VSD compressors up to 315kW. The distributor also offers Class Zero rated oil-free scroll compressors up to 22kW, quality air accessories such as dryers and inline filters, and was among the first Atlas Copco suppliers nationwide to introduce the revolutionary GHS VSD+ rotary screw vacuum pumps.

The company has undergone much change over its past 25 years. As cofounder and director, Julie Prescott observes: “Phil and I have come a long way since we started the business operation with an office that comprised just two deck chairs and a crate for a desk! For a little while there was no phone service connected, so our very first order was placed from the public phone box around the corner.”

Since then, Precision Pneumatics has continued to grow as a business and in 2000 acquired Wearside Pneumatics, who are also an Atlas Copco distributor.

In 2002, the company moved into a purpose-built 12,500 sq ft factory, and now employs 23 people at its branch in

Liverpool − and is actively recruiting more − plus a further eight at its Wearside Pneumatics operation in the North East.

Recognising this milestone anniversary achievement, Atlas Copco Compressors’ Industrial Air business line manager, Paul Clark commented: “Precision Pneumatics’ years of continued growth and sales success stems from their highly skilled team, whose primary focus is improving their customers’ efficiency and productivity. This has helped them to achieve results with our compressor solutions, which provide improved performance, equipment reliability and energy efficiency, as well as offering genuine 24 hour service and tailored maintenance plans.” www.atlascopco.co.uk/ compressorsuk.

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

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Johnstone’s Trade Shines Spotlight On Decorators Johnstone’s Trade has once again recognised the incredible work of the UK and Ireland’s decorating professionals at its 33rd annual Johnstone’s Painter of the Year event.

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he event, which was held at the Belfry Hotel in Sutton Coldfield, once again attracted hundreds of the country’s finest decorators all eager to discover who would be crowned Johnstone’s Painter of the Year 2015.

A shortlist of 20 eye-catching projects was drawn up by Johnstone’s panel of technical experts following individual site visits to every project entered. Judged on the quality of the decorative finish, the intricacy of the work involved and the technical and logistical challenges faced, securing a place on the shortlist was no easy feat.

The difficult task of choosing the winner of each category – Residential, Period and Restoration, Health and Education and Commercial, as well as the overall winner – fell to the guests who took part in an interactive vote on the night. Following the vote, Haines Painting and Decorating was named Johnstone’s Painter of the Year 2015 – Supreme Winner.

The Cardiff-based company impressed judges and guests on the night with its exterior refurbishment

of the Children’s Hospital for Wales.

Working in partnership with Interserve Construction and Boyes Rees, the team was faced with a logistical challenge and work had to be planned and executed carefully, given that access to areas to be painted was only achievable for the most part by cherry picker.

The roads around the building were open as usual, so works were planned to start at 5am each morning to reduce inconvenience. The hospital was open throughout and work took place in the vicinity of and above the main entrance, and the Haines team successfully completed the project without any incidents or complaints, delivering a first rate refurbishment.

Vince Haines, managing director, said: “To win this award is mindblowing. We were all really proud of the work we carried out on this project, so didn’t think twice about entering it.

To win, though, is just incredible and is fantastic recognition of the hard work everyone has put in. It’s the culmination of 18 years’ hard work for our business and we couldn’t be happier.”

Haines Painting and Decorating also picked up the Health and Education award, while B D Decorators won the Period and Restoration category for its work on Inchadeny House in Aberfeldy. Shane Smyth Decorators, meanwhile, impressed the judges in the Commercial category for its work at Kerry Global Foods.

Entries are now being considered for Johnstone’s Painter of the Year 2016, with any project completed between Jan 1st and Dec 31st 2016 eligible. To request an entry form either call the Technical Advisory department on 01924 354100 or visit www.johnstonestrade. com/painter-of-the-year-awards to download one.

Apollo Fire Detectors Appoints Global Finance Director

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pollo Fire Detectors has appointed Pete Browitt to the post of Global Finance Director, reporting directly to Apollo’s Managing Director EMEA, Steve Brown.

Announcing the new appointment, Steve, said: “We are delighted to welcome Pete to the management team.

Pete’s wealth of finance expertise – coupled with a proven track record in project management – make him a valued new Apollo staff member. I’m confident his considerable experience will bring a host of other benefits to the company.”

Pete graduated with a BSc in Physics from the University of York. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and his career encompasses a variety of financial roles at 3M and HALMA. Most recently, Pete held the post of Finance Director at Avire – another HALMA company. He Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

was also appointed as HALMA Fire Sub Sector Finance Director, a position that he will continue to hold in addition to his new role at Apollo.

Commenting on his new role, Pete said: “My involvement with HALMA’s Fire Sub Sector made me very aware of Apollo and its position as the biggest company in the group. I’m looking forward to this exciting new opportunity and the chance to work for such an innovative company within this vital industry.”

Managing the global finance and IT teams at Apollo, Pete will work closely with Apollo’s offices in the USA and China.

For more information about Apollo, please visit www.apollo-fire.co.uk news

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Manual handling: Are your staff at risk?

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n many respects, Facilities Management is a very hands-on industry. FM companies provide the kind of fundamental building and support services required for businesses to function smoothly, and carry these out onsite, on their behalf. These specialist services – whether it be cleaning, maintenance, mail/postal services, setting up offices or accessing comms systems, electrics or utilities supplies – are performed by teams on the ground and, by nature, often involve a high proportion of manual tasks.

It’s vital that those carrying out these tasks are equipped to do so safely and the risk of injury is limited as much as practically possible. There is a very real risk of suffering a Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) or injury if an employee’s job role requires them to carry out physical tasks, from repetitive movements, pushing and pulling through to lifting and carrying. And if they aren’t aware of the proper manual handling techniques and the importance of adhering to them, the risk is greatly increased.

In context, recent figures from the HSE show that amongst those carrying out building completion and finishing activities, on average around 15,000 MSDs occur every year – all caused or worsened by their work. Other key FM services such as postal and courier activities saw 8,000 MSDs per year, with electrical, plumbing and other construction installation activities close behind at 6,000 per year.* However, the damage doesn’t end there; potential compensation claims, legal fees, replacement staff and overtime costs when an injury occurs, all add up and can have a tremendous financial impact on a business’ bottom line.

Relevant training, designed to reduce the risk of injury, is the best way to protect workers – and your business. And it’s not just a suggestion, it’s a requirement. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, you are legally obliged to provide such training.

Context is key In order for training to be effective, we believe relevancy is the key to success. A generic, one-course-fitsall approach is an inappropriate and ineffective use of time and available budget. To be effective, training needs to reflect the level of experience of the delegates, the duties required of them and the level of risk they face.

Many manual handling programmes use the same generic examples and loads – lifting a cardboard box, for instance – regardless of the day-to-day activities of the delegates. But looking at the varied nature of tasks carried out by Facilities Management teams and contractors, you’ll soon understand why the same course simply won’t work for everyone.

Different industries deal with different equipment, working environments and loads, so it follows that their training should reflect that. When we deliver training, we utilise the customers’ own loads within their working environments to ensure training is relevant and can be quickly applied as soon as delegates return to work.

We have developed a suite of manual handling training packages to meet every need. From fully comprehensive courses for those most at risk, to inductions and refreshers, relevant training is available to meet any company’s requirements and budget.

For those that require certification from

* Source – HSE: Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorder (WRMSDs) Statistics, Great Britain, 2015

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the Chartered body for health and safety professionals, IOSH-accredited manual handling courses are also available.

Changing their minds Remember, it’s not enough to familiarise delegates with examples of good and bad practice and demonstrate how to safely handle loads – they also need to understand why good practice is in everyone’s interests.

To ensure a lasting impact, we target their behaviour and the attitudes at the root of any bad practice. In order to effect and maintain a positive change in the long term, your workforce must recognise the very real possibility that cutting corners, complacency and ignorance could lead to a potentially life-changing injury.

We recommend focusing delegates’ attention on the potential consequences of manual handling injuries and providing hard-hitting, interactive content to encourage delegates to re-evaluate the way they carry out manual tasks – both inside and outside of work.

Facilities Management companies provide vital services to UK businesses.

We need to be mindful that the associated physical exertions don’t come at a cost to those at ground level who ensure the smooth running of our country’s facilities on a daily basis.

For further guidance on how to see the benefits of safe manual handling within your business, please call Mentor Training on 01246 555222.

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

News

Aura Light receives prize for the world’s most energy-efficient LED panel in San Francisco

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he Swedish lighting company Aura Light has been awarded the Global Efficiency Medal by the high-level global forum The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM). The company will receive the prize for the world’s most energy-efficient lighting in the category Commercial Planar Luminaires with their LED panel Aura Lunaria. The award ceremony takes place in San Francisco 2 June.

The award ceremony takes place in San Francisco in connection with the seventh Clean Energy Ministerial meeting (CEM7). The participants at the meeting are energy ministers and other high-level delegates from the 23 participating CEM countries and the European Commission.

Aura Light is there to receive the Super-

efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Global Efficiency Medal in the categories for Europe and Australia as well as the overall global prize.

“This is an international competition to stimulate the usage of energy-efficient products and we competed against large global lighting companies. This award has opened up new possibilities for us and we have received a lot of positive attention, especially in the US”, says Martin Malmros, CEO Aura Light International AB. Aura Light’s CEO Martin Malmros is representing the company at the award ceremony. He will also participate in the trade mission in connection with CEM7,

initiated by the Swedish Energy Agency.

Included in the trade mission are other innovative Swedish companies such as Climeon, Eze Systems and Innoventum.

See the video where President Obama announces the seventh Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM7): https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=TUYdK4cNsBY &feature=youtu.be www.aura-light.co.uk

NFS launches innovative sensor technology at the Facilities Show

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ew technology that revolutionises the way workspace is used will be launched at the Facilities Show in June by scheduling solutions experts NFS Technology Group.

Rendezvous sensors track in real-time desks, meeting rooms and even seats that are being used – and provide live availability for staff and facilities managers, driving better workplace utilisation.

NFS is an international technology company specialising in the facilities and hospitality markets.

Luis De Souza, CEO of NFS Technology Group

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

NFS’ chief executive Luis De Souza – who will be on hand to introduce the technology at the Facilities Show – said: “The workplace is changing dramatically as the move to flexible working gains momentum.

“Where we once had a desk and worked at it, and had rooms set up purely for meetings, we now need our space to be far more agile, with hot desk areas and open meeting spaces where colleagues can collaborate. This places a major requirement on facilities and office managers to make sure the workplace is fulfilling its function efficiently for both employees and the company.”

A recent global survey found that seven out of every ten workers waste 15 minutes a day looking for a suitable place to work.

Luis said: “Every wasted minute is productivity down the drain. Also, office space is expensive – a desk can cost more than £18,000 a year in the City of London and $14,000 in New York.

“Empty rooms, no-shows at meetings and hot desks that stay cold are a major hidden cost for businesses. Our new sensor technology provides a dynamic view of the office that can pay dividends for both workers and the organisation.

“Our sensor solution is affordable, easy to deploy (only Wi-Fi needed) and

monitors the occupancy of rooms, desks and seats in real time, displaying the available space on display panels, ideal for staff to plan their day,” he said.

“It means staff looking for a suitable meeting space or available hot desk can find it in an instant – and book it online, even before they get into the office, along with equipment and facilities they need such as videoconferencing and AV. “Rendezvous also automatically releases space if staff do not turn up – business rules can be set for each space type to suit operating modes and culture.

“And our Analytics Module provides a perfect guide to facilities managers about how their space is being used, so they can make informed decisions on office configurations.

“We feel our new Rendezvous sensor technology is a step change in the world of space management – and when we launch it at the Facilities Show in June, we’re confident that its simplicity and affordability will be an attractive proposition for both the CIO and FM.” To find out more about Rendezvous sensor technology, visit www.nfs-hospitality.com or call 01992 514 555. You can register for the show at https://registration. n200.com/survey/3vgo7amy6oib0 ?actioncode=NTWO000263VLO.

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On the Cover

Vivreau – The Drinking Water Pioneers Founded in 1989 by Stephen and his late father Howard, Vivreau is the pioneer of the Table Water Bottling System used in many leading global companies, as well as five star hotels and restaurants across the world. The company continues to develop new solutions for the supply of purified water, minimising unnecessary environmental costs associated with pre-bottled mineral waters.

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ince its humble beginnings, Vivreau’s product range has expanded to include its award winning Vi tap, which dispenses mains-fed purified chilled still, sparkling and instant boiling hot water from one single tap with a touch sensor control and zero splash.

Vivreau has grown from a small, privately owned UK company, to a serious international player with operations in North America, South Africa, Australasia and several countries across Europe and is now a key part of the BRITA Group.

Sustainable drinking water systems Facilities managers play a key role in sustainability, deciding on which equipment is used and how it is sourced.

When it comes to water, not only is road transportation creating congestion and pollution, but there is also the issue surrounding glass and plastic packaging waste. Although recycling facilities are available, re-using will always be more efficient than recycling and will provide an immediate and dramatic impact on carbon footprint. On top of that, it is worth noting how much time is wasted processing deliveries and organising waste produced.

Therefore, offering reusable glass bottles in meetings instead of disposable glass/ plastic bottles is a no-brainer.

Leading the way for environmentally friendly initiatives is San Francisco, having just passed a new law to ban the use of single use plastic bottles in the city. The Canadian city of Montreal 16

on the cover

isn’t far behind either; the Mayor is also considering a ban on plastic bottles.

This emerging trend could be heading to the UK; there has therefore never been a better time to be proactive and ‘go green’ by introducing a new sustainable hydration solution for the boardroom.

Catering for the boardroom The modern day facilities manager is busier than ever, but catering for meetings and setting up the boardroom is still part of the daily routine for many, one which could be made vastly more efficient with modern equipment.

Providing refreshing beverages to hydrate staff and guests during meetings can help with concentration and brain activity, resulting in more productive meetings.

Harried facilities managers do not have time to stand around waiting for the kettle to boil, or unpacking crates of plastic bottles, and that is where Vivreau comes in. Vivreau has been changing the way drinking water is sourced for over 25 years, paving the way for sustainable drinking water, with efficiency in mind every step of the way.

One particularly time saving and efficient solution is the Vi tap, which Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

On the Cover

Case study: University of Sheffield

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dispenses mains-fed filtered chilled still, sparkling and instant boiling hot water from one single tap with a touch sensor control and zero splash. This time saving piece of equipment can produce large quantities of instant boiling hot water so facilities managers can spend less time hovering over the kettle and more time on important tasks. There is even an intelligent safety feature on the Vi tap which prevents boiling water from being dispensed by accident.

Stephen Charles, Managing Director of Vivreau is extremely proud of the award winning Vi tap: “The Vi tap has been specifically designed to improve efficiency and sustainability in busy offices. The Vi tap is capable of delivering high volumes of drinking water, perfect for big meetings with lots of thirsty delegates. The Vi tap also has a built-in ice bank which keeps water chilled below four degrees, saving time as it is instantly ready for use. As the Vi tap filters at source, it reduces a company’s carbon footprint significantly, in comparison to buying in pre-bottled water.”

John Haskell, Contracts Manager at Springer Nature commented: “I would say that the Vi tap system is one of the most used items of equipment that we have on the premises. With the proximity of the Vi tap, staff are constantly topping up their bottles and taking them back to their desks, so they rehydrate on a regular basis.”

Vivreau’s reusable Designer glass bottles are a brilliant way to strengthen a brand where it matters most – in the boardroom, by displaying a logo and carbon footprint message on the bottle. Designer glass bottles are conveniently available in two sizes and

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

he Department of Accommodation and Commercial Services (ACS) at the University of Sheffield had been providing bottled water for its guests attending conferences, meetings and events in their conferencewithUS venues, but was seeking a green alternative to help minimise its impact on the environment and reduce waste.

ACS teamed up with Vivreau having discovered the sustainable benefits of the Table Water Bottling System.

A mains-fed drinking water system dispensing unlimited quantities of filtered chilled still and sparkling water at the point of source and can be served in reusable Designer glass bottles.

Jacqui Cameron, Head of Marketing at ACS explains: As part of our brand values, we’re committed to using local, ethically sourced and environmentally friendly products wherever possible.

Using the Vivreau system meant that we didn’t have to transport pre-bottled mineral water which has helped us reduce our carbon footprint.”

“The water is purified on site, so we’ve not compromised on quality and, because the bottles are reusable, there’s no waste and no need to recycle.”

When ACS began looking at different options for supplying water to its conference delegates, they contacted Vivreau’s sales team who provided a

comprehensive demonstration of their in-house water bottling system and carried out a survey to ensure that the system was suitable. ACS has a diverse portfolio of venues and the water system needed to be able to fill a large number of bottles in a short space of time. Vivreau’s V3-101 provided the ideal solution as it can filter 108 750ml bottles of water in just 30 minutes.

Vivreau’s Designer glass bottles, also manufactured in the UK, are fully reusable and entirely dishwasher safe.

These sleek and stylish bottles can be branded and different bottle designs can be chosen to suit a particular décor scheme. Available in 750ml and 425ml sizes, the latter is favoured for optimum eco-friendliness where water wastage can also be reduced.

Vivreau and ACS worked together to develop a bespoke bottle design which incorporated the University’s crest and the logo of conferencewithUS’s parent brand ‘withUS’. The distinct bottles emphasise the University’s commitment to providing environmentally friendly options to its customers and help reinforce the withUS brand identity.

Debbie Tilbrook, Events Operations Manager for ACS stated: “I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Vivreau to others; it has a positive impact for us, our customers and the environment.”

the 750ml bottles are perfectly suited to any boardroom set up.

For a more personal touch, Vivreau also offers 425ml bottles which can be offered to each attendee.

Keeping hydrated this summer Hydration is an important workplace issue which becomes all the more vital in the summer months as temperatures rise. Research has shown that a lack of concentration in the summer could be down to dehydration.

Not only is it a legal requirement for employers to provide access to drinking water for their staff, but research shows that being hydrated results in improved mental performance as well as combating tiredness and fatigue which will all help boost productivity for the business. Therefore, FMs should consider not only providing access to drinking water, but actively encouraging staff to keep hydrated.

Stephen comments: “We recommend providing chilled sparkling water as well as still, and offering fruit infusions.

Fruit infusions is a new trend which is becoming increasingly popular with the health conscious – offering staff refreshing still or sparkling water with fruit will encourage them to drink more. Fruit infusions in Vivreau’s reusable Designer Twist bottle will also look fantastic on a boardroom table for summer meetings, branded with the company logo.”

Tel: 020 8813 4895 Email: bfm@vivreau.com www.vivreau.com on the cover

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Energy

Hanwell technology chosen by The National Trust to protect Britain’s industrial heritage

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uarry Bank Mill in Styal, Cheshire is one of the best-preserved textile mills of the Industrial Revolution and now forms part of one of Britain’s greatest heritage sites, supported by a unique and nationally significant archive and collection and cared for by the National Trust, showing how a complete industrial community lived, and how society changed forever.

Designated as a Grade 11* listed building, Quarry Bank Mill was built in 1784 and inspired the recent Channel 4 TV drama series ‘The Mill’.

Visitors see and hear working textile machinery and the waterwheel and steam engines that powered these machines to produce cloth, and also find out about the workers’ life and work by visiting the Apprentice House and Styal village.

Raw cotton was transported here from the port of Liverpool via the Bridgewater Canal. The estate surrounding the mill was developed and farm buildings in Styal were converted to house workers, together with a chapel and a school.

Quarry Bank is now undergoing a complete makeover. The 19th century glasshouse and gardens are being restored, and new buildings previously closed to the public such as a Workers Cottage and Quarry Bank House, where the owners of the mill lived, will be opening.

“The IMC Group’s Hanwell monitoring and control technology is providing very useful data to enable us to understand the environment in our buildings in order to preserve them and our collection long-term” said National Trust Archives & Collections Manager Alkestis Tsilika The National Trust needed to monitor rooms within five buildings spread across the property. Requirements were diverse, ranging from monitoring the long exhibition galleries, historic room settings and machine floors at Quarry Bank Mill, together with Quarry Bank House and Workers’ Cottage, through to the Apprentice House and the Collections Stores with historic furniture and sensitive archival material requiring close environmental control.

Alkestis Tsilika continues: “These places and items required monitoring to allow us to record the stability of the environment and to understand the impact this has on the building itself and the objects displayed and stored in them.

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Key Information:

“We also needed to monitor the machine floors to ensure we are maintaining the right conditions to operate the spinning and weaving machinery whilst being as energy efficient as possible. Also some buildings have been closed to the public for many years and as part of the Quarry Bank project these will be opened for the first time and we need to understand the potential impact this will have on the environment in these.”

Prior to the installation of the monitoring system the National Trust relied on standalone loggers in the stores, which needed to be manually downloaded and spot readers for the other spaces. The client was not able to monitor the conditions in all its buildings and the impact of the conditions on the collections.

“We chose Hanwell for this project because of the strong relationship between the company and the National Trust and its understanding of its standards and requirements,” added Alkestis Tsilika.

The IMC Group has extensive international experience of sensitive monitoring and control of often priceless collections in challenging environments, and due to the scale of the Quarry Bank site and distance between the numerous buildings a radio-telemetric Hanwell system was selected. Fourteen RH/T loggers and

Industry • Heritage Situation • Large site with varied monitoring requirements from buildings to machinery and historic furniture to archival material Client Profile • The National Trust is a conservation organisation looking after special places throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland for ever, for everyone.

• The National Trust has more than 4.5 million members and 62,000 volunteers and an estimated 100 million visitors.

• As well as protecting more than 350 historic houses, gardens and ancient monuments open to the public, the NT also looks after forests, woods, fens, beaches, farmland, downs, moorland, islands, archaeological remains, castles, nature reserves, and villages.

Solution • A radio-telemetric Hanwell system with 14 RH/T loggers and two Lux readers now cover the site and may be extended in the future.

Results • Hanwell technology is providing data to enable the NT to understand the environment in its buildings in order to preserve them and the collection long-term.

• NT is now able to record the stability of the environment and to understand the impact this has on the building itself and the objects displayed/stored in them.

• Ability to monitor the machine floors to ensure client is maintaining the right conditions whilst being as energy efficient as possible.

• Ability to understand the potential impact on the environment in newly opened buildings • End of reliance on manually downloaded standalone loggers and spot readers.

• Happy client – ‘entirely satisfied with the service provided’. two Lux readers now cover the site and may be extended in the future.

“We are entirely satisfied with the service provided. The staff were all very approachable and dealt with our request very quickly – no more than two months from our initial enquiry, site visit

by IMC and quote to installation of the equipment.” says National Trust Archives & Collections Manager Alkestis Tsilika. www.the-imcgroup.com Building Building & Facilities & Facilities Management Management – January – June 2014 2016

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CRITICAL POWER : When it matters most

Energy

District Heating Network Completes at £330m Campus

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he University of Northampton is relocating to its new £330m Waterside Campus, located on a 58 acre brownfield site, and Vital Energi have completed the 1,600m district heating network which will carry low-carbon heat and hot water throughout the campus.

The £1.25 million design and build contract was scheduled for 35 weeks and Vital were responsible for delivering the district heating network and other utilities including HV cabling, cold water and gas pipework.

Contracts Director, Steve Webster said, “This is a major development for the area, so it is fantastic to see that the university have put district heating at the heart of their energy infrastructure, creating a low-carbon, efficient network which can deliver green heat and hot water for decades to come.

“It is encouraging to see a brownfield site, which housed a power station and cosmetics factory, transformed into a vibrant and bustling campus and we are delighted to have worked in partnership with the University to deliver the multiutility infrastructure behind it.”

The new campus, which is scheduled to open in September 2018, will provide state-of-the-art academic facilities for 15,000 students, residential facilities for 1,200 students and leisure facilities.

Bob Griggs, Project Director at the University of Northampton said, “Developing the University’s commitment to our sustainability agenda and environmental infrastructure has been a key factor in the development of the University’s Waterside Campus, working with Vital Energi we have a sustainable, future proof heating network which will service the campus well.”

For more information visit the Vital Energi website at www.vitalenergi.co.uk

Energy Efficiency Research and Development project launches in Scotland worth £900,000

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research and development project worth £900,000 has been launched in Scotland to develop breakthrough technology in the energy efficiency market.

NetThings, an Edinburgh based “internet of things” company has partnered with CSEM a Swiss private, non-profit research company to develop an analytical platform to save energy and increase equipment reliability in commercial buildings.

The two-year project aims to save significant sums of money for governments, councils, schools and commercial properties. It achieves this through connected hardware and software that will both monitor and control energy usage, and flag when specific plant and machinery requires servicing thus optimising efficiency George McGhee, NetThings CEO

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of operation and reducing down time. Due to NetThings’ vast experience in the market with current energy management systems, the breakthrough technology can be commercialised at a price and footprint not previously imagined, meaning significant savings and fast returns on investment for companies globally.

In the UK alone there are a record 5.4 million private sector businesses, up 3% from 2014. Many of these properties have limited options for energy management with traditional Building Management Systems (BEMs) often only installed at construction stage due to cabling and instrumentation which is complex, time-consuming and disruptive to business. One of the intended deliverables from the project is a system that will offer a low cost solution, easily retrofitted, to the millions of buildings that are currently being neglected.

George McGhee, NetThings CEO, said: “Technology is advancing globally to support sustainable and smarter cities, and our project will address some of the barriers that prevent viable solutions being retrofitted into established commercial properties.

“The EU has ambitious targets to

meet by 2020, with energy efficiency initiatives expected to deliver 20% energy savings which is approximately the equivalent to turning off 400 power stations. Eliminating wasteful use of energy in commercial buildings that have lacked suitable systems is essential to driving sustainability on this sort of scale.

“Leveraging our technology expertise and CSEM’s 32 years of applied research experience, this project will result in more cost effect ways of addressing this challenge.”

Mario El-Khoury, CSEM CEO explains: “SMEs are a central focus for our company, so this project is particularly close to my heart. Thanks to our expertise and our patents, we can offer solutions that will enable them to reduce their energy costs and contribute to improving their competitivity.”

NetThings and CSEM have been awarded 50% funding towards the project from Eurostars, a joint programme between EUREKA and the European Commission. Eurostars awards funding to the development of rapidly marketable innovative products, processes and services that help improve the daily lives of people around the world. www.netthings.co.uk Building Building & Facilities & Facilities Management Management – January – June 2014 2016

Energy

Bespoke wood burning technology keeps elderly warm at green care home

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iomass experts have custom-fitted a £250,000 wood pellet heating system into a Cumbrian care home which is using green power to keep its residents warm and comfortable. re:heat worked for 18 months with the owners of the Rosehill residential home at Aglionby, near Carlisle, to design a bespoke, sustainable heating system to replace inefficient oil-fired boilers.

The 500kW biomass boiler is fuelled by wood pellets stored in a new building on site constructed by McKnight & Son after re:heat’s detailed design work to understand the heating needs of the Grade II listed care home.

North East England-based re:heat also manages the fuel supply and delivery of wood pellet stocks at the home, to ensure residents are never without heat and hot water.

The new biomass system is cutting fuel bills for care home owners the Henry Lonsdale Trust, in conjunction with benefits the home receives from the Government, which are paid every quarter for the amount of clean, renewable energy it generates.

Rosehill benefits from the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme which is a financial incentive for homes and businesses to encourage the uptake of low carbon heat.

The charitable trust took the bold decision to invest in new heating technology and solar panels to ensure sustainable power, heat and hot water for its 40 residents.

The care home owners have installed a solar farm on part of the land surrounding the listed property, enabling them to generate their own electricity.

The new biomass boiler was connected into the existing heating pipe network by re:heat, and the result has delighted John Mallinson, chair of the Henry Lonsdale Charitable Trust.

“We were looking to make the home more sustainable, looking for an environmentally-friendly heating option to make us more competitive in the future,” he said.

“The added bonus for us with the biomass boiler is that we have installed something environmentally-friendly which provides us with all the heat and hot water our residents need.

“We’ve also installed a solar farm which gives us our own electricity to use, Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

and when we have a surplus we sell it via the National Grid.

“Biomass is far more sustainable than oil. We chose re:heat based on their expertise and track record and this has proven to be a great decision.”

Ben Tansey, re:heat director, said the biomass boiler is large enough to generate heat for 25 average-sized family homes.

“What the biomass boiler gives the residents and owners of Rosehill is a lower cost, sustainable and more robust system than the oil boilers they had,” he said.

“We sat down with the care home owners to really understand what their requirements were, why they wanted to change, to look at the design of the listed building and see how this system could be carefully fitted in place.

“It is important that the residents have a high and continuous level of heat, and the technical solutions we have put forward for Rosehill have ensured that we are future-proofing their heating system.

“The principle we took for the whole scheme was that with some additional capital expenditure in the future, they will have the option to switch to alternative renewable fuel sources – such as wood

Henry Lonsdale Charitable Trust’s John Mallinson (left) and re:heat’s Ben Tansey inspect the new biomass boiler at Rosehill Care Home.

chip for instance – so they remain flexible and able to take advantage of cost effective options which may arise.” re:heat supports firms through the process of designing and installing biomass boilers, and through the RHI scheme, to help them unlock the potential of the latest green energy technology. re:heat was founded in 2011 by Neil Harrison and Ben Tansey to assist businesses of all sizes convert from fossil fuels to sustainable, low carbon wood fuel heating systems.

The firm’s team of experts can help clients with buying a boiler, designing systems, fuel supply logistics and material handling, fault-finding and problem resolution, and specialist training. More at www.reheat.uk.com energy

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Portakabin emergency response team provides new school for 650 children following Cumbria floods Portakabin, the UK’s leading modular building specialist, has provided 650 children with a 2,100sqm interim school after Newman Catholic School in Carlisle was devastated by floods.

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he flood waters were 7ft deep in parts of the school, causing irreparable damage.

Portakabin also provided interim classrooms for Newman School back in 2005 when the River Eden burst its banks and its buildings were first severely damaged by flooding.

Following the more recent floods, there was an immediate need for emergency teaching accommodation to allow the school to re-open in time for the start of the new spring term.

Twelve single modular buildings were provided by Portakabin during the Christmas break. These classrooms were located on the site of a former primary school and supplied with furniture, data communications and alarm systems as a first response to get the school up and running again.

The buildings were then replaced with 24 general classrooms and highly fitted out specialist rooms including for ICT, design and technology, food technology and science, delivered in just 12 weeks. The interim school, which is designed and built to permanent standards, will be in use until a long-term solution is developed.

Portakabin provided Cumbria County Council with a full service for Newman School following the flood disaster – ground works for the buildings, all fitting out, air conditioning, fire and security alarm systems, access ramps and walkways, emergency lighting, furniture, service connections and data communications. The scheme also included the provision of sports changing rooms, shower and toilet facilities, and a sixth form common room.

The project had many challenges. The new school had to be sited on a waterlogged playing field which required gas, electric and water services bringing in.

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The site was located in a constrained residential area so an access road had to be constructed for delivery of the buildings – and the site team had to work through very poor weather conditions.

Commenting on the project, John McAuley, Head Teacher at Newman Catholic School said, “We are really pleased with the performance of the Portakabin team and the first class facilities they have delivered. They were incredibly fast to respond to the situation and planning meetings were held within days of the disaster. Our priority was to ensure that our students could be taught in accommodation that was at least equivalent to what they had before. The reality is that the facilities provided by Portakabin are in many ways superior to our original classrooms.

“The Portakabin design team was able to accommodate our specific requirements, such as larger science laboratories, and worked really hard to deliver exactly what we needed in a tremendously short timescale.

Staff and students are all delighted.

“The classrooms are bright, warm, airy and welcoming. Despite the terrible floods, our school now has considerably improved facilities. Portakabin has been brilliant and we would absolutely recommend the approach to other schools needing emergency accommodation or classrooms for shorter-term use. We have had a fantastic experience with such a responsive team of building professionals who have been there for us every step of the way.”

The work at Newman School follows the success of a number of other education projects for Cumbria County Council that Portakabin also delivered on time and on budget, including teaching accommodation for Stainburn School and Science College in Workington, Mayfield School, Belle Vue Primary School, and Inglewood Primary School.

In the event of any emergency situation, such as fire, power failure, flooding or the discovery of asbestos, Portakabin can assist with the provision of: • Single modular buildings that can be rapidly delivered to an organisation’s site, often within 24 hours, from its national hire fleet. This allows core operations to be working 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.

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

For further information about interim modular buildings for emergency applications and contingency planning for disaster recovery, visit www.portakabin.co.uk, email information@portakabin.co.uk or call 0845 401 0010.

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

Building & Refurbishment

SSAB launches the greenest product portfolio for exterior building applications SSAB has announced the launch of the greenest product portfolio of high quality color coated steel for exterior building applications.

Under the brand name GreenCoat, this offering is also one of the most comprehensive for the entire building industry.

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reenCoat is SSAB’s new brand for innovative, eco-conscious and Nordic quality color coated steel products for the building industry. The launch of the new GreenCoat product portfolio provides a carefully composed range of long lasting, energy efficient color coated solutions for roofing, facades and rainwater systems.

Since the merger between SSAB and Ruukki, the best technologies and experiences from both companies have been combined to make the color coated product offering more extensive than ever and the greenest on the market for exterior building applications.

Premium steels and bio-based coatings SSAB is the pioneer and innovator in creating color coated products for exterior building applications offering a bio-based content in the coating.

Within the new product portfolio, most GreenCoat products feature a Bio-based Technology (BT) with a substantial portion of the traditional fossil part replaced by a bio-based alternative. This unique, patented Technology by SSAB reduces the environmental footprint significantly.

“Our bio-based GreenCoat products for roofing, facades and rainwater systems are the only products on the market offering a high bio-renewable content in the coating. We like to say that our products are enhanced by nature, since the coating not only offers environmental advantages, but also increased performance,” says Olavi Huhtala, Executive Vice President SSAB Europe at SSAB Group.

Besides the bio-based coating, the extensive GreenCoat product portfolio also offers energy efficient products Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

both for roofing and facades. They reflect the sun and lower energy requirements for cooling inside during the summer. GreenCoat products are also available with extensive outdoor durability, ensuring the best color and gloss retention over the years.

40 years of global outdoor testing GreenCoat guarantees are based on over 40 years of experience at real outdoor testing sites.

Over 10,000 panels of GreenCoat color coated steel have been exposed yearround to harsh climates and conditions including saltwater, snow, ice, rain, UV radiation, wind and storms on the Swedish west coast and in Florida. In addition, GreenCoat is also undergoing testing in places like Arizona, the West Indies, China, Australia as well as on the coast of France.

GreenCoat Nordic quality color coated products are highly resistant to corrosion, UV radiation as well as scratches. They provide builders with a significantly lighter material compared to alternative solutions, like concrete tiles and have lower temperature elongation than other materials for reduced buckling.

They are easy to work with even

down to -15°C and the high quality steel is 100 percent recyclable. All GreenCoat products are easy to press, bend, cut, punch and profile and are available in a wide variety of attractive colors and finishes.

GreenCoat color coated steel products are available directly from SSAB’s manufacturing sites and from SSAB stocks. This ensures short delivery times and wide-reaching customer service.

SSAB is a Nordic and US-based steel company. SSAB offers value added products and services developed in close cooperation with its customers to create a stronger, lighter and more sustainable world. SSAB has employees in over 50 countries. SSAB has production facilities in Sweden, Finland and the US. SSAB is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm and has a secondary listing on the NASDAQ OMX in Helsinki. www.ssab.com. building & refurbishment

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Building & Refurbishment

Portakabin Group completes building installation phase for £5.6M primary schoool contract Off-site construction specialist, the Portakabin Group, has craned the final modules into position on site at Pyrford Primary School near Woking for a new £5.6 million building to accommodate 480 children.

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he project is replacing an existing facility which is beyond repair. It is the first of six schools in the Surrey and Kent region being rebuilt under the Government’s Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) by the Portakabin Group in contracts worth in the region of £28 million.

Each scheme is being designed in line with stringent Department for Education teaching standards to create outstanding learning environments and will be delivered using Yorkon advanced off-site construction solutions.

The structure for the new Pyrford Primary School has been manufactured off site in York using the latest modular technology. It was craned into position on site in Woking in just seven days during the school holidays. A large 500-tonne crane was used to lift the steel building modules, weighing up to 20 tonnes, from an adjacent cricket field and over trees.

The use of off-site construction is halving the programme time for completion and occupation ready for the start of the 2016/17 academic year. The original school building will then be demolished. The approach has avoided any interruption to teaching on this constrained rural site which is immediately adjacent to the existing school.

Kathryn Krynicki, Head Teacher at Pyrford Primary School said, “We were delighted and excited to return from the school holidays to see our new building already in place. This is another key milestone in the project and in the history of the school. Our current facilities are beyond repair so we are really looking 24

building & refurbishment

forward to having a brand new, purpose-designed school which will transform the learning environment for our children and our staff.”

Pupils and teachers will benefit from a completely new school, with high levels of natural light and increased access and space for outdoor play and learning.

Designed by architects Surface to Air, the twostorey school will have 16 bright classrooms with dual aspect natural light and a double-height multi-purpose hall. Two teaching wings are organised around an internal central ‘street’ with atrium light wells. This feature at the heart of the school will provide good passive supervision, informal group learning space and break-out zones.

Externally the building is being finished in a materials palette of brickwork, neutral white render, and panelised metal in white, dark grey and subtle blues to complement the rural surroundings.

The Portakabin Group was announced as preferred bidder for six infant and primary school projects in Surrey and Kent. The contracts for the Department for Education are

worth in the region of £28 million and will be completed by winter 2017.

For further information about Yorkon off-site building solutions from the Portakabin Group for primary and secondary education, call 0845 2000 123, email info@yorkon.co.uk or visit www.yorkon.co.uk.

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

Intelligent Buildings

First Smart Urban Centre in Shanghai Integrates Siemens Smart Building Management System

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he 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. This sweeping, state-of-theart 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 m 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.

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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 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 Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

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 spacestate model of the entire building and then performing analysis and real-time calculations in the backend databases.”

Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com

intelligent buildings

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Intelligent Buildings

Self-powered wireless technology adds flexibility to internal building layouts Building automation — Professional tips for architects Architects must meet ever growing demands. Flexibility and automation are important requirements for all builders, whether the building is for commercial or residential purposes.

Because construction requires looking ahead, it is important to consider the major future trends as early as the planning stage. Fortunately, we now have intelligent and flexible solutions that can be combined with current and future products of an entire ecosystem based on industry-wide standards.

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intelligent buildings

Flexibility When it comes to flexibility, wireless systems are far superior to wired solutions. If liberated from the confines of cables, smoke detectors, sensors for presence, temperature, air quality and lights or switches can be placed wherever they are really needed. This approach simultaneously provides the flexibility of adding new products and more sensors to the system without having to open up the walls. Ideally, it is sufficient to incorporate electrical and other cables into the ceilings or the floor.

Most of the walls in the construction area can thus be removed or relocated when the use of space changes.

The important thing is that the system components used should meet a common industry standard. Technologies such as the Internet of Things and the smart home continue to develop rapidly, which means that architects should look for ways to easily add the new solutions to the existing environments.

The rooms are only as flexible as the particular solution allows. The

more inflexible the specifications, the less leeway there is for optimizing the modifications. However, this is the basis for measures aimed at improving room quality and thereby also increasing employee satisfaction.

Energy efficiency guidelines and automation Regardless of whether the project involves new construction or repairs to an existing structure, energy efficiency takes priority. Clear legal requirements exist, which were most recently made stricter in January 2016. However, builders have a greater interest of their own in minimizing running costs in an energy market with fluctuating prices. Although insulation certainly accounts for the lion’s share of energy efficiency, smart home electronics can also make a contribution.

Controlling heat and ventilation with correctly positioned sensors, in particular, can noticeably lower running costs without sacrificing a comfortable living environment. Temperature sensors both indoors and outdoors, for example, can Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

Intelligent Buildings

continuously transmit the latest data. The central heating controller can then selectively heat or cool individual areas. For example, if the system determines that no one is in the home or office, the heat is turned down and the lights dimmed.

A central control system also ensures future viability. If the requirements change, the new parameters can frequently be passed onto the system and ideally meet the new specifications without requiring any reconstruction.

Easy to implement The days when smart home products were on a level with do-ityourself (DIY) home improvement are fortunately long gone. Nearly every major manufacturer today offers new products that feature both a variety of functions and an attractive design.

The DIY look of the first-generation products has completely disappeared.

At the same time, more and more suppliers rely on open standards, such as the EnOcean wireless standard, instead of proprietary systems. The great advantage is that builders and architects can assemble the right products for their needs from a wide range of products and manufacturers, and these systems can work together continuously.

Thanks to radio-based sensors and switches, the need to coordinate different disciplines and intervene in existing building structures is minimized.

Cable ducts do not need to be installed in walls, nor do power lines have to be laid in unsuitable locations. This minimizes costs and increases acceptance among builders or the future owners.

Maintenance and sustainability Radio-based solutions are available in a wide range of designs. However, most of the products rely on batteries in order to produce the power needed for sensors and switches. This has a negative effect on maintenance costs and on the environment. The alkaline batteries used in most consumer products Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

provide a theoretical operating time of several years. In practice, their life is far shorter, since batteries in a commercial building are all replaced as soon as the first sensor fails, since not the batteries but the labor costs for replacing them are a cost driver. The facility manager is therefore dispatched only once or twice to replace the batteries—in all products at the same time for reasons of efficiency. As a result, any batteries that are still half charged are also disposed of, which is not much of a contribution to sustainability. If there is a large number of wireless sensors, the procedure can quickly tie up several man hours per year. In fact, in its study titled “The True Cost of Batteries,” the manufacturer EnOcean discovered that an average of 30 batteries must be replaced each day in a large complex of approximately 10,000 wireless units—which takes up an incredible amount of time.

Moreover, batteries are toxic and cannot be introduced into the normal waste cycle. Rechargeable batteries are not a real alternative, since they are also too toxic to be placed in the household trash. Although they can be easily disposed of in special collecting points, the effort required for disposal must also be included in the calculations.

The solution is to use smart products that can produce the necessary power autonomously. The EnOcean technology establishes the foundation to do this. Sensors are able to collect and store even the tiniest amounts of energy from their surroundings. For example, pressing a switch activates an electromagnetic energy converter that uses any movement in its vicinity to provide energy. The signal can turn household appliances or a light on and off

or even control light scenes. Wherever there is light—even at low intensities of 200 lux or less—small solar cells can use this energy source for a variety of sensors, including temperature, CO2 and presence sensors as well as solar-based window contacts and moisture sensors.

Batteryless sensors can be operated even when there is no light. A temperature difference of as little as 2 degrees Celsius supplies enough energy to operate an energy-harvesting radiator valve. This is made possible by a combination of a DC/ DC converter and a Peltier element.

Summary and outlook Modern building automation offers a great many major advantages. Since the intelligence resides not only in the individual components but also in a central system, the number of visible products can be minimized—basically, all they do is collect data and send it to a central management system or carry out instructions. Not only does this save energy, it also reduces complexity and thus susceptibility to errors. New functions can be distributed from the central system through software updates and do not have to be loaded manually at every end point. Wireless systems that have their own energy supply can also be positioned flexibly without having to open up walls, for example.

However, builders and architects should rely on systems that support open standards and offer a flexible ecosystem.

This is the only way to guarantee that new and better products can be retrofitted after years of use or existing functions upgraded. Anyone who settles for a supposedly lower-cost supplier will be left holding the bag over the long term, for example when the supplier abandons a product line or leaves the business altogether. www.enocean.com intelligent buildings

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Fire & Hazard Protection

Controlling False Fire Alarms in Care Homes with AlarmCalm

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alse and unwanted fire alarms are one of the big issues in fire safety and building management today.

The care home and social care industry in particular has unique needs when it comes to false alarm management (FAM). To meet these needs, fire industry leader Advanced has released a new document that shows the potential of automatic fire systems to help reduce unwanted alarms in these settings.

The document outlines the features of Advanced’s AlarmCalm FAM upgrade and its key components, as well as providing an overview of the areas within care homes where different false alarm strategies may be required, based on risk, building design and resident needs.

AlarmCalm is a total package and features enhanced firmware, comprehensive configuration software for Advanced’s fire systems and new intelligent alarm acknowledgement devices called AlarmCalm Buttons. It provides total, easily-managed control over alarm verification periods and investigation delays to outputs.

It allows a site to be divided into false alarm management zones called building areas (up to 200 per panel or 40,000 per network). These are virtual areas used for FAM programming that by default match

fire zones but can be set independently to cover multiple zones and points or individual points. The use of building areas makes even complicated causeand-effect easy to set up.

There is growing awareness of the role that care home staff can play in helping to reduce unwanted false alarms.

Advanced’s intelligent, loop-powered alarm acknowledgement device, the AlarmCalm Button, can be used to manually verify if an alarm signal is false, for example from smoke as a result of cooking or heat in the kitchen.

By pressing the AlarmCalm Button, a staff member initiates a ‘second stage’ verification time and (optionally), the local sounder can be silenced. If after the second stage time the signal has cleared, the system will reset to normal conditions. If the signal in the detector is still present, a full fire condition will be signalled. During the second stage period, a fire condition is also indicated if the alarm is confirmed by another method such as sensitivity change or second detector. AlarmCalm Buttons can only extend verification time once (before a system reset). If a real fire ensues, a full fire condition will be signalled.

Advanced believes AlarmCalm is the most easily installed and configured

FAM system available.

AlarmCalm Buttons are easy to install on the loop and recognised in the panel software on auto learn. They are compatible with a standard UK single-gang back box, can be flush or surface mounted and include a configurable LED, buzzer and slide-in label.

Sounders, beacons and relays in each building area can be operated during the verification period and can be quickly set by all devices of each type or individually by point. Sounder ringing styles are also fully configurable and can use a different tone during verification and alarm periods.

The same approach in the software is taken with investigation delays to outputs, meaning a full FAM strategy can be easily set up and configured.

AlarmCalm is currently available on Advanced’s EN54 2, 4 & 13 approved MxPro 5 and Axis EN fire systems. http://uk.advancedco.com/

Chubb Protects New £450 Million University Campus

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hubb Fire & Security Limited has won a competitive tender to protect students, staff and property from fire by supplying thousands of portable fire extinguishers to Swansea University’s new £450 million Bay Campus. Chubb, a leading provider of security and fire-

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safety solutions, is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

The new campus, a 65-acre site on the seafront at Neath Port Talbot, includes the Great Hall, which contains a £32 million 700-seater auditorium and arts centre, halls of residence, academic faculties and a library. It was opened in September 2015 and accommodates more than 1,500 students.

In winning the tender, Chubb is providing more than 4,000 portable fire extinguishers, supported by a fouryear maintenance contract. Chubb

also retained the existing contract for maintaining the extinguishers at the University’s Singleton Campus.

Philip Moremon, compliance officer at Swansea University, said, “Because of the size of the new campus, it made sense to review our existing relationships and put the entire University’s fire extinguisher contract up for tender.

“At both campuses, delivering quality products, providing value for money and reliability were three important factors when we selected a new supplier, and Chubb met all of these requirements.”

Chubb will install the Good Design™ award-winning range of Chubb FX extinguishers and then provide an annual inspection of each building, equipping new university sites as development continues to 2020.

For more information, visit www.chubb.co.uk.

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

Wireless alarm system for reburb of old post office HQ

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llustrating the flexibility of its alarm systems for construction sites, Bull Products’ Cygnus system is currently being used during the part demolition and soft strip at 148 Old Street, London EC1, where a major refurbishment of a former post office building is taking place.

The project will create around 157,000 sq.ft. of prime office space in the City Cantillon has used the Cygnus wireless alarm system since the project started. A total of 31 alarm units are being used across all six floors of the building, this comprising 16 fire call points and 15 fire and first aid call points meaning that there is an alarm at every exit. These are linked to the Cygnus control panel in the reception area.

As a wireless system, the Cygnus alarm is infinitely portable and thus can be transferred to another site after its initial use. However, as in this case, the Cygnus system has the potential to be taken over by the main contractors as they start the refurbishment programme and fit-out.

The Cygnus wireless fire alarm

system is a major innovation for construction sites and has been designed and developed in conjunction with major construction companies to incorporate all the features required for larger construction projects. The Cygnus system is able to link no less than 480 units in 15 different zones.

Individual units may be either a fire alarm call point, first aid alert point, smoke detector, heat detector or a combined call point and first aid alert alarm.

Where there are multiple sites within range of each other, the CE marked Cygnus system has been designed to operate on different site addresses in order to keep each system separate and free from interference.

A major feature of the Cygnus system is the optional control panel which provides a very sophisticated capability with an event log function which records any events such as an alarm activation, low battery warning, and signal faults, all of which can be viewed if necessary in the history folder

Fire & Hazard Protection

held on the panel. The system also has the ability to test all units and has an evacuate function which will act as a call point to the rest of the alarm units.

Each unit in the system can provide the panel with information at regular intervals. This explicit information confirms the unit is still present and what the battery status of each device is.

Known as the ‘heart beat’ this message is monitored by the control panel where fitted and if the ‘heart beat’ is not heard for several intervals, the control panel logs a full status for that unit.

A PIR option is now available on any of the modules which can detect an intruder and alert off-site personnel for added safety protection. www.bullproducts.co.uk

Advanced Fire Systems Trusted to Protect Historic American Church

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ntelligent fire systems manufacturer Advanced has teamed up with Security Supply Inc. in the USA to protect a National Historic Landmark, the Trinity Episcopal Church in Newport, Rhone Island.

Built in 1726, predating the Declaration of Independence by 50 years, the almost 300 year old church posed some unique challenges as it is built entirely of wood, putting it at high risk for fires. Its current fire protection system was outdated and an updated system was necessary for the church to remain in compliance with local fire codes. However, the new system would have to be easily operated by the church personnel to avoid false activations caused by smoke from candles used during church services.

State law also required that the fire panel be inoperable to the public.

The installing contractor brought the new fire system plans to technician Charles Niles of Security Supply Inc. Based on the demanding requirements, Niles specified equipment from Advanced.

“There are a million reasons why we like Advanced for any installation, Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

but in this case, the engineer’s plans called for a level of accessibility and functionality that we knew Advanced equipment could offer,” said Charles.

Security Supply provided beam and duct detectors, sprinkler monitoring, HVAC shutdown and a radio callbox to protect the large open space of the church, all controlled by an Advanced Axis AX fire panel. The panel allows church personnel to easily set timed disablements through a key switch or annunciator to correspond with church services, without requiring extensive reprogramming.

“Four months after installation the system was still running without a single error,” added Charles. “We have plans to update the fire systems in other historic buildings on the church campus, and we’ll definitely be using equipment from Advanced.”

Advanced’s Axis AX fire system ranges from single loop panels to full audio and command centers with dual hot redundancy and a host of features including synchronized audio, smoke control and graphical, touchscreen annunciators.

About Advanced Advanced is a world leader in the development and manufacture of intelligent fire systems. The legendary performance, quality and ease-of-use of its products sees them used in prestigious and challenging locations all over the world, from single panel installations to large multi-site networks. Advanced products include complete fire detection systems, multi-protocol fire panels, extinguishing control and fire paging systems. http://uk.advancedco.com/

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Workplace Planning & Design

High Street food outlet toilet problem solved with Space to Change ‘High Street’ food outlets can actually benefit from the recent High Court ruling about toilet provision with a new option in “away from home” WCs.

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ven before the judgement, small food shops with at least 10 seats were obliged to provide a customer toilet. Under current Building Regulations (Approved Document M 2013), if there is limited space, then the toilet provision should be a wheelchair-accessible facility.

“A venue has to provide at least a wheelchair-accessible toilet, and any business with employees has to provide toilet facilities for staff. Capitalising on that, and using what available space there is to provide one Space to Change toilet, actually opens an establishment’s doors to thousands more customers,” claims Kelvin Grimes, project manager for away from home toilets at Closo-Mat, Britain’s biggest provider of assisted accessible toilet solutions.

“Potentially up to 5 million people can’t use conventional wheelchair accessible toilets because they need more space, or special equipment. And they often have a carer, who can’t leave them alone while they go to the loo….

“A single, properly equipped Space to Change enhances a standard wheelchair-accessible toilet with an extra 5m2, an adultsized changing bench and hoist.

In a small-medium sized outlet, that means there is no need to provide four separate wheelchairaccessible, baby change, male and female facilities: Space to Change ticks all the boxes in one, in less floor area!”

Space To Change toilets plug the gap between conventional (Building Regulations Approved Document M 2013) wheelchair-accessible toilets, and the ‘desirable’, additional, larger and better equipped Changing Places+ toilets.

The concept enables venues that are limited financially and/or on space to meet the needs of up to three million British children and adults who need changing and lifting facilities for their personal hygiene. It encompasses a 7.5m2 (3m x 2.5m min) wheelchair-accessible toilet that further includes an adult-sized

changing bench and a hoist. Space To Change has been developed with leading Changing Places campaigners and Clos-oMat (Britain’s leading supplier of disabled toilet solutions at home and away). Firefly Community, an online special needs community, will drive the campaign, supporting campaigners and raising awareness of the need for accessible toilets that include height adjustable changing benches and hoists.

Full details of the Space To Change concept, plus technical support, CAD blocks etc, can be found at www.clos-o-mat.com and http://community.fireflyfriends. com/campaigns/space-to-change.

TopBrewer is a main attraction

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ssael Architecture have integrated a state-of-the-art TopBrewer coffee machine to encourage staff to use its brand new breakout space.

John Assael, Co-Founder of the RIBA Chartered Practice, first experienced the TopBrewer whilst visiting RIBA’s offices at Portland Place where two TopBrewer coffee points are positioned in ‘The Forum’.

John was impressed by the streamline design of the app-controlled TopBrewer and recommended it to his design team who were undergoing a Cat A & Cat B fit-out on their new premises in South London.

Project Architect Anna Leigh explains what the design team were looking for: “The design philosophy for the new office was to create a ‘play’ area with both informal and formal meeting spaces and a staff café at ground floor with the ‘Work’ zone at first floor. We were looking for ideas to encourage staff to use the new breakout space as this was a completely new way of working for us. After visiting the RIBA we sent the TopBrewer video around to all staff to 30

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ask them if it would encourage them to use the space and the answer was a resounding ‘yes’!”

Stephen Willmore, Associate Director adds: “We envisaged the café area as the ‘watering hole’ where staff could freely meet and collaborate over good coffee and the integration of the TopBrewer has been a catalyst to this thanks to its innovative design.”

The new ground floor space is also used for client meetings and has been well received by visitors. The reaction from clients has been extremely positive as Anna explains: “When clients arrive at the reception area, our Front of House team encourage them to customise their drinks to their personal taste with the TopBrewer. They

love the fact that they can create their own personalised drinks rather than just getting a simple tea or coffee. You could say that it is symbolic to our approach to design as we aim to work in collaboration with our clients to deliver what they really want.”

Simon Bracken, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Scanomat UK comments: “It is always a pleasure to work with a team that are fully engaged with the TopBrewer concept and understand how it can help to create a cohesive workspace, just like it has at RIBA and many of our other clients’ offices. We wish Assael Architecture much success in their new space.” www.scanomat.co.uk Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

Workplace Planning & Design

The Future of Work and the Impact of Technology

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arlier this year, office design and fit-out specialist Area Sq, and GCS Recruitment Specialists invited ten business leaders to the Kyocera HQ to discuss the future of work and the impact that technology continues to have on this area.

The panel consisted of Tracey Rawling Church, Head of CSR at Kyocera; Julia Nott-Macaire, Director at Hadron International, Will Lawrie, Commerican Director at Winnersh Triangle Business Park; Malcolm Kanter, Managing Director at Datek; Alex Tatham, Managing Director at Westcoast; David Bloxham, Managing Director at GCS Recruitment Specialists; Aki Stamatis, Chairman of Fourfront Group; Will Houston, IT Director at Enterprise Rent-A-Car; Geraldine Parfitt, Associate Director of Facilities at PRA Health Sciences; and Luci Allen, Head of Operations at Pink Elephant.

From the rise of hot-desking and flexible working, through to the different generations in the workplace and future proofing a business, the roundtable delegates investigated the tactics that companies are now using to ensure productivity in the workplace, and how these elements can be used to both attract and retain employees.

When asked whether the working environment could be used as a candidate attraction and retention tool, the general consensus was that it is essential to understand how a business functions before designing a space that can support employees. Delegates agreed that an organisation must first conduct research about the workforce, including how people use the space depending on their various activity portfolios.

From thereon, the discussion pivoted on three topics; people, technology and space. Throughout the dialogue, it became apparent that although different people have different needs, a key requirement, regardless of how the world of work is changing, is the opportunity for collaboration. From the roundtable’s collective experience, workers want a place to share learning, knowledge and ideas. This is particularly true of the younger generation – the Gen Z’s – now entering employment for the first time.

Flexible working can obviously impact how people work together and collaborate. In line with the shifting landscape of work, the organisations as part of the panel discussion described how they had created environments Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

that encourage the sharing of ideas and learning. The conversation concluded that striving for a sense of community can foster that all-important need for collaboration that, in turn, can boost productivity. This can be achieved through implementing a working model and designing a space that brings people together; it can also be driven by a strong sense of organisational culture.

The concept of a ‘work / life balance’ has been replaced by the idea of a ‘work / life blend’ and the roundtable delegates believe technology has played a fundamental role in this attitudinal shift. Organisations need to recognise that the line between the personal and professional worlds are blurry; it is, therefore, necessary to offer flexibility in return for the constant and unwavering connection to work demands.

Aside from the location, proximity to local transport links and onsite facilities, such as showers and breakaway areas, the panel were united in thinking that adopting a flexible approach to work, in addition to offering a variety of workspaces, is key to attracting talent and to improving output. Panel members agreed that the advancements in the tech landscape can and have improved productivity. As such, they would advise that businesses keep up with technology; senior managers also need to be aware of the implications of BYOD (‘bring your own’ device) and plan training schemes based on the various levels of aptitude and experience when it comes to technical ability.

Glass Door and similar social media platforms now offer users public ratings of UK businesses. Since there is more transparency than ever before, the onus needs to be placed on establishing a working model and a workspace that gives employees a sense of pride and belonging at work, not to mention driving a culture that promulgates a set of clear and undisputed values.

In order to tap into the potential of a workforce, business leaders need to make people feel ‘at home’ and relaxed. A flexible work environment tends to mean the people working are happier and more engaged - and this is what essentially improves productivity.

Workplace professionals also need to question how to get the most out of the space itself – the CRE infrastructure and the square footage.

The unanimous conclusion is that businesses need to be playful with a space; they need to create different zones that support a variety of individuals all undertaking an array of activities.

Organisations also need to review how technology and flexible working impacts collaborative pursuits. In the bid to improve productivity and to respond to shifting employment trends, business leaders must be aware of and partake in the on-going dialogue concerning the future world of work.

To read the Area Sq whitepaper on the subject, please visit: http://www.areasq.co.uk/newsknowledge/the-modern-day-workplace

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Health & Safety

Taking a stand for public health – Bulk soap is a proven risk Washroom hygiene has come a long way in recent years, helped by advances in technology and design. Mike Sullivan, Managing Director for GOJO Industries-Europe, explains how the latest systems can help achieve even higher hygiene standards.

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dvances in terms of technology and materials have the power to change many aspects of our lives. History is littered with landmark moments when a new idea, manufacturing method or scientific breakthrough helped to re-shape the way we live and work. In public washrooms, for example, we stopped using bars of soap as safer, cleaner and more sanitary options became available.

No organisation would expect their employees or visitors to leave the washroom with more germs on their hands than before they washed them – and this is why the method used to refill dispensers is such a crucial consideration.

Yet, despite breakthroughs in hand hygiene, millions of people worldwide are using refillable bulk soap dispensers, even though scientific evidence shows 1 in 4 of these dispensers is contaminated.1 Although they are an old fashioned hand washing method, bulk soap dispensers are commonly found in schools, restaurants, office buildings, health clubs, shopping centres and other public places, exposing people to an unnecessary health risk.

Organisations, including the World Health Organisation, have recognised the bacterial contamination risk of filling up these bulk soap dispensers and have issued guidelines against it1.

A bulk fill dispenser is one where the soap is poured from a bottle into an open reservoir at the top of the unit.

Because the reservoir is open to the environment, bacteria can contaminate the soap, which leads to the formation of a biofilm on the inside of the dispenser.

Biofilms are groups of bacteria that coat surfaces and are difficult to wash off or ‘kill’. Because the biofilm is formed on the inside of the dispenser it leads to contamination of any new soap that is subsequently added to the dispenser.

Countless employees and other unsuspecting hand washers are washing 1.

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Zapka C, Campbell E, Maxwell S, Gerba C, Dolan M, Arbogast J, Macinga D. 2011. Bacterial hand contamination and transfer after use of contaminated

health & safety

using this method every day, potentially putting themselves at more risk than using the outdated bar of soap. Hands can have 25 times more germs after washing with contaminated soap. This can make people sick from fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, or eye infections due to the level of pathogens found within the soap. The young, elderly and immunocompromised are at greatest risk.

So can the dispensers be disinfected?

Recontamination can occur even after cleaning and soaking the bulk soap dispenser in bleach, so it’s not a case of simply disinfecting the dispensers to remove the risk. A study found that, after multiple cleaning methods, including bleach based products, contaminated bulk soap dispensers became re-contaminated within 2 weeks of cleaning.2 Biofilms were found in both plastic and stainless steel bulk dispensers and the dispenser would need to be replaced to eliminate the contamination.

The health of washroom users and the image of building owners is put at risk Companies invest millions in technology, innovation and recruiting the right people to gain competitive advantage, and it’s easy to understand why attention to these areas is so important. Sometimes however, the significant difference a relatively small investment in providing access to effective hand hygiene systems can make is overlooked.

Washroom facilities are a major source of complaints in office buildings, with extreme temperatures (47%) and unclean / understocked washrooms (32%) being the top two grievances.3 Upgrading health and hygiene facilities provides building owners and managers with a clear opportunity to increase overall tenant satisfaction and will leave users with a positive lasting impression.

2.

bulk-soap-refillable dispensers. Appl Environ Microbiol. 77(9):2898-2904 Lorenz L, Ramsay B, Goeres D, Fields M, Zapka C, Macinga D. 2012. Evaluation

Refillable bulk soap dispensers are messy, labour intensive and prone to environmental and deliberate contamination. Time and effort is required to pour the soap and clean up spills, drips and stains. Parts can wear out or break and need to be replaced.

Permanent nozzles can easily clog, causing complaints that the soap has run out. Once bacterial contamination occurs, dispensers must be replaced. All these factors work against efforts to create a healthy, productive building environment.

The right refills This doesn’t make for comfortable reading, but there is an alternative.

Sanitary sealed refills are increasing in popularity because the product inside is protected from contamination, as it is factory sealed and includes a fresh valve with each refill. All GOJO and PURELL® refills are SANITARY SEALED™. This means that the soap is never open to the environment and so cross contamination from the air or other sources is prevented. The hygiene and health benefits are obvious – and in addition they also make for efficient use of time for hard-pressed maintenance staff, because they are so much simpler and quicker to replace.

By investing in the best hand hygiene solutions, organisations not only protect their facilities, but also demonstrate their commitment to improving the wellbeing of end-users, and their dedication to providing the very best service.

For more information on GOJO dispensers and formulations call +44 (0)1908 588444, email infouk@gojo.com or visit www.gojo.com/united-kingdom

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and remediation of bulk soap dispensers for biofilm. Biofouling, 28(1): 99-109 Survey conducted by Blumberg Office Properties, 2008.

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

Health & Safety

Lucion introduces radon risk management service

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ucion Services has expanded its range of workplace and environmental safety services with the introduction of radon gas risk management to help employers meet their safety responsibilities.

Under the new service, Lucion will provide an initial risk assessment to identify those areas where radon measurement devices should be installed and develop a schedule to establish the priorities and programming for testing.

In situ monitoring will be carried out in designated locations over a three month period to allow for variations in levels of any gas detected. After this period the test results will be assessed and any necessary remediation works determined, depending on the gas levels found.

Radon is a naturally occurring colourless, odourless, radioactive gas formed by the decay of the small amounts of uranium that occur naturally in all rocks and soils. It is present in all parts of the UK, although concentrations vary depending on the local geology.

To protect employees against this risk, the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 apply to workplaces where radon is present. Employers are legally required to assess the risks to the health and safety of their employees and in the case of radon gas are required to take appropriate action to restrict exposure when its

presence is above defined levels.

The average radon gas level in UK homes is 20 Bq m-3. For levels below 100 Bq m-3, the individual risk remains relatively low and is not a cause for concern.

However, the risk grows as the radon level increases and at levels above 400 Bq m-3 employers are required to take remedial action.

Increased exposure to radon increases the risk of lung cancer and, as the single largest source of radiation exposure to the UK population, it is responsible for an estimated 1,100 lung cancer deaths each year.

Since introducing the new service, Lucion has already secured work to assist local authorities with radon gas monitoring

in a range of council buildings and assets, including local schools.

For further details visit www.lucionservices.com

Veolia is a winner in the RoSPA Awards 2016

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eolia Water Technologies has once again had its approach to health and safety recognised in an awards scheme run by the safety charity, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

Veolia has been successful in the 60th year of the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2016 by achieving the prestigious President’s Award, having gained the Society’s Gold Medal for the 13th consecutive year. The presentation will be presented at the Award Ceremony at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel on July 13, 2016, as the event marks its diamond anniversary.

Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of awards and events, said: “To win an award at such a highly-regarded event as the RoSPA Awards is a great achievement Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

for our winners. It recognises their commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record and raises the bar for other organisations to aspire to.

We offer them our congratulations.”

Lyndsey Wicks, Health and Safety Manager for VWS UK, said: “Health & Safety is our number one priority and we are delighted to be successful in receiving this award for the 13th consecutive year.

It recognizes over a decade of achieving the highest standards and demonstrates our positive Health & Safety culture within our organisation.”

For more information about the RoSPA Awards visit www.rospa.com/ awards or health & safety visit www. veoliawatertechnologies.co.uk/ processwater/about-us/Health_Safety/

Veolia’s UK Health & Safety Manager, Lyndsey Wicks - CMIOSH MIIRSM DGSA RMaPS

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Lighting

New easy-install LEDS from Aura Light

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ura Light has introduced the new Easy Selection of LEDs to encourage people to switch to higher efficiency lighting. The hand-picked selection offers a range of affordable, ready-to-use products including LED panels, tubes, downlights and stairwell luminaires to make it easier for companies to switch to LED lighting.

The retrofit solutions offer an easy installation of each luminaire which eliminates the complexity of replacing existing lighting schemes. The selection of luminaires picked by Aura Light’s in-house lighting experts also offer exceptional energy savings of up to 50% which will reduce the overall costs of the lighting scheme when compared with lower performance traditional lamps. The LED luminaires don’t have to be replaced as often as they last significantly longer than other lamps.

Within the selection is Aura Light’s LED downlights, using Chip on Board (COB) technology to provide an intense array of LED light without any glare and offering a high luminous efficacy.

Available in various sizes ranging from 11W to 45W at either 60° or 90° beam angles, the downlights can be used in offices, corridors, shops or other public areas for both general and spot lighting, with products available to meet a wide range of requirements.

The LED downlights can be installed with a simple on/off function, or using DALI dimming controls to save on wasted energy where possible.

The Easy Selection also offers a range of low profile, LED panels which can be used as an energy efficient

retrofit replacement of traditional 600mm x 600mm fluorescent luminaires. Particularly suitable for offices, hospitals and schools, the panels are integrated into ceiling grid schemes for a seamless finish to any room. The luminaires are particularly hygienic as they do not gather dirt or dust like typical recessed luminaires and require very little cleaning.

Available in three different wattages, the low energy luminaires are rated A+, proving highly efficient whilst offering significantly reduced costs. Like LED downlights, panels can also be delivered with an external driver with DALI dimming controls to enhance energy savings.

Aura Light’s Easy Selection LED Stairwell luminaire is an ideal solution for wall or ceiling mounted lighting.

The luminaire uses an instant igniting technology to provide full powered bright light immediately to light stairwells and corridors that may become unsafe when lit poorly. With a discreetly built in Microwave sensor, the LED Stairwell luminaire lights up immediately to full effect when presence is detected and dims to 10% output. The sensitivity, time of delay, lux levels and detection distance can all be easily adjusted to suit the conditions of each application to prevent light being used unnecessarily.

Available in 15W or 16W the LEDs are housed inside a robust polycarbonate

casing and can be used for a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications.

Also available within the range is Aura Light’s T8 LED Retrofit tube which can be used to upgrade all T8 fluorescent tube lamps using magnetic ballasts. The new LED tubes allow customers to easily replace existing lighting with minimal effort without investing in a new, expensive lighting scheme. Also rated A+ the tube lighting is available in 10W, 18W and 22W to significantly reduce the energy consumption and running costs of a wide range of applications including offices, supermarkets, and retail properties and for use on commercial signs.

All of the products within the Easy Selection can be combined to meet the requirements of any individual project.

Further information on the Easy Selection is available from Aura Light by emailing: simon.taylor@aura-light. co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.aura-light.co.uk

Flex up with Forge

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n response to the market demanding quality and reliable LED tape, Forge now has flexible LED within their product offering. Satisfying all lighting needs with a flexible, cuttable and easy to apply solution for; accent lighting, backlighting, display lighting, task lighting and even visually stunning luminaires.

The range is built to the highest quality and encompasses Forge’s wealth of knowledge and expertise. You can expect great colour consistency with 3 Step Macadam Ellipse binning available in warm white, exceptional performance and up to 2670 lumens per metre. Whether you go flat white, dome, skinny dome or iced 34

lighting

the range will satisfy your needs.

As always Forge are doing what they do best and offering the range as completely customisable. Ian Dixon, Commercial Director, commented “We have a lot of knowledge and know-how that everyone can benefit from. We’ve worked in very niche markets developing ideal solutions for clients and overcoming tricky application environments. By offering custom flexible LED you get all the benefits of an easy to use solution without any of the compromise. For example we’re seeing more and more need for cut lengths, customised solder pads and own brand printing – all with an emphasis

on quality. If you can’t find exactly what you need out there then now is the time to talk to us about what you really need and let us do the hard work.”

Whether you go standard or custom you’ll walk away with a high quality and reliable solution, Forge will throw in the exceptional service and know-how for free. www.forge-europa.co.uk Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

Lighting

IDOO.pendant suspended luminaire

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he suspended luminaire IDOO. pendant is part of Waldmann´s Office light family IDOO. Designed

by Burkhard Schlee, Munich, the pendant amazes with its simple, floating look.

Despite a height of only 20 mm, all operating devices can be integrated into the luminaire, which makes it extremely easy to install. Thanks to state of the art edge-light technology, the direct light component provides a particularly uniform light. In addition to single luminaires, linked luminaires to build light lines and variants for biodynamic light are also available.

About Waldmann The Waldmann brand stands for innovative workplace oriented lighting solutions. The owner run SME is a family business that was founded in 1928.

Waldmann develops and produces high quality luminaires for use in the fields

of industry, offices, and health and health care, as well as systems for medical phototherapy.

The comprehensive know how of the Waldmann lighting engineers stands for quality made in Germany.

A global company, Waldmann offers a free advisory and lighting design service to enable clients to significantly reduce energy costs and improve the lighting flexibility for both users

and the building manager.

Showroom – 75a Turnmill Street, London, EC1M 5SY www.waldmann.com Email: info-uk@waldmann.com Office Tel: 01923 800030

Minimise Energy helps London university cut carbon emissions by 47%

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inimise Energy has installed new LED lights at London Metropolitan University’s Holloway Road campus, reducing the building’s lighting energy consumption costs by £55,000 a year and cutting annual carbon emissions by 225 tonnes.

The university’s ambitious sustainability programme has resulted in it being named the number one

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

university in England for carbon reduction. The lighting upgrade is the latest part of this programme.

The programme required an eight-strong team from Minimise to replace outdated and inefficient T8 lamps and panels throughout the Victorian blocks which make up the Holloway Road Campus.

“The campus comprises a mix of classrooms, lecture theatres, offices, a gym, dance studios and ancillary spaces,” explained John Hatt, Contracts Director, Minimise Energy.

“Most of the buildings are more than 100 years old and have been subjected to an ongoing refurbishment programme.

As a result, the lighting and control infrastructure is complex.”

The LED upgrade was completed during term time, with most work carried out between 7pm and 4am to keep student disruption to a minimum.

“The campus is a 24/7 environment.

Meticulous planning and attention to health, safety and on-site security was essential at all times,” said John Hatt.

The LED lighting upgrade forms part of a wider sustainability programme completed by the university under The Mayor of London’s RE:FIT framework.

“The programme was developed

to help the university meet the targets set out in its carbon management plan, enhance the student experience, and reduce energy costs,” said Rachel Ward, Sustainability Manager, London Metropolitan University.

The programme also included the installation of photovoltaics (the university’s first renewable energy), energy efficient fans and air conditioning controls. The lighting upgrade was the largest part of the programme.

“This combined approach has been incredibly important,” said Rachel Ward. “We were named as the number one university in England for carbon reduction and have cut carbon emissions by 47%, putting us on track to achieve our 2020 target of 50%.

“The lighting alone is saving us around £55,000 per annum on electricity costs and has reduced our carbon footprint by 225 tonnes of carbon. The lighting has also made an improvement to the feel of the university, making it a bright and welcoming space for students,” she said.

The university is now focusing on ongoing student energy efficiency education, and also plans to instigate further sustainability upgrades in 2017 when it consolidates its three campuses into one. www.minimisegroup.com lighting

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Security & Access Control

State-of-the-art CCTV is dramatically cutting construction security budgets

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pecialist security provider, VPS Site Security, has seen a dramatic switch from human patrols to more guardless systems in the last twelve months.

Recent projects have seen savings of over 60% in security budgets, providing an improved, more comprehensive security net that oversees sites 24/7 but at low cost. Costain, GallifordTry, Carillion, Taylor Wimpey and Murphy are among the household names in the construction sector who have started to deploy CCTV systems to improve security and simultaneously cut costs.

“Manned guards have always been the traditional mainstay approach in the building sector to secure difficult sites such as highway construction and large, remote areas.” Comments Simon Alderson, Managing Director of VPS Site Security. “But technological solutions have really proven themselves

in recent years. So much so that, combined with truly dramatic cost-savings and better 24/7 protection and safety, we’ve seen a definite shift towards systems designed with CCTV included as the preferred choice.”

CCTV systems such as the JCB Smart Tower, combine the latest camera technologies with wireless networks, sensors and power sources, so that long stretches of highway construction – sometimes many kilometres in length – can be monitored day and night, and from the safety of a remote monitoring station.

State-of-the-art features include rapiddeployment CCTV with thermal cameras, sustainable power options such as

hydrogen fuel cells, CCTV ranges from 100m to 2km and much more robust wireless solutions such as fluid mesh connectivity.

“Mobile patrols may still be required, but they are much more efficient when deployed with the support of these tower systems, as they can help target problems.” Explains Mr Alderson. “The high definition videos are also being used as safety tools and traffic management systems, adding an extra layer of health and safety protection for construction workers and the public alike, providing immediate alerts if a potential danger is spotted, enabling the site to act before it comes an incident.” www.vpsgroup.com Tel: 0330 005 5300

Park at the ARK

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K Barrier Services were commissioned to replace a pair of barriers for the ARK Conference and Events centre. Based in Basingstoke it’s a premier venue in the south of England for all types of events from seminars to formal dinners.

The venue wanted to update the parking equipment for its private parking area. The barriers are now operated through a new wireless GSM intercom and the existing keypads. UK Barrier Services installed Magnetic Microdrive Access barriers which are specifically designed for use in high frequency sites, e.g. industrial sites, residential

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buildings or parking areas. The Magnetic Access range not only offers a longlife cycle, great reliability and quality but also has an enduring design with extremely low operational costs.

For this installation LED illuminated barrier arms were chosen to offer maximum visibility. These are red in the down position, flash red during the opening and closing phases and are green when the barrier is fully open.

Stuart Newton, UK Barrier Services Director stated “We find the product very easy to install, it’s designed with efficiency and safety in mind as well as conformity”. They would always

recommend the installation be carried out by an approved automation engineer.

‘Hold-Open’ key switches were installed on the side of each barrier to allow a local hold-open option when security wish to allow free access to the car park. The exit barrier has an induction loop which opens on approach of a vehicle and closes once the vehicle has passed through the barrier and cleared the induction loop and photocells, which speeds up the exit of vehicles.

Optional safety enhancing solutions were also included, 2x sets of photocells, induction loops and audible sounders located inside the barrier housings which operate during the closing phase.

Both barriers were force tested during commissioning phase to confirm their compliance with the impact requirements of the Euro norms.

Both barriers have been colour coded to the clients own specific RAL paint code. This is a popular option with customers looking to tie the barriers in with the aesthetics of the environment.

With the expertise of UK Barrier Services the client has been so pleased with the products and installation that they have taken out a scheduled maintenance contract for the foreseeable future. www.faac.co.uk

Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

Security & Access Control

Aperio® at The University of Birmingham

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student residence at The University of Birmingham has been supplied with the Aperio® wireless locking solution by ASSA ABLOY Access Control, a UK division of ASSA ABLOY, the global leader in door opening solutions.

Chamberlain, based in Edgbaston, is a brand new student accommodation development comprised of a 21-storey tower and three low-rise blocks.

The student rooms have been fitted with the Aperio® solution, which is fully integrated into the Gallagher Command Centre, which is an industry leading critical business platform, delivering organisational security and operational continuity.

Gallagher’s integration with Aperio® provides the University with a cost-effective solution which removes the need for mechanical keys. In addition, the integration is available and supported worldwide and is applicable for all industries.

Jason Boyce, Sales Manager at

Gallagher, said: “We were pleased to be able to provide the University of Birmingham with a solution that integrates tightly with their existing campus-wide system.

“Unlike other systems, Aperio® provides audit trails online, allowing for the real time monitoring of doors.

This allows the University to ensure that all students arrive safely to their rooms during arrivals weekend.

David Hodgkiss, National Sales Manager at ASSA ABLOY Access Control, said: “We were pleased that our extensive experience within the education sector has enabled us to provide the University of Birmingham with a seamlessly integrated solution with our Aperio® technology. The University now has plans to roll Aperio® out to other residences.”

Neil Titterington, Sales Manager at 2020 Vision Systems, said: “Together with ASSA ABLOY Access Control and Gallagher we were able to install the Aperio® solution on

time at Chamberlain, with minimum disruption to the students and staff.”

For further information on the complete Aperio® product portfolio, please visit www.assaasbloy.com/aperio.

Kingdom officers win Security Officer of Distinction Awards

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ingdom is absolutely delighted to report that two of their officers have won awards at this year’s ACS Pacesetters Security Officer of Distinction Awards.

Kingdom officers James Kelly MBE and Grzegorz (Greg) Stalmach were among only 13 award winners from across the whole of the UK. These two officers are part of a very select and elite group, and Kingdom is immensely proud of both of them. Only one other security company had two award winners.

To be considered for an SIA ACS Pacesetters Award, the security officers have to be nominated by the client for whom they are contracted, and this then endorsed by Kingdom (their contracting company), with the ultimate winners then being selected by a panel of judges with wide experience in the industry.

James (Jim) Kelly MBE was nominated by our client, Grosvenor Estates. For over 15 years Jim has been the Senior Security Officer for Hammerson leading a team of eight officers. The team currently support a prestigious multi-tenanted office – 10 Grosvenor Street. Jim was nominated for a number of outstanding activities, not least of which was his endeavours in Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

saving the lives of two members of the public. On the first occasion, an elderly man collapsed outside the building and James undertook resuscitation until the emergency services arrived. On the second occasion a window cleaner fell four floors onto a marble surface when he failed to connect his safety equipment properly whilst undertaking abseiling as he cleaned the internal windows in the atrium. Jim administered emergency first aid until the emergency services arrived. His actions were later commended by the emergency services.

Grzegorz (Greg) Stalmach was nominated by Fran Beasley, Chief Executive of the London Borough of Hillingdon. In January this year Greg was working in the CCTV Control Room at Hillingdon Council when he effectively prevented a serious assault using a combination of his local knowledge, CCTV Systems, effective communication and physical fitness. Greg’s actions provided the police with a description of the offender, and along with CCTV footage which further supported the verbal statements, were sufficient to enable a successful arrest. The offender has since pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

Jim and Greg were presented with their awards at the third ACS Pacesetters Security Officer of Distinction Awards Lunch, which took place at the Royal Windsor Racecourse on Tuesday 24th May 2016. The event was attended by both representatives from the security industry and also clients and, of course, the security officers nominated to receive the awards themselves. The presentations were made by Mr Vernon Rapley, Security Director at the V&A Museum, who also gave an interesting speech on his experience in the field of history and art and the crimes committed by individuals against museums. www.kingdom.co.uk

Grzegorz Stalmach collecting his ACS Pacesetters Security Officer of Distinction Award

security & access control

37

Roofing

Roof-Pro Delivers Roof Access Systems for Royal Derby Hospital

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oof-Pro has successfully completed a £22,000 bespoke roof access system project at the Royal Derby Hospital for an extension which houses an MRI scanner and associated equipment.

As well as being asked to provide easy and safe rooftop access to the MRI scanner’s rooftop-mounted chiller unit, which generally requires a service check at least once a quarter, Roof-Pro were also asked to design and build roof access systems for the whole new building.

The main elements of this multicomponent project were: • Providing stable, non-penetrating support for the chiller and Air Handling Units (AHUs) • Providing a waterproof method of bringing cables and pipes from the service units down into the building • Providing step-over access to the chiller support platform, enabling the units to be serviced and inspected by maintenance personnel.

The project involved a combination of standard and bespoke components designed and built by Roof-Pro, including: • Chiller Support Platform – a bespoke component which took into account the weight of the unit and the load-bearing qualities of the roof, and required speciallydesigned large steel girders.

• Roof Penetration Box – this solution was based upon the Roof-Pro PP-3 access riser, which ensures a watertight seal for the point at which the chiller unit’s power and water cabling pass through the surface of the roof.

• Step-Overs – specially designed to fit the chiller platform and surrounding roof structure, these were tailored components from our Roof-Pro step-over system.

To successfully deliver this unique project required high attention to

detail. Roof-Pro worked closely with two key contractors: Mellor Bromley Mechanical Services, who delivered the chiller and AHUs; and Derwent Valley Construction, who were responsible for the fabric of the rooftop.

All the components were delivered and installed on time and within budget, enabling the primary contractors to complete their projects on time.

To find out more about Roof-Pro roof access products, call 01536 383865.

Liquid gold as team scoops top roofing award

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eading liquid roofing manufacturer Centaur Technologies and roofing contractor Western Flat Roofing Company have been crowned as the winners in the Liquid Roofing and Waterproofing category at the prestigious UK Roofing Awards 2016.

The two firms won the coveted award for a challenging refurbishment project at Exeter University. The scheme used Centaur Technologies’ Centech PU 25 liquid roofing system and was completed by approved contractor Western Flat Roofing Company in just four weeks.

Centaur beat off stiff competition from some old names in the liquid roofing industry to take the award at a glamorous ceremony, which was hosted by BBC Breakfast TV’s Steph McGovern at the London Metropole Hotel on 13 May. Phil Richardson, managing director of Centaur Technologies, said: “We work closely with specifiers, contractors and building owners to develop complete systems, which are tailored to their needs. This award highlights our commitment to best practice within the industry and the emphasis we place on attention to detail and the quality we demand at every stage of a project, 38

roofing

from developing site surveys and roof reports to delivering specifications and long-term single point guarantees.”

The original asphalt roof on the South Cloisters roof at Exeter University, which was covered in chippings, was overlaid with a new Centech PU 25 system to provide a seamless roof and allow water to drain from the surface. The team was tasked with improving the thermal performance of the roof, but there were restrictions on the thickness of insulation that could be used because of the upstand heights to windows and cavity trays in the adjoining brick walls. Centaur Technologies’ 50mm Centech PIR provided the best U-value without having to raise the details.

The scheme required complex detailing around ducts, ventilation pipes and rooflights. Western Flat Roofing also replaced all 31 rooflights with Centech triple glazed rooflights and installed a freestanding edge barrier to allow safe access to the roof for future plant maintenance. An anti-slip walkway was also installed. The project was scheduled to be completed within five weeks.

Despite the complex nature of the roof, it was finished within four weeks.

Centaur technologies regularly inspected the works as part of its Centaur Quality Partnership programme. A 25 year guarantee for labour and materials was provided on completion of the project.

The Centech PU formulation combines the characteristics of a traditional aromatic system with an aliphatic prepolymer backbone to deliver superb performance and colourfastness. It has been developed with safety as a priority and utilises sophisticated stripped freemonomer technology, which makes it potentially far less hazardous than other systems available on the market.

Exceptionally durable, rapid curing (even under water) and boasting an extremely high tensile strength, the system offers guaranteed waterproofing characteristics and is quick and easy to apply.

For further information on Centaur Technologies or Centech PU, please call the enquiry line on 01772 453107 or visit www.centaurroofing.co.uk Building & Facilities Management – June 2016

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