PSS Magazine - May/June 2017 by Abbey Publishing

May/June 2017

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18 British manufacturer Formica Group aligns with Made in Britain Inside this issue:

5 Nottingham Fire Station Sees Double at RICS East Midlands Awards

Rising to the Challenges of Urban Construction

Yet Another World Heritage Site Gets Advanced Fire Protection

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May/June 2017

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British manufacturer Formica Group aligns with Made in Britain See Page 18

May/June 2017

British Manufacturer forMica Group aliGns with Made in Britain InsIde thIs Issue:

PUBLISHER: Ralph Scrivens ralph@pssmagazine.co.uk PRODUCTION: Lucy Drescher lucy@pssmagazine.co.uk ACCOUNTS: accounts@pssmagazine.co.uk

Nottingham Fire Station Sees Double at RICS East Midlands Awards

Rising to the Challenges of Urban Construction

Yet Another World Heritage Site Gets Advanced Fire Protection

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PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

News

OVER HALF OF FURTHER EDUCATION COLLEGES FAIL TO BENEFIT FROM DIGITAL TOOLS SAYS REPORT

ducators in FE colleges are overwhelmingly in favour of greater use of digital learning tools to ease pressures on daily workloads, however over half (58%) of FE colleges report that they don’t currently experience any increased efficiencies from their investment in digital, according to new research by YMCA Awards. Many professionals reported an urgent need and willingness to make use of digital solutions (all but 4% of people were open to greater use of digital learning) to help meet current and emerging challenges. However, despite the Government’s focus on increasing digital skills and digital inclusion, and a pressing need in many organisations to increase efficiencies in the face of budget cuts, the majority were not yet feeling the potential benefits. 44% of institutions admitted having access to digital tools, but using them infrequently. While, 12% reported not using digital tools at all. The Unlocking the Potential of Digital Learning Report from international awarding organisation YMCA Awards, is based on a survey carried out with staff in 26 FE colleges in May 2017 and accompanies the launch of a range of digital learning tools designed to address

the needs expressed by FE colleges. According to the survey’s findings, the most obvious issue that needs addressing is the ability to make basic tasks (such as marking) more efficient, with many staff reporting that lack of time was their most pressing challenge on a day-to-day basis (62%) and over half (54%) saying that, as a result, they regularly worked on weekends or evenings out of their contracted hours. Commenting on the findings, Adam Williams, Awards’ Head of Products and Services, said: “What we hear regularly from FE colleges is that investing in digital doesn’t automatically mean feeling its benefits. What’s crucial is linking this with guidance and support on how to integrate digital learning into the classroom. “Over a third (39%) of those surveyed admitted that one of their biggest daily challenges was incorporating digital learning tools into lesson plans, with a similar number (40%) highlighting this as one of their major concerns for the future. “We’ve addressed these issues within our package of digital learning tools to help immediately ease this problem for FE staff. “We believe that partners of FE colleges need to become better at listening to feedback from staff about their experiences with digital learning and where they most

urgently need its help.” In response to this need YMCA Awards has launched a package of tools {insert link to product / service page when available] designed around the needs expressed by FE college staff as well as providing the support to implement these tools into daily routines. Williams comments: “We’ve looked at areas where our tools can have most impact on saving time while also enhancing and preserving the standards of educational experiences. “Perhaps our most impactful innovation is Y-Mark {insert link} a self-marking workbook to support internal assessment and free up a huge amount of time that could be better spent engaging directly with learners. Other free tools included in the YMCA Awards package include an online assessment platform for online booking and sitting external examinations, as well as mock assessments to help prepare learners for their exams. More details on transforming your delivery can be obtained by visiting the website, www.ymcaawards.co.uk/promo/ transform-your-delivery

Alupro announces a new milestone reached for aluminium drink can recycling in the UK as recycling rate reaches 70%

even out of ten aluminium drink cans sold in the UK in 2016 were recycled, according to the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro). Beverage cans make up by far the largest sector of the 180,000 tonnes of aluminium packaging placed on the market during the year; and with the UK being the largest beverage can market in Europe, and aluminium the dominant metal used for can manufacturing, the 70% milestone for

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

aluminium cans makes a major contribution to the European metal packaging sector’s ambition to reach and exceed an average 80% metal packaging recycling rate by 2025. Commenting on the recycling rate milestone Alupro Executive Director Rick Hindley said: “We are obviously very pleased that aluminium packaging recycling rates continue to increase year on year and it’s particularly nice to reach a new 70% ‘milestone’ for beverage cans. The continued growth is due to the support of our members and partners in the wider industry and their commitment to invest in and support our programmes to drive positive, lasting behaviour change among consumers.”’ Alupro has expressed concern that future recycling performance will be compromised by a lack of ambition from government in setting new targets for aluminium, and lobbied for targets to 2020 to be ‘front loaded’. The organisation has also argued for reform to the PRN system, including the mandatory registration of

reprocessors and exporters to ensure that all material collected for recycling is reported through the issuing of Packaging Recovery Notes. This was the result of research it carried out to reveal the ‘real recycling rate’ for aluminium packaging. The organisation expressed frustration when its argument for an increase in the 2017 target was ignored. “We remain convinced that future growth in aluminium recycling performance is achievable within the current system, subject to a few revisions which will ensure all recycling is accurately reported and that behaviour change programmes are properly funded on a fair and equitable basis. Alupro believes that communication is the missing link between the collection infrastructure and recycling growth, as has been proved over and again by industry-funded programmes like MetalMatters and Every Can Counts. Our focus remains to make people aware of the aluminium in the packaging they use every day and how to recycle it so that the metal can be given a new life, over and over again.”

News

NOTTINGHAM FIRE STATION SEES DOUBLE AT RICS EAST MIDLANDS AWARDS

ottingham’s new London Road fire station - a major project delivered by a trio of city-based firms - has scooped two accolades at the RICS East Midlands Awards 2017. The £3.7 million station – delivered by CPMG Architects, J Tomlinson and Turner & Townsend – received the Infrastructure and Regeneration Awards at a ceremony to celebrate the very best property schemes in the East Midlands. Turner & Townsend Nottingham, who appointed CPMG Architects, acted as lead consultant providing project management, cost management and design services. The judges identified the three-storey building on behalf of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service as ‘truly a piece of city infrastructure’ that has ‘transformed the service’ with a ‘great design’ and ‘architectural detailing’ that is ‘more than bringing redevelopment to a declining site.’ The site houses three fire engine bays, modern training facilities and office space for Nottingham City Council’s Emergency Planning Team. Nick Gregory, director for CPMG said he was thrilled this project had been

recognised by these significant awards. “Having one of our projects recognised by two RICS Awards is fantastic. The development of this vital building has been a partnership from Nottingham-based companies who have all contributed to creating an emergency services facility fit for the 21st century,” he said. “The PV panels, smart lighting, large floor to ceiling windows, to increase natural daylight, and smart use of materials have all helped to contribute to the building’s energy-saving attributes. We’re proud to have delivered a safe and highly efficient building that is also saving the fire service money thanks to its lower running costs.” Martin Gallagher managing director (construction) for J Tomlinson added: “Winning two RICS awards is great news for the whole team involved in the project to create a new fire station for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. “The key members of the construction team alongside J Tomlinson were all Nottingham companies, and, as a Nottingham-based firm ourselves, we were proud to have played a part in developing a new public service building

for the city. “J Tomlinson has wide experience of working on projects for the emergency services, including the fire service, police, and ambulance, as well as working for the reserve forces, and it’s a ringing endorsement when a scheme is hailed as an award winner.” Ian Pritchard, head of estates at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are really pleased that London Road Fire Station has been recognised with two RICS awards, and since opening in September 2016, the station has made a real positive impact on the surrounding communities, as well as the environment. “The new location and purpose-built station has provided us with the opportunity to offer our firefighters modern facilities and we are thrilled that our award-winning station will be able to help to create safer communities for many years to come.” Couch Perry Wilkes and Curtins, structural engineers were also involved during the project.

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

News

Sustainable procurement in supply chains addressed by new international standard BSI, the business standards company, has launched ISO 20400:2017 Sustainable procurement – Guidance. Designed to assist organizations to meet their sustainability responsibilities, ISO 20400 outlines what sustainable procurement is, and how an organization can implement sustainable procurement practically. The overarching concern of the new international standard is to make the supply chain integral to an organization’s sustainability goals. ISO 20400 outlines in detail the sustainability impacts and considerations that should be incorporated across the different aspects of procurement activity, and is applicable to any organization, either public or private, irrespective of its size or location. ISO 20400 replaces BS 8903:2010 Principles and framework for procuring sustainably. Guide, and one of the key changes in the new standard is a section dealing specifically with integrating sustainability into the procurement process. It has been updated to take into consideration new concepts such as life cycle analysis, due diligence, complicity and global cost. With organizations increasingly driven

to demonstrate their environmental, social and economic impact, adoption of ISO 20400 is a tangible signal that the organization prioritizes sustainable procurement as integral to its day-to-day operations. Supply chains are a critical consideration for any organization aiming to bolster their environmental credentials, and adopting ISO 20400 would likely boost the reputation of an organization amongst their customers, stakeholders and the wider public. David Fatscher, Head of Market Development for Sustainability at BSI, said: “As the need for supply chain transparency grows, the global benefits of sustainable procurement are more evident than ever. ISO 20400 has captured best practice from experts from over 40 countries on six continents and delivers a global solution to a global challenge. It has been closely modelled on the existing British standard BS 8903, which should place UK organizations at an advantage in its early adoption.” Sectors particularly likely to benefit from implementing ISO 20400 include construction; facilities management; hospitality; catering; clothing; food; public

procurement; manufacturing; timber; print and paper; and packaging. Users most likely to benefit from ISO 20400 include senior procurement and purchasing professionals; commercial directors; finance directors; contract, tender and supply managers; supply chain managers; sustainability managers; environment/waste managers; operations managers; and facilities managers. Importantly, while the standard outlines how an organization can integrate efficient procurement steps into its existing procurement methods, it does not make recommendations for changing the procurement methods themselves. As well as experts from over 40 participating countries, ISO 20400 was created with additional input from leading international organizations including the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC); Independent International Organization for Certification; and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). www.bsigroup.com

As NHS battles back from cyber-attack survey reveals deep underlying problems in how it copes with data breaches

0 per cent of healthcare organisations don’t have a comprehensive information governance programme in place and 76 per cent don’t upgrade servers regularly As the NHS battles to cope with the latest high profile cyber-attack a survey has revealed some of the underlying problems which leave UK healthcare alarmingly open to data breaches. The survey, commissioned by information management experts Crown Records Management, showed NHS Trusts are failing to invest in upgrading servers and do not always have robust policies in place to cope with breaches. The survey, which polled IT decision makers in healthcare organisations, showed that: • A fifth say their organisation does not have a comprehensive information governance programme in place. Another 9 per cent don’t know if it does or not. • A massive 74 per cent do not regularly upgrade servers. • 13 per cent have already reported a

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

data breach at their organisation. 16 per cent either don’t know who to report a breach to - or are unsure • 7 per cent don’t even know what constitutes a breach • Only 43 per cent are ‘very confident’ staff are adequately trained and aware of their responsibilities around preventing data breaches The results come hot on the heels of a survey into preparations for the forthcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation, which will bring in huge fines for organisations which suffer a data breach after May 2018. Alarmingly, the figures showed that almost a fifth of NHS Trusts had cancelled preparations for the Regulation in the mistaken belief that it would not apply to them after Brexit – and nine per cent admitted they didn’t even have plans to train staff on data protection. John Culkin, Director of Information Management at Crown Records Management, believes the results are worrying. He said: “The results show there is a lot of work to do in the NHS to protect •

itself against cyber-attack by keeping systems up to date and putting robust systems in place. “For a fifth of IT decision makers in healthcare to say their organisation does not have a comprehensive information governance programme is quite shocking. “But there are many other issues to consider, too. The potential in NHS Trusts for information to go missing is pretty obvious and this kind of data breach can be damaging – and costly - too. “We have also found that many Trusts are blind to the potential for long-term information to become impossible to access in future if it is stored in formats that become obsolete over time. This may well be the next big problem to hit healthcare if servers are not upgraded and action is not taken to ensure long-term digital preservation of key data. “It is certainly a tough time for the industry but also the right time to review information management and governance across all NHS Trusts and to take control of the problem.”

News

AUDE honours estate management sector with annual awards

ast night the Association of University Directors of Estates’ (AUDE) celebrated excellence in estate management with the third annual AUDE Awards. The best of the best were honoured for their exceptional achievements and contributions within higher education estates and facilities. The 2017 AUDE Awards took place on the final night of the annual AUDE conference, at Manchester Metropolitan University. The awards recognised the achievements of universities across the UK and best practice in the industry, including those who lead the way in estate and facilities management. The judges were on the search for teams, projects and individuals who have made a significant contribution to the sector by upholding excellence and value for money, in order to promote efficiency and effectiveness. 2017 marks AUDE’s 25th year in promoting excellence in the strategic planning, management, operation and development of higher education estates and facilities. The awards showcased the very best practice taking place in institutions today.

The winners: Universities entered this year’s awards to win a place in one of the prestigious categories: •

AUDE University Impact Initiative of the Year Award

•

AUDE Chair’s Award for Long Term Contribution

•

The AUDE Emerging Talent Award

•

AUDE Estates/Facilities Team of the Year Award

This year the AUDE University Impact Initiative of the Year Award went to The University of Manchester, for their sustainability engagement programme. This award recognises a specific initiative having a significant positive impact on the institution, the sector and/or the profession. The team at Manchester University showcased how academic and professional services can come together. The grand scale project brought together the university community, with 5,000 students taking part and placed the estates team at the core of the institution. The AUDE Chair’s Award for Long Term Contribution went to Chris Jagger, University of Nottingham. This award celebrates Chris’ long-term achievements within the higher education estates community. Chris has completely transformed the campus of University of Nottingham which is vast in scale and plays an integral part of navigating the estates at several other campuses in the UK and overseas. Highly Commended award went to: Simon Smith, Nottingham Trent University 2016’s AUDE Emerging Talent Award went to joint winners, Grant McGillivray, University of Glasgow and Stewart Crowe, University of Liverpool. Grant McGillicray illustrates the University of Glasgow’s strategic investment in its people to drive success. His positive approach, can do attitude and aspirational behaviour marks him out as an estates leader of the future. Having completed his MBA, Stewart Crowe is forging ahead with a positive health and safety culture at Liverpool, enhancing the understanding of colleagues and widening his influence through external engagement with HSE and RIBA through his work as chair of USHA.

Estates and Facilities Management Team. The judges were impressed by the Residential Life model which offers a complete and inclusive pastoral care package engaging students, staff and the local community. With 97% of student accommodation remaining filled throughout the academic year, the link between sense of belonging and academic success is clear. The impressive model provides a strong and measurable impact combined with portability throughout the sector. Highly Commended award went to: Glasgow Caledonian University AUDE Chair and judge, Mike Clark, director of estates and facilities management at the University of Brighton said; “This year AUDE celebrates its 25th anniversary and the awards are just one of the ways we continue to support best practice in estates and facilities. We’re delighted to judge such a high calibre of candidates, who are promoting high standards across the sector. We’re confident we have chosen the most exceptional teams and individuals who display best practice in their institutions. 2017 is set to evoke many challenges in the higher education sector, so it’s fantastic to continue to see our estate and facilities teams deliver the best student experience possible.” The AUDE Conference and Awards in 2018 will be held at the University of Kent from 9 to 11 April. This event is for members of AUDE and invited guests and will be accompanied by an exhibition and sponsorship opportunities. For more information, please visit: www.aude.ac.uk/home

The AUDE Estates/Facilities Team of the Year Award was presented to the Manchester Metropolitan University,

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

Opinion

GETTING THE MOST FROM FACILITIES MANAGEMENT AND ASSET MANAGEMENT IN THE DIGITAL AGE

igital data is expanding at an exponential rate and shows no signs of slowing down. Every two days as much information is created as there was produced from the beginning of time until the year 2003 --- 90% of all data was created in the last two years alone. The total amount of data being captured and stored by industry doubles every 1.2 years. There is literally information everywhere you look. But as Albert Einstein was quoted, “Information is not knowledge”. At the moment less than 0.5% of data is ever analysed and then used. Nowhere is the concept of data capture and analysis more important than in Facilities Management (FM), where access to and utilisation of accurate information is crucial to designing and managing facilities that operate at the maximum efficiency. The need for facilities to perform to their maximum potential is not simply a matter of good economics, but is also essential to supporting wider sustainability goals and ensuring the sense of well-being of the workforce and other users of the building. This is becoming an increasingly important requirement as customers recognise that a happy workforce is also much more likely to be highly productive, too!

Innovation in Information Management in FM The changing landscape of Information Management (IM) will have profound impacts on FM and its public and private sector clients. If facilities managers can access, manage, and interpret the right information with regard to asset performance, they have the potential to add huge value to decision making across all aspects of property management on a sustained basis. Conversely if the wrong decisions are made and investment in IM is implemented poorly it can result in wasted effort with little or no insight gained and poor performance of the facility. So how do

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

James Dunnett, IT Director, EMCOR UK, discusses how the exponential growth of digital data is enabling opportunities for Facilities Management professionals to provide critical added value for public and private sector clients, and why separating the wheat from the chaff is even more important now than ever.. facilities managers maintain the best read on the rapidly changing environment and leverage the real opportunities while avoiding the hidden traps arising from innovation in IM technology? This is where experience comes in. Indeed, the other missing half of Einstein’s observation is that “The only source of knowledge is experience.” We have been involved in the introduction and operation of value-add information systems across all services within the FM sphere. Our experience has taught us that there are five key areas that FM professionals should focus on when investing in this field:

1. Inter-Company Solutions & Integration Although we focus on providing bespoke solutions to clients’ requirements, it does not follow that innovative solutions should only apply to their in-house boundaries. Indeed, we are focusing on the design of processes that can span multiple companies and sources, including clients, FM’s, and supply chain. It is often necessary to develop integrated solutions, both from a resource capability and from a systems perspective in order to help ensure that data has a clear, uninterrupted path through the process.

Key success factors in implementing effective inter-company data collaboration solutions are established to help ensure that these solutions can be deployed in a flexible, secure, and non-resource intensive way.

2. Data Quality Standards Having a clear grasp of data standards and data quality measures is essential to helping ensure that practical and value added insight can be derived from the increasing volume of data that can be rapidly accumulated. FM companies need to make available Data Science and Data Mining teams to help ensure that maximum value is derived from the extracted data and that managed data leads to actions that increase asset performance.

3. New & Flexible Data Sources The rapidly developing world of the “Internet of Things” (IoT) opens up a world of possibilities in terms of easy to deploy, cost efficient sensors which can be effectively integrated into asset management or building utilisation strategies. The IoT landscape is at a very exciting point of its development, with successful solutions providing either end to

Opinion end strategies – encompassing sensor, communications and analytics / dash boarding capability – or integrating to existing building management systems. Innovations in the IoT environment have the potential to ‘de-centralise’ building management and intelligence in the same way that we have moved from mainframes to laptops, and increasingly, to handheld devices. We believe that this will lead to real operational efficiencies and long term added value. However for these strategies to be successful it will be important for FM companies to identify the best solutions from the many available and suggest ways of integrating these to provide a true picture of the performance of clients’ assets and estates.

supported by objective measures, easily produced from the data, is the best and quickest way to drive value. Processes don’t in themselves manage or facilitate anything or anyone unless they are properly implemented. Therefore, training and awareness of the process for all of those who are required to interact with it are as essential as creating a culture that reinforces the importance of this engagement. This can be a challenge even at a single site, but it is particularly true in a geographically dispersed, organisation.

5. Bringing the data to life

Innovative and relevant data visualisation capability allows for insight to be gained more easily across multiple 4. Best in Class Business Process data sources. So from an asset management point of view, highlighting Integration geographic, criticality, condition, and cost information can easily show areas for To ensure access to and management attention and investment. of good quality data and to allow this data We are putting considerable focus on to drive efficiency, FM companies must data visualisation, as we see it as being develop best in class processes supported essential to allowing real time performance by technology. However, it is very important improvements and making sure that data to ensure that the cart is not put before Emex advert_KiWi Power V4 Print Ready.pdf 2 2016-10-20 05:34:33 is shared andPM used practically by everyone the horse and, in other words, make sure involved in the project, from facilities that the technology selection does not drive managers to maintenance staff. process. Utilising agile processes,

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Data visualisation can also help to build trust in collaborative relationships between customers, FM service providers and other stakeholders. If the data can be visualised in a way that makes for intuitive conclusions, the more likely it is to lead to efficient and supported actions. After all as Einstein also said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

Conclusion By continuing to swiftly innovate and harness new technologies, FM providers are ideally placed to adopt robust business strategies which support the use of Information Systems and the data they produce to make better, more intelligent decisions as a further way to add significant value for clients.

Why KiWi Powers Clients will earn £3.68m in TA this year

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Winning contracts in the Capacity Market Auction is easy, experience in delivering these contract is where the real value is. £13.7 million was left unclaimed due to contracts not technically delivered. With T-1 just around the corner give us a call to safeguard your Capacity Market earnings. Tel: +44 (0)207 183 1030 45 Broadwick Street PSS Magazine • January/february 2017W1F 9QW info@kiwipowered.com 1st Floor, London

Opinion

Capitalising on the digital transformation agenda By Spencer Wyer, Group Chief Technology Officer at EDM Group

igital transformation remains a key buzz word across the UK business landscape, with the majority of companies looking at how new technologies can transform business models and drive growth. One of the areas in which digital technologies are playing a profound role is how firm’s manage and analyse the vast amounts of information and data they generate, and the solutions and platforms they use to do this. It is clear that data has become the fuel of today’s digital economy, with customer behaviour dictating the way many of us want to communicate with friends, with businesses and most other stakeholders. The substantial rise in the use of mobile devices, the development of apps and similar tools, and exponential growth in e-commerce traffic show just how powerful these trends have become. Increasingly, therefore, moving away from the paper-based information is seen as a fundamental part of the digital transformation agenda – though there is still a long way to go before the UK business world is completely paper-free. Despite the rise of digital technologies transforming business processes, significant numbers of UK companies are still managing large volumes of post, for instance. Recent research commissioned by EDM Group found that around a quarter (23%) of UK businesses handle more than 5,000 items of inbound mail every month (60% still receive faxes into their mailrooms).

Significant cost savings Many organisations are unaware of the enormous cost savings and business process improvements that can be achieved by digitising their inbound mail operations, eliminating paper and incorporating it into a single, smart platform that can automate routing and business efficiency. ‘Digital mailrooms’ allow businesses to digitise post on entry and, as such, can radically improve data and information management and processes at source. They are highly efficient, cost effective ways for businesses to digitise their customer communications – dramatically improving data capture and information management as well as enhancing customer service and compliance. However, the survey by EDM Group revealed a relatively low take-up rate for mailrooms: just one in five companies (19%) in the UK said they operate fully automated digital mailrooms, with just 3% of companies using them across all locations and the remainder (16%) using them in some locations only. This failure to adopt modern practices and rely on paper can have significant consequences: around a third (30%) of businesses said that mishandling mail has a negative effect on their performance or

Absorbed into digitised processes EDM believes that automated mailrooms should be seen as a fundamental part of a digital transformation agenda that is becoming increasingly imperative across the UK business landscape. If a business or organisation can capture data across the full range of its communications channels, it can ultimately leverage closer relationships with customers, improve efficiency and create real competitive advantage. Mailroom automation is the bridge between the paper-based processes that offices will always deal with and the demands to digitally transform their operational models. Paper may never truly disappear, but by using the right technologies information can be easily absorbed into digitised processes alongside email, web forms and other communications formats – enabling organisations to reduce the risk of non-compliance through lost or misplaced documents. The good news is that increasingly large numbers of businesses and organisations in the UK are recognising the benefits that digital technologies can bring: two-fifths (40%) of respondents in the EDM study, for instance, said they believed that a digital mailroom would improve the overall performance of their business. In other words, this is not just digital transformation, this is business transformation.

EDM GROUP CASE STUDY – HMRC

MRC provides services to 41 million individuals and eight million businesses, collecting more than £500 billion in tax revenues a year. In the course of providing its services HMRC receives 70 million letters a year and sends out 200 million outbound items. HMRC were targeted to reduce operating costs by £235 million a year while delivering the same performance results for phone response & mail handing. Due to the nature of the documents required to be processed, HMRC would require a

The same proportion (23%) said they receive between 2,000 and 5,000 items per month while around a third (35%) said they get less than 2,000 items a month.

reputation while two-fifths (39%) stated that it has a negative impact on customer service levels.

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

dedicated physical mailroom environment. EDM delivered a dedicated outsourced Digital Mailroom environment within a four month implementation period. This mailroom now processes over 30,000 mail items per day within SLA’s of 36 to 48 hours. The solution has resulted in up to 95% automatic classification of document type, subject matter and ID of customer. This enables ‘correct routing’ of mail to the nominated recipient within HMRC without the need of manual intervention. Strategically, the Digital Mailroom has enabled HMRC to consolidate five large

regional post hubs into one and has improved customer service through significantly enhanced care of valuable documents with full visibility and traceability. In addition, EDM Group has recently introduced Robotics automation as a platform to HMRC, significantly increasing efficiency and savings on labour costs. This is also now central to the evolution of HMRC’s on-going Digital Transformation strategy.

Opinion

THE CLOCK IS TICKING

orms are burrowing into businesses. Trojan horses are galloping through data centres. In today’s digital Wild West, technological advancement is a double-edged sword. For health sector businesses seeking to embrace the upsides, it can be the difference between life and death. For the end-user, the digital revolution is delivering in spades. But, for the organisations providing the services, it’s a world where risk management is king. Health, retail, manufacturing, banking, legal, logistics, hospitality, travel, professional services…no matter what the model, the top priority is security. And – as if the priority list wasn’t long enough already – the enforcement of the EU General Data Protection Regulation is now just 14 months away. The regulations are an attempt to harmonise the different, often conflicting, data standards across the EU’s member states, and drive down leaks, breaches and hackings. And the UK leaving the EU doesn’t preclude us from its far-reaching and potentially damaging implications. Bottom line? Failure to abide by its terms can result in a fine of 4 per cent of revenue. But, despite that, more than half of all UK businesses admit they are not prepared. Security provision is of course at the heart of any business’s GDPR readiness, but a recent study carried out by converged B2B digital comms and IT services provider Daisy Group found that more than half of businesses are not protecting themselves sufficiently. And as cyberattacks of one kind or another rise to epidemic levels, that is a high-stakes game with potentially dire consequences. Daisy’s Security Practice Director Walter Rossi eats, sleeps and breathes the issues. And he says that disregarding the constant threat of cyberattacks spells almost certain catastrophe. “For businesses to maximise the opportunities presented to them by digitisation, they have to be always on, connected, protected, and agile,” says Rossi. “But that same digital revolution has meant that the criminals have got smarter too. They have managed to open up even more entry points through which to steal data and do fatal damage. From competitors to organised crime groups, political activists and even national governments, the threat is everywhere,

and it is 24/7. You can’t see them, you don’t know who they are, and you don’t know when they are coming after you. If your infrastructure is not sufficiently protected, it can be critically compromised in just a few clicks. In short, there is nothing more important than security. What’s more, the rule is: once you are attacked, it will happen again. The bad guys know every business is potentially exposed, and there aren’t many businesses that don’t appeal to them. There is always someone finding a way round the protection. The battle between security and the criminals is always ongoing. If you think you don’t need state of the art security, you’re likely to be more exposed to cyber threats than those who recognise its need. However, even buying the most expensive solution there is, will not give you the 100 per cent security. The reality is that there is no 100 per cent.” The answer has to be digital business resilience: the ability to allow your customers to consume services they want, with the peace of mind that you have protection, plus a joined-up back-up plan to keep your ‘always on’ promise. Think: a mix of the right kind of anti-attack provision – managed and monitored by experts – coupled with a tailored and comprehensive business continuity plan to cover all eventualities. Source it all from a single provider that knows your business like their own, and you go a long way towards mitigating effectively against the worst case scenario. “One of the most severe threats faced by businesses of all size is DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service)”says Rossi. “Depending on the level and quality of protection deployed, most are dealt with before they are able to do any damage. But the fall-out might be that a businesses is kicked off its network for a period of time while the attack is mitigated. Whilst the denial is the most important bit, the resulting impact can also have more serious implications, especially when used as a distraction to compromise or leak company data. To deny an attack AND remain connected and secured is the obvious desired situation. To deny an attack, remain connected and secured, but also have the added safety net of a robust and cost-effective business continuity provision if things don’t go to plan is the nirvana. It’s about deploying the appropriate solution with the intelligence and analysis of modern systems, managed around the clock. Tools such as Advanced Threat Management with correlation of multi-sourced intelligence feeds that can help you protect your business. That type of approach gives us the capability to cut

The clock is ticking on new data protection regulation that has a myriad of major implications for ill-prepared organisations. GDPR, it seems, is the elephant in the room… through the noise and provide real protection.” To crack that technological nut, the best providers work with the best partners. Daisy, for example, collaborate with security industry leaders F5, Arbor and Cisco. Together, they offer digital businesses a unique product: embedded in the network and quietly waging a 24/7 war with cyber threat. It is the kind of investment that impregnates the network with the intelligence it needs to deal effectively with the threat, whilst simultaneously delivering that gold ‘always on’ standard. “It’s true end-to-end protection,” says Rossi. “The DISCOVERY of risk based on understanding the customer’s actual exposure; providing the PREVENTION tools to help manage that risk; and then educating in how to react when the risk is exposed. Then it’s about having a RESPONSE plan supported by vigilant monitoring of the network, teamed with incident response, the intelligence of the data analysis, and then the business continuity back-up. All from a single provider, and all on one accurate bill. The archetypal one stop shop. No-one else can deliver that.” It’s as close to a silver bullet as it gets. It’s about thinking the same way, and at the same pace, as those plotting against you. It’s about discovering the full extent of a customer’s online presence - their number of IP addresses, domain names, email accounts etc. – identifying the likely breach points, and correlating device logs with threat advisories issued by vendors and security groups And then it’s about silently watching closely, every second of every day. And then thwarting, ruthlessly and cost-effectively. Put simply: being ahead of (or at least in) the game. “Businesses crave confidence when it comes to this stuff,” concludes Rossi. “It’s not surprising that they want to entrust it to people with the tools and the systems and the expertise. But they also want to feel the love of an enterprise-class service wrap too. Guess what…security just got exciting. And it’s about time too.” www.daisygroup.com

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

A Day in the Life

A day the life of: Connal O’Brien, Managing Director Eric Wright FM Describe your role and what you do on a day-to-day basis As Managing Director of Eric Wright Facilities Management (FM) Ltd my focus is on performance, both current and future, as well as the strategic direction of the business. This includes achieving annual financial targets (revenue and costs) as well as managing the expectations of our group board and trustees; as the Eric Wright Group is wholly owned by a charitable body, meaning all profits (after overheads) are retained by the trust. We deliver facilities management services to clients in varying sectors, specifically in healthcare, education, commercial and transport. Our service offer is bespoke and due to our size and flexibility we are able to give our customers what they need, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Our main focus it to deliver value for money services to all of our clients through innovation and expertise.

What type of people do you work with? Our greatest asset is the people that we employ and the values that underpin our business model. We work with local individuals and service partners to ensure that the communities that we operate in and their economies all benefit. My job is

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

made easier by the talented team I have around me. Everyone has a different area of expertise and combined with their levels of experience, contribute to solving all of the daily challenges that the FM sector throws at us. Honestly, no two days are the same in FM.

What do you find most challenging about your job? When I started with Eric Wright Group back in 1997, as a building surveyor, I was the only operational staff member looking after a small portfolio of commercial and industrial units. Fast forward to today and we employ more than 140 staff, managing 150 properties across the North of England. My biggest challenge has definitely been letting go and allowing the team do the everyday detail, all whilst retaining a general overview of the business. One of the challenges we face is explaining to customer organisations the importance and value FM service delivery can bring to their core business. In our experience, this is best delivered by a number of methods including: • • • • •

User group meetings FM workshops Social media streams Governors meetings (Education) Exhibitions

What advice would you give someone thinking about working in FM? For anyone thinking of entering the FM sector, I would absolutely encourage you to do so but please bear this in mind: Our subject matter and areas of expertise are very bespoke, with no two buildings or businesses the same. Herein lays the challenge and the fun that is….. Facilities Management….

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Sustainable Building

Rising to the challenges of urban construction Metsä Wood explores the possibilities of using timber to help solve the housing crisis in our cities

rbanisation is one of the most significant issues facing humanity today. By 2050, two thirds of the world’s population will live in cities. Consequently, urban growth is fast outpacing the ability to build affordable and sustainable living space. Cities all over the world are in dire need of new ways to house a rapidly growing urban population. Nowhere is this more evident than in the UK and in our capital city, where space is at a premium and housing the ever-growing population continues to pose a huge challenge. London is at the heart of the housing crisis with experts forecasting that the city will require 60,000 new homes a year (around double the current rate) to meet new projections. Innovation in building methods and materials is required for house building in urban areas to hit these targets, while ensuring fast and sustainable construction. One obvious, yet often overlooked solution is to start building up, and stop tearing down. Utilising new modern timber materials such as Metsä Wood’s Kerto® LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber), enables several stories to be constructed on top of existing structures. A building extension constructed with a timber frame can be a fast, sustainable and inexpensive solution. At a recent roundtable event hosted by Metsa Wood in London, industry professionals, including architects, designers, planners, and academics discussed the merits of modern timber and how it could be better utilized in urban architecture. Speaking at the event, Rory Bergin of HTA Design said: “We find there is still a lot of anxiety and lack of knowledge, particularly on cost. The way to further innovation is to push at the sweet spots where the benefits are indisputable to the client.” These comments were echoed by Nick Milestone of B & K Structures, “The people we need to convince are quantity surveyors. I’m starting to see that firms are now measuring the costs of engineered timber against traditional construction. They are saying to developers they can now build it quicker, lighter and cheaper.

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

It is now a competitive solution. Reinforced Concrete frame is becoming very expensive.” Linda Thiel of Sweden’s White Arkitekter discussed how timber is being used in her country for commercial and public buildings as well as houses, where it wouldn’t have necessarily been considered in the past. She said: “Too often engineered timber is being used simply to replace concrete. Once designers see it as a different material, design will flourish and create a new architecture.” This is particularly true in urban areas, such as London, where space is at a premium and planners are looking to build on existing structures to maximise every last square foot of space. Research shows that approximately a quarter of existing buildings are strong enough to carry additional floors made of wood. Moreover, it is the only material light enough to build quickly on to existing structures. This makes wood a highly promising building material for providing living space for billions of people – while also preserving the architectural heritage of our cities. One of the other main considerations for considering timber in urban construction is energy efficiency, not only during the construction process but also for the lifetime of the building. This is extremely important in London as it currently has a target of a 60% reduction in

carbon emissions by 2025. With homes and workplaces currently accounting for 78% of CO2 emissions in London and with 80% of the existing housing stock likely to still be in place by 2025, it is essential to improve the energy performance of new builds in order to cut costs and carbon. In the UK, building a million new homes by 2020 in order to meet the demand of the UK housing crisis requires innovative thinking and the need to explore new possibilities, such a hybrid construction, using a range of materials including steel, concrete, brick and timber. Through its Plan B project, Metsä Wood has been challenging the perception of architects, constructions engineers and builders as to what is possible with timber construction. As part of the project, which explores various possibilities of building with wood, Metsä Wood offers detailed examples of how to build recognizable, but modern versions of well known architectural buildings, such as the Empire State Building using wood as the main material. The models have been exhibited at trade shows across the globe and have helped to raise awareness and spark debate around modern timber construction. Metsä wood also recently ran a competition, inviting architects to design timber structure extensions to existing urban buildings using Kerto® LVL as the main material. Entries were submitted

Sustainable Building from 69 cities worldwide, including Sidney, Shanghai, New York, Berlin, Paris and London. One of the 16 entrants based on the city of London was the impressive Chrisp Street Market project by Kalpana Gurung and Robert Buss from Studio Hoopla. Chrisp Street Market is a 3.6 hectare site near Canary Wharf, built in the 1950s as part of the Festival of Britain, and having been active as a street market since Victorian times. There are currently plans to build 750 new homes while upgrading the existing retail units. According to Gurung and Buss, the proposal will “destroy most of the site and, with it, businesses, homes and community”. They continued: “London has a housing crisis but tackling this should not come at the expense of quality of life and the destruction of diverse and functioning communities. Our proposal seeks a sustainable future: environmentally and socially, for everyone, by building on the existing structure and community.

“The Metsä Wood Plan B competition provided an opportunity to address the socially and environmentally unsustainabletrajectory of housing development in London.” “Chrisp Street Market shares the qualities of many large redevelopments around London: wholesale destruction of existing buildings, private developers with a stranglehold on profit and the ‘cleansing’ of the city. “We should address the much more difficult, but responsible challenge of augmenting the new with the old - both physical and social. “Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) is the ideal material to achieve this; lightweight, prefabricated modules can be craned into place with minimal disruption to the everyday life of the market. “Existing residential blocks are extended upwards, using Kerto-Q and Kerto-S LVL modules while new blocks sitting on the podium itself use the same system. The timber is protected from the

elements but visible through an aluminium-glazed screen and is exposed throughout residential interiors, providing a highly insulated and high quality finish. “This system could be adapted and replicated across London and other cities, as a way to address the tide of wholesale gentrification - a more human, slower paced and responsible method of regeneration and change, while adding significant density to the areas people want to live.” The Chrisp Street Market project is just one example of how innovative design is challenging the perception of what is possible in urban construction. It is now becoming more widely acknowledged that timber products, such as Kerto® LVL timber have a major role to play in building cities of the future using fast, light and green materials. www.metsawood.com/planb

VIVIX® by Formica Group delivers a natural touch to school facade

hen David Turnock Architects were commissioned to design the new Silsoe Church of England VC Lower School layout, a compact building plan was requested to keep construction costs to a minimum. With a fabric first approach and emphasis on energy efficiencies, VIVIX® by Formica Group panels were specified for the facade. The design brief called for a blend of natural woodgrains to be placed in a random pattern on the building to complement the white render areas, while making the bold colour choices of the window frames pop, as a signature design feature. 8mm thick VIVIX® architectural panels in Golden Morning Oak, Mission Oak and Barn Oak were selected for the facade; meeting the design requirement for a wooden cladding aesthetic, but providing superior performance properties in terms of durability and insulation than its natural counterpart. Furthermore, the panels require no additional post or pre-installation treatments, making the façade almost maintenance free. Complementing the school’s steel frame, which was chosen for ease and

speed of construction, the lightweight nature of VIVIX panels afforded an ease of installation. Furthermore, the durability and weather resistant properties of VIVIX means it will maintain its aesthetic integrity overtime, which is ideal for projects where budget constraints are in place, but a compromise on quality and functionality is not.

All VIVIX panels for the Silsoe school project were manufactured by Formica Group in the UK, reducing on material transportation and the overall project carbon footprint. www.formica.com

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

Sustainable Building

Helping Create the Future of Learning

EZE UK is giving students a super welcome at one of Europe’s newest super colleges – the £228 million City of Glasgow College in the heart of Glasgow. The technical and professional skills college, which has been created on two sites, one either side of the River Clyde – City Campus and Riverside – has been called a ‘college of the future’. It aims to prepare students for the world of work with industry standard and state-of-the art facilities. Contractor Sir Robert McAlpine, chose GEZE products to create the entrances to match that at City Campus. The cutting

edge, contemporary building with almost 1000 learning spaces, needed to incorporate a statement entrance, but also have practicalities and safety in mind. The west and south elevations have a similar aesthetic with imposing glass and steel framed facades into which manual revolving doors have been installed along with automated swing doors to one side. The college has been built to accommodate 40,000 students and 1300 staff, so functionality was key to ensure a steady flow of traffic across the threshold. The TSA 325 NT manual revolving doors are spacious yet easy to operate. They include a control system which ensures that those using the door cannot be forced to speed up by a someone entering the door behind them The TSA 325 NT also provides an effective draught-free lobby, keeping noise, dirt and dust out of the building. The Slimdrive EMD-F electro-mechanical swing doors fitted next to the revolving doors are extremely versatile. They provide easy access for those with mobility issues as assisted opening can be initiated using the operating button with guaranteed constant opening and closing speed. At just 7cm high, the Slimdrive EMD-F operator is extremely discreet and sits neatly on the frame. It is a low-wear, hi-performance system which is

exceptionally quiet in operation. At Riverside, the RIBA Sterling prize nominated campus incorporates a Slimdrive SL NT single sliding automatic door on the entrance to a 198-bed student accommodation block which is home to more than 3,000 marine and engineering students. The Slimdrive SL NT blends seamlessly into the entrance of the contemporary pillared frontage. With an operator height of just 7cm – it is almost invisible and can move leaf weights of up to 125kg, making it ideal for public buildings with high levels of footfall and a continuous flow of people moving in various directions. Being virtually silent in operation, it was an ideal choice for a building with lots of activity which must also lend itself to residential requirements. The accommodation provides a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for all students who stay there. Kaz Spiewakowski, managing director of GEZE UK, said: “It is a mark of confidence for GEZE products to have been used in such a dynamic and trailblazing establishment. The City of Glasgow College is leading the way in providing top class facilities for staff and students and we are delighted that our products have been installed there.” www.geze.co.uk

Advanced Axis EN System Protects Students at Sofia University

n industry-leading fire system from Advanced has been selected to protect the world-renowned Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy at Bulgaria’s Sofia University. Originally founded in 1925 and restructured into its present form in 1962, the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy is one of the most respected university departments in Europe, working closely with many global organisations and private companies on research and development projects. A recent upgrade of the fire systems

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

at the Faculty was specified and installed by long-time Advanced partner FireTech Engineering Ltd. The project saw Advanced Axis EN panels installed in the building at the core of a network that includes smoke detectors, call point and a conventional zone module. Stoyan Grozdanov, spokesperson for FireTech Engineering Ltd, said: “We selected an Advanced system for the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy as we consider Axis EN one of the most up-to-date fire systems on the market. The panels are very reliable and, due to the usage of the building, we needed a high

level of protection and reliability, with assurance against false alarms and an intuitive interface for programming and monitoring.” In total, 491 field devices, including photoelectric smoke detectors, wall sounders and call points have been installed at the faculty on a high speed panel network. The system has been designed so it can be expanded and upgraded as needed in the future. Axis EN is one of Advanced’s highest performing analogue systems, and fully compliant with EN54 Parts 2, 4 and 13. The panels can be used in single loop, single

Sustainable Building

Fast Access for Cyclists

ncouraging the cycling ethos, TORMAX was specified to install two full-glass automatic sliding doors to the new Gravesend Cycle Hub, providing fast access for busy commuters looking to drop off their bikes before catching the train. The entrances are both powered by low-energy, TORMAX iMotion 2202 operators which are have a reputation for exceptional reliability in the long-term, even in a hectic location

such as this. A million-pound development, the Cycle Hub is a gleaming new glass building situated next to Gravesend train station, housing more than 280 bikes in a safe, secure and dry location. TORMAX worked with Sealtite Windows Ltd and main contractor Walker Construction to deliver an access solution that minimises the risk of bottlenecks during rush hour at either end of the working day. One door allows

panel format or easily configured into high speed, 200 panel networks covering huge areas and tens of thousands of field devices and backed up with Advanced’s renowned customer care and technical support. Advanced’s Axis EN fire systems support two new technologies, the TouchControl touchscreen repeater and AlarmCalm complete false alarm management system. TouchControl is a 10” HD touchscreen that offers dynamic reporting and control via a unique interface that includes Active Maps and zone plans. AlarmCalm uses Advanced’s fast hardware, updated config software and optional loop verification devices to deliver a system that allows the false alarm strategy for any building to be quickly and easily programmed and managed, increasing safety and reducing false alarms. Etienne Ricoux, Advanced’s Export Sales Manager for Europe, commented: “The Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy is the latest education facility to be protected by

Advanced system and one of several recent installations in Sofia. Our rock-solid reputation for quality, performance and ease-of use and the new features we are bringing to market like AlarmCalm and TouchControl our touchscreen repeater are driving increasing demand across our territories.” 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 Advanced specified locations all over the world, from single panel installations to large multi-site networks. Advanced’s products include complete fire detection systems, multi-protocol fire panels, extinguishing control and fire paging systems.

bikes to be pushed in and out of the Hub, whilst the other is for pedestrians leaving or entering the facility. Swiss-owned, TORMAX has been designing, manufacturing, installing and maintaining bespoke automatic entrance systems worldwide for over 60 years. The iMotion range of door operators is in-house designed and combines unique AC motor technology with a state-of-the-art microprocessor control system. Working in tandem, these guarantee permanent monitoring of door leaf movements, making automatic adjustments as necessary to deliver extraordinarily reliable operation. With cost an important consideration for Kent County Council, this long operational lifespan lowers the total cost of ownership, allowing for more effective financial planning with reduced ongoing budgetary expenditure. iMotion operators also represent a sustainable solution too, with over 95% of the components being recyclable. “Making it quick and easy for people to drop off and pick up their bikes is key to encouraging use of the Cycle Hub,” comments Simon Roberts, MD for TORMAX UK. “The self-monitoring function on the door operators will ensure they always perform at maximum efficiency, even in a potentially dirty location like this.” www.tormax.co.uk

More details can be found on the website at www.advancedco.com

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

Sustainable Building

Introducing Enviropod.. the Lid Collector

aving launched Envirocup XL, the new cup collection and recycling bin that can accommodate every size of disposable cup up to 103mm in diameter, Leafield Environmental now introduces the Enviropod, to stand along side it. The Enviropod is a stylish recycling bin specifically designed for the collection of plastic cup lids. The need for such a bin was highlighted by Simply Cups, the UK’s only collection and recycling service dedicated to turning paper cups into second-life materials. The Simply Cups scheme seeks address the UK’s fastest growing waste stream: the estimated 2.5 billion paper drinking cups disposed of each year, many or even most of which are accompanied by a plastic lid.

“In order for the scheme to succeed we needed an efficient means of collecting the cups and a separate receptacle to segregate the plastic lids,” said Maddie Hickman, Simply Cups Scheme Manager. “We identified the need for lid collection and Leafield were quick to respond with a design that complements the Envirocup XL cup collection bin that is playing a significant role in the London ‘Square Mile Challenge’”. The Square Mile Challenge aims to collect and recycle half a million cups a month. In the future, the scheme will also ensure that the plastic lids themselves become a further reusable material stream. E-mail: comms@leafield-environmental.com Web: www.leafieldrecycle.com

British manufacturer Formica Group aligns with Made in Britain

ffirming its continued dedication to British manufacturing, Formica Group, the original inventor of High Pressure Laminate (HPL) is proud to announce its alignment with Made in Britain.

The Made in Britain campaign is designed to promote and celebrate the manufacture of UK-made good. Formica Group is the only HPL manufacturer to carry the Made in Britain marque. All of Formica Group’s core colours and patterns, exterior cladding and the Red Dot Award winning anti-fingerprint surface Formica Infiniti™, now bear the logo. Enabling buyers and consumers at home and abroad to identify British-made

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

products, the Made in Britain marque assists businesses in making purchasing decisions that support British industry. In this time of post-Brexit economic uncertainty, championing British manufacturing is fitting since the sector is experiencing the biggest increase in UK competitiveness in non-EU markets on record due to the weaker pound.

Joe Bell, UK Marketing Manager at Formica Group, comments: “A benefit for UK businesses using products manufactured in the UK, as opposed to Italy, Austria and other EU countries, include faster delivery times and better cost efficiencies. As a British manufacturer, Formica Group is able to provide price stability on HPL making it easier for customers to plan ahead.

Sustainable Building

ALTRO’S FIRST ADESHIVE-FREE FLOORING FOR LOW SLIP RISK AREAS IS TOUGH TIME-SAVING SOLUTION AT WARRINGTON HOSPITAL

ew Altro CantataTM, the company’s first adhesive-free flooring for areas with a low slip risk, is already demonstrating its capabilities at Warrington Hospital, providing a tough time and cost saving solution in a busy non-clinical corridor. Lee Bushell, the hospital’s Acting Head of Capital Projects, says: “The service corridor is an area that gets an enormous amount of traffic. It’s in constant use during the day. “After many years of this treatment, the existing vinyl flooring was really showing the strain. It looked tired, scruffy and we needed to find a hard wearing, affordable long term solution that could be laid with minimal disruption in this busy area. “We have a very good relationship with Altro, and their flooring is proving very successful elsewhere in the hospital, so we asked them to have a look at the corridor and give us some guidance. “They suggested we use their new Altro Cantata flooring, because it could be laid straight down onto the existing flooring, without adhesive, which would mean a fast installation. New Altro Cantata is a decorative, adhesive-free flooring that creates maximum impact with minimum downtime. Using Altro’s award-winning adhesive-free installation method, it can be welded and walked on the same day, and at the end of its life removed easily, allowing it to be reused or recycled. It can handle the traffic of busy areas and is a long-term solution that will look good for years to come. It is ideal for busy public spaces where disruption needs to be minimal, such as hospitals, schools and general circulation areas, with the durability needed for medium to high traffic areas. Plus there are no associated adhesive odours. Altro Cantata’s 16 soft-look shades, which range from subtle naturals to beautifully vivid, allows you to create just the right colour scheme or tone. Lee Bushell continues: “I must admit I was sceptical that Altro Cantata would be able to meet our needs, but I am very pleased that I have been proved wrong, and it has been perfect for us in so many ways. “There was a very short window for installation, because the corridor is in use until 7pm, but the process went very smoothly and was completed in just one night. A flooring that needs adhesive would

have taken 3 to 4 days to fit. Altro Cantata has delivered a massive saving in cost, and the corridor was back in full use the next morning. When speaking of the floor handling foot and wheeled traffic, Lee said: “It’s is standing up to the demands well with no signs of movement, bubbling or rippling, which proves it truly is a long term solution and not just a temporary fix. Very impressive. “In terms of aesthetics, the flooring looks superb. There are some great colour choices with Altro Cantata. We selected a pale ice blue, which perfectly matches the colour scheme of the corridor. “Cleaning is proving to be a revelation. The black scuffs and wheel marks from the trolleys were always tough to remove on the old flooring. Initially our cleaning team was doubtful they could get the marks off the new flooring, and nervous of using the scrubber and buffer because they thought they might do some damage. “But we are delighted to report that the flooring comes up like new after every nightly cleaning regime, and even the stubborn black wheel marks are gone. Scrubbing machines and buffers are doing a wonderful job, with no damage. “Sustainability is also an important factor for us. Because Altro Cantata is an adhesive-free flooring it means that in the future, if we need to make repairs, we can simply cut out a section and replace it, without having to re-lay the entire area. And the product is 100% recyclable as well. “Overall, Altro Cantata is meeting all our needs in terms of cost saving, durability, looks and hygiene. This is vital at a time when the NHS is looking to make savings where possible, while also maintaining the highest standards. “We are currently looking at using this product in another non-clinical area of the hospital, where there are similar issues with installation time. We think it will do a fantastic job there as well.” Altro Cantata was installed at Warrington Hospital by Cheshire Contract Flooring Ltd. Director Dave Hunt says: “We specialise in installing flooring in healthcare environments, so we completely understand the pressures in terms of timing, cost and often sensitive environments. “The beauty of Altro Cantata is that it can be laid straight down on to the subfloor, or existing flooring, with minimal

preparation. There is no need to grind the floor, or put down a DPM, or prime, screed or use adhesive. This is a massive time and cost saver, a real fast track solution. Plus there is no need to wait for adhesive to dry and cure, so the flooring can be used and walked on immediately. It’s an ideal product for busy areas with heavy traffic where quick installation is paramount.” Dave Hunt adds: “We laid the flooring in just one night, an area of 140m2, with two operatives. The process was quite straightforward. Firstly we made sure the existing flooring was clean, dry and dust free, then rolled out the sheet of product and cut it to size. Double-sided tape was then put around the perimeter, along the walls, one either side of the join. “The tape was then peeled back and the flooring laid down and pressed into place. We finished by hot welding the joints, putting in a sit-on skirting, and steel threshold strips in the doorway. It was so fast: we could not have completed the work in this short timeframe with a traditional vinyl flooring. “The work was carried on a very cold night in November, and we were afraid that the low temperature might cause the product to be brittle and buckle. But it settled very well, and we are delighted with how easy it was to work with and install. It looks great too. “I was unsure that the flooring would stay in place with all the heavy trolleys turning on it every day, but it has been designed to do just that, and hasn’t moved or buckled in the slightest. We are very impressed with Altro Cantata and we’ll certainly be recommending it for our future projects.” www.altro.co.uk

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

Sustainable Building

Yet Another World Heritage Site Gets Advanced Fire Protection

urham Cathedral, the 1,000-year-old World Heritage Site and one of Britain’s most visited buildings, is now protected by market-leading intelligent fire panels from Advanced. Founded in 1093 and the final resting place of St Cuthbert, Durham Cathedral remains the seat of the Bishop of Durham, the fourth most senior cleric in the Church of England. As well as being the North-East home of the Magna Carta, which was taken to London during the Reformation and now makes occasional trip back to the north, the Cathedral and its environs have also featured in numerous Hollywood films including the Harry Potter franchise. The Advanced MxPro panels specified for the Cathedral were supplied by Custom Advanced Systems Limited and installed by Expert Fire Solutions, both long term partners of Advanced. The fire system covers the entire Cathedral complex, including the new ‘Open Treasure’ exhibition that gives the public access to previously unseen parts of the Cathedral. It is comprised of two MxPro 5 panels, linked by fault-tolerant network cards and supplemented by a remote display terminal. Alan Raine, Director at Expert Fire Solutions, commented: “Advanced panels are our first choice every time, combining innovation, ease-of-use and reliability.

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

Durham Cathedral is a historic gem, but also a working ecclesiastical building with over 700,000 visitors each year, so the fire system needs to be specified to the highest level, while also fitting discretely within the fabric of the structure.” In addition to the remains of St Cuthbert, whose body was brought to the mainland from Holy Island in 875AD following Viking raids, the Cathedral is also home to the remains of St Bede, which were interred in the Galilee Chapel in 1370. Born in Jarrow around 672 AD, Bede wrote the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, and is often described as the ‘Father of English History’. Jo Hughes, Property & Facilities Manager at Durham Cathedral, said: “Durham Cathedral has played a prominent role in the history of the North East and it continues to attract visitors from around the world. Both the building itself, and priceless artefacts such as Prior Castel’s Clock, deserve the best possible protection. After working closely with the installation team, we concluded that Advanced panels offered the right combination of quality, reliability and functionality required for this vital system.” MxPro is the fire industry’s leading multiprotocol fire solution, offering customers a choice of two panel ranges, four detector protocols and a completely open installer network that enjoys free

training and support. MxPro panels can be used in single loop, single panel format or easily configured into multi-loop, high speed, 200 panel networks covering huge areas and thousands of field devices. Advanced’s legendary ease of installation and configuration and wide peripheral range make it customisable to almost any application. Neil Parkin, Advanced Sales Manager for the North, commented: “Durham Cathedral is the latest in a long line of historic and ecclesiastical buildings to enjoy Advanced protection, including Iona Abbey in Scotland, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and Lincoln Castle, home of another copy of the Magna Carta. The Advanced panels installed in the Cathedral are renowned for their quality and reliability, which makes them ideal for a high-profile and sensitive installation such as this one.” 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. www.advancedco.com

Sustainable Building

The Green Eyed Monster

pen any trade magazine or visit supplier websites and you will find numerous articles and products offering exceptional ‘green’ credentials. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the glass and glazing industry as each manufacturer attempts to outperform the next by offering astounding figures for thermal performance. What is surprising however, is the regular use of terms such as ‘environmentally friendly’ or ‘green’ simply because a product offers a low u-value. As more buildings are constructed to Passivhaus standards there appears to be a blurring of the lines between what is good for the environment and what is thermally efficient. Whilst there is no doubt that increased thermal efficiency contributes to a reduction in burning of fossil fuels; this alone should not be the deciding factor in whether a product is actually environmentally friendly. The majority of flat rooflights on the market today are manufactured from either PVC or aluminium and both of these require an exceptional amount of energy to produce and extract a lot of resources from the planet without putting anything back. While most companies will adopt some sort of environmental policy, telling customers that their products use a percentage of recycled material, this is more likely to be about cost rather than any real environmental intentions. After all recyclables are recycled because it is the cheapest available option and it makes more financial sense to do so rather than to send them to a landfill – with Landfill tax currently over £84 per tonne, plus the gate fee on top. It stands to reason that consuming vast amounts of natural resources to produce the raw materials of a product negates the environmental benefits further down the chain, regardless of what the product becomes. This has often been overlooked in the rooflight industry because of the low maintenance and long life that aluminium

and PVC can offer the end user. For decades these two materials have been unrivalled and it was widely accepted that flat rooflights should be manufactured from one of these materials; until now. There is now a real alternative in the flat rooflight market that not only offers exceptional thermal performance, but is also a genuine environmentally friendly product in every sense. The Lumen Planus is manufactured in the UK using Accoya® wood which is a material that has been thoroughly tested for dimensional stability, durability, paint retention and in-ground conditions to ensure optimal performance. It offers a new standard in high performance, sustainable and low maintenance applications. In addition to the outstanding performance, Accoya® wood is one of the very few building products to have acquired Cradle to CradleSM Certification on the elusive Gold level. Cradle to Cradle (C2C)

provides a means to tangibly and credibly measure achievement in environmentally-intelligent design including the use of environmentally safe and healthy materials and instituting strategies for social responsibility. A carbon footprint assessment was executed for Accoya® wood by Verco in line with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and World Resources Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Protocol best practice guidelines, based on a cradle to factory gate scenario. This includes sourcing, harvesting and processing of the input timber, as well as all energy and raw material consumption and waste production. The results are shown in the graph below.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Today there are some exceptional flat rooflight products available for specifiers to choose from. It is a fact that both aluminium and PVC are very good at providing superb thermal performance and that modern technology has reduced the end of life environmental impact. That said, if your project requires a truly environmentally friendly product then Accoya® provides compelling environmental advantages in every stage of the life cycle. www.lumenrooflight.com

(kg C02 eq per m3 of material)

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

Sustainable building

New Security Systems Guide to Help School Officials ‘Raise the Alarm’

he British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has recently released a free guide to aid key decision makers within the education sector in understanding the benefits of installing intruder alarms, and other security systems, in order to safeguard schools. Schools, and other educational establishments, face a number of security threats year round, including vandalism, arson attack and trespassers. As such, school officials have a duty of care to ensure that staff and student welfare is always a top priority, as well as a requirement to protect high value goods such as IT equipment, personal possessions and confidential personal and financial data. “It is essential that key decision makers are taking security seriously and making the necessary arrangements to protect their premises from both internal and external threats,” explains Martin Harvey, Chairman of the BSIA’s Security Systems Section. “The installation of high quality intruder alarms and their integration with other security systems, such as access control and CCTV, can provide vital peace of mind that the site is being protected both in and out of school

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

hours. With such a wide variety of products on the market, as a section we felt it was necessary to create a helpful, concise guide to inform decision makers of the benefits of different security systems.” Earlier this year, the BSIA surveyed members of its Security Systems Section in order to discover their involvement in securing the education sector over the previous year. While 50% of respondents felt that the use of private security measures in the education sector had increased over the previous 12 months, 67% anticipated them increasing over the next 12 month. 67% of respondents also felt that awareness of safety and security amongst education professionals had remained the same in the previous year, with student and staff welfare seen to be the biggest threat facing the sector. With this in mind, the new guide endeavours to highlight the benefits of installing intruder alarms and other security systems, showcasing their effectiveness in not only responding to known threats, but also in deterring criminal activity. Recently, the BSIA also commissioned a White Paper titled “The (Real) Price of Security Solutions – a white paper on the challenges of buying and selling high-quality

security solutions”. The paper aims to explore the price versus quality debate from the perspectives of both buyers and sellers of security solutions, in order to identify the relative advantages and disadvantages between low-priced and high-quality solutions. The main findings of the paper clearly suggest that end users would find it far more beneficial to consider and deploy high-quality security solutions. In terms of intruder alarms, a high quality solution would be one that meets with all the necessary requirements to ensure an effective police response. “There are many standards that intruder alarm systems and their installers must meet with in order to ensure that you are choosing a good quality product and service,” explains Martin. “The new security systems guide serves to clearly highlight the essential standards that systems should comply with in order to make them truly ‘fit for purpose’.” The guide can be downloaded free of charge from the BSIA’s website: www.bsia.co.uk/portals/4/publications/ 331-intruder-alarm-education.pdf

LANGLEY PUTS MORE INTO YOUR ROOF

SO YOU AND YOUR TENANTS GET MORE OU

In social housing, a great roof isn’t just about materials and labour. It’s about the experience that comes from working with local authorities, housing associations and Registered Social Landlords. It’s about having a wide choice of BBA approved systems. It’s about partnership and comprehensive end-to-end support – from design consultation and bespoke specifications through to supplementary information for Section 20 notices. All this goes into a Langley roof with on-site monitoring and access to approved contractors and installers – all designed to minimise risk and deliver roofing excellence. In other words, we put everything we have into your roof, so you and tenants get the most out of it.

Get more out of your social housing project. Call 01327 704778 or visit langley.co.uk

Sustainable Environment

Rainwater Harvesting - the answer to your water woes?

ainwater is hot news at the moment; too much of it, too little of it, how to manage it. How do you deal with and make the most of nature’s most abundant, free resource ? Rainwater can bring life to those living in areas of water stress, but devastation in the form of flooding. However, with expert management through rainwater harvesting and attenuation one of our most powerful resources can be harnessed, controlled and re-used, removing our water woes! So how can the sustainable technology of rainwater harvesting be beneficial to the public sector?

Save Water - Reduce your mains water usage by up to 75% The majority of our clients enjoy savings on their mains water bills of between 50-75% and one client has used over 930,000 Litre’s of rainwater during the last 5 months alone. Rainwater harvesting can deliver significant returns on investment, especially with larger buildings with a high water demand, which may achieve a payback of between 2-5 years. Many public sector buildings have roof areas which, conveniently, can provide the right amount for their water demand. We are entering an age where wastage is frowned upon and the public sector has the opportunity to lead the way in a sustainable water management approach, by utilizing rainwater harvesting in schools, offices, transport depots and leisure facilities across the UK.

Save Money – Save your budget! Rainwater harvesting systems can have a significant impact in reducing the running

costs of a building; far exceeding other water saving products. With budgets under strain the investment in rainwater harvesting is not often as significant as many think and with rising water bills, reducing public sector spending on utilities is being welcomed by local authorities in all areas of the country.

Save the Environment Sustainable water technology The Environment Agency have predicted that we will soon, no longer have enough available water in the UK to supply demand. It makes perfect sense to collect rainwater locally from our roof areas and filter this on site, rather than wastefully sending it straight to drain to be transported and treated to drinking water quality, before being redistributed in the mains water supply. Over 50% of our daily water use does not need to be treated to drinking water quality. For companies who wish to demonstrate a serious commitment to their sustainability agenda, rainwater harvesting is a must have technology.

Control Flooding as well as saving money It would be highly unusual for any new building to not have a requirement for some sort of stormwater retention on site. With Stormsaver’s new technologies we can provide a way to attenuate water on site and at the same time re-use it in the building, saving you money and flooding problems, and assisting with planning conditions.

Stormsaver – established, reliable, trusted Stormsaver have been in the construction industry since 2003 and have over 1600 commercial systems installed across the UK. Our portfolio includes some extremely high profile and complex buildings, including Primary and Secondary Schools, public sector buildings such as libraries and leisure facilities and offices.

Bespoke specifications to your individual requirements Stormsaver manufacture our own products here in the UK, meaning we can create a system to suit the building. We

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

can build bespoke control panels with automatically cleaning filtration, fixed speed, variable speed or eco-friendly pumps and tanks built to suit your requirements. All systems meet the British Standard for Rainwater Harvesting BS8515 and WRAS Guidelines to prevent cross-contamination of the mains water system.

Quality in service It’s not just about the product. Service levels can make or break a strong working relationship and providing a reliable, knowledgeable service is where Stormsaver excel. Don’t believe us? Just take a look at some of the testimonials on our web site www.stormsaver.com Over 40% of our team have been with Stormsaver for over 10 years! We are all passionate about water conservation and really believe in our product.

Quality of product Manufacturing our own product range enables us enormous flexibility to respond to our clients product requirements. Our Combi range of control panels provide an all in one solution, suitable for new build and retrofit projects. The Combi houses controls, electrics, filters and auto mains water top up in one unit. We provide non-pressurised and pressurised solutions as well as roof top collection systems. We manufacture single piece underground tanks up to 170,000 Litre’s and above ground tanks in either single or sectional arrangements in any size or dimension that you need.

Maintenance Not only do we provide reliable products, we maintain them too. Our expert engineers can attend site bi-annually, to fully service the rainwater harvesting system. We offer tank cleaning services, replacement parts including UV disinfection lamps, system upgrades for any brand which may not be operational and legionella testing.

Contact Stormsaver Our team are ready to help you with your rainwater harvesting solutions. Call us on 0844 8840015, email us at enquiries@stormsaver.com or visit us on www.stormsaver.com or @stormsaver on Linkedin.

Sustainable Office

BSRIA LAUNCHES WORKPLACES OF THE FUTURE PUBLICATION

SRIA is delighted to have launched its Workplaces of the Future publication which was written by workplace student: Ashleigh Bunker. This insightful report contemplates the office needs and desires from the perspective of the youth of today aka millennials and generation z. The work was carried out as part of BSRIA’s INSPIRE project which works with local schools, national and local politicians and the media to promote STEM and change its perceptions.

The report considers how the advancement of digital technologies is changing the way we work. Collaboration technologies are ushering a next-generation workplace that is more productive, efficient and delivers meaningful cost savings to organisations of all sizes across the globe. The office of the future may not even need to be a workplace in the accepted sense of the word. With new and more advanced mobile devices, giving employees the freedom to work from anywhere, these technologies will continue to reshape the look and feel of the ‘office’.

BSRIA has the corporate vision of “making buildings better”, but with the changing workplace what form will the office of the future take, what will be the expectation of the occupiers and what will be the impact for designers, developers and those managing the workplace environment?

Ashleigh researched: •

How the workplace environment will affect the career choices of different generations.

•

How the needs of the different generations will need to be met in the transitioning years.

•

The benefits of providing a new workplace environment that meets the expectations of the millennial generation and beyond.

And looked at: the history of office layouts; offices of today; the next 10 years and next steps.

Some key findings: •

• •

Technology has also affected what millennials are like as employees. Generally, they want instant results making them more action orientated. Where the previous ideology is more “eventually you get your dues”, millennials want to work hard quickly and see results as equally as fast. This passion for instant results may make them seem impatient to older generations, but businesses will have to accommodate such characteristics. When generation Z walks into the office, they want to feel pride in their workplace not only for the design but also for the flexibility it will allow them. With the flexibility to work from anywhere, one will be working in a virtual world with colleagues in other countries and still be a in a functioning business. However, a problem on the horizon is that the future offices could be too laid back, some current co-working environments are even offering beer for their employees on week days!

•

Research shows that millennials don’t want to work for any company, they would prefer to earn less and work for a company with strong passions and morals.

•

Make the office “look good”, if there is not an inspiring environment the workers will not have pride in their workplace nor will they feel inspired to work. www.bsria.co.uk

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

Sustainable Office

Call of the wild

Biophilic design can create better working and learning environments •

Enhanced cognitive function, concentration, memory and attention

These biophilic restorative responses are based upon the nature-health relationship. These restorative responses are rapid, automatic and unconscious. Under this relationship, the biophilic responses can be typed as: •

• •

t could be argued that, perhaps without deliberate intent, domestic interiors have a well-established history of biophilic design - simply because they reflect our natural preferences, as animals, to be connected to the biosphere that sustains us. Still in its relative infancy, biophilic design is gaining momentum in workplace and educational environments, following on from successful implementation in the healthcare, retail and hospitality and public spaces. So, what is biophilia & biophilic design? Biophilia is a love of life, an innate affinity to associate with nature. It is a hypothesis which states that humans have a deep-seated association to natural environments. Essentially, our brains are hard wired for nature. The application of biophilia, is known as biophilic design. Its aim is to restore natural stimuli to the built environment and enhance the cognitive psycho-physiological wellbeing of urban inhabitants. In other words, it aims to help an increasingly urbanised population answer the ‘call of the wild’ in their everyday lives. As many of us spend more hours indoors, in our workplaces, classrooms and

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

public buildings, than outside, the benefits of incorporating biophilic design to a space becomes increasingly compelling. Biophilic design has been shown to have economic, health, cultural and environmental benefits. But it’s not just simply the presence of nature, but the content within the scene, its configuration and associated semantic content. Simply put, it is more than tokenistic greenery. It is also worth pointing out, that biophilic design doesn’t have to be big or expensive and should not be exclusive. Its benefits should extend to all occupants of the space. It is simply an extension of good design. Recent research from various fields, including neuroscience and endocrinology, show the crucial role that experiencing nature has for our well-being. In as little time as 5-20 minutes in a biophilic environment, a positive restorative response can be triggered. These responses include: • •

Decrease in blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones An increase in self-esteem and mood

Physiological - blood pressure, heart rate, neurotransmitter and hormone production Cognitive - attention, creativity, task performance, mental agility Psychological - mood, self-esteem, perception, place attachment

Underlining the importance of connections to nature, we now know higher mortality rates occur in areas with lower levels of access to green space, exacerbated by a rapidly urbanising global population, participating in a lifestyle that spends about 90% of our time indoors. To help counter this, we must find ways of incorporating nature into the built environment right from childhood – it could be intrinsic to our own survival. Studies have shown children immersed in nature adapt pro-environmental behaviours as adults. As Stephen Jay Gould once said; “We cannot win this battle to save species and environments without forging an emotional bond between ourselves and nature as well – for we will not fight to save what we do not love.” The opportunities presented for workplaces & educational institutions considering a biophilic design-led approach to their facilities are enormous. Stress is now the biggest cause of sickness in the UK, costing 105 million working days each year, affecting 20% of the working population, and costing the UK economy £6.5 billion annually. If workers are faced without respite from the stress of office environments, various anxiety and stress related illness can surface. Organisations looking to stage a ‘biophilic intervention’ should note that no two applications of biophilic design will result in the same solution, there is no rigid formulaic process. Terrapin Bright Green’s; “14 Patterns of Biophilic Design” provides a resource that can be used to inform, guide and assist in the design process, resulting

Sustainable Office in a locally appropriate solution. The 14 patterns can be categorised into three broad areas:

1. Nature in the space Adding real or artificial plants, a fish tank or terrarium is a common first, and unfortunately last step. It has a multitude of benefits, creating direct, physical presence of nature in a space. Visual stimuli can also take other forms. For example, varying the light in a space to mimic natural variations of the sun and shadows are preferable to the constant, static nature of lighting common in the urban environment. This, coupled with the proliferation of smart devices and computer monitors, is creating a light diet that is interfering with our circadian rhythms and harming our health. But don’t ignore the other senses – the sound of gently running water, or bird song, has a positive subliminal effect. Water features and fountains may not be practical for everyone. Playing recordings across a space can achieve the desired effect, too. Bear in mind that urban noises such as machines, vehicles, IT equipment and telephones can have detrimental impacts on productivity and wellbeing, so masking or mitigating them presents a dual benefit. Having a source of water within easy reach or view has been shown to have a positive effect on our wellbeing – appealing to our primal instincts of settling near reliable, plentiful sources of drinking water. Aside from maintaining comfortable temperatures, consider air circulation – we can all relate to the calming sensation brought on by a light breeze. And of course, scents can be a powerful emotional trigger, so the ‘smellscape’ of a space can also be curated to achieve positive outcomes. Or why not nurture a seasonal edible garden, in place of more ornamental plants, so people can enjoy the fruits of their labour (pardon the pun), while also stimulating their taste buds and consuming fresh, unprocessed foods.

them from our built environments, either. Shapes, sequences and patterns present in nature can even be mimicked in flooring, wall features and artwork. Three dimensional, tactile objects work really well such as dividing screens, acoustic wall treatments and soft seating. Creating a visually nourishing environment, based on an understanding of the symmetries, fractal geometries and spatial hierarchies that occur in nature can help inform better decisions on interior elements. Rather than going for white gloss and straight lines, consider choosing a variety of options you are more likely to see in a natural space – greens, browns, blues, rounded shapes, irregular shapes. Natural materials and fibres in upholstery have a multisensory effect, especially when they exhibit reminders of their original, organic form. Worn leathers, linens, wools and cottons – or even newer more sustainable fibres such as hemp, pineapple and bamboo are becoming popular options.

3. Nature of the space ‘Savannah theory’ suggests that from our very beginnings, humankind have sought an optimised environment that best ensures the survival of the species – the African savannah. Akin to the foundations of Maslow’s hierarchy; the presence of food, water, shelter, refuge, and other humans made this environment our natural home. The built environment seems to only address this by accident. Is it any wonder that students tend to retreat to a corner of the library when they need to reflect and absorb new information? The same could be said of office workers, who until recently may have been confined to a desk within a vast open plan office with minimal ‘hiding’ places? Varied heights create varied sightlines, something we have an instinct to appreciate. Not being able to survey the landscape and anticipate threats, compromises our concentration. The

impact of distractions, particularly in workspaces, can compromise performance. By providing appropriate spacing between and around people, we can minimise our tendency to notice (and be distracted by) movements in our peripheral vision. It’s a challenge to find the balance between maintaining clear sight lines and increasing distractions, but it is important to provide people with the freedom to adapt their surroundings to suit their immediate needs. When it comes to measurable factors organisations should consider when looking to include biophilic design into their project, it is an important first step to identify the desired outcomes – how will success be evaluated? Reduced absenteeism/presenteeism or attrition? Better student performance? Improved perceived comfort measured by postoccupancy surveys? Monitoring hormonal levels through saliva testing? From the outset, how you evaluate the success of a scheme should be established. It all boils down to one basic objective – maximising the user experience. This perfectly mirrors the overall objective of good design, while putting the human organism at its core. We are animal, after all, and will not survive in an environment that doesn’t sustain our fundamental biological needs. This is important to remember now, more than ever. Stephen R. Kellert, professor of social ecology and pioneer of the biophilia hypothesis, the founding father of biophilic design said, “We will never be truly healthy, satisfied, or fulfilled if we live apart and alienated from the environment from which we evolved.” CREDITS: Jonathan Hindle Group Managing Director- KI, EMEA Joseph Clancy Biophilic design consultant

2. Natural analogues Organic, non-living or indirect evocations of nature are amongst the most accessible and cost effective ways of incorporating biophilic design in challenging spaces, and with limited budgets. Much of this can be achieved simply by making strategic selections around furniture, materials, colours, patterns, and other aesthetic elements of a space. For example, selecting naturally weathering materials such as wood, leather, stone, or even copper reflect natural deterioration. Decay and renewal are a part of life, so we shouldn’t be trying to eliminate

PSS Magazine • May/June 2017

Property Management

Public sector building closures open the door to empty property solutions

By Simon Finneran, Managing Director of Ad Hoc Property Management

cross the UK, there are a staggering amount of public sector owned buildings that have not only closed, but have been left to sit vacant for long periods, sometimes stretching to years. Between care homes, schools, police and fire stations to name a few, the rate of these closures is rising at a significant rate resulting in a large number of vacant properties with no plan as to what their next use will be. Staff shortages and a severe lack of funding are the two main causes as to why many local authority buildings have had to close their doors. As an example, since 2010, there have been an estimated 1,454 care home closures across the UK, all of which have either remained closed or have been sold on to be something else. The knock-on effect is that as more of these facilities close, those that are in operation begin to overflow, waiting lists expand and the quality of care being given to patients is often reduced. Schools are also feeling the effects of funding closures. In England alone, there is currently a 10,000 shortfall of primary school placements and an estimated 500 schools are at risk of closure. It is becoming increasingly difficult for parents to place their children into schools near where they live, which is resulting in a requirement to look further afield. The issue with this is that schools in the wider areas start to become too full, and therefore have to push children away to cope. The more this happens, the bigger the problem becomes in the long-term as there simply will be no room for many children to receive the education they rightly deserve and need. If this wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough, an increasing number of police and fire stations are closing down for similar reasons. The

PSS Magazine â&#x20AC;˘ May/June 2017

impact of this not only negatively affects the community through a potential increase in crime rates, but also the empty buildings themselves can cause issues through increased vandalism and other anti-social behaviour.

New homes: the issues If we take these ongoing closures alongside the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s requirement to build one million new homes by 2020, the resulting impact on the public sector has become considerable. With less funding year-on-year to spend, but with more to do, any solutions that can be bought to the table to assist such issues as housing must be worth considering. For example, there is a view that states we should consider filling the empty buildings with people as part of a solution to the widely-debated housing crisis. Although this should not be the only other potential solution considered, with the amount of empty buildings across the UK, it definitely should be on the agenda. A significant amount of people today cannot afford the high mortgages and rental prices that are attached to a wide range of houses across the country, especially in London. The reasons are many, including stagnating wage growth, those in first jobs simply not earning enough and banks becoming reluctant to lend, all of which are contributing to the increasing difficulties surrounding property ownership and rental. Not only this, the government and subsequently local councils across the country cannot build enough new homes to meet the demand. Every new plot requires planning permission and other legislative hoops to be jumped through. There is also the problem of an ever decreasing amount of space to build these homes, with more and more Green Belt and flood plain areas becoming targets.

In recent years, there has become a worrying trend of increased proposals for housebuilding on the Green Belt, rising from 81,000 proposed houses in 2012 to 275,000 in 2016 to 360,000 in 2017, a huge increase no matter how you spin it. Planning inspectors continue to sign off significant releases of Green Belt for development around major cities despite there being ample brownfield land available: from the totals given above, proposals for 86,000 houses in the Green Belt have been signed off since 2012. It is well known that protection for Green Belt land helps the economy by promoting urban regeneration and keeping housing and businesses close to services and transport links. In addition, large numbers of people use the Green Belt every day, often for activities as simple as enjoying an open view or walking the dog. Taking this away from communities will therefore have a wide range of negative connotations.

Property Management Is there another way? So far, the picture being painted is a very bleak one, with the public sector struggling to not only keep buildings open, but also find the land to build new homes on. However, a big question needs to be asked about whether continuing to build new homes is the answer to our housing needs. What other solutions are there, and more importantly, are there alternatives that will work? The simple answer to this question is yes there are viable solutions. One such option is making use of the thousands of empty properties that are sitting vacant across the UK through placing people into them. To this end, organisations such as Ad Hoc Property Management have developed what is called the “Property Occupation Model”, a model designed to place individuals within these empty properties where they can live at an affordable rate until they find a more permanent solution. The model uses what is called a licensee agreement between the individual and the property guardian company, Ad Hoc Property Management, which provides strict guidelines for both parties to adhere to. While this option does not enable families to use it, it is ideal for many others who may be in the midst of a career change

or just stepping into the working world for the first time. For those who may not be able to afford a home in the current market or save for one in the future, property guardianship allows individuals the opportunity to have a quality living experience while being able to save.

per cent of the market rate, around £145 a week. In addition, Baca Architects have initiated a project to create 7,500 floating starter homes on underused parts of London’s canal and river network.

This solution is one that is beneficial not just to the occupants, but to all parties involved. For property owners, it provides them with a reliable person who will maintain the building as well as act as security. Once a building becomes occupied, it’s no longer a risk from unwelcome visitors such as squatters and vandals, unlike properties that are boarded up or just left to their own devices. In addition, re-purposing these vacant buildings is providing a positive impact to the housing crisis not just by reducing the number of vacant, deteriorating buildings in communities but also by reducing the number of new housing needed and providing affordable housing to those in need of it.

Let’s be honest, we are not going to see a decrease in the UK population any time soon. We are also not going to be able to build the amount of new homes needed to keep up with the forever increasing demand. Therefore, the future needs to be about finding alternative solutions to the perennial need for new housing.

A second solution that that has been tried and tested is prefabricated affordable housing. The most recent examples include YMCA’s Y:Cube, which are modular 26m² flats built in South London. These micro homes cost around £45,000 for a one-bedroom apartment. Similarly, Container City in the Docklands offer reconstructed shipping containers at 65

The future

The issue seems to be that everyone is looking for the solution that wipes out the housing problem in one swipe. The fact is, there isn’t one. And anyone searching for one will overlook the various options that addresses some deficiencies at a time. The continuing saga of the housing crisis is so complex and entwined in every part of society that we need to look at options that rebuild new properties, inhabit current ones, empower housing authorities, regulate interest rates and foreign investments and develop ergonomic mobile homes on available land. Only then can we begin to be proud of our country’s housing structure once again.

Exhibition News

UHEI Birmingham

14-15 November 2017 - University of Birmingham

urther to the success of last year’s inaugural Universities & Healthcare Estates and Innovation event in Birmingham and in response to the feedback we received from that event, we are pleased to announce UHEI Birmingham 2017 which will be held on 14-15 November 2017 at the University of Birmingham. UHEI Birmingham is a two-day event to allow for more in-depth coverage of the conference topics. Universities & Healthcare Estates and Innovation is a unique conference and exhibition that addresses some of the key issues facing the University and Healthcare sectors. The conference addresses each issue from a University perspective, and then from a Healthcare perspective allowing delegates to gain insight into both areas. We work in partnership with the further education and healthcare sectors to develop a compelling agenda and a unique forum that brings together the Estate Directors of the NHS & Universities to encourage the sharing of best-practice. The conference is supported by an exhibition featuring the leading providers to both sectors. Exhibitors, Sponsors and Supporters.

The Conference programme will be confirmed shortly and will cover topics like:

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Brexit - Thoughts on the impact on the HE Estate Brexit - Thoughts on the impact on the NHS Estate Property management in HE Property management in NHS Emergency Preparedness HE Emergency Preparedness NHS Commercialising the Estate – HE Commercialising the Estate – NHS Succession Planning & Developing Capacity - Building the Estates Team – HE

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Succession Planning & Developing Capacity - Building the Estates Team – NHS Compliance - the Challenge of Managing Older Buildings in HE Compliance - the Challenge of Managing Older Buildings in the NHS Sustainability HE Sustainability NHS

For more information about sponsoring or visiting the UHEI event on the 14th or 15th Nov being held at the University of Birmingham please email info@ascentevents.co.uk or call us on 01892 530027

@UHEI_UHEI

7 CONFERENCE, EXHIBITION & GALA DINNER

University & Healthcare Estates and Innovation 14th -15th NOVEMBER 2017 / UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

Universities & Healthcare Estates and Innovation is a unique conference and exhibition that addresses some of the key issues facing the University and Healthcare sectors. The conference addresses each issue from a University perspective, and then from a Healthcare perspective - allowing delegates to gain insight into both areas and share best-practice. The event will feature a wide range of high proďŹ le industry speakers that will focus on identifying the synergies and opportunities between these two sectors, and how best-practice can be shared effectively. If you would like to ďŹ nd out more, please contact: Ascent Events T: 01892 530027 E: info@ascentevents.co.uk or register at http://www.ascentevents.co.uk/uhei-birmingham-registration.php

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THE UK S #1 SCHOOL CHAIR - TRIED, TESTED & PROVEN SINCE 1996 K s con c Postura+ cha r was the rst one p ece po ypropy ene cha r ntroduced to the UK n 1996. Now used by m ons o student every day, t stands unsurpassed as the on y cha r n ts c ass to out ve ts warranty. #Generat onPostura | www.k europe.com/postura

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