Outside Comfort Zone WINTER 2020
BU I L D I NG D ESI GN, I D EA S & SOL U TI ON S FOR YOU A N D YOU R CL I EN TS
Above: Picture from our recent installation at Northstowe Education Campus
Welcome to the Winter 2020 edition of Outside Comfort Zone - your quarterly dose of building design solutions for you and your clients. In this edition we have two fantastic case studies for you to peruse which cover two large scale installations we completed within recent months, along with some impressive stats of our most popular canopy; the Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy. Once you?ve finished reading this copy, why not leave it in your staff room for your colleagues to gain some inspiration whilst sipping a cup of coffee?
Walking Through Winter the Right Way, with a Walkway As a nation we seem to all have at least one thing in common ? we hate the rain and will do almost anything to avoid getting wet. Which is funny really, because the UK isn?t exactly the driest of countries and good old mother nature does love a downpour over here.
building. This is particularly beneficial in hospitals as it stops visitors and patients from wandering around areas they shouldn?t be and entering doors that are either for staff use only, or that are for the wrong department, resulting in them getting lost.
So, when it comes to designing a new build or a renovation, please consider the end users and keep them dry when visiting different buildings onsite. One way you can do this is by including walkway canopies in the final design.
We have installed many walkway canopies at schools and hospitals across the UK including both wall mounted and free standing structures and with additions such as side panels for added weather protection and doors to enclose the walkways completely.
We have over seven standard walkways within our range which are most popular with schools and hospitals as they keep staff, pupils, patients and visitors dry when moving from one building to another. It also reduces the risk of falls and accidents as it removes the urge for users to run to their destination because there?s no need for them to worry about getting wet. Another benefit is that walkways provide the end user with a clear view of where they should be walking and where they should be entering the
Hailsham Community College Primary Academy Case Study Product: 1no. Bespoke Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy: 74.26m x 3m ? 3.5m 2no. Standard Coniston Wall Mounted Canopies: 8m x 2.1m and 8.9m x 2.1m Canopy Frame Colour:Light Blue RAL 5012, matt finish Installation Date:August - September 2019 Contractor:Morgan Sindall Architect: Miller Bourne Architects Installation County: East Sussex The Brief In September 2018, an invitation to tender was received by Able Canopies from Morgan Sindall Construction Ltd for a number of canopies at the brand new two-storey, primary and nursery school for which they had been awarded the contract to build to form part of the Hailsham Community College Academy Trust. After reviewing the tender documents we put our recommended products forward, which was a large Kensington wall mounted canopy and two Coniston wall mounted canopies. The architect then contacted us directly to detail that the main building frame was made up of large timber SIPS panels and the large steel posts were required to support the roof. However, they were also decorative in essence and played a significant part in the building aesthetic appeal, and they required Able Canopies to supply and install them as part of the package as they would run through the larger canopy. The original design and price we submitted did not require the inclusion of the steel posts, however we were then asked to include our canopy costs. We therefore went back to the drawing board to come up with a canopy design which would fit the aesthetic and structural features required. The Solution Whilst in talks with the architect, they explained that they favoured our Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy system and also requested the NBS spec for the product which wasn?t a problem as our products are all listed on the NBS National BIM Library. We therefore looked at the Coniston system and worked with the structural engineer to ensure the steel beams could be incorporated into the canopy. This enabled us to supply the contractor and architect with an estimate so we could secure the works as an early package enabling them to cast the foundations required within the main slab.
Because the bespoke Coniston would have the required large steel beams through the roof, we designed a solution to ensure the canopy would still be a fully waterproof system. This was easily achieved with the Coniston because we were able to comfortably flash/dress around the roof support columns, to create a seamless walkway with a watertight roof. However, the large steel beams and underside required a lot of design work, we diligently designed bespoke connections for the posts to the beams, bespoke connections for the roof bar to the steel beams and bespoke guttering & gutter connections. This replaced the Coniston?s standard integral guttering system with an external gutter system that worked with the design perfectly.
A number of detailed surveys were carried out because the building where the large canopy was to be situated had two roofs with differing heights, resulting in two different sizes for the large steel beams. We therefore had to slot the almost 6m beams into a gap with very little tolerances, we bolted the bottom of the beams to the foundations and the top plates to the overhanging timber roof members with coach screws. This required us to work closely with the contractors to ensure this could be achieved with no issues at the canopy installation stage. The additional two canopies specified were also the Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy although they were the standard product as the design fitted in perfectly with the architect?s requirements.
3 2
The Installation Due to the detailed site meetings to prepare for the installation, the canopies were installed with no issues and the beams fitted perfectly into the designated openings in the canopy roof. The installation of the main canopy was more labour intensive than that of our standard products and required the use of a mini crane, scissor lifts, cherry pickers and genie lifts. All of these requirements were not an issue because our installation teams are all qualified and trained to use such equipment on site. The end result was a striking canopy that will catch the attention of anyone walking towards the building which is also functional; the canopy provides 74.26 metres of uninterrupted, free-flow outdoor play and learning from a number of classrooms. The two smaller Coniston wall mounted canopies are functional, branded structures that provide shade and shelter to the entrances of the school including the main entrance.
Forget Tasting the Rainbow, You Can Build a Rainbow As we supply many of our structures to schools and nurseries, we therefore offer a range of colourful canopy upgrades to make the outdoor areas bright, cheerful and fun. One of our favourite upgrades for schools most definitely has to be coloured polycarbonate. These roof sheets completely transform canopies, even with a standard white frame, they brighten the structure immensely. However, my most favourite feature is not
only do they brighten the structure, but they brighten the area underneath too; when the sun is shining, a reflection of the colours cover the area below with a blanket of rainbows. Can you imagine being a young child and playing within that?! I?m not alone either, our customers love our canopies with coloured polycarbonate too and while I haven?t had the opportunity to ask school pupils if they agree? I think we all know they do.
It?s all well and good me telling you how fantastic these roof panels are for school canopies and nursery canopies however, you really need to see them for yourself. That?s why I've included a selection of photos from two Coniston 16?s that we installed earlier in the year at Selwyn Primary School in Newham, London.
canopies, two of which included coloured polycarbonate roofs. I?ll leave you to browse through the vibrant photos below, if you?d like to find out more about our colourful structures please do not hesitate to contact us, email sales@ablecanopies.co.uk or freephone: 0800 389 9072.
We worked on this project for Thomas Sinden and we were specified by Clague Architects to supply and install a number of
Coloured polycarbonate roof panels can be added to a section of our wall mounted and free-standing canopies including aluminium,
2 3
2019: A Bumper Year for the Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy I can't believe it's February already, I hope you had a well deserved break over Christmas and you've had a positive start to the year already. Upon my return to work, I quickly got stuck straight back into statistics as I do love a good comparison with the previous years. My first report was to see how many Coiniston Wall Mounted Canopies we installed in 2019. I was pleased to discover that we?ve had a pleasant increase in the total length of Coniston?s installed compared to last year, in fact it?s the most we?ve installed since before 2016! Last year (2019) we installed a total length of 1,606 metres(!) of our most popular canopy, this length comes from 119 canopies that were all installed across the UK including schools, universities, care homes, golf clubs, football clubs, hospitals and
health centres, of course this doesn?t include all the other canopies, shelters and shade sails we installed. These Coniston canopies were finished in all different colours with Hipca White (RAL 9910) being the most popular by far. Many of the canopies included hips and valleys to enable them to follow he internal and external corners of buildings to create uninterrupted weather protection. The length of Coniston that we installed last year far succeed the length, height and circumference of many of the UK?s largest and most popular attractions including Ben Nevis (the UK?s tallest mountain), The Shard (the UK?s tallest building), the London Eye and the Tower Bridge. Please see the chart below that shows you the total sizes of each of these structures compared to the total length of Coniston Wall Mounted Canopies installed last year.
Here?s a list of some interesting statistics relating to the Coniston Wall Mounted Canopies that we installed in 2019: 2019 Coniston Installation Stats: Total length of Conistons installed: 1,606 metres Longest Coniston installed: 75 metres Number of establishments that invested in a Coniston: 79 Number of Conistons installed: 119 Average number of Conistons installed per week: 2.5 Most popular colour: Hipca White County with the most Conistons: Essex 3 4
A Premier Installation PDR Construction approached us to tender for the entrance canopy works at a brand-new building they were constructing for the Premier Inn hotel chain in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. The canopy requested by the architect working alongside PDR Construction was of a similar specification to our Kensington Wall Mounted Entrance Canopy, so we therefore put this product forward in our tender. The Kensington Wall Mounted Entrance Canopy features a galvanised steel frame which can be powder coated in any RAL colour and is covered with a choice of four roof options; 5mm solid polycarbonate, 16mm structured polycarbonate, 10mm toughened glass or 10.8mm laminated glass. It features no posts and is suspended from the wall using steel rods which not only keeps the floor space clear, it also has a sleek contemporary appearance. The contractor was happy with the product proposed and our quotation was accepted. In November 2019 we installed the entrance canopy which finished off the exterior of the building perfectly and made the entrance much more prominent. The 3.3m x 2m canopy was finished in Pure White RAL 9010 to complement the building façade and featured the 10mm clear toughened glass roof panels.
Another Fire in Flats Raises Concerns In November (2019) another fire broke out on a multiple occupancy high-rise building; flames tore through a block of student flats in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Thankfully no one lost their lives however, two people were treated at the scene by paramedics. The incredible lifesaving work from 200 fire fighters and 40 fire engines managed to prevent another mass tragedy however, it begs the question, why are these buildings still covered in flammable materials? This situation could have been prevented; with the use of non-flammable materials, this would have been a much smaller incident. To prevent further incidents and reduce the risk of lives being taken, the external cladding and balconies on high-rise buildings are now legally required to be A1 or A2 fire rated. That?s why we have introduced our sister company Alideck who manufacture aluminium decking which has a fire rating of A2-s1, d0 ad has no contribution to fire. Our aluminium decking range is manufactured completely from aluminium and includes decking boards, joists, adjustable pedestals and accessories. They are supplied with a 30 year warranty and 60 year life expectancy. We are currently working on a RIBA approved CPD which goes through ?The Building (Amendment) Regulations 2018?which came into force on 21st December 2018 and the ?Advice note on Balconies on Residential Buildings?which was published on 24th June 2019. It will be available in the new year, to register your interest, please email us on marketing@ablecanopies.co.uk. Or visit www.alideck.co.uk to view our full range of aluminium decking and request a brochure and samples. 5
Lexden Springs SEND School Case Study Product: 9no. Bespoke Free Standing Coniston Canopies covering 300 square metres, 2no. 9.5m x 4.75m Evershade Tensile Fabric Structures 1no. 4.2m x 2.07m Grasmere Timber Cycle Shelter Evershade Fabric Colour:Night Blue Frame Colour:Silver Grey RAL 7001, matt finish Special Requirements:The ability to install sprinklers onto the underside of the canopy roof Estimated Value:£200,000.00 Installation Date:June ? July 2019 Contractor:Morgan Sindall The Brief Morgan Sindall were tendering for an £18.8 million refurbishment of Lexden Springs School in Colchester, Essex which cares for children with special educational needs. The refurbishment included relocating the school to a new site with a brand-new building which would enable the school to create an additional x80 places, almost doubling the number of pupils they can support and offering an additional x30 boarding places for pupils. The Senior Quantity Surveyor from Morgan Sindall first contacted Able Canopies in December 2017 with the canopy designs that were produced byCurl La Tourelle Head Architecture. He asked us to submit our proposals for the canopy structures which included a number of free-standing canopies spread around various locations within the new school grounds. The Solution After various conversations between Able Canopies and Morgan Sindall, plus a change in the original canopy requirements to ensure the very best solutions were found, we were able to cultivate a number of designs that suited the requirements of Morgan Sindall, the architect and the school staff. To achieve this, we utilised the Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy to its full potential for many of the designs by incorporating rear posts, transforming it into a free-standing canopy and fixing two canopies back to back to create an apex roof design and a much bigger span. Not only did this ensure all canopies had similarities to create a uniform yet contrasting appearance, it also meant we could keep costs down and all the requirements from the architect were met.
We installed a total of five canopies that feature timber end panels. The panels we use on our
canopies are often clear polycarbonate however, it was an important requirement that the outside area featured a range of colours and textures to enhance the sensory experience for the children whilst playing. We are also able to source splinter proof timber to make it a much safer environment for them.
These canopies were manufactured with a slightly higher floor to roof height so that once the wheelchair swings were installed, they could be used to their full advantage without worry of them being too close to the canopy roofs. The largest structure was a Coniston with rear posts to create a 46-metre walkway to the front of the school connected to a 11.3m x 6m apex Coniston. We designed the canopy with an apex so that we could accomplish the 6-metre width to accommodate the numerous mini busses that will be dropping off and picking up children from the school. This includes many children in wheelchairs, which means a wide area of access was required so they could move about freely whilst keeping sheltered from the rain.
The selection of canopies we installed enabled us to utilise an array of materials including timber, aluminium, polycarbonate, steel and waterproof fabric to provide each individual area with a display of textures, colours and appearances for visual impact, maximum weather protection and practicality.
3 6
In total, Morgan Sindall ordered 12 structures from us including 9 canopies, two tensile fabric canopies and a cycle shelter. The design from the architects required the Coniston canopies to have sprinklers fitted to the underside of the canopy roofs, we therefore provided structural calculations which included this modification for the loading capabilities. We also supplied post pads which were an important addition to the canopies to reduce the risk of pupils bumping into the posts when playing outside, making it a much safer environment. For this reason, post pads are very popular with our canopy installations in nurseries, primary schools and SEN/SEND schools. Please note ? the images do not show post pads as they were added once the school was ready to hand over for opening. The Installation The installation was scheduled for 3rd June 2019 ? 26th July 2019 over a number of phases to interconnect with the contractors milestones so they could meet their handover and delivery schedule with the client. The nine Coniston canopies were installed between 3rd June ? 5th July, the Evershade was installed on 20th and 21st June and the Grasmere Shelter was installed on 26th July. The staff, pupils and parents are all delighted with their new school and the outdoor cover it provides. The canopies we supplied and installed widen the possibilities of outdoor play and learning outside, whilst also offering a dry and sheltered area for pupils to reside when gaining fresh air and some breathing space. The cycle shelter promotes a healthy lifestyle by offering the option to cycle to school rather than arrive by car or bus.
7
WINTER 2020
NEW Product Catalogue If you would like a copy of our new full product catalogue then let us know on 0800 389 9072 or sales@ablecanopies.co.uk and we will get one out in the post to you. It contains all you need to transform your outside space and keep those cycles secure. As well as our canopy systems, the catalogue contains information on all our accessories and upgrades ? such as side fills, heating and lighting and colour options. You can also download your copy from www.ablecanopies.co.uk
Essential Information for Architects & Specifiers Our dedicated specifiers site includes all the drawings, technical specifications and recent images that you could need to help your project. These user friendly details allow you to quickly compare different systems, roofing options and materials, enabling efficient, informative specifications to be made. Our whole product range is available allowing you to decide on the best solutions for walkways, dining areas, shelter, sun shade or all year round weather protection. For your own personalised access, contact us using the details below.
Committed to Service Quality We are committed to the highest standards of customer service, which is independently audited wherever possible. -
-
-
-
External assessment of our quality through our achievement of ISO and CHAS requirements means that our service is delivered to a consistently high standard We have achieved Constructionline Gold status ? meaning our approach to health & safety, environment & waste and equalities & diversity meet recognised standards Each project will have a thorough site survey to ensure your requirements are fully understood and the installation can be completed with the minimum disruption At all times our expert team is available to answer questions and help you with project timing and planning
For Advice, Consultation and Information: Call: 0800 389 9072 | Email: sales@ablecanopies.co.uk Follow us on our social sites to view new product info and recent installation photos for inspiration: Twitter: @ablecanopies Facebook: @AbleCanopies
4