MODULAR BUILDING BLENDS IN PERFECTLY AT MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL

Students and teachers at Martin High School are enjoying a beautiful new classroom block at their school in Anstey, Leicestershire.

Cl assroom space for the humanities department was limited. The department’s classrooms were far too spread out across the site, which was not the ideal learning environment to deliver the desired curriculum. The school sought to replace an old, small prefabricated block of classrooms with a modern bespoke building to serve as a centralised humanities hub.

T hrough a competitive tender process overseen by Surveyors 2 Education, Wernick Buildings was awarded the project by the Lionheart Educational Trust.

A two-storey modular building was a more cost-effective solution for the trust. The client remarked that a modular option allowed them to get more value for money across all project operations. It was also a more time-efficient choice. Unlike traditional buildings, a modular classroom block is manufactured and assembled in a controlled factory environment in a matter of weeks, drastically reducing the time spent on site.

Wernick provided a full turnkey solution, complete with the demolition of the existing building and a full internal and external services package.

To ensure that the building did not look out of place, the block was designed to match the existing architecture of the surrounding buildings.

E ach of the building’s 20 modules was manufactured in Wernick’s dedicated facility in South Wales. The offsite manufacture of the building modules in a factory environment gave the project several advantages. Firstly, the building could be constructed at the same time as the foundations were being prepared on site, dramatically reducing disruption on the school site and allowing students to continue learning without interference. Manufacture was also not affected by site conditions like the weather, making the programme even more reliable. This was vitally important for the school, with the building deadline being set within the academic school year.

Wernick’s manufacturing process was also a sustainable option for the client. The controlled conditions used to build modular units means almost no waste goes to landfill. Everything is filtered for recycling, and what can’t be recycled is shredded and distributed to a local ‘energy from waste’ plant.

WERNICK

O nce complete, the modules were transported to the school in Leicestershire via lorry. Due to the tight footprint of the site, the client worked closely with building crews to make sure there was sufficient space to proceed. The Wernick team proposed using a retaining wall to assist with the tight logistics of the area. Modules were then craned into position and bolted together to form the core of the building. Robust brick-skin cladding was later added to the core to give a more traditional construction appearance that perfectly matched the existing campus buildings.

Construction on the project was completed in October 2022. Both students and teachers continuously say that the block “looks like a traditional building”. External features include a large frontal canopy, an exterior staircase and curtain walling. It also has been outfitted with an energy-efficient heating and ventilation system. The interior is equipped with a customised, technologyrich IT suite, five spacious classrooms and several staff offices. Other indoor features include WCs and accessible toilets on each floor, an accessible platform lift next to the stairs and storage areas.

OFFSITE EXPO: THE HOME OF OFFSITE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION

Bringing together the sector’s most influential innovators who are driving change in the construction industry, OFFSITE EXPO provides fast and efficient access to a wealth of knowledge and offsite innovation. By attending this highly-focused event, construction professionals can gain a broad spectrum of offsite industry intelligence and practical insight – all under one roof.

Ta king place at the Coventry Building Society Arena on 19 and 20th September, OFFSITE EXPO is the focal point of innovative building and digital construction technologies. Presenting a compelling proposition, OFFSITE EXPO will feature a combination of advanced manufacturing approaches and smart digital construction technologies. With innovative displays, live demonstrations and pioneering speakers, the event will play host to leading experts, offsite manufacturers and component suppliers showcasing a broad spectrum of panelised, volumetric modular systems, pod and prefabricated MEP solutions.

E xplore –offsite technologies

T he case is unequivocal – offsite technology challenges outmoded construction practices and is a progressive and productive step that is set to revolutionise the way buildings are designed and assembled. Every major review of the construction industry has in some way recommended a move towards advanced factory-based construction methods.

T his specialist offsite technology event is destined to become Europe’s largest dedicated event, providing direct access to explore this innovative and fast-moving sector. Get to grips with the latest offsite methods and smart digital technology; OFFSITE EXPO showcases the widest and most comprehensive display within the built environment.

E xpertise –CPD-accredited masterclasses

P resenting the optimum personal development opportunity, rapid and efficient access to the latest information is crucial to success. Advanced offsite approaches and innovative technologies are changing the face of construction. The Explore Offsite Masterclass Theatre and Spotlight on Offsite Panel Discussions, in partnership with Offsite Alliance, provide over 40 hours of CPD-accredited presentations in a dynamic and interactive format for those looking to learn directly from eminent offsite industry experts.

E xpect –business development opportunites

T he Offsite Connect Forum is the most dynamic ‘meet the buyer’ business development opportunity of the year. OFFSITE EXPO exhibitors can gain access to key industry professionals with a buying or specifying remit. This forum offers a structured, highly-effective way for new and existing offsite industry suppliers to connect with potential customers easily and cost effectively in highlyfocused meetings.

E xposure – offsite awards

It is not only the exhibition that has exciting development plans, returning for 2023; OFFSITE EXPO will host the dynamic and innovative Offsite Construction Awards. Taking centre stage, the Offsite Construction Awards will take place at OFFSITE EXPO on 19th September. Since inception eight years ago, the awards have been on an upward trajectory presenting professionals operating in the sector with outstanding opportunities to showcase excellence and network with those who are gaining industry recognition.

E xperience – the offsite event of the year

S howcasing the greatest display of offsite building and digital construction technologies under one roof, OFFSITE EXPO aims to attract circa 4000 delegates and is geared towards creating the ultimate visitor experience. OFFSITE EXPO is the place for people to engage with key industry contacts, acquire new knowledge and network in vibrant surroundings.

Get connected

To join the offsite conversation, become a member of the Explore Offsite LinkedIn group: https://www. linkedin.com/groups/7456674. Or, to stay up to date with the latest announcements, follow #OffsiteExpo on Twitter at @ExploreOffsite. To register your FOC place at Offsite Expo 2023, visit the below website.

www.offsite-expo.co.uk

KING'S CROSS STATION SWITCHES TO LEDVANCE TO CUT ENERGY, MAINTENANCE AND RUNNING COSTS LEDVANCE

LEDVANCE LED lighting solutions have been installed across platforms 1 to 8 at London’s historic King’s Cross Station to significantly reduce maintenance costs and energy consumption while futureproofing the building’s illumination systems. The retrofit saw numerous traditional 400W metal halide lamps replaced with over 160 LEDVANCE High Bay DALI 115W 4000k luminaires with IP65 protection, fitted with high-quality aluminium reflectors. The Victorian building is a site of national significance, and even small changes to its structure require planning authority approval. While looking the same as the old lights and providing the same amount of brightness – both essential requirements – the new units use much less electricity and last far longer, providing energy savings of up to 60% compared to conventional high bay luminaires. Thanks to DALI-2 certification, they can also be used with any lighting control system that may be installed in the future.

01925 465000 www.ledvance.co.uk csc.uk@ledvance.com

ONE UNIT, ONE RESPONSIBILITY RENSON UK

When sourcing ventilation products, it’s common to rely on several suppliers for each component. Different manufacturers will often focus their expertise on particular elements, so by sourcing the best components from various suppliers, you’re bound to end up with the perfect product. Not according to Martin Daniels, National Sales Manager of Renson UK. “At Renson, we’ve spent time carefully developing each component of our louvre products, including the insulated blanking plates, spigots, plenums and insulating boxes for acoustic louvres, and have combined these products to produce a one-unit solution that benefits both developers and aluminium fabricators,” he said. “Manufacturing and supplying a one-unit solution not only means our customers can conveniently source their ventilation solutions from one place, but that should anything go wrong with the product, there’s only one party responsible. At Renson, we take full responsibility for every component and have adopted the principle of ‘one unit, one responsibility’.” For the past 50 years, Renson UK has specialised in the design, development and production of high-performance ventilation products, supplying fully-tested, high-quality louvres for every application.

www.renson.net/en-gb

Hamworthy Heating Provides Shastid Energy With A Quick And Reliable Solution

HAMWORTHY HEATING

Knightsbridge Sees Part M In Anthracite And White

KNIGHTSBRIDGE www.mlaccessories.co.uk

Knightsbridge has recently compiled a collection of wiring accessories ideally suited to environments where meeting Part M of the Building Regulations is a concern. The collection covers safety, ease of use and hygiene, encompassing anti-bacterial switches and sockets and accessories dedicated to those with disabilities. At the heart of the Part M range is colour-contrasted, outboard rocker sockets and high-contrast and wide-rockered switches for both lighting and appliances. To assist people with visual impairments, socket chassis come in a striking anthracite finish with white rockers for contrast. This range satisfies recommendations that switch contrast with front plates, which contrast with walls.

01582 887760 sales@mlaccessories.co.uk

Hamworthy Heating has supplied Shastid Energy with a Tyneham airsource heat pump for installation at its premises in Cambridgeshire. The Tyneham heat pump range offers superb operational reliability, excellent quality and outstanding performance backed up by engineering excellence and lifetime support. One of the lightest commercial heat pumps on the market, it features a coefficiency of performance (COP) rating of up to 4.85 to provide efficient, low-carbon heating. The seven models in the range have six nominal outputs of between 14 to 70kW, which can also be cascaded to achieve higher outputs in larger installations. Incorporating an invertercontrolled compressor to accurately match the heat demand, Tyneham heat pumps use R32 refrigerant to deliver increased efficiencies.

01202 662552

Ideal Heating Launches Heat Pump Range For Commercial Buildings

IDEAL HEATING www.hamworthy-heating.com sales@hamworthy-heating.com www.idealcommercialboilers.com

Ideal Heating has launched a new range of monobloc air-source heat pumps to help improve energy efficiency and reduce reliance on natural gas within commercial buildings. Available in six outputs and seven models (14kW, 14kW [single phase], 18kW, 26kW, 32kW, 50kW and 70kW), the ECOMOD range provides a minimum A++ Energy-related Products (ErP) efficiency rating and high co-efficient of performance (COP) rating of up to 4.85. R32 refrigerant ensures a low global warming potential (GWP). The heat pumps also include an inverter-controlled compressor that can control the building temperature based on specific requirements of the space, further enhancing the efficiency of a building.

01482 498376

Top Marque For Gilberts

The UK premiere of Land Rover’s new branding concept, re-imagining modern luxury design with sustainability, has been unveiled at one of the marque’s most prestigious dealerships, Stratstone Mayfair.

Th e new image for Land Rover meant a similar new vision for the retail outlet, which has been a Stratstone location for more than a century. In designing a modern environment that exuded quality, architect firm Studio Hagger specified Gilberts’ GSLS slot diffusers to supply and extract the showroom ventilation.

T he combination of two- and fourslot diffusers, installed by Rossair, were powder coated in a subtle cream to blend seamlessly with the understated luxury surroundings that included a specialist polished plaster, providing an appropriate backdrop for the high-end vehicles.

G ilberts' GSL series has been designed to meet the exacting performance requirements and standards of modern slot diffuser applications. Combining up-to-date styling and design technology to blend with modern architecture, the

GSL maintains excellent air distribution characteristics providing smooth, accurate and flexible airflow control through clean, unbroken lines. Discreet control vanes allow the airflow to be directed across the ceiling, ensuring optimum comfort for potential purchasers within the space below.

J onathan Sloan, Head of Business Development at Pendragon, owner of Stratstone, said: “The brief was to deliver a unique retail experience. Each element of the design has been meticulously thought through to be an inspiration that maximises interior space whilst maintaining an alluring atmosphere. It was, therefore, fundamental that the means of delivering a fresh atmosphere in the showroom blended seamlessly into the background, yet mirrored the luxurious ambience without detracting in any way from the customer experience.” www.gilbertsblackpool.com

G ilberts has a reputation for delivering discreet ventilation solutions for prestigious outlets. It has worked with brands including Virgin, Gleneagles, Royal Albert Hall, BAE and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (aka Wimbledon).

Founded some six decades ago, today, family-owned Gilberts’ 140,000ft 2 head office and manufacturing facility includes its own research and development and test facilities, enabling it to continue to evolve its product range and develop bespoke solutions for specific client requirements. Gilberts is now acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading independent air movement specialists, offering mechanical, natural and hybrid ventilation solutions.

01253 766911 info@gilbertsblackpool.com

Senior Graduates With Another Win In The Student Accommodation Sector

SENIOR

Architectural Systems

Senior Architectural Systems’ expertise in the student accommodation sector has led to a number of the leading manufacturer’s aluminium fenestration systems being used on the new Deakins Place development in Nottingham. The riverside scheme has been designed by architect firm Maber and built by main contractor Bowmer & Kirkland. Managed by student housing provider Student Roost, the new Deakins Place development is located within close proximity of the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee campus and offers stunning views of the River Leen. These views have been perfectly framed by Senior’s patented low U-value PURe aluminium windows, which have been installed by specialist contractor HKL. Specified with flat casement vents, Senior’s thermallyefficient PURe aluminium windows have been installed in each apartment to increase the flow of natural light and reduce heat loss. The slim aluminium frames have been powder coated to provide additional protection from the elements and to complement the wider facade design, which features a stunning mix of natural building materials and colour palettes.

www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk

01709 772600 enquiries@sasmail.co.uk

Britcon Celebrates Quadruple British Safety Council Award Wins

BRITCON (UK)

Britcon (UK), one of the North’s leading civil engineering, building and steelwork solutions contractors, is celebrating winning four prestigious British Safety Council awards at the International Safety Awards 2023. Britcon won awards, including ‘Best in Sector’ business for the Construction and Property industry, as well as winning an International Safety award (Distinction). In addition, Britcon received the ‘Best in Country’ award by scoring highest from all UK applications, and finally, the company won the Chief Adjudicators award, which is given to the company that achieves the highest score overall in the British Safety Council awards this year. Britcon’s Managing Director, Nick Shepherd, explains: “We are absolutely delighted to win four British Safety Council awards. We are 100% committed to ensuring health, safety and wellbeing within the workplace as recommended within the Construction Playbook and winning these awards underlines our continued commitment and the robust practices we have in place. I am so proud of our team, who embed our health and safety culture within all our activities to ensure that our employees, subcontractors, clients and suppliers enjoy a comfortable and safe working experience.” www.britcon.co.uk

01724 280022 enquiries@britcon.co.uk

BRIGHTON-BASED SPECIALIST TANKING OLD SCHOOL BASEMENT USING TRITON

TRITON SYSTEMS

Firefly Apollo Lite Helping Protect Hertfordshire Homes

TBA FIREFLY

JPS Projects is employing fully-tested and trusted products from the range of TBA FIREFLY for the creation of half-hour fire barriers within roofspaces of low-rise sheltered housing in the St. Albans district of Hertfordshire, with the manufacturer providing onsite assistance in respect of regular inspections and the provision of recommended fixing details to ensure the work is fully compliant with current regulations. The Contracts Manager for JPS Projects, Matt Tucker, commented: “Across this estate, we are tasked with carrying out fire surveys – covering areas such as electrical cupboards and fitting fire-stopping as required, as well as installing the FIREFLY fire curtains in all of the communal loft spaces.” www.tbafirefly.com

01706 758817 info@tba-pt.com

A damp-proofing and timber treatment specialist is currently employing two of Triton Systems' well-proven products for the tanking of a large basement beneath an old school in Ovingdean, Sussex. Lee Browne from Bensleys is supervising the site and has experience working with Triton. He comments: “Since we started, Triton has always been our go-to supplier for damp-proofing systems. In the case of this school, where three walls of the basement are below ground due to the sloping site, the capillary damp was quite bad, but I was confident it could be treated using the TT55 tanking slurry and Triton’s Tri-Cream DPC treatment which we inject.” www.tritonsystems.co.uk

01322 318830 info@tritonsystems.co.uk

Sustainable Accoya Saves Historic Welsh Station

INTERNATIONAL TIMBER

International Timber and Peter Cox recently joined forces to restore a 155-year-old signal box in Wales, utilising sustainable Accoya to ensure longevity and maintain the structure’s historic charm. Found in Anglesey, the Valley Station signal box dates back to 1867 and was in desperate need of restoration following decades of decay. Keen to utilise a high-performance solution, the surveyors selected Accoya as the timber of choice to replace the historic, internal structural timber frames. The International Timber team took precise measurements to calculate the volume of timber required, replacing individual sections of the damaged wood rather than complete removal.

Thermal insulation block for the base of walls

15% of a buildings heat gets lost through the wall/floor junction

Thermoblocks can reduce that loss to just 1%

Low Thermal Conductivity (0.050W/mK)

Guaranteed Low Ψ Values

Ultra-High Strength (9.0N/mm2)

Unaffected by Moisture

Epoxy-Concrete Columns Supports up to 3 stories plus a roof!

OSMO TINTING SYSTEM: MIXING NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR WOOD FINISHES

Osmo is the specialist when it comes to an optimal interplay between wood and coating systems. Considered as high solid products in comparison to conventional coatings, Osmo coating systems are more environmentally friendly due to fewer solvents being emitted upon application, while providing higher wood surface coverage and increased longevity and durability of the wood finish.

S o, what’s new? Previously, these eight transparent colours were already available in only a satin finish. The Tinting System means that not only can these colours be mixed in satin, but they can also be mixed in glossy, semimatte and matte for the first time ever.

A dditionally, Polyx-Oil Rapid, which offers rapid drying times compared to Original, was previously available in only two clear finishes; satin and matte. Now, following suit, Rapid can also be mixed in the eight transparent interior colours with a satin or matte finish. Again, a first for the company and the world. From just two interior products, the range has dramatically grown from 14 standard clear and colour options to an impressive 54 mixable options in a variety of sizes.

E xterior product enhancements

”

Ou r deep research and development into colour has enabled us to offer a vast range of new colours, creating a tailored experience for each individual,” comments the Managing Director of Osmo UK.

New Tinting System: Mix in stores

The new Osmo Tinting System becomes possible with an automatic paint dispenser to efficiently produce high-quality interior and exterior Osmo natural wood finishes from an endless variety of transparent and opaque colours.

Installed in more than 30 stores and counting throughout the UK, the high-performance compact machine utilises the ZeroPurge piston pump and AutoDrive features to offer complete colour customisation, which will continue to expand the range of colours year after year, providing an everincreasing array of vibrant choices.

T his on-demand custom colour mixing service produces ready-to-use wood coatings for every customer within minutes, reducing customer order waiting times, wasted product stock and required retail store space.

Interior product enhancements

B efore the Osmo Tinting System, the most popular hard wax oil, Polyx-Oil Original, was available in only four clear finishes; glossy, satin, semi-matte and matte. Now, these four Original finishes can be tinted in eight transparent colours.

E xterior wood finishes are extremely popular this time of year. With that in mind, Osmo has launched four of the most popular exterior wood finishes with the Osmo Tinting System, including the brand-new opaque colours of Country Shades, which boasts a huge 120 colours from the Osmo Elements colour range, 2000+ RAL colours, 200 BS colours and additional NCS colours upon request.

I deal for vertical wooden surfaces, UV-Protection Oil can now be mixed in eight transparent colours in both satin finishes. For exterior wooden decking, Decking Oil can be mixed on demand in 11 transparent colours in a satin finish, while Natural Oil Woodstain, which is suitable for all exterior wooden surfaces, has seen a big enhancement and can now be mixed in all its 18 transparent finishes in both a satin and a matte finish.

F ind your nearest Tinting System store on the Osmo website and contact the Osmo team for expert advice and wood-related knowledge. Give wood the clear and colour protection it deserves. Osmo, Good for Wood.

www.osmouk.com

01296 481220