PSBJ August 2015

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August 2015

Facilitating extra care NHS brings rehabilitation closer to its patients

Sensitive refurb

Bring design to life

Swift construction

– Library is transformed with careful consideration

– The myths of modular offsite construction

– H+H demonstrates its efficient build system

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Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust brings care closer to the patients in the South East by establishing a satellite centre to the existing Central London centre. See page 8.

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Welcome...

Already under pressure over the Government’s right to buy extension plans, housing associations and local authorities will be affected again as the Chancellor’s Summer budget unveils further changes. It was announced last month that rents in social housing are to be reduced by 1% a year for the next four years. As a result, local authorities and housing associations will be forced to make efficiency savings elsewhere to fund rent reductions.

Commenting on the Chancellor’s announcement that it is to reduce the rents paid by tenants in social housing, Dr Anthony Lee, Senior Director at BNP Paribas Real Estate, said: “The Government’s plans to reduce rents paid by tenants will have an adverse impact on both housing associations and developers.

“Social housing rents have – until now – increased annually by RPI plus 0.5% per annum, underpinning housing associations’ business plans and making social housing an attractive investment proposition. This announcement is likely to undermine housing association finances and risks making bond issues less attractive.

“There is also likely to be an adverse impact on the viability of new developments. The rent reduction will reduce the amount housing associations can pay developers for the affordable housing element in their schemes. This will put pressure on viability and ultimately reduce the overall percentage that schemes can provide.“ Concurring, Melanie Leech, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation, said: “The reduction in social housing rents will make it more difficult for social landlords to raise investment funding for new homes.”

As always, we welcome your feedback and responses to the latest budget – please send in your views to the usual address hannah@mixedmediainfo.com. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this issue. Don’t forget, you can view the latest edition on the move via PSBJ’s free to download app. Simply search ‘PSBJ’ on Google play or the App Store.

Hannah Frackiewicz Hannah Frackiewicz | Editor | hannah@mixedmediainfo.com Follow us on Twitter:

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Public Sector Build Journal 3

Contents 14 08 06 News A round up of the latest industry news, including charity events, awarded contracts, partnerships and event updates.

08 Upfront Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust brings care closer to the patients in the South East by establishing a satellite centre to the existing Central London centre.

14 Housing The first of five homes in an extensive housing development for Mid-Wales Housing Association have been built at a rapid rate, thanks to H+H's Rå Build method.

16 Technical Focus

20 Legal & Business

28 Healthcare

The construction team for the new Holborough Lakes Primary School in Snodland, Kent has been committed to collaborating on maximising the benefits of BIM.

Sarah Wilson, construction partner at Watson Burton law firm summarises what is required under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations).

Courtney-Thorne demonstrates adaptability in the installation of electrical systems at the newly-refurbished ‘Forget-Me-Not’ ward at Warrington Hospital.

18 Talking Point

26 Education

30 Leisure

Michael McCullen, Chairman of Sitedesk, the collaborative BIM solutions specialist, talks to Public Sector Build Journal about grasping the local potential of BIM.

Pellings has acted as architect and project manager on an innovative new hospitality and catering facility for Bromley College of Further & Higher Education.

Speller Metcalfe profiles the stunning transformation of a 15th century timber framed structure, which is now being used by the Council as both a library and offices.

The all-new psbj.co.uk

Your revitalised and purpose-built portal for public sector building specification PSBJ unveils the new-look online resource for building products designed for the public sector built environment.

Offering more content in an easy-to-navigate format, this refreshing, tailor-made new portal delivers the right content to the right audience in the shortest time possible.

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4 Public Sector Build Journal

www.psbj.co.uk

26

32

36

32 Floors, Walls & Ceilings

38 Glass & Glazing

Uponor Building Energy designed and installed the Uponor Tacker 20 radiant heating system at Stromness Primary School in the Orkney Islands.

In a period of further Government austerity, Jane Embury, Wrightstyle’s Commercial Director, argues the case for quality architecture in civic building.

34 Kitchens, Bathrooms & Washrooms

40 Shelters & Shading

James Clark of The Airdri Group explains how Airdri met the challenge of supplying quiet washroom equipment as part of the refurb of an historic library.

Jonathan Goss, Managing Director at Townscape Products, talks to Public Sector Build Journal about the advent of flexible shelter and shading solutions across the United Kingdom.

36 Modular Buildings

42 Product Showcase

Wernick Group Marketing Manager, Leigh Fennell discusses some of the more prevalent misconceptions about modular offsite construction.

A dedicated focus of industry news, products and case studies to help architects and specifiers make informed choices.

40

Read the latest issue online Gain insight from industry experts Source products and suppliers Keep up to date with industry news Discover new innovative technologies Browse the archive of features and issues Manage your subscriptions Download the PSBJ app for your iPad, iPhone or Android

Public Sector Build Journal 5

News

New Bournemouth Pier is drawing in the crowds Cornwall Environmental Consultants (CEC) are delighted to see the exciting new Bournemouth Pier Approach open to the public and being enjoyed by the crowds at Bournemouth seafront; a hot spot for visitors to the town.

CEC were the Lead Consultants and Landscape Architects, with the rest of the team consisting of Hydrock, MeiLoci, Michael Grubb Studio, PBWC and Ustigate. Working with Bournemouth Borough Council, Mouchel and Willmott Dixon Construction, the brief was to design a world-class scheme to be a focus for the ongoing Bournemouth seafront regeneration. The concept design was originally produced by Gillespies, developed further and detailed by our team.

The design relates back to the history of the town and the mouth of the Bourne Stream, which would have covered this area historically before it was developed.

A water feature with various jets and displays trace the stream and create the illusion of running water. Concrete islands provide seating, play features and imitate boulders in a river bed. A bespoke lighting scheme enlivens the space at night and connects to the Lower Gardens.

ISG wins £10m Alliance Leisure schemes ISG has been awarded three regional leisure projects by Alliance Leisure in Selby, Wigan and Prestatyn, with a combined value of circa £10m.

The Selby Leisure Village project sees ISG construct a circa 13,000ft2 steel frame building next to the recently opened Selby Leisure Centre. Facilities include ten pin bowling, adventure play area, indoor aerial trekking, adventure climbing and an indoor skate and BMX park.

The Selby contract runs alongside work at Howe Bridge Leisure Centre in Atherton, Wigan, as part of an operational

6 Public Sector Build Journal

refurbishment scheme for Alliance Leisure, which is due for completion in late summer.

ISG is currently transforming the existing sports hall into an ‘Extreme Zone’, including skate ramps and ‘clip and climb’ walls.

ISG is also on site at Prestatyn’s Nova Centre carrying out a refurbishment project that will deliver improvements to the building’s energy and thermal performance, reducing running costs and the facility’s carbon footprint. Due for completion towards the end of the year, the scheme sees ISG create a new entrance and fitness suite with windows overlooking the sea, as well as two studio areas with flexible partitioning to allow its use as a single function room.

empa helps bring new sports hub to Rutland A scheme to provide a new sport and community centre on the site of a former prison in Oakham, Rutland has been completed by empa (East Midlands Property Alliance) framework partner, Clegg Construction.

The £700,000 new Active Rutland Hub has been completed for client Rutland County Council at Oakham Enterprise Park – the site of the former Ashwell Prison.

The hub was officially opened by Princess Anne as part of a royal visit to Rutland last month. The work included upgrading the existing steel framed building and creating a new sports hall and changing rooms for community sports. The redevelopment also included providing new facilities for females – as previously the changing rooms and toilets at the prison site were male-only.

The scheme is the first to be delivered

by Clegg Construction through the empa framework.

The aim of empa, which was formed by local authorities in the East Midlands and is managed by Scape, is to improve the procurement and delivery of construction projects and property maintenance for public sector bodies saving time and money for them and in turn for council taxpayers.

Nottingham City Homes takes social housing award Nottingham City Homes is celebrating after winning the award for best social or affordable new housing development at the East Midlands Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards 2015.

The awards which were held last month at the East Midlands Conference Centre, aim to celebrate all that’s good in the construction industry. The judges look for organisations delivering vital elements in the creation of excellent buildings, such as technical innovation, sustainability and high performance.

Nottingham City Homes won the best social or affordable new housing development for the Eddleston Drive development in Clifton which saw the redevelopment of an old communal garage site. A small infill site within an existing community of mixed social and private properties which was redeveloped to accommodate five new family homes.

The five energy efficient homes were the first to be wholly built, owned and subsequently managed by Nottingham City Homes. One of the first ALMOs (Arms Length Management Organisation) to take on such a project, Nottingham City Homes’ craft workers began building five brand new homes on Eddleston Drive in Clifton last year.

Eric Wright steps into Knowsley footbridge scheme Preston-based Eric Wright Civil Engineering (EWCE) has been awarded a £1.7m contract by Knowsley Council to replace the Greystone Footbridge across the M62 with a contemporary combined footpath and cycleway.

The project is expected to begin on site in summer and EWCE will commence the

News scheme with demolition of the existing Greystone Footbridge, which has carried a footpath across the M62 between J4 and J5 at the Knowsley/Liverpool border since it was opened in 1973.

Designed by Mouchel, the new bridge will replace the old structure on the same site and will provide a footpath and cycleway on a single symmetrical cable-stayed deck structure, which will be supported on the existing abutments.

EWCE will also construct a new concrete pier and steel pylon in the central reservation to support the new footbridge. The bridge deck will be of steel ladder deck construction, with a steel plate deck and non-slip waterproof surface.

The construction programme will be carefully planned with close collaboration between EWCE, Knowsley Council, Mouchel and other key stakeholders to minimise disruption and ensure project delivery on time and with budget.

The Offsite Construction Awards The Offsite Construction Awards is a celebration of innovation, best practice and expertise in offsite manufacturing and construction. The Awards will be presented at a Drinks Reception on Wednesday 07 October 2015 as part of UK Construction Week at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham.

The event will attract over 350 national business leaders and high profile decision makers from the construction industry.

The Awards comprise 12 different categories - Best Use of Concrete, Best Use of MEP Prefabrication, Best Use of Steel, Best Use of Timber, Best Use of Volumetric Technology, Commercial/ Retail Project of the Year, Housing Project of the Year, Best Hybrid Construction Project, Infrastructure Project of the Year, Public Sector Project of the Year, Product Innovation Award and Offsite Professional of the Year.

Each of the judges will assess three of the 12 categories on a strict and confidential marking system.

These sites include: Chrisp Street, Leamouth North, and Aberfeldy.

In addition, the funding will see improvements in connectivity in the Poplar area, including the creation of new footbridges across the River Lea The development of Poplar Riverside will also provide up to 3000 new jobs in the borough, a new local park, and two new primary schools.

Couple stay close to home

Landmark moment for Sidell Gibson masterplan

A new £2.6m affordable housing scheme in South Lakeland has meant a young couple can stay in the village that has been home to many previous generations of their families.

Teacher Emily Cannon, 23, and her partner Chris Raven, 24, a farmer, were both born in Staveley and have lived there all their lives, as have their parents and grandparents. Faced with spiralling private rental costs, the couple feared they may have to move away from the village and their families to be able to afford a home with the extra space that they needed.

The development received a £412,200 investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and includes 11 two-bedroom homes, four three-bedroom homes, as well as two two-bedroom homes, as well one fourbedroom home.

All 18 homes in the development have been let to people in housing need with a connection to the village, which is situated between Windermere and Kendal, or its surrounding area.

The third office building in Ballymore’s 1 million sq ft Snowhill development in Birmingham has received planning consent with construction expected to start this year.

Leading commercial and residential architecture and urban design practice, Sidell Gibson has been working on the overall scheme for some 15 years. They produced the original masterplan for the site and designed the three buildings which together have greatly improved links and connections within the area and forms the basis for the City Council’s recently published ‘Snow Hill masterplan’.

The landmark ‘Building 3’ will provide 360,000ft2 of Grade A office space over 17 floors with 40,000ft2 of retail and leisure space at ground level.

Tenants in the estate already include KPMG, Barclays Bank, DWF, Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co and HS2; and the new building will provide further much needed high quality office space in the city.

Poplar Riverside chosen for £51m investment Tower Hamlets Council will receive a £51m cash injection from the Greater London Authority (GLA) to develop Poplar Riverside as a Housing Zone.

This site will see more than £2bn invested into the Poplar area, and will deliver real change to the environment and to the community.

The Poplar Riverside Housing Zone will initially see the creation of over 3034 new homes in sites across Poplar, 448 of which will be affordable. There is capacity to almost double the number of new homes over the life of the zone.

Public Sector Build Journal 7

Upfront The Lane Fox REMEO Respiratory Centre is the UK's first purpose-built centre to 'wean' respiratory patients from invasive mechanical ventilation

Fact File Client: Murphy Philipps Client: BOC Ltd – a member of The Linde Group – for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

Promoting rehabilitation Patients requiring long term ventilation make up a small percentage of all the patients in an Intensive Care Unit setting, yet they require a relatively high proportion of the unit's resources.

T

he clinical success of the specialised Lane Fox Unit at St Thomas’ Hospital in London shows that patients benefit from a bespoke setting that promotes rehabilitation. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust entered a partnership with BOC Ltd (a member of The Linde Group) to bring care closer to the patients in the South East by establishing a satellite centre to the existing Central London centre.

The Lane Fox REMEO Respiratory Centre is the UK’s first purpose-built centre to ‘wean’ respiratory patients from invasive mechanical ventilation, improving recovery rates and enabling patients to eventually return home. In

8 Public Sector Build Journal

line with NHS England’s plans, the centre helps match the gap in the provision of this specialist service, frees up critical care beds, improves the delivery of clinical services closer to patients’ homes and provides specialist training for local healthcare staff and carers.

Domestic feel The design challenge for the architects and the project team was to combine the facilities of a high dependency unit with an environment that promotes rehabilitation and has a more domestic look and feel. The building also needed to reflect Linde’s vision for a high standard of sustainable design and operation through efficiency

Quantity surveyor and project management: AECOM Lead Contractor: DD Porter Artwork: Lara Harwood Engineering: MLM

and passive measures. Stakeholders involved included patient groups, family members, operational, medical and nursing staff.

Patients and their families and carers joined members of staff in working with the design team from the very outset. In the spirit of collaboration and teamwork, a wide range of options were explored, culminating in a holistic, all-encompassing design solution. The group collectively explored issues of patient observation to ensure reassurance without compromising patients’ privacy and dignity. Artist Lara Harwood was commissioned to provide a series of four bespoke murals in the key social spaces. These form a continuous narrative of recovery inspired by the ‘REMEO’ (I return home) ethos and alluding to the original Lane Fox unit’s unique history.

The building has been sensitively  located adjacent to ancient

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Upfront large folding doors, shaded terraces and a central courtyard blur the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces, promoting a calm and therapeutic atmosphere. Indoor and outdoor areas are discretely provided with medical gases, nurse call buttons and power outlets to maximise accessibility for all patients. In the patient bedrooms, a bespoke joinery bedhead with integrated storage and gases promotes a domestic, non-institutional setting without compromising clinical functionality.

Sustainable design The rooms have been laid out to optimise efficient staff work patterns, and to maximise staff visibility of the most vulnerable patients throughout the centre, through glazed screens and designing outboard ensuite bathrooms.

Servicing arrangements have been carefully considered so that the clinical work is supported without disturbing patient areas.

Integration of state-of-the-art technology, including live video and data feeds to the St Thomas’ team, provides virtual access to expert consultants, enabling specialist healthcare to be delivered direct to patients rather than requiring travel to Central London.

The centre will, therefore, become a major training resource for healthcare professionals.

The building reflects Linde’s vision for a high standard of sustainable

All public and social spaces feature high-level glazing

woodland, and a nearby public footpath has been reinstated and enhanced. The planning of the interior progressed with particular focus on the patient rooms.

Mock ups of concepts for fitted furniture were produced and put to the test by the user groups.

Calm atmosphere The centre maximises views of the surrounding landscape – combining the need for observation with respecting privacy of the patients, an innovative 4-bed bay layout has been developed so that every bed bay has its own window with a view towards the woodland.

All public and social spaces feature high-level glazing, circulation routes terminate with views of the landscape and natural daylight permeates all areas of the building. Extensive glazing with

10 Public Sector Build Journal

Extensive glazing with large folding doors, shaded terraces and a central courtyard blur the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces

Upfront

The building has been sensitively located adjacent to ancient woodland

design. Optimisation of passive design maximised natural daylight and minimised solar gain with a highly efficient building fabric, low air permeability levels and sustainable building materials and water conservation. To improve the potential for future flexibility, infrastructure has been put in place to allow future division

“Patients and their families and carers joined members of staff in working with the design team from the very outset”

of the 4 bed-bays into single bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.

The design quality of the Lane Fox REMEO Respiratory Centre building has been more widely recognised through the award and shortlisting for several national and one international design awards. Commenting on the Centre’s recent wins at the Architects for Health

The building reflects Linde's vision for a high standard of sustainable design

Public Sector Build Journal 11

Upfront

Optimisation of passive design maximised natural daylight and minimised solar gain with a highly efficient building fabric

Design awards, Jana Schulte, REMEO’s Business Manager, said: “We are very proud that Murphy Philipps received this acknowledgement for their outstanding design. The stamp of approval also comes from our patients and their families who regularly comment that the centre itself already makes them feel better.” At the opening of the centre,

The rooms have been laid out to optimise efficient staff work patterns

“A major step forward in the integration of technology and healthcare to improve patients’ experience and outcomes”

Lady Martha Lane-Fox, CBE, Chancellor of the Open University and Chair of Go ON UK, the digital skills charity, referred to the centre as “a major step forward in the integration of technology and healthcare to improve patients’ experience and outcomes”. 

 www.boconline.co.uk

The centre improves the delivery of clinical services closer to patients' homes

12 Public Sector Build Journal

Housing

Speedy method of building excellence Needing a rapid delivery of the first five homes of a substantial housing association development in Wales, building contractors RT Bishop turned to H+H's Rå Build method knowing its proven track record for speedy construction.

T

he first of five homes in an extensive housing development for Mid-Wales Housing Association have been built at a rapid rate and tenants are already enjoying their comfortable new homes. This is, in part, due to the popular H+H Rå Build method of construction implemented by building contractors at RT Bishop Ltd based in Churchstoke, Montgomery.

Designed and built for Mid-Wales Housing Association, RT Bishop has completed work on the first stage of the development with a further 22 homes planned to take shape in the coming years.

These are all environmentally-friendly homes integrating some of the latest technologies including solar panels on the roof and air source heat pumps for

sustainable heating. The project consists of five, two-bedroom homes.

So far the properties have all been allocated to applicants from both Powys County Council and Mid-Wales Housing.

Funding for the cost of the development was assisted by Powys County Council and the Association as well as the Welsh Government. Adopting a different approach to how the houses were allocated, Mid-Wales Housing Association took mitigating factors into account. All applicants had to both already live and work within the community and also do voluntary work within the community.

As with all builds the contractors had to adhere to Building Regulations but this project was particularly interested in achieving a high thermal performance.

The H+H Thin-Joint System using specially designed Celfix Mortar remains the most efficient build system to use in order to increase the speed of a build

The H+H Rå Build method using the ThinJoint System helped in achieving this goal.

The homes are built to meet a number of design standards including the Code for Sustainable Homes (Level 3 plus), Life Time Homes, Secured by Design, Welsh Government Design Quality Standards and the Welsh Housing Quality Standards.

Rå Build method is an inclusive package which comprises large format aircrete blockwork and quick-setting Thin-Joint Celfix Mortar. The construction creates a weather-tight masonry shell, for a timeefficient, cost-effective solution.

Efficient build system

These are all eco-friendly homes integrating some of the latest technologies including solar panels on the roof

14 Public Sector Build Journal

Director at RT Bishop, Robert Bishop, said that the process of using H+H’s Rå Build method meant that they were able to produce the inner leaf of the external walls in just five weeks; three weeks faster than had they used other building methods. This not only saves time on the job site but also money as it takes less manpower to lay the lightweight blocks.

“We decided on H+H because the preference was to build with traditional masonry materials and the Rå Build method makes for a far easier and quicker build. The method enabled us to build the inner leaf of the building before the outer skin went up meaning we could continue with the first-fix faster,” Mr Bishop said.

The H+H Thin-Joint System using

Housing assurances of the H+H team, providing technical advice and onsite guidance when needed, the build method allowed for fast and efficient construction.

“I am very pleased with the end result as it all went up a lot quicker than I thought it would by using the complete Rå Build method,” said Mr Bishop.

“We have used timber frame in the past but now, after using this system, we will definitely go to H+H again.”

The Mid-Wales Housing Association have been delighted with the results of their five new two-bedroom houses in Churchstoke which they believe will be more pleasant and economical to live in. It has been a successful project for Mr Bishop and his team who are looking forward to progressing with the rest of the development in the near future. 

 www.hhcelcon.co.uk

specially designed Celfix Mortar remains the most efficient build system to use in order to increase the speed of a build.

Combining Celcon Plus, Jumbo Blok or MultiPlate ranges of aircrete blocks enables walls to be built very quickly without having to wait the conventional 24 hour window for traditional mortar to set.

Positive results Celfix Mortar is cement based and designed to replace the traditional sand:cement mortar. The mortar bed starts to set within 10 minutes of application and reaches design strength in just one to two hours enabling blockwork to be built extremely quickly. This means that the inner leaf structure can be built independently of the outer leaf and a full weather-tight shell can be erected in a matter of days, not weeks.

The advantage of the Rå Build method’s quick application is that internal first fix work by other sub-contractors like electricians can get to work in a weatherproof environment while the exterior of the structure continues to be built.

Adding to the benefits of Celfix Mortar is its ability to be used from 0°C and rising.

Approved by the NHBC, the new extended temperature range will enable an increase in productivity during the colder winter months. Builders using the H+H Thin-

Joint System to lay aircrete blocks, like RT Bishop, will be able to start work on site earlier in the day and will potentially be able to work on days that previously would have been little onsite activity.

Having used H+H Celcon Blocks in the past Mr Bishop decided to trial the Rå Build method and the positive results mean he will not hesitate to build in the same manner in the future. Backed by the

Using H+H's Rå Build method meant that RT Bishop were able to produce the inner leaf of the external walls in just five weeks

Public Sector Build Journal 15

Technical Focus: BIM Housing

Effective collaboration

Holborough Lakes Primary School in Snodland, Kent is an example of a project where consulting engineer Crofton, and other key members of the project team have successfully made use of BIM.

T

he ÂŁ3.5m design and build, one form entry school, being built for Kent County Council will be completed in September 2015.

Since work on the project began, the construction team has been committed to collaborating on maximising the benefits of BIM. All members of the project team, including contractor Baxall Construction, and architect HMY, began by meeting to agree BIM protocols to ensure they could collaborate effectively. A key part of this involved discussing the type of BIM software that would be used. Fortunately all parties were planning to use Auto Desk Revit, although the specific version of the software still needed to be agreed.

A key benefit cited was certainty - completed BIM models enabled the team to assess the exact quantity of materials to order and avoid wastage

16 Public Sector Build Journal

At stage 3 of the design process the construction team shared 3D software models, agreed standards and named software formats. It was agreed that BIM models designed by each member of the project team would be shared consistently, and at least every two weeks, to integrate the software and maximise the collective advantages of BIM.

Accurate visualisation Use was made of the Revit Family Library that lists component parts that are already drawn on BIM software. The library contains a range of fixtures and fittings such as lights, sockets, boilers, and doors that can be lifted straight into BIM’s 3D software models. If a

component is not listed in the library it needs to be drawn manually, which takes time. Therefore, where possible, products in the library were used.

Significant benefits have undoubtedly been achieved by using BIM to design Holborough Lakes Primary School. Issues that Crofton could have faced relating to the M&E design have almost certainly been avoided. For example, for thermal reasons, 60% of the concrete slab needed to be exposed and other building services needed to be left uncovered and exposed on all classroom ceilings.

BIM enabled Crofton to accurately visualise and integrate the exposed services, and ensure they were designed to appear tidy. Had traditional 2D drawings that show each building service separately, been used, it would have been harder to neatly design the exposed services. The process would have been more time consuming, and issues probably would have arisen onsite.

Technical Focus: BIM

The £3.5m design and build, one form entry school, being built for Kent County Council will be completed in September 2015

Discussions with the contractor highlight the major benefits BIM brought to this project. A key benefit cited was certainty – completed BIM models enabled them to assess the exact quantity of materials to order and avoid wastage. For example, at the push of a button they instantly knew exactly how much pipework, fittings and plasterboard was required. With traditional 2D drawings human error makes under-or-over ordering almost inevitable.

The contractor has recently started developing its BIM capabilities, but says 3D modelling for the design and build of the school was so successful that it is now using BIM in a variety of ways. One relates to project management, where the software will be used at the start of projects to accurately estimate how long particular construction activities will take. For example, knowing that 1000 linear meters of pipework needs to be

installed and where, makes it easier to accurately estimate the timescale of the installation process.

identified steel beams, and caused problems onsite.

Because the construction team has engaged with BIM on this project, the software has brought about the working advantages it is supposed to do. It has enabled better overall design coordination, avoided anomalies, reduced onsite design issues, and has allowed Crofton to show the contractor and client exactly what will be built.

Crofton began investing in BIM in 2012.

It is a major investment for any business as significant expenditure on computers, software and training is required.

Time also needs to be spent setting up software templates, standardisation and knowledge sharing practices across a business if long term savings are to be achieved. Crofton’s strategy has been to gain BIM experience on smaller projects, before moving onto larger ones. 

BIM benefits Going forward the contractor also says it plans to use BIM in the tendering process. It will work with organisations such as Crofton to ensure 3D models are completed early enough to predict an accurate price when costing jobs. It believes that being able to provide an accurate cost estimate for projects will be attractive to clients.

BIM also helped Crofton with structural and M&E service design by providing ‘clash detection’ that prevented problems. For example, amalgamated 3D BIM models ensured that all steel beams throughout the building could be identified, and that a route for building services could be designed around them. Again, traditional 2D drawings might not have

 www.crofton-design.com

BIM enabled Crofton to accurately visualise and integrate the exposed services

Public Sector Build Journal 17

Talking Point

Grasping the local potential of BIM Michael McCullen, Chairman of Sitedesk, an innovative and dynamic software and services business specialising in collaborative BIM solutions, talks to PSBJ about realising the full benefits of BIM.

I

n 2011 the Government envisioned BIM as a mechanism to drive success in UK construction. It complemented the new Construction Strategy, and focused on securing savings from vast public sector development spending overseen by central government. It could see tantalising potential to reduce building costs and improve project delivery, plus long term gains through lower cost, more sustainable developments with greater lifetime value.

It mandated that BIM should be in place for centrally-funded projects by 2016, at least to level 2 standards for collaborative working and information sharing via a common file format.

The December 2014 Government Construction Pipeline suggests that £1.4bn savings have been secured from BIM and other efficiency efforts; last year’s £840m savings exceeded targets by 13%. This is an impressive achievement with real-world impact: the Department of Health’s £60m savings could fund 67 new MRI scanners.

BIM has had relatively little impact on projects procured at local government level, however – despite the keen need for sustainability, supply chain efficiency and cost-reduction. Aggregate local government spending on construction exceeded £16 billion in 2013-14, the greatest proportion of its capital expenditure. Several years of cuts and

18 Public Sector Build Journal

efficiency measures together with continued pressure on budgets increases the likelihood that BIM will either be mandated or sought out by local authorities in pursuit of efficiencies.

Local government: Behind on BIM It is a shame, therefore, that local government officers are not the best supported BIM community. The BIM exposure and experience of local authority architects, planners and project managers lags the private sector. There is a BIM Task Force BIM4LG portal, but overall support has been lacklustre compared to high-energy industry initiatives.

BIM can be daunting for local government officers tasked with development that either carries a mandatory BIM inclusion, or where it has been decided that BIM is essential. They certainly need the benefits including faster development, better asset utilisation, lower environmental impact, better building outcomes and sustainability, improved value/ROI of public funds and better whole life asset management.

Maximising savings and gaining a better understanding of project outcomes, including whole life costs, is the first pillar of the Local Government Construction

Michael McCullen, Chairman of Sitedesk, joined the company in July 2015. He was formerly Chairman of Asta Development plc, a leading international project management software business, of which he was a co-founder.

Strategy, while modernisation by working smarter and utilising BIM is another.

BIM pressure is building BIM momentum is now established, and local authorities are likely to come under increasing pressure to extend the benefits seen in central government. Government is already keen to see BIM extended into the private sector and to see the economy leverage the strength of what the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills calls “Digital Built Britain.” It is likely that local government agencies which adopt best practice BIM will see their projects and funding requests looked upon increasingly favourably.

Talking Point

BIM has had relatively little impact on projects procured at local government leve

Local authorities are likely to come under increasing pressure to extend the benefits seen in central government

Navigating the BIM challenge The practicalities of initiating BIM can seem confusing. Although local designers, architects, project managers or architects may be familiar with the theory, they may have little practical BIM experience.

As department heads initiate BIM procurement processes they often lack deep understanding – and must solicit tenders and make selections between submissions from commercial suppliers who know far more. That can seem risky and daunting.

Demanding fuller visibility and information access helps assure transparency. The rich asset information that starts with 3D design and builds throughout the construction process is one of the key outputs of BIM – delivering the potential for seamless handover.

Transparency, ease of managing data growth, and ensuring that the right information is captured, all depend on the choice of an appropriate system for capturing and storing data. In the collaborative spirit of BIM this is something that vendors should embrace – but it must encompass more than delivering a 3D viewer. The BIM information flow must be multi-way and universally visible. It is advisable for local government clients to arm themselves with more information about the types of systems available and what how these can assure success.

Clients, be they central government, local authorities or private owners, can be the biggest beneficiaries of BIM in terms of 2-way design communication with contractors, compliance, creation of

as-built asset information and operational management. They should not delegate this to designers, project managers and contractors but play a key role in specifying desirable outcomes before, during and after completion.

caring for and gaining value from its assets.

The private building sector has recognised the commercial benefits of BIM and is voluntarily implementing its own BIM projects. Now, local government should embrace BIM too – before it is either mandated or becomes a necessity. 

Transform asset economics

 www.sitedeskconstruct.com

BIM offers a world of potential to local authorities to reduce the costs of building and managing public estate assets and to enhance their sustainability and manageability in the longer term. Operation and maintenance costs will vastly outweigh the original capital construction cost.

Integrating BIM processes with existing procedures, and supporting them by a carefully selected, collaborative asset information tool capable of capturing and storing as-built information from site, creates a valuable, viable asset database.

Thereafter it will deliver savings every year and help avoid the wasted effort and cost of recreating mislaid documents.

BIM could transform local development economics for education, housing, infrastructure, street design and more – but local government officers must take action. It is time to invest in BIM knowledge and tools and to release the out-dated assumption that BIM is simply extended 3D modelling for the design team to worry about. The true value comes from the database that can be created during the design and build process, linked to a 3D model, to inform future operations and maintenance. BIM is changing the way that the UK public sector is specifying, creating,

Driving a BIM project • Embrace and encourage a oneteam development approach with colleagues and suppliers • Maintain visibility of your project via a platform for BIM collaboration and compliance • Question whether supplier systems will enable data accessibility anywhere, anytime, for all • Ensure that whatever system is chosen is capable of capturing asbuilt data during construction • Incorporate your long-term O&M and handover goals clearly into project aims • Integrate your requirement for a COBie handover into the contract notice and tender documentation • Adjust internal processes, workflows and sign-offs to accommodate BIM into the project lifecycle

Public Sector Build Journal 19

Legal & Business You may be required to accept staff that you would not normally have had to accept under TUPE

TUPE: a summary of pitfalls Transferring both incoming and outgoing staff under Construction Framework Agreements can be a complicated matter. Here, Sarah Wilson, construction partner at Watson Burton law firm summarises what is required under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations) legislation, and what is typically contained in Framework Agreements.

T

he issue with TUPE and Framework Agreements is that when you are awarded the Framework Agreement as the “new contractor” you may ‘inherit’ staff from the “outgoing contractor”, irrespective of whether you need them (with possible redundancy costs). In addition, you may have to retain staff at the end of the Framework Agreement if you are not entitled to transfer them to the “subsequent contractor” (again with associated redundancy costs).

TUPE The key points are: TUPE only applies where a Framework Agreement meets certain requirements; Where it applies, TUPE entitles employees of the outgoing contractor to be transferred to the new contractor and at the end of the Framework term, from the new contractor to the subsequent provider.

TUPE may not apply where there are differences between the activities carried out by the outgoing contractor, or subsequent contractor. For example, if

20 Public Sector Build Journal

activities are divided between several contractors and/or there is no guarantee of work, TUPE may not apply.

TUPE may not apply to transfer employees of outgoing contractor who perform work for more than one client.

Framework Agreements You may be required to accept TUPE even where the TUPE criteria does not apply (for example, where activities under the old and new contracts are different).

Further, you may be required to indemnify both the outgoing contractor when you enter into the Framework, and the subsequent provider when you exit the Framework, for costs associated with transferring employees (essentially redundancy).

You may be required to accept staff that you would not normally have had to accept under TUPE (for example, those who are not “assigned” to the organised grouping of employees).

On exit from the Framework, you may not be able to transfer some staff to the subsequent provider.

Sarah Wilson is a partner at national law firm Watson Burton which has offices in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Leeds and London. She has specialised in construction and engineering law for over 15 years.

The simplest way to avoid these issues is to ensure that at the start and end of the Framework you inherit/transfer only the staff required under TUPE, thereby minimising redundancy costs. If this is not possible, ensure your obligations as incoming contractor are the same as your successor’s (subsequent provider) obligations will be when your Framework comes to an end. This will ensure you do not bear the cost burden at both the start and end of your Framework, but note that these provisions would need to be incorporated into your Framework.

Sometimes this is not possible, in which case you need to assess your risk of redundancy cost (for the start and end of your Framework). Your options regarding these costs are to:

(a) Negotiate a lump sum contribution from your employer towards these costs. (b) Increase your price within the Framework to cover this cost.  (c) Bear the cost.

 www.watsonburton.com

ed ed! lifi is ua gn t q co Ge et re g &

The MCIAT Professional Assessment

– a new qualifying route What is the MCIAT Professional Assessment?

The MCIAT Professional Assessment is a flexible, rigorous, robust and quality assured qualifying process, based on performance and designed to recognise the diversity of Architectural Technology.

Candidates must provide an in-depth critical analysis clearly summarising their professional experience. This should be a reflective report and should refer to challenges and successes encountered whilst working on projects and how any issues were resolved.

Applicants should also undertake a self-evaluation highlighting their strengths and weaknesses in relation to their area(s) of practice.

The Professional Assessment process is based on four core competencies: • Designing • Managing • Practising • Developing (self)

Who can apply for the MCIAT Professional Assessment?

Any applicant working in or on, for example, academia, general practice, component design, refurbishment, small residential projects, large commercial projects etc within Architectural Technology, should be able to apply their own experience to the Professional Assessment process, but they must hold one of the following membership grades: ACIAT, TCIAT or profile candidate.

Each application will be assessed on its merit. However, each applicant will need to demonstrate a sufficient level of knowledge and understanding and professional competence/experience in relation to their sphere/s of practice and demonstrate to the Institute they can meet the expectations of a Chartered Architectural Technologist, MCIAT.

How much does it cost?

To apply for the Professional Assessment, applicants are required to pay £300 for the assessment of the application and the Professional Assessment Interview.

For further information email our Membership Director, James Banks via james@ciat.org.uk or call us on +44(0)20 7278 2206

Floors, Walls & Ceilings

Mapei is proud to announce the launch of its showroom in Clerkenwell, London

Mapei unveils London showroom Mapei, a world-leading manufacturer of adhesive and chemical products for the construction industry is pleased to announce the opening of its UK showroom based in the architectural design area - Great Sutton Street, Clerkenwell, London.

T

he impressive showroom, designed

by Marco Manzoni from Mapei SpA, was unveiled to key customers on Thursday 2nd July and was officially opened by Adriana Spazzoli, Operational Marketing & Communications Director and Veronica Squinzi Global Development Director, together with the Mapei UK Joint Managing Directors Phil Breakspear and Mark Louch.

To celebrate the opening the Italian Ambassador Pasquale Terracciano came to show support and Guest Speaker Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham Kt, was invited to provide insight into the future of the British and European Economy.

The showroom is a first for the Mapei Group and demonstrates the relationship between Manufacturer and Architect, from technical expertise and innovation, to providing bespoke project solutions in the UK and internationally.

Each of the 15 product lines is displayed

22 Public Sector Build Journal

in the showroom through a series of textured samples and prestigious project references, accompanied by installation videos and supporting literature; offering Architects, contractors and designers alike a comprehensive guide for specifying Mapei products. Mapei’s Specification and Technical Teams are on hand throughout the year together with the training team, to provide practical and theory based guidance on the selection, installation and maintenance of Mapei products – through a calendar of dedicated CPD presentations. The technical CPD presentations cover a range of topics such as; Fast Track Screeds, Avoiding Ceramic Tiling Failures, Sub Floor Preparation and Successful waterproofing and many more.

The showroom has been fitted out using a range of Mapei products; in particular the floor and walls have been finished with Ultratop Loft – a new highly decorative, unique wall and floor coating,

Adriana Spazzoli, Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham Kt, Flavio Terruzzi, Veronica Squinzi and Phil Breakspear

suitable for residential, commercial and industrial applications. The CPD presentation room has been fitted with pre-finished wood flooring adhered with Ultrabond Eco S955 1K. The showroom promises to be a centre of excellence for Mapei, providing handson, practical and informative support throughout the entire specification process.

 www.mapei.co.uk 

info@mapei.co.uk  0121 508 6970

Health & Safety

LEVATO MONO porcelain paver system The Levato Mono porcelain paver system is the pinnacle of external raised flooring technology; enabling the specification of lightweight, slip resistant and attractive raised flooring solutions, combining incredible technical properties with uncompromising aesthetics; making them the ideal choice for commercial and domestic use alike.

Just a few of the benefits at a glance: • 20mm porcelain pavers 40x80 45x90 60x60 75x75 30x120 40x120 60x120 • ‘Floating floor’ – installation over single ply membranes • Eternal product - zero maintenance required – offering massive over-life savings • Highly abrasion and stain resistant • Highly slip resistant ; R11 and achieved up to +65 wet in the BS pendulum test • Lightweight – 45kgs per m2 • High load bearing and impact resistance • Timber & stone effects ; 40+ finishes available • Ideal for balconies, roof terraces and piazzas, for both commercial & residential use • Completely non porous • Fire & frost proof • Height-adjustable support from 9mm up to 550mm

t: 0845 2700 696

e: info@thedecktileco.co.uk

www.thedecktileco.co.uk

Public Sector Build Journal 23

Cladding

Trespa sets the right tone

A city-centre student block for Liverpool University has been clad in more than 5000m2 of innovative high performance laminate cladding that provides a clean-cut modern appearance while echoing the facades of nearby historic buildings.

C

rown Place is a 1500-bed student accommodation project in three blocks grouped around a central courtyard. Popular with students because of its proximity to the city centre and the University’s main teaching blocks it welcomed its first intake last September.

Drawing on a materials palette of the surrounding University buildings, Manchester-based architects Lewis and Hickey opted for Meteon cladding panels from Trespa UK for the inner elevations of the blocks which face onto two central plazas that act as communal areas from which the buildings are accessed.

“The facades of the three blocks facing outward onto the street were to be in a GRC, reflecting the stonework of the nearby Metropolitan Cathedral and the Reilly Building. The courtyard facades were also to be of the same tone, maximising the light reflectance to illuminate the courtyard bedrooms,” says architect Philip Daniels. “Trespa panels were the logical choice for the internal courtyard facades, offering a cost-effective option that maintained dimensional and aesthetic stability over time, and would weather well.”

The design of the Trespa facades, using approximately 2000 panels, was to use irregular panel sizes with staggered joints providing a softer, more organic effect, again referencing the stonework

24 Public Sector Build Journal

The client, Liverpool University, was drawn to the colour longevity properties of Trespa

of the university buildings. A graduation of tones, using four colours, was also selected, starting with darker panels in Mid Grey at the base of the building, and becoming progressively lighter with Silver Grey and Winter Grey and eventually White towards the roofline.

Daniels explains: “This plays on the natural distribution of light, and gives the perception of the courtyard becoming wider at the top, avoiding a ‘canyon’ effect. The panels were riveted to vertical aluminium rails and rivets were capped with colour-coordinated caps which were imperceptible from ground level once the building was complete.”

Andrew Craig, Regional Sales Manager for Trespa UK, adds: “The client, Liverpool University, was drawn to the colour longevity properties of Trespa in creating a vibrant and energetic facade. It was also important that the material was robust as the panels start at ground level.”

Trespa Meteon is a decorative, highpressure compact laminate with an integral surface manufactured using Trespa’s unique in-house technologies that utilise dry-forming and electron beam curing. It is the company’s leading family of architectural panels for facades and exterior applications, created – as with all Trespa products – in close collaboration with architects, designers, installers, distributors and end-users. The

panels, 8mm thickness were specified for the Liverpool University project and perform exceptionally well outdoors with neither sun nor rain having any significant effect on the surface.

 www.trespa.com 

info.uk@trespa.com  0808 234 0268

The architects opted for Meteon cladding panels from Trespa UK for the inner elevations of the blocks which face onto two central plazas

KARNDEAN TALKS: BIM As the government’s 2016 deadline for businesses to be BIM ready draws closer, Karndean launches bimstore. its BIM objects with bim Using over 80 of our most successful products we have created our own library to help you deliver projects with beautifully realistic flooring designs.

Realistic designs on screen and off.

Meticulous attention to detail allows a stylish selection of the most inspiring natural wood and stone designs.

Data at your fingertips.

All of our objects carry the most up-to-date product specifications and are fully CoBie ready.

IMAGE: Revit Render

Your project, our support Visit our website to take advantage of the following; Resources • Case studies • Box and Adhesive calculator • Installation instructions and guidelines

Specification tools • Product Selector • Technical data sheets • Certificates for: ISO14001, UPEC, COSHH, SATRA, CFA, NBS and RIBA • Floorstyle • CAD files • BIM objects

If you’re out on site with a customer why not use our new augmented reality app to demonstrate what their floor could look like right there and then. The app lets you select and view different floors in the space of your choice and take images to share and compare.

See www.karndean.com/app for more details.

For more information visit us online at www.karndean.com/bim

Education

Real world training Pellings, the multidisciplinary architectural, property and construction practice has acted as architect and project manager on an innovative new hospitality and catering facility for Bromley College of Further & Higher Education in Orpington, Kent, as part of a £1.2m contract.

The cooking equipment in both kitchens is from the French company Charvet, which provides industry-wide recognised equipment

26 Public Sector Build Journal

T

he new Hospitality, Food and Enterprise Career College offers 14-19 years olds vocational, industryfocused and employer-led training in hospitality and catering, making Bromley College a leader in this area of education.

The project primarily involved converting an existing sports hall that was highlighted for redevelopment at the feasibility stage.

The parameters of the sports hall’s dimensions were suitable for the new Career College, both in terms of required layout, and space for extensive cooking equipment. In addition, Bromley College’s main sporting curriculum had recently moved to a new sports hall at the Bromley campus, meaning sports facilities at the Orpington campus were no longer essential.

The completed first phase provides a training restaurant that is fully functioning and open to the public, a training kitchen that can accommodate 18 students, a production kitchen, and ancillary space including changing rooms and a common room. The second phase, set for completion in 2016, will provide a further training kitchen, a pastry kitchen, a cafe, a small retail area and al fresco dining space. The new part of the college will enable local people to train for a career in hospitality at a centre of excellence, without having to travel to central London, or even further afield.

Converting the existing sports hall addressed and avoided challenges that would have arisen if the Hospitality, Food and Enterprise Career College was being placed in a more traditional teaching building. There was the need for space that enabled communication between the kitchen and front of house, while space for

Education

The new restaurant – BR6 – is a valuable addition to the local community, as well as a first-class training centre for the students

the significant amount of plant equipment required for commercial kitchens also had to be provided.

The height and size of the sports hall ensured these issues were overcome. For example, the height of the hall allowed a mezzanine floor to be created directly above the kitchen that accommodates the new plant machinery, for both the production and training kitchens.

A key part of the Career College is the training restaurant, providing a ‘real world’ training environment for front of house management. Pellings designed the restaurant to overlook Orpington’s Market Square, enhancing the public’s experience, and allowing the new part of the college to present a separate public face, distinguishing it from the main college.

Market Square is currently an underutilised public space that is undergoing a redevelopment programme. New residential space and a new cinema complex are being incorporated, and the college restaurant will support this regeneration.

Andrew Tang, the architect at Pellings responsible for the project, commented: “Designs for both the production and training kitchens are the result of an extensive collaborative process between Pellings, a hospitality and catering vocational training advisor appointed by the college, and a specialist catering equipment supplier.

“The cooking equipment in both kitchens is from the French company Charvet, which provides industry-wide recognised equipment. The layout of each kitchen was carefully designed based on its specific function with the emphasis on visibility, accessibility and the activity flow common

Two extensions to the existing college building connect it to the training restaurant

to successful commercial kitchens,” Tang continued.

New build elements also made up a small proportion of the scheme. Two extensions to the existing college building connect it to the training restaurant. They increase the area of the training restaurant while also providing natural light. The smaller extension serves as a formal entrance to the restaurant and houses a Stannah platform lift to facilitate disabled access.

The extensions comprise steel frames, concrete ground bearing slabs, aluminium framed curtain walling with Trespa decorative facias, and flat roofs with a Bauder single-ply membrane. Unlike the kitchen areas the restaurant is a naturally ventilated space with new actuated louvre panels introduced into the existing building

facade at low level and a penthouse ventilation unit installed in the roof of the new extension.

Scott Freeman, Head of the Hospitality, Food and Enterprise Career College, says: “We are delighted with the development of our Hospitality, Food and Enterprise Career College at the Orpington campus. The new restaurant – BR6 – is a valuable addition to the local community, as well as a first-class training centre for our students. We very much look forward to working with the Pellings team on the second phase of the development.”

Phase two is expected to be complete by May 2016. ITC Concepts was the contractor on the project. 

 www.pellings.co.uk

The layout of each kitchen was carefully designed based on its specific function

Public Sector Build Journal 27

Healthcare In the corridor areas, ordinary warm white lighting in circular ceiling-mounted units is complemented by colour-changing LEDs around the edge of each unit

Installation challenges of dementia care In the healthcare sector, a number of operational and future proofing factors must be considered when designing an electrical installation to address the very specific requirements of patient environments; particularly when the installation in question is a retrofit project in a live hospital.

A

s with any public sector projects, budgets are always under scrutiny but finances are assessed on a best value basis with quality, service life and installed costs all brought into the equation.

Adaptability is also key, as few environments experience such a rapid pace of change as hospitals or have such a business critical need for electrical services

to be available to meet current and future needs.

Finally, patient needs and welfare must also be high on the agenda, with the electrical specification meeting current and future clinical and care needs while managing the level of disruption and infection control risk associated with major refurbishment projects.

Colour has been used in the lighting installation to both stimulate and sooth patients during their stay

Forget-Me-Not These were all considerations during the recent project to create a ‘Forget-Me-Not’ ward at Warrington Hospital, which saw the refurbishment of a former 24-bed elderly care ward into a custom-specified dementia unit that addresses patients’ physical, mental and emotional needs.

The project is part of a drive to tackle the increasing numbers of elderly patients with dementia being admitted to UK hospitals for additional conditions, which has resulted in the Government setting aside a £50m dementia care fund to spend on specialist care and facilities.

Warrington Hospital successfully bid for a £1m share of that £50m through the King’s Fund. Following a collaborative design and specification process involving a consultation group made up of patient/ carer representatives, members of the estates team, clinical professionals and representatives from the Alzheimer’s Society the Forget-Me-Not unit was created.

Flexible nurse call Amongst the practical elements of the electrical specification in the Forget-Me-Not unit, the nurse call system was critical. Not only does it ensure that patients can call for prompt assistance but also that a degree of flexibility is built into the new facilities.

Explains Lee Bushell from the hospital’s

28 Public Sector Build Journal

Healthcare Estates Capital Projects team: “We had been upgrading the hospital to CourtneyThorne’s 08 wireless nurse call system on a rolling programme of ward refurbishments since 2012, so we knew we could be confident that it would be reliable.”

“We also needed a system that was both flexible and scalable should we need to reconfigure or extend the unit in the future and the wireless system means that we can make changes without any re-wiring.”

The unit accommodates 17 patients across one seven-bed bay and two five-bed bays, each of which are served by their own nurses’ station. Each nurses’ station has a dedicated touch screen which displays and monitors calls from patient beds, the dining and social areas on the unit and the sensory garden which has been created to encourage patients to spend time outdoors. The source and urgency of each call is displayed with complete accuracy on the touch screen unit at the nurses’ station.

The system also provides real-time call management information, enabling the hospital’s team to track call patterns and analyse response rates.

The ability for the nurse call system to record data from each patient call is not only critical for the dementia care team at Warrington Hospital; it is also embedded in the Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) relating to bedhead services, HTM 08-03.

This which states that “It should be possible for the system to log all of the calls/events and provide detailed history reports when required.”

Fast installation The 08 wireless nurse call system was designed, programmed and installed by Courtney-Thorne’s in-house team in an installation programme that lasted just three days. The system works using a combination of radio signals and, because it is wire-free, there is no need for cabling either at the time of installation or if there is a future need to reconfigure the layout.

No physical works means no noise or dust, which could potentially increase the infection control risk.

John Polhill from Courtney-Thorne comments: “For most installations, overhead lamps would also be installed to alert nurses to calls in the corridor areas.

“In this specialist environment there is a nurse’s station for every bay within the unit and the increased staff/patient ratio meant that lamps were not required.

“However, the system has been

A cartoon-style mural of the local area has been painted in the corridor to help patients tap into long-term memory

configured to give complete adaptability, including the capacity for ‘silent’ nurse call through integration with nurses’ pagers.

This enables the system to be set to silent with nurses being alerted to any calls made through the vibrate function on their pagers.”

painted in the corridor to help patients tap into long-term memory. This area of the unit also includes a bus stop where patients can ‘wait for a bus home’ or sit and chat.

Spotlights have been installed to highlight these features of the design layout to attract patients to certain areas of the unit and ensure that frequented areas are well lit.

The lighting installation also includes soft lighting in the relaxation room where Causeway Electrical Services has also installed a wall mounted TV screen that has been recessed into a ‘retro-frame’ to make it look like an old-style television. The screen plays footage of local scenes from the 1950s and 1960s to tap into patients’ long term memory and help them feel comfortable in their surroundings.

Relaxing environment The increased staff ratios that underpin high standards of care at Warrington’s Forget-Me-Not unit are supported by a custom-designed dementia environment.

Every element of the layout and decoration has been designed to reduce patient anxiety and disorientation, while encouraging social interaction, independence and stimulation.

Colour plays a pivotal role, with colour coded doors and door frames to help patients identify different areas. Colour has also been used in the lighting installation to both stimulate and sooth patients during their stay.

In the corridor areas, ordinary warm white lighting in circular ceiling-mounted units is complemented by colour-changing LEDs around the edge of each unit, enabling staff to choose between standard operational lighting or coloured mood lighting.

Essential supplies In addition to the decorative touches designed specifically to address the emotional wellbeing of patients at Warrington’s Forget-Me-Not unit, Causeway Electrical Services also carried out a complete re-wire of the facilities to reconfigure services in-line with the new layout.

The unit was changing from a 24-bed ward to a 17-bed specialist care unit so new bed head electrical installations had to be installed including all bed head trunking, sockets and over-bed light for patient use, medical gases, cleaners sockets and sockets for medical use. 

Feature lighting The lighting installation also plays an important role in highlighting other design features within the unit that have been specified to calm and relax patients.

Picturegrams have been used throughout the unit to aid wayfinding, and a cartoonstyle mural of the local area has been

 www.c-t.co.uk

Public Sector Build Journal 29

Leisure Education To help maintain the old appearance of the building, Hempcrete cassettes were inserted underneath the original roof line

Modern interpretation

The Master's House in Ledbury, Herefordshire, stands as a historical legacy that endures through both its striking restoration and the experience and skills earned by the project team.

F

or building contractor Speller Metcalfe, this was an opportunity to work on a local, one-of-a-kind landmark that delivers outside of the traditional and put quality and historical accuracy above bottom line. At pricing stage the building hadn’t been fully opened up, so a collaborative approach was taken with client Herefordshire Council – talking through costs and challenges as they arose.

The project was also delivered on time; when considering the amount of work uncovered during construction this was a significant achievement for a complex, phased project in a logistically tight and challenging town centre location.

hiding an incredible medieval structure.

In a £3.2m scheme with client Herefordshire Council and under the West Midlands Contractor Framework, Speller Metcalfe set out to deliver a highly detailed, phased restoration of the Grade II* listed building.

Research into traditional methods Because of the building complexity and widely-varying nature of historical extensions, specialist knowledge and investigation into traditional methods and materials was imperative to achieving an accurate restoration.

The building’s history The Master’s House was commissioned by the Dean of Hereford and originally built as accommodation for the Master of the adjacent St Katherine’s Hospital, founded in 1231.

The existing structure dates back to 1487 and follows an H-shaped plan built around an oak timber frame – typical of the period – and despite many less-than-sympathetic extensions and alterations (typically every 70-80 years), it is this oak frame that maintains the building’s integrity.

Following its closure as a doctor’s surgery in 2002, the Master’s House had become dilapidated and sat as an unassuming building in the middle of St. Katherine’s car park, but behind the grubby pebbledash exterior there stood an exceptional building

30 Public Sector Build Journal

Examples include a petrographic survey used to ascertain the original quarry stone location of Shrewsbury that had been sourced in the 19th century, alongside detailed chemical analysis to achieve an exact render match dating back to the 1700s. Dendrochronology was also used to date the original timbers, with French oak used to replace the original English Oak, now a protected species.

Evidence was found of techniques used from the 15th century right through to the 20th century; consequently specialist training via toolbox talks and workshops was delivered to the team who used specialist sub-contractors where possible, in particular with the timber frame restoration.

The restoration process

The result is a historically-accurate, quality finish and one-of-a-kind building for Ledbury

While the scheme had strict budget requirements, it was important that the key principle of maintaining high standards of repair was adhered to, delivering a restoration that gave due credit to the extremely rare structure while remaining sympathetic to the end user. Such an example was the use of 19th lime plaster work that could have been cheaply replaced with plaster board – functional but not historically accurate.

To help maintain the old appearance of the building – not straightening the lines but incorporating the natural sag of history – Hempcrete cassettes were inserted underneath the original roof line to improve insulation but maintain the historical facade.

Leisure 19th century traditional masonry repairs and stonework, alongside door and window restoration was key to reclaiming the historical context of the building. Wherever possible any historic features have been retained; exposing original panels, reclaiming brickwork from the removal of building areas, re-using timbers, restoring the original bread oven and restoration of wattle and daub panels. Panels beyond repair were re-wetted, broken down and recycled as 500-year-old materials into the new panelling using local Ledbury mud.

Due to the evolution of the building brickwork and techniques (predominantly 17th and 18th century), numerous samples of different types of mortar joints were taken to replicate the existing Tuck and Penny pointing.

For the main timber frame restoration, Speller Metcalfe’s Site Manager undertook detailed restoration courses throughout the duration of the project. Consideration of timber cutting was key, using a method that could replicate the techniques used in the medieval period while removing evidence of modern cutting machinery. Following the complete rebuilding of the original structure, the building is now slightly longer than it stood at the start of the project.

The existing structure dates back to 1487 and follows an H-shaped plan built around an oak timber frame

Constructors Award in 2013.

Alongside community engagement, the project has provided opportunities for trades to develop and learn new skills, with one of the carpentry apprentices personifying the team’s dedication to the high standards of repair. Adam Hill built his own forge and crafted bespoke, century-specific tools such as a framing slick and lignum vitae beaters to carry out various repairs, and was consequently shortlisted as a finalist in the 2014 English Heritage Angel Awards ‘Best Craftsmanship Trainee’ category.

Alongside the project team, the Master’s House leaves an enduring legacy that is echoed throughout the finished build through newly-revealed and restored features as well as ‘Interpretation stations’ that offer a similar interactive experience to museums for visitors.

The result is a historically-accurate, quality finish and one-of-a-kind building for Ledbury, housing a new library, council offices, function rooms and the John Masefield archive. 

 www.spellermetcalfe.com

Appropriate modern techniques

For the main timber frame restoration, Speller Metcalfe's Site Manager undertook detailed restoration courses throughout the duration of the project

While historically accurate techniques were used when possible, various technical solutions enable the Master’s House to remain functional and comply with building regulations.

Hempcrete, an innovative insulation product (and carbon negative), was used as an alternative to traditional insulation to enable the building to breathe and further preserve the timber for an additional 500 years. Limecrete flooring with Glapor insulation and slab (recycled foamed glass) also controls any ingress of moisture, sitting beneath the slab material.

Alongside the use of locally sourced, breathable paints these methods will help to better manage humidity levels. A Building Management System is also in place to enable remote temperature control, alongside underfloor heating for comfort.

A new historical legacy As well as the building itself, the level of community buy-in to the project was exceptional with the entire project team playing a key role in working with the local residents and businesses, earning the project a Silver Considerate

Public Sector Build Journal 31

Floors, Walls & Ceilings

E

The building is designed within four distinct blocks

An education in radiant underfloor heating For Stromness Primary School in the Orkney Islands, a schools improvement programme totalling £58m, would not only deliver a practical solution to its educational building needs but also create stylish learning facilities, deserving of an Excellent BREEAM rating.

UBE designed and installed the Uponor Tacker 20 radiant heating system which was embedded into a modified sand and cementscreed, as a total solution for the site

32 Public Sector Build Journal

ncompassing natural ventilation and daylight, improved biodiversity and renewable energy, the school has become both highly efficient and, an important part of the local community.

Stromness Primary School is located in the Burgh of Stromness – the Orkney Islands main seaport, and has a population of 2100. Completed in October 2012 and officially opened in January 2013, the new school has become home to 200 school children and 30 nursery pupils across a 2,460sqm space – designed by architect Keppie Design Limited.

Working alongside the architect, main contractor – Morrison Construction, M&E consultants Rybka and M&E contractor NG Bailey, the school has gone on to receive a BREEAM Excellent rating and won the SCALA Civil Building of the Year Award. The recognition highlights that the build not only meets best practice standards but that more importantly, others can potentially learn from the knowledge and experience gained on the build.

For Stromness Primary School, the design of the new buildings was incredibly important, particularly as it sits within a conservation area. As such, the new school design is reminiscent of the wider town architecture featuring a series of rectangular buildings with gable ends that face toward the bay of Hamnavoe, allowing for natural light to filter through into classrooms and breakout areas; while shielding them from the strong coastal winds.

The building is designed within four distinct blocks; each with a specific intention – the multi-purpose hall, administration and kitchen/dining, a junior wing for the nursery and a senior wing for the older pupils. Sliding partitions exist between classrooms to allow for group teaching, with four classrooms clustered around each breakout space; to allow children from the different age groups to interact.

Peter Moran, Keppie director said: “We designed the break-out spaces and activity areas to maximise movement and allow for varying sizes of activities. The teaching clusters, nursery and administrative areas were carefully planned so they can be closed off from the multi-purpose hall, dining and associated facilities to provide an independent community use facility in the evenings.”

Floors, Walls & Ceilings

The design of the new buildings was incredibly important, particularly as it sits within a conservation area

One of the key benefits of the site’s construction is its open plan format, enabling greater interaction between the children and better use of the facility out of hours, for community events.

However, when it comes to heating an ever changing space, it can be difficult to control and equally to heat. From a space perspective, partition walls and large windows facing out into the bay, mean that wall space is limited and therefore not ideally suited to wall-fixed radiators. Furthermore, powered by heat pump technology, it was clear that other heating solutions would need to be considered.

Uponor Building Energy (UBE) was originally approached by Rybka in 2010, for their design input based upon works already successfully completed on the Highlands Schools scheme.

Shift forward nearly 12 months and UBE was invited to tender by main contractor Morrison Construction in October 2011. The brief was clear and concise, requiring the use of heat pump technology for the foundation of heating throughout the building. With this in mind, UBE designed and installed the Uponor Tacker 20 radiant heating system which was embedded into a modified sand and cementscreed, as a total solution for the site. For the multipurpose hall, the Uponor bespoke Sprung Floor system was specified, enabling pipework to be installed between the timber batons.

In fact, underfloor heating was specified throughout the building and was configured to operate in alignment with the optimum temperature output of the heat pumps, ensuring the maximum COP. The system is then controlled utilising the Uponor 24v control system,

comprising of tamperproof room thermostats designed to ensure optimum temperatures can be maintained, without tinkering risks.

As part of the Orkney Islands Schools Programme UBE also secured and successfully completed the design, supply and installation of the radiant heating systems & screed works on the 15,000m² Kirkwall Grammar School, the 2,500m² Papdale Halls of Residence and the 1500m² Pickaquoy Leisure Centre.

Chris Jackson at Uponor Building Energy said: “We have long understood the benefits of underfloor heating, particularly when it runs in conjunction with renewable technology.

“Based around the concept of radiant

heating, UFH enables the transfer of heat from one object to another rather than just simply heating the air around you.

The benefit for the end user is improved efficiency and comfort, thanks to a reduction in temperature fluctuations and a more comfortable even heat.

“Stromness Primary School is a fantastic example of how a building can make the most of its surroundings – utilising locally sourced materials for its construction, natural daylight and clever positioning to the greatest benefit. It is an example of a project that’s made the right decisions for the right reasons, and we’re incredibly proud to be a part of it.” 

 www.uponor.co.uk

The new school design is reminiscent of the wider town architecture featuring a series of rectangular buildings

Public Sector Build Journal 33

Kitchens, Bathrooms & Washrooms

Quiet in the library

The Grade II listed building has three new reading rooms, research and teaching facilities and is the main home for the Bodleian Libraries' Special Collections

Libraries are special environments and need to maintain their studious atmospheres throughout their buildings. James Clark, Group Commercial Director of The Airdri Group, explains how Airdri met the challenge of supplying washroom equipment as part of the refurbishment of an historic Oxford Library.

T

he Bodleian Libraries has an incomparable collection of rare books, manuscripts, archives, music, ephemera and maps, and some of its buildings have been in use since the Middle Ages. Its recent refurbishment was always likely to throw up a few challenges and I’m delighted that we were able to help tackle one of them.

Formerly known as the New Bodleian, the University of Oxford’s Weston Library fully reopened in March 2015, following a three-year refurbishment. The Grade II listed building has three new reading rooms, research and teaching facilities and is the main home for the Bodleian Libraries’ Special Collections.

Minimum noise Noise is a major source of complaint in buildings and can have an impact on health and concentration levels according to the World Health Organisation. As you’d expect, allowing readers and researchers to access the Library’s special collections in silence was critical to the success of the refurbishment, so when considering the washroom facilities,

34 Public Sector Build Journal

the project team had to find not only an effective hand dryer, but also a quiet one.

Airdri is committed to making washrooms accessible and, with developments in technology, high speed hand dryers no longer have to be excessively noisy. All our dryers keep noise levels to a minimum and we are proud that our Quartz was the first fast-dry model to be awarded the UK Noise Abatement Society’s Quiet Mark. In addition, our Quad, Quazar and Quest hand dryers are now all accredited with the international accolade for quiet products. The UK Noise Abatement Society launched the Quiet Mark in January 2012 and it has helped to create a demand for quieter technology in our homes, workplaces and the general environment in which we live, work and study.

Making space Noise wasn’t the only concern when redeveloping the washrooms. The age of the building meant that many of the washrooms have limited space. Airdri has developed a range of shapes and sizes of dryers to fit a variety of washrooms.

The project team decided the Quad, Airdri's ultra-slim, wall-mounted dryer, was the most appropriate for the library

Slimmer machines help maximise the available space and improve accessibility for partially sighted people and those with limited mobility, as well as abled bodied users.

We demonstrated a number of options to the project team who decided the Quad, Airdri’s ultra-slim, wall-mounted dryer, was the most appropriate for the library.

Accessible for all The shape, size, power or noise of some dryers can put people off using them, which in turn hampers effective washroom hygiene. The team responsible for refurbishing the historic Weston Library considered a range of social issues alongside the aesthetic needs when specifying their equipment. Users at the Weston Library are now able to study in peace. 

 www.airdri.com

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Public Sector Build Journal 35

Modular Buildings

Debunking the myths of modular construction Modular buildings are still something of an unknown quantity, both inside and outside the construction industry. Wernick Group Marketing Manager, Leigh Fennell discusses some of the more prevalent misconceptions about modular offsite construction. #1 Modular buildings are low quality Many people’s perceptions of modular buildings stem from their experience of old leaky prefabricated classrooms. These were often supposed to be temporary but often had to be endured for use by schools across the country for decades. Before I worked in the offsite construction sector this was certainly my own opinion. I have now come to understand this presumption

36 Public Sector Build Journal

that modular buildings are of low quality is a misconception that is easily dispelled.

Firstly, modular buildings follow the same set of regulations as traditional construction and must therefore meet the same standards of quality. Building modules are manufactured in tightly controlled factory environments meeting ISO 9001 quality management standards and often IS0 14001 environmental standards.

Another comment I would make on this point is that many of the materials used in

modular building, such as the steel frame, are exactly the same materials used for a traditional build. The only difference being that the construction takes place off site in a more controlled factory environment.

As testament to their quality many offsite construction companies will now offer a 25 year warranty as standard with their buildings which also have an expected design life of over 100 years!

#2 Modular buildings are temporary structures While modular buildings can be used as a temporary solution the quality of build, as mentioned, means they are built to last.

Most people will only see modular buildings in the role of short-term accommodation provided while a new development is under construction or deployed following an emergency such as a fire or a flood, leading to the understanding that these buildings are always temporary. In fact, these uses reveal nothing about the quality or permanence of the building, but how quickly they can be installed.

Just like a traditional building, modular buildings are steel-framed in construction and can provide permanent accommodation solutions, including purpose-designed schools, hospitals, office blocks, police cells and even nuclear power station accommodation. The end product is

Modular Buildings often a building that is hard to imagine was manufactured in a factory.

#3 Modular construction is an unproven concept Often in the media, modularisation is framed as a new innovation in construction that could change all future building projects. This is unfortunately not quite the case. The first recorded use of modular buildings as we know them today was in the 19th century. Some leading offsite manufacturers have been in business for over 80 years and there are many examples of their buildings still standing today that were manufactured many decades ago.

#4 Cost savings of offsite construction (when compared to traditional methods) are greatly exaggerated It’s commonly stated by offsite specialists that a modular building is far more economical when compared to traditional construction, with a saving of around 50% achievable. Let’s look at the facts. A report by Laing O’Rourke, who developed a modular system with an engineering company, suggested it could build a 1300 pupil school for £14.3m, £6m cheaper than an equivalent school under the Building Schools for the Future Programme (BSF).

The fact that much of the modular construction process is carried out offsite in a controlled factory environment means projects can be completed much faster than traditional construction methods with no delays due to bad weather.

In many instances a more efficient design with modular also means maintenance costs are reduced.

#5 Modular buildings aren't as sustainable as they appear

size in order to match the supplied sizes of the building materials, further reducing the amount of waste.

Typically, the end product is a building, which achieves an Energy Performance Asset rating (EPA) of B, as standard.

An ‘A’ rating is easily achieved when sustainable options, such as solar panels are incorporated.

interested in a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

In terms of providing ‘traditional’ finishes, we are increasingly being asked to provide extensions to existing buildings while maintaining a continuous external appearance. This can be done so effectively that often you cannot tell which is the old traditional building and which is the new modular extension.

#6 Modular buildings are all the same

While modular specialists can offer a bespoke design and build service, increasingly architects are bringing their designs to life in a modular environment. I believe good architects are entirely capable of designing attractive buildings that use a high degree of modularisation. Many are already working with modular providers to great effect. Nothing speaks more loudly than the buildings themselves and I would encourage any architect to seek out the possibilities offered with offsite construction by reflecting on the finished product. 

Ok, so it’s clear that a modular construction is a sustainable process that lowers cost and offers shorter and more dependable build programmes, but does the modular approach have limitations in building design? There’s no escaping the fact that modular buildings lend themselves to standardisation, and it is obviously more straightforward to manufacture identical units than a variety of different ones.

However, clients are increasingly looking for buildings that cater to their specific needs and are quite understandably less

 www.wernick.co.uk

By process, offsite construction is also far more environmentally friendly when compared to traditional construction. This greatly reduced programme inevitably minimises the impact on the environment.

Modular buildings are produced in a controlled factory environment, in which all waste including steel, aluminium and timber is separated for recycling with almost nothing ending up as landfill. The process is not subject to bad weather, and subsequent delays this may cause. As the time on site is reduced, so is the impact of the construction process on the site and surrounding environment. Modules can also be designed to a specifically optimised

Public Sector Build Journal 37

Glass & Glazing for major infrastructure projects.

The importance of public sector expenditure cannot be underestimated as it makes up some 40% of the annual £110bn spent of UK construction. As part of its plans, the government also aims to reduce the initial costs of construction and the whole life costs of assets by 33%, and shorten planning-to-completion times by 50%.

Achieving good design

Public sector expenditure makes up some 40% of the annual £110bn spent of UK construction

Austerity and public building design Wrightstyle Limited is a leading UK supplier of integrated steel and aluminium glazing systems and exports worldwide. Following the general election, in a period of further government austerity, Jane Embury, the company’s Commercial Director, argues the case for quality architecture in civic building.

A

usterity has been shared across households and every business sector, but it’s fallen particularly hard on public infrastructure expenditure.

According to the National Audit Office, capital expenditure stood at £57bn in 2009/10, falling to £42bn in 2013/14.

However, the Institute for Government says that the UK “needs to make major strategic infrastructure decisions over

38 Public Sector Build Journal

the next few years” – to meet energy security, major transportation plans and to deal with such issues as climate change and an ageing population.

Therein lies the dilemma, because the NAO, the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Institute of Fiscal Studies all say that government investment in infrastructure has been diminishing – at a time when, realistically, serious money has to be found

While faster planning decisions would be welcomed by developers and the construction industry, one knock-on effect of cost reduction might have one unintended consequence, because civic architecture – whether a school, hospital or job centre – shouldn’t just be about cost and function.

National planning guidance states: “Achieving good design is about creating places, buildings, or spaces that work well for everyone, look good, last well, and will adapt to the needs of future generations.

Good design responds in a practical and creative way to both the function and identity of a place.”

That process of civic design, as with all architecture, is about balancing form and function in a complete building that looks good from the outside and performs well on the inside. And as the Royal Academy of Engineers has demonstrated, increasing the initial cost of a building’s envelope has an almost negligible effect on lifetime costs – and, for example, by making energy efficiencies could deliver long-term savings.

At least in theory, that lifecycle approach is now accepted, with both HM Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government recognising the value of adopting a whole life cost perspective when appropriate.

Good design is an investment that pays for itself over a building’s lifetime

Glass & Glazing However, the equation is complicated by operational costs – for example, the operating costs of a hospital can equal the value of its capital cost every two to three years. The same is true for a school, whose operating costs can equal capital cost every four years or so.

The cost/benefit debate in public sector architecture has been energised by such initiatives as the Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award, celebrating the best in civic architecture as a means to encourage debate and further best practice.

Last year, a shortlisted project was Brent’s new civic centre, the UK’s first “outstanding” BREEAM rated public building, and for which Wrightstyle supplied a range of advanced glazing systems.

A ministerial forward to the 2012 National Planning Policy Framework, which applies in England, states: “Our standards of design can be so much higher. We are a nation renowned worldwide for creative excellence, yet, at home, confidence in development itself has been eroded by the too frequent experience of mediocrity.”

RIBA’s 2011 report, Good design – it all adds up, still provides compelling evidence of the benefits of making quality a central component in civic architecture.

The report found that: Health: Patients with access to daylight and external views require less medication and recover faster. For medical staff, good design reduces stress, fatigue and the chances of making mistakes.

Education: A 2010 survey by the British Council for School Environments (BCSE) and Teacher Support Network highlighted how 95.8% of teachers felt that the school environment had an influence on pupil behaviour.

The right office layouts can make the difference between a hard-working office and a less productive one

Housing: At Westwood Estate in Peterborough, a survey revealed how simple, affordable environmental improvements such as road narrowing and closing off alleyways to deter intruders made a dramatic difference to residents’ mental health and satisfaction with their housing development.

employment. For example, the Liverpool ONE scheme, a £1bn shopping, residential and leisure development, has helped to create over 3500 new local jobs.

Work-places: The right office layouts, coupled with good air quality, acoustics and lighting can make the difference between a hard-working office and a less productive one.

Growth and employment: The development of well thought-out urban spaces can revitalise run-down areas, promote business and increase

Introducing the report, Ruth Reed, RIBA president said: “In stringent times, there is a danger that short-term money-saving decisions will be made on new buildings which result in poor solutions that are effectively false economies.

“Good design is an investment that pays for itself over a building’s lifetime; bad architecture will always cost more; invest now, or pay later.”

Four years on, with the Government still seeking further financial cuts, her message still holds true: civic architecture is about more than bricks and mortar. It’s about the communities in which we live and work, and how we make them better. 

The process of civic design, as with all architecture, is about balancing form and function

 www.wrightstyle.co.uk

Public Sector Build Journal 39

Shelters & Shading

Flexible shelter systems provide a one-sizefits-all solution which can be built to the dimensions required by each individual user

Flexible solutions for all-year shelter Jonathan Goss, Managing Director at Townscape Products Ltd, talks to Public Sector Build Journal about the advent of flexible shelter and shading solutions across the UK.

A

cross all sectors and industries, the infrastructure of buildings is vital.

It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about an office block, community centre or school, if a building is unable to provide all-weather shelter for those who live or work within it, then it is failing at the most basic level.

While that speaks volumes for the importance of choosing buildings with the right infrastructure in the first place, what can you do if you discover that the building you work in or oversee does not provide the shelter and shading you require? What if you want to extend the levels of shelter and shading on your

40 Public Sector Build Journal

premises? Paying for the construction of a permanent extension often carries with it a heavy price so is not always seen as an attractive option, especially with budgets being so stretched across the public sector.

In the wake of this problem, we have seen the emergence of increasing demand for flexible shelter and shading solutions.

What is a flexible shelter? It’s an offthe-shelf product which can be easily constructed to increase the level of shading and shelter on your premises.

So what is it which makes these products ‘flexible’? Flexible shelter systems provide a one-size-fits-all

solution which can be built to the dimensions required by each individual user. Rather than paying a significant outlay on the construction of a made-tomeasure canopy or extension, flexible shelters offer all-weather protection which is value for money.

Installing flexible canopies means you can increase the levels of shading and shelter on your premises without incurring the considerable cost and inconvenience a permanent extension entails. Whether you need to construct a shelter over a walkway between two buildings, or extend an area of shading over the entrance to a building, flexible shelter solutions are being selected by more and more local authority’s public sector organisations because they are cheaper and easy to assemble.

There’s little debate to be had over the cost and time benefits which installing off-the-shelf shelter solutions can provide. However, legitimate questions do exist over the quality and durability of flat-pack shelters. They might be cheaper – but are they going to fly off in windy conditions? How long will they last? Do they really provide comparable levels of shelter to a permanently installed solution?

The quality of flexible shelter solutions varies by supplier. However, there is a range of products on the market which provide a high level of performance. For example, Townscape’s Matrix Modular Canopy which offers 98% UV protection and is suitable to be constructed on all types of ground surfaces. Quality shelters also provide good insulation for chilly winter days, the Matrix has a thermal transmittance of 2.2W/m2K, so it provides all year protection whether it’s rain or sunshine.

When selecting a shelter or canopy for your premises, look for what industry standards it meets. We’ve ensured our new flexible shelter solution is fully compliant with UK Building Regulations BS6399 Part 1997 and Part 3 1998.

As budgets remain to be squeezed, suppliers are going to continue to create innovative and cost effective products, such as the flexible Matrix shelter. If you’ve considered off-the-shelf covered walkways or shelters before, developments in industry mean they are now a strong option to review. 

 www.townscapeproducts.co.uk

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Public Sector Build Journal 41

Floors, Walls & Ceilings The architect specified Teknotimber Dark oak - offering the client an attractive, flexible and well designed raised flooring solution

Paver system specification takes off

Levato Mono porcelain paver system from The Deck Tile Co has recently been installed on the new roof terrace at Bristol Airport east terminal extension.

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pproximately 400m2 of the system was specified in order to conquer a number of challenges; covering EPDM membrane laid with multiple falls; to hide services and drainage gulleys but still have accessibility for future maintenance; cutting around the numerous stainless steel posts and glazed partition with accuracy for the shroud detail.

The finish the architect specified was Teknotimber Dark oak – offering the client an attractive, flexible and well designed raised flooring solution and with incredible technical properties; R11 slip rating; lightweight at just 45kgs per m2; non porous surface and 1000kgs loading per 600 x 600 x 20mm paver to name but a few of the benefits. Self-levelling head/height adjustable pedestals were used on this project to facilitate a speedy installation and enabling the installers to adjust the pedestal heights to millimetre accuracy, thus creating a perfectly level deck.

42 Public Sector Build Journal

The system is available in 40+ colours and finishes in both ultra-realistic timber and stone effect, by combining 3D printing and mould making technology to reproduce identical copies of natural materials and with up to 30 prints available for each paver range. Once laid, the eye is unable to discern any replicated pattern allowing for a completely natural looking surface.

Once laid, the eye is unable to discern any replicated pattern allowing for a completely natural looking surface

Recently specified for external dining areas at London Zoo, Jamie’s Brighton, JD Wetherspoons Teignmouth and the new Portico Terrace at Theatre Royal Drury Lane – where Levato Mono sandstone effect paver ranges were considered so similar to natural sandstone material that it was sanctioned for use on a Grade I listed building by English Heritage.

Used in conjunction with height adjustable fixed head or self-levelling pedestals or fixed height paver support pads, the Levato Mono system makes it possible to create perfectly level surfaces over uneven sub-surfaces. Ideal for installation over all waterproof membranes, the support systems cover height ranges from 9 to 550mm and incorporate a patented self-levelling slope correction facility with the convenience of height adjustment after the pavers are installed.

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Benefits at a glance ● ‘Floating floor’ – installation over single ply membranes ● Eternal product – zero maintenance required, offering massive over-life savings ● Highly abrasion and stain resistant ● Highly slip resistant; R11 and achieved up to +65 wet in the BS pendulum test ● Lightweight – 45kgs per m2 ● High load bearing and impact resistance ● Timber & stone effects; 40+ finishes available ● Ideal for balconies, roof terraces and piazzas, for both commercial and residential use ● Completely non porous ● Fire & frost proof ● Height adjustable supports to raise surface from 9 up to 550mm

Floors, Walls & Ceilings surface DPM. It can be easily removed postinstallation, re-used elsewhere and then at the end of its life be recycled.

The range boasts 42 colours, featuring bright and subtle, sparkle-free designs and decorative chipped options to give you a huge selection to choose from. Its shared colour palette with Altro Walkway 20 enables you to combine use of both ranges to suit the application. Altro Easyclean Maxis PUR Technology ensures the product stays looking good long-term.

Like all Altro safety flooring products, Altro XpressLay offers sustained slip resistance for the lifetime of the product, keeping your risk of a slip or fall to just 1 in a million.

The new flooring was laid by Admiral Flooring. Managing Director Matt Bundell said: “We recommend Altro XpressLay a lot to our customers because it is so quick and safe to lay, while still being a long-term solution, and great looking too.

It was the ideal product for Southmead Hospital because closure of the ward was not an option.”

Altro XpressLay brings new life to maternity unit Altro XpressLay safety flooring has provided a fast and trouble-free solution for a busy maternity unit at Southmead Hospital, in Bristol.

The 24/7 unit contains three post natal wards, where mothers are helped to establish feeding and advised on how to care for their babies, before going home. This non-stop environment makes refurbishment of the unit a challenge, as downtime is hugely disruptive to the smooth running of the service. So, when

the flooring in the corridor on Quantock Ward needing replacing, the Estates Team knew they had to find a quick, hassle-free solution.

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Helifix launches BowTie HD Kit

Gerflor Eco-Fit solves community centre problem Across the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh lies the Kinghorn Community Centre.

Making sure that the centre had minimal disruption when they needed to renew their flooring was at the very top of their shopping list. International flooring and interiors specialist Gerflor had been chosen to originally supply their Taraflex Multi Use 6.2 and at a time that suited the centre. The new overlay at the Kinghorn Community Centre is as innovative as it is original. The Taraflex Eco-Fit System is an eco-friendly, free-floating installation solution. The Taraflex Eco-Fit system is suitable for sports and community projects and is ideal for use over existing sports floorings.  www.gerflor.co.uk  

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Structural repair specialist, Helifix, has launched a new BowTie HD Kit which contains the necessary components, materials and instructions a repair contractor requires for the rapid costeffective restraining of bowed external building walls by securing them to internal floor and ceiling joists. The kit is available in two versions containing either 5 or 10 No. 1 metre long BowTie HDs along with PolyPlus SF resin, an SDS Drill Bit, the BowTie HD SDS Driver and 2 injection tubes. Once a clearance hole has been drilled through the wall, the BowTie HD is inserted and simply power-driven through the first two parallel timber joists to form a secure mechanical connection.  www.helifix.co.uk

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

020 8735 5200

FILA solutions specified at Baker Street Tube station FILA surface care solutions have been specified for an extensive cleaning project at London’s Baker Street Tube station. The project, which was carried out by Cleshar, included deep cleaning of the Tube station’s wall and floors. FILA treatments specified included FILAPS87 and FILA Cleaner. Prior to commencement of the cleaning project by Cleshar, FILA provided onsite technical assistance, including surface patch-testing.

FILAPS87 was then specified to deep clean the station’s terrazzo floor tiles and platform edging ceramic tiles, with FILA Cleaner used for ceramic wall tile areas throughout the station. FILAPS87 is a degreasing/stain-removing solution and FILA Cleaner is a concentrated neutral detergent.  www.filasolutions.com



filauk@filasolutions.com

 01584

877286

Public Sector Build Journal 43

Floors, Walls & Ceilings Coin Street, The Green Room, courtesy of Hufton+Crow

Dine in style Mapei’s high performance decorative flooring system has been specified at London’s new restaurant The Green Room.

A

Mapei internal decorative floor system has been installed at The Green Room restaurant on London’s South Bank. The Green Room is a new neighbourhood restaurant, bar and garden created by local social enterprise Coin Street Community Builders and the National Theatre.

Designed by Benjamin Marks, The Green Room cost £740,000 to build. Three individual Mapei products were specified throughout the 150m2 restaurant area and all floor works were carried out by Polished Concrete Designs.

Topcem, Mapei’s special hydraulic binder for producing fast-drying screeds, was specified as the base product due to its performance. Mapei’s Ultratop cementitious floor covering in Anthracite was applied to give the appearance of a polished concrete surface; this was chosen to complement the look of the rest of the restaurant’s interior. Mapei’s Ultratop Anthracite was also chosen due to its inherent high strength and excellent resistance to abrasion making it ideal for use in high traffic areas. All the joints in the

44 Public Sector Build Journal

floor were sealed with Mapeflex PU30, a two-component, high-strength, thixotropic epoxy-polyurethane sealant that was coloured to match the anthracite flooring.

The restaurant is situated next to Rambert Dance Studios and behind the National Theatre on London’s South Bank.

The interior has been designed to provide a contemporary and airy atmosphere and features props and scenery recycled from National Theatre shows.

Founded in 1937, Mapei is a worldleading manufacturer of adhesives and chemical building products – and a specialist in the production of adhesives and preparation products for the installation of wall and floor coverings.

Its extensive product range includes products for the preparation of all types of substrates used in construction: surface membranes, levelling compounds, primers, waterproofing, ready mixed mortars, special products for the repair of concrete, admixtures for mortar and concrete, adhesives for floor and wall coverings including, ceramic tiles, natural stone, resilient flooring and wood.

Mapei’s Ultratop cementitious floor covering in Anthracite was applied to give the appearance of a polished concrete surface

Also included are grouts and flexible sealants, mortars and binders for the restoration of period buildings, resin flooring, soundproofing systems, protective finishes for exterior walls and special hydraulic binders for screeds.

 www.mapei.co.uk

 info@mapei.co.uk  0121 508 6970

Floors, Walls & Ceilings surface throughout the care home.

Danish manufactured Troldtekt acoustic tiles are specified throughout the UK and Europe and can be delivered as either FSC or PEFC certified panels.

They are manufactured using 100% natural wood fibres and their benefits are high sound absorption, high durability, natural breathability, low cost life cycle performance and sustainability. They are used to improve acoustics in many different projects, such as schools, leisure centres, pools, commercial and public buildings. Available in various sizes and in three grades from ultrafine to coarse, they can be left unpainted or painted in virtually any RAL colour.

Troldtekt sustainability has also been recognised with certification at Silver level within the Cradle to Cradle concept and earns gold on 4 out of 5 criteria in the Cradle to Cradle certification version 3.1. This international certification has been achieved because the panels do not contain hazardous substances and can be recycled.

 www@troldtekt.co.uk

Designing quietness The best residential care homes need to be attractive and peaceful places where noise is kept to the minimum. Informed designers know that one of the best ways to achieve this is by installing high performance acoustic panels on the ceilings.

A good example is this appealing care home located in the Jutland region of west Denmark. It is designed with a very effective layout where the 24 individual residential units are grouped around attractive common areas so that staff and residents can interact easily with each other and the facilities.

In particular, the architects have made a conscious effort to create a very attractive and quiet environment.

To achieve this, the floors are soft linoleum while the ceilings are lined with square Troldtekt acoustic panels with quarter page adds:Layout 1 an ultrafine structure. These create a noiseless, visually soothing and cohesive

7/2/14



16:43 Page 2 info@troldtekt.co.uk  01978 664255

HUSH ACOUSTICS

ACOUSTIC SOLUTIONS FOR REVERBERATION NOISE CONTROL Reverberation problems can affect many types of buildings, both new and old. In educational establishments, excessive background noise can adversely affect productivity levels. In hospital wards reverberated noise can cause discomfort among patients.

surfacing solutions

The solution Hush Absorber Range Eliminates echoes and sound reverberation Available in a range of stylish finishes Class A and Class C Absorber Panels using specially formulated acoustic foam Ideal for schools, hospitals and other public areas Other absorbing products such as notice boards, desk dividers and baffles are available

Epoxy Coatings

HUSH ACOUSTICS

44 Canal Street, Bootle, Liverpool L20 8QU Offices also based in London and Yorkshire

@hushacoustics

Hush_ReverberationAd_QP.indd 1

Repair Mortars

Heavy Duty Screeds

Surfacing solutions for internal applications

TEL: 0151 933 2026 EMAIL: info@hushacoustics.co.uk

www.hushacoustics.co.uk

Anti-slip Finishes

HUSH ACOUSTICS Sound Insulation Products and Systems

01978 661 991

www.conren.com info@conren.com

hushuk.acoustics

05/06/2015 12:29

Public Sector Build Journal 45

HVAC/HVP

Danfoss drives HVAC efficiency with new heat exchangers Danfoss is driving innovation in HVAC efficiency and performance with a revolutionary range of plate heat exchangers that delivers exceptional performance, efficiency and flexibility in a compact design. The new range features Danfoss’ patented Micro Plate technology with a unique dimple pattern design for improved flow of fluid across the micro plates and utilisation of the surface area. Danfoss claims the new Micro Plate Heat Exchangers offer up to 10% enhanced heat transfer and up to 35% lower pressure loss compared to traditional plate heat exchangers. The range is designed to meet the needs of virtually any heating and cooling application.  www.heating.danfoss.co.uk



ukheating@danfoss.com

 0845

121 7400

Jaga provides heat barrier The Keynsham Civic Centre was built as the centrepiece of a regeneration plan in the heart of the Somerset town.

The complex features a public library and performance hall, and the Bath & North Somerset Council offices. The Council office has several floors lined with glass facades that surround an atrium through the middle of the building. This meant that heat could not only escape through the glass, but that each floor would be impacted by the effect of the large atrium space. To circumvent these challenges, Jaga recommended its responsive, highly-efficient Mini Canal trench heaters, which provide a barrier in front of the glass facades to prevent heat escaping.  www.jaga.co.uk



jaga@jaga.co.uk

Rowans Primary wins school eco competition A Welwyn Garden City primary school has just been announced as the winner of the first annual Mitsubishi Electric Eco School Competition. The national competition, which was created by Mitsubishi Electric under its educational ‘The Learning Curve’ programme, was open to all schools and also Scouts, Brownies, Guides, Beavers, Cubs and any other youth groups who are committed to raising environmental awareness amongst their communities. The Eco-Team and year 5 from Rowans Primary School successfully addressed the seven challenges set for pupils to secure the top prize of £2000 worth of environmental resources for their school.  www.the-learning-curve.org.uk 



01531 631533

heating@meuk.mee.com 282880

 01707

Heat pumps help reduce fuel bills for Hodnet tenants

Poor ventilation linked to cardiovascular disease Vent-Axia has welcomed new research which highlights the dangers of poor indoor air quality – potentially responsible for the annual loss of over 200,000 healthy life years in the UK. Lee Nurse, Marketing Director at Vent-Axia says: “With many people spending the majority of their time indoors, improvements in indoor air quality must be seen as a priority. Continuous ventilation is a simple solution to air quality problems.” For new build homes there are continuous whole house Mechanical Extract Ventilation and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery solutions, such as VentAxia’s Sentinel Kinetic MVHR system.For refurbishments, there are solutions such as Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon Response.

When Shropshire Housing Group was looking to tackle fuel poverty throughout its housing stock, the choice of Ecodan renewable heat pumps helped ensure a smooth transition for tenants. Bernard Quinn, Investment Manager for the Group, and his team brought in the specialist installer the Dodd Group and started a series of tenant forums to discuss the new heating systems and help educate residents.

Bernard says that almost all of the residents have found the heat pump technology quite easy to cope with as the controls are very simple with the desired temperature being set and not really needing to be touched again.  www.ecodan.co.uk



jenny.smith@vent-axia.com 0844 856 0590

46 Public Sector Build Journal

heating@meuk.mee.com

 01707

282880

Spirotech makes lasting impression Since January 2013 Spirotech, a leader in total heating and cooling system protection and water conditioning, has been working closely with Wolverhampton Homes to help protect and maintain the energy efficiency of its gas domestic heating systems in approximately 19,300 properties in Wolverhampton.

18 months ago Wolverhampton Homes, the Arms Length Management Organisation working on behalf of Wolverhampton Council, chose to switch to Spirotech and the SpiroTrap MB3 magnetic dirt separator. This decision came following a process of product evaluation that identified Spirotech as having the advantage over its competitors due to the brass construction, ease of service and market leading 20-year guarantee.

 www.vent-axia.com 



 www.spirotech.com



info.uk@spirotech.com



0208 451 3344

Floors, WallsHVAC/HVP & Ceilings

Boilers guarantee a warm welcome at Bristol Lido Bristol Lido has replaced four old, inefficient boilers with two ATAG XL110 commercial boilers, the last word in super efficient, environmentally friendly heating technology. Installed by main contractors Octagon Heating Services, the two ATAG XL110 boilers have a combined output of 190kW and will supply domestic hot water and heating for the restaurant, pool and spa.

Octagon Heating Services’ Business Development Manager, Colin Green comments: “We found that ATAG Commercial’s XL boilers ticked all the right boxes and were pleased to specify and install them on this prestigious contract.”  www.atagcommercial.co.uk  info@atagcommercial.co.uk  01243 815770

Waterloo backs injury free working environments Employees at Waterloo Air Products plc have recently taken part in and given their support to an Injury Free Environment (IFE) training initiative delivered by Skanska UK. As part of its own commitment, Waterloo is encouraging employees to adopt a culture of actively promoting a safer work place.

Businesses are taking a more concerted look at how they can improve the safety of their workplaces,” says Ron Edmondson, Managing Director of Waterloo. “People should feel safe and secure at their place of work. We welcome Skanska’s approach.

Any steps Waterloo can take to encourage employees to adopt standards that deliver a safer environment benefits everyone,” adds Ron.

What’s in a kW? £2000 to be exact Leading biomass solutions provider, Euroheat, has re-classified its HDG Compact 200 pellet or wood chip boiler to allow end-users to make the most of recent changes to the noncommercial RHI. Whereas before the most attractive tariffs ended under 200kW (199kWs or lower), this has been recently changed to include 200kW boilers, equating to £2000 additional RHI returns a year. Simon Holden, co-founder of Euroheat explains: “Moving the parameters of one of our most popular boilers might seem like a fairly insignificant change, but for RHI recipients, it means a considerable additional chunk of money. One extra kW = an extra £2,000 annually.”  www.euroheat.co.uk



enquiries@euroheat.co.uk



 www.waterloo.co.uk 

sales@waterloo.co.uk 717861

 01622

01885 491112

Contour Casings helps to improve classroom hygiene

ELCO boilers installed at National Graphene Institute Three highly efficient R600 gas-fired floor standing boilers from ELCO UK have been installed at the new National Graphene Institute (NGI) at the University of Manchester. Project engineers at Balfour Beatty specified the R600 boilers from ELCO UK, with the M&E contractors picking up the award for ‘Building Services Project of the Year’ at the H&V News Awards 2015. The tight footprint of the build was a determining factor in specifying the units, with the R600 range economical on its space requirements. And for installations where access is particularly difficult, the boilers can be disassembled for site handling as piece parts.

An innovative antimicrobial coating agent has succeeded in wiping out almost all bacteria that are usually present in classrooms, according to the results of a recent trial. Contour Casings, a leading manufacturer of LST radiators and radiator guards, and a long standing BioCote partner, was a lead participant in the study. All Contour LST radiator guards – a product of choice for many education sector specifiers – incorporate the BioCote coating in their ‘final finish’ as standard. This coating remains effective for the lifetime of the guards.

Lower incidence of microbes exposes children to fewer avoidable illnesses, helping to reduce school absenteeism.  www.contourcasings.co.uk



01952 290498

HVAC product manufacturer Rinnai has recently completed a Charity Walk for the John Holt Cancer Support Foundation. The event, which followed the Sandstone Trail through Delamere Forest and finishing at Frodsham in Cheshire, raised a significant amount for the charity. Rinnai staff member, Paul Shelbourne says: “I was delighted to take part as it obviously meant a lot to me and I hope to be involved in more fund raising activities for the charity. Almost everyone gets affected by cancer – we all know someone who has lost relatives and friends, so the more we can help the quicker we can, hopefully, beat this awful disease.”

 www.elco.co.uk

01268 546700



Rinnai staff walk for charity

 enquiries@elco.co.uk 

sales@contourcasings.co.uk

 www.rinnaiuk.com



info@rinnaiuk.com



01928 531870

Public Sector Build Journal 47

Roofing, Cladding & Insulation

Kalwall is a good sport The Kalwall translucent system plays an important part in the design of many sports buildings. A good example is the new SportsDock at the University of East London’s Docklands Campus.

Here, the system not only diffuses natural daylight but also creates perfect playing conditions by eliminating glare and shadows. This means that there is

no need for blinds, curtains or external shading. With increased natural daylight and resistance to solar gain, energyconsuming artificial lighting and air-

conditioning costs can be dramatically reduced.

The SportsDock was designed by Ball Hall in conjunction with Clague Architects to create a sense of clarity and legibility.

Of particular note are the three dance studios exposed in the east elevation, which consist of double height spaces that are illuminated after dark, allowing passersby to see the silhouettes of activity within and creating a spectacular ‘animated’ effect.

The facility played a major role as the training headquarters for Team USA in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Now local residents can use the £21m sports facility complete with fitness centre, strength and conditioning room, two outdoor 3G five-a-side football pitches, indoor arenas, dance studios and sports cafe.

Apart from being specified for all types of new build, Kalwall is increasingly used for the refurbishment of cladding or rooflights on aged buildings.  www.structura-uk.com/kalwall 

kalwall@structura.co.uk  01233 501504

A ‘baker’s dozen’ of automatic smoke vents Britain’s most famous fire – which engulfed the capital in 1666 – reportedly started in a bakers shop and resulted in the first regulations on building construction to try and prevent future catastrophes. By coincidence the selection of “Smoke and Heat Exhaust Vent Systems” or smoke vents offered by Jet Cox Limited extends to 13 sizes all of which are fully compliant with the latest CE EN 1 2102-2 Certification. The Jet Cox FireJet 165 24V/48V has been developed to provide automatic smoke extract in the event of any type of conflagration and thereby create a smoke free layer above the floor by removing both smoke particle and any combustion gases.  www.jet-cox.co.uk



mrevie@jet-cox.co.uk



0121 530 4230

Swish Building Products seals the deal with ALMO Swish Building Products has been named roofline and rainwater supplier for a rolling refurbishment programme by ALMO, Your Homes Newcastle (YHN).

Supplied and installed by Swish Approved Installer JDP Contracting Services, the Swish roofline and rainwater systems will be installed on around 500 homes per year.

Tom Jarman, environmental sustainability coordinator, property services for YHN comments: “In using this particular range of products we are able to fulfil our environmental commitments.

Also we are now starting to replace older PVC-U products so in buying rainwater goods with recycled content we are helping to ‘close the loop’ when the waste items are taken away.”

VMZINC roof for £6.8m Cambridge Uni project A VMZINC standing seam roof in preweathered QUARTZ-ZINC has been installed with zinc rainwater goods in the £6.8m Ash Court student accommodation project at Girton College Cambridge. Designed

by Allies & Morrison, it is an extension to the Grade II-listed college buildings and comprises 50 ensuite bedrooms, a fitness centre and indoor swimming pool. Passivhaus principles were followed following ambitious environmental targets set by the college. Use of triple-glazed windows, heat recovery ventilation systems, photovoltaics, ground source heat pumps and an upgraded heating system prompted RIBA Special Sustainability and Green Apple awards. 

 www.swishbp.co.uk

48 Public Sector Build Journal



information@swishbp.co.uk

 01827

317200

 www.vmzinc.co.uk vmzinc.uk@umicore.com  01992 822288

Roofing, Cladding & Insulation Paul explains: “We decided to use pretiled cassettes that could be lifted up to the roof and fixed together. We felt that this was the best way to deliver a visually appealing roof whilst minimising the time spent up there and therefore the opportunity for injury to the workforce.”

The slates had to be lightweight to make the process of craning the cassettes up off the ground and securing them onto the roof as easy as possible.

Cambrian Slates are made from over 60% recycled Welsh slate, meaning they are able to capture the character of natural slate while performing on low pitches and being light in weight.

Speaking about the project, Paul Trelease from Barclay Roofing said: “This was one of the most challenging roofing projects I have been involved with. The tiles had be laid to millimetre precision otherwise they would not interlock correctly once the cassettes had been lifted onto the roof.”

Roofing practice Redland’s Cambrian Slates were specified for the roofing and cladding of a multi-award-winning psychiatric hospital, Hopewood Park in Sunderland, because of their light weight and classic aesthetic quality.

The £40m facility was designed to create a relaxing and non-clinical environment for patients suffering from a range of psychological issues. The state-of-theart hospital is a feat of ingenuity and the roof design represents the first step towards a new method of roofing.

In a bid to save time and reduce the possibility of on-site accidents, Senior Architect Paul Yeomans from Medical Architecture worked closely with Redland’s specification team to design a roofing system that could be built at ground level and would not require scaffolding.



 www.redland.co.uk dawn.proud@monier.com  08705 601000

P B S ARY

LIBR

sustainable-buildingproducts.com

sustainable-buildingproducts.com Your essential new reference for sustainable building product information web | mobile | tablet

Public Sector Build Journal 49

Doors, Windows & Balustrades

School puts Senior’s Hybrid solutions to the test The future is looking bright for the pupils of Lady Eleanor Holles school thanks to a modern school building that maximises the use of natural light through the use of Senior Architectural Systems’ innovative range of Hybrid windows and curtain walling. Senior’s Hybrid series 3 curtain walling system and Hybrid series 2 frameless casement windows were installed to the main teaching block and art centre to give sweeping views across the playing fields. The Hybrid series 2 frameless casement windows provided the attractive seamless facade that the design team desired as well as giving impressive U-values and thermal performance.  www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk



enquiries@sasmail.co.uk

 01709

772600

Metal Technology products seal Student Union The external facade of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Student Union building was the outstanding point which led to a 2015 RIBA Award.

The design called for visual impact and high performance from the complete glazing package.

Metal Technology’s System 10 commercial doors, System 5-20D Hi+ thermally broken doors and System 17 capped high rise curtain walling products were used to help create the aesthetic while achieving the required level of thermal performance.

System 17 Curtain Walling not only provides structural integrity with high levels of thermal and weather performance but offers limitless flexibility in specification.  www.metaltechnology.com



sales@metaltechnology.com



028 9448 7777

Irish library is Schueco double award winner Dun Laoghaire Lexicon Library and Cultural Centre, Dublin, has won both the Overall Excellence Award and the Sustainability Award in the 2015 Schueco Excellence Awards. Organised by Schueco UK in conjunction with RIBA Journal, these awards aim to recognise the very best in the design and installation of Schueco systems. Judges described the building as ‘a beautifully made, beautifully crafted building that looks like it’ll be here for a long time. An excellent piece of architecture’. The Library and Cultural Centre makes extensive use of Schueco systems. It includes FW 50+ SG structural glazing and a variety of Schueco AWS windows including AWS 70.HI motorised inward-opening vents.  www.schueco.co.uk 

mkinfobox@schueco.com 282111

 01908

Soft stop sliding gear system from P C Henderson

Q-railing Schweiz takes off The innovative and high-quality designer railing systems from Q-railing are represented all over the world, and now also by a branch office in Zuzwil Switzerland. With Q-railing Schweiz, metal builders, glaziers, planners and architects can avail of an even more direct and customer-oriented service on site. Top sellers in Switzerland are the Easy Glass glass balustrades with base shoes. Thanks to easy installation and excellent good value for money, these systems are very popular with metal workers and glaziers, architects and project planners. The glass railings are also often used in the public sector.

P C Henderson, leading designer and manufacturer of sliding gear systems, has introduced a new soft stop mechanism to its Velaro range. This latest innovation ensures the hardware system gently glides the door into its final closing position. This new glass door hardware system option provides optimum performance as well as the ability to handle single sliding glass doors up to 80kg. Velaro has been designed and tested for interior applications and features a concealed, smooth and quiet operating system thanks to its purpose built polymer rollers and brush strip within the track.  www.pchenderson.com

sales@q-railing.co.uk  01782 711676

50 Public Sector Build Journal

sales@pchenderson.com

 0191

377 0701

Comar launches 5P.i Advanced Window System Integration is the key factor which underpins the latest new product launch from Comar Architectural Aluminium Systems. Its market leading Comar 9P.i Framing system offers fast-track semi unitised construction for floor to ceiling glazing. With the addition of thermal foam and triple glazing Comar 9P.i offers U-values down to 0.77, creating a future proof solution for their architectural, contractor and fabricator partners. Comar has incorporated the technology from its Comar 9P.i system into the Comar 5P.i window range, and is now launching the Comar 5P.i Advanced Casement and Tilt/Turn window system which integrates seamlessly into Comar 9P.i creating the option for standalone high performance windows.

 www.q-railing.com 



 www.comar-alu.co.uk



projects@parksidegroup.co.uk



0208 685 9685

Kitchens, Bathrooms Focus & &Washrooms Innovation

Balmorals of London launches i.Care Comfort Pack Balmorals, a North London-based bathroom specialist, has manufactured the i.Care Comfort Pack, which features a Close couple WC and a new heavy duty, hygienic toilet seat delivered in one box. The WC stands 510mm high (complete with seat) and comes with the safe and ergonomically styled i.Care seat making it the ideal solution for the less able, elderly and others requiring that extra height to the toilet pan. To further respect the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requirements, there is a raised chrome push button ideal for people with arthritis. It is also easy for those in a wheelchair and can even be operated with an elbow or clenched fist.  www.balmoralslondon.co.uk

 info@balmoralslondon.co.uk

 0208

Abacus enables enjoyable bathing Applewood Respite Centre in Tadworth, Surrey, is providing safer bathing for children thanks to a unique variableheight bath from Abacus Healthcare.

After careful consideration, Abacus Healthcare was selected to supply and install a Scorpio Plus bath with integrated changing and drying platform and powered transfer seat. The bath can be raised to the most comfortable working height for carers, minimising the risk of injury and back pain. The transfer seat can also be detached and used as a wheelchair eliminating the number of transfers between the bathroom and other rooms. This makes bathing a safer, quicker and more enjoyable experience for both the carer and bather.

349 7229

Methven launches three new tapware ranges Methven – a global designer and manufacturer of premium showers and tapware – has extended its tapware offering with three contemporary ranges; Breeze, Indra and Cari. The new ranges are characterised by elegant lines and add further depth to Methven’s current suite of tapware, all guaranteed for twenty years. The three ranges – Breeze, Indra and Cari – each feature a mono basin mixer, a bath filler and a bath shower mixer. All bath shower mixers include a Maku shower handset, which incorporates Methven’s patented Satinjet twin jet technology with over 300,000 droplets per second providing an immersive full body showering experience.  www.methven.com/uk



sales@uk.methven.com



 www.abacushealthcare.co.uk 

info@abacushealthcare.co.uk 256 4001

 0808

01942 680177

Showerwall panelling offers enhanced assurance

RAK creates new market option with Origin 62 RAK Ceramics has introduced a new compact bathroom range, to meet the huge demand for affordable, design-led sanitaryware. New Origin 62 has the sleek, contemporary lines of a premium product range but is priced to appeal to all sectors. “So many price-focused ranges lack the design flair of middle to high end products. Origin 62 is different. It’s been developed to tick all of the boxes, in terms of aesthetics, quality, practical features and value. It provides a very stylish option, at a very competitive price point, allowing home owners and specifiers to achieve a premium look at a fraction of the normal cost,” comments Alvin Biggs, Joint MD RAK Ceramics. 

 www.rakceramics.co.uk marketing@rakceramics.co.uk  01730 237850

For projects where an FR rating is required, Showerwall, the versatile bathroom wallpanelling range, can be specified with confidence. The product has recently undergone rigorous testing and achieved the European standard BS EN 135011:2007 for Fire Retardancy with a rating of Ds1, d0. This guarantees a strong performance level against, flammability, smoke generation and speed of generation. It is currently the only bathroom panelling product on the market to offer FR credentials. Showerwall is available with a choice of MDF or plywood core, giving cost flexibility for different projects, and both options achieve the FR specification.  www.showerwall.co.uk



info@showerwall.co.uk



08457 298 298

Fila surface range takes care of kitchens & bathrooms Fila’s surface care range includes a variety of treatments suitable for kitchen and bathroom surfaces. Designed to clean and protect safely – and without compromising natural surface charactistics – the range includes sealants, deep cleaners, protective barriers and trouble-shooting solutions for surfaces spanning from glass shower enclosures to natural stone floor tiles. Production is supported by Fila’s new ISO 14001:2014 certification and its extensive range is recommended by over 200 leading tile brands.

New sealants include solvent-free, stain-proofing protector – FILAMP90 ECO PLUS. New for showers and glass, FILANO DROPS is a dual-purpose cleaner and protector that keeps showers limescale free and cleans without streaks.  filasolutions.com/en



filauk@filasolutions.com



01584 877286

Public Sector Build Journal 51

Focus & Innovation

Give an outdoor space a lift this summer If you need to spruce up areas of public realm this summer, want to create the right mood in a leisure complex, or add new dimensions to a courtyard within a hospital or education campus, new products now available from Just Artificial could be the answer you’ve been seeking.

Maintenance-free grounds, in the form of artificial lawn grass, or pea shingle topping, for a drive or path, is now an option from a website that offers facilities managers, gardeners and groundsmen many different and affordable choices, as well as lots of inspiration.

Keeping things easy can also be achieved with newly-introduced products such as crushed sparkling marble, attractive, brown Scottish beach pebbles and chippings in a variety of substances – limestone, twilight, sunset red or plum slate, decorative Cotswold, marigold yellow and York gold.

These outdoor assets can give borders a new lease of life and inject

a contemporary feel into a leisure or therapeutic space. At a practical level, they can also help prevent weed growth, and assist moisture retention in summer, and outdoor insulation in winter.

A touch of artificial hedging, which can be made to suit a bespoke design, in Boxwood, Buxus or Tea Tree, and in a choice of green or burgundy, can help you explore new boundaries, whilst dressing your al fresco area with new topiary balls in lead-look troughs, can give your outdoor zone a complete place-lift this summer.  www.justartificial.co.uk 

sales@justartificial.co.uk  01524 858888

Housing Association fits Aico AudioLINK CO alarms Pembrokeshire HA recently initiated a move to fit Aico AudioLINK Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms into all of its properties in West Wales. The decision to go with Aico Ei208 CO alarms was based on the positive experience they have had using Aico’s smoke alarms within the same properties. Aico’s Ei208 CO alarm is a quality, cost-effective unit designed with a sealed in Lithium battery, which overcomes the potential problem of battery removal by the resident. It has recently been upgraded to a 10 year life and to incorporate Aico’s revolutionary new AudioLINK data extraction technology. AudioLINK allows for invaluable real time data to be extracted via the alarm’s sounder.  www.aico.co.uk



enquiries@aico.co.u



01691 664100

Portakabin Hire helps meet demand for school places Portakabin Hire, the UK’s leading supplier of interim modular buildings, is seeing unprecedented demand for primary and secondary teaching accommodation. In just three years, there has been a growth of more than 170% in the Division’s education business across the UK. High levels of international migration, increasing birth rates and the development of new housing are putting severe pressure on primary and now secondary school places nationwide. The provision of high quality interim teaching accommodation is a highly effective solution that more schools and local authorities are turning to. The approach allows them to react quickly to peaks in the requirement for places.  www.portanews.co.uk

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 information@portakabin.co.uk

 0845

401 0010

Football stadium’s longevity promised for future Wessex Galvanizers, part of Wedge Group Galvanizing, has provided its galvanizing treatment to over 50 tonnes of steel used

by Stadium Solutions to fabricate and create a new stand at Maidenhead United FC, doubling the stadium’s capacity to 542 seats, and ensuring it is equipped with the facilities for future generations to use.

The galvanizing company worked with West Sussex-based Stadium Solutions, which specialises in the manufacturing of stadium facilities for clubs across the UK, as well as its parent company, PJ Steel Construction, to galvanize steel for a diverse range of projects.  www.wedge-galv.co.uk 

sales@wedge-galv.co.uk  01902 630311

www.sundeala.co.uk

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Focus & Innovation

Vanderbilt completes acquisition Vanderbilt Industries, a global leader providing state-of-the-art security systems, has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Security Products from Siemens, as previously announced in October 2014.

The purchase fits with Vanderbilt’s strategic expansion plans and the new operation will be headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, with Joseph Grillo as its Managing Director.

“The acquisition of Security Products from Siemens builds upon Vanderbilt’s solid foundation and strong legacy built from nearly three decades in the security industry,” comments Grillo.

“I’m delighted that we have been able to finalise this purchase on schedule.

It will significantly boost our market

position in Europe by offering a wider and more comprehensive range of products and solutions to our channel partners.”

The Siemens product ranges – which include access control, intrusion alarm, and video surveillance products – were identified as a good fit for Vanderbilt’s current activities. Vanderbilt also recognises that the Siemens product brand names, such as Aliro, SPC and Vectis are widely recognised, have a loyal customer base, and therefore

does not plan to change them in the foreseeable future.

The acquisition will not only considerably expand the company’s presence in the security industry but will also enhance its competitive position in what is a highly fragmented market with great growth potential.

With excellent coverage in the mature markets of North America and Europe, Vanderbilt is now looking to expand further into other areas including South America and Asia Pacific. The company’s enhanced resources and ability to provide more products than ever before are already drawing interest in these regions.



 www.vanderbiltindustries.com samlord@vanderbiltindustries.com  01291 437920

Pop Up Power Supplies specified at Ebsfleet Football Club Pop Up Power Supplies recently provided ground service power units with flip top lid to Ebsfleet Football Club. The club recently bought high powered LED lighting so that they can germinate the worn out grass around the goal areas all year around.

Instead of running power cables from the club house across the pitch to the goals they are installing Pop Up Power In-Ground Units with flip top lids behind them so that a power source is nearby. The units are hidden out of site beneath the ground when not in use and easily accessed by lifting the flip top lid and plugging in for power when needed.  www.popuppower.co.uk



info@popuppower.co.uk



0208 227 0208

New D400 manhole cover is healthy option Drainage product and access cover leader, Clark-Drain, has launched CD 1660H KMD, a ductile iron hinged cover capable of exceeding BS EN 124 D400 loading requirements, making it suitable for use in heavy traffic. Clark-Drain believes that the introduction of the CD 1660H KMD into UK construction will provide enhanced manual handling and health and safety benefits for operators accessing underground services and utilities. The CD 1660H KMD hinged design supports manual handling and safety issues by providing quick, easy and safe access to underground services and complies with the design requirements of Highways Agency HA104/09 in low risk areas.  www.clark-drain.com

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 sales@clark-drain.com

FibreRail installed at travellers’ camp FibreGrid installed its renowned ‘warm to touch’ FibreRail Modular Handrail System in a large ramped area on a traveller’s site near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. The ramped walkway leads from ground level to a children’s play area and, as the slope is steep, a handrail was needed as well as the ramp. FibreRail is available in yellow or grey. Yellow was chosen to contrast with the surroundings to meet Building Regulations. A 56 linear metre run, using approximately 250 linear metres of handrail was installed by FibreGrid’s installation team and took approximately five days to complete.  www.fibregrid.com 



01733 765317

sales@fibregrid.com  01440 712722

Focus & Innovation

Groundbreaking delivery – a decade on!

Back in 2004, the Portakabin Group broke new ground in the education sector, delivering the UK’s first complete school to be built off site. This pioneering project at Our Lady of Lourdes School in East Kilbride was constructed using a Yorkon off-site building solution, and was also the first school to be funded through an operating lease. More than a decade on, both the school and South Lanarkshire Council are still delighted with the building and with how well it has stood the test of time, demonstrating the robust nature of off-site construction and how the approach can successfully deliver high quality school buildings for demanding education environments.  www.yorkon.info



info@yorkon.co.uk

 0845

Service is key to building excellence Excellent service provided by H+H staff has made building a breeze for the team at Sherborne Homes during the company’s first development for a housing association. High quality service and additional benefits from using the Thin-Joint System, allowed for a speedy delivery of a project in Gloucestershire.

For the development of eight units for Severn Vale Housing Association, Nick Sherborne opted for the H+H Thin-Joint System using Celcon Foundation Blocks and Celcon Plus Blocks with Celfix Mortar. Technical assistance given by H+H staff prior to, and during, the build process is the subject of high praise and was required when Sherborne Homes employed two new staff members to tackle this project.

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Chimney protection with Safeguard Europe Chimneys are vulnerable to rain penetration, especially in winter, and Safeguard Europe – a leading specialist in damp- and waterproofing, and masonry repairs – delivers comprehensive solutions and superb technical support for both external and internal remedial treatments. Its suite of high quality products not only deals with the causes of damp but also its effects: masonry and mortar decay, and spoilt internal decorations resulting from contaminated plaster. Among these is Stormdry Masonry Protection Cream – a colourless water-repellent cream that is applied to brickwork in one coat by brush or roller and lasts for up to 30 years, penetrating the brickwork deeply to form a breathable barrier against water.  www.safeguardeurope.com



info@safeguardeurope.com



 www.hhcelcon.co.uk 

marketing@hhcelcon.co.uk 880520

 01732

01403 210204

Yeoman Shield adds sparkle to wall protection

Added class to Presto scratch render Using its expert knowledge and experience of the housing sector, Knauf has enhanced its Presto scratch render by offering it in the Regal range of colours, which is restricted to the 16 colours that are readily accepted by most UK planners and so simplifies what can be a difficult design decision. Available in a standard grain size of 1.5mm, the Regal range of colours in Presto render consists of: Vanilla; County Cream; Ivory; Lemon; Cream; Mushroom White; Snow White; Sienna Red; Rose; Cool Blue; Pistachio; Stone; Camel; Steel Grey; Platinum and Silver Blue. Each has been extensively tested to deliver quality and reliability as well as the traditional aesthetic appearance. 

 www.knauf.co.uk kd@web-response.co.uk  01795 424499

When a local coffee shop found that their newly decorated walls were quickly showing signs of damage they turned to Yeoman Shield Wall & Door protection for help. Yeoman Shield – whose staff use the coffee shop regularly – when hearing about this problem suggested installing Yeoman Shield HessianEx wall protection panels in a Silver finish. “We had just launched our new metallic colour range and thought due to the style and colour scheme of the coffee shop, Yeoman Shield HessianEx textured wall panels in our new Silver metallic finish would be just the ticket,” explained Sally Moores from Yeoman Shield.  www.yeomanshield.com



sallyann@yeomanshield.com



0113 279 5854

Static Systems invests in Design and Innovation Centre Static Systems Group has taken the initiative to create a groundbreaking Design and Innovation Centre (D&IC), the centre piece of which will be a full size replica four bed bay based upon one of the Procure 21+ Repeatable Ward designs.

Inspired by the acclaimed success of an existing four bed ward at Wombourne that has been widely used for training and education for over 10 years, Static Systems saw an opportunity to showcase one of the new acute wards that have been developed by health planners, architects, design managers, cost consultants and specialist suppliers, as part of the Procure 21+ cost reduction through standardisation programme.  www.staticsystems.co.uk



sales@staticsystems.co.uk



01902 895551

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