PSBJ July/August 2012

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July/Aug 2012

University challenge New projects shed light on scientific research Digital construction A collaborative approach to BIM

Community spirit Restored confidence through regeneration

Solar scheme Imagination to benefit child development

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Cover image

Swansea University has undergone a series of complex builds and renovations, constructed by the Leadbitter Group, in order to enhance its research facilities

Editor Hannah Frackiewicz hannah@mixedmediainfo.com Publishing Director Sam Ball sam@mixedmediainfo.com Design & Production Andie Page/ Chris Lilly chris@mixedmediainfo.com Credit Control Manager Vickie Crawford accounts@mixedmediainfo.com Publisher Mixed Media Information Barham Court, Teston Maidstone, Kent ME18 5BZ T: 01622 232702 F: 01622 816874

www.mixedmediainfo.com www.psbj.co.uk

Welcome. . .

Greetings from the new editor of Public Sector Build Journal. As I begin to uncover the key issues in today’s public sector market, I have become conscious to the fact that the industry is undergoing a critical transition period. Since the Government introduced its construction strategy last year, in which it outlines that all public sector projects must adopt fully collaborative 3D Building Information Modelling (BIM) by 2016, the current push for digital construction and transparency has never been so important.

At the recent annual Government Construction Summit, a number of keynote speakers including Rt. Hon Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, and Paul Morrell, the Government‘s Chief Construction Advisor, shed light on the drive for integration through BIM tendered projects and urged the industry to collaborate by the early adoption of this model. Although met in difficult times, sustainable construction and growth is arguably deliverable via this competitive advantage.

According to Francis Maude “the Government needs data in which it can manage its assets effectively”, and as the state strives to be a more intelligent client, this is an era of fundamental reform.

In this issue of PSBJ, the National Building Specification (NBS) explores just why the Government believes the early adoption is vital in the future of construction.

Stephen Hamil, head of BIM at NBS, outlines the misconceptions of the model and reveals how it is driving a number of initiatives to help make BIM projects more obtainable. As the urgency to adopt this model continues, I would be interested to hear from our readers that have already made that step. Do the benefits outweigh the costs? And in a bid to provide greater collaboration, how do these systems adequately cater and support all members of the supply chain?

Hannah Frackiewicz Hannah Frackiewicz | Editor | hannah@mixedmediainfo.com Contributions are invited and when not accepted will be returned only if accompanied by a fully stamped and return addressed envelope. No responsibility will be taken for drawings, photographs or literary contributions during transmission or in the editors hands. In the absence of an agreement the copyright of all contributions, literary, photographics or artistic belongs to Mixed Media Information Ltd. The Publisher accepts no responsibility in respect of advertisements appearing in the magazine and the opinions expressed in editorial material or otherwise do not necessarily represent the view of the publisher. The Publisher does not accept any liability of any loss arising from the late appearance or non publication of any advertisement.

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Contents

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08 Upfront PSBJ reports on the regeneration of Stanhope, Ashford, which now provides renewed community spirit and an improved quality of life for its residents.

14 Housing The first affordable housing project commissioned by Manchester City Council in 30 years now delivers over 170 new sustainable homes in a distinctly urban form.

18 Talking Point The future of digital construction – Stephen Hamil, head of BIM at NBS, explores why the Government believes the implementation of this data-rich model is vital.

22 Education

30 Healthcare

University challenge – the Leadbitter Group tackles a complex series of projects at Swansea University, enabling extended research facilities.

Luton & Dunstable Hospital has been at the heart of a refurbishment project with the development of a new cardiac centre.

20 LIW Preview

26 Roofing & Cladding

34 Flooring & Surfaces

PSBJ explores the highlights of this annual leisure event, providing the ultimate venue to source new products, innovations and enhance business relationships.

In locations subject to adverse weather conditions, superior performance of roofing and cladding is integral. In a trio of housing projects, Marley Eternit delivers this and much more.

In healthcare environments, surface preparation must be fast and guarantee an accurate, hygienic finish. F.Ball explains how this can be achieved.

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38 Leisure

42 Landscaping

A brand new play facility provided by Wicksteed Playscapes has transformed a bland and uninspiring play area by taking children on a space odyssey.

The concept of shared spaces is increasingly being adopted in the UK in order to reduce accidents and improve safety. Brett Landscaping discusses the benefits.

41 IOG Saltex Preview With live demonstrations and a full exhibitor line up, IOG Saltex is a must-attend for all professionals in the outdoor leisure and land management industry.

Contact details Contact supplier directly

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44 Product Showcase A round up of the latest products, news and installations entering the public sector building market.

Main content

Expand content Media library

Location of supplier

Online Enquiry 003 Public Sector Build Journal

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News

Retro Expo to provide knowledge platform for low carbon retrofit Retro Expo is the UK’s first major exhibition and conference dedicated exclusively to low carbon retrofits and is being delivered in partnership with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham, from 30th October to 1st November 2012, Retro Expo comprises four core elements: The Green Deal Summit – a conference aimed at key senior-level stakeholders reviewing progress, driving change and market growth.

The Summit is divided into 6 modules, partnered by various councils and

federations; Retrofit Buyer’s Forum – a networking opportunity connecting large-scale buyers of goods and services in the refurbishment sector with manufacturers and service suppliers; Retro Expo Exhibition – 200 exhibitors comprising innovative technologies, products and services aimed at the retrofit and refurbishment markets; and Retro Expo Hub Programme – a series of free educational seminars.

David Pierpoint, business development director of Retro Expo, says: “It is predicted that £14b will be injected into the UK economy and

Scape expands Design Framework Scape, a local authority controlled company, is currently re-tendering its popular National Design & Technical Services Framework, and is using the opportunity to refocus on asset management and wider surveying services.

Scape specialises in providing a range of national and regional procurement frameworks so that state funded organisations can buy in construction services more quickly and

efficiently without having to go through lengthy and costly OJEU processes.

The firm also offers a range of tried and tested pre-designed building solutions across sectors including education, health, leisure and blue light services.

The decision to broaden out the National Design Team Framework, currently in its final year of operation, was taken on the basis that many local authorities were highlighting asset management as an increasingly

65,000 jobs will be created by 2015 as a result of the Green Deal. Clearly it’s going to provide an array of business opportunities for the low carbon retrofit market. Retro Expo is the UK’s first major show dedicated exclusively to low carbon retrofits and our vision is to inspire and inform thereby helping the industry to prepare for the challenge that lies ahead.” challenging area of work. Many have had to reassess their property portfolios and consolidate their asset base due to budget cuts, and require additional support to ensure the most important aspects of their programmes can continue to be delivered.

The company has already been out to market to invite expressions of interest and pre-qualification questionnaires from potential suppliers.

Six successful parties have now been invited to submit a full tender, with a contract being awarded in September.

Phase two of Loudoun Square completes The latest milestone in the £13m regeneration of Cardiff’s Butetown, has been marked by the official opening of @Loudoun, a multifunctional building offering a host of services for the local community.

Built by the Leadbitter Group, @ Loudoun is home to a state-of-theart health centre, a new culture and media centre, three social enterprise units and Cardiff Council information services. The project is a collaboration between Cardiff Community Housing Association (CCHA), Cardiff Council and the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

Designed by architect Austin Smith Lord, the new building is accessed via a bright, airy atrium which leads to the health centre, pharmacy, culture and

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Public Sector Build Journal

media centre and enterprise units.

The new Butetown Health Centre provides the local community with a whole host of services under one roof, including two GP practices, a dental practice and a community pharmacy.

A cinema, digital film making suite, celebration space and training and meeting rooms all make up an exciting

new culture and media centre, CMC@ Loudoun. Designed to be as flexible as possible, this space will form a creative hub for a wide range of community activities.

Council services are also available in the ‘The Hub at Butetown’ and the BEST centre, a training and enterprise service which provides help for jobseekers.

Health Minister Lesley Griffiths attended the official opening and welcomed the provision of the new integrated health centre. She said: “Health services are at the heart of this excellent community development. @Loudoun won’t just deliver economic and social benefits, but a range of high quality, accessible health services, working together to serve the needs of the local community.”

News

Willmott Dixon appointed for £18m Conwy special needs school Willmott Dixon has been chosen by Conwy County Borough Council for an £18 million project to redevelop Ysgol Y Gogarth special education needs school on its existing site in Craig y Don, Llandudno.

Willmott Dixon’s work to provide a new home for the 170-pupil school will see the company create a new library, IT spaces, therapy rooms, hydro-pool, sports hall and vocational teaching areas. The existing residential facilities will also be extensively refurbished to provide self contained flats with a new entrance offering a clear division between school and home.

The development will provide an opportunity to co-ordinate and colocate support for children and families, and create a Team around the Family.

The scheme will build upon the existing facilities at Ysgol y Gogarth’s Child Development Centre.

The cost of the scheme is made

up from grant funding provided by Welsh Government and funding from Conwy County Borough Council. Cllr Mike Priestley, Cabinet Member for Property, says: “We’re looking forward to working closely with Willmott Dixon to make this project a reality.”

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the region, says: “We’ll be making sure that local business are used as much as possible under our Local Pound strategy that ensures local people benefit from this substantial investment by Conwy County Borough Council. We have built special needs schools across the country and will be applying all that experience here to deliver a superb new school for the region that provides very specialised learning.”

Work starts on site this month and will take place in phases over two years, with Willmott Dixon working with Atkins as architect.

A royal tour

centre, which is in the final stages of construction and is due to open to the public later this summer. As part of his visit, the Prince also helped to bury a time capsule outside the entrance of the new centre.

Chairman of West Dorset District Council, Councillor Gillian Summers says: “We were absolutely delighted to welcome HRH The Prince of Wales to take a look around our fantastic new sports centre today”.

The new facilities include a six-lane swimming pool with spectator gallery, a learner pool, dance studio, a stateof-the-art fitness suite, changing village and improved car parking. The centre will be used both by local schools and the community and will be open to the public all day, every day.

The centre will provide first-class swimming and fitness facilities for the local community and we are very much looking forward to when the facility is officially open and can be used by local people later on this summer.”

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has recently visited the new Dorchester Sports Centre, developed

by West Dorset District Council in partnership with Dorset County Council and The Thomas Hardye School. The Prince was greeted by representatives from all three partners plus construction company Leadbitter Group and leisure trust 1610 Ltd. His Royal Highness was treated to a preview tour of the brand new

Top appointment for Mike Putnam Skanska UK’s President and CEO has been appointed as the new Co-Chair of the Green Construction Board (GCB).

Mike Putnam joins Business Minister Mark Prisk as Co-Chair of the board, which is taking a unified approach to the problems facing the industry, providing strategic leadership on key issues and identifying steps to promote the UK’s excellence in green construction.

Mark Prisk says: “I’m pleased to welcome Mike to the role of industry Co-Chair of the Board. Having been committed to the board since its beginning, he is a valued member of the team who has vast construction experience that makes him ideal for the role.

“We have a busy agenda over the coming months. I know that Mike will offer both the invaluable insight and strategic direction required to lead the board through the times ahead.”

Mike comments: “I am honoured to have been asked to take on this role.

I strongly believe that the construction industry has a major part to play in the green agenda, the result of which will also be good for the green economy. The Green Construction Board provides a unique opportunity for government and industry to work together in a collaborative approach to deliver the strong leadership that is vital to success. I will personally champion this and work with my fellow trustees to drive change for the longer term benefit.”

Mike replaces Dan Labbad who has stepped down from the role after becoming Lend Lease Group COO.

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Upfront

Regeneration has encouraged respect for properties among residents

Pride for generations To mark the completion of the Stanhope Regeneration Project, PSBJ takes a closer look at the key elements of the scheme that allowed this area of Ashford to be transformed from a tired, deteriorated and intimidating place to one that is revived and vibrant with renewed community spirit.

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tanhope in Ashford, Kent, was one of the many areas built to act as a London overspill in the post-war years. Constructed in the 1960s, Stanhope’s design – popular at the time – was based on the Radburn principles in which the houses faced inwards with small communal areas.

Not only did this pose a problem in terms of layout, but many residents found that the design led to a rise in anti-social behaviour – alleyways

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segregating house clusters were considered intimidating and the lack of security at the front and rear of the buildings left them feeling vulnerable.

Stanhope residents saw their local environment deteriorate over the years. Tower blocks were decaying and open spaces were not maintained and therefore went unused. The local shopping centre became almost derelict, as businesses could not afford the rent payments, leaving

only a convenience store to provide amenities. With little reason for nonresidents to enter the area, Stanhope became isolated from the wider Ashford borough and was deemed an undesirable place to live and visit.

As Stanhope’s troubles – and its reputation – reached breaking point, Ashford Borough Council addressed the concerns of residents and in 2007 signed a £200m, 30-year PFI regeneration programme with the

Upfront and houses to create a safer and more secure environment.

From the outset, communication with and involvement of the residents was deemed paramount to help gain their trust. As well as employing a resident liaison officer, family fun days were held to engage with the younger residents of Stanhope and elicit their views.

Throughout construction, residents were informed of what could or could not be realistically achieved; however, commitment to three central themes was continually honoured – delivery, sustainability and affordability.

Community balance

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Work began with the decanting and demolition of Stanhope’s tower blocks, carried out with minimum disruption to residents. Work continued with the refurbishment of 323 council-owned properties, where renovations were carried out to install new kitchens, bathrooms, ventilation and energy efficient boilers to achieve an SAP rating of 80. Properties were also rewired and their exteriors refurbished.

The 442 new mixed-tenure houses and apartments were designed and built to replace the demolished blocks, to help create a more balanced community by attracting residents from different social backgrounds into Stanhope.

Regeneration has encouraged respect for properties among Chrysalis Consortium and Gleeson Homes & Regeneration.

Consultation with the community was a key factor in the planning process. Ashford Borough Council and Stanhope residents chose the Chrysalis Consortium, which comprised Moat, Denne (part of the Leadbitter Group) and Gleeson Homes & Regeneration, based on the group’s dedication to project delivery.

The Chrysalis Consortium asked residents about what they hoped regeneration would bring. To improve their quality of life, residents specified that the project should help create a new identity, sense of place and public perception for Stanhope. Priorities also included building a more balanced community, including replacing nine blocks of flats with low-rise apartments

Mixed-tenure houses help create a more balanced community by attracting residents from different social backgrounds into Stanhope

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Upfront residents and Moat Housing is ensuring standards are maintained by implementing a number of directives.

For example, residents have a limited number of days to remove household rubbish from front gardens.

In terms of sustainability, houses have been built to meet EcoHomes Very Good Standard (now Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes).

To enhance their eco-credentials, the homes were constructed using timber frames and have been given high levels of insulation.

Sustainable techniques were used from the outset of the design process, minimising energy demand through the use of good quality fabric design and passive technologies. As a member of the One Planet Products organisation, Denne sought additional expert advice on the use of environmental technologies, such as effective water management via reduced flow appliances.

Shaping the future Additional works were also carried out to Stanhope’s infrastructure. New roads were designed to make access easier both in and around the area and refurbished parking alleviated some of the issues that had mounted among residents. Improved street lighting was installed and previously unused green spaces have been transformed into

By locating the shopping centre on Stanhope Road, the shops attract passing traffic, creating a more viable commercial centre

new landscaped gardens or secure parking courtyards. Refurbishment of the communal areas has also given residents safe and pleasant spaces to enjoy their surroundings.

The Stanhope Centre was built at the heart of the area to provide further opportunities for residents. Along with a library, the building offers training courses and workshops for residents, coordinated by members of the parish committee. As well as acting as a focal point for the community, the centre

houses a Neighbourhood Office, acting as a constant point of contact for residents.

In terms of the build itself, the development was seamless. An example of how residents were considered during work was the transfer of shops from the existing precinct to the new parade on Stanhope Road. Demolition of the old shops did not start until construction of the new retail units was finished, so residents were not forced to go elsewhere. The shopping area now has a supermarket, post office and takeaway food outlets. By locating it on Stanhope Road on the edge of the area, the shops also attract passing traffic, creating a more viable commercial centre.

Seamless service

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Stanhope is now a revived and vibrant area with renewed community spirit

One of the key contributory factors to the success of the project lay in the continuity of service and staff involved and the resulting trust that residents had for the consortium. Workmen and residents were known to each other on first name terms and Moat’s permanent base on the site again provided – and still does provide – a constant point of contact.

Brian Johnson, Chief Executive of Moat, says: “Chrysalis has worked closely with many local service providers but, most importantly, with residents, to ensure that the Stanhope community

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Online Enquiry 004

Upfront

Ariel view over Stanhope

Life skills One of the unique elements of the construction programme has been the Stanhope Skills Centre – the first of its kind to be accredited by the National Skills Academy for Construction and the first ever for a housing project. The Stanhope Skills Centre covered four principle areas: work experience, apprenticeships, National Vocational Qualifications and the Construction Skills Certification Scheme. It also provided adult education courses and work experience placements for trainees from local colleges.

A total of 31 apprentices were taken on during construction. 26 completed their two-year apprenticeships and all of these are still employed in the industry, most with their original employers. To further support the development of young people in Kent, the centre has delivered 310 NVQs and 298 CSCS health and safety tests, plus a wealth of educational and training experiences, including 138 school visits to the centre and 36 visits to the site, 46 curriculum workshops and 72 work experience placements.

Graham Brown, Managing Director

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of Denne, says: “The regeneration of Stanhope is an excellent example of how, by creating real training and employment opportunities, housing projects can contribute to long term economic growth of an area, as well as delivering real improvements to residents’ living environments.”

Councillor Aline Hicks, Ashford Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing and Customer Services adds: “This is a fantastic time to acknowledge what has been achieved on Stanhope. As a council we have work with public and private sector partners to deliver on our ambitious plans. This project has been innovative from the outset and we are delighted that Stanhope has a renewed sense

of optimism. In the initial consultation, residents told us they wanted a better quality of life and these positive changes will help to make that a reality.”

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is about more than just the refurbishment and construction of homes. At Moat, we have committed to provide housing management at Stanhope for the next 30 years and will continue to communicate with residents to find out what they want and how best to deliver it.”

www.denne.co.uk

Tower blocks were decaying and open spaces were not maintained and therefore went unused

Stanhope Skills Centre is the first of its kind to be accredited by the National Skills Academy for Construction

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Housing

The West Gorton project is notable for its unique amalgamation of elements of suburban layout within an aesthetic that is distinctly urban

Form follows function The first phase of an emerging masterplan in West Gorton, Manchester, has just been completed, providing 171 new homes for local residents.

Award-winning practice Bowker Sadler Architecture was chosen by Manchester City Council to deliver the project, as part of the first affordable housing commissioned by the council in 30 years.

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ewly complete, the West Gorton development incorporates a range of housing options including 124 two-bed apartments, 6 bungalows and 41 houses. The project was designed in consultation with the local community, to cater for their specific housing needs.

The West Gorton project reflects Bowker Sadler’s commitment to sustainability, with all homes completed to Code Level 4. The materials used in the homes all meet Green Guide specification A or A+ rating, ensuring that sustainability really is in the fabric of the development.

High fabric insulation values and air tightness characteristics were allied to a mechanical whole-house ventilation system, incorporating heat recovery.

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Roof-mounted solar panels and air source heat pumps provide the homes with up to 15% renewable energy, with low heating bills and running costs forecast for residents.

The development also makes the most of natural rainwater through the use of rainwater harvesting ensuring minimal wastage, together with permeable paving and attenuation tanks, reducing pressure on local infrastructure during storm conditions.

Recycling facilities have been carefully incorporated into the design, with separate provision within kitchen units and conveniently located undercover, well lit bin stores to the apartments. Bowker Sadler also ensured that secure cycle storage was included for each home, encouraging

Housing residents to cycle and contributing to improved sustainable travel options.

Working with the community This project involved the creation of new homes for existing residents in the area. Careful and considered consultation with the community was paramount to ensure that the new homes met with their expectations and aspirations.

Paul Jeffrey, director at Bowker Sadler, comments: “It was important for us to absorb the views of the community at every stage. This was achieved through regular attendance at Steering Group meetings, drop-in events and workshops, so that a consensus of preferences could be incorporated into the design of the housing. For example, the residents were not in favour of timber being used as an external material and wanted the amount of communal glazing to be restricted, so these preferences were taken into consideration.

“Tenants were also offered input into the design of their individual property. A palette of material choices was produced as part of the interior design process, so that residents could select from a range of kitchen worktops, door fronts, vinyl floor coverings and bathroom tiling when signing up for their property. This gave the residents an input into the design of their property, giving their new home an identity they could relate to.”

Testifying to the success of this approach, tenant Maggie Newton, chair of the West Gorton Steering Group comments: “I’m really pleased

Corner windows provide 'passive surveillance'

with my new home. People are glad about the new development and there’s a really positive vibe in the area.”

Seconding this, Jim Cope, chair of Phoenix Tenants and Residents Association, says: “I’ve lived in a tower block in West Gorton for over 10 years and moved into my new home in May. I’ve seen this develop from the germ of an idea right through to its fruition and feel very proud.”

Future-proof facilities The West Gorton project conforms throughout to Manchester City Council’s own flagship accessibility standard Design for Access 2.

Exceeding most other private sector development standards and an improvement on Lifetime Homes, the standard also ensures the home is future proofed for potential adaptation and visitors with disabilities have access to facilities, for example a downstairs WC/utility room in the houses. The fact that the West Gorton project has been built to this standard throughout means that all rooms will be more generous than in the existing properties being vacated, an obvious bonus for new residents.

Bowker Sadler did not overlook the importance of outdoor space in developing the West Gorton project, with defined front and secure rear garden space incorporated into the design of the houses, as well as off-road parking

and secure communal parking and landscaped gardens to the apartments.

This project was unique in terms of the emphasis placed on working in partnership. Unusually, two principal contractors (working together as the West Gorton Partnership) were procured to work alongside Bowker Sadler Architecture on the development.

Bowker Sadler ensured thorough and ongoing communication through regular design meetings where all stakeholders including client officers, resident representatives and contractors could share expertise, collaborating to achieve the most appropriate economical, practical and programme efficient solutions.

Conscious of the tight timescale – all 171 units were completed within the 15 month target – Bowker Sadler was constantly on the lookout with its contractor partners, for time-efficient solutions which would not compromise the quality of the project. A fire protection board was sourced which was tolerant to moisture and therefore could be erected before the buildings were watertight, allowing the early commencement of first fix services. This took six weeks off the overall construction time for part of the project.

Strategic placement The West Gorton project is notable not only for the commitment to sustainability and community

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Housing

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the passive surveillance of parking areas and the street, to ensure a high level of security throughout the development without compromising on aesthetics. This was achieved through incorporation of corner windows to maximise views up and down the street, with other windows strategically located to achieve the same effect.

“We also designed each roof so that one of the pitches to each house faces south, to optimise the orientation of the solar thermal panels and so maximise their efficiency.

“Finally, in response to the need to

provide a more robust and cleanable material facing a busy road junction, we brought in a copper-coloured Trespa panelling to the apartment blocks to replace render on facades adjacent to the junction.

“Now the development is complete I feel we were successful in achieving an urban aesthetic which also fulfils the practical requirements of the project, reflecting the vibrant identity of the area and setting the benchmark for further investment.”

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consultation throughout, but also in its unique amalgamation of elements of suburban layout within an aesthetic that is distinctly urban.

Speaking of the West Gorton aesthetic, Paul Jeffrey says: “The challenge with the design of the housing was to create a contemporary urban streetscape, working with elements of a more traditional suburban layout.

A robust urban form was achieved by incorporating off-street parking adjacent to the properties, within a strong street frontage.

“Specifically, taller end units form strong corners combined with carefully considered massing, smooth red and blue bricks and street trees that further enhance the setting. The five, four-storey, apartment blocks define a new urban edge by creating a strategic presence at ‘gateway’ locations signalling a positive message of regeneration for West Gorton.

“Of course, as with many housing developments, form follows function to some degree – many aesthetic aspects of the West Gorton project were in fact dictated by practical considerations.

“We planned out each of the rooms with furniture positions, sockets and services located to make best use of the space. This then dictated where and what form windows should take with the exact proportions being down to aesthetics.

“Allied to this, we wanted to improve

www.bowker-sadler.co.uk

Outdoor spacing was not overlooked, with defined front and secure rear garden space incorporated into the design of the houses, as well as off-road parking and secure communal parking and landscaped gardens to the apartments

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Talking Point

The demand for digital Earlier this year, the National Building Specification (NBS) was asked to join the BIM Technologies Alliance Group supporting the UK Government's BIM Task Group. In this article, Stephen Hamil, head of BIM, looks at why the Government believes that BIM is vital.

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here are a number of challenges that currently face the UK construction industry: we have yet to emerge from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression; improved environmental performance is being demanded for both new and existing buildings; and UK companies are coming under more pressure than ever from a competitive global market.

In 2011, the UK Government published its construction strategy1 to address these challenges. One of the biggest surprises to many was the requirement that on future central government funded projects ‘all members of the supply chain [were] to work collaboratively through Building Information Modelling’.

BIM is a process involving a digital model of a physical building. The maximum advantage can be gained from BIM when the information in this model is shared across the project team. The modelling process starts at

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the project’s conceptual stages and the information flows through to the building’s operation.

The hypothesis is that ‘the Government as a client can derive significant improvements in cost, value and carbon performance through the use of open, sharable asset information’. This is a clear statement that can be expanded further in three key areas: value – possibly the most important thing for any client. A process is required that will reduce capital cost and carbon burden, and save 20% on the operation of the built environment; open – the information within the model must be open.

The Government as a client will not mandate any proprietary data format. Just like Government documents are not published in Microsoft

Word, the construction models will be in an open, non-proprietary format to an international standard adapted for the UK; and competitive – by demanding information in a standard format at various stages of a project, the Government is providing the lightest possible touch. This is not telling the industry how to do its job, it is simply telling the industry what it demands. This principle is

Talking Point clients are showing that they can build repeat buildings in the same sector more and more efficiently through the use of standardised objects and linked specifications.

Support strategies

absolutely key in terms of encouraging competition and stimulating growth.

There will be innovation amongst construction professionals, constructors, manufacturers and also, software and data providers.

Leading digital construction This is a four year programme, and it is the Government’s belief that it will provide great value for the UK tax payer, but arguably just as important, it will push the UK to be world-leaders in digital construction. In recent years, we have seen revolutions in digital technology; mobile phones, digital cameras, on-demand movies and social media websites have changed the ways of the world.

Organisations that have not adapted to change have been passed by the wayside and companies producing camera film, video tapes and many paper publishers are no more. The digital construction revolution has started and the UK construction industry has the opportunity to be the best in the world.

Any combination of software and data structures may be used by the supply chain on a government project. However, as a client, the open standard data format that

the Government demands at key gateways in a construction project is known as COBie3.

COBie stands for Construction Operation Building Information Exchange. It is an open database schema that, in its simplest terms, can be viewed in a spreadsheet application.

By requiring structured data and not static 2D documents, this data can be usefully employed in many ways.

These ‘drops’ of data are required at four key stages throughout a project, and then the data will be used and updated through the maintenance of the facility. These stages are as follows: outline business case; tender to appoint main contractor; maximum price agreed with main contractor; and handover of operation and management information.

The benefits of BIM are well documented and many case studies exist on the web. Designers are discovering they can provide more value for reduced effort. There are examples of practices that have managed to grow despite the recession and attribute this to BIM adoption. There are examples of constructors who have won large contracts due to the demonstration of their BIM capabilities. And finally,

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Dr Stephen Hamil is head of BIM at NBS. Before joining NBS, Stephen completed a PhD in the digital modelling of buildings, which followed a first degree in structural engineering. At NBS he has been one of those leading the work in Building Information Modelling (BIM) on both the NBS Create and National BIM Library projects.

The first government BIM project is now underway; a 180-cell extension at Cookham Wood prison in Kent.

The team that the Ministry of Justice has assembled includes some of the construction professionals most capable with BIM in the private sector.

By learning from the cream of the private sector in their pilot projects, the Government can improve public sector processes and then publicise this to help support the rest of the private sector.

BIM is incorrectly thought of as a single software package by many.

BIM is actually a combination of people, processes and software with an underpinning flow of rich structured information. At NBS we are supporting the UK BIM adoption with two main initiatives. The first, a National BIM Library of objects that are completely free to use – as we believe that in time, these will become a defacto standard for the industry. In addition to this, our multi-disciplinary NBS Create specification product is ‘built for BIM’, meaning that whatever main BIM design software is used, the specification process documenting standards, workmanship and regulations will work smoothly in parallel.

Personally, I am certain that the digital world is now here to stay.

The Government has pushed BIM at exactly the right time and I believe that through this construction strategy we will see that, over the next few years, the UK will become global leaders in digital construction.

www.nationalbimlibrary.com References 1 The Government Construction Strategy www.bimtaskgroup.org/reports 2 BIM HMG Strategic Overview Presentation www.bimtaskgroup.org/presentations 3 COBIE UK 2012 www.bimtaskgroup.org/cobie-uk-2012

Public Sector Build Journal 19

LIW Preview

UBM Live's Leisure Industry Week (LIW) will return to Birmingham's NEC from 18-20th September, showcasing a diverse variety of industry leading exhibitors, 150 hours of free educational sessions and exciting features to visitors from across the spectrum of the active leisure sector.

L

IW is the only UK trade show to cover the entire out-of-home leisure industry with an exciting range of sectors incorporating Play & Attractions, Health & Fitness, Sport, Pool & Spa, Eat & Drink and Leisure Facilities. These sectors combine to offer leisure professionals, from health club operators and public sector managers to facilities specifiers and catering specialists, inspirational and innovative business solutions.

With both local and national cuts still affecting leisure services, it is essential that operators really consider how best to spend their budgets in order to ensure maximum efficiency throughout the procurement process. LIW provides

20 Public Sector Build Journal

the perfect opportunity to do just that, with specialists in their fields around the exhibition floor, visitors will be able to gather all of the information they require in a face-to-face setting, alongside the chance to research the newest and upcoming innovations.

The broad educational content at LIW will provide a comprehensive mix of keynote presentations, seminars, workshops, forums and conferences.

2012 will also see the introduction of the new Association Lounge where visitors will be able to seek advice from some of the leading leisure associations including the Play Providers Association (PPA) and the Royal Society for the Prevention

â–

Leisure showcase gains momentum

of Accidents. The Fitness Industry Association also supports LIW and will be presenting a series of seminars on the newest issues facing the industry.

The PPA, Association of Play Industries and the Register of Play Inspectors International, which together form the Indoor Play alliance (PAR), will run a programme of New Start Up Seminars aiming to provide independent indoor play market information to potential new start ups. This joined up approach to providing advice and expertise led by the leading operators, manufacturers and inspectors is designed to help in driving the industry forward in the coming years.

Content will include business planning and defining your model, legal requirements, regulations and financing your new business, location and other key considerations when starting a play centre.

The Pool & Spa zone welcomes numerous new exhibitors this year including Aquavate, Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance and Splashabout; alongside returning names including RLSS UK, JC Leisure Solutions and Certikin. This range of pool exhibitors will give visitors a multitude of options for their sites – from secondary spend products to cleaning, heating and safety solutions.

This year’s LIW promises to be more focused and compelling than ever before with plenty of brand new features offering a varied and useful visitor experience, answering the big questions faced by leisure operators day to day.

Visitors can pre-register their details online now to be kept up to date with all show developments including brand new features for 2012, product showcases and seminar programmes. Attendance is free for all pre-registered visitors.

www.liw.co.uk

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Subscribe FREE at www.psbj.co.uk Keep up-to-date with the latest news, legislations, projects & building information with Public Sector Build Journal.

As a product information magazine PSBJ showcases the latest innovative building products as well as showcasing them in use within public sector building.

If you are an Architect, Building Contractor, Specifier, Developer, Local Authority, or work within building for Healthcare, Education, Housing or Leisure and have the power to purchase building products, subscribe now for free.

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Education

Centre of excellence Undertaking major construction projects on a working university campus can be challenging at the best of times. When that work includes the refurbishment of several different types of buildings - each with a different use and refurbishment need - as well as the building of a £29m new state-of-the-art medical research building, the challenges are exceptional.

T

his was the task that the Leadbitter Group undertook at Swansea University, and the project was not only delivered to the highest standards, but the new-build part of the project – Phase 2 of the Institute of Life Science, the research arm of Swansea University’s College of Medicine – achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating.

The Leadbitter Group undertook the project, which incorporated a £22m Centre for NanoHealth (CNH), as part

22 Public Sector Build Journal

of a four-year framework, working with the University Estates & Facilities Management Directorate.

Following the success of a £52m first phase, the second phase of the Institute of Life Science is designed to house research facilities at the forefront of life science disciplines. It is already home to an extended range of fully operational business incubation units including a new Clinical Research Facility, an Imaging Suite, and the Centre for Health Information,

Research and Evaluation (CHIRAL), as well as the Centre for NanoHealth.

The new 6000m2 facility comprises a seven-storey reinforced concrete framed building with rainscreen and curtain walling. It features a distinctive full-height glazed atrium which cuts a path through the tower of the structure, linking the University with the adjacent Singleton Hospital. The tower includes high-quality incubator offices and meetings spaces, in-patient facilities which form part of the clinical research areas and a fifth floor open terrace with a cafe and views over Swansea bay.

The Centre for NanoHealth (CNH) is located in a ground floor section of the building, perpendicular to the

Education main tower, and includes state-of-the -art laboratory facilities, a high-tech clean room and nano probe and e-beam machines.

The highly-sensitive equipment housed in the facility, as well as its diverse uses, impacted the construction from the design stage onward, with Leadbitter interacting with a varied group of end users to ensure their requirements were captured, incorporated into the design and delivered in the final building.

Complex construction The CNH required exacting specifications and special construction techniques to ensure the equipment could operate efficiently. A high level of investment was made to create a ‘zero vibration’ substructure for the facility. Slabs in excess of 1m thick were installed on a complex layout of piles to minimise the amount of vibration transmitted into the structure by surrounding traffic and natural ground vibration.

The complexity of the CNH meant that work needed to proceed at the same time as the construction of the seven storey tower. To enable this, Leadbitter installed temporary support steels – weathered for water tightness – and a cantilever scaffold was erected to full height on the tower. This allowed both parts of the building to progress in tandem, ensuring that the facility was delivered on schedule.

In addition, the building envelope

The tower includes high-quality incubator offices and meetings spaces and in-patient facilities

had to be constructed to seamlessly accommodate installation of the specialist equipment (including MRI and CT scanners) with services at the ready, including delivery of chilled water from the plant room as part of the ILS2.

Technologies incorporated into the building include natural ventilation, rainwater recycling and a sophisticated building management system that monitors and controls lighting, heating and ventilation throughout the facility.

In addition to implementing its industry-leading project waste management plan, Leadbitter introduced innovations that reduced waste even further. For example,

coffer void formers used in the construction were made of timber, rather than the specified glassreinforced plastic, which cannot be recycled. The timber formers were re-used and recycled, improving the sustainability profile of the building and contributing to the BREEAM Excellent rating and subsequent award.

But ILS Phase 2 was only part of this enormously complex project.

Other works undertaken include external improvements to Singleton Abbey – a project far removed from the state-of-the-art facilities at the research centre.

This Grade II listed building, situated

t

The new build features a distinctive full-height glazed atrium

Public Sector Build Journal 23

Education

on the eastern part of the campus, required sympathetic landscaping in order to rejuvenate the area. The surrounds of this historic building, which are a vital pedestrian link for staff and students, had previously been dressed in uninspiring Tarmac, which had resulted in a historic terrace and garden being under used.

The landscape design remained sensitive to the original style and historic nature of the Abbey by combining a traditional formal layout – based on historical photographs – with the use of modern materials.

Existing walls were restored, as were copings, water-features and a sundial.

The result is the re-creation of a historical garden terrace, with gravel bonded pathways that define herbaceous planted beds.

At another Grade II listed building, Fulton House, a 17-bay glass curtain wall was refurbished sympathetically.

Other projects undertaken included: internal refurbishment of the Grade II listed Wallace Building; the renewal of the heating and hot water infrastructure throughout the campus; alterations to the hard and soft landscaping across several diverse buildings; and the upgrading of the glazed entrance of the Students’ Union building.

Work was also carried out at International College Wales in Swansea – an affiliate college of the University.

Here, the refurbishment of the Margam Building was undertaken to provide

24 Public Sector Build Journal

eight teaching areas, with four sliding and folding partitions, in order to increase the area for examination rooms and administration office space.

As well as the construction excellence, as demonstrated by the BREEAM award, Leadbitter also invested heavily in the employment and training of local people in its workforce and in various other community engagement activities during the construction programme.

For example, several young people were given the opportunity to work

■

A fifth floor open terrace with a cafe overlooks views of Swansea bay

on the projects, including some supported by the Swansea Young Single Homeless Project. Other training and work experience placements were given to local people, including graduates and undergraduates.

Additionally, Leadbitter hosted site visits for civil engineering students, gave safety talks to local primary schools and took part in the Swansea University Careers Fair. The company also provided help to the Discovery Student Volunteer Service at the University.

Supply partners were also chosen largely from within Wales and from within a 20 mile radius of the University where possible. This resulted in around 90% of the total spend on the project being within Wales and in excess of 40% of the workforce coming from within 20 miles of the project.

The wide range of projects completed at Swansea University demonstrate how close collaboration between client and contractor, with careful programming and excellent project management, can successfully deliver state-of-the-art facilities to a diverse range of end-users, breathe new life into historic buildings and bring benefits to the wider community.

www.leadbitter.co.uk

The Leadbitter Group completes on Swansea University's £29m new state-of-the-art medical research building

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Roofing & Cladding

Duneaves Place in Perth used Garsdale slates for their aesthetic appeal, installation and performance in Scotland's adverse weather conditions

Secure slates Although historically natural slate has been the roofing product of choice in Scotland, Marley Eternit's versatile Garsdale fibre cement slate has been specified for a trio of diverse new build social housing projects in Perthshire.

T

he popular Garsdale slates were selected by Perth & Kinross Council for three affordable housing constructions in Duneaves Place in Perth, Rorrie Terrace in Methven and Springbank Road in Alyth for a combination of their aesthetic appeal, easy installation and superior performance in Scotland’s typically adverse weather conditions.

Indeed, with high winds placing

substantial pressure on the exterior of any Scottish build, it is more important than ever that any roofing or cladding material be fixed securely and safely.

Marley Eternit’s Garsdale fibre cement slates fitted the bill perfectly, pre-holed to accommodate two copper nails and a disk rivet to ensure a reliable, secure fixing whilst also speeding up the installation process.

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which led to the product’s specification at Duneaves Place, which consists of six three-bedroom houses, with openplan kitchens and a mezzanine space, where Marley Eternit’s Garsdale fibre cement slates were not only used on the roofs but also to create a stunning finish for the south side wall, from the ground floor window head to the ridge.

Versatile application Sarah Webb, project architect at Perth & Kinross Council, comments: “We were looking for a lightweight, versatile product that could be used on roofs as well as walls. The Garsdale fibre cement slates provided us with a smooth profile, creating a contemporary finish and, thanks to the pre-holed design, quick and easy

Marley Eternit's fibre cement roofing products can achieve an A+ in the BRE Green Guide to Specification

26 Public Sector Build Journal

Roofing & Cladding

Rorrie Terrace and Springbank Road used Garsdale fibre cement slates on 45°gable roofs

Withstand the elements The projects at Rorrie Terrace and Springbank Road used Garsdale fibre cement slates on 45° gable roofs, with Rorrie Terrace now complete and tenanted. Both social housing projects comprised a wide mix of properties from one-bedroom flats to fivebedroom houses.

In addition to benefitting from the aesthetic appeal and performance of Marley Eternit’s fibre cement slates, Perth & Kinross Council’s senior technicians also sought regular assistance from Marley Eternit’s technical support team throughout each Perthshire project. Sarah says: “The support provided was always relevant and really helpful. We look forward to working with Marley Eternit on future projects.”

Charlotte Hughes, campaign manager at Marley Eternit, adds: “The fact that Perth & Kinross Council has repeatedly chosen to use fibre cement slate on projects across the

county is real testament to the quality and versatility of our Garsdale slates and we hope the fantastic finished results will serve to inspire other Scottish councils to embrace the benefits that fibre cement slates offer.

“Fibre cement offers contemporary and flexible design options for a wide range of projects to create stunning roofs and facades. While natural

■

installation. With reduced eaves and soffit detail, a sleek appearance was achieved; similar to the aesthetic natural slate would have provided us with.”

slate has always been a highlysought material, fibre cement slates are becoming increasingly popular as a durable, cost-effective and sustainable alternative.”

Furthermore, all of Marley Eternit’s fibre cement roofing products can achieve an A+ in the BRE Green Guide to Specification. Additionally, its fibre cement roofing products are now accredited with the BES 6001 responsible sourcing certification.

Using products that achieve both an A+ and BES 6001 can contribute towards attaining the highest environmental standards in the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM ratings, which is increasingly becoming a key consideration for specifiers.

www.marleyeternit.co.uk

The popular Garsdale slates were selected by Perth & Kinross Council for Rorrie Terrace in Methven

Public Sector Build Journal 27

FSC Wood Panels in the UK. In Scotland 75% of new housing is built using timber frame.

Furthermore, timber frame construction is increasingly specified by housing associations who need to develop affordable, high quality, energy efficient homes. As such, over 25% of all social housing projects in the UK are based on timber framed construction.

The job at hand

Sustainable roots Alastair Kerr, director general of the Wood Panels Industry Federation (WPIF) and spokesperson for the JOSB Done campaign, discusses the sustainability of wood as a construction material, its applications within housing projects and the practical and environmental benefits of Oriented Strand Board (OSB).

U

sing a composite wood panel such as OSB in the construction of new housing can save an average of 0.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide per cubic metre compared to traditional materials such as concrete and steel.

Sourced and manufactured right here in the UK and Ireland, from locally managed FSC-accredited forests, OSB is constructed using a cross-ply configuration which gives it the inherent strength to enable it to meet the demands of a wide range of building and construction applications. Much of the energy used to make OSB actually comes from the wood residue derived during the process, instead of fossil fuels, which considerably reduces overall carbon emissions during manufacture.

It is crucial that all wood-based panel products carry the appropriate

28 Public Sector Build Journal

certification to show the chain of custody so the end user can be sure the wood has been sustainably sourced; something of increasing importance, particular when constructing ‘green’ buildings to satisfy Government standards such as the Code For Sustainable Homes.

■

The start of the OSB manufacturing process

The JOSB Done campaign has been running for six years championing the advantages of using OSB. Housebuilding is a prime example of its performance and reliability because it is chosen by housebuilders who may have to meet, amongst other things, the criteria set out by the Code for Sustainable Homes.

All too often, plywood is chosen for a job that OSB can readily do and if the origin of the plywood is unclear, so is its environmental credentials. With OSB produced in the UK and Ireland, there is no such uncertainty. Each panel carries BBA certification which gives impartial, third party assurance about OSB’s performance under modern construction conditions.

The CE mark affixed to OSB is evidence that it conforms to the Construction Products Directive and is therefore free to be placed on the European market in all member states. FSC accreditation means that the wood used in the manufacture of OSB in the UK and Ireland adheres to tough environmental, social and economic guidelines.

marie@wpragency.co.uk enq 011

Energy conservation According to a Greenpeace publication, wood has the lowest embodied energy of any mainstream building material and provides the highest thermal insulation properties compared to other traditional materials, even with lower wall thicknesses; five times better than concrete, 10 times better than brick and 350 times better than steel.

In fact, despite the downturn in the housebuilding marketplace in 2008, timber frame housing now accounts for 25.6% share of all new housing

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Healthcare

Artist impression of the new cardiac interior

Efficient treatment

In a bid to alleviate the travel and delays experienced by existing patients, Luton & Dunstable Hospital has recently invested in a new state-of-the-art cardiac centre located in the heart of its grounds.

A

new £5.5m cardiac centre has opened at Luton & Dunstable Hospital. The new centre, which opened in June, will mean the hospital is now able to provide treatments including coronary angiograms, coronary angioplasty and pacemaker implantation to patients.

Before the centre was built, patients requiring these treatments had to travel long journeys outside the local area to hospitals in London and Bedfordshire and face longer waiting times. Thanks to the support of the hospital’s cardiac appeal, the facilities of the unit will now enable the hospital to offer specialist heart treatment to over 1000 patients each year.

30 Public Sector Build Journal

The ProCure 21 project was undertaken by family-owned construction firm, Osborne, as part of the Medicinq consortium on the site of the hospital’s former courtyard and old record storage area. It now features a fully functional catheterisation laboratory, two clinical rooms, a sixbed recovery ward, three single-bed recovery rooms, a waiting room and staff facilities.

Procure 21 is the preferred form of procurement for major projects by the Department of Health. Procure was the framework of agreement at the time of the inception of this project – Procure21+ has since been introduced. The Procure 21

methodology promotes partnership working between the major employer and contractor under the control of the New Engineering Contract (NEC) form of agreement.

Precise installation Work on the site started in August 2011, with the demolition of a number of internal structural walls in order to create space for the new catheterisation laboratory. New supporting structural steel beams were put in place prior to demolition to support roof and retained structure.

Once the walls were demolished, replacements were erected from steel, brick and block work in order

Healthcare desks for nurses. Walls were painted throughout, and suspended ceilings were installed.

The heating system was an extension of the existing hospital heating system. New domestic hot and cold water supplies were installed to WCs and hand wash basins. Efficient ventilation and air handling equipment were also installed, as well as a building management system (BMS) to control the new air handling units and chilled water system. The new BMS has been designed to interface with the existing hospital system.

Due to the nature of the project being a refurbishment rather than a new build, the project achieved a BREEAM Good rating. Energy efficiency was taken into account across all areas of the build. LED lighting was fitted in all circulation areas, and movement sensors for additional lighting were placed in toilets, cupboards, changing rooms and offices. In terms of energy management, electricity sub-metering is featured on the LV distribution panel, as well as variable speed drives and heat recovery on air handling units.

Whilst thoroughly equipped with to shape the layout of the new facility.

These were designed to meet the various necessary fire, radiation and acoustic requirements.

New concrete floors were cast in the location of the existing courtyard and a new roof structure formed above. The roof was finished with a single ply membrane.

The plant room was formed at roof level comprising a structural steel frame and clad in Kingspan RW100 insulated wall and roof panels. The room houses all of the ventilation and UPS systems to support the plant and the catheterisation equipment.

The next stage of the project involved the installation of mechanical and electrical services to connect important ventilation equipment.

Additional work included the installation of vinyl sheet flooring and the complete fit-out of the building, along with a new reception desk, medical grade cupboards, storage facilities and

high levels of knowledge and support, the project did not come without its challenges as Ian Manning, capital projects manager at Luton & Dunstable Hospital, explains: “The project has been a challenging build because it is an island site in the centre of a busy acute hospital. “The hospital had to remain in constant use during the build process and this created a number of challenges for the contractor. This included the removal of demolished material and the suppression of dust during the demolition. These were achieved by limiting the time when demolished

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Challenging operation

The facility now features a fully functional catheterisation laboratory, two clinical rooms, a six-bed recovery ward, three single-bed recovery rooms, a waiting room and staff facilities

Public Sector Build Journal 31

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Healthcare

Additional work included the installation of vinyl sheet flooring, along with a new reception desk, medical grade cupboards, storage facilities and desks for nurses

materials were removed from site so nurse, I’m very aware of how important hospital environment, so to limit as to cause the least amount it is these patients receive a quick the impact of our work had on the of inconvenience to the hospital. and accurate diagnosis so they can hospital’s patients we made the “Dust suppression systems were progress with their treatment and decision to carry out some works also put in place and negative pressure rehabilitation, and the new facility during the night when the hospital techniques were utilised. Dust will allow the hospital to provide was quieter, a move which worked monitoring stations were additionally this important service on site. well for all involved.” installed to electronically record the “This project brought its own www.osborne.co.uk level in dust in adjacent areas of the challenges because of the issues Solutions mad www.ldh.nhs.uk hospital. Noise was also an issue and which arise when working in a live works had to be scheduled outside of busy clinic times to reduce the impact of noise.” king Old Flat Roofs Speaking of its opening, consultant and clinical director Dr ull cardiologist spanning truss systems offer ctive over solution.

Christopher Travill says: “This isroofing a landmark day for the L&D now that tion >have 0.16µ. we finally a specialist cardiac e most Flat Roof Systems. catheterisation and procedures facility.

We are so proud and excited to be standing at the threshold of realising our dream of having our own cardiac centre.

“It has been our ambition for many offer leaking flat years toall extend the specialist care we olution is provide locally for ourthat patients. This nal and helpful will include coronary angiography and team, we can help pacemaker implantation. In time, we on including Befor are planninginsurance to expand the service to nd an perform coronary artery interventions such as stenting.” ms | Spital Farm Offices | B The facilities of the unit will now enable the hospital to offer Elizabeth Smith, head of healthcare specialist heart treatment to over 1000 patients each year 8 – at F: 01295 271068 – www.

Osborne, says: “As a former cardiac

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Public Sector Build Journal 33

Flooring & Surfaces

F. Ball's smoothing underlayment used to create a smooth, safe floor for the new Children's Day Treatment Unit at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary

Swift subfloors

When specifying a new floor installation for healthcare settings, hygiene and sanitation are key considerations.

Substandard subfloor preparation can lead to floorcoverings lifting, allowing bacterial growth and the spread of infection. It is therefore essential that high performance products are carefully selected and installed, as Stephen Boulton, technical service manager at F. Ball and Co, explains.

34 Public Sector Build Journal

be applied to prevent possible moisture damage to the floorcovering.

A solvent-free epoxy resin system, such as Stopgap F75, offers an effective solution when treating damp subfloors with a RH reading of up to 98%. This is achieved as the resin chemically bonds with the subfloor creating a waterproof layer.

Reducing risks The next stage is to apply a smoothing underlayment to produce a smooth, level and safe surface that is free from cracks and imperfections. In hospital spaces both hygiene and durability need to be considered. A popular product for such environments is Stopgap Green Bag, as it a low odour product that is free from natural rubber latex, which helps reduce allergy risks. Protein-free product formulations, like Stopgap Green Bag, also help prevent bacterial growth.

Hospital refurbishments are often time sensitive with tight deadlines.

To reduce the time a contractor spends

on site, smoothing underlayments that incorporate rapid drying technology should be selected.

In addition, hospital flooring is subject to significant traffic, particularly in corridors and waiting rooms, and so ensuring surfaces remain durable is crucial. A high-strength smoothing underlayment that retains performance under heavy foot traffic, and the frequent loads of hospital equipment, should be selected. A smooth, even surface also helps to protect patients, staff and visitors from trip and fall hazards.

To conclude, in an environment where hygiene is paramount, specifying products that help prevent the growth of bacteria and promote hygiene is key. Like every flooring installation, healthcare facilities have specific requirements, and so selecting fast drying, durable products go a long way to securing the lasting performance of a new flooring installation.

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T

he appearance, safety and durability of a new floor can be compromised if mistakes are made when specifying or installing subfloor preparation products.

Therefore, before beginning a new installation, F. Ball always recommends removing existing floorcoverings and any residual adhesive, and conducting a full assessment of the composition and condition of the floor.

The next stage is to carry out a moisture measurement test because, if left untreated, moisture can lead to significant problems. Blisters can appear beneath resilient floorcoverings, or an adhesive bond may fail, meaning the floorcovering lifts, cracks, or pulls away at the edges. Dirt and germs can manifest in this space, proving detrimental to patient health.

A digital hygrometer is a quick and efficient way to test if the subfloor is sufficiently dry to proceed by measuring the Relative Humidity (RH) levels.

When RH levels are 75% or above, a waterproof surface membrane should

www.f-ball.co.uk

Flooring & Surfaces

In the annual Flooring Industry Awards, organised by the Contract Flooring Association and its official journal CFJ, Forbo Flooring was voted Manufacturer of the Year 2012 by flooring professionals from across the UK.

proud of. Well done to all those involved!”

Angus Fotheringhame, general manager of Forbo Flooring UK, says: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have been voted the UK’s number one flooring manufacturer by the nation’s flooring professionals. We are not resting on our laurels and we are constantly striving to improve our levels of service, launch innovative new products and above all constantly improve the environmental performance across our entire portfolio of products. June alone saw five new product launches including new ranges of Sarlon acoustic vinyl, Tessera Weave carpet tiles, Flotex Metro, Coral Welcome and Nuway Grid.”

With an extensive portfolio of market leading flooring products, Forbo has won individual product category awards in previous years, but this is the very first time the company has scooped the much coveted Manufacturer of the Year title which recognises every aspect of its performance from the customer’s perspective.

info.flooring.uk@forbo.com

Forbo voted Flooring Manufacturer of the Year Example of Forbo's integrated flooring at the University of Bedfordshire

Richard Catt, CEO of the Contract Flooring Association, explains: “Whilst most of our Flooring Industry Awards recognise particular products or ranges, this award is more holistic. It is a reflection not only of a company’s products but also of the quality of its customer service and the performance of all the people in the business. As such, it is something to celebrate and be very

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Online Enquiry 018 Public Sector Build Journal 35

HVAC

Double commendation for Space Air projects The National Heat Pump Awards 2012 held at the ICC Birmingham, proved to be a very successful evening for Space Air, who were highly commended under two categories; Installation of the Year Commercial Air Source Project and Installation of the Year Domestic Air Source Project.

Space Air worked together with Consultants, Ingleton Wood and Climate Facilities, a Space Air/Daikin approved dealer, on a Lee Housing Association project.

Lee Housing Association is a community-based organisation that aims to provide good quality accommodation. Swan House (48 apartments) and Gilda House (12 apartments), originally built for students, were all served by an allelectric under-floor heating system with no controls to vary temperature; it was either on or off.

Every Space Air supplied system comes complete with prefabricated piping kits to optimise the energy

efficiency of the heat pump and watt meters to monitor the system’s energy usage. The kits and meters were included in the enclosures.

The apartments now consist of multiple heat pump units totalling 128kW with a nominal COP of 3.08 (the original system had a nominal COP of 0.8 when installed). The outof-date, under-floor heating system has been replaced with radiators provided with TRVs (thermostatic radiator valves) for residents to control the internal temperatures. Independent reports from Ingleton Wood suggest that by replacing the old under-floor electric system with the complete Space Air Daikin Altherma HT high temperature

heat pump provides a 68% reduction in heating fuel use and cost and a payback period of 15 years. Based upon 8p/kWh this equates to an annual saving of £18,986 in year one.

Space Air is delighted and proud to have received such an accolade from judges of the National Heat Pump Awards, where Space Air projects also won categories in 2011. The company now looks forward to the NHP awards 2013 and more award winning projects.

marketing@spaceair.co.uk

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High efficiency ventilation Enhanced meter reading capabilities The Evinox ModuSat heat interface unit for communal heating systems now offers the facility to read electrical pulse meters in addition to reading heat and cold water meters.

This enables Evinox to provide an enhanced billing solution, which includes metering and billing of electricity usage as well as energy for heating and hot water and cold water usage. In addition to this, Evinox’s ModuSat Room Controller allows residents to read all three meters. A new development with 32 extra care homes in Hampton Lane, Solihull, will soon be benefiting from this facility, when Evinox ModuSat heat interface units are installed in each apartment.

info@evinox.co.uk

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Johnson & Starley’s new Q-Vent HRC 8x3 system provides mechanical ventilation to en-suite bedrooms and features high efficiency EC fan technology. The system provides continuous extraction. Heat is recovered from the stale contaminated air drawn from the bathroom and a high performance heat exchanger recovers the heat and transfers it to temper the incoming fresh air. The ventilation rate will increase when the bathroom is being used for periods in excess of two minutes and the unit switches to boost mode.

The extracted air is then discharged to the outside via a single duct and grille.

The case of Q-Vent HRC 8x3 is constructed from aluminium/zinc coated steel.

ann.chinsang@johnsonandstarley.co.uk enq 021

A cool choice Durapipe SuperFLO pipework has played a key part in the major £25m regeneration of Stockbridge Village in Merseyside, designed by 2020 Liverpool and constructed by Morgan Sindall. Durapipe SuperFLO pipework was specified for the primary school and leisure centre elements of the multi-million pound construction project.

A&B Engineering was tasked with installing an effective air conditioning system for both elements and turned to Durapipe UK for the pipework requirements.

Commenting on the project, Kevin Sykes, associate director at A&B Engineering says: “We have used Durapipe SuperFLO on previous projects and it has always been quick and easy to install, as well as providing exceptional long-term enquiries@durapipe.co.uk enq 022 performance capabilities.”

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Leisure design team use cutting-edge technology to continuously make exciting and challenging play equipment, which is attractive to children and affords them a range of play experiences and types.

Most parents, carers and educators agree that outdoor play is a natural and critical part of a healthy childhood.

Through outdoor play activities, children learn some of the skills necessary for their childhood and adult lives including social competence, problem solving, creative thinking and safety skills.

Wendy Russell, lecturer in Playwork at the University of Gloucestershire, comments: “Research shows that play, being spontaneous, non-literal and not particularly aimed at any outcome, helps people to build a repertoire of responses to the things they encounter in their lives as children.

“In their play, children deliberately seek out uncertainty (hanging upside down, getting dizzy, playing scary imaginative chase games and so on), the important thing being the emotions they can experience whilst doing this.”

Solar spaces

The existing bland mix of concrete and rubber surfacing has been replaced with low maintenance colourful graphics depicting areas of land and water

Galactic games An inspirational new play area in the London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea is setting new rules for playground design. The run down public play area in Emslie Horniman's Pleasance has been completely transformed into an exciting space odyssey and adventure island by leading play designer, Wicksteed Playscapes.

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s part of an ongoing improvement programme, the London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea decided to embark on a major transformation of one of its public play areas. In order to provide enhanced play opportunities for local residents and surrounding

38 Public Sector Build Journal

schools, the council turned to Wicksteed Playscapes to design a vibrant new area.

Play company, Wicksteed Playscapes, sees the importance of offering children the chance to express themselves in imaginative and physical play. The company’s

The entire playscape at Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance does exactly this by taking its young explorers on a journey through shark infested waters, between pirate islands and on to a tour of the solar system where rockets, stars and craters feature.

Wicksteed designer, Brad Neuville, comments: “The enclosed kidney shaped play area really lent itself to the theme of space, land and sea with a real sense of journey from one end of the playground to the other.

We incorporated existing undulations and mounds into the design and transformed the 11 port holes in the end wall into planets, giving the play scheme an educational element.”

The existing bland mix of concrete and rubber surfacing has been replaced with low maintenance colourful graphics depicting areas of land and water. Snakes and sharks swim amongst raised turtles, made from original concrete mounds and given a face-lift with a coating of green and yellow wet-pour.

Leisure Treasure islands, adorned with wooden palm trees, have been covered with high quality, durable artificial grass and green wet-pour and the surface of the toddler activity island has been made soft with green Eco-Tumble rubberised bark.

Freedom of expression

Children are taken on a tour of the solar system where rockets, stars and craters feature

all set amongst bright surface graphics and natural mounds.

Kids love swings and there are plenty here that cater for all ages and abilities.

Timber planks between mounds offer balancing opportunities, there are tunnels to hide in, nets to scramble up and even a run-aground pirate shipwreck to let little imaginations grow.

Much thought was put into the scheme being enjoyed by less able children and includes a wide slide

Wicksteed Playscapes sees the importance of offering children the chance to express themselves in imaginative and physical play

The design ethos behind the scheme has been well thought out and provides a space that is a joy to play in time and time again

with splash graphic at the bottom, whirl pool inspired roundabout, a variety of play panels and easy access to all aspects of the play scheme.

Seating is provided all around the play area and includes an existing curved wooden seat near the entrance.

The space has a natural feel too with timber logs and a fascinating handcarved totem pole entrance to the Adventure Island.

This scheme really shows what can be achieved, in terms of offering a variety of play experiences, within a relatively small urban area. The design ethos behind the scheme has been well thought out and provides a space that is a joy to play in time and time again.

Councillor Nick Paget-Brown, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, says: “The new play area looks fantastic and I’m sure will provide hours of fun for children for many years to come.

“We have a long-term policy of upgrading all the borough’s parks to keep pace with the aspirations of local residents. Having spoken to residents and users of the playground right through the process, I hope that the final result is a good one for them.”

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Budding astronauts can have a soft landing with new environmentallyfriendly Eco-Fleck rubber surfacing which has a granite moon-surface look!

The entire curved back wall was painted dark blue and dotted with stars to provide a back drop to the planets, sun and moon in our solar system.

The space contains a mix of timber and metal play structures with designated areas providing play experiences for different ages. The shaded toddler zone has vibrant toadstools and an appealing donkey Springie combined with the new Playtime multi-play range with slide.

Older children can have fun with the Mystical World multi-play system, which was specifically designed for this play area, as well as the Cone Climber and rock climbing wall –

www.wicksteed.co.uk Public Sector Build Journal 39

IOG SALTEX Preview

Open-air showcase professionals make their annual pilgrimage to the Windsor show.

According to independent research, 88% of visitors to last year’s IOG SALTEX said it was important to see equipment working in a ‘real life’ environment. And more than half (59%) said the show was the one event where they could see everything they need in one place at the same time, while 58% go looking for new products and ideas to improve their routines.

In addition, the visitor research by Vivid Interface has also revealed that 34% of the 9267 visitors to last year’s show went to IOG SALTEX to source new or alternative suppliers.

These latest findings complement the earlier research results that showed how IOG SALTEX attracts buyers and decision-makers – 72% of visitors to last year’s show had responsibility for specifying products and services.

According to Bob Abel, grounds manager at Vision Redbridge Culture & Leisure (RCL): “IOG SALTEX is a great place for me and my team to keep up-to-date with the latest equipment and tools for open space

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cting as the one-stop-shop for all turf and open space management matters, IOG SALTEX’s annual event is set to prove a useful event to source new ideas, products and develop business relationships. The show’s ability to host live outdoor working demonstrations of products in their natural environment is another reason why so many

management, and to see a range of demonstrations of the machines in action. It’s also a great networking and social venue where we renew acquaintances with old friends, as well as dealers and distributors.”

IOG SALTEX visitor Mark Barltrop has an extensive shopping list when he and his colleagues visit the annual open space management show at Windsor Racecourse.

From mowers to playground equipment, and from shrubs and bedding schemes through to plant propagation, Mark’s requirements as senior area manager for Epping Forest District Council are wide-ranging. He says: “I usually attend IOG SALTEX with grounds maintenance and tree officers, and between us not only can we see the full range of equipment that’s appropriate to our needs, but the show also provides an unrivalled opportunity to source new suppliers.

As a result, we often place orders after visiting IOG SALTEX.”

www.iog.org/ shows-and-events/iog-saltex ■

Taking place from 4-6th September at Windsor Racecourse, IOG SALTEX will once again open its gates to attract a whole host of influential buyers and key decision makers specialising in the turf and open space management industry.

Public Sector Build Journal 41

Landscaping

Paving the way Shared space design has been successfully and consistently integrated into transportation planning throughout Europe for some time.

Andrew Gill of Brett Landscaping explains the benefits and why the introduction of this approach is starting to gain momentum in the UK.

P

A new social housing development just outside Runcorn, designed by John McCall Archtiects for Riverside Housing Association and Liverpool Housing Trust, is an example of how materials can be used to improve a residential setting

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lanning our inner city streets, thoroughfares and residential areas using the shared space design approach is not simply about favouring one group of users over another. It is a new approach to balancing the needs of our modern day society and looking for safer ways for pedestrians and motorists to co-exist without excluding either from the space. The concept of sharing a space is not new to the UK; we can see examples of it every day in the narrow streets of our older cities, residential mews and in areas around historic buildings where the concept operated long before it was named as such.

What is new is the move back to designing shared spaces for new sites after decades of planning design which aimed to segregate the motor vehicle or the cyclist from the pedestrian.

This segregation generally required retro-fitting of conventional ‘zoning’ techniques such as traffic signs, guardrails and zebra crossings in the first instance. Where this failed it then led directly to the extensive range of costly detection equipment now installed to detect infringements, inadvertent or deliberate, in public space.

The point is that this would not be required if our public spaces were designed to operate more intuitively for all users shared space works and it is now beginning to evolve from an experimental concept into a common norm within our built environment.

Today in Europe there are more than

400 examples of towns that have introduced shared space design and of it successfully working in practice. Economically this is perhaps not surprising given ever-rising land prices and the increasing shortage of available space for new developments.

However, shared space designs should also be seen as a proven route to reducing accidents and journey times. Early in 2011, Newcastle University released results of a survey which revealed that bored drivers are most likely to be involved in accidents.

The survey, entitled The categorisation of drivers in relation to boredom, concludes that making roads more challenging would serve to ensure that both drivers and pedestrians pay more attention. This concept sits easily alongside the development of shared spaces where the distinction between roads and pedestrian areas are less sharply defined.

Subtle messages Shared space is about improving the street’s place function through design.

What makes it markedly different is the reduction, or in some cases complete removal, of traditional demarcation techniques, such as bollards, kerbs and speed bumps, that are used to define pedestrian and vehicle areas.

The idea behind the concept is to make people take greater care and responsibility for their movements whether they are in a car, on foot or on a bicycle and encourage them to behave in a more co-operative manner.

The informality of the shared space environment means the messages about how to behave either as driver or a pedestrian are more subtle and depend on the users slowing down, interpreting situations and making decisions to avoid accidents rather than overtly relying on signage to determine when to stop and go.

Landscaping

Careful planning According to the Department of Transport most public space in urban areas is provided by streets. Just as well designed streets provide opportunities for recreation, social interaction and physical activity; poorly designed streets can discourage walking and cycling and have a negative impact on the overall local economic performance of an area.

Street design then has important social, economic and environmental benefits to our society.

The significance of street design should not be underestimated. A report by Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport and Safety (PACT) “Kerb your enthusiasm” indicated that our public realm is underperforming and while proponents

and opponents of shared space are split on the benefits, PACT’s research supports the move to using shared space as a process and catalyst in the achievement of community needs, desires and objectives through better public realm planning.

Community engagement At the heart of shared space design is the effective use of paving materials.

Concrete block paving is a key material in the development of shared spaces and block paving of different colours and textures can help to create clearly defined routes for traffic and deliver a safer environment. In fact, the Manual for Streets states that using concrete block paving in place of asphalt can reduce traffic speeds by up to 4.5 mph which can be the difference between life and death for a pedestrian.

Permeable block paving is equally important in delivering a sustainable shared space concept since it can be integrated to provide effective surface water management whilst also giving improved aesthetics compared to a conventional sphalt pavement.

A new social housing development just outside Runcorn, designed by John McCall Archtiects for Riverside Housing Association and Liverpool Housing Trust, is an example of how these materials can be used to improve the environment in a residential setting. The development comprises 74 dwellings including bungalows, apartments and 2, 3, and 4 bedroom houses which are generally open frontages with curtilage parking and private gardens to the rear.

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Seen this way, signage and automated signals in many cases can distract rather than assist.

Exhibition Road in South Kensington is a pioneering project and a true example of a shared space within a modern city environment. The design has transformed a fairly bleak and uncomfortable pedestrian environment into one of the most accessible cultural destinations in London. The complicated one-way system around South Kensington has now been unraveled, and wider pavements and crossing points created. Traffic is flowing more freely, and delays have reduced. The whole length of Exhibition Road has been reconstructed using paving patterns to reunite the numerous museums, cultural institutions and Imperial College into a low-speed environment.

Although conventional in layout, the streetscape is designed with extensive areas of concrete block paving to create shared surfaces. The texture and tone of the two different block paving systems separated by flush kerbs and block string courses differentiates the areas and routes for traffic. These areas successfully meet the architects’ aspiration to encourage social interaction and safety in the outdoor space.

Stakeholder and community engagement is the key to successfully introducing a shared space design so it is crucial that planners and designers spend time working with the local community to understand how it operates and what the shared space will add to their community.

It is also vital that planners and designers then work with contractors and material suppliers to ensure that they deliver a shared space that will provide a truly integrated solution.

Experience has taught us that this needs to be starting around Design Stage B or C in the RIBA Plan of Works on new developments rather than leaving it until later when it may be too late to change some elements of the design leading to compromises in the scheme which will cause problems at a later date.

Overall, it is essential that future urban growth delivers desirable and effective areas that people want to work and live in as well as adapting what has been built already. Shared space puts us firmly on the path to do just that.

www.brettpaving.co.uk

The streetscape is designed with extensive areas of concrete block paving to create shared surfaces

Public Sector Build Journal 43

Drainage & Landscaping surface water drainage channels, made from tough fibre reinforced concrete, were installed around the building.

Immediately in front of the building the architects chose Class A15, stainless steel longitudinal slot gratings along the main footpath channel run as these provided an elegant curving line up towards the building’s public entrance.

The same gratings were also specified along the facade to co-ordinate visually with the footpath gratings.

Faserfix channels were also installed along the access road, but these were fitted with Ductile Iron Heelsafe gratings having 6mm slots and a loading Class of C250.

Hauraton installed at Northumbria Police HQ Northumbria Police serves a population of 1.5 million people and covers an area of more than 2000 square miles in the North East of England.

The £27m Northumbria Police area command headquarters in Wallsend, North Tyneside was officially opened and became fully operational in early November 2011.

The new headquarters building includes a 40-cell custody suite and

is a base for up to 300 North Tyneside police officers and support staff. Designed by Ryder Architecture, this is the first new police station to be built by Northumbria Police Authority in 10 years.

Hauraton Faserfix Super KS 100

tim.connolly@hauraton.co.uk enq 025

Weholite to safeguard residents

Brett offers free SUDS training Brett Landscaping is offering free, half day training sessions for SUDS Approval Bodies (SABs) to help them better understand permeable paving design, construction and maintenance. The sessions have been created in response to the 2010 Flood and Water Management Act which requires the formation of SABs that will evaluate and approve SUDS in all new developments as well as adopting and maintaining SUDS schemes which service more than one property. The sessions are on offer for a limited period only and require the SABs to provide a suitable training venue. Contact Brett Landscaping to book a place or view the website for further details. project.designer@brett.co.uk enq 026

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A new extra care housing development has adopted Weholite technology to help safeguard vulnerable residents from the risk of flooding. Asset International, manufacturer of high density polyethylene pipe (HDPE), has been commissioned by sub-contractor, Seddon Construction, to provide a Weholite Storm Water Attenuation Tank, to manage excess water and prevent flooding at the Sorogold Street project in St Helens.

Weholite attenuation tanks are designed to manage peak flow rates, by storing excess flow on site during heavy rainfall and then releasing it gradually via an outfall. The tank is being installed under the site’s car park and has a storage capacity of 300m3. sales@weholite.co.uk enq 027

Purus drains selected by the University of Glamorgan Purus, the wet room drainage solutions provider, has installed its wetroom drains at the University of Glamorgan.

The University of Glamorgan chose the PURUS miniMAX wetroom drain to be installed in the en-suite showers of the Glamorgan Court student halls when the University undertook a complete internal refurbishment. The drain was chosen for its drainage capacity and odour control. PURUS miniMAX is a floor drain with side outlet of polypropylene and has horizontal outlet with extra low profile for vinyl and ceramic tiled floors. It comes with a special designed water trap with NOOD-function, which is spring loaded, and ensures that no foul air info@purusgroup.com enq 028 comes through it even when dry.

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Where innovation meets inspiration...

Leisure Industry Week (LIW) is the UK’s leading event dedicated to the entire out of home leisure industry. Join us and get inspiration for your latest projects from our extensive FREE education programme, discover new products and services from 300 market leading suppliers and keep up with current trends.

Register today for FREE entry at liw.co.uk Online Enquiry 029

Doors & Windows

Crittall offers the right formula for Science Museum The Science Museum in London is a much loved and familiar landmark, but over the years, the exterior has fallen prey to the wear and tear of the London way of life.

To address the deterioration, a replacement window programme was recently announced, and appointed by architects, Kirsop and Co. Crittall had to draw on its extensive experience and expertise to replace the windows to the Exhibition Road entrance.

One of the features of the glazing was the inclusion of Enduroshield transparent coating to the surface of the glass for the very large top hung fixed light Corporate 2000 profiles. The openings at the top are supplied with electronic chain actuators, supplied by long term Crittall partner, SE Controls.

Double glazed, the centre pane of the glazing achieves the required U value of 1.2w/m2K for compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations, with Low E glass on the inside to control heat

gain. The windows were finished in black matt polyester powder coating.

Logistically, Crittall faced numerous challenges on the project, with a limited time period each day to strip out, glaze and install the profiles. With no deliveries allowed before 6pm, the timing and meticulous attention to detail had to be exact in order for the smooth progression of the instalment.

However, with intense planning and thorough application, the windows were installed to schedule and within the time limits.

“We are delighted with the finished result,” comments Andrew Haycock of the Estates Department at the Science Museum.

“In addition to brand new windows that meet all the requirements in

terms of aesthetic and thermal value, the replaced windows were all recycled, which reduced wastage and disposal costs and which is a major environmental bonus.”

hq@crittall-windows.co.uk

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Style and heating united

High specification window systems Comar Architectural Aluminium Systems relaunches Comar 5P.i and Comar 9P.i high performance window systems. Comar 9P.i has a top projected casement window system with slim 84mm profiles that offers maximum heights of 2500mm. Depending on the type of build, Tilt and Turn and Parallel Opening systems can offer a solution for maximum airexchange, smoke ventilation and restricted ventilation with lockable handles for cleaning inside and outside. Meanwhile, Comar 5Pi ECO achieves a Green Guide A rating, providing points for BREEAM and an A Grade Window Energy Ratings with a standard double glazed unit. projects@parksidegroup.co.uk enq 031

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A Zen air curtain from JS Air Curtains is providing the primary heating source for the main reception area at the headquarters of Unite, Britain’s biggest union, in Holborn, London. Having worked with JS Air Curtains on previous projects, electrical contractors E J White & Son specified the 2m Zen air curtain to sit above the automatic doors of Unite’s main entrance, where it can enq 000 supply up to 30kW info@foremansbuildings.co.uk heating output. In this application, the Zen was supplied with stainless steel covers, one of several cover options available with this air curtain, to complement the reception area’s decor.

sales@jsaircurtains.com

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Henderson goes for glass Expert door fittings manufacturer and solutions provider PC Henderson has launched its first-ever range of glass door hardware systems suitable for commercial and residential applications. The new glass systems are a natural progression for Henderson and perfectly complement its well-established and popular systems for timber, aluminium and composite doors. This robust and elegant glass door hardware range is suitable across all applications, from bookcases through to top-hung glass doors up to 500kg including sliding, folding, and multi-directional configurations. PC Henderson can also supply a large range of accessories designed specifically for glass doors including locks and lock accessories, flush marketing@pchenderson.com 033 pulls, handles and fascias.

Doors & Windows

Dempsey Dyer's winning combination Victory Pier is a Berkeley First project on the river Medway in Kent.

Described as offering the opportunity for residents to enjoy Londonstyle riverside living in Kent, it is a striking new waterside village development of apartments and penthouses.

The luxurious nature of the development means that the contractors were looking for something special at every stage of the specification process, not least when it came to the windows.

The contractors were looking for a

coloured profile that offered longlasting, non-fading good looks and excellent energy efficiency. The choice of supplier was also paramount – the manufacturer would need to have extensive experience of working on

Pre-fitted solutions from Innovaré Innovaré Systems, provider of structural insulated panel systems, has been appointed by local contractor JW Rihoy & Son Limited, for the second stage of the £14m redevelopment of the former Le Grand Bouet Estate in Guernsey. Phase two of the development at Rue Jamouneau, involves the construction of 80 properties for Guernsey Housing Association to be built over a 22-month period.

Innovaré will be providing pre-fitted PVC-U windows and site fitting external doors as part of the construction work. It will also be responsible for the performance of a preliminary air tightness test, with targets set at a minimum of 2m³/m²/hr at 50 pascals or better. enquiries@innovaresystems.co.uk enq 035

Kawneer's enterprising solution Glazed elements by architectural aluminium systems supplier Kawneer have played an integral part in the look of a landmark building at the University of Reading. At the university’s new £12m Enterprise Centre, Kawneer’s mulliondrained AA 100 Structurally Silicone Glazed (SSG) curtain walling with 50mm sightlines was used on the main entrance screens. In addition, AA 605 low/ medium-duty swing doors were used as facade and window elements. The Kawneer systems were installed by specialist sub-contractor Aluminium Sashes for main contractor Kier Moss for developer Kier Property and have been used as a curtain wall facade as well as window sections within the brick, timber and rainscreen facades.

kuk.kawneer@alcoa.com enq 036

large-scale, high profile projects.

Dempsey Dyer offered both the product and the experience that the contractors were looking for and were successful in the tendering process.

Dempsey Dyer tendered for the project using the Deceuninck 3000 Series range coloured in RAL 7031 – Blue/Grey using Deceuninck patented Decoroc process. One thing about the Decoroc structure that the contractors were particularly impressed by was the colour fast guarantee – having seen other coloured profiles used on other projects fail, this consideration was an important one.

Aluminium windows have long been specifiers’ window of choice, especially on design-driven projects such as Victory Pier. But the Deceuninck Decoroc coloured profiles demonstrate that PVCu can now more than give aluminium a run for its money.

Coupled with Dempsey Dyer’s expertise, experience and commitment, it was a winning combination for Berkeley Homes.

carol.hearn@deceuninck.com enq 034

Tormax ensures easy access Tormax was recently contracted by Kier Services Facilities Management to install an automatic folding door to the main entrance at Surrey County Hall. Maximising available opening width, Tormax recommended its hi-tech folding door system.

Advanced sensors activate the two sets of automatic leaves to fold smoothly and silently back, whilst the durable aluminium profile combines with integrated lip seals to deliver a high level of safety. “The new folding entrance contributes towards disability discrimination compliance, allowing easy access for all members of the staff and the public,” comments the council’s facilities manager. “It also helps maintain the ambient temperature in the lobby area, by minimising heat loss from the building.”

sales@tormax.co.uk enq 037

Public Sector Build Journal 47

Floors, Walls & Ceilings

DuPont Energain maximises energy efficiency at council building To save over £370,000 a year and maximise energy efficiency, Wealdon District Council has consolidated its administration into a single property at Hailsham, East Sussex. To control ambient heat and to manage thermal gains and improve interior comfort, Wilmott Dixon and Frankham Consultancy Group specified DuPont Energain thermal mass panels.

Using DuPont’s building design software system, simulation graphs demonstrated the performance of the system when installed into the entire second floor level ceilings and 650m2 of Energain was then installed, providing a total heat storage capacity of approximately 91000 Wh (temperature window: 18-24°C) and achieving up to 5-6° passive reduction of interior peak temperatures.

Terry O’Neill of Wilmott Dixon comments: “We were very impressed

at how helpful DuPont were. The cost was reasonable, the material was readily available, and the quality was consistent. Comparatively, the product is very effective and, overall, we are completely satisfied.”

DuPont Energain is an advanced phase change system supplied in lightweight, easy-to-install panels of 1.0 x 1.2 x 5.26mm thickness, which are sealed behind the plasterboard in walls or ceilings using standard tools and working practices. It works

by absorbing ambient heat as room temperature rises (at around 22°), storing it until the temperature drops again (at around 18°), and then releasing it back into the room. In ventilated structures this can make a significant difference to comfort and also to the choice of construction methods and materials. In buildings with air-conditioning it can reduce costs by up to 35% and help to reduce heating bills by up to 15%.

gary.norris@gbr.dupont.com enq 038

Armstrong helps school unity

Tarkett flooring goes boldly on In 2006, a vast collection of Tarkett flooring was installed throughout a new build school in Boldon, South Tyneside. With over 1000 pupils attending every year, the flooring has had to withstand intensive daily use over the last 6 years. Tarkett’s Veneto xf linoleum flooring was specified for the main circulation zones as these receive the highest levels of daily traffic and required a robust, hard-wearing solution.

Elizabeth Hayes, head teacher at Boldon, says: “Tarkett’s linoleum has proved an excellent choice for the school. In particular, the ground floor circulation areas have had to cope with heavy daily use, but the original designs still look attractive and modern.”

marketing@tarkett.com enq 039

48 Public Sector Build Journal

Ceiling systems from Armstrong were specified by a local authority for the redevelopment of Dwr-Y-Felin Upper Comprehensive, previously a split site school. Armstrong Ceilings’ Axiom Knife Edge canopies, with a perimeter trim of the school’s corporate colour of blue, were used in classrooms and corridors, while suspended grids of mineral tiles were used in office, store and toilet areas.The Armstrong ceilings were installed by Omega specialist sub-contractor Richard Kemble Ceilings.

The 230 Axiom Knife Edge canopies, containing a mix of Graphis Cuadros, Perla and Optima mineral tiles into which were installed lighting, signage, smoke alarms and air conditioning outlets, were the largest number of canopies they have installed on one project to date. sales-support@armstrong.com enq 040

Dulux expands specialist range Dulux Trade has announced the launch of Pyroshield Durable Eggshell. Extending its existing Pyroshield range of flame retardant coatings, Dulux Trade has unveiled a new finish which is designed to upgrade surface fire classification from Class 3 to Class O of Approved Document B to the Building Regulations. Emeka Maduka, brand manager for specialist products at Dulux Trade, explains: “Alongside meeting required levels of fire performance, maintenance professionals are also challenged to achieve excellent standards of durability, especially in busy circulation areas.

To meet these needs, Pyroshield Durable Eggshell offers good adhesion, meaning it provides a robust, decorative finish which can be washed allowing for the easier removal of stains.” duluxtraderesponse@tangerinepr.com enq 041

Flooring & Surfaces

Top score for Playrite sports surfacing Highfield Park Centre in St Albans benefits from a sports hall, gym, tennis courts, two playing fields, seven football pitches and a floodlit multi-use games area which features Playrite's Matchplay 2 in sporting green.

The centre wanted to extend its opening hours and thanks to the hard wearing nature of the synthetic surface and the floodlighting it has been able to do this during the week until 10pm at night. Installed over seven years ago, back in January 2005, the centre is still impressed with its sporting surface.

David Reid, centre manager at Highfield Park, explains how: “The synthetic surface is used every single day by people of all ages,

from toddlers right up to the older generation. Its most popular use is for football and we did think about having a 3G surface installed. However because it is only a small area we need it to be suitable for all sports and ages, allowing the local community to get the best use out of the facilities on offer. As well as football it is also used for tennis, American football and a bit of netball.

“Even after seven years of incredibly

Polyflor treads new ground Vinyl floorcovering specialist, Polyflor, has launched a new product in the Polysafe range. Polysafe Modena PUR features a high-clarity, micro-granite appearance across 14 different shades and is available with the manufacturer’s Polysafe PUR. The inclusion of clear aluminium oxide within the vinyl ensures that Polysafe Modena PUR is fully compliant with HSE and UK Slip Resistance Group Guidelines, achieving 36+ in the Pendulum wet test and a surface roughness of 20 microns and above. Polysafe Modena PUR fully meets the requirements of EN 13845, the European standard for safety flooring and achieves a BRE Global Generic A+ environmental rating. info@polyflor.com enq 043

high usage the surface is still playing well. It doesn’t require much maintenance – we remove debris regularly and sweep the surface a few times a month to help re-distribute the sand. We then re-sand the surface when it needs it but this isn’t often. On the whole I would definitely recommend Playrite’s Matchplay 2 synthetic surface as for us it has been the ideal solution for seven years.”

info@playrite.co.uk

enq 042

Sika provides rapid repairs

Yeoman Rainguard has supplied zinc guttering and pipes for the Kingspan Potton show barn. A spokesperson from Kingspan Potton says: “We have worked with Yeoman Rainguard for years and recommended their products to hundreds of self builders. Their black aluminium guttering and perfectly complements our Tudor style Gransden Show house. We chose zinc guttering and pipes for our new sustainable barn style show home. They look fantastic, blending traditional and contemporary styles perfectly, and are maintenance free.” The Yeoman Rainguard zinc and copper range offers a contemporary feel. The products are self finished and natural oxidisation will protect the product delivering an almost unlimited service life.

As part of a £15m property refurbishment in Toryglen, Glasgow, a number of Sika systems was specified to repair the extensive balconies and walkways across the estate. With its ability to be laid and trafficked in the same day, Sikafloor 415 proved the ideal solution. Before resurfacing, Site Sealants used a range of Sika concrete repair and protection solutions, including Sika Rapid Repair Mortar and the Sika Monotop concrete repair system. Once the concrete repairs were completed, Site Sealants applied a Sikafloor bonding and concrete primer before installing 5000m2 of the innovative Sikafloor 415 Elastic system across more than 1000 balconies and interconnecting walkways

sallyann@rainguard.co.uk enq 044

sika@uk.sika.com enq 045

Show time for Yeoman Rainguard

Public Sector Build Journal 49

Roofing, Cladding & Insulation

RMIG helps add colour and style to new academy A new academy in Stockholm has been clad using a unique precision perforated metal outer skin, manufactured by RMIG to create a distinctive and eye-catching exterior. It combines geometric designs with a lime green coloured finish.

The new Rinkeby Academy replaces the previous building, which was destroyed by a fire in 2010. The academy not only provides a bridge

Jablite listing extends opportunities Jablite Dynamic Partial Fill insulation is the latest product to be listed on the SAP (standard assessment procedure) Appendix Q website. Sue Ballard, Jablite’s technical and innovation manager, comments: “This is a very welcome development, it means that Jablite Dynamic insulation can be used by housebuilders all over the country – including in Wales, Cornwall and Scotland and other high exposure zones where full fill cavity is not certified for use by the National Housebuilding Council. Plus, a new build project just completed

by Lovell Partnerships found the Jablite Dynamic Partial Fill insulation exceeded the performance predicted using the SAP Appendix Q methodology.”

sales@jablite.co.uk enq 047

50 Public Sector Build Journal

between education and business, to help prepare young people for employment, but also acts as a cultural focus for local residents in Stockholm’s

Rinkeby suburb.

Designed by leading Swedish architects and building consultants, Aperto, the exterior design utilises a series of circular perforations to create curved and linear shapes within the 4.0mm thick aluminium panels used in the decorative exterior cladding.

Each of the 77 different types of aluminium panels that make up the decorative facade were manufactured to meet the architect’s precise specifications, which included bending the edges for securing to the support framework as well as preparation and finishing on both sides with NCS S 2070-G70Y exterior quality paint.

RMIG’s project manager, Stefan Berglund, explains: “Our experience in providing unique cladding solutions to buildings around the world meant that we were equipped to deliver exactly what the architects and the local community needed through our manufacturing plant based in Mariestad, Sweden and we’re delighted to have been involved in this key project.”

info.uk@rmig.com enq 046

Kemperol ensures business as usual

During a robbery, dislodged slates on the roof of New Eltham Library in Greenwich had caused the flat roof to begin to leak. Kemper System’s solventfree and odourless Kemperol 2K-PUR system provided the answer. Based on an 80% sustainable castor oil formulation, Kemperol 2K-PUR is a liquid waterproofing resin that saturates a non-woven polyester reinforcement fleece manufactured from 25% recycled content. Hew Polson from Greenwich Council comments: “We had to be confident that there would be no health and safety risk to staff or library users and that the library could retain the same pleasant atmosphere while work was taking place, so a solvent-free odourless system was ideal.”

enquiries@kempersytem.co.uk enq 048

Hard wearing finish Ennerdale School in Cumbria has recently been extended based on a unique design engineered concept. Developed by Alan Dawson, the Adaptahaus concept is one of steel framed, sustainable, high performance and affordable buildings to conform to, and exceed, the current high standards for energy and environmental requirements. For the extension to Ennerdale School, frames and panels were finished with Vinytherm Stonechip facings. Stonechip is lightweight yet extremely robust, hardwearing and versatile, making it easy to handle on site. The system is designed to incorporate insulation if required, reducing noise and heating fuel bills. It also carries 30-year guarantee info@vinylit.co.uk enq 049 and has BBA certification.

Roofing, Cladding & Insulation

Kingspan becomes Carbon Trust accredited

Metrotile to the rescue Metrotile Lightweight Steel roofing has always been a versatile product, suitable for countless rooftop applications. Now another roof type can be added to the ever-increasing list – fire and rescue training towers.

Mark Tribble, senior surveyor for Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue, has chosen Metrotile for training roofs for 10 years and states: “Metrotile has become the standard for training roofs at Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.”

Metrotile can be found at seven Devon & Somerset Fire Stations so far, including the HQ at Exeter.

sales@metrotile.co.uk enq 050

Kingspan Insulated Panels has continually been at the forefront of industry initiatives to minimise carbon emissions and energy usage. These efforts have now been officially recognised with the company being the first manufacturer of insulated metal cladding systems to be certified to the Carbon Trust Standard which provides a robust, objective analysis of a company’s carbon performance over a number of years. Kingspan Insulated Panels has undertaken a range of measures to reduce its environmental footprint at its UK sites in recent years. These include transforming the Holywell facility into a zero waste to landfill site and installing a 2900m2 Kingspan info@kingspanpanels.com enq 051 PowerPanel PV array on the roof.

Passivhaus milestone for Styrofoam

Floormate 300-A – a Styrofoam-A insulation material manufactured by Dow Building Solutions – was used to insulate the UK’s first rural affordable housing scheme by Hastoe Housing Association to gain Passivhaus certification, Ravenscroft in Wimbish, Essex. Parsons & Whittley’s design for the development, which was built by Bramall Construction and assessed against Passivhaus standards by specialist consultancy Inbuilt, was based on Floormate 300-A insulation running below the entire floor slab, solid aircrete external walls wrapped in over 250mm of foam insulation, and conventional insulated ceilings. Floormate 300-A is available in thicknesses ranging from 50 to 200mm and has a design load of fklmail@dow.com enq 052 130 kN/m2.

Long-lasting benefits In partnership with Beaumont Forest Products, the A. Proctor Group was appointed supplier of its maibec timber cladding range at this recent unique project in Aylesbury. Maibec is available in six standard colours, however most other colours can be matched if required. The Serpentine, Oxford Road, forms a continuous curved building, comprising 94 units in total. There are extensive benefits to using maibec timber cladding, including a proven history of the product. Along with the remarkable warranties, low maintenance and lifecycle cost mean that architects can specify this product with the confidence that the cladding will look amazing for years to come. ask@proctorgroup.com enq 053

IKO unveils new website IKO has announced the launch of its new comprehensive website. Following lengthy research, it has been designed to offer easy access to roofing and waterproofing solutions for the specifier, contractor, merchant, distributor and building owner. By simply clicking profession or market sector it will take visitors straight to the information they need without having to navigate through additional information. The website also has all the latest technical updates, calculation tools and environmental information all in one place.

There is also a feature which allows users to gather and collate all the details and documents they need for a particular project and create their own bespoke PDF within My IKO. To discover just how easy IKO has made roofing and waterproofing, visit www.ikogroup.co.uk nichola.clayton@ikogroup.co.uk enq 054

Public sector housing success for Klober

Klober is supplying tile vents as part of Manchester Working’s venture to upgrade homes in Collyhurst in North East Manchester. The newly-developed vents are for use with Redland large format Mk II Stonewold tiles. The scheme has been designed to bring properties most in need of repairs up to the national Decent Homes Standard.

1200 homes are being re-roofed and upgraded though only after the plug had been pulled on a £250m scheme to redevelop the area.

klober@yourresponse.co.uk enq 055

Public Sector Build Journal 51

Focus & Innovation

A brighter future for hospital waste management With a recent focus in the news around creating solutions for water waste reduction within the NHS, and The Environment Agency declaring official drought zones all over the UK this spring; the need for fast, efficient disposal systems in our hospitals has never before been greater - and the Haigh Sluicemaster Panaway is one such solution.

The Sluicemaster – an awardwinning bedpan disposal system – is leading the way with its solution to water and energy waste. The unit is claimed to be able to save as much as 86,000l of water per year per unit, and running on cold water only, also provides real and measurable energy and cost savings.

In April, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust waste officer Brian Wood called for better networking between hospital trusts to share best practice in waste reduction, especially at a time when budgets for staff training and education are being cut. Brian comments: “Future waste

management in the NHS must focus on prevention. The waste hierarchy is key – if we prevent waste in the first place we will have less to manage.”

Haigh Engineering is an expert in design manufacture, supply and support of waste disposal systems for healthcare institutions worldwide.

The Sluicemaster Panaway requires the least amount of water per cycle compared to its alternatives, disposing of pulp paper bedpans and urine bottles into the standard drainage system using only cold water and a small volume of electricity. Running on cold water alone provides a double benefit, saving on electricity usage in

addition to saving water.

Haigh plans to continue to lead the way in driving efficiency in facilities managements in UK hospitals. Nick Dale, Healthcare Division Manager comments: “The Sluicemaster Panaway is just one of the systems we are putting into place for a brighter, greener future. Developing products that are environmentally friendly is high on our agenda.”

info@haigh.co.uk

enq 056

A lasting legacy

Lessons in recycling The Welwyn Outdoor Classroom, new from Marmax Products, accommodates 30 to 35 children on built-in benches around the internal walls, with plenty of floorspace for additional seating or tables. Each classroom saves 61,490 one-litre milk containers from going to landfill.

As the material does not rot, corrode or splinter, and requires no painting or preservatives, it is completely maintenance free. The Welwyn Outdoor Classroom is made from 100% HDPE recycled plastics, with a galvanized steel frame to ensure maximum strength and support. It is less flammable than wood and falls under rating class 3 in accordance with BS 576. sales@marmaxproducts.co.uk enq 057

52 Public Sector Build Journal

Thousands of Styrofoam-A insulation boards made at Dow Building Solution’s manufacturing site in King’s Lynn have been installed on several structures within the London 2012 Olympic Park.

The insulation is designed to help make the buildings on the Olympic Park more energy efficient and the roofs more durable. This will be particularly important as they transform from temporary to permanent use. Structures insulated with Styrofoam materials include the Olympic Stadium, the International Media Centre, the Copper Box and more than half of the roofs. The Olympic and Paralympic Village will be transformed into a residential community following London 2012, ensuring a lasting legacy for Styrofoam. fklmail@dow.com enq 058

Yorkon awarded fifth off-site contract Off-site construction specialist Yorkon has been awarded its fifth contract in the healthcare sector by Interserve Construction. The project is also Yorkon’s second scheme at Harrogate District Hospital. Designed by AFL Architects, the singlestorey building is being craned into position in only two days using a 350-tonne crane. The steel-framed modules will arrive on site complete with first fix mechanical and electrical services, partitions, doors and windows. The facility will accommodate three maxillofacial treatment rooms, one consulting/examination room, reception, waiting area, storage and offices.

It will be partially brick-clad and linked to the main hospital street.

contact@yorkon.co.uk enq 059

Focus & Innovation

PathMaster - a bright innovation in entrance matting COBA Europe's popular PathMaster entrance matting has recently been installed at Barnsley College's award-winning Old Mill Lane site in South Yorkshire.

Specified by Jefferson Sheard Architects and fitted by Pheonix Flooring, the dirt-barrier matting has been installed in the new extension which now forms the main entrance area.

The contemporary building

design warranted matting that would complement these features.

It was not only PathMaster Duo’s attractive design and functionality that caught the specifier’s attention, but also the fact that it could be

ordered by special request in a variety of attractive colours.

PathMaster, with its many costsaving, fitting and maintenance benefits, is fast becoming a familiar sight in many entrance areas subjected to high volumes of footfall and comes with a five-year guarantee against significant wear and tear or product failure.

The smart striped Duo design created through strips of alternating soft and coarse carpet fibres delivers an effective dual wiping/scraping action. It has a non-slip latex backing. Its solid surface captures dirt and moisture within the channels between the strips for ease of cleaning. PathMaster can either be installed in recessed wells or laid to surface with optional edging.

Available in 2m widths of up to 20m lengths or by per linear metre, with a height of 13mm. Rolls or lengths of matting are simply ‘butted’ together to cover larger areas.

Standard colours include grey and anthracite, however other colours are available by special order.

cotoole@cobaeurope.com enq 060

Commons Committee calls for CO Alarms The House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee has added to pressures for a change to Building Regulations requiring hard-wired carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in all new homes.Building Regulations should demand CO alarms in new homes and wherever any combustion appliance is fitted in existing dwellings, not just focus on specific risks such as solid fuel heating. The logical solution is a comprehensive system of hard-wired smoke, heat and CO alarms in every home.

This can be accommodated by the latest products such as Smart Interconnect which enables a number of Kidde Fyrnetics hard-wired CO, smoke and heat alarms to be interconnected. kiddefyr@ukgateway.net enq 061

Future proof solutions Due to corrosion, the North Bridge in Hull was in serious need of refurbishment. To bring it up to specification, a number of specialist structural repair products from Sika was specified. The reinstatement of the concrete was performed using Sika Monotop 615. All concrete surfaces were then covered by a coat of Sika Ferrogard 903, followed by an overall levelling coat of Sika Monotop 620 to improve the overall concrete cover. For the large reinstatement of beams, the specialist team applied Sika-Armorex Armocrete, a flowable, cementitious, micro-concrete repair system. Finally an anti-carbonation protective coating in the form of Sikagard 550W Elastic was applied to provide additional protection on all enquiries@uk.sika.com enq 062 areas of repaired concrete.

An educated flooring choice Campsmount Technology College in Doncaster has been fitted out with a variety of vinyl flooring solutions from Tarkett. Titan Flooring installed over 8000m2 of Tarkett products, including Micra Premium in all circulation zones and stairwells. Tarkett safety flooring was also used, including Safetred Spectrum for the classrooms. To meet the diverse needs of the sports hall, it was decided to divide the room into two halves. One side has been fitted with Tarkett’s Omnisports Compact, a 2mm thick point-elastic vinyl sports flooring that is suitable for all types of activities. The other half features Tarkett’s Omnisports Excel, an 8.3mm thick point-elastic sports surface that combines higher shock absorption with strong surface reactivity.

marketing@tarkett.com enq 063

Public Sector Build Journal 53

Focus & Innovation

Combat fuel poverty with VO4HOME unit Statistics released by the Department for Energy and Climate Change indicate that half of the UK population will be in fuel poverty by the end of 2012. "These figures,¨ says Geoff Clifton, business development manager at voltage optimisation company VO4HOME, "proves that fuel poverty is a significant issue that needs to be addressed.¨ In an effort to combat fuel poverty, housing associations should be turning to voltage optimisation. Geoff explains: “While some approaches to ending fuel poverty involve complex and costly technologies, voltage optimisation offers a cost effective and reliable way to improve household energy efficiency, resulting in lower electricity bills.”

Voltage optimisation is a particularly effective means of reducing electricity bills within the home, where it has been proven to deliver immediate and significant energy reductions of between 330 to 500lbs of CO2 emissions, with a commensurate saving of between £130 and £200 per year in electricity costs.

Such savings are possible as voltage optimisation systems are designed to eliminate electrical over-supply – the average current voltage supplied is 242v while electrical equipment in the home is designed to operate on 220/230v.

“Optimising to 220v prevents users from having to pay for the excess energy through electricity bills,” explains Geoff.

The VO4HOME unit, which has a market leading 14kW capacity, is unrivalled in its simplicity and efficiency. Installed between the meter and consumer unit, it requires a simple two wires in, two wires out installation and will optimise the whole property, not just selected circuits.

Yeoman checks in With over 45 years’ experience, Yeoman Shield’s expertise has helped win many prestigious contracts including the recently-opened £24m flagship Hotel La Tour in Birmingham. The walls of the store room and staff restroom are covered by Yeoman Shield Wall Protection Panels (mid grey) providing an effective solution against damage. The hotel’s maintenance manager Charlie Wilson says: “Installing Yeoman Shield before damage has occurred will help us to keep the internal fabric of our new building in good condition and cut back on the need to spend on expensive and time consuming remedial work.”

sallyann@yeomanshield.com enq 065

Yorkon launches revolutionary building system Award-winning off-site specialist, Yorkon, has launched a new building system which is set to revolutionise modular construction in the UK. The new building system incorporates a host of innovations including: columns that are no longer visible; the facility to fit any building footprint; module lengths from 6 to 18.75m; all connections between modules will now be carried out from inside the building; a system built to engineering rather than construction tolerances for even greater accuracy and build quality; a new insulation production system to further improve quality and consistency; and a new 30-year structural warranty for even greater peace of mind.

contact@yorkon.co.uk enq 066

54 Public Sector Build Journal

Geoff concludes: “Voltage optimisation is quickly becoming recognised as a risk free sustainable and practical long term solution and, as such, the most effective green investment to combat fuel poverty.”

enquiries@vo4home.com

enq 064

All change with Portaloo Portaloo has launched a speciallydesigned sports changing facility, which can be operational just 24 hours after delivery, and supplied for interim or permanent use with the minimum disruption.

Designed in accordance with Sport England guidelines and available to buy or hire, each 117m2 building provides two large communal changing areas with bench seating, and individual showers and toilet cubicles for use by different teams or male and female players. Toilet cisterns and plumbing are concealed and sensors operate toilets, urinals and washbasins so there are no visible moving parts. For additional safety and security, there is emergency lighting throughout.

information@portakabin.co.uk enq 067

Focus & Innovation

Schöck chosen for major UK Passivhaus residential scheme The Chester Balmore project, in North London, part of Camden Council's community investment programme, is a project designed to achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, and the first to be built from scratch by a local authority.

The previous 1970s blocks on Chester Road and Balmore Street were in poor condition and refurbishment was not a cost-effective option. Rick Mather Architects developed the project, which is a mixed-use design for around 53 new homes. There are three separate blocks with additional commercial space, making it one of the largest ever residential schemes to meet Passivhaus standard.

The Schöck thermal break module specified is the latest generation Isokorb for concrete-to-concrete applications – the type KXT. The Passivhaus Institute in Darmstadt has awarded the type KXT with the “low thermal bridge construction”

certificate and confirmed its suitability for Passivhaus construction.

A major reason for the superior performance of the type KXT is the thickness of the insulation body.

This is increased from the standard 80mm thick to 120mm, providing an even more efficient solution. The type KXT not only improves thermal insulation performance by up to 30% in comparison to to the standard range, it also improves impact sound insulation by around 50% as well.

Tim Paul from Rick Mather comments: “Balconies offer practical and aesthetic advantages for residents, but they have not always been a popular choice in the context of high

Versatile LED ceiling panel The Nova 600 x 600 LED ceiling panel has a lightweight slim design and is versatile in its application with easy installation. The Nova has three independently-controlled panels that provide total flexibility, with instant illumination for 50,000+ hours. Available in two colour temperatures and emergency back up option, this ensures that the Nova is the perfect product for commercial environments. Exled can provide onsite evaluations, detailed project assessments with specific advice on which LED solutions will benefit your organisation. The company’s in-house technical team can provide support for the application with light plots and CAD drawings. sales@exled.co.uk enq 069

Fast-track furniture Cambridgeshire-based joinery company, Strata Panels, has manufactured bespoke bedroom furniture for the 4-star Connaught House Hotel in London against a tight three-week deadline. All furniture was made in 18mm thick melamine-faced MDF panels in Lugano Oak. All units were finished with 2mm PVC edging to all exposed edges and high quality hinges and runners.

Furniture combinations included assorted beds, bed side units, wardrobes and desk units. Hotel owner Steve Evans comments: “The customer service was excellent and the products competitively priced. There was a quick turnaround from design to installation; I would certainly recommend Strata Panels on any of sales@stratapanels.co.uk enq 070 our future developments.”

efficiency Passivhaus design. However, the advanced technology and superior performance of the Schöck Isokorb XT range offers such a high level of insulation, that we had no problem in incorporating balcony design into the Chester Balmore project.”

design@schoeck.co.uk

enq 068

Junior WC joins RAK collection RAK Ceramics has introduced a Junior WC to its Bathroom Collection. Featuring a soft close seat, the back-to-wall toilet is ideal for nursery, school or home applications.

Compliant with water-saving concealed cistern formats, the new WC measures 330mm wide x 480mm deep and has a total height to rim of just 350mm. It is also offered with a 380mm compact basin which features a no-overflow design. Other new products to join RAK’s Bathroom Collection include the new Rakrimless range, with designs available for both domestic and healthcare settings.

marketing@rakceramics.co.uk enq 071

Public Sector Build Journal 55

Focus & Innovation

Speedy invests in £7m power supply Speedy's UK power division is boasting an impressive show of power for its customers to make the most of, courtesy of a £7m expansion of its fleet of generators.

The UK’s leading provider of equipment rental and support services is flexing its muscles in a big way to increase its power provision, with a further 37 1260kVA units now under the Speedy banner, across the UK and international divisions.

The investment will bring added

Efficient solar control

Architectural aluminium facade specialist, Technal, introduces its new brise soleil sun shading system in the UK, which provides highly efficient solar control and the highest standards of architectural aesthetics.

Suneal uses passive solar protection to reduce the reliance on mechanical cooling systems, generating reductions in energy consumption.

It allows high levels of natural light into the building and has the option of fitting photovoltaic blades for the supply of renewable energy to the building whilst providing effective solar control. Further assistance with design and calculations can be provided by Technal’s technical team and by using TechTouch – its dedicated energy simulation software package – to optimise solar gain and light transmission.

info@technal.co.uk enq 073

56 Public Sector Build Journal

stability and reassurance for facilities managers everywhere, particularly during the summer months when demand on the grid is expected to be at an all-time premium.

Brian Cornett, managing director of Speedy’s power division, says: “We recognised a gap in the market and

a growing demand by our customers that we had previously been unable to meet, which is why we have invested considerably in this new fleet.

“As part of our continual product improvement, innovation and investment programme, our new fleet now puts us in a leading position to provide power for mains failure, peak lopping, grid support and temporary back up on sites.”

In addition to the new fleet, Speedy is able to provide a bespoke projectmanaged turnkey solution to include cabling, step-up transformers, installation and connection as well as a premium back up service.

An extensive product support programme is also in place for customers, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

All of Speedy’s units are housed within 20’ ISO containers and can be automatically started and stopped at required times, allowing customers to cut down on manpower and fuel costs.

customerservices@ speedyservices.com enq 072

Dulux restores period beauty A classic palette of colours from the Dulux Trade Heritage range has been used to accentuate a prominent fountain located in the centre of Falkland Village in Fife. After receiving grant funding, Fife Council appointed Tod and Taylor Architects and decorating company, Tecdec, to undertake the much-needed conservation work. Each of the large cast iron lions were painted in a striking crimson shade to closely replicate their original colour. In addition, a bespoke scheme was created for the individual decorative info@foremansbuildings.co.uk enq the 000 coat of arms that each lion holds. Shades from current Heritage collection, such as Yellow Ochre were applied in a Dulux Trade Eggshell finish to bring out the intricate detail on the shields.

duluxtraderesponse@tangerinepr.com enq 074

School expands with Foremans Enfield-based Cuckoo Hall, one of the UK’s first primary schools to achieve Academy status, has used a highly sustainable recycled modular building solution from Foremans Relocatable Building Systems to expand its classroom facilities. Foremans has supplied 10 recycled steel-framed modules which have been configured as two adjacent teaching blocks to accommodate 120 children in three classrooms and one shared teaching space. The buildings are constructed to permanent standards and feature a decked area, timber cladding and a covered walkway to the main school. All Foremans’ recycled modular buildings are fully refurbished with new windows, wall linings, partitions, mechanical and electrical services, doors, flooring, and cladding, to create high info@foremansbuildings.co.uk enq 075 quality accommodation.

Focus & Innovation

Siemens enhances Entro access control Enhanced support for smartcard technology is the key benefit of the latest version of the popular SiPass Entro access control system, which has just been released by Security Products from Siemens.

SiPass Entro 6.55 features upgraded hardware which very efficiently handles the additional data associated with smartcards, as well as new software and firmware to provide full compatibility with most commonly used Wiegand card data formats.

This means that in organisations where smartcards are being used for other purposes, such as personal identification, it will, in almost all cases, be possible to use the same cards for access control. In addition, organisations with earlier versions of

New launch adds extra brand appeal The Granite Transformations franchise has complemented its made-to-measure replacement worktop overlays and cabinet doors with mosaics on a mattress. Developed in association with sister company, Italian tile maker Trend, it allows genuine handcrafted mosaics to be installed over virtually any surface, even existing tiles. This innovative glass mosaic laying technique provides a super-efficient process, with no grouting required and means that tiling jobs can be completed within half a day. To assist colour coordination, a Granite Transformations Collection is available, designed to tone with popular granite, quartz and recycled glass finishes and woodgrain effects.

enquiries@granitetransformations.co.uk enq 077

Datum has got leaks covered Numerous public building roofs are subject to leaks, making them thermally inefficient and expensive to heat. Where new build replacement is not a financially-viable option, refurbishment of the existing building becomes the main focus. Datum Systems, manufacturer of lightweight metal over roofing systems, provides a unique, free of charge, no obligation site survey. Services include building portfolio assessment, suitability of a flat to pitch roof conversation, indication budget costs, full life time cycle costs, and guidance on the introduction of solar PV panels. From planning through to installation, Datum’s experience, in-depth knowledge and skill base gives it the insight into the needs of the professionals within the public sector.

sales@britmet.co.uk enq 078

SiPass Entro now have a convenient and cost-effective upgrade path that allows them to take full advantage of the latest smartcard technology while retaining their existing wiring infrastructure and access control database.

In developing the SiPass Entro 6.55, Siemens has given particular attention to ensuring that the system remains easy to use and administer, despite its increased functionality and performance.

Like its predecessors, SiPass Entro 6.55 is a flexible and eminently scalable access control system that can monitor and control access to facilities with up to 512 doors and 40,000 cardholders.

It enables customised access rights by categories and offers a complete range of reports. Straightforward integration with security CCTV installations based on SISTORE digital video recorders is also offered and, as SiPass Entro supports Windows Terminal Server 2003/2008, convenient central management of up to 10,000 remote sites is possible.

ross.wilks@siemens.com

enq 076

Controlled access with Frontier Pitts Frontier Pitts’ extensive portfolios of gates, including security bifolding speed gates, are designed to provide a high degree of security, controlling access for vehicles through a site’s fence line perimeter.

Bi-folding speed gates are ideal for sites where speed of access through the perimeter line for authorised personnel is essential.

They are also suitable for sites with limited space to open hinged and sliding gates. With model options offering both electro-mechanical, hydraulic and manual operation, Frontier Pitts’ bi-folding speed gates combine high levels of security with a fast acting speed performance of up to 1200mm per second.

sales@frontierpitts.com enq 079

Public Sector Build Journal 57

Focus & Innovation

Voltis proves cost-effective solution to energy saving Hastings Borough Council is trialling a Voltis commercial voltage optimisation system to see if it can help cut energy bills at smallto medium-sized council locations.

The council, which has an obligation to conserve energy wherever possible, selected Voltis for its cost-effectiveness and the fact that it is manufactured in Hastings.

Council senior building surveyor Michael Courtnage explains: “We were looking at voltage optimisation units that would deliver a healthily short payback period for small- to medium-sized council buildings with lower electrical loads. And that’s where Voltis scored over its competitors – it is well priced and we believe it will be cost-effective for smaller buildings. We were also aware of other installations in the area and conscious that MarshallTufflex is a local firm.”

One 63Amp Voltis unit has been installed in the basement at Johns

Promat simplifies specifications Specifiers, contractors and distributors will all be able to benefit from Promat’s new online Spec Select tool, which allows different fire protection options to be compared, and which also gives users access to a wide range of specification details, technical information and CAD drawings. Spec Select offers users a quick and reliable one-step method of identifying the most suitable Promat passive fire protection system for their needs, no matter whether it is for a structural steel, partition, wall, ceiling or roof application. It also offers rapid access to standard CAD details, system specifications, safety data sheets and product information.

sappleton@promat.co.uk enq 081

58 Public Sector Build Journal

Place Museum and Art Gallery in Hastings, which has an approximate total annual load of 53,000kWh. All electrical circuits are powered by the unit, providing electricity for lighting, IT, air conditioning and other general power requirements.

If the trial proves successful the council may consider installing Voltis in other smaller council locations.

“We are eager to see what the unit is going to achieve,” adds Michael.

“The payback period is all important; rapid payback will enable us to make a business case for further installations.”

Voltis is a next generation, logiccontrolled, intelligent voltage optimiser that constantly monitors incoming voltage and power demand, adjusting itself to maximise potential savings.

Unlike many systems it also incorporates an in-built automatic bypass function that prevents power being cut to site by the optimiser should a problem occur with mains supply.

marketing@marshall-tufflex.com enq 080

Solar landmark reaches half way

Work to construct the largest solar panel array in London has reached half way as the 2200th solar panel was installed on the roof of Blackfriars station in central London. Network Rail is rebuilding the station on top of Blackfriars rail bridge to provide more space for passengers and longer, more frequent trains. The new station roof above the Victorian bridge will be home to 4400 solar panels, which will generate up to 50% of the station’s energy needs. The solar, manufactured

by Panasonic, designed and installed by Solarcentury, covers an area of 6000m2, making Blackfriars the largest solar bridge in the world. The panels are expected to generate 900,000kWh of electricity every year, saving over 500 tonnes of CO2 annually. enquiries@solarcentury.com enq 082

Meet targets via online carbon calculator Specialist social housing contractor and developer United House, pioneer of low-carbon retrofitting, has launched a new website at www.lowcarbon.unitedhouse.net to help guide social housing providers through the ecorefurbishment maze and identify the most cost effective solutions for their properties. The website features an industry-first Value Carbon Calculator which calculates the CO2 reduction for various property types by installing different eco retrofit measures. This will assist housing providers who are looking to lower their emissions and meet ambitious Government targets, whilst working to tight budgets. It is very straightforward and simple to use – providing a great info@unitedhouse.net enq 083 new tool for the industry.

The future of central heating today!

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Space Air provide full design assistance, training, after-sales technical support, pre-fabricated piping kits plus easy system user guides.

Installing the ‘complete’ Daikin Altherma system from Space Air will be the biggest move towards protecting the environment* and reducing energy costs you can make. *Heating and hot water accounts for 84% of the average home’s total energy use.

Call 01483 252 252 or visit www.spaceairsolutions.co.uk © 2012 Space Airconditioning plc. All rights reserved. SA101055-05.12.

N o bo dy kn o ws D ai ki n b et t er

Online Enquiry 084

CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE VIVIX速 architectural panels by Formica Group provide an innovative exterior rainscreen cladding solution that redefines the landscape of contemporary construction for both new build and renovation projects.

Durable, practical and sustainable, VIVIX panels are extremely versatile and can be used with a variety of fixing systems, from simple timber battens to proprietary metal systems.

Online Enquiry 085 They are highly UV and weather resistant and very easy to maintain and, with a broad choice of colours and patterns, they are ideal for use on all types of buildings.

For more information visit formica.com or contact your local Formica Group office.

vivix.eu@formica.com

Tel: 0191 259 3100