PSBJ May 2022

Public Sector Build Journal May 2022

Healthcare

Education

Leisure

psbjmagazine.com

Issue 117

AN ACTIVE EDGE TO CITY’S RENEWED ESTATE Council commissions creative, temporary development combining community spaces alongside work and retail units

Housing

Why the demand for offsite construction continues to rise

New activity hub encourages community to move more

How the use of data is helping to drive housing decarbonisation

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WELCOME NOTE

Editor

Hannah Woodger

hannah@redhutmedia.com

Rebecca Kemp

rebecca@redhutmedia.com

Print & Digital Advertising Sam Ball

sam@redhutmedia.com

Jim Moore

jim@redhutmedia.com

Print Design Manager Jack Witcomb

jack@redhutmedia.com

Digital Design Manager Matt Morse

Ebury Edge is a temporary development by Westminster City Council, combining community space, a cafe, and affordable work and retail spaces. See page 08.

matt@redhutmedia.com

Welcome to the May issue of PSBJ...

Accounts

Rachel Pike

accounts@redhutmedia.com

Sales Support & Statistics

Klare Ball

klare@redhutmedia.com

Publisher Sam Ball

sam@redhutmedia.com Published by

Red Hut Media Ltd. 5 Mansion Row, Brompton, Kent, ME7 5SE

When the Government announced a ‘presumption in favour of offsite’ in November 2017, the adoption of this approach was slow to say the least. Calls were made for a better overall procurement approach to ensure that all departments committed to favouring tenders with an offsite component (defence, education, health and social care, justice and transport) could successfully deliver through modern methods.

Recorded figures in 2019 demonstrated that, of all the departments, the education sector significantly led the way in awarding contracts via dedicated offsite frameworks. Fast forward to 2022, and the landscape of offsite construction has changed quite significantly.

Accelerated due to the pandemic and urgent demand for facilities, the uptake of MMC in the healthcare sector, notably, has seen a great surge.

In this month’s issue of PSBJ, we focus on these two sectors that are successfully navigating the field of MMC, demonstrating the speed, value and efficiencies that can be achieved by adopting this approach. Turn to page 20 to read how the demand for offsite solutions for healthcare continues to rise. David Harris, of Premier Modular, explores the increasing use of offsite in the sector thanks to its flexibility, superior design, efficient process and value.

psbjmagazine.com 01622 946150 redhutmedia.com

Meanwhile, on page 30, our dedicated MMC feature highlights the reasons why offsite construction of teaching spaces continues to gain favour. Using Hatchlands Primary School as a prime example, Elliott – soon to be Algeco – details the speed and versatility of permanent modular buildings.

Elsewhere in this issue, ATG Access discusses the importance of regular service and maintenance of physical security systems, Consort Architectural Hardware explains how the drive towards sustainability is influencing hardware and building designs, and IRT Surveys details how thermal imaging can help landlords and developers make smarter retrofit decisions.

PSBJ is a proud supporter of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists.

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 editor's hands. In the absence of an agreement the copyright of all contributions, literary, photographics or artistic belongs to Red Hut Media 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.

I hope you enjoy this issue. Don’t forget, you can also access all the magazine’s features, product news and supplier information on PSBJ’s user-friendly and engaging website. Fully responsive, the website allows you to read all the latest stories on-the-go either on your phone or tablet. Simply visit www.psbjmagazine.com.

Hannah

Hannah Woodger • Editor • hannah@redhutmedia.com Find us on Social Media:      @psbjmagazine

03

CONTENTS

06 News

A round up of the latest industry news, including charity events, awarded contracts, completed projects and much more.

08 Upfront

Westminster City Council is undertaking its most ambitious housing and regeneration programme of this time, with the redevelopment of Ebury Bridge Estate.

12 Housing

Paul Belton, Partner at Carter Jonas (Cambridge), discusses the potential for local authorities to deliver affordable housing to relieve the current housing crisis.

14 Legal & Business

The cladding scandal and social housing providers – leaseholders aren’t the only players in the crisis impacted by a lack of Government funding.

16 Education

F. Ball outlines the stages of subfloor preparation and flooring installations in education settings, advising on the steps to follow to ensure a long-lasting, professional finish.

04

08 18 Security & Building Access

22 Canopies & Shelters

Ian Brooks, Service and After Sales Manager at ATG Access, discusses the importance of regular service and maintenance of physical security systems.

Broxap Street Furniture talks to PSBJ about the installation of its canopies and walkways at Luton Airport’s Direct Air-Rail Transit (DART) scheme.

20 Healthcare

24 Leisure

David Harris, MD of Premier Modular, looks at the renewed focus on offsite construction and how it is helping to address some of the biggest challenges for healthcare providers.

Brentwood Borough Council has opened a new, all-year-round activity hub which has transformed an under-utilised recreation ground into an active, accessible environment.

CONTENTS

24 26 Talking Point

Daniel May, Director at Consort Architectural Hardware, explains how the drive towards sustainability is influencing hardware and building design.

28 Technical Focus

Stewart Little, CEO of IRT Surveys, explains how thermal imaging can help property owners, landlords, developers and other stakeholders make smarter retrofit decisions.

PRECIOUS. PROTECT FINGERS AT DOORS

30 MMC

Jim Cowell, Technical Director at Elliott Offsite Solutions – soon to be Algeco – looks at some of the reasons why offsite construction of teaching spaces continues to gain favour.

32 Paints, Coatings & Finishes PPG details its contribution to ‘one of the healthiest buildings in the world’ – The Spine – by supplying its coatings that are proven to purify indoor air.

32 34 Product Showcase

A dedicated focus of industry news, products and case studies to help specifiers and local authorities make informed decisions.

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05

NEWS

INDUSTRY UPDATES Each month PSBJ rounds up the latest public sector construction updates, from new contracts to industry awards.

Morgan Sindall Construction dives into Basildon swimming pool project Basildon Council has appointed Morgan Sindall Construction to deliver a swimming pool extension at Eversley Leisure Centre to meet a high demand for aquatic facilities among nearby primary schools and residents. The 864ft2 expansion to the Basildon-based leisure centre has been procured utilising the Essex Construction Framework 2 (ECF2), which delivers a wider programme of mainly school projects in the wider Essex region to a value of £400m. Morgan Sindall Construction’s Essex business was selected for the project in January 2022, with work expected to start on site in July. Once complete, the site for the four-lane, 25m pool will boast impressive sustainability credentials due to the installation of photovoltaic panels and other carbon-offset measures. As well as the swimming pool, the project will increase the car park’s capacity by 50 spaces. In line with Morgan Sindall Construction’s social value commitment, the Essex business will engage with the local community to add real social value, not only in the delivery of the swimming pool, but throughout the lifecycle of the project.

GT3 Architects explores the future of Newcastle United Football Club Following the recent takeover of Newcastle United Football Club (NUFC), sports and leisure specialist GT3 Architects has proposed an innovative new design for a forward-thinking training academy and community stadium for its local club. Building on the practice’s ‘people architecture’ approach, the project is the first in a series of internal design competitions, which explore how people-centric design can tackle some of the UK’s biggest cultural and socio-economic challenges. The proposed community stadium offers a dedicated home for the women’s team and academy team, as well as much-needed and valuable community facilities. Some of the highlights include: a 7000-seat open stadium, with a safe standing area, integrated groundskeeper storage and elevated grassy bank, offering an informal viewing platform for families; Wembley Way-style access route, with retail opportunities; 3000m2 studio and classroom space; meeting and event spaces, open for community use and offering additional revenue opportunities for the club; semi-private media suite and private commercial suite for NUFC staff; and 13 full-size external pitches, each orientated north to south to maximise daylight hours, and with a portion allocated for community use.

Bruton Knowles expands public New £20m public sector sector client base across UK framework opens for kitchen Leading chartered surveyor firm, Bruton Knowles, has secured six bid manufacturers and suppliers wins in just the last three months for six new public sector clients – ranging from Wales to Hertfordshire to the West Midlands, the North East and North West; all choosing experienced national teams to deliver key schemes re-emerging in the post-pandemic era. Bruton Knowles has been appointed to support the land division of the devolved administration of the Welsh Government. It will also be working for two blue light services, Hertfordshire Constabulary and Cheshire Fire Authority, statutory body Merseyside Recycling & Waste Authority, plus two local authorities, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and Scarborough Borough Council. Bruton Knowles already acts on behalf of a significant number of public organisations, on both a retained and a project basis, and is seen as a trusted partner in delivering high-quality surveying advice. James Bailey, Managing Partner at Bruton Knowles, commented: “We’re delighted with these recent bid wins which, in total, are worth almost £90,000. They all reflect the breadth and depth of our work across our national teams and the geographic reach that we offer across the country. Our approach has always been to deliver an honest, transparent and expert service for our clients to enable them to use their land and property assets in the most efficient way.”

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Nationwide kitchen manufacturers and suppliers can now apply to be part of a new four-year framework estimated at £20m for public sector projects. Construction procurement provider LHC Group’s Kitchen and Associated Products K7 framework covers the supply and delivery of domestic kitchens and associated products to the public sector, for use in both residential homes and public sector buildings. Running throughout England, Scotland and Wales and open for applications until 19th May 2022, the framework gives suppliers access to work with a wide range of local authorities, registered social landlords, NHS Trusts and other public sector bodies. The K7 framework will be available through Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA), Consortium Procurement Construction (CPC), Welsh Procurement Alliance (WPA) and South-West Procurement Alliance (SWPA) and LHC London and South East England (LSE) for both direct award and mini competition projects, with bids assessed against 60% quality and 40% price. Final appointment will see six allocated suppliers per regional area and two reserves for an estimated start date of summer 2022, running for four years.

NEWS

SES Engineering Services to deliver £84m project at University of Glasgow

HLM brings together design and education at Thames Christian School

Leading engineering specialist, SES Engineering Services (SES), has announced its appointment to deliver a new development at the University of Glasgow. The Adam Smith Business School and Postgraduate Teaching Hub is the fourth major development to commence as part of the university’s campus development plan.

Appointed by Multiplex following a competitive tender, this latest project enables SES to draw on its recent experience gained on the University of Glasgow’s James McCune Smith Learning Hub, which completed in early 2021 and was the first building to be delivered as part of the masterplan. Once operational, the sixstorey building, which has a gross internal floor area of 11,600m2, will provide specialised teaching, research and collaboration space for the university’s postgraduate taught student community, whilst delivering state-of-the-art premises for the world-leading business school. Designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’, SES will collaborate closely at the pre-construction stage with its designers, engineers and production teams to reduce onsite hours and address the challenges of labour and the delivery of long lead items, by procuring sub-contracted services and materials early in the programme.

A new state-of-the-art building for the Thames Christian School in Battersea, London, is now complete. Designs developed and delivered by HLM Architects, the building forms part of the York Gardens Regeneration Project. As part of the first phase, the Thames Christian School and Battersea Baptist Chapel were moved to a new, combined location within a considered masterplan that included an affordable accommodation block of 46 apartments along with a 20-storey, 93-unit residential tower for private sale. With the accommodation and chapel finished in 2021, the construction of the school marks the phase complete. The new six-storey, 4000m2 school is providing independent secondary education to the local community focused on science, technology, engineering and creative arts within a faith-based environment.

Architecturally, the brickwork presents the exterior as a solid block with a playful arrangement of external windows. At the upper levels, two fully-glazed landscaped courtyards are carved out which, along with the rooftop terrace and adjacent MUGA pitch, provide much-needed outdoor social and activity space. Internally, the design is reflective of the school’s aims: Individuality, Grounding, Direction, Wisdom and Journey. The underlying concept recognises these aims are interconnected and expresses this through a continuous weave pattern throughout. The internal spaces expose the raw concrete structure but contrast with soft, textured finishes and natural materials.

McBains appointed

by Herefordshire Council to assist with public realm improvements Herefordshire Council has appointed McBains, via the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework, to provide design and consultancy services in relation to public realm improvements in the historic market town of Leominster. McBains has been appointed, along with supply chain partners Ares Landscape Architects, Turley and Link Engineering, to support Herefordshire Council and Leominster Town Council in the delivery of investment to two key areas of the town – the Leominster conservation area and Corn Square. The schemes seek to preserve the distinctive aesthetic of Leominster’s rich heritage, whilst enhancing the town’s position as a key retail and tourist destination. The projects are being funded by the High Streets Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) scheme. Delivered by Historic England, the £95m Government-funded HSHAZ initiative has allocated funding to over 60 high streets to drive improvements to town centres across England. McBains has been appointed to provide a multi-disciplinary service and will be required to work closely with the two councils to develop appropriate design options, undertake public and stakeholder consultation, complete detailed designs, provide technical support to the construction procurements and assume responsibility for managing the project once the works’ contracts are underway.

Will Rudd Davidson appointed for new and existing homes projects in Edinburgh The City of Edinburgh Council has appointed Will Rudd Davidson as Consultant, Civil and Structural Engineer to oversee two housing projects in the capital and a survey of the condition of high-rise homes in the city. The firm’s Edinburgh division will begin working on the design of new affordable homes at Leith Walk that will close a gap site to be vacated by an Edinburgh Tram’s construction team; and Powderhall former Waste Transfer Station, an ambitious project in Broughton neighbourhood of Edinburgh seeking planning permission to create around 220 new private and affordable homes. As part of a drive by the City of Edinburgh Council to make all council homes carbon zero, Will Rudd Davidson has also been appointed to oversee all structural engineering elements of the investigation into the condition of 36 multi-storey blocks by the project management team at Faithful and Gould. A report to the council’s finance and resources committee references Will Rudd’s recent accomplishment of a similar project at Westfield Court in Gorgie, which was “delivered to a high quality, on time and within budget”.

07

UPFRONT

CREATIVE COMMUNITY HUB KICKSTARTS COUNCIL’S REGENERATION PLAN

Ebury Edge is a temporary development by Westminster City Council, combining community space, a cafe, and affordable work and retail spaces. Together, they give the Ebury Bridge Estate a lively, new street presence and shelter with a shared courtyard at the rear, offering a continuous focal point for residents throughout its phased re-development.

City Council W estminster is undertaking its most ambitious housing and regeneration programme of this time. Pivotal to the plan is the council’s redevelopment of the Ebury Bridge Estate in Pimlico, situated a few minutes from Victoria Station and adjacent to Chelsea Barracks.

Regeneration of the estate will provide 781 mixed-tenure homes, including full reprovision of existing social housing, much-needed familysized units, and a right to return for all residents.

Ebury Edge reflects the city council’s dedication to creating a new exemplar for estate regeneration through a sensitivity not just to the end goals, but also the process of regeneration.

Designed by Jan Kattein Architects with Arup, two storeys of workspace units are arranged in a colourful timber-clad terrace along Ebury Bridge Road. Together with the frontage of the cafe, housed

08

together with a community hall in a distinct, single-storey structure, these work to create an active edge to the estate through its transition.

As a testament to the scheme’s success, the project – entered by Arup – was recently crowned winner of the 2021 Structural Timber Awards in the Retail & Leisure Project of the Year category.

Supporting local businesses Workspaces are sized to provide an affordable foothold for small local businesses, with generous shop fronts to support retail activity at ground level. A basic fit-out leaves them adaptable to the individual needs of a broad range of tenants while providing them with an operational framework to grow and inform the long-term retail strategy for the site. The building’s colourful presence, including a high-level floodlit tower, reflects residents’ desire to create an “invitation” into the estate.

UPFRONT Hand-tinted cedar shingles and featheredge cladding retain the texture of timber grain, while their tones will shift and weather over the building’s short lifespan.

Community gardening is embedded at the heart of the scheme with a high-level planting deck and scaffold ‘trellis’ which overspan the development.

Timber structure The lightweight timber structure was designed to minimise embodied energy and foundations, and can be dismantled into its constituent panels and reassembled elsewhere once the site comes forward for long-term development in around four years.

In Arup’s entry into the Structural Timber Awards, Francesco Ferrari, Lead Engineer, explained the decision behind specifying timber as the main material: “The main drivers behind the proposed design were ease of construction, cost efficiency and reusability. The structure needed to be as light as possible to reduce settlements of the shallow foundations in poor quality ground.

Timber is the material of choice to enable quick construction, resulting in practical completion in just over a year from the concept stage.”

The superstructure of the workspace is formed of a timber floor and roof cassette supported along by timber stud walls. The stud walls bear onto a grillage of steel

beams which spans between shallow mass concrete strip foundations. The groundfloor timber cassettes create a naturallyventilated cavity beneath the slab. Because of the large retail glazing at ground floor, four steel portal frames have been carefully inserted in the cross direction of the first and last of the seven double-storey units, which are all tied together. The design allows for flexible future reconfiguration including the option for units to be relocated individually. It will be possible to retrofit a steel or glulam portal frame in each of the units, providing future flexibility and reducing upfront embodied carbon.

Timber-trussed rafters form the community building’s roof. These bear on to timber stud walls sitting on steel beams, similar to the workspace units.

The cafe and community hall, split by the toilet and utilities central block, are large, open spaces which provide flexibility of use. Due to the presence of legacy obstructions in the ground and to the limited budget, shallow foundations formed in mass concrete were chosen for their simplicity and for the possibility to crash the concrete to be reused for the piling mat of the future main scheme multistorey buildings. 

09

UPFRONT

against circular economy principles, with reuse at the forefront and recycling as the latter of the options.”

Community engagement

However, since the area used to be marsh land, it is possible that settlements might occur with time. To accommodate this movement, the steel ground frames sit on removable packers, which will allow level adjustment by jacking up and adding packers. A detailed review of the fire strategy with building control and the fire brigade enabled the omittance of a sprinkler system and minimised the area needing fire compartmentalisation treatment.

Heating and cooling across the project is achieved via the use of wall-mounted VRF systems, with the ventilation strategy also allowing the opening of windows for natural ventilation. Rainwater storage is included in the landscape, to be reused in the main scheme.

In Arup’s award application, Francesco outlined how the use of timber has made a real difference in lowering the environmental impact of the scheme:

10

“Westminster’s aspiration is for the Ebury Bridge Estate Renewal to be exemplar with regards to sustainability and positive social impact. This was also embraced for the Ebury Edge project, with sustainability and circular economy principles embedded in the concept design from the very start of the project.

“This was particularly challenging for a project with a theoretical design life of only five years, meaning it is unable to spread the embodied carbon from the initial construction phases over a typical 50-year period. Therefore, the ability to reuse the buildings became essential not only financially, but mostly with regards to sustainability. The scheme does not rely on fossil fuel for heating and uses environmentally low-impact material, such as timber, throughout the buildings, leaving it exposed as much as possible.

All aspects of design were assessed

Careful work by JKA and workspace operator Meanwhile Space in establishing the spatial brief and engagement with local businesses helped the development to reach full occupation just weeks after opening in winter 2020/21. Seven small retail businesses now have their first shop fronts, while 10 other enterprises are getting a start in units upstairs and to the rear. Early market engagement helped to secure Fat Macy’s, an organisation which provides catering training for homeless people, as anchor tenant for the cafe, while the community space is providing a vital resource for childcare and wellbeing activities run by local groups.

The Ebury Edge is now providing invaluable social spaces for residents to meet, as well as the infrastructure for local businesses to begin the process of economic recovery. In 2021, the project was awarded the NLA’s Community Prize. 

www.structuraltimberawards.co.uk www.arup.com www.jankattein.com

FACT FILE: Architect: Jan Kattein Architects Client: Westminster City Council Structural, M&E, civil engineering and planning consultant: Arup Contractor: HA Marks Workspace operator: Meanwhile Space CIC Budget: £2m Completed: Winter 2020/21, fully opened April 2021 after easing of lockdown measures

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HOUSING

A RETURN TO THE 1970S? Paul Belton, Partner at Carter Jonas (Cambridge), explores the potential for local authorities to deliver affordable housing.

F

rom Lloyd George’s promise of “homes fit for heroes” and the 1919 Addison Act, to the current Government’s target of 300,000 new homes being built each year to relieve the housing crisis, housing has been at the forefront of British politics for over a century.

Unfortunately, successive Governments have failed to meet ambitious targets and the last time that over 300,000 homes were delivered was in 1977, when 143,920 homes (45%) were built by the private sector, 25,120 (8%) by housing associations and 145,070 (46%) by local authorities.

In 2019, 214,200 homes were built, of which 80% were delivered by the private sector, 18% by housing associations and under 2% by local authorities.

So, can the public sector step up an incredible 60%, in order to meet the figures last achieved 45 years ago?

There is no doubt that local authority housing and planning departments are under considerable strain, but despite this, innovative partnerships with the private sector are producing some very positive results. From Scarborough to West Sussex

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and Maidenhead to Cambridge, Carter Jonas is involved in innovative partnerships and pioneering developments.

Carter Jonas is working with many local authorities as landowners on a variety of new housing-led projects.

Often, an options testing process is undertaken which determines an appropriate housing development model from a spectrum. At one end of the scale, the local authority has minimum risk, but also minimum involvement: the site is sold, then planning consent is achieved and the scheme is built by a developer. Moving along the spectrum, the next option is for the council to put in place a development

agreement, which allows for a little more control over the masterplan and an agreement about the point at which financial returns are received.

The spectrum then moves into the world of joint ventures.

This might be a contractual or corporate arrangement with a private sector partner through which the council contributes the land and takes its returns at later stages in the development process. Finally, at the end of the spectrum, the council could set up its own wholly-owned development company taking on all risk, along with the financial uplift.

Carter Jonas is currently conducting this decision-making process with Scarborough

Borough Council. The council owns 10 sites, which range in capacity from four to 600 homes. The work initially comprised a portfolio review which highlighted the constraints and opportunities for each site. A shortlist of the most viable sites was drawn up and, based on an overarching objective of the council to deliver affordable housing, we’re working towards selecting an appropriate partner.

In Cambridge, Carter Jonas is working with the Cambridge Investment Partnership (CIP) whose aim is to deliver 1000 new council homes within Cambridge. CIP was established as a partnership between Cambridge City Council and local housebuilder Hill, in response to the ever-growing housing list which, bearing in mind local land prices, clearly wasn’t going to be solved by the private sector alone.

The initial project completed with CIP was a site purchased through the open market which achieved policy-compliant levels of affordable housing, at 40%. Since then, several projects have focused on sites already owned by the council, many of which have been able to deliver 100% of the new homes as council homes.

HOUSING Two further schemes, for which Carter Jonas achieved planning consent in November, will not only deliver 100% council housing, but have also been designed to Passivhaus standards. They include wheelchair-adapted, family homes, electric vehicle charging points and generous cycle storage.

These schemes exemplify the benefits of the public sector retaining an interest in its land, to the benefit of local residents.

Councils have an unrivalled insight into its tenants’ needs and are uniquely placed to communicate effectively with tenants and help deliver the type of housing most in need.

Complementing this, the private sector, which in the case of CIP is led by Hill and assisted by Carter Jonas, provides the skills to navigate the planning system and advise on appraisals, construction schedules and the many technical issues. Carter Jonas’ advice on the site capacity, risk and opportunities helps shape the delivery of these exemplar new housing projects, ensuring the council can make the most of its assets.

The CIP projects have been very successful, all receiving planning permission at the first attempt. Key to this success has been attention to detail and commitment to engagement. Listening to local residents and engaging with all interested parties and consultees plays an important role in de-risking the planning submissions. These successful council-led projects have proved successful because they respond to local issues and have a clear focus on securing community benefits such as the delivery of new open spaces and community facilities, as

well as achieving high design standards and physical accessibility. Perhaps most importantly, they also deliver new homes designed to meet specific local needs.

Councils must also respond to social and environmental issues and Cambridge, one of the first councils to declare a climate emergency, must be seen to be leading the way in order to make this a requirement of the private sector. CIP has responded very positively to this climate emergency and places significant attention on delivering energy-efficient and sustainable developments, consistently exceeding policy standards for energy and water consumption.

The model is proving very successful in combining the knowledge and insight of local authorities with the expertise of their development partners resulting in a very timely and positive uplift in the delivery of affordable housing. Many

similar partnerships are now beginning to appear across the country. The benefits of combining expertise and experience means that this development model can undoubtedly be successful elsewhere.

In striving to meet the levels of council housing last achieved in the 1970s, we are not proposing a return to the grey concrete ‘streets in the sky’ that so characterised the decade, becoming havens of decay and antisocial behaviour soon after. This new breed of council-led housing are architectdesigned homes with environmental and social principles at their heart, set among landscaped communities which meet ambitious biodiversity goals. Not only are partnerships, such as CIP, providing muchneeded homes, but they are also delivering high-quality neighbourhoods and muchneeded inner-city regeneration. 

www.carterjonas.co.uk

13

LEGAL & BUSINESS

Martha Mordecai is a lawyer specialising in construction contracts and related disputes at Capital Law.

THE CLADDING SCANDAL AND SOCIAL HOUSING PROVIDERS Leaseholders aren’t the only players in the crisis impacted by lack of Government funding.

Martha Mordecai, Lawyer at Capital Law, explains more.

F

ive years on from the Grenfell disaster, dangerous cladding is still on many properties in England and Wales. Remediation work has been slow to commence, but not all blocks have been eligible for financial assistance.

The Government funding remediation programme has been rolled out in a piecemeal fashion over the last five years based on the type of cladding and whether blocks are social housing or private housing.

In recent months, the Government has announced that “developers” will be targeted for the cost of removal of dangerous cladding to protect leaseholders.

Developers are being asked to complete remedial works now rather than waiting for the outcome of negotiations and disputes and to contribute £4bn to a works fund. Developers that don’t comply could be penalised through planning sanctions or an increased Building Safety Levy. In principle, this is a commendable approach by the Government to shield those who are blameless for the cladding scandal.

However, from a legal perspective, there may be some logic in the Government’s approach. Developers are

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probably best placed to ultimately recover the costs of remedial works, because they will be a party to a “single point responsibility” contract with a contractor who will be backed by a professional indemnity insurance policy.

But in targeting developers as a cohort, not-for-profit housing associations find themselves grouped together with listed companies, where the interests and resources of both are likely to be entirely different.

There have been concerns raised previously about the Government’s measures failing to take account of the specific needs and demands on the resources of social housing providers and housing associations.

Only last year, the Government confirmed that housing associations would only be eligible for funding for non-ACM cladding remedial works if costs could be passed on to leaseholders or the remediation costs threatened the financial viability of the provider. The fund available for removal of ACM cladding for housing associations is only available for buildings over 18m, so blocks below this height are excluded.

The recent announcements and amendments to the Building Safety Bill do not reflect a change in approach from the Government and the corollary, as a result, is that social housing tenants as leaseholders are likely to be funding (albeit indirectly) cladding remedial works.

The most recent select committee ‘Building Safety: Remediation and Funding’ report refers to evidence given from the industry that works will be funded using “rents that are coming into business plans”. In a survey of more than 100 housing associations, £730m was diverted from routine improvement works, such as upgrading bathrooms and kitchens, to building safety remedial works.

The committee also heard that one in 10 new affordable housing developments have been axed to pay for building safety works and appealed to the Government to stop “pitting the building safety crisis against the housing crisis”.

This diversion of funds limiting social housing providers’ ability to build is further compounded by the possibility of being penalised under the Building

Safety Levy as a non-cooperative developer if the work is not progressed as quickly as the Government would like.

It seems clear that housing associations will have to carry out an account-balancing exercise to incorporate remediating dangerous cladding to the detriment of their current and prospective tenants, even if this was not the Government’s intention.

Of course, it is open for housing associations to try to recover these costs in formal dispute resolution. However, given that litigation is lengthy and costly, this may feel like a double hit pending a court’s decision. There is presently an uncertainty given the lack of published judgments, which would indicate where courts will land on the various arguments that will be raised by employers and contractors regarding the building safety regulatory framework which applied at the time. The Government pressuring parties to remedy at their own cost in this context seems unsympathetic and shortsighted. 

www.capitallaw.co.uk

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EDUCATION

FAST-TRACK SOLUTIONS FOR INSTALLING FLOORCOVERINGS IN EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES Neil Sanders, Technical Service Director at one of the UK’s leading subfloor preparation products and flooring adhesives manufacturers, F. Ball and Co., provides a step-by-step guide on how to achieve a long-lasting professional flooring finish in educational settings.

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ubject to high levels of foot traffic, flooring in educational settings requires hardwearing characteristics to be able to withstand the demands placed upon it on a daily basis. With pressures to complete installations as quickly as possible, frequently requiring completion over a weekend or during a holiday, the latest fast-track subfloor preparation products and adhesives for floorcoverings have been designed to enable flooring contractors to do in a day what would have once taken a week.

Installing floorcoverings in any environment requires proper subfloor preparation to avoid the potential for floor failure, leading to costly recalls and remedial work. Before undertaking any flooring installation, a thorough assessment of the subfloor should be completed to ensure it is sound and free of dust and contaminants. Damaged subfloors should be repaired with an appropriate floor repair compound.

If the subfloor is a newlyinstalled screed, laitance – a crust of fine aggregates and

16

cement formed on the surface of the screed as it dries – may still be present, and floors that are being refurbished may be contaminated with old adhesive residues. To avoid costly floor failure, both laitance and contaminants should be mechanically removed before proceeding with a flooring installation.

The floor’s intended use should then be taken into account as this will inform the choice of products used. In an education setting, it is likely that it will be expected to endure high volumes of daily foot traffic, whilst remaining secure and hygienic.

Safeguarding against moisture Unmanaged moisture, whether residual construction moisture or rising damp, is one of the leading causes of floor failure, causing adhesives to de-bond, carpet underlays to rot, wooden floors to warp, and resilient floorcoverings to blister – all of which have the potential to form a trip hazard. It can also lead to the movement of floorcoverings and the growth

of mould and bacteria, which can potentially cause a health risk to people in the immediate environment. For these reasons, F. Ball recommends that a moisture measurement test is conducted as part of any flooring installation.

The method of moisture measurement advocated by British Standards is to use a pre-calibrated hygrometer. If subfloor relative humidity (RH) levels exceed 75%, or 65% when installing wooden floorcoverings, a moisture management solution will be required to stop excess subfloor moisture damaging floorcoverings and adhesives and potentially causing floor failure.

Liquid waterproof surface membranes are the usual moisture management solution.

The best-performing epoxy waterproof surface membranes will isolate excess subfloor moisture where RH values are up to 98%, with a single-coat application, which will fully cure in as little as three hours.

Quicker, two-coat systems are available that will create an effective barrier against residual construction moisture where RH values are up to 95%.

The first coat cures in 15 to 20 minutes, and a further 30 minutes curing time is required for the second coat.

Prime importance Once the subfloor is sound, smooth and dry, or a suitable moisture management solution is in place, it will be essential to prime the subfloor in almost all circumstances to promote adhesion of a levelling compound and prevent levelling compounds and adhesives drying too rapidly.

A levelling compound should then be applied to create a perfectly smooth surface for new floorcoverings. In some areas of schools, colleges and universities, such as corridors, floors will be expected to receive high levels of daily foot traffic, so using a high-strength levelling compound is recommended to help ensure long-term durability of the installation.

Fast-track levelling compounds that are ‘walk-on’ hard in 30 minutes and ready to receive new floorcoverings from 45 minutes are also available, allowing installations to proceed faster than ever.

EDUCATION

In education facilities, it is important to select levelling compounds that are low odour and protein-free, this ensures they are suitable for the most sensitive environments.

High-performance levelling compounds that can be applied directly over bitumen and adhesive residues also offer significant timesaving benefits for contractors undertaking refurbishment projects to a deadline. One such product, F. Ball and Co.’s Stopgap 1200 Pro, takes as little as 60 minutes to set and is ready to receive floorcoverings from as little as four hours.

Choosing the right adhesive Once the levelling compound has cured, the contractor can then select a suitably fast-working adhesive to install appropriate floorcoverings. The choice of adhesive will often be determined foremost by what type of floorcoverings are to be installed and where, but there are options for when timesaving is a priority.

For carpet tiles, tackifiers are available that only take 30 minutes to form a permanently tacky film, which will prevent tiles from moving laterally under everyday traffic, while allowing individual sections to be easily lifted and replaced if damaged or worn.

Fast-track adhesives designed for the installation of vinyl floorcoverings are also available, building up a bond strong enough to allow for foot traffic in less than an hour after the application of floorcoverings. For example, F. Ball’s Styccobond F58 PLUS is a fibre-reinforced, pressuresensitive adhesive with a fast-drying formulation that enables vinyl sheet, tiles and planks to be secured from just five minutes following application of the adhesive. As well as helping to reduce movement during installation, the product’s high-bond strength and strong initial tack also prevents excess adhesive oozing between joints, facilitating easier application.

A final note on adhesive selection: it is always advisable to check the compatibility of particular floorcoverings and adhesives to ensure against floor failure. For this purpose, F. Ball produces a Recommended Adhesives Guide (RAG), which lists adhesives recommended for use with over 6000 floorcoverings produced by over 200 manufacturers. A continuously-updated version of the RAG is available as a free app and on the F. Ball website. 

www.f-ball.com

17

SECURITY & BUILDING ACCESS

Trusting relationship with the manufacturer

PROTECTING THE LIFESPAN OF SECURITY SYSTEMS WITH A SERVICE CONTRACT Ian Brooks, Service and After Sales Manager at ATG Access, discusses the importance of regular service and maintenance of physical security systems.

W

hen considering the purchase of a physical security system, such as bollards, gates or road blockers, a comprehensive service contract with the manufacturer is key.

Common repairs, parts and service costs can quickly add up.

Engaging in regular maintenance and having a proactive service contract in place is the best way to keep costs and disruptions to a minimum.

Committing to a service contract for the lifespan of an automatic system may seem like an additional financial contribution not viable at the point of purchase.

However, considering common faults can occur multiple times within the course of the typical 15-year product lifespan, a service contract quickly becomes worthwhile and a smart investment.

Prolong the lifespan of a system Not only is having a service contract cost effective, but it also maximises the lifespan of the system. Having a proactive contract that acts quickly when faults occur helps to avoid minor problems developing into bigger issues. By conducting disciplined, preventative maintenance, users will get the most out of their investment.

Working with the manufacturer that designed the equipment in the first place can be beneficial as they understand, better than anyone, the nuances of each system and how to deal with faults and concerns. If any changes of use, requirement or threat happen during the lifecycle, the client can work with the supplier to upgrade measures or alter accordingly.

They can also retrofit new technology as and when it is developed and plan for any new systems required.

This means that the financial outlay is not in one lump as it would be initially when not engaged with a security specialist. All of this can smooth the process of upgrading security equipment and the cost can be managed directly with the long-term supplier.

Reduced downtime System downtime and failures impact the efficiency of the entire system, negatively affecting the experience for the user. With a service contract, the system will be kept in best condition to minimise any unexpected downtime periods which can expose the user to vulnerabilities. Also, any necessary downtime for repairs can be planned with a longterm contract meaning these periods can be prepared for appropriately by the user.

Environmental benefits There are also environmental benefits to regular servicing and maintenance of physical security systems. As discussed, systems have a longer lifespan if kept in a good condition.

This means replacements will occur less often, reducing the carbon footprints of both the user and manufacturer generated by development and implementation.

Evidently, taking out a service contract with the manufacturer of any automated physical security system is beneficial.

Without doing so, users risk facing higher long-term costs and exposing themselves to unwanted security risks. Keep costs low and productivity high with regular servicing and maintenance. 

www.atgaccess.com

18

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HEALTHCARE

WHY THE DEMAND FOR OFFSITE SOLUTIONS FOR HEALTHCARE CONTINUES TO RISE In this article, David Harris, Managing Director of Premier Modular – one of the UK’s leading offsite specialists – looks at the renewed focus on offsite construction and how it is helping to address some of the biggest challenges for healthcare providers.

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here is definitely a surge in interest in offsite construction in every sector but particularly in healthcare. The speed and quality benefits of taking a manufacturing approach to construction are clear and have been well documented – but are now more relevant than ever before.

The pressure on health services and particularly on emergency care units has continued to rise year on year – and then the pandemic hit.

Complex, specialist and highly-serviced facilities The buildings required to expand capacity in the NHS can be complex, specialist and highly-serviced facilities, and needed on already extremely constrained hospital sites.

There is also the critical issue of minimising disruption to the provision of existing hospital services during construction.

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These requirements are increasingly being met using innovative offsite solutions and modular buildings supplied for short-term rental or long-term leaseing. These buildings can be installed on severely restricted sites, in up to half the time of site-based building methods, with much less disruption to patient care, greater certainty of completion on budget and on programme, and to stringent quality standards.

With superior design, highly-efficient processes and a robust and flexible building solution, offsite construction can deliver comfortable, welcoming patient environments. There is complete flexibility to meet short- and long-term capacity requirements, in compliance with NHS best practice for building design – and on some of the UK’s most challenging sites.

The increasing use of offsite in the healthcare sector Significant Government investment in healthcare is underway – as well as in infrastructure and education – and now with a welcome presumption in favour of offsite.

Flexibility is key. Offsite specialists can deliver turnkey projects manufactured and fitted-out off site – and have the expertise to marry modular with in-situ construction methods to create hybrid solutions to meet individual project requirements with optimum efficiency.

Offsite construction can provide purpose-designed healthcare facilities and extensions for permanent applications, or high-quality buildings to meet short-term increases in service demand or for decant use during scheduled redevelopments.

HEALTHCARE

highly-insulated building fabric to reduce heat loss and running costs, energy-efficient ventilation and electric air source heat pump system for heating, along with solar panels for electricity generation.”

Developed in collaboration with clinicians and patient representatives, the interior design will be crisp and modern, whilst assisting patients with sensory needs. To maintain patient flows, the new facility will be linked to the existing hospital at ground floor level.

This project is an example of a full turnkey construction package, including engagement with the clinical team at the design stages, development of a highlysustainable M&E strategy, demolition of an existing building on the site, groundworks, offsite manufacture, module installation and fitting-out.

New in-patient accommodation

Leading offsite specialists, such as Premier, can work as a principal contractor directly for an NHS trust, as a supply chain partner to a main contractor, or using construction management. The opportunities for offsite are then tremendous.

Rapid building solutions for healthcare Premier has installed the final modules on site for a new 3450m 2 outpatient services building at King’s College Hospital in London – a major milestone in the build programme. The £21m contract is Premier’s largest single offsite healthcare project.

This large-scale, four-storey building will allow the trust to free up space within the main hospital to help reduce waiting times and improve the patient experience for urgent care services.

As main contractor, Premier is leading the project team which includes delivery partner Claritas, P+HS Architects and M&E specialist, TClarke.

Awarded under the Crown Commercial Service modular buildings framework, construction of the new outpatient services building at King’s College Hospital will provide 48 purpose-designed consultation rooms and eight procedure rooms for a range of services, including dermatology and neurosciences.

The use of an offsite solution is ensuring faster delivery and earlier occupation to the benefit of patient care. It has radically reduced disruption during the build phase to staff and patients, and the surrounding residential community.

This type of construction is also highly beneficial on restricted hospital sites such as this. The new outpatient building has access roads to three sides and is immediately adjacent to the Normanby Building.

The scheme is designed to minimise impact on the environment over its life and is targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

According to Stephen Hatcher, Associate at P+HS Architects: “It will have areas of green roof to encourage biodiversity, a

Elsewhere, Premier has delivered a new, purpose-designed £1.7m ward building at North Middlesex University Hospital, reducing the programme to help the trust rapidly expand ward capacity for elective care.

There was an urgent requirement for new in-patient beds following a surge in demand for hospital services during the pandemic combined with the peak winter period.

Procured through NHS Shared Business Services, Premier was appointed to design, manufacture and install a bespoke ward building to be in use for around 18 months.

A building rental solution was chosen by the trust for this project, to fund the new wards out of revenue streams for maximum cost efficiency.

This was a complex scheme that had to be delivered in just 16 weeks from order to handover. Working seven days a week, the Premier team was able to reduce time on site from around 10 weeks to just six weeks, to bring the building into use as fast as possible for critical patient service provision.

Commenting on the project, Chris Kelly, Estates Development Manager at North Middlesex University Hospital, said: “There was incredible pressure to deliver this building to such a short programme.

Premier grasped the real-world impact this building would have on our patients waiting for treatment.

“Design choices had to be made in the context of budget, programme and the incredibly-fast changing healthcare environment. This demanded an exceptional understanding of the issues. The modular solution allowed us to maintain services and the highest standards of patient care throughout. We have had really positive feedback from patients about the new facility.” 

www.premiermodular.co.uk

21

CANOPIES & SHELTERS

SEAMLESS SHELTERED CONNECTIONS More sustainable travel options have been opened up to passengers and staff at London Luton Airport through improvements linked to the development of the DART. Here, Broxap Street Furniture talks to PSBJ about the installation of its canopies for the development’s walkways.

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he DART (Direct Air-Rail Transit) will take travellers from Luton Airport Parkway station directly to the terminal of the airport in under four minutes.

The aim is to encourage more people to leave the car at home when heading to the airport and comes on the back of

an upgrade to the bus and coach station adjacent to the terminal in 2019.

In both cases, Broxap Street Furniture has designed, manufactured and installed attractive canopies and walkways to provide seamless links from the drop-off points to the airport building.

Luton Borough Council-owned London Luton Airport Ltd (LLAL), which owns the site, said having sustainable surface transport options for employees and passengers will lower the number of vehicles on the local road network, and reduce single-occupancy vehicle use.

The latest improvement, as part of the £225m DART project, is the installation of a 150m bespoke walkway based on Broxap’s flagship ‘Newcastle’ design.

The freestanding walkway features clear multi-wall polycarbonate cladding and is an essential element in the passenger journey, forming the final connection between ground transportation and the boarding of aircraft.

Overhauling the airport experience is also designed to bring improvements for staff with LLAL setting a target to increase employee travel by rail from 7 to 9%, roughly an extra 170 employees, when the DART opens this year.

The bus and coach interchange at the airport already provides local, regional and long-distance journeys and its redevelopment in 2019 brought services in closer proximity to the terminal.

Passengers are welcomed by tensile fabric canopies which stand out thanks to their iconic wave design, complementing the airport’s logo.

One of the canopies forms a 93m walkway along the bus and coach station concourse, clearly and safely guiding passengers to the terminal entrance.

Here, two tensile fabric entrance canopies continue to protect passengers and staff from the elements, providing a sheltered waiting area and defining the airport building’s access points.

At the end of 2019, London Luton Airport was the UK’s fifth largest and one of its fastest-growing airports, serving almost 18 million passengers a year and, therefore, wayfinding and ease of access was deemed crucial for passenger confidence.

Increasing sustainable travel options is also vital to minimise the impact of the resulting air travel.

Meanwhile, long-term expansion proposals by LLAL would see the creation of an additional 12,000 jobs and capacity increased to 32 million passengers.

The DART, a joint-venture project between contractors VolkerFitzpatrick and Kier, known as VFK, is a 2.1km transit system which will make it easier for the increasing numbers of passengers to reach the airport.

Shuttles will leave every four minutes, with passengers linking to the Parkway from London St Pancras station reaching the terminal building in 30 minutes.

Moving such a significant amount of passenger traffic from road to rail must be accompanied by high-quality landside infrastructure that can withstand demand, while also continuing to improve the experience. 

www.broxap.com

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LEISURE

ACTIVITY HUB GETS COMMUNITY MOVING Brentwood Borough Council has officially opened a new, all-year-round activity hub, which has transformed an under-utilised recreation ground into an active, accessible environment that will encourage everyone in the community to move more.

T

he £7m scheme to transform King George’s Playing Fields in Brentwood began in January 2021 and has been delivered by Alliance Leisure, lead development contractor on the UK Leisure Framework, owned by Denbighshire Leisure.

The project forms part of the council’s 10-year leisure strategy. Running until 2028, the strategy outlines the council’s vision for a high-quality, accessible, affordable and financially-sustainable sport and leisure provision, which delivers a mix of facilities and services that will service the diverse needs of residents both now and in the future.

“The transformation of King George’s Playing Fields is an important part of Brentwood Borough Council’s ambitions to futureproof its leisure and recreation

facilities. This project is a prime example of how to re-think public leisure provision, creating accessible and financiallysustainable facilities that will ensure a successful future for this much-loved park, while improving the health and wellbeing of local people,” said Ruth Ripsher, Business Development Manager at Alliance Leisure.

Creating a diverse, sustainable leisure provision Prior to this investment, the recreation ground already offered a variety of sports and recreation facilities including a children’s play area, skate park, football and rugby pitches, bowls greens, a 1970s pavilion used

by Hartswood Golf Club and a privately-run crazy golf course.

The purpose of the development has been focused on supporting the borough’s anticipated housing growth and the fulfilment of an ambition to increase participation in physical activity, especially amongst young people.

Following consultation with key stakeholders and the wider public, Alliance Leisure, working through the UK Leisure Framework with a dedicated supply chain of leisure specialists, has delivered a mix of facilities, both inside and outside of a newbuild pavilion, that balances financial viability for the council with addressing the leisure needs of residents.

Planning for the redevelopment was secured at the end of 2019, but the pandemic meant that construction was delayed. Works finally got underway in January 2021 with most of the development opening to the public on 11th March 2022.

Accessible sport and physical activity for everyone The project centrepiece is an impressive new pavilion which replaces a building previously occupied mainly by Hartswood Golf Club.

Built in the 1970s, the structure required significant work to upgrade the site and transform the provision into a multi-purpose venue that would inspire and engage a much wider segment of the community.

Designed by Saunders Boston Architects and built by ISG, the new building, named the Hartswood Pavilion – is located adjacent to the current pavilion which is due to be demolished now that the new building is complete. It is a two-storey structure that has been sunken into the ground reducing its impact on the openness of the green belt and carefully considered composite cladding

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LEISURE has been applied to the building exterior, which ensures it blends into its surroundings, complementing rather than defining the natural environment. The footprint of the new pavillion is also larger than the original enabling it to serve both the golf club membership and the wider public with an extended range of facilities, including the park’s first indoor play provision.

The high-quality, flexible space includes new changing rooms, a toilet and showers for local rugby and football teams, a golf clubhouse and Golf Pro Shop, as well as a bar with a terrace providing far-reaching views of the golf course, bowls club and surrounds. Other facilities include a flexible, multi-purpose room, a Changing Places facility, a cafe, a two-storey soft play facility designed and delivered by Play Revolution and a sensory room providing a safe therapeutic space to help individuals regulate, develop and engage their senses as they interact with and explore the environment around them.

The new pavilion also features TAGactive, an indoor immersive game-based obstacle course, also from Play Revolution, which can be enjoyed as an individual or with friends and family. The TAGactive arena features a number of challenges, including net climbs, cargo tunnels and ball pools, all of which have a number of tags within them which participants must tap with a sensor on their wrist. The more difficult the tag to reach, the more points achieved.

Driving revenue for a sustainable future “Working through the UK Leisure Framework, the priority, in terms of design and delivery, was to create a destination everyone in the

community could utilise both now and in the future,” adds Ripsher. “To achieve this, extensive feasibility studies were conducted prior to build, matching facility provision to latent demand. It was also important not to exclude any segments of the community due to accessibility or cost, hence the diverse mix of paid and free facilities supported by services that promote inclusion and access for those living with mobility issues and other disabilities.”

Supplementing the indoor provision are external facilities including an adventure play area. Designed by Kompan for children aged eight and above, the facility has a range of challenging structures – the highest of which measures circa 10m – and includes slides, towers and nets. Opening to the public in April 2022, all sessions are 55 minutes long.

Recently opened last month is a new, accessible splash pad. Developed on the footprint of the park’s former paddling pools, which were removed in 2017 for health and safety reasons, the splash pad from Ustigate is supported by a Changing Places facility, new toilets and a kiosk. The new space features nature-themed aquatic play structures and a variety of ground-water jets, such as sidewinders, directional jets and a cylinder spray, to provide a wide range of play opportunities.

Both the splash pad and climbing facility are chargeable, while the park’s recentlyimproved junior and toddler play areas are free of charge. The whole area is also served by a network of walking and cycling trails to encourage active travel.

Councillor Cliff Poppy, Brentwood Borough Council’s Chair of Community and Health Committee, said: “Brentwood Borough Council has invested more than £7m in the

development of these facilities so that King George’s Playing Fields has activities all year round. The playing fields play a pivotal part in helping our community to improve their health and wellbeing.

“We were also committed to providing accessible facilities, such as the new splash pad, introducing two new Changing Places facilities, a new sensory room as well as brand-new soft play and the TAGactive facilities.

“In addition to the facilities in the new pavilion building, the council has also invested in the free outdoor play areas which not only makes for an exciting day out, but also has a huge range of challenging structures and high and lower level areas to be explored by adventurous children.

“As the weather starts to warm up, it is going to be great to see families enjoying all these new activities.”

Moving forwards, the site will be operated

by Everyone Active on behalf of the Brentwood Borough Council. Everyone Active is Part of Sports and Leisure Management and is the longest-established leisure contractor in the UK. Duncan Jefford, Regional Director at Everyone Active, comments: “We’re delighted to be welcomed into the district’s community to continue our partnership with the council by managing the new King George’s Playing Fields alongside The Brentwood Centre.

“The playing fields will play a pivotal part in helping the community to improve their health and wellbeing and so we’re really looking forward to seeing visitors benefiting from our new facilities for years to come.” 

www.allianceleisure.co.uk

25

TALKING POINT

SUSTAINABILITY – A RISING INFLUENCE IN HARDWARE AND BUILDING DESIGN Daniel May, Director at Consort Architectural Hardware, explains how the drive towards sustainability is influencing hardware and building design.

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or some time now, sustainability has persistently – and rightfully – gained traction in many of the world’s leading conversations.

Between COP26 and UNEP, both industries and individuals are progressively being held responsible for their environmental footprint, and the growing expectation to go beyond compliance has incited real change.

Predictably, the topic of sustainability has stimulated the built environment too. The construction sector contributes £117bn to the UK economy – 6% of the total economic output.

But those numbers don’t tell the whole story, where according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, construction, demolition and excavation accounted for a staggering 62% of the UK’s total waste in 2018.

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In fact, the built environment reportedly contributes to 38% of total global energy-related CO2 emissions, and that in itself isn’t sustainable. On all fronts, there has been a shift in focus as the pressure to do better has intensified. And decision makers across the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) supply chain must now keep up to remain on track for the Government’s net-zeroby-2050 target.

Changing environments Promisingly, 82% of AEC organisations now have a dedicated sustainability team in place, and with environmental goals established, sustainable performance is more readily measured today. Third-party assessment methods, such as BREEAM, are zeroing in on new-build projects, as well as the refurbishment of existing

infrastructures, encouraging the use of lower impact construction materials. As published in their official guidance, decision makers are being urged to ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ in a bid to improve their footprint.

In terms of waste, construction materials are recognised as an area ready for improvement. The lifecycle of a construction product has become a core focus area for many and is continually addressed by assessment methods, such as BREEAM, and standardised by Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

From material extraction (where in the UK alone, the construction industry accounts for 55% of raw material consumption) to product recycling (where 13% of project materials go direct to waste without being used), all stages of a product’s life are critical – and failing to consider

Daniel May is Director at Consort Architectural Hardware. He has played a fundamental role in supporting product development and commercial growth at Consort.

a product’s and, therefore, a building’s lifecycle is becoming a deciding factor in the modern procurement process.

Architectural hardware, for example, is one of the most heavily-used elements of a building and an integral part of any project. As such, hardware must meet the strict safety standards associated with testing, but so too, the stringent environmental management standards such as the widely-recognised ISO 14001 certification. When measuring the functionality of hardware, durability must now be astutely considered, where through increased longevity, quality products can outlast that of the building itself – further minimising environmental impact by removing the need for replacements. As with all building materials, the lifecycle of hardware should be reviewed

TALKING POINT throughout the manufacturing process, and trusted manufacturers are now providing that detailed evidence as part of the purchasing decision.

The alteration of product packaging is another area that is seeing significant change too. Ahead of the Plastic Packaging Tax set to introduce this year, R&D teams are already sourcing alternative packing options and eliminating product waste in a bid to stimulate the circular economy. This commitment must also transfer through to the specification and design stages of projects too.

In some cases, for example, there has been a shift to modular and offsite construction, where elements of the project are constructed and delivered in a finished form. This approach has been designed to reduce the consumption of site waste through the application of controlled manufacturing environments.

However, waste can still feature here, and decision makers must continue to recognise their responsibility in choosing the more sustainable product option to avoid sending any waste to landfill where possible.

Sustainable opportunities Undoubtedly, the race to net zero is changing the dimensions of the construction sector and the decisions made within. Yet, sustainability and the adoption of a circular economy poses a real opportunity and is likely to drive future projects forward and leave non-adapters behind.

The benefit of sustainable construction is, in fact, extremely far reaching. Already, most AEC organisations are seeing the advantages, as three in four construction firms say the introduction of sustainability initiatives has

led to a better use of resources. ‘Greener’ investments can pay dividends across the supply chain in various ways, from contractual wins to building managers seeing a reduction in their running costs over time.

As manufacturers continue to improve the longevity of their architectural components and materials, building performance will continue to peak. When adopted, the use of better, more sustainable materials will diminish the need to replace or refurbish poor-quality products over time, decreasing the costs associated with maintenance.

From an environmental standpoint, as the need for replacements decreases, so too will the material and packaging waste that has previously contributed to the industry’s eyeopening waste statistics – a win-win for all.

The clear, ongoing commitment to sustainable practice is represented by The Architects Registration Board, for example, which in 2021 introduced a string of new educational guidelines where students are set to learn key lessons on environmental sustainability. Moving forward, projects may no longer be approached with an environmental checklist in hand, and instead sustainable innovation will likely act as a springboard to elevate decisions throughout the building design process.

As hardware and building design continues to adapt, sustainable construction will progress, providing social, environmental and economic benefits for years to come. But above all, the need to safeguard our future is, and always should be, the most crucial objective – and we simply cannot afford to lose sight of that. 

www.consort-hw.com

Sources https://ukcop26.org https://www.unep.org https://researchbriefings.files.parliament. uk/documents/SN01432/SN01432.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/1002246/UK_stats_ on_waste_statistical_notice_July2021_ accessible_FINAL.pdf https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/ press-release/building-sector-emissions-hitrecord-high-low-carbon-pandemic https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukbecomes-first-major-economy-to-pass-netzero-emissions-law https://constructionblog.autodesk.com/ sustainable-construction-statistics/ https://www.breeam.com/?cn-reloaded=1 https://www.iso.org/standard/60857.html https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youneed-to-register-for-plastic-packaging-tax https://www.breeam.com/ BREEAMUK2014SchemeDocument/ content/09_material/mat06. htm#:~:text=The%20construction%20 industry%20accounts%20for,and%20 35%25%20of%20arising%20waste. https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/ eprint/39321/1/MaterialWaste3-Draft.pdf https://arb.org.uk/arb-publishes-newsafety-sustainability-guidelines-architectsnr21/

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TECHNICAL FOCUS

USING DATA TO DRIVE THE DECARBONISATION OF SOCIAL HOUSING It is no secret that there is significant work to be done to address decarbonisation in the UK housing sector. Stewart Little, CEO of IRT Surveys, explains how thermal imaging, paired with energy-saving calculator technology, can help property owners, landlords, developers and other stakeholders make smarter retrofit decisions to smooth the journey to net zero.

some progress is being made W hile in the social housing sector, 15 million owner-occupied and 4.44 million privately-rented homes will require decarbonisation over the next 28 years if the UK is to meet its 2050 net-zero target.

Making these homes energy efficient is not only a monumental task from a practical perspective, but, at a price tag of £104bn by 2050, it is also financially significant.

If property owners, landlords, developers and other stakeholders want to ensure these improvements are achieved quickly and cost-efficiently, they will need to make smart retrofit decisions.

Data-driven decision making To facilitate smart retrofit decision making, industry professionals need to gather data to help identify the energyefficiency and emissions issues present in the existing housing stock.

Using Building Information Modelling (BIM) for building envelope thermal performance analysis and energyefficiency evaluation allows them to identify properties’ emissions and energy-efficiency issues, predict the costs of addressing these issues, and calculate their return on investment.

When combined with thermal imaging, sensor data and other associated data, BIM can have an even greater impact as the resulting data offers far more useful and accurate visual insights into the conditions of homes.

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TECHNICAL FOCUS

CO2 USE BY PROPERTY

CO2 FOOTPRINT

Thermal imaging is most commonly used to assess housing stock and make informed decisions about potential retrofitting by quantifying the images and detecting energy deficiencies.

By producing accurate data, it can help industry professionals make smart decisions based on facts.

This is because an infrared thermal imaging survey offers an accurate insight into the condition of the building fabric, providing a detailed understanding into a wide range of energyefficiency issues, including empty or half-filled wall cavities, defective insulation, draughts, porous brickwork, rendering and waterproofing issues and more, many of which could go undetected using other forms of survey.

When coupled with advanced energy-saving calculators and funding databases, it can help property owners, landlords, developers and other stakeholders achieve CO 2 reductions, realise financial savings, and improve living conditions for occupants, by enabling them to take a more strategic approach to their retrofit pathway.

Benefits of thermal imaging Compared to traditional surveying methods, thermal imaging offers a host of benefits: It is quick – problems can rapidly be identified and remedial action discussed It is reliable – thermal images cannot lie It is accurate – by pinpointing where the problem is, only targeted repairs and maintenance are required It is non-invasive and non-destructive – there is no drilling or hammering and no damage is done to the building’s fabric It is safe – there is no need for scaffolding or climbing It is cost effective and convenient – with prices starting at £20 per elevation and with around 300 images able to be completed, per camera, per night, it allows a comprehensive survey process to be carried out in a single visit, reducing cost, time and inconvenience for the occupier.

Merging with modern technology For larger landlords and associations working on at-scale projects, further benefits can be achieved by harnessing new technology, data and cloud-based applications. Modern platforms can merge, augment and analyse data from a wide range of properties to make decisions on which homes are best suited for a retrofit and to create a project roadmap.

By conducting thermal imaging, together with inclusive 10-archetype internal surveys – including EPCs, airtightness, gSkin U-value thermocouples and retrofit assessment and coordination – properties can be assessed against a range of criteria such as structural integrity, condition and orientation, whether the homes have external wall insulation, contain asbestos or if they can take PV structurally.

If required, this can also be aligned with investment criteria so that projects can fit in with investment programmes and enable suitable funding opportunities to be identified to minimise costs.

These modern platforms essentially enable landlords and associations to access all the data in one place, making it far easier to prioritise and plan retrofitting projects. For example, the data gathered provides them with the critical insights they need to filter large numbers of homes so that projects can be created to deal with the properties most in need or for undertaking the rollout of specific improvements, such as cavity wall insulation, where required.

Considering the magnitude of overhauling the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock, and the fact that it is an extremely complex and highly-expensive undertaking, property owners, landlords, developers and other stakeholders should use all the tools at their disposal to make smart retrofit decisions. By using quantified thermal imaging coupled with advanced energysaving calculators during decision making, they will be able to achieve reductions in carbon emissions, make financial savings and improve occupants’ standards of living. 

www.irtsurveys.co.uk

29

MMC

OFFSITE STAYS AHEAD OF THE GAME The Government’s announcement of a ‘presumption in favour of offsite’ has helped the education sector increase the number of school places. Here, Jim Cowell, Technical Director at Elliott Offsite Solutions – soon to be Algeco – looks at some of the reasons why offsite construction of teaching spaces continues to gain favour.

T

here are signs that higher proportions of children are gaining places at their first choice of school, albeit there remains continued pressures in many areas. There are a number of reasons for this, although the Department for Education’s (DfE) push on building new teaching places using offsite has undoubtedly helped alleviate some of the issues. Encouragingly, the DfE has awarded over 20 contracts with an offsite element since the Government’s announcement. Of all the Government departments – housing, health, transport and defence – education has been the one to most fully embrace a presumption in favour of offsite, and for good reasons.

Compared to traditional construction, offsite techniques achieve a pre-manufactured value (PMV) of around 85%, whilst the work is completed in a quality-controlled factory environment, unaffected by the weather. This reduces the likelihood of the build being delayed by a shortage of skills on site or inclement weather conditions. It is a point not lost on many education providers where individual classrooms through to whole schools can be completed using offsite. Where required, this can be done within a schedule that fits around the school holiday window.

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Other benefits of offsite include significantly less working at height because it is a more controlled environment.

Likewise, there are fewer deliveries to site – good for the local community, less noise and safer roads. In a world where environment and sustainability feature heavily in decision making, modular and offsite builds result in significant less onsite waste compared to traditional builds.

Hatchlands Primary School A need for additional school places at Hatchlands Primary School in Redhill, Surrey, arose partly as a result of new residential developments

and increasing birth rates in the area. The site is situated within an urban area where Reigate and Banstead Borough Council have a presumption in favour of sustainable development.

Planning requirements meant that making efficient use of space was a high priority on this development because the 420-place school had to be created on a similar footprint to the existing structure and within the same two-storey height restriction.

Construction of the completely new school at Hatchlands, in just 32 weeks, demonstrates the speed and versatility of permanent modular building systems on

what was a complex, challenging urban brownfield site adjacent to a conservation area.

The turnkey scheme required demolition of the existing courthouse building and creation of a new, twostorey primary school using our modular system, along with parking and external landscaping. The development had to avoid being unduly prominent or detrimental to the character of the conservation area and surrounding residential community and neighbourhood.

The new school was funded by the DfE and operated by the Everychild Trust – a multiacademy trust, whose aim is to “engage, equip and empower every child”.

Development of Hatchland’s Primary School was part of the Modular-A Primary School component solution framework.

Elliott was in first position on this framework, and we were awarded the first nine primary schools. Hatchlands Primary School was subsequently secured as a mini competition through this framework, along with River Mill Primary in Dartford. The Department for Education’s Modular-A covers whole primary school buildings.

Ultimately, we were awarded Hatchlands because we demonstrated value for money and an ability to provide a full turnkey solution including

MMC demolition, externals and landscaping. As a permanent modular building system, the modules are delivered preassembled and ready for final finishing on site. This helped reduce the construction schedule at Hatchlands Primary School by around a half compared to a traditional onsite build.

The designer was DLA Architects, which worked with Elliott to develop a componentcentred solution that was based on the Elliott marketleading modular system.

Hatchlands was designed in a contemporary style using brick, cedar cladding, purple panelling to complement the school’s branding, render and significant glazed elements to create lightfilled teaching spaces.

Working with DLA Architects, Elliott devoted considerable effort to siting of the building as well as its scale, height and form in order to satisfy planning and community requirements.

Height and scale of the structure was minimised by incorporating a flat-roof design, mitigating its impact on local views.

The completed school is indistinguishable to a traditional onsite build yet delivers all the benefits of offsite construction; a shorter 32-week build schedule, less site traffic, more consistent build quality and reduction of onsite waste.

Allonby House, located within the development’s footprint, was utilised as the school’s temporary facilities whilst the scheme was underway, meaning we were working within the vicinity of a live teaching environment.

BREEAM ‘Very Good’ Construction of Hatchlands Primary School commenced on 2nd November 2020, with the school opening on 3rd June 2021 and achieved full completion on 14th August in time for the new term.

Advancing to a stage of school opening in just 32 weeks demonstrates the speed, efficiency and build quality of modular systems.

The completed school was built to high sustainability standards and achieves a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating.

This means it is within the top 25% of buildings in terms of sustainability, aligning with the goals of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council.

A large-span sports hall was created using our Hybrid system, providing the school with a valuable space that is now used for assemblies, sports and performances. The system allows incorporation of large, open atria and increased ceiling heights and can be fully integrated with the modules to provide greater design

scope. The two-storey, flatroof school achieves a building massing that is sympathetic with the conservation area and avoids ‘overlooking‘ nearby residential properties.

The suspended concrete floor on the modular system helps minimise transmittance of noise, meeting minimum standards set out in The Building Bulletin 93 (BB 93) ‘Acoustic Design of Schools: A Design Guide’.

The modular system we used at Hatchlands is fully Building Regulation compliant with passive ventilation and has a 60-year design life as a minimum. Overall, the turnkey solution is considered to be one that balances design,

scale and massing, resulting in an appropriate solution for the character of the area.

Once the development had been handed over, we were delighted with the comments. Moira Anderson, Headteacher at Hatchlands Primary School, said: “What a fabulous new school we now have! The children were really excited about moving into their new classroom and it is certainly very different to the temporary teaching areas we have been using.

We were all really impressed with the professionalism and considerate approach of the Elliott team.” 

www.elliottuk.com

31

PAINTS, COATINGS & FINISHES

PPG COATINGS HELP TO CREATE ‘ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST WORKPLACES IN THE WORLD’ The Spine, located in the heart of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool – a central hub for higher education and research in the city – includes the new northern home of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). Here, PPG details its contribution to the project, supplying coatings proven to purify indoor air.

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esigned by renowned architecture and building consultancy practice AHR, the building has been hailed as one of the healthiest workplaces in the world, thanks to the pioneering research in biophilia, health and wellbeing that has been drawn on for its creation.

One of the most exciting new developments in the North, The Spine reflects the RCP’s global stance as a leader in healthcare, using the latest innovations in wellbeing-focused design, while being a striking new addition to the Liverpool skyline.

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Creating a healthy workspace The Spine has been designed according to the scientific and medical research principles established in the WELL Standard to achieve WELL Platinum. Through the integration of architecture and interior design, The Spine embeds wellness and biophilia into the building environment emphasising strong connections to nature throughout the building, along with the highest standards for provision of fresh air, light and water.

The distinctive facade takes influence from the human skin, with the striking Voronoi pattern including 23 million individual polygons applied to the glazing of the building. Inside the building, The Spine’s series of double-height spaces, known as vertical villages, supports the provision of light to aid productivity and stimulating the mind.

Interior design solutions were selected with occupant wellbeing at the forefront, from natural materials, textures and finishes wherever possible to support biophilic principles and ensure air quality is kept to a high standard throughout the building.

PAINTS, COATINGS & FINISHES

Natural colour palettes The use of biophilic design extends into the colour palette chosen to represent the growth of a tree. Natural earthy colours flow throughout the lower floors, merging into greener, leafier colours and patterns and blues on the upper floors as you travel up the building. The colour palettes work harmoniously with the timber curtain wall and timber floor.

The result

Cleaner air with Air Pure Working closely with PPG, AHR specified a range of sustainable paints including Johnstone’s Trade Air Pure – a bio-based wall and ceiling paint proven to purify indoor air.

Robert Hopkins, AHR’s Regional Director, commented: “When it came to choosing paints for The Spine, we knew we had to find options that were water-based and would have the least possible negative impact on occupants.

So we were delighted to find a paint that would actually improve indoor air quality.

By using Johnstone’s Trade Air Pure, we’re optimising the air quality within the building and helping to enhance the

general wellbeing of occupants, all while limiting the impact on the environment.”

Once applied, the revolutionary airpurifying technology in Johnstone’s Trade Air Pure neutralises up to 70% of formaldehyde from indoor spaces. What’s more, the formula is 45% bio-based and comes in 100% recycled packaging.

To complement Air Pure and to support The Spine’s ambitious plan to create ‘one of the healthiest workplaces in the world’, a range of low-VOC, water-based solutions were used to give the building long-term protection including Johnstone’s Trade Aqua Water Based Gloss and Water Based Satin, Covaplus Vinyl Matt, Acrylic Durable Matt and Acrylic Durable Eggshell.

The landmark development is not only BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rated for its sustainable approach; it is also one of the first buildings in the UK designed to the WELL Platinum Building Standard, certified for mental health and physical wellbeing.

Robert added: “The Spine is one of our most exciting and revolutionary projects to date. We’ve had the opportunity to place unprecedented focus upon what really makes a positive, healthy and happy workplace. Working with the RCP, we’ve achieved a design that sets the bar for the incorporation of biophilia and its possibilities in a modern workplace. With wellness being such a core part of our ambitious design, we needed to make sure that every single element positively contributed to our objectives, and the paints used were no exception.” 

www.johnstonestrade.com

33

FOCUS & INNOVATION

A sustainable solution The foundation of Osmo wood finishes is based upon purified and refined natural resources, which are carefully harvested into natural oils and hard waxes. Osmo products contain natural vegetable oils to help nourish the wood and retain flexibility. Depending on the product, they might include linseed oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil as well as thistle oil. The interior range of hard wax oil products also contains natural plant waxes – carnauba wax and candelilla wax – offering wear resistance and repellency. Furthermore, Osmo’s extensively-cleaned pigments have been approved for use in the food industry.

Choosing the right finish

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SUSTAINABLE WOOD FINISH Consumers today are more conscious than ever about the sustainability credentials of the products they buy and use. There is a clear trend for switching to more sustainable and environmentally-friendly products. That’s why so many people turn to Osmo when looking for a wood finish, as it’s not only high quality, durable and easy to maintain but also made from sustainable ingredients.

Osmo’s mission is to preserve the natural beauty and durability of wood with only the highest quality and environmentally-friendly products. Products made from wood – from flooring to furniture – are made from organic matter, so they will continue to need nourishment to ensure the product stays in the best possible condition, both aesthetically and structurally. Osmo’s advice is to make use of a high-quality finish full of natural ingredients to complement the wood’s properties. This will ensure that the wood continues to breathe and respond well to environmental conditions, removing any possibility of cracking and blistering.

FSC certification Osmo supports sustainable forestry and works diligently to ensure that the origin of timbers used can be proven. To help improve, and with natural resources in mind, Osmo has taken on the high standard of FSC certification for certain products. In choosing an Osmo product, you can be reassured that the product is not just good for wood but good for the environment too.

For more information on Osmo and its range of environmentally-friendly and sustainable products and finishes, visit the website below.

www.osmouk.com 01296 481220 info@osmouk.​com

34

FOCUS & INNOVATION

WORLD’S FIRST CARBONNEUTRAL HAND DRYERS LAUNCHED BY UK FIRM British brand, Dryflow, has launched ten 100% carbon-neutral electric hand dryers, as officially verified by ClimatePartner.

The verification process saw each dryer meticulously analysed to measure the full extent of its lifetime’s emissions, from ‘cradle to grave’. This ensures everything, from the manufacture, transport and end-of-life recyclability, to the day-to-day usage, is generating minimal emissions, and the CO 2 that is created is effectively offset through recognisable projects.

The Dryflow range of dryers has been developed exclusively in partnership with Intelligent Facility Solutions, which has specialised in supplying sustainable hand dryers and washroom accessories to the commercial and educational sectors for the past 10 years.

Andy Cameron, Founder of Intelligent Facility Solutions, comments: “It has meant the world to us to work closely with Dryflow

to launch the first-ever range of carbon-neutral hand dryers.

Over the years, we have worked with thousands of organisations to improve their sustainable credentials by upgrading to energyefficient units, and we’re delighted that we can now pass on even more carbon savings to our customers.”

Intelligent Facility Solutions has been dedicated to providing optimal sustainable washroom solutions since the company was founded in Sheffield in 2012. As such, the business has recently banned airfreight to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and offers long warranties and lifetime guarantees to keep commercial hand dryers in use for as long as possible.

It also runs its ‘Infinity Life’ project, which sees the firm reclaiming old hand dryers to repair whole, or use

OFFICE REFURB SPECIALIST UPGRADING FIRE PERFORMANCE USING TBA FIREFLY RANGE A high-specification office building close to Manchester Airport has been subject to a series of planned refurbishment contracts carried out by a sister company to the property developer which owns it, with the phased work including the upgrade of each floor or unit’s fire performance using smoke and flame barriers from TBA FIREFLY. Owned by Orbit Developments, Park Square is a modern, commercial office building offering up to 65,000ft 2 of space over five floors, together with cafe and other amenities in an attractive setting. As leases of various occupants expire, the group’s fitout contractor, Kirkham, strips out and refurbishes the vacated spaces, including installing TBA’s Phoenix barriers above the suspended ceiling grids before fitting new panels and improved lighting. TBA FIREFLY Phoenix is a lightweight smoke and flame barrier developed to enable compartmentation within buildings to provide up to 120 minutes integrity under BS 476 Parts 20 and 22. Certified by IFCC, the flexible and straightforward-to-install material is suitable for both newbuild and retrofit situations.

01706 758817

www.tbafirefly.com technical@tbafirefly.com

their parts, in order to donate reconditioned units to charity or put them back into circulation – and most importantly, keep them out of landfill.

The full range of Dryflow carbon-neutral hand dryers, verified by ClimatePartner and available exclusively through Intelligent Facility Solutions, includes Bulletdri, D-Flow, Dryflow Elite Mark II, G-Force Mark II, Jetforce Junior, JetDri Mark II, Turboforce Junior, Turboforce, Ecowave and Viper. All dryers are available in a variety of designs and finishes, and include features such as HEPA filters, Quiet Mark approval and fast dry times.

0114 354 0047

www.intelligenthanddryers.com sales@ihdryers.co.uk

CATHEDRAL VISITOR CENTRE EASILY ACCESSED VIA TORMAX ENTRANCE Creating a welcoming entrance to the new Lincoln Cathedral visitor centre, TORMAX has installed a set of two-leaf automatic swing doors, powered by invisible iMotion 1401 underfloor operators. Set into a striking dark grey facade developed by AccentHansen, the automatic entrance is understated, yet contemporary, providing the perfect complement to the cathedral cloisters on one side and the deanery on the other. Designed inhouse at the TORMAX HQ in Switzerland, the iMotion 1401 door operators are concealed in steel casings set within the floorspace, delivering automation without the need for external operators. Invisible automation, such as this, is only possible thanks to the innovative iMotion motor, which features none of the parts that usually wear out, such as gears and brushes, ensuring minimal maintenance and enhanced efficiency in the long term. The state-of-theart visitor centre has been created as part of a National Lottery-funded project to upgrade and improve the overall experience for all visitors to Lincoln Cathedral.

01932 238040

www.tormax.co.uk sales@tormax.co.uk

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FOCUS & INNOVATION

SMOKE EXTRACTION SOLUTION FROM GEZE Fire safety remains a top priority for all involved in the construction industry, with many manufacturers offering a variety of solutions. GEZE, a leading manufacturer of door and window control systems, offers one more, which it believes is a unique solution for smoke extraction systems in the marketplace.

PYRAMID LANTERNS LAUNCHED Roof lantern manufacturer, Atlas Roofing Systems, has announced the launch of its new pyramid lantern design. With more than 10 years’ experience in the production and delivery of elegant rooflight systems, Atlas was one of the pioneers of the contemporary roof lantern. The company continues to offer one of the slimmest lanterns available in the UK, which includes a thermally-broken structure; improved secure pressure-plated system and fitter-friendly fixings. The previous design required a small 125mm ridge, but the improved version shortens that ridge to 45 x 45mm, meaning that all four sides are symmetrical.

The five-day delivery stock lanterns come in the following sizes: 1000 x 1000mm, 1250 x 1250mm and 1500 x 1500mm. The larger 1750 x 1750mm and 2000 x 2000mm sizes are also available as stock sizes.

Bespoke sizes are available on a two-week lead time. Atlas specialises in the manufacture of roof lantern systems and rooflights, a feature on a home that has grown in popularity over the past decade and remains in high demand.

0283 832 7741

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www.atlasroofsolutions.co.uk sales @atlasroofsolutions.co.uk

The RWA K 600 retractable arm drive can be fitted to emergency exits on escape routes and, in the event of a fire, it can be used as a fresh air supply which, when the fire alarm is sounded, the door opens automatically allowing a large amount of air to flow into the building, forcing smoke out.

The powerful drive with high torque opens a door to 90° in less than 60 seconds. Yet the door remains readily accessible due to the freely-positioned activation of the lever by means of a pressure roller.

The RWA K 600 is perfect for use in supply air systems where large opening angles are required. It is suitable for single- and double-leaf smoke and heat extraction fresh air doors and can be installed on both the hinge or opposite hinge side.

Andy Iredale, National Sales Manager for Automatic Doors and Window Control, comments: “The RWA K 600 is a unique solution in the extraction of smoke from a building in the case of fire. Its suitability for use in a variety of situations makes it perfect for use on escape routes.”

01543 443000

www.geze.co.uk info.uk@geze.com

LANDMARK LEWISHAM PROJECT USING A1 MAGPLY FOR FIREPROOF PATTRESS INSERTS A significant new high-rise residential project in the London borough of Lewisham is being built to provide high-quality social housing, with the design of the structure prioritising the use of non-combustible materials, including the choice of A1rated Magply boards for pattresses within the external walls.

Within all of the high-specification homes, pattress blocks cut from 18mm sheets of Magply boards, manufactured by IPP, are being fitted to the reinforced concrete structure’s infill of heavy-gauge steel studs by sub-contractor, SCL Interiors.

Independently certified to offer a range of performance benefits, Magply MOS boards present a fire-safe and environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional plywood or OSB products, which normally only offer a Euroclass D or E rating. Importantly, the pull-out strength for 18mm Magply is in the range 3.45-4.00Kn/m2. The different thicknesses of panel are also widely used as a substrate board for the direct application of proprietary render systems, as well as for flooring and flat- or pitched-roof build-ups.

www.magply.co.uk 01621 776252 john@magply.co.uk

HURST SETS THE STANDARD FOR FD30 WITH HIGH-PERFORMANCE FDS FIRE DOOR SYSTEM A high-performance GRP fire door system is the latest offering from one of Britain’s leaders in the field. With an experienced, dedicated team, extensive customer support, and an uncompromising commitment to quality, Hurst Doors has earned itself a reputation for excellence over the past 25 years.

RMIG City Emotion

FOCUS & INNOVATION

Now, by offering the new fds fire door system, it looks set to continue that legacy. All stages of the fds supply chain, up to and including the doorset manufacturer, are third-party certified to the BM TRADA Q-Mark certification scheme.

The result of significant investment and months of rigorous testing and expert consultation, the fds FD30 fire doorset system has been subjected to meticulous independent auditing, as have Hurst Doors’ own manufacturing capabilities.

The fds GRP composite fire door system has undergone in excess of 30 bi-directional tests featuring 60 individual doorsets, undertaken in three independent accredited European countries’ test laboratories and achieving an average of 45 minutes integrity (equating to 50% over run of the 30-minute pass criteria).

Tested to the more demanding EN1634-1:2014 European standard, it satisfies the UK National Test standard method and delivers compliance to UK Building Regulations for fire door safety.

Testing has been completed on both solid- and glazed-door options, with or without overhead fanlights. Testing has also recently been successfully completed on glazed side panels, with plans to introduce these imminently.

Hurst Doors’ Sales Director, Mark Atkinson, comments: “Recent years have seen Britain address its attitudes to fire safety following the Grenfell tragedy.

“Today, the industry demands a GRP composite fire door system that can consistently demonstrate compliance and dependable performance, and this can only be achieved through bi-directional testing and third-party certification.

“In addition, it is also crucial to have that transparency of the supply chain, in order to provide full traceability of the product.

That’s exactly what the fds fire door system has been designed to provide, and we’re delighted with the results.”

www.hurstdoors.co.uk 01482 790790

we make ideas come to life

A stunning perforated metal facade out of the ordinary The Cineworld New Mersey Retail Park is a multi-million pound complex, comprising 11 cinemas, including one with Superscreen, as well as six restaurants. Located on a major access road into Liverpool, this building looks set to become a landmark. The bold design gives a ‘sci-fi’ feel to this unusual facade that is made

up of more than 3000 m2 of perforated sheets manufactured and supplied by RMIG. As the building is situated only a few miles from the River Mersey, the stainless steel sheets provide the perfect solution, creating a facade that is durable and resistant to the coastal environment.

RMIG Ltd | 1-7 Adlington Court | Risley Road | Birchwood Warrington | WA3 6PL Chesire | Tel: + 44 1925 839610 | info.uk@rmig.com | www.city-emotion.com

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ROOFING, CLADDING FOCUS & INNOVATION & INSULATION

PROTEUS DESIGNS PERFECT FORMULA FOR FACADES AT ST ALBANS SCHOOL Proteus Facades has created an aesthetic like no other on the external facade of a new-build mathematics facility at St Albans School in Hertfordshire, through clever use of the manufacturer’s Proteus GL glass cladding panels and digital screen-printing facilities.

In recent years, the school has experienced a consistently increasing take-up of science-, technology-, engineering- and mathematics-related (STEM) subjects by pupils. However, it was found that there was a lack of existing, fitfor-purpose space to house and support the growth and teaching of these subjects at the school.

The new Corfield Building at St Albans School replaces a now-demolished wooden, cabin-like structure to address this need.

Designed by PHP Architects and developed

by Borras Construction, it includes a bespoke, two-storey maths facility on the upper-ground and first floors along with a Combined Cadet Force (CCF) shooting range and office space within the lower-ground floor.

A key requirement for the design of the new structure was to ensure that the outside aesthetics showcased the stateof-the-art facilities within and the leading reputation that the school has for its STEM programme.

To achieve the required aesthetic, and taking inspiration from the old blackboards and white chalk used in schools many years ago, PHP Architects specified bespoke Proteus GL 4mm back-painted glass cladding panels with a unique, screen-printed monochrome mathematical design.

Using state-of-the-art glass-processing facilities, the glass was fabricated with a two-layer digital screen-print effect. An initial white application was added, and CNC-control printed with the mathematical symbols. A solid secondary black backpainted layer was then added to create the blackboard effect. The featured arrangement of mathematical and geometrical symbols, shapes and equations represent those used within theories and formulas covered as part of the core subject.

While the principal of designing a blackboard for the external elevation sounds simple, it creates a number of challenges. The most prudent being developing a product that can both achieve the required aesthetics and have the strength and durability to withstand external environmental conditions, such as harsh weather.

As glass is a completely inert material, Proteus GL was the ideal choice as it provides a virtually-unlimited lifespan because it is rust and corrosion free. In addition, as the system is available in almost any RAL colour or bespoke digitallyscreen-printed options, the material offers architects a wealth of design options, while providing a product that is colourfast, resistant to UV rays and fully tested and compliant with CWCT Standards.

Proteus GL is an integrated modular rainscreen cladding system with an aluminium honeycomb core, structurallybonded between a toughened back-painted glass face and a lightweight metal rear skin.

The system has been tested to EN 13501 and achieves an A2 fire rating. It is also lightweight, being up to 33% lighter than the closest glass rainscreen system.

Each panel, installed by Craft Interiors, is supported by the unique Proteus system of aluminium carriers and ancillary components, which can be installed on to any type of wall construction, with no visible fixings, creating a sheer, smooth facade.

Commenting on the design and development of the new structure at St Albans School, a representative of the school said: “As well as significantly improving the home of our ever-popular CCF unit, this development provides our maths department with a new building worthy inside and out of its outstanding results.”

www.proteusfacades.com 0151 545 5075

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