Industry News

Plans to build 460-flats next to Southall station in West London have got the planning green light.

The scheme is the first to be brought forward by Connected Living London, a partnership between build to rent specialist Grainger and Transport for London.

Designed by Assael Architecture it will be built out as five buildings on a 1.16 acre site on railway sidings and is currently used for storage and associated Elizabeth line works.

The homes will be a mixture of one, two and three-bedroom properties, providing options for all types of households, with affordable homes offered at a discounted market rent.

Ben Tate, a spokesperson for CLL and Head of Property Development at TfL, said: “It’s fantastic to see the first of our sites at Southall get the go-ahead as part of Connected Living London. We can now start delivering quality rental homes that the capital desperately needs and help improve the area for the local community.” CCL has submitted four other planning applications since it was set up last July. •4•

The other sites, which are spread across London, are: • Arnos Grove (located next to the Tube station), Enfield

• Montford Place in Kennington (which is currently being used as a construction site for the Northern Line

Extension), Lambeth • Nine Elms (An Over Station

Development for Nine Elms station on the Northern Line Extension), Lambeth

Once approved, these would collectively deliver more than 1,200 new rental homes across the city, with each scheme individually delivering 40% affordable housing, alongside industrial and commercial workspace and improvements for the local community.

The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) is delighted to confirm that it will be continuing its sponsorship of Charlton Athletic Women’s Football Club for the 2020/21 season, which will coincide with the launch of a new digital strategy for the Women’s Championship side.

BiKBBI’s sponsorship of Charlton Athletic Women begun in 2018 and despite the challenges faced by many businesses this year, the government sanctioned organisation is keen to maintain its support for both the club and women’s football in general. Speaking on behalf of the organisation, CEO Damian Walters said: “The continued synergy between the male dominated sport and vocational careers remain apparent. Both the world of football and home improvement / construction would benefit enormously from a more gender balanced representation.”

Damian added: “Now is not the time to withdraw support. In fact, this is the time to get behind it more than ever. Charlton Athletic Women need local businesses and supporters to get behind this club and to support its reach into the community and thousands of children. Girls should be encouraged to play football and with our partnership they’ll also be made aware of the opportunities that exist within the home improvement industry – including the Fitted Interiors Apprenticeship we champion.”

Charlton Athletic Women’s General Manager Steve Adamson commented by saying: “BiKBBI’s continued sponsorship of Charlton Athletic Women’s Football Club is very much applauded. Football has a real job to readjust post-COVID and it is this type of support that helps us to survive. But we need more support and we invite other businesses to follow suit and get involved.”

Part of BiKBBI’s sponsorship with Charlton Women’s Football Club will be to launch a new digital strategy to include a brand new mobile responsive website, that will form a home for the wider digital plan and to further reach out into the community. Further details for this will be announced soon.

Charlton Athletic Women are looking for sponsors and partners to help support them throughout the 2020/21 season and beyond. If you are interested, especially in being part of the new website launch, please email Commercial@CAWFC.com

Industry News COMPLIANT DOOR CLOSING

A door closer is a mechanical device that reduces the physical burden of opening and shutting doors, and can be housed above, beneath or within the door unit. Door closers play a crucial role across many commercial buildings, yet despite this, many building owners remain unaware of their importance, which could be contributing to inadequate specification choices. Here, David Saxby, Senior Category Manager at IronmongeryDirect, highlights some of the key considerations for specifiers as well as some recommended solutions.

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pproved Document B (Fire safety) in England and Wales, Section 2 in Scotland and Part E in Northern Ireland, require fire doors to be fitted with a minimum ‘power size 3’, CE accredited self-closing device that will reliably close the door within 25 seconds to prevent the spread of flames and smoke in the event of a fire.

For common installation situations, the ‘Lever on Rose Fire Door Kit’ offers a simple, cost effective solution for building owners. It provides all the required CE marked hardware and components necessary, including hinges, overhead door closer, sashlock, levers, intumescent seals and even signage. Different kits are available dependent on the requirements of the door - such as heavy or light duty.

A building must be designed and constructed in a way that allows everyone to move freely - in line with the Equality Act 2010. This means that door closers need to reliably close, without having such a force that would prevent anyone with a disability from opening the door, or restrict day to day access for any group of users. The Arrone AR3500 is one of the most trusted and economical solutions for an overhead closer. With an adjustable power size 2-4, it is ideal for medium use areas and is compliant with the Equality Act, suitable for living accommodation and office corridors. The Rutland TS9205 is a slim-line, power adjustable heavy duty arm door closer with an architectural finish. With a 120-minute fire rating, this overhead closer is ideal for use in student accommodations, as well as in office corridors, hotels and public buildings.

The Arrone AR3500 Door Closer and Rutland TS9205 Door Closer both feature a delayed action option that slows down the closing speed of the door, making it ideal for prams or wheelchair access. For durability, the backcheck function on both products offers resistance when the door is opened with excessive force, preventing damage to doors, making these ideal for high traffic areas and affording building owners with a longer door lifecycle.

For more guidance, please read IronmongeryDirect’s Fire Door Checklist: www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/fire-door-checklist

MODUS TILT & TURN ACCOMODATES TOUGH REQUIREMENTS AT NEW DEVELOPMENT

When construction and development group Bowmer & Kirkland needed to ensure a £19million project for the YMCA stayed in budget, they asked Eurocell for advice.

The right people to turn to, as the successful completion of the landmark building in November 2019 would prove.

With an enviable track helping architects, developers and installers find solutions, plus unmatched PVC-U window design and expertise, we got our sleeves rolled up before the first concrete was poured.

Making short work of value engineering analysis for the project, Eurocell engineers identified the tight budget could be made to work even harder. By changing the window spec from aluminium to PVC-U in the shape of their Modus Tilt & Turn profile, they could lower costs by up to 37% and increase thermal performance, without altering the design.

‘Eurocell were good at supporting Astraseal technically. They were clear about what could and couldn’t be achieved with the Modus profile. It was a successful contract.’

Mark MacMullan, Astraseal

PVC-U may look like a good choice on paper. But how does it perform against aluminium in-situ?

When it comes to aesthetics, it’s the best lookalike around as virtually any metallic surface can be replicated. In this case, an identical colour and finish to the original aluminium spec through the application of a smooth RAL7016 foil. Not just a perfect match for the architect’s vision, but also for any aluminium doors and commercial shop fronts on the ground level.

However, and perhaps even more eye-catching for developers, its hidden strength lies in its outstanding versatility when used in a profile such as Modus.

With full technical support and expertise from Eurocell, installation contractor Astraseal was able to specify a system that was modified and strengthened to provide the rigidity required to meet the project’s challenging wind loading and structural issues.

This required reinforcing steel bars to be supplied by a third party to be integrated with the frames during fabrication. A solution that could be seamlessly incorporated into the profile and one that had already been put to work in previous developments requiring similar structural support capability.

Acoustic rating to the glass was also a major consideration. Modus Tilt and Turn was a flexible enough option to be able to meet the requirement of structural engineers PRP, who factored in the required noise reducing glazing with the help of the Eurocell Technical Support Team.

In the case of the Milton Keynes YMCA, switching window spec to PVC-U not only significantly lowered the overall installation cost for the windows. But also put in place a system with thermal efficiency that will continue to save money as it reduces overall utilities costs for the facility into the future.