INTERIORS AND INTERIOR DESIGN - The latest trends

RADIATORS WORK WITH LOW TEMPERATURE SYSTEMS

Stelrad is seeing its radiators being specified more and more for renewable heating systems as the popularity of heat pumps rises. Radiators are still a popular and sensible choice as homeowners are familiar with how they heat their homes, and when properly sized, they are the perfect solution to share heat from heat pump installations. All radiators should be sized correctly for the rooms they are installed in and Stelrad offer a free radiator sizing and heat loss calculator on its website.

You will require larger radiators for a renewable, low temperature system than you would for a traditional boiler driven heating system because the water flow temperature in the system is lower. But that can mean a larger radiator possibly a vertical radiator, or one of the increasingly popular K3 radiators – with three panels and three fins –with the same radiator footprint for a room as a current K2 radiator, but with 50% additional metal surface to provide increased heat levels.

Stelrad has invested hugely in developing its range of radiators to ensure it can offer radiators that provide sufficient heat from renewable heating systems, a fact supported by the high number of new build developers that have already decided to stick with radiators as their key form of heat emitter and there are plenty of case studies to show how effectively this works. Stelrad has gone to the trouble of devising a specialist CPD for the business to provide facts and figures and evidence-based information to help installers and specifiers to choose the right products for their installations: www.stelrad.com

EUROBRICK SELECTED BY MARKS AND SPENCER FOR FOOD HALLS

Marks and Spencer is currently undertaking a building programme of new food halls alongside refitting some of its stores throughout the UK. Eurobrick is proud to be supplying I-Clad along with brick slips to Marks & Spencer’s contractors and installers as part of the interior shop fitout. To date, a total of 21 stores, from London to Edinburgh, have been completed using around 1375 m² of I-Clad, Eurobrick’s brick slip system.

I-Clad can be fixed to timber or light gauge steel studs and has a plasterboard panel with a horizontal ribbed profile which aligns and supports the brick slips making the formation of brick courses quick and easy. I-Clad has an installed system depth starting from just 28mm. Using real brick slips, the look and feel of traditional brickwork is achieved but at a fraction of the depth of full bricks. At approximately 50Kg per m², the installed system also poses fewer issues in terms of additional loads, than traditional brickwork.

In the majority of stores, Eurobrick supplied its Red Blue Flamed brick slips, which are a light textured sanded red with a blue, grey multi-effect, creating a consistent design style. www.eurobrick.co.uk

PIONEERING ACOUSTILAY SETS THE QUALITY STANDARD FOR SOUNDPROOFING FLOORS

More than 25 years after Acoustilay was launched, the premium, UK-made, acoustic flooring system for floors continues to set the standard for product quality, ease of installation and sound reduction potential. Manufactured by acoustic experts, Sound Reduction Systems, the Acoustilay range of products can be laid under a wide variety of floor finishes, including carpets, laminates, solid wood, vinyl and even tiled floors.

Available in four different grades, including the new Acoustilay Tilemat product, it remains the most specified soundproofing treatment of its kind due its quality, versatility and the wealth of technical and acoustic data behind it. While all Acoustilay products provide excellent impact noise performance resulting from footsteps, dropped items and moving furniture, the heavier grades of Acoustilay 8 and 15 are also able to reduce airborne noise transmission such as television, music and speech.

Acoustilay can be used to meet the requirements of Part E of the Building Regulations, ‘resistance to the passage of sound’, in both new build and conversion projects. An animated installation guide can be viewed on the Sound Reduction Systems website, where all fitting instructions can also be found Acoustilay is 100% sourced and manufactured in the UK using recyclable content. It is supplied in 1200mm x 1200mm sheets, in thicknesses of 10mm, 12mm and 15mm to suit a variety of soundproofing objectives. www.soundreduction.co.uk

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CREATING ASSISTED LIVING TECHNOLOGIES OF THE FUTURE

Demonstrating how assisted living technologies can transform lives, advanced solutions from award winning manufacturer and designer, Pressalit, have been chosen to feature in the National Robotarium, the UK’s largest and most advanced centre for robotics and artificial intelligence, which recently opened in Edinburgh.

The Ambient Assisted Living Lab (AAL) within Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh’s acclaimed National Robotarium, aims to revolutionise the way assisted living care in the UK is delivered in the community using robotics and AI.

With its purpose-built facilities within a recreated home setting, scientists and engineers within the AAL will collaboratively research and create robotic and smart technology solutions in its open and remote access living lab, helping improve the physical and mental wellbeing of people with assisted living needs who want to live independently.

Sharing this ethos of improving people’s wellbeing through design, Pressalit has been leading the way in assisted living technologies for the bathroom and kitchen for almost fifty years. Pressalit was therefore delighted to be asked to contribute to the inspiring work being carried out at the National Robotarium.

Professor Lynne Baillie, head of Human-Robot Interaction at the National Robotarium who leads on research into assistive living technologies says: “The high-spec multi-disciplinary AAL is the ideal setting for our ground-breaking research into the use of robotics and sensor technologies within the home. Through the use of artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and smart sensors, we are developing technologies that can provide social, cognitive and physical assistance in the home for those who require it, allowing them more freedom, autonomy and independence in their lives.”

“The technology and equipment within the lab, including Pressalit’s clever track systems, which facilitate the movement and adjustment of built-in furniture throughout the different spaces, means we can develop and test our science with real people, emulating their actual homes and living habits, which leads to better and more effective solutions.”

Featured in the AAL is the Pressalit PLUS track system, which allows vertical and horizontal adjustment of different bathroom products. The room can be configured to suit individual user and carer requirements, optimising space for wheelchair or carer access, whilst also future proofing the room. Meanwhile, Pressalit’s height adjustable INDIVO kitchen system brings a sense of independence to daily tasks in the kitchen and dining room.

With a simple press of a button, sink and hob worktop heights can be adjusted to suit standing and seated users, and wall cupboards can be brought within easy reach. Tasks from washing up, cooking and preparing food, to sharing a meal at the table, can be carried out in an environment that is safe, comfortable and inclusive. www.pressalit.com

NEW DRU MAESTRO 60 TALL FRONT MODEL IN CONTEMPORARY SURROUND

he Maestro 60 Tall model has a compact 60 cm width for installation into false chimneybreasts. There are now Maestro T 60 Tall front-facing, 2-sided and 3-sided models. The front version has a window height of 80 cms, with the 2 and 3-sided versions having heights of 75 cms. They have black, Ceraglass or matt glass interiors and can be combined with a wide choice of surrounds and frames. An additional feature is the DRU Easy Release door system. This has concealed hinges at the top of the glass door with a button-operated drop-down facility, which enables cleaning the glass, re-arranging the logs and other forms of maintenance. All three models have A energy labels and over 90% energy efficiency. Because they are balanced flue gas fires, they can be installed in a wide variety of locations. And with the DRU PowerVent® extended, fan- assisted flue system they are suitable for luxury apartments, hotels, restaurants and other domestic and commercial settings. www.drufire.com

HOWE GREEN SUPPORTS SUCCESSFUL SPECIFICATION AT BOND STREET STATION

As one of nine new stations developed as part of the construction of the Elizabeth line, Bond Street Station will facilitate up to 137,000 passengers per day, with up to 22 trains passing through the station every hour at peak times from November 6 this year and up to 24 trains per hour from May 2023.

Providing interchanges for the Central and Jubilee lines, the newly constructed Bond Street station will significantly improve accessibility for travellers, whilst simultaneously increasing capacity at one of the busiest shopping districts in the UK.

The development of the station included the specification of 200 Howe Green stainless steel floor access covers as part of the structural and architectural design process to provide secure and concealed access to under-floor services. Installed throughout the entire station, which includes two newly constructed ticket halls at street level and all underground passenger platforms that can be as long as 255 metres, the medium-duty 7500 Series Floor Access Covers were manufactured to meet the project’s extensive requirements.

With over 50 kilometres of communications cabling, 200 CCTV cameras, 66 information displays, 200 radio antennas, 750 loudspeakers and 50 help points, an essential element of the specification process was ensuring the covers were tamper proof, without preventing contractors from gaining quick and easy access to the services below.

Manufactured with unobtrusive barrel cover lifting points that can only be accessed with unique lifting and securing keys, the access covers are protected from unauthorised access, without impacting the overall design scheme, as only the securing bolt and barrel edge are visible.

Photo credits above and below - Darren Almond Artwork for TfL The method of removing the covers also ensures the products can be handled easily and safely by contractors, eliminating any potential strain or harm, regardless of the covers’ combined weight with the hard flooring finishes. This is due to the lifting blocks being anchored to the inner frame. Throughout maintenance-only areas, the lifting mechanisms of the floor access covers are mechanically assisted with pistons so engineers can securely lift the covers from underneath.

Installed in conjunction with terrazzo flooring across the platforms, and Portuguese granite throughout the ground floor public areas, the 7500 Series Floor Access Covers seamlessly blend with the architectural finishes of the station for a streamlined visual effect. This sleek aesthetic is further enhanced by the tiling modules, which create a unified and cohesive finish, simultaneously eradicating any potential trip hazards, as the access covers are

installed entirely flush with the hard flooring. The minimal profile of the edges also reflects the dimension of the joins between the tiles to create a perfect finish, even when working with the radial sections of stone tiling on curved passages and walkways, which required individual access covers constructed of curvilinear profiles to deliver a high quality, bespoke finish.

Each of the covers withstand up to five tonne pneumatic tyre wheel loads. Manufactured to BS 476: Part 22: 1987, the covers’ ability to eliminate the potential transmission of smoke and fire from the underground services in the event of a fire was another key consideration of the specification process. www.howegreen.com