Building Innovations July 2017 Issue 2

uilding

innovations A MAGAZINE FOR ARCHITECTS

JULY 2017 EDITION

www.buildinginnovations.co.uk

R

burning passion

Just some of this month’s highlights...

4... Centuries Old But As Contemporary As Ever 10... Archaus Receives A Facelift From Remmers 16... The Dangers Of Switching Specification 22... Glass Balconies Add Style To Coastal Locations 28... Comar Answers The Call 56... Studor Solution Waves Goodbye To Ugly Rooftops 62... Levolux Delivers Top Class Solution Front Cover...Photo kindly supplied by Craven Dunnill Jackfield www.cravendunnill-jackfield.co.uk

Some of the colour photography used in Building Innovations is provided and paid for by contributors. The publishers do not accept liability for errors that may appear in the publication. In association with Jasper, Muz and the Suede Grenade. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the consent of the publisher.

Published by: L2 Media Limited Editorial Office: Kingfisher’s Retreat, Dunston Business Village, Stafford Road, Dunston, Stafford ST18 9AB Tel: 01785 711591 Fax: 0845 862 8639 info@l2media.uk www.l2media.uk www.twitter.com/Link2Media www.facebook.com/L2MediaLtd uk.pinterest.com/L2Media issuu.com/link2media

Reader Enquiry E-Service If you would like to receive further information about any of the products and services featured in this issue, just email us at info@l2media.uk, type ‘BI JULY 2017’ in the email title, include the page number and title of the article of interest and your contact details. We’ll do the rest! (If you’d prefer to fax the information, it’s 0845 862 8639, or you can even post it to us!)

News

Centuries Old But As Contemporary As Ever 4

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King William Street, London (TRI Contracting)

News

It is extraordinary that so many natural building materials used thousands of years ago are growing in popularity today. The most dramatic are marble and terrazzo and it is very easy to see why these high performance, aesthetically led products are still so popular and specification demand for them is escalating.

The National Federation of Terrazzo Marble & Mosaic Specialists (www. nftmms.co.uk) is the national organisation keen to maintain and improve the standards of craftsmanship and technical control on which the industry depends. Their founding aims remain to this day and apply equally to mosaic, marble, granite, limestone and quartz, which require similar but subtly different degrees of craft skill together with quality in execution and deep knowledge of the materials and how they perform. To further the aims of the Federation, technical advice and assistance with specifications is freely given. Detailed Specification Sheets covering Terrazzo Marble and Mosaic are all available for the serious specifier and designer.

Marble With marble, the variety of colours and veins inherent in this rich natural product, coupled with the different surface finishes, lend themselves to the most prestige of applications – especially where high durability and low maintenance, coupled with fine quality and stunning aesthetics, are required to enhance high traffic projects, such as shopping centres, supermarkets, public areas and transport hubs and prestige foyers.

The ability to embed colour and enjoy design of freedom and to create patterns and forms is limited only by the designer’s imagination. Marble is an extremely versatile material and its suitability for floors, walls, stair treads, risers and skirtings means that it will also be used extensively within projects to create visual impact. A stunning example of this is Federation member Diespeker’s bookmatched marble installation for Glasgow retailer END Clothing (see image below).

Terrazzo Centuries old Terrazzo is also an extremely versatile material which can be applied in situ to floors and other surfaces, made into tiles or cast into moulds of almost any shape. It is probably the most widely used of all hard floorings, certainly in heavy traffic areas, such as shopping malls, airports, railway and underground stations, hospitals and supermarkets. It can be equally formed into staircases, skirtings, column bases and almost any shape and used on walls.

Victoria Gate Leeds shopping centre (Andrews Marbles and Tiles)

Including the standard products, terrazzo offers an extraordinary design freedom with its physical shape, patterns and colours all able to be customised to order. Federation member Quiligotti explains that different levels of finish can be specified ranging from honed to polished, while bespoke designs with logos and decorative graphic are possible with water jet cutting. All this means that the smooth seamless surfaces are ideal for wheeled and the heaviest traffic applications. Its hardwearing performance will outlast most flooring materials and provide the lowest possible like cycle cost. >>>>

Diespeker’s bookmatched marble installation for Glasgow retailer END Clothing

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Tottenham Court Road Underground Station (TRI Contracting)

>>>>>> A dramatic example of how terrazzo can be used for wall design can be seen at the recently refurbished Tottenham Court Road Underground Station where Federation member TRI Contracting has restored the iconic Eduardo Paolozzi’s work.

This is a stunning example of how the material can brighten up and provide decorative interest (see image above).

Other materials Granite is a hard and adaptable material and more suitable for worktops and counters, being more dense than marble and thereby more resistant to staining. It is also suitable for paving and cladding in tile or slab form. Modern cutting methods enable granite to be cut thinner making it more competitive in price and reducing shipping costs. Various finishes can be applied to the surface, as with most hard surfaces, to suit the area for which it is applied.

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Stairs at the London Design Museum (DMC Contracts)

News

Victoria Gate Leeds shopping centre (Andrews Marbles and Tiles)

General view of terrazzo resin floor at Gatwick Airport (InOpera Group)

As many will know, Mosaics have been used for over two thousand years. The fascinating art of mosaic was developed and refined by the Romans who used it extensively throughout their Empire. It is a work of art, adorned with coloured fragments, known as tesserae, made from various different materials.

The most popular form comprises all types of minerals and rocks and also glass, mainly consisting of coloured smalti (opaque glass paste) and precious smalti (gold and silver).The creation of a mosaic work of art requires design skills, innovation and traditional craftsmanship using methods that have changed little over the years.

For more information about the Federation and its many members visit National Federation of Terrazzo Marble & Mosaic Specialists nftmms.co.uk

Howe Green floor access panels are virtually invisible in situ

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News

Consumers And Commercial Demand Driving Carpet Recycling Energy generation, equestrian surface materials and even the power of social media raising consumer awareness are all helping to drive growth in the reuse and recycling of waste carpet. Commercial sector demand for sustainability is another factor in future growth of tackling the 400,000 tonnes of waste carpet arising in the UK each year, delegates at the ninth Carpet Recycling UK 2017 Annual Conference and Awards Event heard. Sponsored by Invista, manufacturers of ANTRON® Carpet Fibres, the one-day conference at Aston Villa Football Club in Birmingham in June celebrated the achievements and significant contributions by members – both individuals and organisations - who are helping to create a circular economy for carpet by reusing existing resources.

Thanking CRUK’s core funders whose support is ‘key to our success’, CRUK Director Laurance Bird said: “These leading UK carpet manufacturers believe that creating producer responsibility for their product at end of life is very important for building their business on a sustainable base. Over the past year or so, we’ve seen an increasing amount of activity to reach out to their customers and, indeed consumers, in different ways to help them with the recovery of material. Their activities are helping to achieve sustainability with less waste to landfill and lower costs. However, challenges still remain with cleanliness and purity of materials for recycling; clean segregation is crucial.” www.carpetrecyclinguk.com

Crittall Offers CPD Training Approved By RIBA

Leading steel window company Crittall has launched two RIBA-approved CPD (Continuing Professional Development) modules aimed at architects and designers.

One presents ‘A strong case for specifying exterior steel windows and doors’, while the other addresses ‘Inspirational interiors – specifying steel partitions and screens.’

RIBA CPD assists professionals working in the design disciplines to manage their own development of skills, knowledge and experience on an ongoing basis.

The presentations, which each last for about an hour with full supporting material, are aimed at architectural practices and other specifiers who wish to bring their staff up to date with the latest developments in the field of steel fenestration. www.crittall-windows.co.uk

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New Tension System Cross Coupler From Ancon When forming a cross brace using tie bars, the new Ancon Cross Coupler offers a streamlined alternative to an anchor disc. Cross couplers and anchor discs allow tension bars to lie in the same plane and remove the need to offset bars, with the coupler or disc providing an attractive design feature for the panel.

The cross coupler is the latest addition to the Ancon 500 tension bar system, which provides a high load capacity while meeting the aesthetic requirements of today's architectural applications. Ancon Cross Couplers are available to suit tie bar diameters from 10mm to 24mm in both carbon and stainless steel. Ancon tie bars can typically be supplied in lengths of up to 6 metres and can now be extended over the maximum bar length by the inclusion of couplers, cross couplers or anchor discs. The Ancon system is ‘CE’ marked, allows adjustments to be made to the system length without the need for turnbuckles and provides a visual check of correct bar engagement. www.ancon.co.uk

New Technical Brochure For Optigreen Optigreen, the specialist green roof systems supplier, have released an updated version of their fully comprehensive Technical Brochure. Consisting of 96 pages, the brochure combines basic and specialist knowledge of roof greening and gives safe and approved solutions in accordance with GRO and FLL Green Roofing Guidelines. Each green roof system solution is presented with the most relevant data, system build-ups, accessory products and a brief description. The brochure also includes some new Optigreen products and system solutions for blue roofs, pitched roofs and roof planters. Webcodes included in the new brochure, mean you will always be able to access up to date information on all Optigreen products and systems at www.optigreen.co.uk.

The online version of the continuously updated brochure has interactive features and links to further information and services. To request a free copy of the new Optigreen technical brochure, please contact info@optigreen.co.uk

News

Offsite Solutions Announces £5M Investment Programme To Meet Increasing Demand For Modular Bathroom Pods Offsite Solutions, the UK’s leading bathroom pod manufacturer, has announced a £5m investment programme to expand its production facilities in Somerset to meet the growing demand for its factory-built bathrooms. This will be the biggest expansion programme in the history of the company.

The first phase has now been completed – a new 45,000sqft production facility at Commerce Way in Highbridge which has doubled capacity for the company’s steel-framed bathroom pods. This unit has been designed to meet Offsite Solutions’ strong sustainability commitments. It has reduced transport between sites and uses roof-mounted solar panels to generate around 25 per cent of the factory’s annual electricity demand.

Planning approval has now been granted for a £1m facility to increase storage space at Offsite Solutions’ UK headquarters and production centre to accommodate up to 3,500 completed bathroom pods, before the units are delivered to building sites across the country. The final phase of the expansion will be the construction of a new, purpose-designed, state-ofthe-art factory. This £3m investment will bring all the company’s production operations on to a single site for even greater efficiency. It will increase

capacity to over 150,000sqft, allowing the manufacture of up to 12,500 of its award-winning factory-built bathrooms per year to meet the growing demand in both new and established markets.

Commenting on the expansion, James Stephens, Managing Director of Offsite Solutions, said, “Demand for our products has continued to grow year on year and we now have a really strong customer base in a wide spread of sectors. This three-phase expansion will allow us to increase manufacturing capacity for our expanding product portfolio.”

“There is definitely much greater understanding of the speed and quality benefits of off-site manufacturing. By moving bathroom construction into a controlled factory environment we can reduce work on site by up to 20 weeks on a major residential project, for example. Our highly skilled fitout teams use factory production processes, which significantly improve the quality of finish of our bathroom products compared to site-based construction methods.”

Offsite Solutions offers a comprehensive and expanding range of bathroom pods to suit different building types and applications. Options include steelframed pods with traditional tiled finishes for high-end apartments, student residences and hotels; robust and low maintenance GRP composite pods for student accommodation, care homes, social housing and healthcare; hybrid pods for specialist projects, and award-winning demountable pods for ease of installation in refurbishment schemes. www.offsitesolutions.com

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News

Expand Your Range With Constructa Pro

Archaus Receives A Facelift From Remmers

The expanding foam range from Everbuild – A Sika Company is growing once again with the addition of Constructa-Pro; a high strength adhesive foam designed for use in a multitude of applications.

Developed to be fast curing, Constructa-Pro is ideal for small jobs which require a quick fix as well as large applications including fixing plasterboard and insulations board, fixing skirting boards or as a mortar substitute for building rough garden walls. Once cured, it is also rot-proof and moisture and temperature resistant from -40˚C to +80˚C. Gun applied and available in 750ml tins, Constructa-Pro can be used on stone, brick, concrete blocks, wood, plasterboard, metal and much more making it a truly multipurpose adhesive foam for the trade.

For more information on Constructa-Pro or any other product within the Everbuild and Sika ranges, contact your local sales representative, call the sales office on 0113 240 2424 or visit www.everbuild.co.uk.

The exterior of this iconic building was suffering with high levels of damage, including salt ingress and excessive cracking to the render and brickwork.

Salt Inhibitor was used as a ‘masonry salt blocker’ and applied to the exposed brickwork. Large areas of the render were repaired with Restoration Render and the deep section repairs were completed with Remmers Betofix R2. OS Concre Fill and Impregnation Primer were also applied prior to the application of the final protective coating system.

Remmers Elastoflex system with reinforcement was applied throughout, giving a high degree of finish to the exterior of this 1930’s landmark building. www.remmers.co.uk

Rinnai – Another ‘Standard Set’ - Out Of Hours Tech Support During The Whole Of The Working Day Rinnai, the UK leader in continuous flow hot water delivery systems and units, has introduced a new service which gives contractors access via telephone or internet to unlimited Technical Support and Management. The service is available, free of charge, with immediate effect to all installers, premises owners and facilities managers which have Rinnai units or systems on site.

“We are offering customers a minimum of 12 hours per each working day – from 7.00am until 7.00pm - of dedicated Technical advice, support and information,” says Rinnai head of operations Chris Goggin. “Our units and systems are low maintenance and high performance with the lowest or minimal mal-function rates. But we see our role as ensuring that customers - contractors, consultants, end-users - have that extra peace of mind in terms of Technical Information & Support out of ordinary working hours. Each site is unique in its requirements and installation configuration so we are here ready to help, by telephone or by internet,” he adds.

Rinnai’s range of continuous flow gas fired water heaters includes heavy duty and condensing units which are all engineered and ErP rated to produce the highest efficiencies and lowest running costs of any hot water heating unit. For example, the Infinity HDC1600i, Rinnai’s premium condensing water heater has been tested to below 20 ppm NOx, producing the lowest emissions on the market, with 97% gross efficiencies.

There is also an established range of award winning condensing heavy duty condensing internal and external water heaters which give an energy performance of 107% net efficiency while the larger HDC1500 internal and external models have 105% net efficiency. Rinnai Infinity condensing units also exceed all the demands of Part L Building Regulations. www.rinnaiuk.com

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News

The Surface & Materials Show 2017 An unmissable aspect of UK Construction Week, The Surface & Materials Show celebrates its third year with an inspiring package of seminars, stands and events. In 1,600 m² of space, the Surface & Materials Show is a key element of the multiplex of nine shows under one convenient roof, presenting a fascinating opportunity to explore a wide range of products, technologies and services.

Whether seeking to increase knowledge, discover new materials, or to network with the brightest and the best of industry, the Surface & Materials Show is the place to be from October 10-12. Last year’s event saw a 38% increase in visitor numbers, with over 30,000 people attending UKCW overall and 3,633 members of architecture and design practices making a beeline for the Surfaces & Materials sector to engage with 56 exhibitors.

Features of the show include: Material Lab Central Hub: Once again curated by award-winning experts Material Lab, the central feature at the Surface & Materials Show will gather the latest and most intriguing surface innovations for visitors to explore. The hub brings together leading established manufacturers with rising stars in the surfaces world , in collaboration with sponsors Johnson Tiles and Dulux.

Oodhouse: www.oodhouse.com An innovative concept from Estonia, Oodhouse is a pod home / hotel cabin with serious style credentials. A standardised solution with a quick and flexible construction process, Oodhouse is made from sleek timber and privacy glass which also elegantly reflects its surroundings to the exterior.

Visitors can experience a completed example at the Surface & Materials Show.

Thought-provoking seminars: The Surface & Materials Show will also host informative talks, debates and CPDs from event partners, including BRE, Grimshaw Architects, The Design Concrete Centre, Envelope Architects, The Cambridge Graphene Centre, Rachel Bevan Architects, Canon 3D Printing and Dulux (and others to be announced.) A stimulating and topical programme brings together suppliers, innovators, manufacturers and specifiers and will cover issues from sustainability to wellbeing, current technologies to future material

and design trends, and ways of reducing waste to the circular economy… and also, crucially, safety.

Meet the Exhibitors: From high performance products for large scale specification to elegant and high-impact feature designs, from exterior to interior finishes, and now also with a dedicated kitchen & bathroom section, the Surface & Materials Show presents both established and emerging brands.

Visitors can investigate a key selection of decorative and durable finishes, learn about kitchen design CAD services, discover waterproof or hygiene critical solutions, and much more. Exhibitors include The Aluminium Federation, London Art, The Decorative Panels Group, Minercell, Dural (UK) Ltd, Autokitchen, Finishes & Interiors Sector, Fibo, William Smith, Composite Fibreglass Mouldings, Hygienic Finishing Systems, Toupret and The British Laminate Manufacturers Federation, and more.

UKCW Event Director Nathan Garnett says, “The Surface & Materials Show goes from strength to strength, representing a dynamic sector of the construction industry at the cutting edge of design, technology and debate. This year, having listened closely to feedback, we have a new position and layout for this exciting zone. Close to the connection with the Grand Designs event, the show now also incorporates a dedicated kitchen and bathroom section, and centres the more decorative finishes around the innovation hub and seminar theatre, circling outward to the heavier duty products and the flooring workshop, which will have its own separate area.”

Event spokesperson George Clarke adds, “Materials, surfacing solutions and finishes are such a vital area of knowledge for me. As an architect, builder and developer, I need to keep up to date with advances in product design and manufacture, as they can make or break the final aesthetic and the long term performance of a project. I will be keeping a very close eye on this area of the UKCW event again this year, as over the last two years I have been delighted, surprised and motivated by what I have discovered there.”

Registration for The Surface & Materials Show is now live! Please click: www.surfaceandmaterialsshow.co.uk/register

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News

New Brochure Showcases Aztec’s Prestige Collection In Suitably Classic Style Halo fabricator Aztec Windows (Coventry Ltd.) is boosting awareness of its ‘timber alternative’ Prestige Collection® of windows and composite doors with an impressive new brochure, designed entirely in-house and delivered in its own wax-sealed envelope!

The Coventry-based company, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary using Halo profile from The VEKA UK Group, was one of the first to fabricate the brand’s FlushSash window; a product whose understated design makes it particularly suitable for heritage and ‘character’ properties as well as more recent builds. Besides the Prestige Collection®’s standard colours and woodgrains, homeowners have the option to choose any RAL shade, or even a colour from the ontrend Farrow and Ball range.

Additionally, they can specify a colour option for the outer face of the sash, offset with a different one for the interior. For more info on Aztec Windows, visit www.justlikewood.co.uk. And for more on Halo FlushSash window systems, visit www.vekauk.com/products/ halo-flushsash.

Aquatiere Launches New Website With A Special Page For Architects Aquatiere is a supplier of domestic and commercial water filters and water treatment units. Aquatiere blends its own patented filter media with traditional filter medias to produce the best possible filtered water in the UK. Aquatiere’s redeveloped website includes a page tailored for architects where a hand picked selection of products for architect specifications is displayed.

To make specification as easy as possible, content is aaranged into a specific format following architectural advice. The product image is followed by concise text about the products and their features together with installation diagrams and specifications.

Then, so that you can easily add the content to your ownspecifications, all the product information is available for download in PDF or MS word format for easy attachment or copy and paste into your document. www.aquatiere.co.uk

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Condair Opens New Hamburg Factory Global humidifier specialist, the Condair Group, has recently opened its newly built production, logistics and sales facility in Hamburg, Germany, marking a milestone in the company’s development.

The state-of-theart 13,000m² building centralises Condair’s European manufacturing operations.

Situated next door to Hamburg airport, the new Condair facility is also close to the motorway and harbour, and incorporates the latest in energy saving building services technology.

Central to the design of the Condair building was a focus on energy saving technology. The German Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) 2014 and a maximum heat demand of just ≤35 kWh/ (m²·a) were selected as minimum standards for the building. Once completed, the building actually performed 50% better than the target standard and almost achieved Passive House standard at full capacity. www.condair.co.uk

News

Easi-dec Half vertical Roof ad 258x96.5.qxp_Layout 1 20/01/2015 10:39 Page 1

RCM Achieves Top Compliance Accreditation RCM are proud to announce that they are now fully endorsed and accredited by Constructionline as an approved supplier to the construction industry. This achievement re-enforces RCM’s standards and capabilities in supplying quality building boards and facades, as well as offering complete through wall solutions.

Constructionline, which is part of Capita plc, brings together buyers and suppliers, helping customers achieve more. Building value from beginning to end in the supply chain and procurement cycle, Constructionline is the UK’s most connected and progressive provider of procurement and supply chain management services.

Supplying specialist building boards, façades, breather membranes and airtightness solutions, RCM offers a fully integrated approach to the building envelope, specifying and providing products to the correct specification for all building applications. RCM are a market leader in providing innovative products and solutions designed and tested to meet the demanding needs of construction.

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Specified for use in external façades, fire protection, acoustic, airtightness and decorative applications, thos extensive portfolio has been installed on many of the UK’s largest projects. With this new accreditation RCM are able to proudly emphasise their strength as a valued and reliable supplier.

Specflue Recognised In Hearth & Home Awards Leading flue, chimney and renewable heating supplier, Specflue, was a finalist in the Pellet or Wood Chip (Non-Boiler) Appliance category of the hard fought Hearth & Home Awards in for the MCZ Curve ductable pellet stove.

Featuring a stylish ceramic cladding finish and new firebox, which is deeper and higher than its competitors to follow the natural movement of the flame, the MCZ Curve is particularly suitable for corner installation.

The stove already complies with the stringent emissions and environmental requirements of the Ecodesign directive which comes into force in 2022.

Thanks to a perfectly sealed combustion chamber, the MCZ Curve pellet stove uses oxygen taken exclusively from outside, ensuring reduced consumption and perfect thermal comfort in modern homes, even those with class A energy rating, with no risk of smoke emissions in the room.

A new ceramic spark plug ensures the flame appears in less than three minutes, with a 40% reduction in ignition times and a significant cut in electrical consumption. www.specflue.com

Easi-Dec is the cost saving alternative to scaffold, because it’s quick to erect, with a minimal amount of parts, to get people working sooner after arriving on site.

The basic system includes a standard platform, but our full range offers solutions for both solar panel and window installation. With health & safety being at the core of the system, Easi-Dec is EN tested, with full training provided on request.

For further information call 01767 691812 or email info@easi-dec.com.

Don’t forget to check out our videos at www.easi-dec.co.uk

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News

Kee Safety Gates Comply With BSI Standard

Crittall Acquires High Security Glazing Specialist Fendor Crittall Holdings has announced the acquisition of the Trade and Assets of Fendor – a leading UK company with expertise in the provision of high security, ballistic and bombproof fenestration. The Newcastlebased company is also a major supplier of windows used in custodial and mental

Kee Safety, leading supplier of safety railing systems, has adjusted the design of its Kee Gate range to satisfy the requirements of BS EN ISO 14122-3:2016 Safety of Machinery – Permanent means of access to machinery – Part 3: Stairs, Stepladders and guard-rails.

The Kee Gate range retains the key elements of the existing safety gates, but has been modified to meet the BSI Standard. The Kee Gate design features a larger D bend, which closes the gap between the bottom rail of the gate and floor, whilst still allowing full width adjustability along with a new mid rail which closes the gap between the top of the gate and the mid rail. www.keesafety.co.uk

health institutions and the petrochemical industries. The acquisition creates Crittall Fendor that will complement the Essex-based Crittall Group of companies in significant ways. It expands the range of products and markets served, and offers geographical benefits in assisting Crittall Windows with its North of England and Scottish operations. www.crittall-fendor.co.uk

Making A Difference – Pressalit Care Is Awarded For Its Work In The UK

Pressalit Care, the leading supplier of accessible bathroom solutions, has been honoured for its work in the UK. Headquartered in Denmark, Pressalit Care has been awarded His Royal Highness Prince Henrik of Denmark’s Medal of Honour in recognition of the firm’s rapidly growing reputation in the UK within the accessible bathrooms industry. The Pressalit Care team in the UK, led by Sales Manager Andrew Lowndes, attended the Danish Embassy in London to receive the award from Claus Grube, the Danish Ambassador to the UK. www.pressalit.com

Superquilt Multi-Layer Foil Earns Agrement Approval The effectiveness of SuperQuilt, part of the YBS range, as a single layer insulation solution for use beneath pitched roof rafters, in either new-build or refurbishment situations has been underlined by the award of a coveted BBA Certificate.

Agrement Certificate 17/5388 explains in detail how the already widely specified, multi-layer foil insulation can be used to retain energy within attic or habitable loft spaces: cutting fuel bills, improving comfort levels for building occupants and adding value. Importantly it can be employed to address detail areas such as the cheeks of dormers, dwarf walls, bonnet hips and other features. The Certification comes after prolonged evaluation by the British Board of Agrement and covers such considerations as related Building Regulation matters. design criteria, ventilation and installation guidance, as well as regular review by the highly respect authority.

Crucially, the Agrement Certificate confirms that under normal conditions the durability of the SuperQuilt will be equivalent to that of the roof it is installed within and will contribute to controlling condensation in the roof space, while offering very good thermal performance. The emissivity of 0.03 for the outer foil is complemented by a declared core thermal resistance of 1.35 m2KW. The Certificate further states that the BBA believes SuperQuilt can satisfy the requirements of not only the Building Regulations 2010 (England and Wales), but also the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, The Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004: making it “fit for purpose” nationwide. www.ybsinsulation.com

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Opinion

aluprof.co.uk Article By: Aluprof (UK) Limited Title: The Dangers of Switching Specification!

Author: Wojciech Broz˙ yna – MD

Why do we specify products and services when we design our buildings or building refurbishment projects? Part of the reason is performance; it can be crucial to have the right products in the right places to ensure that they are fit for purpose and offer a qualified life expectancy with minimal maintenance.

This is one of the main reasons behind the UK’s rapid take up of BIM and it is hoped that the maintenance aspect of BIM will enable us to economically run our buildings in the future.

is exactly what is happening today every time we make a late switch to a facade system close to its anticipated order date. If the specification is to be changed, then the design team really need to ensure that it is not only done on cost alone, but the same or better quality solutions are found which can be procured with a complete package such as warranties, acceptable lead times, quality of finish, performance, etc.

If this was the only issue, then the specifiers job would be quite straightforward and the ‘equal or approved’ standpoint in specifications would be relatively

At the point of early design, often the aluminium systems company specified has a crucial input into product selection and design. Today, design input often leads to some bespoke profile design, which is often cost effective offering a

simple to action at the time of procurement. Some products can be switched for similar products with little impact on the building, but one of the crucial areas where this late switch can, and often does go wrong, is in the façade or window specification.

simple solution to a complex design requirement. This critical detailed design can be lost as soon as the system is switched unless the systems company providing the replacement system is consulted and can meet the requirements of the project.

Few buildings are designed in the same way, so the application of say a curtain wall system requires both specification and careful detail design. Furthermore, the design of the external envelope is critical both for initial waterproofing the building for second fix and the avoidance of latent defects such as interface leaks. This is the most critical area of design, the façade interface with the rest of the buildings external envelope. Different systems will require alternative details, it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

Whether client driven, or contactor driven, savings are often sought during a build programme and often the main contractor just goes out to tender again.

This action assumes that the specified system, or supplier, is not able to reduce costs. ‘Value Engineering’ often concentrates on what material content can be reduced, however, ‘Value Management’ looks at materials and the wider supply chain processes this can help reduce costs by reaching solutions and compromises which would not affect the final build quality.

If we allowed detail design to occur late, at the procurement stage, all but the best of the façade installers would struggle with detailing, however, this

Value Management looks at every process on the programme of work through to completion. In the facade industry in the UK, the principles of Value

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Opinion

Management have been adopted by Aluprof to deliver competitive installations in conjunction with their extensive network of experienced fabricators and installers.

To begin with, a review of the complete project programme is needed, with each of the processes and deadlines for completion itemised. It is at this stage that options can be discussed. One of the obvious choices is that of the system to be used for the façade. As with other high end systems companies, Aluprof offer their systems in various designs to meet the exact needs of the building.

fabrication location can be explored to offer the best value and quality. An example of this could be complex details within a unitised project where a local fabricator could produce all the standard units and where complex, say curved units, are manufactured competitively elsewhere where specialist equipment is available. The key to any programmes would be to add value, not in cost terms, but in quality and time performance. As we are all too aware, time delays on site carry significant costs for both main contractor and consequently subcontractor.

On all projects, the systems company has an important part to play. If using a commercial installer for the first time, a discussion with the systems company supplying the material will always ensure that they are involved and committed to the final supply chain. The systems company can play a big part in cost savings, but the main thing to remember is that aluminium used remains at a fairly constant cost, and that it is the processes and detailing of these systems that can save costs.

To deal with the growing number of facade specifications calling for Aluprof’s high performance architectural aluminium systems, the company has recently opened a London office. Based at the Business Design Centre in Islington, the location is ideal to offer advice to architects and contractors across the city and the South East. Staffed by two full time architectural advisors, the office also offers a ‘drop-in’ centre for specification advice and support. It is recommended that early specification advice is sought very early in the initial design process.

Aluprof’s extensive range of systems which include unitised curtain walling, sliding folding doors and a wide range of window systems are increasingly being specified on a variety of residential and commercial projects across the UK. All systems are designed and installed by selected, specially trained companies to ensure each product meets the Aluprof exacting standards.

Further information is available on the company website at aluprof.co.uk and specialist advice is available directly from Aluprof UK offices on 0161 941 4005.

An example of this can be seen in Aluprof's popular MB-50 Curtain Wall system, far from being a single system there are many options to choose from, these include various insulation levels, capping options or structural arrangements, each choice represents a cost or, a cost saving. It's a little like specifying options on a new car taking the base model of choice as a starting point. A further consideration is the optimisation of aluminium profile cutting. To reduce wastage on fabrication, profiles can be extruded to special lengths which offer high levels of cutting optimisation which in turn reduces material waste, which in turn reduces costs. These are just some of the important issues that are reviewed in the Value Management process which ensures that the completed project performs exactly as specified and perfectly meets with the clients’ expectations.

With a large systems company such as Aluprof, working on the Value Management of a project at the very early stages, options such as choice of

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Opinion

maxilux.co.uk Article By: Maxilux Title: Architects Discovering That The Prodigal Son Of Led Strip Is Finally Coming Home Author: Richard Cockayne, Managing Director

Over the years LED strip lighting has struggled to find its place in the architectural lighting marketspace - designers took a while to grasp the concept of longer linear lights and how to use them.

The very fact that LED strip – as its name suggests - is not sold in discreet units, that there were variables such as voltage drop, current rating and differing sizes of power supply meant it took a while to understand both the potential and the limitations.

Over the years, LED strip has seen massive development with reliability improvements and greater power output. A whole industry has developed around the supply of specialist manufacturing equipment for LED Strip, which has resulted in the price coming down enormously.

The development focus now is less about performance improvements for the LED strip, which in many respects is now a stable and mature product, but around improvements to control, integration and installation.

Large scale lighting control systems have been around for years and are proven and reliable, but the cost was out of reach of most individuals. However, the introduction of low-cost control voice control systems such as Amazon Echo and Google Home offers a whole new perspective on lighting control and the way in which different types of light source can be used to create effects.

At Maxilux, we are developing multi-input control modules which will accept input from the generic home controllers, but also from more conventional sources such as RF (radio frequency) linked wall switches or hand-held remote controls.

The thought here is that the control systems can be built in during construction and can work in a standalone manner. However, customers also have a cost-free upgrade path as and when they purchase a home control unit.

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Our system features different, compatible, interchangeable, interfaces from low voltage to those capable of operating LED strip or linear lighting, as well as mains voltage units for other types of luminaire. Dimming, for example, is a standard feature allow different moods to be created to provide the right background for all occasions.

LED strip and linear lighting offers designers and architects the opportunity to use indirect lighting in increasingly creative ways - drop ceilings and coffers are obvious candidates, as are under cabinet and plinths.

What about building in specialist profiles into the walls to provide a washing effect or mounting specialist profiles to provide mid-level illumination? We have been developing a range of more than 50 different aluminium profiles, all designed to take LED strip, meaning that there are plenty of options for the creative use of lighting.

The latest profiles are designed to be plastered into the wall to allow a fully flush finish - flat, internal and external corner profiles are available, and, when combined with a high density 120 LED strip, they offer a fully diffused, spot free line of light.

The next phase of mood lighting will be to mix real whites with subdued colours.

There is nothing to stop you going out with a paint palate of colours, but in my view colour is too often overused. Indeed, just because you can choose from hundreds of colours doesn't mean it's a good idea to use them all!

The latest strips combine RGB and real white chips meaning users can choose between colour or white for more subtle effects. Both single colour and RGB+W Strip can be controlled by our control systems to create moods and themes to enhance buildings and the environment.

So, I would argue that LED strip is like a prodigal son. During the early noughties, it was introduced like a commoditised flash in the pan, but, when proving to be a too - difficult - to - control teenager, has arguably spent a long time in the architectural wilderness. Now, light years on, LED strip, with the help of the latest voice controlled technologies – has found its time and place, and has finally come home.

Opinion

www.iso-chemie.eu/en-GB/ Article By: ISO-CHEMIE Title: Building Facades: Smoking Joints Author: Andy Swift, National Aales Manager

Andy Swift, national sales manager for ISO-CHEMIE, considers the effective sealing of building façades, which can prove to be difficult if failure, particularly in the form of water leakage, is to be avoided.

While building façades should offer eye-catching appeal, their main purpose is to provide weather protection, and a safe and comfortable interior. To achieve this and deliver long-term performance and durability, the materials used in façade construction need to be carefully designed, planned and installed.

Facades come in all shapes and sizes, but the final specification will be based on the purpose of the building, the desired image, design life and whole life costs including energy and maintenance costs.

So, as an alternative to these ‘wet’ solutions, foam-based sealing strips and tapes are emerging in construction. These products consist of flexible materials, which are pre-formed in a range of sizes and sections and mainly rely on compression.

They can be used to improve the long-term sealing of façade finishes for curtain walling, pre-cast or in-situ concrete, brick and block work and composite or cassette-style metal panels.

The ISO-CHEMIE ISO3 Façade Sealing system protects the expansion/movement joints as well as the junctions between different materials used in façade construction against the extremes of hot and cold and wet and dry weather, together with the physical stresses caused by building movement. It can also be used to supply the relevant level of air tightness required by UK Building Regulations.

The system complies with regulations relating to the different types of facades including conformity to EnEV regulations. It also complies with the industrial association for metal building constructions (IFBS) guidelines for joint tightness on lightweight steel constructions.

One of the biggest onsite issues installers face is effectively sealing the façade.

Design and development of the perfect joint and gasket is easily undone by an incorrect installation by an untrained workforce with little appreciation of the sealed joint’s performance requirements. And here the choice of sealant can be critical to achieve optimum levels of long-term sustainability and performance.

Passivhaus award winning systems BLOCO-One and Winframer Type 1 are a good solution to fixing windows to facades when the external wall is not fitted, creating an air-tight, structural and thermally efficient frame to install windows. BLOCOOne also allows the window to be installed as a ‘3 in 1’ solution to the usual system of expanding tape weather seal, spray foam insulation and EPDM internal airtight layer – saving installation time and outperforming previous methods.

Sealants must adhere strongly to the materials they connect, as well as being durable and possessing the requisite resistance qualities, if they are to protect effectively against the elements. They must comply with acoustic and insulation regulations and accommodate movement joints - flexibility without compromise, while ensuring adjacent materials do not come under stress.

New advanced foils to replace EPDM are available. The VARIO SD/XD range now come complete with a full adhesive side which can be installed down to -10 degrees Celsius, when regular sealants will have frozen and work halted. These foils keep vapour from entering the joint from the inside, but allow the joint to breathe from within and reduce moisture forming, causing fabric damage.

The system comes with a 10-year warranty and is UK Building Regulations compliant, as well as DIN EN standards, covering thermal conductivity, dimension tolerance, impermeamability to driving rain on joints among others.

ISO-CHEMIE is one of Europe’s main producers of impregnated foam sealants, specialising in the manufacturer of foam products from polyethylene (EPE), polypropylene (EPP) and polyurethane (PUR) using the latest production techniques.

The mantra of ‘fit tight, ventilate right’ should be adhered to. The construction of commercial buildings must be tested for air-tightness, like with domestic buildings: any air leaks after a failure can be tested using smoke pencils, which will draw smoke from the building and identify remedial works to conform to standards. These failures could be through lack of design input or due to contractors not adhering to designs - usually due to a lack of understanding of the purpose of the specified products.

Many sealants are likely to have a shorter useful life than the life span of the building unless they are protected and some provision is made for replacing the sealants within the joints, or over sealing. Although a significant proportion of sealants that are used in façade construction today are ‘wet’ applied materials based on synthetic polymers, which cure to form flexible solids, they do have their drawbacks: mastics will harden with time, rendering them particularly unsuitable for large scale industrial or commercial façade systems.

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Opinion

www.rinnaiuk.com Article By: RINNAI Title: Decentralised Continuous Flow Hot Water Heating Systems - An Alternative To Central Plant Author: Chris Goggin, Head of Operations

Centralised plant rooms for heating and hot water systems are a traditional solution and have been so for many years. But we live in different times where economic and energy efficiency – and legislative compliance – are demanded by users, premises owners and managers in both public and private sectors.

An alternative solution that marries high efficiency and wide ranges of modulation with simplicity of installation and design is the gas fired continuous flow hot water heating unit. These can be manifolded into a hot water system capable of coping with virtually any size of site or application. This system is a process of delivering a continuous flow of hot water at a constant temperature, without the need for storage. Continuous flow will only ever utilise energy whenever heat is needed i.e., the turning on of a tap in a washroom or a kitchen.

When the units are in operation and heating water - gas is used - when the user is finished, so is the energy usage. With continuous flow systems, the user can set the required temperature of hot water to suit the needs and demands of the site.

So, vulnerable users, such as children, the elderly or less able, can be safeguarded from the risk of scalding. Also, where the site has a secondary recirculating system the temperatures can be set at a level to further minimise the possibility of the proliferation of Legionella bacteria.

Condensing continuous flow hot water solutions qualify for additional energy efficiency points, boosting building energy performance as they far exceed energy efficiencies called for in Part L Building Regulations (Conservation of fuel and power). The systems are also ‘A’ rated under ErP. Current thinking on the design of systems is moving towards separating the hot water production from the heating system completely as it can give better efficiencies all round. Buildings need hot water all year round. However, better insulation in most buildings, and a greater awareness of energy efficiency, means there is a reduced need for heating input.

In large commercial buildings, centralised heating and hot water systems have traditionally adopted the thermal storage design. These systems are frequently over-sized at the design stage in relation to actual usage on the not too scientific basis of ‘just in case’. This ‘hedging of bets’ approach to system design often leads to excessive safety margins, which in turn adds to the expense of purchase, installation and running costs.

A storage type, conventional system of hot water that must be heated 24/7, 365 days a year to ensure hot water is always available is an anachronism in today’s energy and cost-conscious world. Even if no hot water is drawn off, a standard cylinder, just for example, can lose a maximum of 3Kw of heat a day as a standing loss. All cylinders suffer from this to some extent and it equates, over a year, to 1095Kw of energy wasted. If you also look at the gas saving alone it equates to 101.8m3 of gas used.

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Decentralised hot water provision was recently installed at a luxury country club and spa in the leafy and very affluent Cheshire countryside. The site operators, having both the contractor and the consultant make calculations on usage and life cycle costings, was adamant that a stored hot water system was not in the frame for the new fit out as it would be “inefficient and expensive”. The company went on to specify 19 gas fired condensing continuous flow units over the whole site to fulfil its huge demand for 20,000 litres per hour of safe, temperature controlled hot water. The heavy-duty units feed executive soaker showers, poolside showers and all changing room ablutions.

Within this complex, the water heaters feed the showers directly so there is no need for re-circulation around the building. With no centralised boiler room having to be incorporated into the plans.

Elsewhere, one local authority in North Wales is currently in the process of replacing its stored hot water systems with manifolded continuous flow systems.

The council is set to make considerable savings on running costs. When the water isn’t running the continuous flow, system is not using fuel, which is ideal for the schools’ shut down during the holidays, for example.

These claims and assertions have been borne out by independent scrutiny. Recent independent testing - by AECOM - of continuous flow hot water systems showed a clear advantage in terms of initial capital costs, as well as life cycle costs over 20 years, when compared with indirect stored and stored hot water systems.

The AECOM findings, after extensive deliberation, found that the brand’s continuous flow water heaters are 7.5% more economical than ‘traditional’ stored hot water systems.

Decentralised water heating saves energy and money, but it also offers flexibility.

If, for example, a hot water store cylinder should burst or break down, the whole system is shut down - no more hot water until the problem is fixed. With a manifolded system one unit may be at fault but this doesn’t stop the whole system shutting down.

The problem of potential legionella proliferation is also better maintained in the design of a manifolded continuous flow system. In a continuous flow unit, water temperature for distribution is accurate to ±1˚C. The fact that there is no stratification as there is no storage ensures permanent even temperature and because of this there is no requirement to heat a volume of water just to ensure the elimination of legionella. Another plus is, if demand grows, additional plant can easily be added in a modular fashion at a later stage if required.

In addition, smart controls can be added to commercial condensing continuous flow systems to boost and govern the performance of the hot water system.

rooms reshaped

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Doors, Windows & Glazing

Kalwall® Sheds Light On Education Kalwall® translucent cladding has been extensively used for the impressive refurbishment of the main teaching block at Featherstone High School in Southall, Middlesex.

The renovation required removal of the old concrete spandrel panels, repairs to the concrete structure and then overcladding with Kalwall panels supported on a new steel frame which was added to extend the floor space . The build was completed in two phases over the course of a year while the school continued to operate. The ability to keep the school functioning while the work was completed meant minimum disruption to staff and students.

The two fully replaced elevations are a perfect example of how Kalwall can be used for the refurbishment of old and failing cladding and for aged buildings. The new façades allow floor to ceiling diffused and healthy daylight to flood the interior while providing privacy and removing any distractions. An integrated row of clerestory windows provides ventilation and limited views to the outside. Studies show there is a high correlation between daylighting and increased human comfort.

Kalwall eliminates all shadows and glare and the stark contrasts of light and shade which not reduces eye fatigue and enhances concentration.

The system also enhances simplicity by doing away with the need for blinds, curtains or solar control. Even on cloudy days, the interior is flooded with natural daylight, which means less artificial lighting and, because Kalwall is highly insulating, energy costs are reduced. The standard Kalwall 70mm thick panel offers insulation up to 0.28W/m2K - equivalent to a cavity filled solid wall. www.structura-uk.com/kalwall

Glass Balconies Add Style To Coastal Location Another development of luxury apartments – this time on the scenic coast of Yorkshire - has specified Neaco’s range of glass balconies, balustrade and aluminium decking. The complex of 32 properties includes Neaco’s balustrade installed to a terrace to the front of the building, their standard Juliet balcony designs throughout and a number of the company’s bespoke walk-on balcony designs with their aluminium grille systems used as flooring. The balconies and balustrade include aluminium stanchions and rails specified in a black powder coated finish which complements the tinted glass panels.

Featuring an innovative T-bar grille profile, Neaco’s grille systems are designed to provide a large foot contact area – typically between 74% and 100% on balcony applications - whilst enabling efficient drainage of rainwater. The systems are extremely versatile and also ideal for a wide range of alternative uses, including ventilation, cladding, access walkways and solar shading louvres.

Neaco’s aluminium handrails and balustrade are available in a wide range of other powder coated finishes, including various solid and metallic colours and wood-effect. They also manufacture balustrade solutions in stainless steel for a particularly high-class appearance and extremely hard wearing performance with no ongoing maintenance required to maintain its visual quality. Different grades can be supplied to suit different environments – for example, typically Grade 316 for external use and Grade 304 for dry internal use. Other balustrade infill options include rails, tension wire, perforated panels and mesh.

Neaco also offers structural glass systems with no supporting uprights for maximum visibility and a minimalist aesthetic. neaco.co.uk

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Doors, Windows & Glazing

Superb Modernist Take On Country House Wins 2017 Overall Schueco Excellence Award

Portfolio Collection From Premdor, A Study In Detail

On 22 June 2017 on the 42nd Floor of London’s Leadenhall Building, a superb private residence was announced as the winner of both the Overall Schueco Excellence Award and the Individual House category in this year’s Schueco Excellence Awards for Design and Innovation.

Organised by Schueco UK in association with RIBA Journal, the Schueco Excellence Awards identify and celebrate the very best in building design incorporating Schueco systems in Great Britain and Eire.

The winning entry, a stunning residence for a private client, is set in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside. It was designed by Richard Meier of the US-based practice, Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP. The first domestic commission in the UK for this renowned modernist, the property offers a whole new take on the traditional country house. www.schueco.co.uk

When the Premdor product development team designed The Portfolio Collection, the range established new market standards for internal door design and in particular quality of construction and attention to finer detailing. The solid core door collection is faced using natural veneers and utilising Premdor’s innovative Veneer Match Technology, producing consistent colour and grain yet still allowing for natural variation, ensuring no two doors are ever identical.

Each door is available with sophisticated, contemporary glazing options with fine detailing including colour co-ordinated glazing beads. FD30 and FD60 BWF certified Fire Doors are also available. The Portfolio Collection presents four distinct design themes comprising Natural, Exotic, Contemporary and Classic delivering nineteen aspirational designs with trend setting innovations in colour palette and grain combinations, sure to inspire Architects, Designers and Building Professionals alike. www.premdor.co.uk/portfolio

Commercial | Domestic | Listed & Heritage | Special Projects

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Quality - Innovative - Proven since 1968

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Doors, Windows & Glazing

Reynaers Is A Big Hit At FIT Leading aluminium systems company Reynaers made a big splash for the company’s first appearance at this year’s FIT Show. Reynaers showcased its range of aluminium window and door systems at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in May and showed off some big, brand new systems on its impressive 200 sq m stand.

Hugh Moss, Head of Marketing at Reynaers, said: “ We had some spectacular applications of sliding, folding and opencorner patio doors at FIT, as well as windows in a range of design variants. We also showcased our impressive multi-level drainage curtain walling, as well as some European-inspired product exclusives. Developed by our highly-regarded design team, we demonstrated how we are pushing the boundaries and showed trade visitors just how big the potential for Reynaers products is.”

The company’s open-corner CP 130 was a big hit with visitors.

Its sliding doors are designed to offer industry-leading maximum sizes of up to 2.7m, and with huge panes of glass – up to 300kg – come uninterrupted, panoramic views and lots of natural daylight. Reynaers CP 130 sliding door is available as a single-, doubleor triple-track system with a multitude of confugurations as a result. Attendees were also impressed by Reynaers’ lift and slide doors. When the handle is turned through 180 degrees it lifts the door slightly, reducing the friction and allowing the door to open and close with the lighest of touches.

The CP 130’s special corner solution makes it possible to open up spaces without any fixed corner element, creating clear continuity between indoor and outdoor spaces. Click on the following link to see more of the stand’s highlights and an interview with Reynaers’ Managing Director Justin Hunter: http://bit.ly/FITvideo. www.reynaers.co.uk

A Fantastic FIT Show For Aluminium Says AluFoldDirect Leading aluminium fabricator AluFoldDirect has praised FIT Show 2017’s showcasing of aluminium. As well as visiting the show, AluFoldDirect played a big part in the show, helping AluK create its fantastic stand in Hall 8 and appearing on the seminar programme.

Craig Miller, Managing Director at AluFoldDirect said: “I thought FIT Show really shone this year, and with such a high percentage of aluminium companies exhibiting, it really reflected the state of today’s market.”

AluFoldDirect fabricated the new bi-fold and sliding aluminium doors that featured on the AluK stand. Craig was also chosen as an expert in The State of the Market debate, chaired by FIT Show organiser Paul Godwin on the AluK stand on day one of FIT. It was the first seminar of the AluK programme and featured Justin Ratcliffe, CEO at the Council for Aluminium Building, John Cowie, Editor at Windows Active and Allan Wilén from construction industry analyst Glenigan.

Drawing an audience of fabricators and installation companies, the discussion focussed on the growth of aluminium in the domestic market, skills gaps within the industry and the impact of Brexit. Craig said: “The whole AluK seminar programme gave real insight into the way aluminium is transforming the industry. The State of the Market Debate was particularly interesting, because we were given insight from very different areas. “It was great to give a fabricator’s viewpoint, and good that my experience chimed with other fabricators in the industry.”

A video of the debate can be seen on AluFoldDirect’s Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/AluFoldDirect/

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Doors, Windows & Glazing

Now A Product That Can MATCH Your Vision Too often, new interior products offer restricted choice and scope, asking interior designers and specifiers to compromise on their vision with restricted decorative patterns and potential applications. However MATCH decorative panels from Vicaima present a completely new scenario.

The new designer panel range removes limitations experienced with more commonly used decorative finishes and allows limitless design possibilities with multiple applications ranging from wall panels to furniture.

MATCH is a revolutionary decorative panel that uses innovative technology and advanced production processes to create tailor-made graphic solutions directly onto veneered and other base layers. With the ability to re-create natural materials like stone, textile, metal or unique surfaces. In this way a collection of dĂŠcor elements can be brought together to create synergy to a theme or chosen style, such as wall panels, door surrounds, feature bedheads, lobby displays and numerous furniture elements, untethering creative flair and removing the boundaries to realising unique concepts.

between the composition of the product and the advanced manufacturing technology used with the surface materials, allows Vicaima to achieve unparalleled results. This is perhaps particularly illustrated in the use of surfaces utilizing natural veneers, where the product is able to reproduce original and unique designs to spectacular effect.

With outstanding performance, product flexibility and the ability to create a truly unique space, MATCH introduces a new real freedom for interior design. It offers complete inspiration for a wide range of markets including residential, hotels, retail, corporate environments, schools, medical and public places.

Why not take a closer look at MATCH yourself by visiting Vicaima at 100% Design, Olympia 20/23 September 2017, where you will see MATCH at first hand. In the meantime, for further details about how Vicaima MATCH can inspire you, technical specifications or to download a catalogue visit the Vicaima Match website today www.vicaimamatch.com

Depending upon the desired application, Vicaima MATCH is available in a selection of panel types with differing physical and mechanical properties, appropriate to their desired performance and covered by EN standards. These include plywood, MDF with improved resistance to fire or moisture, among others. Choice of Surface finish is also flexible, with everything from dull matt to mirror like gloss. The combination

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Doors, Windows & Glazing

FAKRO Roof Windows For Aberdeenshire Passivhaus Self-Build Built on the footprint of a draughty and impractical dwelling on a site in Comers near Banchory, Carsluchie Croft was constructed to the Passivhaus standard. The low energy, sustainable family home has FAKRO FTT U6 and FTP U5 Electro triple-glazed roof windows in a design which maximises solar gain, has high insulation levels (using high density ecological wood fibre) and heat recovery ventilation.

The FTT U6 has an exceptional U-value of 0.81W/ m2K and is among very few standard products which can meet the exacting Passivhaus requirement in its own right. The FTP U5 windows also had Z-wave connectivity enabling them to be operated from a laptop, mobile or tablet alongside appliances from over 200 of the world’s leading manufacturers. All windows were also fitted with thermal flashings to enhance overall airtightness.

The compact 1½ storey form reflects local vernacular architecture, with the angled bay on the south side designed as a dynamic element to contrast with the compact solid stone-clad form of the majority of the house.

This alignment is picked up by the angle of the upper floor terrace and ‘cut-in’ of the roof above, the combined effect of which is to create a positive and negative ‘motif’ on the roofscape at the front of the dwelling. The garage and swimming pool are accommodated in a separate linear building, parallel to and physically linked to the main house by a partially covered veranda. www.fakro.co.uk

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Doors, Windows & Glazing

Saint-Gobain Building Glass Celebrates Royal Opening Of Oastler Building Saint-Gobain Building Glass looked on proudly last month as a £27.5m university building it helped to design and create was opened by the University of Huddersfield to provide a new home for its Law School and the School of Music, Humanities and Media. The prestigious new Oastler Building was officially opened by The Duke of York on Monday 24 April at a VIP ceremony that celebrated the success of apprentices and trainees, via numerous sub-contractors and manufacturers, that were involved in the project.

Occupying a prominent site on the Shorehead side of the campus, the six-storey building is BREEAM Outstanding rated thanks to the use of SGG COOL-LITE SKN 165 II collar control glass in its curved frontage and a 3.5m cantilever. This dramatic design feature helps to self-shade the building’s glass façade to reduce solar gain and energy costs for cooling.

During the project, Saint-Gobain Building Glass worked closely with commercial sealed unit manufacturer Dual Seal Glass to ensure the correct technical glazing specification was provided and ensure that project deadlines and demands were met on time and in full with an excellent quality finished product. Nigel Meredith, Managing Director of Dual Seal Glass, commented that the project was a success thanks to the collaborative effort between Dual Seal Glass and Saint-Gobain Building Glass “The partnership created between our two businesses is invaluable and it helps to ensure that we can meet the ever increasing demands in the commercial building sector.”

The new building is a tribute to Richard Oastler, the 19th century reformer who campaigned to curb child labour and improve conditions for all workers in the new factories of the Industrial Revolution. www.saint-gobain-glass.com

On Track For Success: Glassolutions Employs Unique System To Complete Structural Glazing Installation A truly innovative approach to structural glazing installation has enabled industry-leading commercial glazing specialists GLASSOLUTIONS to overcome a series of stringent health and safety limitations on a high-profile commercial project in central London, One Bedford Avenue.

Working with project managers Mace, GLASSOLUTIONS delivered a semi-bespoke window system, with window profiles designed specifically for the project to meet the design intent and to accommodate associated building movements.

Wicona curtain walling provided aesthetic benefits as well as well as superior U-values and air tightness ratings; GLASSOLUTIONS’ unique VS-1 structural glazing system also formed an integral part of the installation, with the building’s main entrance and reception area using the system to achieve an attractive aesthetic effect. With extremely limited external access and a site perimeter not much greater than the building’s footprint, a high priority for the project was to create a safe method of working that could be completed from the inside of the building. Additionally, with other building work taking place concurrently, it was essential that as much as possible of the floor slab area could remain operational and safe throughout the installation process.

To meet these challenges, the GLASSOLUTIONS project team created an innovative sliding track system to move the glass units across the floor plate, and place them on to the façade at the place of installation. As well as removing the need for floor cranes, this installation method allowed the installation team to remain safely behind perimeter protection at all points in the process whilst also freeing up the floor slab for other trades to operate safely. www.glassolutions.co.uk

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Doors, Windows & Glazing

Comar Answers The Call Comar Architectural Aluminium Systems, with their approved fabricator LDG (Lancashire Double Glazing) completed the installation of aluminium curtain walling, windows and commercial doors to a new waterfront ÂŁ8.6million flagship office block and call centre.

Part of the Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone and the 500 acre Wirral Waters regeneration scheme, and built on previously derelict land, The Tower Wharf project saw the design of the 48,000 sq ft 4 storey office building which includes a roof terrace and office accommodation for around 800 staff. This project was also the Winner of Best Commercial Building at the 'RICS' 2016 Awards and the building achieved the BREEAM 'Excellent' rating for sustainability.

To maximise natural daylight and facilitate the large glazed areas Comar 6EFT was specified as it offers architects a flexible system,

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providing a structurally glazed solution, with options for facets, concealed vents and an extensive range of profiles that cater for large structurally glazed panes. Comar 6EFT also offers the slimmest silicon or EPDM joints in the industry, which means the eye catching glazed area is maximised.

LDG could ensure that this project could be completed within the restraints of the budget. Complying with the latest CWCT standards Comar 6EFT systems are mullion drained thermally broken structurally glazed curtain walling system with drained capping, pressure equalised and drained is in accordance with BS6262.

In a market where energy efficient designs and meeting the demands of the latest Building Regulations are paramount Comar 5P.i Auto Opening Vent, thermally efficient polyamide insulated windows were specified.

These aluminium windows offer outstanding weather performance and reduce heat loss through the trademark P.i thermal break ensuring low U-values so energy bills are minimised.

Comar 7P.i Commercial Door sets were the natural choice for this high traffic head office/call centre building. Comar 7P.i CD door sets can be hung from Comar 6EFT framing and are a natural choice for any busy environment. They are available in swing, pivot, sliding, auto-sliding and sliding folding options. www.comar-alu.co.uk

Doors, Windows & Glazing

Yeoman Shield Fire Rated Door Protection Products Can Help With Fire Door Safety Expensive fire doors are like sitting ducks when it comes to impact damage. Vulnerable glazing beads can be splintered and split, door edges can be carved up whilst door surfaces can experience dents and holes. The very kind of impairment which can render a fire door ineffective - risking the safety of lives and buildings.

Installed on new doors, Yeoman Shield products can be the solution to stopping damage occurring from the start. They can, however, also be retro fitted to doors already in use - that have slight/medium damage already inflicted on them - helping to improve their appearance and condition.

Yeoman Shield Door Edge Protectors Fitted to new doors or retrofitted to doors already in use Yeoman Shield Door Edge Protectors save meeting and hinged edges from damage.

This protection helps to maintain a gap no more than 3mm between frames and door edges, which will ensure that intumescent seals will function correctly in the event of a fire. Available for ½ hour and 1 hour fire rated applications with a choice of fire or fire and smoke seals.

Yeoman Shield Door Protection Panels & Plates - A PVCu panel supplied in 2500 x 1250mm sheets (or cut to required size) and 2.0mm thick, this fire rated material can be fitted to new or existing doors to protect the leaves of doors from unsightly damage which can be detrimental to both the appearance – and more importantly -the integrity of the fire door. Door panels can be shaped on Yeoman Shield’s in house CNC machine or have images inserted into the leaves for design and information purposes.

Yeoman Shield PVCu Clad Glazing Bead - Designed to reduce damage and expensive maintenance cost to the vision panel apertures of fire doors the Yeoman Shield PVCu clad glazing bead can give existing damaged doors a new lease of life.

Affording protection to the seal around the glass which slows down the progression of smoke and flame, as with all Yeoman Shield door protection products, the glazing beads can be fitted to new or existing doors without affecting the doors fire integrity. The beads can be tailored to the refurbishment of damaged timber beads and fire glass to your requirements by replacing just one bead, both beads or beads and glazing.

Full and comprehensive details on fire certification and details required before installation can commence is available from the technical sales office or at www.yeomanshield.com

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Decorative Casing Solutions – The Inside Story

The interiors of many buildings, as well as some exteriors, would be considerably less attractive and practical, if it wasn’t for column casings and interior wall lining solutions. A bold statement perhaps, but column casings are an essential part of contemporary building design and perform a vital function by providing an effective, stylish and immensely versatile method of concealing structural steelwork, concrete columns and in some cases, building services.

The use of column casings has grown dramatically since the early 1980s where their primary role was purely to cover structural supports with comparatively little consideration as a method of adding visual decoration to a building.

Since then, the demand for wider choice and increased aesthetics from design conscious architects, interior designers and specifiers has been a key influence on Peterborough based decorative casing specialist, Encasement, whose range has expanded and diversified considerably over the past ten years to become the most comprehensive available in the UK. The company’s complete range includes ‘Circa’ and ‘Quadra’ which are manufactured from pre-formed plywood, alongside its ‘Forma’ metal casings, ‘Polyma’ GRP and ‘Gypra’ GRG product ranges. ‘Metza’, a specialised solution that provides mezzanine floor columns with up to 2 hours fire protection is also available. Versatility is a key feature behind a diverse range of projects where the column casing’s design has been used to accent an interior or provide a unique aspect to a building. This high degree of freedom enables major brands, particularly in the retail sector, to specify colours that not only adhere to their brand guidelines but also add to the customer experience.

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Encasement’s ‘Forma’ metal casings, for example, provide specifiers with a diverse range of options and can be specified with diameters from 250mm up to 1000mm or as square, rectangular and hexagonal forms, as well as unique custom profiles.

While all of Encasement’s column casings are suitable for interior use, its ‘Polyma’ GRP products and ‘Forma’ range, which can be manufactured from aluminium or stainless steel, are also widely used on exterior projects due to their inherent weather resistance.

Recent projects, such as Tetrosyl’s new head office reception, Birmingham Dental Hospital and Winchester College, together with Porsche West London’s prestige showroom and Kia’s recently opened flagship premises on London’s Great West Road, perfectly illustrate the versatility of ‘Forma’ column casing solutions.

Recent Quadra projects include Farnborough’s 6th Form Centre and the Dame Kelly Holmes Sports Centre, while among the many Circa installations, Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal, Manor Lodge School in Hertfordshire, Liverpool University and Gateshead International Stadium are major installations Alongside the company’s column casings, its ‘Vecta’ system provides a high quality solution for interior wall linings, bulkheads and reveals. Launched just a few years ago, the system has been widely used in retail, education and commercial buildings, such as Tesco, South Bank University and Prêt a Manger, as well as prestigious office developments, including Wellington House and the Carmine building in Paddington, London.

At Tetrosyl, the casings have a unique aerofoil profile, Birmingham’s Dental Hospital uses a 25 metre high semi-elliptical design, whilst at Porsche, Kia and Winchester College, the casings are circular, but use distinctly different finishes to meet individual project specifications. In addition, at Winchester, the casings are used on the building’s exterior, as well as its interior.

Alongside ‘Forma’, Encasement’s ‘Circa’ and ‘Quadra’ pre-formed plywood column casings ranges were the first to be introduced by the company and are still among the most popular, as they provide specifiers and contractors with an unrivalled selection of finishes While ‘Circa’ is available as a plain casings for on site painting and decoration, by far the most popular are those finished with decorative laminates, which not only resist damage, scuffs and scratches, but also provides the specifier with a diverse palette of finishes including plain colours, wood grain and metallic, as well as textured and real wood veneers, to name but a few.

Both ‘Circa’ and ‘Quadra’ are manufactured from FSC® certified plywood and Encasement is the UK’s only supplier and manufacturer of pre-formed plywood pipe boxing and decorative casing products that holds an FSC® ‘Chain of Custody Certification’ from the Forest Stewardship Council. This makes the products compliant with sustainability codes and environmental procurement policies.

Designed solely for interior applications, ‘Circa’ and ‘Quadra’ are used in almost every building type from education, retail, hotel, sports and leisure to health sector and commercial office buildings. As a result, the choice of sizes available is also wide, allowing specifiers to choose not only circular and square, but also extended circles and rectangular profiles, which use additional infill panels to give greater flexibility while ensuring they are still easy to install.

Encasement’s Managing Director, Martin Taylor, commented: “Column casings provide a perfect mix of practicality and aesthetics and we’ve taken a lot of care to ensure our range meets both of these key criteria while also ensuring that we always remain competitive and deliver high quality products. Our entire range has been configured to provide the widest possible choice as well as being easy to specify.”

He added: “The Vecta interior cladding system enhances our building interiors offer and allows specifiers to source a range of specialised interior finish products from a single company with high levels of expertise and experience in this sector. We also have our own contracting arm, which enables us to offer a full supply and install service to support contractors.”

A full range of, literature, case studies, project galleries and detailed product information is available online from the company’s website www.encasement.co.uk.

In addition, detail drawings in DWG and PDF formats are available for download alongside specification clauses and product brochures covering Encasement’s full range.

Information is also available by calling 01733 266889 or e-mailing technical@encasement.co.uk.

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TM TM

Inspiring Flame Visuals With The New Gazco Vogue Gas Midi T

Inspired by Innovation

Portfolio, Portfolio,aabrand brandnew newcollection collectionwhich whichblends blendssuperlative superlativecraftsmanship craftsmanshipand andinnovative innovative technology, technology,with withaagorgeous gorgeousarray arrayofofcolours, colours,textures texturesand andstyles. styles.

Created Createdaround aroundfour fourinspirational inspirationalthemed themedranges, ranges,each eachdoor door--whether whetherfrom from Portfolio’s Portfolio’s‘Natural’, ‘Natural’,‘Exotic’, ‘Exotic’,‘Contemporary’ ‘Contemporary’or or‘Classic’ ‘Classic’range range--offers offersreal real personality. personality.

With Withinspiration inspirationcoming comingfrom fromaahost hostofofsources sources--Portfolio’s Portfolio’sdesign design team teamtook tookcues cuesfrom fromheadline headlineinterior interiorand andcatwalk catwalktrends trends--the therange range offers offersdesigners, designers,specifiers specifiersand andarchitects architectsluxurious luxuriouspieces pieceswith withno no compromise compromiseon onquality. quality.

The TheNatural Naturalrange range--Scandinavian Scandinaviandoors doorswith withaaluxurious luxuriouslook lookwould would suit suittraditional traditionalspas spasor orintimate intimaterestaurants. restaurants.

The TheExotic Exoticrange range--Wenge Wengeand andEbony, Ebony,offering offeringfiery fieryshades shadesand and tempting temptingtextures. textures.Both Bothdeliver deliveraadramatic, dramatic,evocative evocativeand andexciting exciting twist twistfor forany anyspace. space.

The TheContemporary Contemporaryrange, range,with withits itsclean cleanlines linesand andfresh freshdesign, design, takes takesits itsinspiration inspirationfrom fromall allthings thingsmodern. modern.When Whenadded addedto toaaslick, slick,city city apartment apartmentor orstylish stylishbar, bar,the thedoors doors--there thereare arenine ninestyles stylesininthe therange range-really reallycome comeinto intotheir theirown. own.

Complementing Complementingthe thedesign designteam’s team’sinspiration inspirationfor forclassic classicfeatures, features,the theClassic Classic materialsand and range rangecomprising comprisingofofsix sixbeautifully-finished beautifully-finisheddoors. doors.From Fromquality qualitymaterials rich richshades, shades,the thecollection collectionbrings bringsaaheritage heritagefeel feeland andtouch touchofofelegance. elegance.

For For aa copy copy of of our our Portfolio Portfolio brochure, brochure,or or to to request request samples, samples, please please call call 0844 0844 209 209 0008 0008

Birthwaite Birthwaite Business Business Park, Park,Huddersfield Huddersfield Rd, Rd, Darton, Darton,Barnsley, Barnsley,S75 S75 5JS 5JS Email: Email:ukmarketing@premdor.com ukmarketing@premdor.com www.premdor.co.uk/portfolio www.premdor.co.uk/portfolio

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Premdor Premdor Trend Trend Ad Ad -- Building Building Innovations Innovations JULY JULY (236x95).indd (236x95).indd 11

Real RealVeneers Veneers Consistent Consistent Grain Grain Consistent Consistent Colour Colour Never Never Identical Identical

Elegant, tall, and offering a three-sided view of high-reaching flames, the brand-new Gazco Vogue Gas Midi T is an impressive stove that is sure to be the talking point of any living space. Incorporating advanced gas fire technology and offering high efficiencies of up to 84%, the Midi T ensures an ample heat output of 4.8kW which can be controlled via remote control options. Featuring Gazco’s depth-enhancing EchoFlame Black Glass lining, the flowing flames are reflected about the interior making for an inspiring flame visual. Available as a Midline and Wall Mounted option, and presenting a highly realistic log-effect fuel bed, the Midi T makes a striking addition whatever your home styling. www.gazco.com

Plastering Simplified With New Knauf ProRoll With its brand-new roller-applied range of finishing and surfacelevelling ready-mixed plasters, Knauf has introduced ProRoll, a new quick, clean and efficient way of plastering residential homes and smaller projects. Suited to both smooth and textured backgrounds, Knauf ProRoll is applied to surfaces using a 9-inch medium pile roller and extension pole as required, ensuring a quick and easy installation while reducing the physical effort required to plaster. Ready-mixed, Knauf ProRoll can be applied directly from the tub, producing only a fraction of the mess of a traditional plaster product.

In additional, any excess material can simply be removed from a surface and recycled into the container, reducing wastage even further. Knauf ProRoll is available in two variants, Knauf ProRoll Light and Knauf ProRoll Max. Knauf ProRoll can be stored at room temperature for up to 12 months, provided a lid is applied. www.knauf.co.uk

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Photography: © David Barbour

Interiors

Egyptian Style At Greater London House Armourcoat polished plaster creates a stunning entrance for the refurbishment of Greater London House in Camden’s Mornington Crescent.

The building, owned by Lazari Investments, is a striking example of Art Deco Egyptian revival architecture formerly the Carreras Cigarette Factory.

The hand-applied Armourcoat wall finish forms part of the interior design

by Forme UK, which pays contemporary homage to the style of the façade and befits the scale, importance and heritage of the building.

also a branding device for Carreras, used on the packets of their Craven A cigarettes and is a repeating logo across the front of the building.

The Smooth polished plaster finish is similar to the marmorino stucco used extensively in northern Italy during the Renaissance period. Armourcoat Smooth finish resembles natural stone and consists of a natural mineral material composed of hydrated lime and crushed marble combined with special additives to control working characteristics.

An entrance ‘portico’ creates subtle references to Egyptian style, shapes and motifs, finished in a dark anthracite coloured polished plaster finish.

A silhouette outline of the famous bronze cat sculptures which flank the entrance was incorporated into the surface. The image of a black cat was

The final appearance of this finish is dependent on the hand of the individual applicator, making it possible to achieve anything from a plain lightly polished surface to a more highly burred marbelised effect. www.armourcoat.com

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Skating In The Quiet Some of the noisiest buildings are sports facilities such as ice rinks, halls and swimming pools where hard surfaces and large spaces exacerbate echoes and chatter.

Architects Christensen & Co which designed a new and very inviting ice skating rink in Ørestad, a fast-developing suburb of Copenhagen, used a popular and very effective solution to the problem. To reduce sound reverberation, Troldtekt natural wood wool acoustic panels were installed to provide a calm and uniform surface, together with integrated lighting.

The ceilings in the heated part of the ice rink provide a natural surface with a warm glow, contrasting between the cold crystalline rink and the warm club facilities. Designed as a venue for sport and fun, the architects carefully thought out their choice of materials and finishes, such as concrete, wood and glass and acoustic panels. The City of Copenhagen also invested additional funds to ensure the project was eco-friendly both in its construction and daily operation.

Specified throughout the UK and Europe, the benefits of 100% Troldtekt natural wood wool panels include high sound absorption, high durability, natural breathability, low cost life cycle performance and sustainability as documented by Cradle to Cradle certification at silver level. Available in various sizes and in three grades from ultrafine to coarse, they can be left untreated or painted in virtually any RAL colour. www.troldtekt.co.uk

Salice Prove Perfect For Lochanna Kitchens From Faith Furniture Salice UK are pleased to have teamed up with Faith Furniture Company to supply their Silentia and Titanium hinges for installation in all units within their LochAnna kitchen range.

Faith Furniture are specialists in the supply of kitchens and appliances to the KBB industry, serving independent retailers, merchants and the contracts market across the UK – run by a team passionate about kitchens, with over 100 years’ combined industry experience.

Their LochAnna kitchen range offers a stunning collection of 11 kitchen styles, offering every design option from the contemporary to the classic, all available with a wide choice of finish.

Salice’s Silentia integrated soft close hinge features a shallow cup depth of only 12mm, which permits the use of this hinge in doors with even the deepest edge profiles.

Specifically designed to combine functionality and style, Silentia provides silent and smooth closing action for all types of furniture doors. In addition, it is available for the full range of applications - angled, wide opening and blind corner specification. Salice also provided their Titanium hinge. Aesthetically appealing, Titanium’s finish delivers excellent corrosion resistance and blends warm tones with technological and futuristic finishes. Titanium is suitable for use with darker kitchen interiors and the numerous wood tones that are featured in current trends. www.saliceuk.co.uk

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The Transformation Of Oldham Town Hall In 2009 Oldham Town Hall was named by the Victorian Society as one of the top ten endangered buildings. After a £37 million re-development, it has been transformed and is now a major cinema and leisure complex, complete with its rich architectural heritage. A major element of the recently completed project was to replace over 2,000 of the original ceramic wall tiles, in 55 different formats and designs, which dated back to 1917. The preservation of the Grade II listed building’s heritage is testimony to the innovative and meticulous restoration approach adopted by Craven Dunnill Jackfield. The company employed traditional techniques so as to achieve a virtually seamless match to the remaining original tiles.

of bulb-glazed, square tiles in two colours, accurately matched in hue.

Rising towards the ceiling is a band of plain yellow tiles for which Jackfield manufactured some 1200 replacements.

In 2012, plans by the Council to re-develop the building as a state-ofthe-art, seven-screen cinema and leisure complex were given approval. The Grade II listed building’s heritage has been preserved thanks to innovative restoration work, whilst a large, glass light-box addition to the side allows for new circulation areas and services. Craven Dunnill Jackfield was commissioned by the specialist contractor Heritage Project Contracts to painstakingly copy and manufacture matching wall tiles for the centrepiece Egyptian Room and ante rooms.

Gemma Ball, Senior Sales Manager at Craven Dunnill Jackfield managed the project from the outset. “We worked to a detailed survey supplied by Heritage Project Contracts and were fortunate to have original tiles from which to make the new moulds. Such complex projects require a team of ceramic experts with a wealth of skills in restoration work, from detailed mould-making to specialist glazes. Unexpected challenges are common, once you start to work with tiles on a heritage site. However, this project went smoothly from the outset and we have been complimented on how the new tiles blend perfectly with the originals.”

The project comprised over 55 different tile types and 2,000 decorated and plain field tiles, which all required precise matching to the surviving Pilkington originals. For most of the 55 designs, new moulds needed to be made as many of the tiles are unique sizes and embossed with a variety of decorative features. Striking, tile-clad pillars dominate the room, for which Jackfield produced three variations of the embossed, yellow leaf design to cater for the tapered dimensions. For the base of each pillar, eight different styles of tiles were required, all with intricate embossed detailing.

The project entailed extensive trials to ensure the seamless and historically accurate transition from original to replacement tiles, and required the approval of the designated Conservation Officer and Planning Authority.

Craven Dunnill Jackfield started work on the project the summer of 2015 and the hand-manufacture of the tiles was completed a year later; installation took a further six months.

Tile manufacturer: Craven Dunnill Jackfield www.cravendunnill-jackfield. co.uk T: 01952884124 Restoration specialist: Heritage Project Contracts Ltd: T: 01743 460035 www.heritageprojectcontracts.com Main contractor: Morgan Sindall www.morgansindall.com

The Greek Key pattern around the upper section of the room’s walls likewise required the creation of numerous moulds to accommodate the left and right window reveals. This running border also involved the hand-manufacture

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Investment In New Wards At County Hospital Stafford Protected By Yeoman Shield County Hospital, Stafford, has invested in 4 new wards which are to be opened throughout the year. The first of such wards to be opened is Elderly Care, Ward 15. The ward refurbishment work included wall & door protection products from Yeoman Shield. Yeoman Shield Guardian Twin Handrail was fitted to the walls along the bed bay corridor.

This dual purpose product not only acts as a handrail support for those requiring it but the integrated lower protection rail provides protection against wear and tear to the walls and the upper handrail also. The nurses’ station area and connecting corridor walls are now thoroughly protected with Yeoman Shield 125mm protection rail on a solid timber core. Corner protection angles and protection strip were also added to ensure a comprehensive protection system was in place.

All were supplied in complementing shades of Grey, dovetailing into the décor scheme, contributing to a clean and attractive appearance throughout the unit.

The 12, bright and airy, en-suite rooms, colourfully painted, have Yeoman Shield bed head protectors installed on the walls at the head end of the patients bed.

Yeoman Shield’s stylish Guardian Bedhead protectors at 900mm long in Cream or Grey, were fitted on spacer brackets, standing slightly away from the wall to ensure full protection was given to the plaster painted wall behind. www.yeomanshield.com

CCL Wetrooms launch the NEW Frameless Grill for Wetroom Floors CCL Wetrooms have launched the latest development in Wetroom drainage - the new Frameless Grill - incorporating the minimalistic beauty of a Stone-Infill Grill, but without the border of a metal frame.

The new Frameless Grill, which only has

a 5mm shadow gap visible around the perimeter of the drain and no visible frame, has been designed to complement all brassware finishes and sanitary ware designs. Delivering a fabulous finishing touch to any wetroom, the frameless grill is the latest development to the StoneInfill Grill, the drainage grill that creates the look of a stunning continuous tiled floor. The new Frameless Grill surround creates the illusion of a floating tile. The Frameless Grill is manufactured in marine grade stainless steel and is suitable for use with porcelain and natural stone tiles. www.ccl-wetrooms.co.uk/blog/new-sleekframeless-grill/

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Sounds Like A Cayonoplan!

Kaldewei’s new Cayonoplan offers the perfect answer when it comes to designing a nearly flat shower solution.

The enamelled Cayonoplan shower surface adapts to many different structural requirements.

For instance, if adequate height is available it can be installed at floor level. Where the bathroom does not allow for this the shower surface can be quickly and easily installed directly on top of the floor tiles.

With 19 different dimensions, the laterally-positioned waste outlet and ultra flat tray support ensures easy assembly, making the Cayonoplan the ideal shower solution. All created from a single material, superior steel enamel, Cayonoplan complements the Cayono bath and Puro washbasin providing a ‘Perfect Match’ in the bathroom. www.kaldewei.co.uk

Itec Contract Floors Launches Tirreno Itec Contract Floors has launched Tirreno, a striking range of chip-effect sheet vinyl flooring, available through its Special Order Collection.

As part of the Decorative Flooring Collection with Class 42 wear performance, Tirreno is ideal for locations looking for maximum durability, with the Hyperguard+ PUR wear layer treatment keeping scuffs and marks at bay while helping to make the floor easier to clean.

In a range of 11 functional chip-effect colours, Tirreno creates a minimal aesthetic, working well in corridors and large open areas.

Available in a four-metre width, as well as the industry standard two-metre, Tirreno can be installed with fewer seams, which can be made almost invisible thanks to the floor’s Invisiweld compatibility. www.itecfloors.co.uk

Interiors

Pendock Pipe Boxing Solutions Give Rudyard Kipling School That ‘Just So’ Look The encasement solutions produced

by Pendock are widely used across the commercial and public sectors – including within schools and education establishments – with the manufacturer’s off-the-shelf and bespoke pipe boxing having been recently employed during a large scale refurbishment contract at a South Coast school.

The Rudyard Kipling School, located in Brighton, has been the subject of a yearlong contract for locally based SMS Southern Ltd., with Pendock having supplied pipe boxing specified by Brighton and Hove Council. The scope of the scheme was to disguise visually intrusive and potentially hazardous pipework in the school and its washroom spaces, which will also ensure that cleaning is made easier with no place for germs to linger. Equally importantly, the boxing will protect the buildings’ occupants against injury from the hot pipes behind them & also ensure the pipework cannot be tampered with.

Pendock, a UK based specialist manufacturer of encasements, including column surrounds, also provided a full site survey and design service for the project, together with installation schedule and drawings. Most fabrications were finished in Pendock’s standard Melamine material, but the manufacturer also provided a more durable laminated finish for the boxing used in the bathroom areas. In total 300 linear metres of boxing was supplied for the contract. www.pendock.co.uk

Maxilux Puts Linelite Vario™ In The Limelight Maxilux, the expanding specialist business that designs and manufactures high-impact LED strip for prestigious locations including the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Emirates Stadium and Twickenham, the home of English Rugby is putting Linelite Vario™, its latest under cabinet technology into the limelight.

Linelite Vario™ offers a fast, easy-to-fit solution with minimum fuss as part of Maxilux’s ‘making lighter work of light work’ pledge. The principle behind Linelite Vario™ is to offer a customisable linear light to fit under cabinets, but instead of asking wholesalers to stock a range of sizes, Maxilux will supply a complete kit with all the components to easily assemble to any size, up to 1.75m in length.

A Linelite Vario™ kit comprises a low profile aluminium housing with diffuser, end caps, mounting clips, a 120 LED/m strip, power supply as well as solder free connectors and cable. Managing director of Maxilux, Richard Cockayne, said: “This removes all of the hard work and fuss. Customers simply cut the aluminium and LED Strip to the required length and assemble the light and, in a few minutes, it's completely ready to fit to the correct size! “It’s a neat little offering, and with a 9w per metre, high density LED tape, the finished light will provide good even lighting for under cabinet applications with little or no spotting visible. The aluminium profile is easily hidden from view, although its attractive finish means there really is no need to hide it, if you don’t want to,” he added. maxilux.co.uk

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Why Hydrogen Rich Water In Your Home?

Over the last few hundred years, hydrogen gas has demonstrated a therapeutic effect on over 150 human diseases, as well as enhanced health and wellbeing. As revolutionary as this may be, what exactly is hydrogen? Furthermore, why should hydrogen be included in your water?

The people of Japan have been bathing in Hydrogen Rich water for centuries, their natural hot springs, known as Onsens, are sought after for their salubrious and invigorating effects. It is well documented that dissolved Hydrogen gas is what gives the waters of Nordenau, Germany and Tlacote, Mexico, their medicinal prowess.

1978 marks the earliest record of hydrogens’ medicinal properties, where cases of inflammation were successfully treated. The topic did not gain true popularity among scientists until 2007, when an article on the benefits of hydrogen was published in the prestigious journal of Nature Medicine.

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Hydrogen is colourless, odorless, tasteless and non-metallic. It is the lightest and simplest element in our known universe, expressed as the symbol ‘H’.

It is comprised of just a single electron and proton. Under regular conditions it exists primarily as molecular hydrogen (H2 gas). In this form, hydrogen has been shown to exert an extensive range of therapeutic effects.

When H2 gas is present in water it is referred to as Hydrogen-enriched water and is simply conventional water (H2O) that contains dissolved hydrogen gas (H2). For example, there are carbonated soft drinks such as sodas and sparkling waters that contain dissolved carbon dioxide gas (CO2). In contrast water that contains dissolved hydrogen gas, is the best bet for a longer, healthier life.

Footnote: *Aquatiere does not recommend those types of beverages for improving health.

Hydrogen is the smallest molecule in the universe; this minuscule proportion allows for a smooth diffusion into the sub-cellular compartments of the mitochondria and other locations in the human body. www.aquatiere.co.uk

Interiors

A Burning Passion For Fire The German premium manufacturer of firing technology Spartherm proudly presents an exclusive range of bioethanol fireplaces branded ebios-fire® which are now also made available for the discerning customer in Great Britain. Made And Tested In Germany - in order to provide an optimum of customer service, the expansive range of ebiosfire® models comprises both standard and made to measure built-in fireplace models in almost any thinkable layout.

Great versatility, product safety and outstanding German quality are key values at Spartherm's production facilities where all ebios-fire® models are originally designed, crafted and tested by passionate, skilled craftsmen. Test certificates issued by TÜV Germany further underline the outstanding safety of ebios-fire® bioethanol fires, which feature a wide choice of manual and automatic bioethanol burners.

Versatility Is key - The ebios-fire® range of products is available in a vast variety of finishes meeting the requirements of architects and interior designers on an international level.

Spartherm – The Fire Company www.spartherm.com

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Image Credit: Marcus Peel

Mapei Waterproofing And Ceramic Systems Used For American School Swimming Pool Mapei systems have been installed for the construction of a swimming pool at the American School in London, St John’s Wood. Complete waterproofing and ceramic tiling solutions were installed over a nine month period to areas in the pool tank and changing room interiors and exteriors.

The American School in London was founded in 1951 and currently educates 1,350 pupils. The new swimming pool is part of a £10m development comprising underground sports centre with fitness studio, multipurpose room, and changing facilities along with a 25m swimming pool where Mapei’s involvement in the project was contracted. As the 1,430m2 sports centre is below ground level, curved changing rooms with brightly tiled walls reflect the available light, while voids allow natural light to flood the space.

The project was completed whilst the school remained open, which meant materials had to be installed quickly and with as little disruption as possible, without compromising on quality. EP Ceramics installed Mapei’s Planitop Fast 330, a quick-setting, fibre reinforced cementitious mortar to smooth out surface irregularities for the pool walls. The base of the pool was then formed using Mapei Topcem, a hydraulic binder mixed with sand and bonded using Mapei Planicrete; this formed screed allows fast track installation of subsequent materials. Once the pool tank had been formed the Mapei Mapelastic was applied. The Mapenet 150 reinforcing mesh was installed between two coats combined with the Mapeband at the joints to reinforce the waterproofing layer. Once dry the ceramic tiles were then installed using Keraflex Maxi S1 adhesive and the joints finished with the highly water and abrasion resistant Ultracolor Plus in shade 112 (Medium Grey) Matt Dudley from EP Ceramics commented: “The installation was made easier by the early involvement of the Mapei team working alongside ourselves and the architect to produce an M40 with the correct products

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for each stage of the works. Fixers working on the job commented on how high the standard of products being used were, not only for ease of use, but for workability and drying times allowing each stage of the process to progress smoothly. Going forward on future projects we will be pushing the architects and designers to use Mapei products and technical expertise.”

Orms architects oversaw the project and specified Mapei’s system. Rosie Bard from Orms Architects commented “Mapei was the obvious choice for a high end swimming pool environment such as this. The quality of the design, finishes and fit out meant that a product was required that met both the technical and aesthetic requirements “ The Mapelastic AquaDefense waterproofing system was specified for the changing room areas to the walls before fixing tiles. Mapei ceramic products were specified, including high performance adhesives used to fix the tiles. Keraflex Maxi was specified for the tiles to the stair risers and Keraquick together with Latex Plus were used to install porcelain, stone, ceramic and glass tiles. Ultracolor Plus grout in shade 114 (Anthracite) was used on tiles in the pool surround and changing room floors, and Ultracolor Plus grout in shade 112 (Medium Grey) for the changing room walls and glass mosaic. To finish the project, Mapei’s Primer FD adhesion promoter was used to prime the edges of the movement joints subject to prolonged water immersion, before the Mapesil AC sealant was applied in matching shades to the Ultracolor Plus Grout.

Email info@mapei.co.uk or tel. +44 (0)121 508 6970 for more information on how Mapei products can be used in your project or visit www.mapei.co.uk to view the full product range.

Environmental Control

Mr Slim R32 Models Bring Advanced Benefits At The Same Price

Aspen Pumps Takes Market By Storm

Mitsubishi Electric has launched a new range of air conditioning units utilising the new refrigerant R32 which will be available at the same price as the equivalent R410A units. The R32 Mr Slim Power Inverter split type models are the second product range in the company’s UK line-up to utilise R32 refrigerant – which has a low global warming potential (GWP). www.timeforr32.co.uk/pr4

Aspen Pumps, the UK’s market leader in condensate removal pumps and accessories, is proud to announce the launch of Storm Chemicals, a new range of innovative products designed to clean and maintain Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) equipment. The launch marks an entirely new brand addition to Aspen’s product portfolio contributing to business growth and follows hot on the heels of the company’s acquisition of UK tool specialist JAVAC, and French distributor Salina SAS. The Storm Chemicals range offers effective and powerful deep cleaning of HVACR equipment to promote a healthy indoor environment and improve energy efficiency. Offering engineers and FM’s an extensive range of cleaning and maintenance solutions needed to maintain HVACR units, Storm boasts a unique formula that takes cleaning to the next level, offering a deeper, long-lasting and safer clean which results in fewer call backs and saves money.

Visit www.aspenpumps.com and www.stormchemicals.com

Rinnai Launches Into The Commercial Boiler Marketplace Rinnai has launched new products into the commercial gas-fired boiler marketplace with an initial introduction of three condensing models. The new boilers, Germanmanufactured to high specification in materials, build and components are built to last and offer high quality construction and engineering alongside top of the range energy efficiencies. The Rinnai Infinity condensing boiler range is available for natural gas and LPG operation and comes with innovative controls maximizing energy efficiencies through class-leading weather compensation technology. The Infinity boiler is A rated under the ErP directive, meaning customers can make an informed decision when purchasing.

The Rinnai Infinity condensing boilers come in 50kW, 75kW and 100kW versions and are both maintenance and installer friendly. The appliances are accessed from the front and require minimal space for installation, thus helping to reduce cost and time required on site. Some of the units also feature a fully removable pivoting heat exchanger and burner for easy inspection and cleaning.

New combustion control technology also imbues the units with the capability to selfcalibrate so avoiding manual setting and automatically adapts to suit the gas quality.

The boilers also offer a range of ancillary options including pressurisation units, manifold pipework assemblies, mounting frames, heating system separators, boiler and water heater combination packs, ancillary control options, external temperature sensor and advanced boiler controls.

The 50kW, 75kW and 100kW versions all have an efficiency of 93%. The CGB-50 measures 855mm x 440mm x 393mm, while the CGB-75 and CGB-100 both present at 1020mm x 565mm x 548mm. www.rinnaiuk.com

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Schiedel Wins Best Flueing And Ventilation Product At Hearth & Home Schiedel Chimney System's ICID Plus Double Wall Adjustable Starter Section, a quick and easy way of disconnecting a stove for inspection, has won ‘Best Flueing and Ventilation Product' at this year's Hearth & Home exhibition. As well as being easy to remove, the product is also extremely simple to install and as part of Schiedel's new improved ICID Plus range, comes with a lifetime warranty.

David Wright, Residential Sales & Marketing Manager from Schiedel, said: "We are delighted to win this award for a product that has been specifically designed to make life easier for the installer.

At Schiedel, we are continuously looking for ways to meet the demands of our sector, offering versatile solutions that work with the changing needs of the market, while supporting our installers through improved warranties - the lifetime guarantee on ICID Plus is a first for the industry - and easier ways of getting the job done." www.schiedel.co.uk

Inta Launches ActivFlo Range Of Water Conditioners

Coloured Radiators Becoming Mainstream…

Coloured radiators are becoming mainstream with the arrival of the Stelrad Vita Column Concept radiator – a 600mm high traditional column radiator that is now available from stock in Anthracite grey. The new radiator has joined Stelrad’s Vita Series range.Interior Decorators have seen the benefits of coloured radiators for some time and been willing to order them with the eight-week lead time that special paint jobs require, but the interest in coloured radiators is growing and we have begun what we see as an inevitable trend towards stocking a small number of those colours and models that we see ordered regularly, for immediate delivery. The first of these is the Vita Column Concept in Anthracite grey, but others will follow. www.stelrad.com

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British heating and plumbing product manufacturer Inta has introduced its ActivFlo range of domestic and commercial water conditioners to the market.

With 60% of the UK being affected by hard water, there is a significant market for reliable and effective water conditioners.

ActivFlo and ActivFlo Pro provide an efficient solution to hard water issues and limescale buildup without requiring the addition of a chemical limescale inhibitor, the removal of any waste product, or regular maintenance. ActivFlo extends the service life and improves efficiency of heating equipment, as well as preventing costly equipment failure. The addition of an ActivFlo to an existing water system will also reduce existing limescale. www.intatec.co.uk

New Wilo-Stratos Maxo Launched Wilo has launched the new Wilo-Stratos MAXO, the world’s first true smart-pump. The new GreenButton-Technology is the successor to Wilo’s red button and combines proven handling with new and optimised functions.

Its high degree of connectivity makes the WiloStratos MAXO an extremely flexible solution, when it comes to integration into a wide range of applications. The analogue and digital interfaces, which are still an optional feature only available via IF-Modules for the Stratos, will now come as standard for the Wilo-Stratos MAXO. www.wilo.co.uk

Environmental Control

Meet The New SL25 Lightweight Flood Barrier From IBS Worldwide leaders in demountable flood protection systems, IBS, have just released their smallest, lightest system to date.

Called the SL25, the new lightweight system is targeted at the property sector of the flood protection market and aims to capitalise on the company’s strong brand and product reputation in the wider flood risk management industry.

Drawing on all their experience from more than 2 decades in the global flood defence sector, IBS have designed the SL25 to be as easy as possible to install and more importantly, to require minimum effort to deploy before floodwater arrives. Major advantages of the new SL25 lightweight system include the ability to use it without intermediate posts for widths of up to 2.5m and for heights of up to 1m, as well as not requiring a ground rail* or recess along the bottom edge. With a patent applied for and pending, this new system will allow IBS to continue leading the way in the provision of innovative new solutions for those people, businesses and communities that find themselves at risk of flooding. www.ibsengineeredproducts.co.uk * Max. +/- 5mm ground unevenness

Read All About It The use of a Trend BEMS has cut energy bills by more than £100,000 within two years at the London headquarters of the Financial Times (FT). As part of an ongoing drive to improve performance, reduce CO2 emissions and cut energy costs, the company wanted to ensure that all building services were functioning as efficiently as possible. The first place to start was the BEMS - and Chartwell Energy Solutions, part of the Chartwell Group, was called in to offer its advice.

Andy Horrigan, the company’s Energy Manager, comments, ‘In 2013 we were tracking the emergence of a new platform called Demand Logic – a plug-and-play system that collects data directly from a facility’s BEMS. Within a week, it could offer a complete snapshot of how the building services were operating.’ The device is plugged into the Trend BEMS control panel, which collects data and broadcasts it to the cloud and software in the form of a web-based interface, which collates that data into a central, secure location.

‘This allows us to pinpoint exactly where the issues are,’ says Andy Horrigan. ‘At the FT building, we could piece together a picture within a week, built from 25,000 data points throughout the network. Once we had a clear snapshot of what was actually happening, we could then start asking questions based on our engineering expertise and work out whether issues were centred on software or hardware.’ After analysing the data captured, Trend provided the Chartwell Energy Solutions team with specialist training and tools to deal with the older parts of the system.

This was particularly cost effective, as instead of replacing parts, the existing system could be tweaked to yield the best results. Two years later, energy use has been cut by around 2,290kWh/day average, translating to a total saving in energy of more than £100,000 within the first two years. www.trendcontrols.com

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Conservatory Conversion Company Relies on YBS SuperQuilt Insullite, a Manchester based manufacturer (www.insullite.co.uk) specialising in the upgrade of existing conservatory structures, is making extensive use of high performance multi-foil insulation from YBS in the construction of its replacement roofs.

Since the Managing Director, Neil Birchall, and his brother set it up five years ago, Insullite has grown its business serving trade as well as private domestic customers right across the UK, enabling property owners to make use of their outdoor rooms all year round.

They achieved this by developing a lightweight, timber framed replacement roof structure featuring the use of the YBS SuperQuilt multi-layer insulation, which is actually suitable for use across the entire building envelope.

The choice of the well proven - and BBA accredited product, enables the Insullite conservatory roof to achieve Building Regulation approval while maintaining the elegantly low profile appearance complementary to existing conservatories. Managing Director, Neil Birchall commented: “The Insullite solid tiled conservatory roof has been intelligently designed to solve all of the common problems that conservatory owners face: we do this by using a multi-layered foil insulation system. Our solution features a SuperQuilt 19 layer multi-foil insulation, which has an excellent thermal value as it deflects the extreme hot and cold temperatures away from the occupied space. We also employ a sound deadening insulation, which unlike rigid materials, completely silences the weather. “ “This intelligent use of insulation technologies means that the Insullite tiled conservatory roof achieves a U-value of 0-18 W/m2 K – meaning the insulation system is one of the best on the market. Whereas conventional conservatories with glass or Perspex roofs are either freezing cold in winter or boiling hot in sunny summer weather, owners choosing our solution can enjoy their conservatory all year round.” www.ybsinsulation.com

Omnie MVHR Systems Specified For Suffolk Eco-Homes Following the example of the German PassivHaus standard and Canadian Super-E systems, the consultants designing a development of highly energy efficient homes in Suffolk have opted to incorporate Omnie mechanical heat recovery ventilation systems as well as the manufacturer’s well proven TorFloor underfloor heating to help maintain optimum indoor conditions.

The three dwellings currently being built by Mainline Properties at Cedar’s Close in Thurston, near Bury St. Edmunds, feature a host of sustainable technologies together with achieving excellent airtightness and insulation standards. However, while such measures will ensure the homes can offer low energy bills, the occupants could also face the twin risks of overheating in summer and condensation problems from the moisture generated by cooking, washing or simply breathing.

The architects acting on behalf of Mainline Properties have therefore drawn on the expertise of Exeter based Omnie as the suppliers of whole-house heating and ventilation solutions, able to ensure a comfortable indoor living environment is created all year round.

As a result the trio of three-storey, four bedroom eco-houses are being fitted with the MVHR units by local plumbing and heating specialist, All Aspects Plumbing, with the duct pipes being rapidly routed through the buildings’ metal web floor joists.

In operation, the warm moist air extracted from the kitchen and other wet rooms will pass through each unit’s high efficiency heat exchanger to temper the incoming fresh air. Alternatively, during warm weather, the system can simply supply cooling ventilation to the living spaces and bedrooms. www.omnie.co.uk

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Environmental Control

Specifying The Right Life Safety System The issue of poor and unplanned maintenance for vital life safety fire and smoke control systems is a key concern, which also has potentially fatal consequences.

In particular, a number of recent reports have highlighted poorly maintained smoke control systems in some housing association (HA) properties, which have placed tenants at risk.

Recognising the need to raise the standards when it comes to maintenance, SE Controls has launched SECloudlink™, an innovative ‘remote services’ solution, which provides detailed, around-the-clock system status interrogation. This comprehensive system enables SE Controls’ maintenance team to provide planned and corrective maintenance when needed, driven by regulatory demands or by notifications direct from the smoke control system.

Using integrated 4G communications technology, it enables the system to be constantly monitored, as well as allowing any adjustments and tuning to ensure it matches the needs of the building and occupants, whether it is for smoke control only, environmental ventilation or a hybrid of both systems.

This approach not only provides an effective solution for buildings where ongoing maintenance might be an issue, but is also applicable to any building with a smoke control system that requires regular maintenance to the standards demanded by BS9991, BS9999 and BS7346 Part 8, together with Building Regulations ADB; BS EN 12101 and others.

The key benefits of SECloudlink™ remote services include: Proactive management of life safety systems to ensure building compliance Improved efficiency and budget control, minimising disruption and reducing costs associated with expensive site visits System performance, including historical data, for individual sites or a portfolio of buildings Highlight faults and service requirements with fast problem resolution On-going support with advice and assistance when needed Management reporting Simon North, Service and Maintenance Division Manager with SE Controls, explained: “Once a legally compliant smoke and fire safety solution is installed, the responsibility for planned maintenance and servicing can be overlooked.

However, the potential costs associated with reactive maintenance and sending an engineer to site when there is an issue or servicing requirement, begs the question - why wouldn’t you want to engage an SECloudlink™ solution?”

The system can also provide significant benefits to contractors, particularly where they are responsible for maintenance on multiple sites, as SECloudlink™ software can monitor every installation remotely where an SE Controls solution has been installed. Individual rooms can be monitored on a floor-by-floor basis and the system’s graphical interface can be configured to notify SE Controls, or the appointed maintenance contractor, when an issue appears. Any alerts or notifications can be immediately interrogated on screen with data logs to show details of the reported event to speed up corrective actions. SECloudlink™ is already in place on several sites where life safety systems are installed and the resulting benefits to landlords have also been significant, although the over-riding benefit is for the building’s residents. If a fire should occur, the system will operate flawlessly and escape routes will be kept clear of smoke, as the alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.

Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained online from www.secontrols.com, by emailing sales@secontrols. com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

SE Controls has NBS Clauses and BIM Objects available on NBS Plus, BIM Object and at www.secontrols.com

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A Radiator Revolution?

Some people in the heating sector are claiming that there is a quiet revolution taking place in the radiator marketplace. Radiators are still the emitter of choice for well over 90% of the heating systems in the UK. However, the radiators being selected are tending to be more adventurous than has previously been the case.

Where it all started - The bathroom was the first room in the home to benefit from something a bit more special, with the ladder towel rail being the first non-standard response to heating in a home. Towel rails and specially designed bathroom radiators tended to be tall rather than wide and the beginnings of the love affair with vertical radiators had begun.

This spread to the kitchen where designer and decorative radiators began to appear, in particular vertical models which would take up less horizontal wall space, leaving more room for kitchen units.

The days of a radiator being a purely functional heating emitter are long gone. Even a person looking to buy a radiator that is as inexpensive as possible expects the radiator he or she buys, to be aesthetically pleasing, to have rounded edges and an excellent paint finish. Even Stelrad’s most basic radiator offers all those things. But perhaps because of the number of house renovation and decorating type programmes on the hugely expanded number of TV channels available to us all these days, more people are taking an interest in their radiators. Many no longer rely solely on their heating engineer or installer to quote for “a boiler and eight rads”. They want to know what rads, whether they will be getting an attractive towel warming radiator in the bathroom. Whether they can have an attractive vertical radiator in the hallway that everyone sees as they come through the front door. Perhaps a designer radiator in the kitchen.

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Coloured radiators in vogue - One of the most obvious change in radiators in the past few years has been the huge increase in colours that radiators are available in nowadays. To paraphrase the famous quip by Henry Ford, traditionally you could have radiators in “any colour, so long as it was white”. Stelrad now offers many of its models in up to 35 different colours – with a small delivery waiting time – but a time wait that is worth it to get exactly the right colours and shades for interior décor purposes.

The latest colour additions to the Stelrad range are its Vita Column Concept – available from stock in anthracite grey – it’s a new addition to the phenomenally popular Vita range and is proof that far from just seeing coloured radiators as ‘specials’ they will increasingly be seen as mainstream options for installers to offer to their customers in the months and years ahead.

Coloured radiators are already proving popular with interior designers for homes where an extra splash of colour will make a home come alive, and architects and building designers looking for radiators that will match or contrast with corporate identity colours in offices and business premises.

Full details of the colourful designer lead options available from Stelrad can be found at www.stelrad.com, you can call for brochures and information on 0844 543 6200 or email marketing@stelrad.com . Alternatively, you can also see regular updates from Stelrad on Twitter @Stelrad and Facebook @ StelradRadiators.

Environmental Control

Heating Controls – A Wealth Of Options Effective heating controls are a vital part of an efficient centralheating system. With the requirement now for condensing boilers, for ErP compliant heating systems and circulating pumps in the majority of applications and ever more energy efficient radiators or under floor heating systems to share the heat around the home, if you’re looking for even more energy efficiency for your customers, you have limited options. Heating controls manufacturer ESi says it makes huge sense to look more closely at heating controls.

to choose the controls installed based on the homeowners who will need to use them. So it is vital that all domestic controls are as easy to use as possible – ESi have achieved this following considerable research and customer trials.

The decision as to which to include in a new build heating installation or in a heating system replacement project is not straightforward, with a wealth of options available and a range of combinations of components that can enable the homeowner to be in control of the heating in their home available.

Unless you have a smart system which allows you to control individual radiators in your home, there's usually only one room thermostat per heating system. It controls the temperature of the whole house based on the temperature of the room it's in. ESi provides a range of programmable room thermostats – both hard wired and wireless models. A room thermostat is best located in the living room or the warmest room in the house.

Whilst most boilers these days feature in-built controls that look after the level and flow of heating and hot water, the range of heating controls that can be used around the home has grown to allow you to be in far more control day to day, than was the case a relatively few years ago.

ESi offers a range of programmers from a simple 1 Channel version to a 3 channel Multi-Purpose Programmer which enables the installer to comply with Part L of the Building Regulations by providing separate timed heating control for living and sleeping zones in a home, whilst also providing timed control of hot water. However, the ESi range all offer 24 Hour / 5/2 day and 7 day programming options for each channel.

A programmable room thermostat lets the homeowner choose what times they want the heating to be on and what temperature it should reach while it's on. A seven-day timer makes it possible to set a different heating pattern for each day while 5/2 programming offers different options for weekdays and weekends. ESi’s ESRTP4 model provides true 7 day, 5/2 day or 24-hour programming options, with up to six time and temperature events being available each day. Because these are also available in wireless versions, they can be installed absolutely anywhere in the home. www.esicontrols.co.uk

The selection of programmers and timers available today are many and varied and range from the simple to the far more complex. It is important

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Floors

Diespeker Echoes Scarpa With Seamless Terrazzo For Fucina London Italian restaurant Fucina in Chiltern Street, Marylebone is the brainchild of Australian-born restaurateur Kurt Zdesar. Zdesar brought in head chef Stefano Stecca, from Rimini, formerly head chef at Toto’s in Chelsea. The restaurant opened to acclaim in late 2016.

The Fucina style is ‘casual-luxury’. It serves only organic produce, including the wine and soft drinks, and has a quirky adjoining panetteria for baking bread in-house. Many ingredients, including ice-cream, pasta and pastries, are made in-house. A private dining room boasts a wood burning fire pit for cooking meats, and the restaurant has two communal tables for seating without reservations, as well as a small bar and an espresso coffee counter.

Fucina was designed by Andy Martin Architecture, an inspirational studio responsible for Barrafina, Chan and Chotto Matte, amongst others. Fucina means forge in Italian, and the materials used reflect this, with timber, brick and blackened steel. Diespeker was approached by the architects in 2014 with a request to see if it was possible to create a terrazzo with glass inset for specific sections of the restaurant floor. The creative was inspired by flooring designed by architect Carlo Scarpa in the Olivetti Showroom in St Mark’s Square, Venice. The flooring here uses mosaic tiles in a variety of colours, and the floor gives the impression of moving water.

While plans for the new build restaurant were firmed up, Diespeker developed new expertise with resin based terrazzo, in particular with flooring created for the refurbished J&M Davidson boutique in Mayfair. When AMA contacted Diespeker again in 2016 about bespoke terrazzo for the Fucina project, the team was able to suggest an alternative, resin based terrazzo solution, to give a more seamless finish.

Diespeker’s expert team carefully selected a block of Italian Carrara marble in Italy; this popular white marble boasts grey veins giving a unique finish every time. The block was sliced into 10mm thick sheets before being transported to Diespeker’s Bermondsey factory. There, the sheets were cut

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into around 16,000 marble shapes, 4,000 each of four different trapeziumstyle shapes.

Installation was to a cement screed; fibreglass sheeting was bonded to the screed and the individual marble shapes hand laid on to the sheeting. The installation of the shapes was sequential, meaning great care had to be taken during laying. A mid-grey resin base was poured in situ for a seamless finish, before polishing and grinding.

All five sections of the terrazzo floor have curved profiles, which required careful attention to detail when cutting the shapes to ensure compliance to the curves. These curved edges create a flow through the restaurant, perfectly fitting the architect’s vision of a sculpted space echoing raw and refined materials. The terrazzo flooring adjoins engineered tongue and groove timber flooring, and 3mm anodised aluminium transition strips were used to create the flush between the two floor finishes.

Project details: Lead time: six weeks for preparation and cutting Installation: four installers on site for around four weeks Floorspace: total resin based terrazzo floorspace of 55m²

• • •

Andy Martin Architecture was awarded Commercial Interior: Surface Design Awards in February for the inspirational interior of Fucina, with judges acknowledging the distortion of surfaces, and the simple clear interior that is ‘technically hard to achieve.’

Diespeker is currently working on various bespoke terrazzo projects for clients including a 700m² resin terrazzo floor with blue glass chips for a north west London supermarket. For another unusual project recently, the company created a bespoke cement terrazzo countertop and display panel using pieces of 100 broken green beer bottles. www.diespeker.co.uk

Floors

Flowcrete UK Unveils New Polished Concrete Flooring Range - Monodec Flowcrete UK has launched a new range of polished concrete systems to provide the construction industry with a greater range of flooring options than ever before.

Suitable for both commercial and industrial facilities, the Monodec range is ideal for transforming an existing concrete slab into a visually appealing surface that provides both easy cleanability and durability.

Flowcrete UK has developed this new collection by bringing together specialist grinding and polishing techniques with high performance sealers, densifiers, coatings and dyes.

Monodec floors are created by using diamond grinding techniques to remove the surface laitance and expose the natural aggregates in the concrete mix. The slab is then treated to strengthen the concrete and ensure a uniform finish. Designers can even choose between a coloured stain or patterned visual effect.

Once treated the floor is then polished down to a super flat, super glossy surface that will not only achieve a high-end appearance but which will maintain an easy to clean, wear concrete slab is not a possibility for the project at hand then the Monodec Thin-Crete systems can be used as decorative overlays.

Flowcrete UK has added a polished concrete flooring range to its extensive collection of resin flooring systems to ensure that construction industry professionals have as wide a spectrum of flooring solutions as possible available from a single source.

Resin coatings and polished concrete solutions both have distinct advantages and possibilities, if you’d like to find out more click here to download Flowcrete UK’s new white paper Comparing Polished Concrete and Resin Floor Options for Commercial Environments. Architects can even book onto a RIBA approved CPD seminar about specifying polished concrete that explores this type of flooring in depth, compares it to alternative materials and provides attendees with the practical info required to evaluate the available polished concrete options and make an informed decision. Get in touch with one of Flowcrete UK’s flooring experts today if you’ve got a question about polished concrete or want to book onto a CPD seminar. www.flowcrete.com

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Looking For A Whitewashed Floor?

Bona White is a new wood floor primer designed to produce an on-trend bleached look when used in conjunction with a Bona polyurethane lacquer. The intensity of ‘whiteness’ is dependent on how many coats are applied. This client wanted a whitewashed look to their original Victorian floor boards to tie in with the soft greys of the kitchen.

This was achieved by the application of two coats of Bona White under two coats of Bona Traffic HD lacquer. The works were part of a complete renovation of a Victorian town house in Bath and were carried out by Bona Certified Contractor, TWF Bath Ltd, who specialise in the restoration and fitting of traditional wood floors. Before treatment, the TWF team filled large gaps using reclaimed pine wedges and then sanded the floor to 100 grit abrasives.

Smaller gaps were filled using Bona Mix & Fill, which is mixed with sanding dust from the floor to ensure the filled areas blend in with the rest of the surface. The floor was then sanded using 120 grit abrasives before the application of the first coat of Bona White. The floor was then abraded using a Bona Scrad Pad to remove any grain raising from the surface before the application of the second coat.

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To produce a highly durable, easy to maintain finish, two coats of Bona Traffic HD lacquer were applied. Traffic HD is Bona’s toughest lacquer. The very low VOC content and low odour mean there is no need for homeowners to vacate their property while the works are being carried out and there is no lingering smell.

Its fast cure time means the floor can be in full use just 12 hours after treatment – making it an ideal choice for commercial floors too where there is little available downtime for renovation. TWF’s clients chose the Matt version of Traffic HD for their kitchen floor. Silkmatt and Extramatt sheens are also available.

As a Bona Certified Contractor, TWF Bath is part of Bona’s network of highly trained wood floor specialists - independent wood floor companies who have received extra in-depth training in the use of Bona’s wood floor finishing products. bona.com

Floors

Marmoleum Modular Serves Up Tasteful Flooring Solution For Life Café When Ian Gowland of Big Blue Interior Design was asked to recommend and specify floor coverings for the new look Life Café at the International Centre for Life in Newcastle, he knew from past experience that Marmoleum Modular ticked all the boxes for this busy facility at the heart of the pioneering science village.

“The centre attracts around 250,000 people annually, and the café is particularly popular,” he said, “so it needed a floor covering that would stand the test of time in terms of durability and aesthetics. I told my client about the many benefits of Marmoleum Modular, including how it’s designed to cope with heavy footfall and the availability of a variety of colours, patterns and formats – which meant that we could create any type of design – and they were very happy with the option.”

Ian specified Marmoleum Modular planks in a 100 x 25cm format for the café, choosing trace of nature, rocky ice and Cliffs of Moher colourways

and a random installation pattern. “They’ve helped to create a calming, yet contemporary atmosphere,” he said, “and it’s a massive improvement on the previous look.”

Sam Watson, Director of Durham Flooring who completed the installation, agreed: “The design looks sleek, modern and streamlined and it gives the Life Café a modern lift,” he said. “The natural colours complement each other and the new furnishings really well, giving it a great ambience.”

Forbo’s Flotex flocked floor coverings and Sarlon acoustic vinyls were installed in other areas of the centre including the entrance area where rich blue Sarlon Uni is beautifully complemented by Flotex Bacteria from Forbo’s Ettore Sottsass collection – an appropriate choice for a building dedicated to science.

The Centre for Life will benefit from the hygienic attributes of its new floor coverings. Flotex and Marmoleum have earned the Allergy UK ‘Seal of Approval’ as, with the correct cleaning regime, they will not harbour allergens or dust mites, making them ideal for busy educational establishments and visitor attractions.

For more information on Marmoleum Modular please telephone 0844 822 3928, email info.flooring.uk@forbo.com or visit www.forbo-flooring. co.uk/marmoleummodular

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External Works

Introducing FlexiSet® By SureSet Permeable Paving SureSet are excited to boost their everexpanding commercial paving product range with new FlexiSet®.

Made from 50% recycled rubber and 50% 6mm natural aggregate and resin, lightweight and flexible, FlexiSet is ideal for woodland trails, jogging paths, pedestrian areas, cycle tracks, equestrian centres, drainage channels, golf course pathways, pool surrounds, roof gardens, tree pits and boat decks.

FlexiSet is made from shredded bus and truck tyres so the recycled rubber itself is black, but by adding natural aggregate to the mix SureSet are able to bring a subtle colour to the surface. A combination of the absorption and flexible properties of recycled rubber and the strength and durability of natural aggregate, bound together with quality resin, creates an external surface suitable for pedestrian use.

SureSet permeable paving have been manufacturing and installing high quality resin bound paving since 1997. Offering an 18-year guarantee, SureSet work with both residential and commercial customers across the UK and overseas. www.sureset.co.uk

H+H And SIG Offsite Collaboration Helps Meet Housing Demand In a unique collaboration, H+H UK Ltd and SIG Offsite have worked together to create the SIG I-House – an innovative housebuilding system incorporating Celcon Elements from H+H. The SIG I-House provides all the speed of offsite construction with the familiarity of a traditional build, from foundations to roof in just five days.

The system can encompass the inner leaves of external cavity walls, floors, lintel, cavity closers, insulation and roof trusses. With the inclusion of soffit and fascia, the system delivers the internal skin of a property, fully wrapped and ready for follow-on trades.

Created at a time when there is a demand to increase the volume of house building and when skilled workers are in short supply, the system is a one stop shop for clients – with a single contractor required to deliver the whole house shell.

The system is intended for the construction of domestic houses of up to two storey height, replacing the structure of the inner leaf of external cavity walls, separating walls and internal partitions with storey height Celcon Elements.

Installed by the SIG Offsite team, Celcon Elements are craned into place and fixed using H+H element mortar. Timber I-Joist cassette floors are used in conjunction with the system to maintain the speed of build and roofs are either standard truss construction or the ‘Roofspace I-Roof’ – panelised roof system. All components are raised into position by crane.

Celcon Elements are manufactured from the same intrinsic material as aircrete blocks and have the same performance advantages including excellent thermal performance with reduced heat loss at thermal bridges. www.hhcelcon.co.uk

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External Works

Sureset Turns Resin Bound Paving On Its Side

Kee Systems Helps University Achieve First Class Facilities

Introducing The Metropolis Grating

StepRise® is a unique product just launched by SureSet permeable. Ideal for commercial, self-build and refurbishment projects, the StepRise is a pre-formed step riser. SureSet developed the StepRise to provide a complete resin bound solution for external steps. Designed to be used in conjunction with a metal step nosing, to protect the exposed edge, and SureSet resin bound paving laid onto the treads of steps. StepRise is constructed of 3mm nominal sized SureSet resin bound paving on lightweight high-performance construction board that can be applied to the vertical rise of external steps. The StepRise is available in a range of colours. www.sureset.co.uk

Kee Systems supplied its Kee Access® and Kee Klamp® fittings to the University of Brighton, to provide the Falmer campus with a DDA compliant handrail system that ensures the safety of teachers,

Ductile iron gratings on surface water drainage channels don’t necessarily need to be utilitarian in appearance with geometric slots or meshes.

Inspired by the patterns made by water flowing down a stream, the surface design of the Hauraton METROPOLIS grating is reminiscent of the ART NOUVEAU style and later ART DECO period. Planners and landscape architects can now choose this grating to add a touch of class to their schemes in historic and premodern townscapes or any surface drainage project where an aesthetic, more decorative look is desired. www.drainage-projects.co.uk

students and visitors. In 2014, the University began the project to provide temporary accommodation on the site of a recently-demolished building into new student teaching facilities. As part of the project, it was important to include a handrail system which complied with DDA regulations to provide convenient ramped access to the new building’s facilities. www.keesystems.com

Council Planners Opt For Flip Lid Power Units To Power Their Market Days In Stamford Pop Up Power Supplies® supplied their range of Flip Lid Power Units to the town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, to provide a safe, secure and discreet outdoor power supply for market stalls. An important consideration for Council Planners for Stamford was that they required a stable, effective power source for outdoor stalls on market days which then could be lowered back into the ground to preserve the beauty and integrity of the historic town.

Pop Up Power Supplies® were contacted, and recommended their range of In-Ground Power Units. Manufactured in high-grade mild steel, and hot dip galvanised to BS EN:ISO1461, these outdoor power units were perfect for the market days at Stamford. Prior to these units, outdoor stalls were embroiled in unsightly trailing cables that were a hazard to not just the workers but the general public as well, not to mention the risk of electrocution too. The new Flip Lid Units can power the outdoor stalls safely as the lids are closed and locked down, preventing any public access.

Another benefit of the Flip Lid Power Units provided by Pop Up Power Supplies® is the fact they have such a limited impact on the surroundings. The covers of the power units are recessed so they can accommodate various paving and other surface material infill. They are also tested unfilled to FACTA Class B loadings. The Council Planners were pleased with the performance of the In-Ground Units, as not only did they benefit from a safe source of outdoor electricity for the local market stalls, but also there was minimal impact on the integrity and beauty of the local area. www.popuppower.co.uk

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Roofs

Rubik’s Cube Roof Solved By Contour Roofing And Sika Sarnafil Following last year’s NFRC Roofing Awards win, Sika Sarnafil Registered Contractor Contour Roofing, has again been recognised for its outstanding work, making the shortlist in the Single Ply category. With the success of its previous award-winning project, Ewart Grove, a London residential new build, Contour was called on again by client Paul Simon Homes to offer a premium waterproofing solution for Cheltenham House.

Another new build project in London, comprising of 11 luxury apartments, the entire roof and vertical works are shaped like a Rubik’s Cube – a puzzle that was no match for Contour Roofing’s problem solving skills. Originally specified with metal cladding, the client wished to replicate this look for less cost. Jonathan Woods, Managing Director at Contour, once more proved that Sarnafil’s single ply membranes can accommodate the most complex builds, while offering the client one of the most robust extensive product guarantees on the market.

Contour worked closely with Sika Sarnafil to generate a bespoke specification with Sika Sarnafil’s recently launched Self Adhered membrane in lead grey, and décor profiles to emulate metal seams. Custom-made Sarnametal details were cut and fabricated to accommodate the various angle changes on the roof, including vent grills to the base of the cube. Sarnafil’s new spray-applied adhesive Primer 610 was quickly and carefully applied to all the vertical areas, to accommodate the application of the Self Adhered Membrane.

The weight of each drop (over 18kg) proved extremely challenging, and had to be secured with a peelstop, and fixed at every point with stainless steel SFS fixings. The décor profiles were installed with upmost precision and careful measurement, creating symmetry and uniformity on all four sides of the building. Jonathan Woods explained: “Every single detail on this project has been carefully planned before application of the products. Coupled with the wealth of experience invested by our contract manager and award-winning fitters, the project was finished to perfection.”

“Sarnafil advised us to use the new Primer 610 and Self Adhered membrane and helped us to understand the product with demonstrations at its training academy and our offices. Change is always tough, certainly with experienced fitters, but we insisted that the Self Adhered membrane was paramount for the success of the roofing works at Cheltenham House. The product is quick and easy to use and leaves a beautiful finish to any application it’s used on.”

Commenting on the delivery of the project, Carly Tang of Paul Simon Homes said: “After the huge success of Ewart Grove, we reached out once more for the services and expertise of Contour and again they did not disappoint. We were able to offer a project well under budget and on time, thanks to the hard work of the team and the innovative Sika Sarnafil Self Adhered product.” http://gbr.sarnafil.sika.com.

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Maximum Protection, Minimum Effort

KeeLine®Horizontal Life Line provides fall arrest/restraint protection where guardrails are not suitable or when a virtually invisible solution is required. The system can be fitted to most standard roof types including membrane, standing seam, metal profile and composite panel roofs. KeeLine®provides users with complete and continual ‘handsfree’ protection throughout the system and incorporates an Inline Shock Absorber to minimise the loads to an acceptable level for both the user and structure in the event of a fall.

•Suitable for use on multiple roof types •Conforms to EN 795:2012 •Allows spans up to 12m and 3 users •Designed for horizontal or overhead applications Fragile Roof Access Solutions / Mobile Man Anchor / Demarcation / Rooftop Walkways / Mobile Valley Frame / Kee Anchor Beam / Ladder Restraints / Self Closing Gate / Guardrails

www.safesite.co.uk

Roofs

Revolutionary Product Provides Smoke Safety A new product by leading rooflight manufacturer Xtralite will deliver huge benefits to the construction industry in terms of smoke ventilation and safety both in new build, retro-fit and restoration projects.

Xtralite has developed an Automatic Opening Vent (AOV) which provides enhanced connectivity and boasts a powerful 24-volt electric motor which effortlessly powers the arms which open the vent. Upon detection of smoke the vent will open automatically through an integrated system giving building users peace of mind.

Smoke and heat ventilation systems are designed to ensure a natural flow of smoke from the building to the atmosphere and AOV’s fulfil this requirement by giving a safety option that reduces the build-up of heat and allows cool air to enter the building whilst also aiding the egress of building occupants.

The product has been tested to EN12101 – 2:2003, a legal requirement under the Construction Products Regulation 2013 and the European standard for smoke and heat control systems and supersedes BS7346:1991 as the UK’s product standard. www.xtralite.co.uk

Redland Boosts Tile Manufacture With Multimillion-Pound Investment Redland has announced that it is to build a new manufacturing line for its plain-tile appearance product, DuoPlain, and large-format concrete tiles and slates. The multimillion-pound investment will help secure supply of these products into a UK market that is currently experiencing huge demand and extensive lead times. The new line, which will come on stream later this year, will be located at the company’s Shawell plant, its most centrally located facility. Work on the installation is underway, and a number of new skilled jobs will be created when production commences.

Commenting on the announcement, Georg Harrasser, CEO of the Braas Monier Building Group, Redland’s parent, said: “This is a significant investment at an important time in the UK housebuilding industry. The new line gives us not only increased capacity, but also increased flexibility, improving our ability to meet the growing UK market demands for specific roof tile formats.” www.redland.co.uk

Studor Solution Waves Goodbye To Ugly Rooftops An architect’s vision for a ‘wave-effect’ building with no roof protrusions, to mirror the sinuous lines of nearby hills, has been achieved thanks to drainage ventilation expert Studor.

Italian architects, in conjunction with the multi-discipline company STEAM, designed the c130m Monselice Hospital in Northern East Italy to ensure it not only fulfilled the highest operational requirements, but also had a profile in harmony with the adjacent sloping hillside landscape. To achieve this aesthetic look, the integrity of the rooftops needed to be maintained, and the design did not allow for any roof protrusions to interrupt the flow of the roofline.

The project’s MEP contractor, Gemmo SpA, recognising that input from an expert in drainage ventilation was needed, asked Studor (with over 40 years’ experience in the field) to advise on the drainage system design. “Our solution was to cap as many stacks as possible with the Studor Maxi-Vent Air Admittance Valve (AAV) which fits discretely within the roof space”, commented Studor’s UK Technical Sales Director Daniel Rath. “The Maxi-Vent protects the trap seals within the drainage system by allowing the intake of air so that each soil pipe can maintain the right level of pressure within the system. This is critical, especially in a hospital environment, ensuring there is no cross-contamination from the drainage system into the habitable space.” “Furthermore, the Maxi-Vents eliminate the need for any roof penetrations, thus reducing the amount of pipework required saving both time and money. So, not only is the integrity of the roof maintained, but heat loss was minimised and time was saved onsite.” www.studor.net

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Roofs

Cupa Pizarras Roofing Slate For A Prestigious Development Located In A Conservation Area Easton Square, an exclusive development of four bespoke, luxury 6-bedroom houses, features CUPA 12 R Excellence roofing slates. The product was selected for its superior qualities including its adaptability, longevity and polished finish.

The exclusive Langton Homes development is set in large private grounds in Great Easton. Each property features over 5,500 square feet of accommodation and has been tailored towards the individual needs of each occupier. CUPA 12 slate has been used across all four Easton Square dwellings including the properties’ associated outbuildings and garages.

Robert Cannon from roofing installers R and N Roofing, said: “CUPA 12 slate is a heavy and durable material which is not only straightforward to work with, but also allows for the extensive coverage required to reach the desired quality of finish. Also, due to the dwellings’ pitched roofs it is important that the materials can adapt to the demands of varying gradient levels, which CUPA 12 slate does perfectly”.

For more information on Cupa Pizarras, please visit www.cupapizarras.com/uk.

Supplied through Castle Roofing Supplies, CUPA 12 is a dark grey slate with thin laminations and a smooth matt surface. Available in six sizes, it has exceptional consistency of thickness and surface appearance; it is split to an average thickness of 5mm and 6mm. In addition, the slates conform to the product specification requirements of BS EN 12326-1 and are certified for resistance to freeze or thaw.

Commenting on the choice of CUPA 12 slate for Easton Square, Jonathan Arksey, at BRP Architects said: “Our aim was to deliver an uncompromising design to reflect the natural beauty of the homes’ surroundings, with excellent quality of build, intricate craftsmanship and superior finishes.

CUPA PIZARRAS slate’s timeless appearance not only complements all the external materials that make up the dwellings, but is also in harmony with roofing used throughout the neighbouring Conservation Area of Great Easton”.

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Roofs

RIEFA Lightweight Living Roofs Riefa boards are a new type of green roof substrate. They are a hi-tech fibre board made from organically grown and sustainable natural resources, including rye flour and tree bark. The manufacturing process is essentially the same as baking: the ingredients are mixed in dough bins and then baked in second- life biscuit ovens.

Riefa boards are primarily used as an insulation board in the manufacture of doors and as a sound insulation in partition walls. The dimensions of the boards in their dry condition are 18mm thick and 2400 x 1200 mm, and they only weigh 1kg. This makes them very easy to transport and distribute across the roof. The Riefa organic fibre roof-growing medium is made and produced in a demonstrably sustainable way, it is the light, fits neatly into place, its low depth profile doing away with the need for expensive alterations to parapets. Easily installed over tired or redundant roof covers, a simple rubber membrane overlay eliminates the need for expensive removal and removes the need for the disposal of hazardous oil-based systems.

Contractors do not need specialist skills to install the Riefa system. It fits seamlessly onto sloping, pitched or shaped roofs of all kinds. Nutrient rich and superb at retaining water, Riefa boards have been tested to destruction as a growing medium. www.riefagreenroof.co.uk

Drainage Without Compromising Design Geberit's siphonic drainage solution, Pluvia, has been used on the roof of London's new Design Museum (previously the Commonwealth Institute), allowing its unusual parabolic shape to remain intact, while providing exceptional water drainage.

The Design Museum forms part of the Hollandgreen development, located off Kensington High Street, which is a mixed use residential and public sector project, incorporating 56 high-end apartments grouped around the museum. In addition to Geberit Pluvia the project also features Geberit Mapress piping, Geberit Silent-db20, a sound-deadening drainage solution, and luxury shower-toilets, Geberit AquaClean Sela. The Design Museum has been created within a Grade II listed building, so it was essential that the roof was treated with care, preventing the flooding that had occurred over the years due to under-sized pipework.

To retain the roof's unusual shape, piping could only be included in two existing internal raked columns. A siphonic solution was therefore ideal. Geberit Pluvia has a far greater drainage capacity and can cope with double the amount of rainwater discharge at half the pipe diameter - accommodating a rainfall intensity equivalent to a one in 1,500 year storm. "Geberit Pluvia could be installed without impacting on the visual aesthetic," explained Mike Carter for Arup, who was heavily involved in the design and specification on the project. "Because of the negative pressure, no slopes were needed for the discharge pipes leading to the outfall locations at the building perimeter, meaning the installation was simpler and needed far less void space at high level in the basement." www.geberit.co.uk

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Kemperol®

Liquid roofing and waterproofing at its very best

Ideal for warm roofs, inverted or cold flat roof refurbishment, repair and new build roofing projects.

Complete solvent free and odourless waterproofing systems available that can be laid whilst the building is operational without disruptive smells.

KEMPEROL® is a cold liquid application removing the fire risk of hot works.

Laid in a single wet-on-wet process, our KEMPEROL® waterproofing resin saturates a tough reinforcement fleece and cures to form a totally seamless, durable, UV stable, elastomeric waterproofing membrane that cannot delaminate and is fully bonded to the roof substrate.

With BBA Approval and a life expectancy in excess of 25 years your roofing budget will never be better spent.

For more information visit www.kempersystem.co.uk

KEMPER SYSTEM LTD. Tel: 01925 445532 enquiries@kempersystem.co.uk Kemperol Liquid Waterproofing

Projects

Trapac Tile And Snow Guards For £3 Billion Chelsea Barracks Development

Contemporary New Salford Apartments Achieve Airtightness Thanks To Wraptite

The first phase of construction of 448 homes at the former Chelsea Barracks includes 123 designated as ‘affordable’.

Eight years after being sold by the MoD for almost £1 billion the development, designed by architects Squire and Partners, consists of three blocks of up to eight storeys. Klober Trapac® Tile and Snow Guards were used on the ‘super-prime’ 13-acre site as an easy-to-fit means of preventing tile fragments, snow or débris from falling to the ground. Suitable for installation with flat or profiled concrete interlocking tiles, support brackets are linked using grid connectors and need no support batten. http://klober.co.uk/shop/product/trapac-tile-and-snow-safety-grid

The Bridgewater Point project, an impressive new contemporary apartment development in Salford is set to benefit from the superior airtightness performance qualities of Wraptite from the A. Proctor Group.

Project architect Andrew Tate of Bowman Riley Architects, Leeds required a high-quality air tightness membrane and chose Wraptite as an external air barrier as opposed to an internal air barrier system.

Wraptite was applied externally, quickly and easily to the Siniat Weather Defence Board in continuous pieces.

The membrane fully bonds to virtually any substrate, requiring no mechanical attachment, seals or tapes to suppress air leakage around junctions or penetrations.

Wraptite, the only self-adhering vapour permeable air barrier certified by the BBA, combines the important properties of vapour permeability and airtightness in one self-adhering membrane. www.proctorgroup.com/air-barriers

EJOT Opticore Delivers Black And White Benefits For Membranefaced Composite Panels In response to building application trends, EJOT UK has technically updated its Opticore fastening system. Opticore, the unique integral nylon fastener head, is manufactured with precision cutting fins that core through membrane faced insulated panels, with the encapsulated fastener self-drilling the substrate in one simple operation. Installation is via a bi-hex or internal torx dual-driving option. EJOT’s research and development team has taken on board customer feedback by lengthening Opticore’s light section fastener within the range, to 32mm - thus taking into account multi-lap applications.

The black encapsulated Opticore carbon steel specification offers a corrosion resistant ‘Climadur’ organic coating, whilst the white encapsulated A2 stainless range is manufactured from high quality grade 304 stainless steel. The Opticore range also includes stitchers, defined for site by a new grey encapsulation.

The overall result is a fastening range for hot and cold rolled steel as well as timber substrates, that cores, drills and fixes without compromise to the liner sheet - and improves thermal retention. www.ejot.co.uk

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Projects

ESG Helps Give Estée Lauder The Beauty Treatment Over the years ESG has used its skill in glass processing to turn the designs of high profile architects and companies into the glass at the heart of many spectacular modern work spaces. One such company was MCM Architecture who won the Best Workspace Interior Award at the World Interiors News Award 2016, for the design of the relocation space of The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland to One Fitzroy.

ESG had the pleasure of producing the glass on the dramatic statement staircase, linking the ten floors together. Architectural fabricators Robert Stevens and Sons did an amazing job of installing the staircase and glass, turning MCM’s vision into reality The staircase creates a ‘dedicated entrance to the training suites from the building reception, offering a glamorous welcome to the many visiting Beauty Advisors attending training’, writes worldarchitecturenews.com.

MCM wanted to create a head office that ‘works like an office, but does not look, or feel like an office’ and with clever design features and by using glass products we feel that they went above and beyond the brief. The judges said the project had ‘lovely detailing, and generally a very strong design ethos throughout.’ www.esg.glass

Blockley Brick Manufacturer Uses Marmox Boards To Speed Production Cycle One of the country’s oldest established brickworks has updated its production facilities saving not only time and money but significant amounts of energy – thanks to the use of Marmox Multiboards for the refurbishment of its drying chambers.

Ten separate drying kilns have now been upgraded at Northcot Brick’s premises in Blockley, Gloucestershire, with two different thicknesses of the high performance, moisture resisting insulation boards having been employed to infill their walls and roofs.

Northcot’s Maintenance Manager, Tim Nicklin, sought an alternative to the use of metal panels with a rock mineral wool core for the chambers’ roofs and walls as they typically lasted little more than a year.

While Marmox Multiboards are typically utilised in building work as a floating floor beneath tiles and other finishes or as the lining to shower rooms and other wet environments, Northcot identified their rugged long life potential as potentially offering a solution to its persistent problems. Tim Nicklin explained: “The drying chambers are some 2.7 metres tall to the roof and vary in width up to 6.5 metres depending on the design, but had all caused us something of a maintenance headache.”

Marmox Multiboards are manufactured from extruded polystyrene or XPS and offer a range of positive physical characteristics in addition to being fully waterproof. Multiboards are proving to offer a greatly extended working life compared to the old rock mineral wool based panels and are making it far easier to control humidity levels during the drying process and to maintain the required temperature. The overall temperature has been reduced by five degrees to 750 C and the total drying period by a whole day while they can be switched off at weekends without affecting the cycle, leading to an overall 25% reduction in energy costs. www.marmox.co.uk

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Projects

Levolux Delivers Top Class Solution The award-winning, £42 million Vijay Patel Building at De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester, combines several structural elements, each distinguished by a contrasting, yet highly effective external solar shading and screening solution, courtesy of Levolux. Levolux has an impressive track record working on projects at the DMU campus. This continues with the delivery of a custom solar shading and screening solution for the Vijay Patel Building. The solution includes a diverse range of products, including curved Aerofoil Fins, faux terracotta Fins, PV integrated Glass Fins and plant screening louvres. These have been applied differently on the building’s three structures.

The eleven-storey Arts Tower is the only surviving element from the original Fletcher complex, which was built in the early 1960’s. Following a comprehensive refurbishment, the façade of the tower has been transformed with the addition of laminated Glass Fins, incorporating building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology. In total, Levolux provided 156 Glass PV Fins for the Arts Tower, each measuring up to 763mm wide and up to 3.3 metres in length. The Fins have been divided into two sections. 81 Fins have been fixed horizontally in a vertical stack on the tower’s southfacing elevation. The remainder are fixed vertically, secured with angled brackets to the south-west facing elevation.

The Glass PV Fins perform several functions. Firstly, they provide a welcome return in the form of renewable energy. Each Fin is capable of generating a maximum of 299 Watts, with a total combined capacity of 46 kW. The Glass PV Fins also provide an effective form of solar shading, as demonstrated on the south west elevation. In addition, the Fins create an attractive façade element, particularly on the south elevation. By harnessing solar power, the University hopes to cut its energy bill by a fifth. The Design Wing, which runs from east to west, at the northern edge of the development, is a large, six-storey structure with a modern, glazed façade. Its south- facing elevation is fitted with rectangular-shaped aluminium Fins, each measuring 150mm wide by 50mm thick. In total, 61 rows of Fins extend horizontally, along the length of the building in a vertical stack that extends from first floor up to roof level.

To complement the external aesthetic of the Design Wing, Levolux applied a

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faux terracotta finish to the Fins. To enhance the finish, Levolux developed a special extrusion, with rounded edges. Even under close scrutiny, the Fins have a look and feel that could be mistaken as real terracotta. The pitch of the horizontal Fins reduces to just 200mm at high level on each floor, providing solar shading where it is most effective. The openness of the Fins at low level, helps to maximise daylight levels and allows occupants impressive outward views across landscaped gardens to the River Soar in the west.

Projecting from the south of the Design Wing is ‘The Pod’, an ultra-modern, five-storey, curved glass structure. It benefits from extruded aluminium Aerofoil Fins, each measuring 300mm wide by 40mm thick. In total, 23 rows of Fins are fixed horizontally, set at a pitch of 565mm. To accommodate the structure’s inclined, curved form, the Fins have been precisely curved and are secured to an aluminium support structure.

At roof level, Levolux developed a plant screening solution, utilising its XL Screening Louvres. Three louvred enclosures have been formed, scaling up to 3.6 metres in height, with a combined length of almost 200 metres. With a ‘Z’ shaped profile, the louvres provide effective visual screening, with excellent airflow. To facilitate access for maintenance, Levolux incorporate double louvred doors in each area.

In addition, at roof level on the Pod structure, Levolux’s Contour Louvre system was specified to create a high performance plant screen. The louvred facade extends 3.2 metres in height and almost 12 metres in length. The louvre’s ‘S’ shaped profile, delivers an attractive, yet highly weatherresistant façade. The louvres are backed with bird/insect mesh for increased protection, while double louvred doors were provided to satisfy access requirements.

Levolux’s high performance Triniti Bracket was used extensively across the development to integrate the various solar shading elements with the curtain walling. In addition to providing exceptional structural performance, the Triniti bracket is renowned for minimising noise transmission and preventing interstitial condensation, all while maintaining a thermally broken building envelope. www.levolux.com

Projects

M1000 Mag Meter Delivers Clear Solution For Silt And Sand Leading flow measurement solutions provider Bell Flow Systems were recently approached by a customer who was having a problem with their existing meter installation. The customer had previously installed a geared flow meter, but due to the suspended particles in the water, the meter kept jamming and ceasing.

The customer’s application was for silty and sandy water from borehole testing.

For the majority of the time, the water was clean but occasionally there would be silt and sand in the water, and this was where the issue arose.

For this reason, Bell Flow Systems recommended an accurate meter with no moving parts. A Badger Meter M1000 mag flow meter was best suited as it features no moving parts and measures the clean water, with no damage caused to the meter by occasional sand or silt in the water.

The M1000 has an accuracy of ±0.5%, is available with hard rubber or PTFE liner, wafer, DIN or ANSI flanged connections, Hastelloy C measuring and empty pipe electrodes as standard, as well as pulse and 4-20mA outputs. www.bellflowsystems.co.uk

Helifix Dixie Micro-Piles Support Award Winning Chelsea Garden Best Show Garden at the 2017 Chelsea Flower Show was awarded to the M&G Garden, for which Helifix supplied some unseen, but critical, components.

The garden featured monumental blocks of limestone of varying sizes and the two largest stone clad steel towers required temporary foundation support. The ideal solution was provided by Helifix Dixie micro-piles, a technically innovative proprietary system. The circular, hollow section, piles were simply screwed vertically into the ground at the specified spacings and calculated torque, with no excavations or spoil removal. The helical lead section was installed first followed by extension sections until they reached the required load bearing strata.

Each installed pile was then fitted with a bespoke, precision engineered, flat top plate bracket. These in turn were connected, using Lindapter clamps, to specially made steel frames that formed the bases of the two stone clad columns,. Once the show was over the stone columns were dismantled and the reliable and economical Dixie micro-piles were easily extracted from the ground by simply being ‘unscrewed’. www.helifix.co.uk

Abet Shelters The Rescuers Abet Laminati’s MEG exterior grade laminate has been used to clad the exterior of the new offices and crew rooms of the RNLI Station in Brighton Marina.

Designed and supplied by Aliva UK, MEG 414 was chosen to match the ceramic facades of the surrounding buildings and was face fixed with colour coded rivets. The cladding envelopes the Station, keeping staff and crew warm and dry in the harshest of weathers.

This scheme is a perfect example of high performance MEG in action where the need for incredibly high performance and durability is married up with low life-cycle costs and aesthetic design.

Carrying a BBA Agrément Certificate, MEG is a self-supporting high pressure laminate (HPL) for cladding the exterior of buildings, balconies and other applications. It features high resistance to temperature, climate shock, weathering, UV light and impact.

Furthermore, its chemical resistant nature and closed structure do not allow paint in spray cans, various inks, emulsion paints, lipstick or pastel paints to penetrate into the decorative layer negating the need for any anti-graffiti treatment and making the surface easy to clean.

The range is available in over 91 colours in a mix of traditional plain colours, wood finishes, simulated concrete colours and metal.

MEG is also able to incorporate Abet’s digital printing technology. This means that almost any design, photograph or pattern can be reproduced in stunning detail to give architects and designers unparalleled freedom to create unusual and dramatic building facades. www.uk.abetlaminati.com

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Projects

Remmers Sets Sail At Red Wharf Bay Red Wharf Bay Sailing & Watersports Club is set in an area of outstanding beauty at Traeth Bychan on the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales. The member’s clubhouse has been sited here for over 50 years due to its suitable sailing waters.

The members of the committee decided that the exterior of the building was looking a little tired and a refresh was needed before the new season started at Easter. Remmers Compact Opaque PU topcoat was selected for the job due to its performance characteristics and suitability to coastal locations.

Over two weekends of good weather, the clubhouse was transformed and the new colour gave the clubhouse the refreshed look it deserved. www.remmers.co.uk

Yeoman Rainguard Rainwater Systems Chosen by Persimmon Homes for Luxury Renovation Nestled in the foothills of the South Pennines near Rochdale, Lancashire, is the restoration and conversion, by Persimmon Homes, of the old Birch Hill Hospital into stunning apartments and town houses. The use of the beautiful historic building, built in 1877, has certainly changed starting out originally as a workhouse then run as an NHS hospital for many years. The dilapidated hospital, imposing clock tower, chapel and rectory required sympathetic restoration techniques by Persimmon Homes’ team to maintain and restore the buildings grand architecture and design.

Yeoman Rainguard’s XL Aluminium rainwater systems, with traditional style, textured finish and colour, were chosen to mirror the grandeur and luxury of the renovation scheme.

The exterior of what was the main hospital and clock tower, now exclusive and desirable apartments, was enhanced both visually and practically by the installation of Yeoman Rainguard XL Aluminium gutters and downpipes. Finished in RAL7012 Basalt Grey, 150 x 100mm MOG XL Aluminium gutters were fitted with the addition of 100mm dia. downpipes. A bespoke GRP fascia detail, skilfully manufactured by Yeoman Rainguard at their facilities in Leeds, sits stylishly below the gutters. The Chapel has been tastefully remodelled into 2 semi-detached properties and now sports XL Aluminium 125x 100mm MOG gutters and 100mm dia. downpipes. Finished again in Grey the rainwater system dovetails perfectly with the overall exterior design. www.rainguard.co.uk

Howe Green Supply “Specials” For Renovation Of Nationalmuseum Of Art, Stockholm Howe Green Ltd supplied specially manufactured floor access covers for Sweden’s premier art and design museum. The Nationalmuseum of Art in Stockholm is currently closed whilst undergoing an extensive restoration programme. The aim of the renovation is to create a more modern environment that will enhance the overall visitor experience whilst retaining the museum’s architectural heritage. The transformation will include the installation of a state-of-the-art climate control system; the reinstating of bricked up windows to flood the space with natural light; new security technology and the expansion of the public spaces to house exhibits and visitor amenities.

Howe Green’s Swedish distributor, Elkington AB, supplied floor access covers for the project.

Elkington have worked with Howe Green since 1999 and have extensive knowledge of their range of standard and bespoke access solutions. Howe Green’s 7500 Series Medium Duty Floor Aluminium Access Covers were fitted as duct runs in the museum. The majority of the covers were infilled with limestone floor tiles to provide a virtually invisible finish.

The remaining units have a visible concrete finish. All the covers were supplied double sealed to ensure the highest performance and quality.

The seamless fit of the floor access covers will help to reduce the risks of slip and trip hazards.

The covers are highly functional, providing easy and safe access to the cabling and services concealed underneath the ducts. Once renovation work is completed and the museum reopens the covers will ensure services can be accessed with the minimum of disruption to daily operations. www.howegreen.com

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Projects

Ultrafloor Know Speed Is Key When Working In Fashion

Spacetherm® Wallboard Mitigates Thermal Bridging For Grade II Building

New Next stores in Cardiff and Tamworth have opened to the public with tiled floor installations completed using a leveller, primer and tile adhesive from the Instarmac ranges.

At the Cardiff store the substrate was plywood which was primed with UltraFloor Prime IT Multi-surface Primer prior to levelling with Level IT Super Flex 30. A two component system, Level IT Super Flex 30 is rapid setting and drying and boasts a fibre reinforced formulation. Due to a high polymer content it also offers excellent flexible properties.

Level IT Super Flex 30 is suitable for depths between 2-10mm and can be used with underfloor heating systems and in biologically sensitive areas. To create the store's stylish entrance look UltraTile ProFlex SP was used to fix mosaic floor tiles. This adhesive is rapid setting and classified with an S1 rating for accommodating movement making it ideal for use on timber floors or with underfloor heating. www.instarmac.co.uk

Spacetherm Wallboard has been supplied by the A. Proctor Group to mitigate thermal bridging for the historic Electricity House building in Bristol, recently converted by Crest Nicolson into a series of luxury flats. Used in this instance as a Window Reveal Board, Spacetherm Wallboard was developed to prevent thermal bridging through a component or element of a structure. Spacetherm Wallboard is a high performance laminate, which consists of Spacetherm Aerogel insulation blanket bonded to plasterboard.

Planning requirements stipulated that the original window opening aperture sizes had to be maintained, and to alleviate thermal bridging on the existing window reveals, a thin insulation solution was crucial.

Spacetherm offers superior thermal performance, which enabled the contractor to insulate the existing window reveals with just 17.5mm overall thickness, whilst still providing a high performing thermal conductivity of only 0.015 W/mK. www.proctorgroup.com

Greece’s Biggest Mobile Operator Chooses Advanced Protection An industry-leading intelligent fire system from Advanced is now protecting one of the most prominent buildings in Greece’s second city, Thessaloniki. Cosmote is the largest mobile network operator in Greece, and the company’s complex in the centre of Thessaloniki houses its offices and data centre for the whole of northern Greece.

The five-storey building has two basement levels, and all seven floors are now protected by an Advanced Axis EN fire system.

Dimitris Ioannidis, spokesperson for Zarifopoulous Security and Control Services, the company that installed the system, commented: “We have used Advanced systems on many of our installations as they are renowned for their performance, quality and ease of use. For the Cosmote Central building we needed a system that met completely with the client’s requirements, and the Advanced panel features ticked all the boxes.”

The contract for the installation was awarded to the team at Zarifopoulous, a long-term Advanced partner, who specified Axis EN panels and associated components, covering five detection loops and over 700 peripheral devices, including 620 smoke detectors.

Axis EN is Advanced’s highest performance analogue panel range, combining 1-8 loop, networkable fire panels with a complete range of wired and wireless loop devices and powerful peripherals.

Axis EN is part of Advanced’s Axis range of fire systems which holds global approvals including EN54, UL864 and AS1670. It is designed to go anywhere where high quality, reliable and easy to use fire detection and control is required. Advanced is a world leader in the development and manufacture of intelligent fire systems. Advanced’s products include complete fire detection systems, multi-protocol fire panels, extinguishing control, fire paging and false alarm management systems. www.advancedco.com

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Projects

A Former Cattle Market Gets A Sustainable Overhaul With Selectaglaze Secondary Glazing With the first stone laid in 1926, Braintree Town Hall has been in constant use since its construction. The Town Hall needed to make its building more energy efficient, which was not easy due to it being Grade II* Listed. Selectaglaze was specified to tackle issues with the windows, which allowed cold air in and heat to escape.

After a positive demonstration, Selectaglaze installed 20 vertical sliding units. All products were finished with a timber grain effect that matched seamlessly with the wood panelling of the room.

The installation of secondary glazing significantly reduces heat loss and all units are bespoke to achieve airtightness to virtually eradicate draughts as well as dramatically reducing outside noise.

“The Council researched a modern secondary glazing system that would complement the oak panelled interior of the Town Hall. A colour matched oak print with raised wood grain has been applied to the visible parts of the aluminium frame achieving an exact match to the existing oak surround.

The windows contain modern thermally efficient low emissivity glass that retains heat and the frames have been measured and manufactured to achieve an airtight fitting. They also provide excellent sound proofing, blocking the noise of the regular traffic.”

Councillor Robert Mitchell, Deputy Cabinet Member for Environment and Place Royal Warrant Holder since 2004; Selectaglaze has 50 years’ experience designing, manufacturing and installing secondary glazing for all building types to make them warmer, quieter and safer.

Contact Selectaglaze on 01727 837271 enquiries@selectaglaze.co.uk or visit www.selectaglaze.co.uk

Regional Developer Relying On YBS Roof And Wall Membrane Solutions A property developer constructing an enclave of detached properties in an east Hertfordshire village is making extensive use of products from the portfolio of YBS Insulation, to ensure the exterior elevations offer excellent thermal performance while controlling moisture movement.

The five new homes are being built by Land & County Development Ltd., at Furneux Pelham near Bishop’s Stortford. After originally considering rigid foam insulation and a conventional vapour check for the walls, the builder is employing YBS Insulation’s SuperQuilt within the timber frame construction.

This is combined with the manufacturer’s Breather Foil FR externally.

Recognised by the NHBC and compliant with the current version of Approved Document L to the Building Regulations, SuperQuilt comprises 19 layers including reflective foil, expanded polyethylene and polyester wadding to provide a cost effective and user-friendly alternative to much thicker insulation materials. Installed with a 25mm cavity it controls not just radiated energy but thermal conduction and convection. It creates an effective vapour control layer and will also combat thermal overheating in the summer months. This fully certified, fire rated product is not only waterproof and fully breathable, but can also increase the thermal performance of wall constructions. www.ybsinsulation.com

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Projects

VMZINC – Bridging Contemporary And Traditional Architecture In Sport Sandwiched between the Craighead and Balcomie Courses of Crail Golfing Society at Fife Ness, the new Golf Lodge designed by Muir Walker Pride shows how distinctive design can accommodate contemporary and traditional design values. A standing seam VMZINC®QUARTZ-ZINC® façade, in combination with natural stone, defines the architectural style and not only blends with it but retains its colour to ensure that the subtle balance between building materials will be retained.

Andrews is a case in point. It now appears as a pavilion with a low pitch roof and upper floor façade in standing seam QUARTZ-ZINC® and ANTHRA-ZINC® STRAT finishes. The Royal and Ancient had established a single storey building as recently as 1989, and it seems ironic now to think that something so uninspiring could have been thought right for a site immediately to the rear of the famous clubhouse.

As a venue providing luxury accommodation for two separate holiday groups at the same time, the lodge offers uninterrupted 360° views of the courses and out to sea. It is one of traditional construction to the first floor with timber frame above.

Zinc’s surge in popularity owes much to the combination of colours in which it can now be specified and the scope it provides for shaping and detailing. VMZINC now offers a bespoke colour matching service in addition to shades which are visually evocative of the metal. All enable the grain of pre-weathered zinc to show through the colour, in a similar manner to timber. www.vmzinc.co.uk

Richard Murphy Architects’ added an additional floor to provide an 80 seat café with views towards the first tee, fairway and stunning West Sands beach. It combines high functionality and design values and not only sits well within its environment but provides a distinctive feature from the main road. Visitor numbers to the museum have increased dramatically.

The options afforded by zinc enable designs of considerable sophistication to transform buildings of little architectural value.

The visual aesthetic on golf courses now holds a far higher degree of importance than the time when dull, flat roof buildings were so commonly considered acceptable. Reopened after a build programme which took just over a year, the remodelled British Golf Museum at St

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