Public Sector Building News - End of Year Review 2018

www.psbnews.co.uk End of Year Review 2018

ARCHITYPE

INNOVATIVE PASSIVHAUS SOCIAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT COMPLETES IN SHROPSHIRE

HLM ARCHITECTS REVEALS PLANS FOR £5.7M SCIENCE CAPITAL PROJECT FOR TECHNIQUEST

NOTTINGHAM CITY HOMES

SLADEN ESTATES

COMPLETE DURHAM STUDENT ACCOMMODATION AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

GOLD AWARD FOR APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY

EDUCATION

HEALTHCARE

HOUSING

£156,000 secured for Innovation Centre at Kent Medical Campus in Maidstone

Polypipe bolsters flood defences at new £2.7M medical centre

Saunders Boston Architects designs community focussed accommodation

Casca is a brand synonymous with quality and style.

Casca Glass has been a feature of the interiors world for several years. With a desire for local sourcing and quality Casca Glass is available as clear, coloured or frosted boards with stand-off fixings.

Contents

PSBN

PUBLIC SECTOR BUILDING NEWS

Editor’s Note General Enquiries info@psbnews.co.uk Editor Maria Lapthorn editor@psbnews.co.uk Editorial Assistant Georgina Baxter editorial@psbnews.co.uk Production/Design Laura Whitehead design@psbnews.co.uk

Hello and a very warm welcome to the End of Year Review edition of Public Sector Building News.

In this edition we take a look at Architype’s Passivhaus residential scheme, consisting of a mix of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom homes. The client, South Shropshire Housing Association’s commitment to sustainability, quality and eradicating fuel poverty for housing association residents was the driving force in commissioning this futureproofing Passivhaus scheme.

Sales Executive Lucy Robinson lucy@psbnews.co.uk

As always, if you have a recent project or news story that you would like to see published within our pages, please contact the editorial team.

Accounts Richard Lapthorn accounts@psbnews.co.uk

Features

Circulation Manager Leo Phillips subs@psbnews.co.uk Website Management Rob Turner rob@psbnews.co.uk Phone: 01843 808 117 News 4U Ltd 5-7 Ozengell Place Eurokent Business Park Ramsgate Kent CT12 6PB

On the cover Our cover image comes from Architype’s Passivhaus

residential project in Shropshire. Further details on the project can be found on page 16.

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Education - Sladen Estates complete Durham student accommodation

Housing - Saunders Boston Architects designs accommodation for elderly

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Project News - HLM reveals plans for Science Capital project

Project - Innovative Passivhaus social housing development completes

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Events News - Regional Champions host Low Carbon Homes events

Healthcare - Polypipe bolsters flood defences at new medical centre

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Doors & Windows - ‘Exceptional’ fire door product introduced to market

Cladding - CA Group leads roofing & cladding industry with BIM integration

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Housing - Gold award for Nottingham City Homes’ sustainability approach

Insulation - Hospitals choose spray foam for temperature control

Find us online - www.psbnews.co.uk Latest news, features, articles and products

Follow us on Twitter: @psbn_social

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COLLEGE ENROLLS RECORD NUMBER OF FEMALE ENGINEERING APPRENTICES Forth Valley College in Stirlingshire has registered a record number of female engineering modern apprentices (MAs) for an academic year.

A total of 19 women MAs – covering areas such as welding and fabrication, instrumentation, power distribution and mechanical engineering – have begun their apprenticeships at the FVC Falkirk Campus.

They they will all spend their first year at college, while being employed by various companies such as TechnipFMC, Petrofac, Scotrail, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Aker Solutions, WorleyParsons, Ineos and PetroIneos, Dupont and Scottish Power.

Dunfermline based TechnipFMC have even recorded parity in the

newstart MA group with eight women MAs and eight men beginning their journey at the same time.

ECITB, the statutory skills body for the engineering construction industry, sponsors the training of MAs at FVC on behalf of various partner companies and also saw their largest ever enrolment of first year women MAs, with four starting on their Oil and Gas Technical Apprentice Programme (OGTAP).

FVC Business Development staff who are mentoring the MAs – David Quinney, Lorna Allison, Alanna Robertson, Vicki Francis, Frances Tasker and Lorraine Kerr are all hoping the record number of female engineering MAs, will inspire more and more to become interested in careers within the industry.

Dr Ken Thomson, Principal of Forth Valley College, said: “It is great to see a record number of women engineering modern apprentices start with us this year and we hope this will inspire even more women to think about engineering as a career.

“As a college we have been taking this message – which runs in parallel to the Scottish Government’s Gender Strategy - to schools and across the wider community for many years and we know our industry partners have been doing the same. We hope intakes like this will become the norm from now on.”

Tamara Janssen (23), who works for TechnipFMC is pictured here showing off her welding skills in the workshop, said: “It is absolutely brilliant to be a part of the largest intake of women MAs at Forth Valley College.

NFB: HEALEY IS RIGHT, ALL COUNCILS NEED ACCESS TO HRAS The NFB is not yet convinced that the Labour Party or the Conservative Party understand how homes get built.

The Independent reported that Shadow Housing Secretary John Healey MP, has called on ministers to ensure that all councils have housing revenue accounts (HRAs), which can allow them to borrow in order to build new homes.

The shadow housing secretary understands that some areas will entirely miss out on the opportunity to build more council homes.

This was confirmed by Housing Secretary James Brokenshire MP, who confirmed that there are 160 councils without HRAs. The rules around HRAs allow councils to have an account only if they already own at least 200 homes.

However, councils have been encouraged to transfer their stock to housing associations since 1988.

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The National Federation of Builders

(NFB) agrees with Healey and calls on the Government to make sure all councils can build homes, especially as the 200-home threshold penalises councils who have supported previous policy changes.

Healey’s analysis identifies a major flaw with solutions to the housing crisis: delivery in practice. This is often overlooked for headlines and decision makers need to understand the reality of getting homes built and construction projects off the ground.

The shadow housing secretary understands the industry from the perspective of councils, but the NFB is not yet convinced that the Labour Party or the Conservative Party understand how homes get built. Labour’s recently announced ‘planning review’ is nonetheless a positive first step in the right direction.

Richard Beresford, chief executive of the NFB, said: “John Healey is absolutely right to identify the HRA barrier that many councils face. The

Government must help ambitious councils who want to build more homes, but are currently unable to because they supported previous government policies.”

Rico Wojtulewicz, senior policy advisor of the House Builders Association (HBA), added:

Understanding how the HRA works in practice is imperative, but we remain unconvinced that the planning process – the greatest barrier to increasing housing supply – receives the same nuanced consideration.

Latest News

women into the industry. I read the case studies before I applied for my job and they inspired me, so I hope any young women reading this story and seeing the photos will be inspired to think about a career in engineering.”

Chris Claydon, Chief Executive of the ECITB, said: “If we are to meet the skills needs of the industry it is vital that we have a diverse workforce, but women make up just nine percent of engineers in the UK and only three percent of the workforce on the average engineering construction site. So we know we need to do more make engineering jobs more appealing to women.

“Things are changing and I am really happy to get a job with TechnipFMC as they are a great company to work for.”

Rebecca McMillan (23), who works for Petrofac and is sponsored through ECITB, said: “This is important as it will promote getting more

“It’s really encouraging to see fifteen women in the cohort of modern apprentices at Forth Valley College and a further four female apprentices enrolled in this year’s OGTAP programme. They are clearly working hard to counter traditional stereotypes and make engineering an attractive career path for talented young women.”

BUILDERS BACK THE HIGH STREET, SAYS FMB The Chancellor Philip Hammond has today taken positive steps to address the housing crisis and breathe new life back into our high streets, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Commenting on the Budget 2018, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “It is important that the Chancellor has recognised the importance of investing in our high streets. He has announced a £675 million Future High Streets Fund to allow councils to rejuvenate town centres. It is estimated that as many as 300,000 to 400,000 new homes alone could be created by making use of empty spaces above shops on our high streets. This is space just waiting to be turned into residential accommodation. There is a pressing need to re-invent many of our town centres in light of changing patterns of retail and leisure. The Government should be applauded for its ambition to safeguard the life of our high streets.”

Berry continued: “We would urge councils to take this opportunity to look again at how they can work with local builders and developers to make better use of existing town centre building, and facilitate the development of wasted space above shops.

“A recent report titled Homes on our High Streets from the FMB puts councils at the heart of the solution and suggests some practical ways for them to facilitate the development of wasted space above shops.

“Retail will always be an important element of vibrant high streets, but there is plenty we can do on a small scale to help convert unused and under-used space in to attractive residential units. This will both boost the supply of new homes and help breathe new life back into our high streets. What we must avoid is perfectly good space lying empty and achieving nothing in terms of boosting the local economy or housing individuals.”

Berry concluded: “We are also pleased that the Chancellor has today announced £1bn to guarantee capacity to support lending to the SME housebuilding sector. This will be implemented by the British Business Bank, working with Homes England.

“Many small-scale house builders continue to experience real difficulty in accessing the finance they need to build homes, and it is often the smallest scale builders that experience the greatest problems.

This new funding will help to speed up the delivery of homes and lead to a more diverse and resilient housing supply.”

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Latest News

PASSIONATE BRITS SAY: PROTECT OUR HERITAGE SITES Passionate Brits want more measures put in place to protect the nation’s heritage sites, according to new research.

The research carried out by Oaksmore ISA (an innovative, FCAregulated Alternative Investment Fund Manager) as part of the 2018 British Heritage Restoration report, has revealed the discontent amongst Brits when it comes to the upkeep of UK’s heritage sites and historic buildings.

According to the findings, 32% of Brits want their local council to be doing more to protect their nearby heritage sites and 1 in 4 think the public should take responsibility for preserving the UK’s landmark buildings and sites.

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However, the research has highlighted a lack of public knowledge around how best to protect our historic sites. Whilst 15% of Brits claim that the heritage and history of their hometown is one of the things they love most about their local area, 23% feel unsure of how to go about preserving heritage sites and are calling for better education on this from the experts.

centuries, which is why we want to give Britain’s most iconic sites the restoration they deserve and, in many cases, so desperately need.

The data also suggests a strong feeling amongst Brits that whilst the government is investing funding and time into tackling the housing crisis, the focus should instead be on preserving the country’s existing sites which they feel are being neglected.

“The public can and should get on board with protecting their local sites. Some easy ways to do this include writing to your local MP to propose a restoration campaign or coming together as a community to support the site with fundraisers and awareness campaigns.

In addition, almost a quarter of those surveyed (24%) think one of the biggest disappointments concerning heritage sites today is the growing number of wealthy investors purchasing and privatising key locations, either restricting or entirely prohibiting public access.

The public want to reclaim their history and ensure everyone has access to the UK’s most beloved historic landmarks.

Another great way that the public can contribute to the upkeep of their local sites is to donate or invest money directly into it. This can be as simple as visiting the site and paying a small entry fee, donating a sum to those responsible for the site’s upkeep, or investing directly into a restoration fund.

Reuben Skelton, an executive for Oaksmore ISA, comments: “It’s clear from our research that the public feel very passionately about their history and the landmark sites that tell the tales of historic Britain. The research has highlighted a real desire amongst the public to protect and restore the UK’s heritage sites.

Sadly, there are too many instances of UK heritage buildings and sites being poorly kept over the

“The Oaksmore Innovative ISA invests both time and money into the restoration of the UK’s beloved historic sites. Aside from an excellent return, investors can enjoy the satisfaction of giving back to their community and country, and know that their investment is contributing to the upkeep of the country’s heritage.”

SLADEN ESTATES ‘TOP OF THE CLASS’ FOR COMPLETING DURHAM STUDENT ACCOMMODATION AHEAD OF SCHEDULE A NEW, purpose-built student accommodation scheme incorporating a former Victorian hospital in the centre of Durham has successfully completed in anticipation of this year’s intake of students.

Sladen Estates, Peveril Securities and Helios Properties completed the high-specification, 362-bed development Rushford Court three weeks ahead of schedule.

Chief executive at Sladen Estates, Nick Sladen said: “We are delighted to have completed this stunning

development ahead of schedule for Unite Students. This is a significant scheme for Durham on a site with a great deal of local heritage and we are exceptionally happy with the finished development.”

The development saw the extensive restoration and modernisation of the original 1850’s Durham County Hospital Harding building. The building now houses a range of studio apartments and amenities including: a gym, cinema room, co-study areas and communal entertainment space. Two, modern, purpose-built accommodation wings

have replaced the redundant 1970’s buildings on the hospital site.

Nick continued: “We have revitalised a gateway site to the city whilst also providing much needed student accommodation to relieve some of the pressure on the local housing stock.”

The development is owned and operated by Unite Students, the UK’s largest and most established manager and developer of purposebuilt student accommodation which operates more than 50,000 beds across the country.

Matt Painter of Unite Students said: “We have seen excellent take up so far which is testament to the quality of services on offer and there is no doubt that Rushford Court offers the best accommodation available in Durham.

From our first glimpse of the site and the proposed scheme we knew it would attract a great deal of positive attention, and the finished scheme has realised an even better vision than the plans displayed.

SAUNDERS BOSTON ARCHITECTS DESIGNS COMMUNITY FOCUSSED ACCOMMODATION FOR ELDERLY Saunders Boston Architects has utilised its experience and skills in the retirement and care housing sector to provide both architectural and interior design solutions for Reynolds Court – a 42 apartment refurbishment in Newport, Essex that aims to improve facilities for over 60s – which is now officially open.

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The Sheltered Housing Scheme project was designed for Uttlesford District Council (UDC) in partnership with Lovell and Henry Riley. The contract for the project was awarded to Saunders Boston Architects in 2014 following a highly

contested design competition.

Darren Heffer, Director of Saunders Boston Architects, said: “We are delighted to have been a part of this exciting project from inception to culmination. Uttlesford District Council is a fantastic client that shares our passion for providing stimulating, safe and secure accommodation to local elderly residents.”

The flagship building, officially opened by Kemi Badenoch MP, contains 42 self-contained one and two bedroom apartments that

prioritise space and lighting. Many of the new flats have balconies, and all flats contain wet rooms and fitted kitchens with built-in ovens, fridge freezers and laundry amenities.

Commenting on the project, Heffer said:

The design not only focussed on the apartments as individual units, but the social element of the building as a whole; there is a communal lounge, garden room, hairdressing salon and

Project News

ROCKWOOL UK GETS GO-AHEAD FOR PENCOED SITE EXPANSION Stone wool insulation manufacturer, ROCKWOOL UK, has been granted permission by Bridgend County Borough Council to develop a new 20 acre storage area at its Pencoed site in South Wales.

Planning permission has been given for the development of the land to the south of the existing factory site. The works will increase on-site capacity to store and distribute the wide range of stone wool insulation products manufactured at the site. It will also improve traffic management thanks to a new

access road and loading area for hauliers.

The new logistics centre will enable ROCKWOOL to utilise capacity created by a factory extension, allowing for a 60% increase in output. This expansion responds to trends in urbanisation and high density, mixed-use developments, which have driven year on year growth in demand for sustainable insulation products that perform across thermal, acoustic and fire safety needs.

Darryl Matthews, Managing Director of ROCKWOOL UK said, “We are delighted to have already created 50 new permanent jobs this year.

This development will result in 65 more jobs at ROCKWOOL, as well as providing opportunities for other businesses through our commitment to working with local suppliers on these works. The new facility comes at a great time when ROCKWOOL will be celebrating 40 years of business in Wales in 2019.”

MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL SECURES £156,000 TO FUND DESIGN OF INNOVATION CENTRE AT KENT MEDICAL CAMPUS Maidstone Borough Council has secured £156,000 from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (‘SELEP’) to fund the design of the new Innovation Centre at Kent Medical Campus.

Situated at Junction 7 of the M20, the 30,000ft2 Innovation Centre will offer small and medium-sized enterprises working in the life science, healthcare and med-tech sectors access to a combination of high-quality office accommodation and business support, providing a

nurturing environment for start-ups and growing businesses.

Councillor Martin Cox, Leader of Maidstone Borough Council, said:

The UK is a world leader in life sciences and Kent Medical Campus provides the opportunity for Maidstone to become an important centre for the medical technologies industry in the South East.

“This grant is great news and a

significant step towards bringing this vision to reality. The £156,000 Sector Support Fund grant that the Council has secured from SELEP will help to cover the design costs for the development of the Innovation Centre.”

Designs for the new facility will be finalised by the end of 2018 at which point a planning application will be submitted to Maidstone Borough Council. The Innovation Centre is expected to be completed by April 2020.

guest apartment, allowing the residents to become a community.

The building received planning permission in 2015 with a grant of just over £900,000 from Homes England and was built in two phases, during which residents of the existing building were able to stay on site for the 21-month build programme.

“The scheme was delivered within budget, showing that quality does not have to be sacrificed for cost as long as a project is managed efficiently. The building has already been submitted for a number of awards; but, more importantly, is a win for residents, the local community and the Sheltered Housing Scheme as whole.” Heffer concluded.

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GDX takes up residence at Wolverhampton Homes Wolverhampton Homes manages and maintains over 23,500 homes on behalf of The City of Wolverhampton Council. In order to provide residents with the highest standards of security and safety, it has installed access control and door entry products from GDX by STANLEY. Wolverhampton Homes is a not-forprofit organisation that was formed in 2005 with a mission to provide good quality homes and great customer service for The City of Wolverhampton Council’s tenants and leaseholders. It is responsible for letting the homes through a scheme called Homes in the City and chose GDX door entry solutions due to the flexibility the system would provide for their tenants.

Success story The last 13 years have been a genuine success story for Wolverhampton Homes and in 2010 it became one of the first Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMO) to be given an ‘excellent’ company rating.

The test of time Prior to the formation of Wolverhampton Homes, GDX worked directly with The City of Wolverhampton Council and the first GDX system was installed on its behalf in 1995.

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Helping hand Wolverhampton Homes has adopted all the various versions

of GDX5 as they have been introduced, and there are now over 700 door entry systems in low-rise blocks of flats across the city, while 3,000 tenants that live on high-rise estates utilise a concierge service.

The appliance of science The ability to expand the scope of the GDX5 system into a remote monitoring platform is down to the use of internet protocol (IP). The IP revolution has had a dramatic effect on the physical security equipment industry, allowing the development of new technologies that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.

Central perk IP based access control offers virtually unlimited system expansion capabilities that, in turn, enables an abundance of cost saving and centralisation benefits. This scalability also means that existing systems can simply be added to, offering Wolverhampton Homes the benefit of knowing that the cost of their system will be proportional to the number of doors it needs to control.

Features and benefits GDX5 has made a huge contribution toward ensuring that each building is kept clean, safe and secure. With audio communication between the Concierge Control Room and all the buildings, Wolverhampton Homes can monitor traffic, address antisocial behaviour and take appropriate action to minimise the

impact of any events by deploying personnel or, if required, notifying the emergency services.

Although vandalism is infrequent, GDX5 is particularly robust and if a component is damaged or any other type of technical malfunction occurs through normal use, a notification is sent to the Concierge Control Room, so remedial action can be taken. The design of the devices and good levels of availability means that any problems are quick and easy to resolve.

Onwards and upwards The relationship between the two organisations continues to go from strength to strength and Darren Baggs of Wolverhampton Homes concludes, ‘There’s no doubt that GDX’s access control technology has helped to improve security, safety and protection across our estate and allows for a quick response to incidents. The ongoing developments and improvements GDX makes to its technology obviously has a big part to play in the success of our relationship, but so too does the level of help, advice, service and support we continue to receive.’

For further information please contact James Ford, Director Global Marketing.

Email: James.Ford@sbdinc.com; Tel: +44 (0) 1753 500537; or visit www.pacgdx.com

ETM SCOOPS GREEN PRIZE AT PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS EVENING Bristol highways maintenance and recycling company the ETM Group scored a great victory at this year’s Business Leader Awards, winning Green Business of the Year.

The group, made up of ETM Contractors and ETM Recycling, fought off some stiff competition to triumph at a glittering black-tie evening in front of 600 guests at the South West’s biggest and most celebrated business awards event of the year.

The awards, hosted by comedian Russel Kane and featuring a champagne reception, gala dinner and charity casino, were open to businesses across the region and judged by an independent panel of experts who spent several weeks assessing entries and visiting businesses.

A record number of more than 200 award entries were received this year and judges commented that the calibre of entries was incredibly high.

The judges were impressed with ETM’s dedication to diverting waste from landfill and their continued drive to improve their processes and recycling rates.

This was demonstrated by ETM’s £4million investment in a new stateof-the-art zero waste to landfill recycling plant which will allow them to double the amount of waste they accept and process from 70,000 tonnes to 140,000 plus.

It will also enable ETM to process that waste more efficiently, meaning they can get through around 80100 tonnes of material per hour, a quantity that takes them 24 hours to process currently.

The plant is currently being built on ETM’s existing site and it will be the first of its kind in the South West.

Amy McCormack, Director of ETM Recycling, commented: “We were absolutely thrilled to win the Green Business of the Year award. Given the calibre of the businesses that were in the room, it was great to come out on top - now we can say we are an award-winning business.

The ETM Group have always had a huge passion for recycling so it was great to receive recognition for all of the hard work everyone at ETM puts in.

We have grown hugely in the last couple of years and while the new plant is a massive investment for us we feel it will be a huge benefit to the city of Bristol.”

The award win is the latest piece of good news for the company as it heads into 2019 with serious ambitions to further cement its place at the forefront of the recycling and plans for future growth.

As well as the investment in the new plant, ETM Contractors recently announced a turnover of £18.3million, which is a 24% increase on last year, and was helped by ETM Recycling’s turnover of £6million, which was an increase of 35%.

ETM Recycling is a family-run business that offers waste management, recycling and skip hire from its fully equipped waste transfer centre. It is one of the few recycling facilities in Bristol to achieve more than 94% recycling of all waste that comes through the centre.

AÏR MAKES THE BUILD IT AWARDS SHORTLIST FOR BEST GLAZED DOORS aïr 600LS, the most impressive lift & slide door has been named a finalist for Best Glazed Doors in the 2018 Build It Awards.

As the flagship product for the aïr range of premium domestic aluminium doors, aïr 600LS offers homeowners slimmer sightlines and wider glazed areas, perfect for creating light-filled spaces that perfectly merge the home and garden.

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Manufactured exclusively by Everglade Windows and installed in homes across the South East by its exclusive network of Accredited Retailers, aïr 600LS offers captivating

design and extreme engineering.

The aluminium glazed lift & slide doors are specially designed for wide-openings. The system is available with configurations up to 6 panels and each glazed panel can measure up to 2500mm wide and 2700mm high.

Jay Patel, aïr Brand Ambassador says: “We’re so pleased to be shortlisted for this award. aïr 600LS is a really popular product with homeowners, self-builders and renovators who want a door that adds another dimension to their home improvements.

“We have seen aïr installed in some

really incredible projects since our launch – it’s the perfect door to offer to design-savvy homeowners who are looking for captivating aesthetics with great energy efficiency and security performance too.” aïr doors are available with the police-approved Secured by Design accreditation, fitted with the 3-star Sold Secure Diamond Ultion cylinder and are backed by an industry leading 25-year guarantee.

The winners will be announced at the Build It Gala Dinner on 9 November 2018 at the Hilton Bankside in London.

Awards News

ROCKWOOL CELEBRATES LOCAL AUTHORITY WINNERS IN ‘NOISE OSCAR’ AWARDS ROCKWOOL was proud to present the London Borough of Ealing Council and National Grid with the prestigious Local Authority Award at this year’s John Connell Awards, organised by the Noise Abatement Society (NAS).

Held at the Palace of Westminster on the 24th October and known as the ‘Noise Oscars’, these unique annual awards are now in their 17th year.

They acknowledge the importance of the quality of sound in our lives, and champion vital advances in reducing the negative impact of unnecessary and unwanted noise for benefit of the public.

ROCKWOOL, renowned for its market leading range of sound insulation products, sponsors the John Connell Local Authority Award which recognises services, campaigns and programmes that

are shining examples of community co-operation, education and creative solutions to noise pollution problems. The London Borough of Ealing Council and National Grid were crowned winners of the award for their ambitious re-development and co-created noise abatement and management system for Almond Avenue Substation.

The Almond Avenue substation is critical, both locally and nationally, in the supply electricity to over 200,000 homes. However, loud, intrusive, humming noise was causing widespread disturbance to residents and threatened the plant’s on-going viability. Taking the strategic decision to avoid enforcement action and prolonged court proceedings, the council worked collaboratively with operators and residents to achieve a sustainable solution: a co-designed,

SEASONAL SEALING THANKS TO ADVANCED ISO-CHEMIE FOIL TECHNOLOGY WITH the onset of winter, rapid and effective onsite sealing of window or door frame connecting joints in minus degree temperatures or in wet conditions, is provided by advanced external* sealing foil technology from foam tape manufacturer, ISO-CHEMIE. The flexible humidity variable sealing foil ISO-CONNECT VARIO SD, available in full surface self-adhesive COMPLETE and COMPLETE DUO variants, enables onsite installation work to continue even in poor weather or wintry environments.

Developed for the extreme cold of the Scandinavian market, the foil adheres quickly, even to rough surfaces such as hemp blocks, down to – 8°c when wet seal would freeze at zero. This saves time and provides a high quality joint sealing solution, even if the foil remains exposed to the elements for up to six months due to construction work delays.

ISO-CONNECT VARIO SD not only adapts to seasonal variations but also provide an excellent external weather seal, which exceeds UK Building Regulations and airtightness in domestic and commercial buildings when used as an internal seal.

The risk of soiling on windows, surrounding construction work and on the building itself due to residual adhesive is also significantly reduced.

COMPLETE and COMPLETE DUO variants of ISO-CONNECT VARIO SD also comply with the specifications of the plastering guideline ‘Plastering window sealing foils’, which recommends a minimum bonding surface area of more than 75%. *As an external seal, it must be covered over after six months.

ISO-CHEMIE specialises in the manufacturer of foam products from polyethylene (EPE), polypropylene (EPP) and polyurethane (PUR) using the latest production techniques. More at https://www.iso-chemie.eu/en-GB/home

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ISO-CHEMIE sealing foil ISO-CONNECT VARIO SD adheres quickly, even to rough surfaces such as hemp blocks, down to – 8°c

Furthermore, the risk of leaks from poor or patchy adhesive application can be avoided while the foil can be plastered over immediately after installation, providing further time and cost saving benefits.

The Local Authority Award celebrates councils who demonstrate imaginative and sustainable initiatives in the management of noise issues.

ROCKWOOL UK are champions of mitigating noise through good design in the built environment.

In their, report Good Growth, Quiet Buildings, they bring together compelling evidence to demonstrate the damaging effects of noise pollution on health and well-being, showcasing solutions for domestic, public and commercial buildings.

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ECOPHON STRENGTHENS ITS SOLO OFFER Ecophon has launched the latest extensions to Ecophon Solo™, its market leading family of free hanging acoustic panels. The new additions to the already extensive product portfolio of versatile acoustic absorbers provide architects and designers with even greater choice and creative freedom.

Launched as the first acoustic cloud to the market almost ten years ago, Ecophon Solo™ is a design-friendly, free-hanging sound absorber that due to its versatility can be installed in virtually any space. The Solo range features panels in a variety of standard shapes including square, rectangular and circles while Solo Freedom allows designers to express themselves creatively with custom shapes and colours. The latest expansion of the range introduces larger sizes, integrated luminaries and new baffle designs.

The innovative glass wool core used in Ecophon panels provides a lightweight, stable solution that is strong and rigid regardless of the size or shape.

This makes it possible for Ecophon to produce uniquely large panels. This is seen in the newly launched 3000x1200 mm rectangle - the largest on the market - and the 2400 x 600 thin rectangle.

Ecophon’s Connect Profile and accessories makes installation simple and means that even the largest size panels are quick to fit on site.

The expanded Solo offering now also offers a combined lighting and sound absorption option. The Ecophon Line™ luminaire, one of three normally only available in the Ecophon Focus™

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range, has now been integrated in the 2400x1200 mm Solo panel. Solo Rectangle Line is delivered with the opal integrated in the panel so installation is as simple as hanging the panel, adding the included luminaire and connecting into the lighting system.

Following the recent growth in the architectural popularity of baffles, Ecophon have taken their offer to the next level with Ecophon Solo™ Baffle Wave and Ecophon Solo™ Baffle ZigZag, innovative shapes designed to complement the traditional straight edge baffle. Furthermore, due to the growing recognition of the importance of adding sound absorbers to walls, Ecophon has also added Solo™ Baffle on Wall to the product family. This simple change allows an architect to continue the baffle design onto the walls, making an aesthetic statement while creating an even better sound environment.

Ecophon recognises that often, either as part of the design or due to a lack of ceiling height, Solo may need to be

installed close to the soffit. To make this simple, Ecophon has developed a new, simple, direct fixing solution which makes it possible to easily install the Solo panels as close as 50 mm from the soffit.

Will Jones, Marketing Manager at Ecophon said: “The design of interior spaces has a huge effect on people’s experience, so architects need the freedom to design with solutions that not only deliver the required acoustic performance but also complement and even enhance the design of a space.

“The new products and updates to the Solo range strengthen our offer and mean we have the widest range of freehanging absorbers on the market. Since we launched the original system it has become a favourite among architects and we are proud to still be building on what we started almost a decade ago.”

For more information about the Ecophon Solo™ range visit www.ecophon.com/thenewsolo

Express yourself with Ecophon Solo™

Photographer: Left: Bartosz Makowski, Right: Studio-e

Ecophon Solo™ is the original acoustic cloud. Launched over a decade ago, it changed the way we improve acoustics. Flatteringly, Solo is often copied, but its creative freedom and product quality has never been bettered. Until now.

To learn more visit www.ecophon.com/uk/thenewsolo To discuss how Ecophon Solo and Baffle can be used in your project, contact our specification team on 01256 855 280.

T: +44 (0)1 E: info@a HLM REVEALS PLANS FOR T: +44 (0)1 £5.7M SCIENCE CAPITAL www.app T: +44 (0)1825 PROJECT FOR TECHNIQUEST T:T: +44 (0)1825 764 info@a +44 E: (0)1825 7 Applications E E: info@appe E:E: info@appeng.c www.app info@appeng Bellbrook Indu www.appeng www.appeng.co.u www.appeng.co Applications E

HLM has revealed its design for the £5.7m Science Capital project, which will see the radical transformation and expansion of Techniquest’s science discovery centre in Cardiff Bay.

Planning has been submitted to Cardiff City Council to extend educational charity Techniquest’s current building on Stuart Street to create an additional 900m2 of exhibition floor space.

The scheme will significantly increase Techniquest’s footprint, providing an additional 60% exhibition space to house brand new innovative content related to, and developed with, Welsh STEM innovators, academics and communities.

The new immersive and innovative

exhibition areas and experiences will help Techniquest to diversify its audiences and increase visitor numbers by at least 40%.

Lesley Kirkpatrick, CEO of Techniquest said: “Since securing funding, it has been full steam ahead in our Science Capital project. We’ve been working closely with our consultants to marry up our objectives, with the space we have available, and our ultimate goal of ensuring the charity has a sustainable and long-term future in Wales. We’re delighted with the final plans, which are contemporary, inclusive, flexible and eye-catching.

Gaining planning consent is naturally a crucial factor in the future of this project so we’re hopeful for a positive result.”

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Patrick Arends, leisure and culture sector lead at HLM said: “Techniquest has been providing inspiring scientific education for over 30 years and the new extension will reflect this with a contemporary design that will showcase this unique and much-loved facility in Cardiff.

The Cardiff HLM studio has been working closely with the project team, drawing on its extensive experience in designing top class educational and leisure spaces, to create a vibrant space that is flexible, active and relevant.”

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DELIVERING IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROAD NETWORK Amey Sir Robert McAlpine – a Joint Venture between infrastructure support service provider Amey and construction and civil engineering company Sir Robert McAlpine – has been announced as a Delivery Integration Partner.

Technology Centre in Coventry to bring transferable knowledge from other sectors to contribute to Highways England’s planned Centres of Excellence – helping to drive innovation across the highways sector.

It will be responsible for delivering improvements schemes across the North of England, as part of Highways England’s Regional Delivery Partnership. As a preferred partner for Lot 3, Amey Sir Robert McAlpine will design and construct motorway and trunk road improvement projects worth up to £100m. This will support Highways England to deliver the next phase of its Roads Investments Strategy over the next six years.

Working collaboratively with other Delivery Integration Partners, Amey Sir Robert McAlpine is committed to developing a more diverse workforce for the future, and will deliver a regional resourcing plan to support trainees, apprentices and graduates into the highways industry.

The first package of works includes two improvement schemes on the M56 and M6, with additional schemes allocated on future performance. As well as delivering investment in local communities, Amey Sir Robert McAlpine will use its membership of the Manufacturing

As well as creating a new vibrant public entrance, the plans include a designated community space overlooking the Bay, a new café and shop, in addition to a roof terrace and courtyard designed to host interactive artworks and features to complement exhibitions.

The scheme is being project managed by Lee Wakemans, working alongside Hydrock (project engineers) and Wardell Armstrong (planning consultant).

team. This will focus on addressing mutual risks, and efficient and effective ways of working – all while offering an excellent customer experience.

Amey is already responsible for maintaining the road network across the East Midlands on behalf of Highways England, and has also recently been announced as the new provider for the Area 10 contract, delivering highways maintenance services across the North West from April 2019.

• Dual por • Availabl • Dual ports th • • Dual ports that en switch to Dual ports that switch to be m mating switch to be moun switch to be mo • Availabl Additionally, Amey Consulting is responsible for designing maintenance and improvement schemes for nearly 840 miles of strategic road network in Areas 13 and 14.

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Amey and Sir Robert McAlpine have a strong track record of working together over the last 23 years. The Joint Venture became the first delivery integration team to jointly enter a Collaboration Charter with the whole supply chain to deliver value to clients and customers. Continuing the focus on collaboration, Amey Sir Robert McAlpine will operate a fully integrated design and construction

1825 764737 appeng.co.uk 1825 764737 peng.co.uk 5 764737 4737 appeng.co.uk 764737 Engineering Ltd, 16 Horsted Square, eng.co.uk co.uk peng.co.uk g.co.uk ustrial Estate, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 1QG g.co.uk uk o.uk Engineering Ltd, 16 Horsted Square, Project News

Paul Wong, Director at Lee Wakemans said: “Techniquest is on a marvellous journey of renewal looking to reach a much wider audience.

We feel privileged to play our part in helping to translate what the client is seeking to achieve, into an exciting design which will get built and ready for summer 2020. It’s great to have reached this milestone of submitting the planning application and we’re grateful to all team members who have helped us reach this point.”

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Subject to planning permission being granted, it is anticipated that work on the extension would commence in Spring 2019 with the new space being open to the public

by Summer 2020.

Helifix Dixie micro-piles used to support Air Chief Marshal statue

T: +44 (0)1825 764737Helifix More typically used to support and stabilise buildings, the versatile E: info@appeng.co.uk Dixie piled foundation system has recently been installed at The Battle of www.appeng.co.uk Britain Bunker Museum, RAF Uxbridge, to support a statue of World War II hero, Applications Engineering Ltd, 16 Horsted Square, Air Chief Marshal, Sir Keith Park.

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Due to the proximity of this new statue to both electrical and drainage services, Dixie micro-piles were selected as a reliable and cost-effective alternative to traditional concrete foundations. These Helifix pipe piles screw into virtually any type of soil, quickly and easily, with minimal disruption, noise or spoil removal and would be easier to extract from the ground in the future, by simply being • Dual ports that enable the flow ‘unscrewed’.

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www.appeng.co.uk Applications Engineering Ltd, 16 Horsted Square, Applications Engineering Ltd, 16 Horsted Square, Bellbrook Industrial Estate, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 1QG Bellbrook Industrial Estate, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 1QG

Dual port Dual portValVe Set Fire Sprinkler

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• 100% pressure tested. using the hand-held Helifix hydraulic drive head.

• Available with optional CPVC • 1” and 1 ¼” full bore test valve • 1” and 1 ¼” full bore test valve Each micro-pile was levelled and topped with an engineered steel plate; these mating sockets.

• Easy access for servicing • Easy access for servicing T: +44 (0)1825 764737 were then cast into a metre thick concrete plinth to which the new statue was E: info@appeng.co.uk affixed.

• 100% pressure tested.

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For project-specific technical advice on the use of Dixie micro-piles, for both temporary and permanent foundations of new build structures or remedial support for existing buildings, please contact the Helifix team on 020 8735 5200. Alternatively, go to www.helifix. co.uk/videos to watch a step-by-step installation and download relevant technical brochures.

• 1” and 1 ¼” full bore test valve

Applications Engineering Ltd, 16 Horsted Square, Bellbrook Industrial Estate,• Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 1QG Easy access for servicing

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• 100% pressure tested.

Helifix operates a nationwide Approved Installer scheme. For details of your local • 1” and 1 ¼” full bore test valve approved contractors, please contact Helifix.

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05/11/2018 11:36:43

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Photography © South Shropshire Housing Association

Innovative Passivhaus social housing development completes in Shropshire A £2m exemplar Passivhaus residential scheme has now been handed over to residents in Shropshire.

A mix of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom homes have been handed over in Callaughtons Ash, Much Wenlock.

These are comprised of 2 shared ownership and 10 homes for social rental. The highly sustainable development is an exemplar model for unlocking small green land sites and improving the quality of family living in rural areas of the West Midlands.

The Client, South Shropshire Housing Association’s commitment to sustainability, quality and eradicating fuel poverty for housing association residents was the driving force in commissioning this futureproofing Passivhaus scheme.

The Passivhaus standard is the most rigorous performance standard in Europe. Applied to housing;

the fabric first approach requires very little primary energy to run.

The standard offers residence a healthy and comfortable lifestyle with operational costs minimized to as little as under £100 per annum for average housing types.

This is particularly advantageous and in line with the housing association’s values of affordable accommodation.

Architects, Architype, who are based in neighbouring Herefordshire and are well known for their promotion of sustainable architecture, have taken a holistic approach to the development. Rethinking how people use domestic space in modern day families, Architype have reorganised the typical approach to standard home types.

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Investigating the local vernaculars of Shropshire, the development aims to sit comfortably in its rural surroundings, complimented by a natural palette of UK sourced materials. This includes clay roof tiles that have been quarried and made within 25 miles of the site, lime render provided by local company Lime Green and UK grown thermally modified hardwood cladding,

Project

promoting the Housing Associations aims for a cohesive circular economy in Shropshire.

Design process began in 2015, with representatives sitting on a project board to help decide location, layout and type of construction.

With the guidance of SSHA’s community led building consultancy, Marches Community Land Trust Services (CLTs), and adhering to the Much Wenlock Community Plan, representatives learned about construction methods, decided on landscaping and visited the local timber frame manufacturer to see the house frames in construction.

Children from Much Wenlock Primary School have also been involved by taking part in a site safety poster competition and making a visit to the site to learn about Passivhaus principles.

very clear from all the consultations that there was a strong need for affordable housing for local people.

After further consultations supported by the Town Council, SSHA have built this small development of quality properties. They will, for the first in Much Wenlock, provide affordable homes for people with a local connection.”

Associate and Project Architect, Paul Neep said; “It has been a great experience working with South Shropshire Housing Association and the local delivery team SJ Roberts on their first Passivhaus project. They truly embraced the standard and have proven that Passivhaus is easily achievable when you collaborate.

We are delighted at the reaction of the tenants and look forward to seeing how well the homes are performing through occupation.”

Mark Philips, Director of SJ Roberts said:

I would like to add that it’s been a pleasure to be working alongside the design team headed

by Architype in a new form of building. Definitely the way forward in modern day building which sits right in conserving energy in our ever changing world.

Christine Duggan, Director of Housing and Communities for Connexus, of which SSHA is a part of said; “We have strived to be innovators in the affordable housing sector, whilst taking the concerns of our residents with regards to fuel poverty and other running cots in to consideration. We are delighted to welcome our new tenants to their new homes, and hope they will be happy in them for the years to come.”

David Turner, Shropshire Councillor for the Much Wenlock Division, speaking about Much Wenlock Neighbourhood Plan said; “It was

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SINKGuard3 Sink Filter with Odour Trap Reduce Waste Entering Grease Traps/Pipe Systems Reduce the Frequency of Grease Trap Cleaning

Aluline have been active in Grease Management for many years. As a respected company in this field we offer advice and manufacture in the UK. Alulinegms.com website explains the scope of our offering for designers and owners of Food Outlets, Pubs, Bars, Restaurants and Takeaways.

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Building smarter to meet future energy targets Human activity is responsible for the UK experiencing hotter days and ‘tropical’ nights, according to a recent report from our Met Office, so every action taken to build and maintain homes to reduce carbon emissions will help.

Today, and in the foreseeable future, local authorities and social housing providers are, and will, continue to be under increasing pressure to find ways to make the homes they supply, and manage, more energy efficient.

Which is why UK engineering and manufacturing specialist Teddington is supporting this with two innovative designs that it says will be vital in helping housing associations to meet the requirements of the Climate Change Act. In the UK, there are currently 4 million social housing homes and all of them need to meet the requirements of the Act to reduce their carbon footprint.

Teddington’s clever designs include a new improved version of its awardwinning energy-saving CombiSave device, aimed at reducing water usage and carbon emissions for households that use a combination boiler, while also helping tenants to save money on their heating bills.

Additionally, it recently brought to market its innovative PressureSentry warning device, which detects low-pressure in the heating system to prevent unnecessary boiler shutdowns and heating-system damage.

Sales manager Kenny Maxwell says designs help tenants and housing associations

Ultimately, it prevents unscheduled call outs from social housing providers’ maintenance departments, reducing attendance costs and also the carbon footprint from vehicles making the visit.

Both designs have massive benefits for social housing tenants who are more likely to be on reduced incomes and will welcome smaller fuel bills and less hassle.

Climate change threat Kenny Maxwell, Teddington’s sales manager says: “Every action helps since we know that climate change is a huge threat to humanity. It’s already having an effect.”

Greenpeace says that average global temperatures have risen every decade since the 1970s with the ten warmest years on record all occurring since 1997.

In 2017, the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions were 43 per cent below its 1990 levels. The 2008-12 carbon emissions budget has also been met and we are outperforming the second and third carbon budgets, according to the Committee on Climate Change.

But the committee says the same is not true of the fourth period, 202327. Teddington is urging developers, social housing providers and other domestic heating installers in the private sector to take advantage of the energy-saving devices it markets to help the situation.

The government’s Clean Growth Strategy wants all homes to achieve a band C Energy Performance Certificate by 2030 and the Energy Savings Trust says there is more work to be done.

Kenny says that with the growing number of regulations it makes sense for social housing providers to look at their asset management budgets to fund these changes to reduce their carbon footprint.

“There are already restrictions on how much social housing providers can increase their rents to fund these budgets,” he said. “Our innovations amount to simple changes with big benefits to both the housing provider and their tenants.”

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PressureSentry can be fitted to a domestic radiator

So, what is CombiSave? It’s a small thermostatically controlled valve that can be fitted to most combination boilers and helps to reduce water wastage.

CombiSave is a low-cost water-saving device fitted to combination boilers

The low-cost device, which can be fitted in minutes, automatically controls the flow of water every time a hot tap is turned on – allowing the boiler to heat the water faster and only returning the flow to normal once a useable temperature is reached.

Independent research by consultants EA Technology, based around an International Boiler Test Standard, has shown the CombiSave can save an average of 27,756 litres of water a year for a typical twoperson household.

A little over 600 kWh of energy is also saved in the heating process, reducing CO2 emissions by 130kg a year.

Benefits Kenny said the benefits for housing associations could be far reaching: “Fitted in 50,000 homes it could save the equivalent to a whole reservoir of water every year, as well as reducing CO2 levels by 6,500 tonnes.

“It represents a relatively simple, cost-effective opportunity for housing associations to reduce the carbon footprint of their overall portfolio while at the same time helping tenants to save money on their utility bills.”

Ben Evans, from plumbing experts Parr and Evans Heating in Bristol, added: “We advise most people to get a CombiSave fitted and we’re now installing about one a week. It’s been very good. It works out as a decent saving.”

Earlier this year CombiSave was awarded a ‘Recommended Checkmark’ from Waterwise, the leading independent authority on water efficiency in the UK and Europe.

Aaron Burton, Director of Policy and Innovation at Waterwise, which runs the Recommended Checkmark scheme to highlight the most waterefficient products and services in the UK, said: “The CombiSave product addresses a real source of wasted water in the home. It’s a great combination of water saving whilst keeping the same level of performance, which is what water efficiency is all about.”

In July 2017, the Water Regulation Advisory Scheme also renewed its accreditation of the CombiSave for a further five years.

PressureSentry meanwhile is an early warning device that helps prevent central heating breakdowns caused by low pressure.

Low pressure, caused by leaks or a build-up of trapped air, is behind the majority of emergency call outs – leaving housing associations facing costly repair bills and tenants without heating and hot water for potentially lengthy periods of time.

With PressureSentry, as soon as the pressure falls below a pre-set level (1 bar) an audible, 360-degree visual alarm is triggered. The sound can be muted but the flashing indicator stays on until the system pressure has been reinstated.

Housing associations can then arrange for work to re-pressurise the system before it falls too low – preventing further damage, boiler shut downs, and huge emergency bills.

PressureSentry is ideally suited for combi-boiler heating systems and screws into the top of a standard domestic radiator to monitor the system pressure. The low-cost device can be installed by qualified engineers during routine service calls – with no need to drain the heating system.

Kenny said: “All too often combiboilers shut down unnecessarily due to a loss of system pressure, mainly because checking the water pressure is overlooked or forgotten about, or the boiler is inaccessible.

This results in unscheduled call-outs which can be very costly.

“With PressureSentry, advanced warning is provided so that housing associations can schedule a visit by their local plumber or heating engineer to re-pressurise the system before it cuts out – meaning that tenants don’t face the prospect of a cold house and having to wait a few days with no hot water.”

For more information about PressureSentry and CombiSave visit http://www.teddingtonsystems. co.uk/pressure-sentry and www.combisave.com

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Events News

BRIGHTON AND HOVE DEVELOPMENT DESIGNS REVEALED Solutions to five of Brighton and Hove’s most challenging urban development sites were created at the third annual City Charrette, a partnership between Design South East, Brighton and Hove City Council and DesignBrighton on 19 October.

shape the future of the city.

The hypothetical proposals were produced at a day-long collaborative design workshop held at Hove Town Hall on 19 October and could inform future redevelopment in the city.

This event brought local architecture, development and planning professionals and Brighton University students together to help

Sponsored by Edward Street Quarter Ltd, a £210m development in partnership First Base and Patron Capital, the collective closely

REGIONAL CHAMPIONS HOST LOW CARBON HOMES EVENTS A series of nationwide forums designed to help housing and construction professionals improve home energy efficiency across the UK has secured support from regional low carbon champions.

Dorset County Council’s Low Carbon Dorset initiative hosts the first Low Carbon Homes event in March 2019, followed by University of Brighton’s Clean Growth UK in April and Manchester City Council in November – each having their own low carbon agenda.

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Low Carbon Homes is a UKwide initiative which brings together leading experts to share best practice and pioneering methodologies to help clarify the route towards a low carbon future.

LCH Forums are free-to-attend

events open to everyone across the industry, including engineers, local authorities and housing professionals as well as landlords, developers and contractors. Delegates will have a choice of workshops which will include case studies and success stories as part of a tailored programme created with the guidance of host organisations to meet regional needs.

The 2019 event programmes will each be produced with support from The Green Register, with emphasis on the proven Fabric First approach. Lucy Pedler and Dan Weisselberg will chair proceedings, foster discussion and host a workshop, whilst being the “critical friend” throughout the programme development process for each Forum.

“Low Carbon Homes is an important initiative which we’re delighted to be part of, as a collaborative approach is vital to drive towards low carbon living. The unique platform provided by Low Carbon Homes can facilitate meaningful and practical understanding

examined five local development sites, chosen in collaboration with the city council, with the aim of producing design solutions and guiding principles for each.

The sites in focus were Madeira Drive, Elder Place, the area north of Hove Station, Portland Street and Foundry Street cluster and Coombe Farm in Saltdean.

Teams of design professionals and students identified the key issues of each site and proposed practical solutions to better suit the needs of the community.

between those directly involved in many areas of the housing sector”, says Lucy Pedler, The Green Register’s founder.

Recent studies have shown that 13 per cent of UK CO2 emissions come from heating homes. To tackle this, government has invested £3.6bn to meet the objectives set out in their Clean Growth Strategy, published in October 2017. This forms part of the wider plan to meet Paris Agreement obligations and reduce CO2 emissions from homes by a further 20 per cent.

Graham Lock, founder of Low Carbon Homes says “As reiterated during the recent Green GB Week, if the UK is to achieve its global obligations, there must be a rapid take-up in domestic energy efficiency – especially in the 80% of existing housing stock which is poor performing. For those working within the housing industry, the subject of energy efficiency has never been so important and we must all play a role in driving forward change.”

The events are free to attend.

New RIBA Accredited CPD from Howe Green Ltd Howe Green Ltd, the UK’s leading manufacturer of fabricated metal access covers has recently launched a new CPD seminar.

The CPD – “Safe Access All Areas: Floor Access” has been accredited by RIBA and is listed on the RIBA CPD website – www.ribacpd.com.

The aim of the CPD is to help architects and specifiers gain a greater insight into the key considerations when specifying floor access covers.

Floor access covers provide a safe and easy way to overcome the challenge of accessing building services concealed under floors.

As a small part of an overall construction project floor access covers are often an overlooked element of the building envelope.

However, the consequences of specifying an access cover that is inappropriate for the environment where it is being installed can have far-reaching, and costly,

implications. Choice of materials, such as stainless steel or aluminium, loading performance, floor finish and fire rating are examples of just some of the different design parameters that need to be considered when specifying floor access covers.

Health and safety remain at the forefront of specification in the construction industry. The CPD outlines how floor access covers can be moved safely and in line with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations (MHOR) 1992, CDM 2015 Regulations and Building Regulations.

Floor access covers may seem a simple, straightforward product to specify however getting the specification right for the intended use and ensuring the requirements for both performance and aesthetics are met can be fraught with complexity.

James Fisher, MD of Howe Green, explains, “For over 35 years Howe Green has built an incredible amount of expertise and knowledge in the niche area

of floor access covers. This new CPD is an opportunity to share our learning with fellow building services professionals.

“We are committed to providing architects and specifiers with all the necessary tools to ensure the correct specification of access covers. The more information and resources that we can make available the better informed their decision making will be when it comes to specifying the right access cover for the installation environment. ” Howe Green’s Business Development Managers, Chris George and Richard Fletcher, will be responsible for delivering the CPD. Classified under the RIBA Core Curriculum by design, construction and technology the hour-long seminar aims to cover general awareness of specifying floor access covers.

If you would like to find out more about the CPD or make a booking for your company please call Sue Marler on 01920 463 230 or email info@howegreen.co.uk.

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POLYPIPE BOLSTERS FLOOD DEFENCES AT NEW MEDICAL CENTRE Polypipe, the UK’s leading manufacturer of sustainable drainage and water management solutions, has helped to protect a new £2.7 million medical centre from flash floods.

The Loughborough-based company supplied its Polystorm and Permavoid geocellular water management systems to the 1,191sqm Churchdown Surgery in Churchdown, Gloucestershire.

Building on the initial design by the contract engineer Rutter Johnson, Polypipe worked with consultant engineering firm EPG, and civil engineer and installer NGB Cheltenham, to review and value-engineer a solution capable of negotiating various onsite challenges, including an extremely high water table.

Using the combined design and installation experience of the team, a mixed product solution was supplied by Polypipe that included a Permavoid system for use beneath a large permeable paving car park and two Polystorm tanks utilising anti-floatation measures in soft landscape areas.

Due to the high water table, a 150mm deep system using 2,614 Permavoid cells delivered 138m3 of stormwater storage beneath the hard landscaping surface.

Permavoid was also selected due to its high structural load capacity.

Polypipe, EPG and NGB had to tend with a water table that left

only 130mm of cover in large hard landscaped areas, which meant a shallow attenuation system was required.

In addition, 200 Polystorm PSM1a crates were used in soft landscaped areas, which provided a further 40m3 of water storage. Due to the high water table, both Polystorm attenuation tanks installed beneath the landscaped areas surrounding the car park were wrapped in a fully welded impermeable geomembrane. Both systems are designed to cope with and manage sudden heavy rainfall, which has affected the region in the past decade.

To treat oil and capture silt, 35m of Permachannel, Permavoid Biomat and four Permaceptor separators were used to channel the collected stormwater away from the site and into local water networks.

Following consultation with EPG and NGB, Polypipe delivered a customised Permaceptor much larger than the standard model to manage greater amounts of stormwater collected from the overall water management system.

Each modified Permaceptor can treat a larger catchment area over 150sqm and was installed to reduce the amount of Permachannel and Permavoid Biomat cells needed within two isolated permeable car park areas separated from the Permavoid tank.

As well as this the main Permavoid tank beneath the car park area had a fully welded membrane to the base and sides.

Phil Williams, consultant engineer at EPG, said: “This project provided objectives that we knew Polypipe could deliver upon. With only 130mm cover on the car park we chose to use Permavoid beneath the car parking bays because of its load bearing capability, and the ability of the system to negotiate the high water table on the site.

“By working with Polypipe’s technical experts, we were able to design a system that could be considered ‘good practice’ by the SuDS manual, local and national planning documents.”

Rosie Cheetham, marketing manager, Polypipe, added: “This is a great example of a collaborative approach delivering a system that will serve a community for years to come.

“Our water management experts worked closely with all parties from the early stages of the design process to develop and deliver a modern, intelligently engineered SuDS solution that was easy to install.”

Neil Bermingham, managing director at NGB (Cheltenham) Ltd, said: “Having been awarded the full civil engineering and groundworks package, this project provided a perfect opportunity to continue our collaborative relationship with Polypipe.

“Using our installation experience and knowledge of the site, we were able to work with Polypipe and EPG to provide a value-engineered solution to the client that offered cost and construction phase benefits in addition to increased flexibility in future use.

“Having utilised our own in-house CSWIP-qualified geomembrane welding team, we look forward to collaborating with Polypipe and EPG on future contracts.”

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The practice, which opened in March 2018 and can serve 20,000 patients, features consulting rooms, nurse treatment areas, a lift, training rooms and a large car park.

Product News

AICO ALARM INTERFACE USED IN HIGH RISK FIRE SAFETY SYSTEMS Fire safety start-up company Lite4Life has adopted Aico’s unique Ei414 Fire / Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm Interface into its Multiwatch tower block fire safety system and AlightforLife Directional Way Finder Safety Light.

The Ei414 is being used to alert these systems in the event of an activation from Aico Fire and CO Alarms. In the case of AlightforLife it activates LEDS pointing to the nearest exit.

Andy Cunningham, Managing Director of Lite4Life, selected the Ei414 based on its ability and Aico’s reputation in the marketplace:

It is so much more user friendly than anything else on the market.

“We are finding that using the Ei414 to send messages and signals to report on alarm status at the earliest opportunity gives us valuable minutes in the protection of people and property from a potential devastating fire. The recent Hackitt report for High Risk Residential Buildings (HRRB), recommends that high risk buildings are to be managed and our product, using the Ei414, can provide the solution for many of the points identified by Dame Judith Hackitt. We at Lite4life, feel it archaic to rely on a member of the public to notify the fire rescue services, often after the fire has been alight for some time. A fundamental change must be highlighted in the way we can approach fire protection in high rise residential buildings and Aico go a long way in supporting our vision.

“All of our future projects, including those addressing the HRRB standard, will be using Aico products. We are aligning ourselves with tried and tested companies to deliver demonstrable cost saving with innovation. Working with Aico has been fantastic; with our relationship with Andy Speake [National Technical Manager] and the

Regional Specification Managers, why would we use anyone else?”

The Ei414 Fire/CO Alarm Interface from Aico provides a dedicated connection between Aico Smoke and CO Alarms and third party safety systems. It is frequently used to connect alarms to Telecare/Warden Call systems, Sprinkler systems and BS5839 Part 1 panel based Fire Alarm systems. The connection can be made wirelessly with Aico’s award winning RadioLINK Radio Frequency (RF) technology or hard wired directly between the two devices.

The Ei414 can be powered directly from the mains or from a 12-24V DC supply and has built-in tamperproof rechargeable Lithium Cells which will power the device in the event of any mains failure. Reliable, easy to install and use, it features a ‘test’ setting to test the entire system including a signal being transmitted to the third party system.

Aico, an Ei company, is the market leader in residential fire and CO protection in the UK. All alarms are designed and built in Ireland specifically to meet the UK standards and regulations.

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Decorative Concrete Paving for the Public Infrastructure PICS have seen the demand for our quality and high performance paving products grow enormously over recent years, as the demand for new areas of commercial paving and replacement of old paving grows. As a result of greater interest in long term performance, lower maintenance requirements and the environmental impact of new paving, we now provide a larger range of locally produced decorative concrete paving systems to suit many different applications for the developer or refurbishment contractor.

PICS manufacture products designed to aid the client with their refurbishment of a range of different paving and walling options, including decorative rendering effects to match to existing stone or brickwork, plus concrete flooring stains, coatings and sealers to bring old concrete, block paving and tarmac back to life.

The huge range of projects includes the installation of public paving applications to the commercial world of theme parks, zoos, drive thrus, and infrastructure works on roads, bridges and transport schemes.

By the careful addition of colour, texture and pattern to the surface or integral finish, paving, walls, floors and trafficked areas can be designed to incorporate a totally different visual style, both aesthetically and in practical terms.

By a simple addition to the design, we have seen many contemporary, traditional and bespoke transformations, without expensive or technically challenging applications.

Picspave is the PICS range of decorative concrete surface finishes, from slabs of plain structural concrete to an engineer’s design, transformed into any design of colour, texture and combination the client can dream of. Slate, Tile, Cobblestone, Brick, Granite, even a

range of timber and decking effects can be created in the colour mix of your choice to suit any property or commercial scheme.

Decorative concrete can be utilised as a complete refit of existing paving. Large areas of flat, texture only paving, incorporating pattern breaks to provide future access to services, allow designs to be visually dramatic as well as practically simple to maintain into the future.

Full product specification and training details are available to enable the client, designer or contractor to specify or utilise PICS products with confidence.

Many of the PICS range of products are manufactured in-house at our manufacturing facility in Sussex and supplied through our distribution network of stockists and depots around the UK. The cost of the PICS British made products is competitive with imported materials, and used in conjunction with high quality concrete manufactured through the network of leading readymix concrete producers, readily available around the UK.

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Tel: +44 (0) 1635 202224 Email: sales@picsuk.com Web: www.picsuk.com

PICS PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PAVING SOLUTIONS FROM PLANNING TO COMPLETION • Pavements

• Sea Front Promenades

• Roads

• Pedestrian Areas

• Transport Applications

• Car Parks

PICS provide a wide range of decorative concrete paving solutions for applications across the public infrastructure arena. Locally produced and low maintenance products for long term durability and low lifetime costs, PICS provide the client and designer with simple to specify and contractor friendly paving systems, using British manufactured products.

Pattern Imprinted Concrete Supplies Ltd Unit 2, Red Shute Hill Industrial Estate, Hermitage, Berkshire RG18 9QL. Tel: +44 (0) 1635 202224, Email: sales@picsuk.com, Web: www.picsuk.com

Doors & Windows

Kingston Joinery and West Port Windows and Doors join forces to bring ‘exceptional’ new fire door product to market A leading specialist joinery contractor and one of the UK’s premier timber window and door manufacturers have joined forces to introduce a new high-performance fire door-set to the commercial market.

East Yorkshire based Kingston Joinery says it is delighted with a new distribution agreement with longterm supplier West Port Windows and Doors which will see it offer a complete ‘turnkey package’ on the new industry-leading fire door-sets.

Recognised as one of the largest, most advanced timber window and door producers in the UK, Cumbrian specialists West Port is looking for Kingston Joinery to use its established reputation with major developers and contractors to introduce the product to market including local authorities and housing associations.

The door has been third-party accredited and tested in extreme temperatures of fire, reaching nearly 1000 degrees Celsius and passing rigorous testing by containing the blaze for 42 minutes - 12 minutes (40%) over the 30 minutes standard requirement.

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Kingston Joinery are themselves registered with International Fire Consultants (IFC) – allowing their site managers and supervisors to selfcertify fire door installations on site immediately after installation – in turn giving clients an immediate fully certified installation on their projects.

The product is specifically suited for flat or apartment entrance doors and communal doors, as well as any associated stairwell and corridor doors.

Craig O’Leary, managing director of Kingston Joinery, says it makes the product an ideal option for local authorities looking to replace doors in high rise tower blocks as a result of new, increased fire safety regulations in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

He said: “We are thrilled to be further strengthening our long-term relationship with West Port Windows and Doors to offer this exceptional, industry-leading new product and a complete installation and accreditation package. We feel can make a really positive impact in the commercial development and refurbishment sectors and bring peace of mind over fire safety standards to all involved. It is a unique offer in that it is a new product to market, developed by a leading and trusted manufacturer, which has the highest level of performance for withstanding and limiting the spread of fire. It is also being installed by a company qualified to certify it immediately when fitted. It is a fantastic option for any major development or refurbishment scheme as it means crucial safety standards are not only being met, but exceeded by some way, and there is no delay in work as certifications are instant.”

West Port has manufactured the new fire door-sets to be available in a range of styles, finishes and glazing options, making them suitable for any building with the highest standards of security and safety.

They come made to measure and manufactured to meet the Secured

by Design (SBD) standards.

West Port has already secured a major contract in the North East to supply a large quantity of the new door-sets for a major new housing development.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Kingston Joinery,” comments West Port Managing Director Sean Parnaby.

“Grenfell Tower was a long-overdue wake-up call for everyone in construction. Finally, fire safety regulations are being tightened, and now, as an industry, we’re responsible for producing and fitting fire door-sets that perform to the highest standards. Together, that’s what West Port and Kingston can offer.

“Every door we provide has exceeded standard fire resistance times by 40% and comes supplied with relevant markings to verify the door’s fire integrity, as well as lowlevel thresholds for disability access.

“Available with five to seven-week lead times, this is an ideal solution for major UK developers, main contractors, local councils and housing associations.”

Kingston Joinery has worked on large-scale developments for the likes of Bam, Balfour Beatty, Galliard Homes, Galliford Try, Interserve, Kier and Morgan Sindall.

For more information please call West Port on 01900 814225 or visit www.west-port.co.uk

CA Group leads roofing and cladding industry with BIM integration One of the UK’s leading building envelope suppliers, northeast based CA Group Ltd, is transforming its roofing and cladding services with the integration of BIM (Building Information Modelling) across the company to offer technically advanced project management.

Further extending its digital capabilities, the company has become one of the first of its type to adopt the intelligent 3D modelbased process as an internal service

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and is now poised to assist clients with end-to-end development — aiding with planning, design, construction, management of buildings and infrastructure, as well as bespoke BIM training.

Prominently used in public sector construction, driven in part by the government mandate, April 2016, BIM equips professionals with valuable insight and tools, enabling architects, engineers, building contractors and suppliers to work

within a single digital environment and to deliver to a much tighter specification — driving construction efficiencies by improving technical input and increasing cross-team collaboration.

Stuart Brown, Development Director at CA Group, commented, “We commenced our BIM journey several years ago, recognising the benefits BIM brings and the importance of digital transformation in the construction industry. It has taken some time to fully leverage, but the gains are clear for contractors and for us. Working within a shared digital environment allows us to talk the same language with other building disciplines and so communications are improved; there’s less chance of specification substitutes, less re-work

and improved safety; we can more accurately establish the shortest construction process to complete the build and provide an audit trail; it helps to reduce costs and to ensure faster delivery.”

Following significant investment in software, hardware, trials and training, CA Group has advanced its practices, standards and service delivery to facilitate the supply of bespoke, detailed project BIM files, as well as a comprehensive BIM library of details and specifications — all developed in line with BS 85411:2012, -3:2012 & -4:2012.

Extensive training in the use of Autodesk Revit and an expanded in-house design team has enabled the company to work more closely with architects and subcontractors, providing project specific details and families, ongoing project modifications, the provision of

BIM at CA Group • Full suite of BIM systems and families, 2D specification and detail drawings available in Autodesk Revit format • COBie parameters included to help fulfil the requirements set out in BS 1192-4:2014 • Developed to aid with BIM Level 2 compliance • Modelling and detailing can be completed in the same software package enabling collaborative design COBie parameters to aid with BIM Level 2 compliance and complementary training, where required. Maurice Dalton, Head of Project Management for Prologis UK, said: “BIM is an integral part of our project delivery process. As a property company with a longterm interest in the buildings we develop, the implementation of BIM helps us create an informationrich environment, which benefits all our stakeholders and enables

us to collect valuable data about our buildings and deliver a positive customer experience.”

Adam Beadle, Senior Technical Engineer, CA Group, said, “It’s been a steep learning curve as we’ve worked to implement BIM across the Group. However, we are now at a stage whereby we, and our clients, can reap the benefits. We can help build a model that will give a more immersive building illustration with far greater detail than ever before.

Projects are better visualised and managed, the design intent is less likely to change, specifications are established and suitable products identified upfront. It’s a big step forward for us in being able to improve the design-to-development process and a valuable and complementary addition to our in-house services, including thermal, structural and rainwater calculations.”

For further information on CA Group’s BIM offering please email technical@cagroup.co.uk

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GOLD AWARD FOR NOTTINGHAM CITY HOMES’ APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY Nottingham City Homes (NCH) has been accredited as a gold standard provider of sustainable homes, in recognition of its success in reducing its environmental impact across its housing stock and operations.

The accreditation body SHIFT (Sustainable Homes Index For Tomorrow) is run by Sustainable Homes and is the sustainability standard for the housing sector.

Gaining a gold accreditation means that NCH is one of the leading organisations for green homes in the UK. Over the last few years, NCH has rolled out a raft of domestic energy efficiency measures such as new boilers, A-rated windows, solar rooftops and external wall insulation through its Greener HousiNG scheme to tackle the city’s coldest and most energy inefficient homes.

This has all greatly improved their environmental performance.

Sustainable Homes also awarded NCH the Sustainable Retrofit Project of the Year (under 50 properties) award at its prestigious annual awards ceremony, which recognises the very best sustainability projects and achievements in the UK. This award was for their Energiesprong pilot to create ultra-low energy homes.

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NCH, in partnership with Nottingham City Council, is the first housing organisation in the country to adopt the ground-breaking Energiesprong approach to tackle climate change and fuel poverty challenges arising from older housing stock. The project has radically improved the energy efficiency of ten homes in Sneinton.

It upgraded the homes with new outside walls and windows, a solar roof, and a state of the art heating system; making the homes warmer, healthier and much more affordable to heat for residents.

The construction partners for Energiesprong in Sneinton were Melius Homes, and the project has been supported and part financed by the REMOURBAN project that is developing a pioneering model to show how sustainability can be integrated into the regeneration of towns and cities across the UK. Additional funding has also been provided by the E=0 project, part of the European Union’s Interreg NWE programme.

The construction partners for Energiesprong in Sneinton were Melius Homes, and the project has been supported and part financed by the REMOURBAN project that is developing a pioneering model to show how sustainability can be integrated into the regeneration of towns and cities across the UK. Expertise from the Horizon

2020 Transition Zero project also supported this pilot.

Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Homes are currently seeking funding for a rollout of this scheme to 100+ homes in the city.

Councillor Sally Longford, the City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Energy and Environment, said: “It’s a great achievement to have gained both the gold standard and to have won this award. Its testament to the innovation and commitment that Nottingham City Homes has shown to ensure its homes are ready for the zero carbon standards required across the UK by 2050.

Many of our residents live in fuel poverty so creating more energy efficient homes to reduce people’s energy bills is a high priority for us. We’re very excited that Nottingham is leading the way to tackle both fuel poverty and climate change and is pioneering new approaches.

Nick Murphy, Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes, said, “We’re extremely proud to have achieved the gold standard for providing sustainable homes. As a large housing provider, we are very aware of our environmental impact and we have worked hard to minimise it. As well as meeting our environmental responsibilities, sustainability means reduced operational costs for us and cheaper bills and warmer homes for our tenants.

“Our Energisprong pilot in Sneinton has transformed these draughty and inefficient homes into some of the most sustainable homes in the country. We intend to roll Energiesprong out to other homes across the city in the coming months and years to ensure that more of our residents can benefit from warmer homes.”

Latest News

BRAND NEW STRELLEY ROAD FLATS COMPLETE The first residents are in and the brand new independent living flats at Strelley Court are now open.

Nottingham City Homes have officially opened the new site, with 37 one-bedroom flats for people over 55 or who are disabled.

Work started in March 2017 on the site of the old Strelley Road Library, Aspley Housing Office and Stepney Court. This new development not only houses the Independent Living apartments, but residents will have

direct access to the new Strelley Road Library, which has been built as part of the scheme.

The Independent Living Accommodation has: • 37 one-bedroom flats for people over 55 or disabled; six ground floor and 31 on first and second floors • Separate tenant entrance • Lift access • Ground floor tenant communal room • Communal garden and parking for tenants.

Nottingham City Homes and Nottingham City Council worked with Geda Construction to redevelop the site, replacing the old building with a newer and more modern facility.

Councillor Linda Woodings, Portfolio Holder for Planning, Housing and Heritage at the City Council, said: “With an ageing population it’s important that when we’re transforming our neighbourhoods, we ensure we’re creating homes which meet the needs of local

people. Strelley Court has provided us with an opportunity to create a warm, safe and modern living space which will help support some of our older citizens to stay in their communities and be independent for longer, while freeing up much needed family housing for those who need it.

Finishing touches are now being done to the library and this will be open to the public soon. Once complete, the library will have: • Information and library desk • Bookable meeting room • Confidential interview room for Nottingham City Homes • Public disabled toilet and baby change/feeding facility • Free Wi-Fi and access to PCs • Printing/photocopying • Landscaped outdoor area

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Safety, Fire Safety & Security

Intratone access control technology installed at over 900 sites for Hounslow Council Door entry and access control equipment from Intratone, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers, has been installed at over 900 different sites across Hounslow Council’s estate.

The access control systems across the Council’s residential and commercial portfolio had become obsolete with the desire to move from keys to a fob-based system.

Residents had been complaining at the delays in receiving new keys – in some cases taking up to six weeks for them to be delivered. New fobs can now be obtained straight away by residents when visiting their local housing office through the new cloud-based technology. Since late 2016 the Intratone fob readers have been installed at low and high-rise apartment blocks and Council offices, commercial buildings and operational sites, and complaints have dropped significantly.

Ian Williams, Electrical Engineer for Hounslow Council is in no doubt as to the benefits of the new Intratone proximity readers: “We hadn’t heard of Intratone before it was recommended by the installer. So far, we have been very impressed – although it is a sizeable investment for the Council initially, the build and technology of the readers means that they will last for at least ten years.

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“At one point the fob programming was carried out by two full-time members of staff who would visit site daily to program residents’ fobs.

This can all now be programmed remotely by the relevant housing officers at the local housing office which will be a large long-term

saving to the council.”

The cloud-based fob-reader system has significantly enhanced control over who has access, for how long and to which properties. Because it is cloud-based, changes made to key fobs are almost immediate and can be facilitated from anywhere where there is internet access – whether that’s at a PC, laptop or a smartphone on site.

“The simplicity of the database is such that some of our concierge and caretakers are being trained to manage the system themselves which frees up even more of the engineer’s time,” Ian adds. “With the older technology residents were also able to copy fobs in some local shops which did not give the council full control over who could access certain blocks. The new Intratone fobs have similar technology to an

Oyster card – you cannot rewrite or copy them so when someone tries to use a copied fob it sends the system a notification. We can check the system when a certain fob has been used so we can assist Police when they have been trying to track someone’s whereabouts.”

Daniel Bacon, Area Sales Manager at Intratone says its products are flexible enough to suit a wide range of sites and applications: “Our access control and door entry systems are installed across Social Housing, Private Properties and HAs all over the UK and Europe, and prove popular for residents of all ages, but especially the elderly, because they are very easy to use.

Installers and customers also like them because they are very easy to install and competitively priced.” www.intratone.com

Latest News

VELUX ANNOUNCES £7MILLION EXPANSION IN FIFE Roof window manufacturer VELUX® Company Ltd has today announced a £7million expansion to its iconic UK and Ireland head office building at Woodside Way in Glenrothes, Fife.

A new customer service centre, training facilities, office space, meeting suite and a staff restaurant will be housed within a 3,500 metre new build structure, which Glasgowbased main contractor ISG will deliver by autumn 2019.

The building has been designed

by Sinclair Watt Architects to sit alongside the existing head office, which features 200 VELUX roof windows. The new building will showcase the VELUX Modular Skylight System, alongside VELUX flat roof windows and sun tunnels.

Mick Schou Rasmussen, managing director of VELUX UK and Ireland, said: “Once completed, the new building will provide our existing employees with a much improved working environment and accommodate any increase in headcount in the future. The new building has also allowed us to decrease our estate’s footprint by selling off a number of vacant buildings to growing local businesses,

NEWLY APPOINTED HOMES FOR LAMBETH BOARD GET TO WORK A group of directors with decades of experience in housing, local government and industry has been hand-picked to provide independent oversight and strong governance for Lambeth’s new council-owned housing company, Homes for Lambeth.

The new non-executive directors include an ex-managing director of a Barratt Homes Group company and a former head of the development company of another London council. They have begun work on delivering the council’s ambitious house building programme.

Richard Reynolds has been appointed Group Chair of the board for the Homes for Lambeth

development company, HfL Homes and Build. He previously held the post of MD of one the largest companies in the Barratt Homes Group, and has led a number of complex regeneration projects throughout his career. He already has experience of chairing a nonexecutive board in the social housing sector.

The other non-executive directors of HfL Homes and Build are Wendy Stokes and Peter Walters. Ms Stokes has broad experience of similar council-led initiatives, including time as MD of Broadway Living, Ealing Council’s development company.

Mr Walters has a housing association background and currently chairs the board of the Sutton Housing Partnership.

in turn boosting the local economy.

VELUX is committed to having a strong presence in Glenrothes, Fife, so it is great to see work start on the new building at a time when the company is going from strength to strength.”

Councillor Altany Craik, Convener of the Economy, Tourism and Strategic Planning Committee at Fife Council said: “It is fantastic to see a local business expanding and growing like this. This new building looks very impressive and showcases many of the company’s products. There is no doubt this will help VELUX continue to be a leading roof window business in the UK and it clearly shows their commitment to developing their operation in Fife.”

Mike O’Donnell has been appointed as chair of the HfL management company, HfL Homes, bringing with him a breadth of experience in similar public-sector roles, such as Executive Director at the London Borough of Camden. He will be joined by Gerri Scott, who previously led the housing team at the London Borough of Southwark.

The role of the non-executive directors will be to deliver the business and operational plans agreed on an annual basis by the council’s elected cabinet. This will ensure that their performance is in line with expectations, and that risks are effectively managed. They will also oversee budgets, funding and the company’s compliance with government regulations.

All members bring impartiality, wide experience and specialist knowledge with them to Homes for Lambeth.

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Insulation & Acoustics

Hospitals choose spray foam for temperature control to aid patient recovery Spray foam insulation can be used in the healthcare sector to help regulate the internal temperature.

It is one of the highest performing insulation materials in terms of preventing heat loss when closed cell materials are chosen.

A superior insulant retains the heat for longer or prevents warmth from the sun entering the building during spells of hot weather. By controlling the internal temperature at an optimum level this is a key factor in a patient’s recovery.

In the healthcare sector, King’s College Hospital’s Critical Care Centre has utilised spray foam insulation. The hospital is radically changing the way they care for the most seriously ill and injured patients by creating a new world class Critical Care Centre. Each year the dedicated team of nurses and doctors provide critical care for over 3,600 people who urgently require lifesaving medical treatment.

The new £68M Critical Care Unit will provide natural light, uplifting artwork and home comforts to create a more healing experience.

Construction of the new Unit is above an existing theatre block in a busy working hospital. Insulating the steel ceiling above the operating theatre would prove challenging due to the heavy load of plant resting on the floor above. The plant room is unheated and could only be insulated from below with a material that was compact and versatile.

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Walltite spray foam was chosen to provide 1700m2 of versatile insulation to a depth of 155mm which could be sprayed from below onto the underside of the irregular shaped corrugated sheeting,

providing the required U-value and Class 0 fire rating.

The spray foam installer was Spray Foam Solutions, of Rugby, and BASF was the material supplier. Both companies are members of the British Urethane Foam Contractors Association, the national trade association for the spray foam industry.

The sprayed polyurethane foam insulant is a two-component liquid system which produces a highlyefficient blanket of insulation with an exceptional thermal conductivity figure. Systems can be applied to various depths and have K-values in the range of 0.025 to 0.028W/mK. This form of insulation can be

used for air tightness and to help meet Building Regulations as wall, roof, or floor insulation - or to fill voids and other areas providing a seamless, thermal insulation barrier.

Other jointed systems give rise to a potentially weak point, leading to a significant loss of insulation value.

Architects and specifiers working in the healthcare and other sectors should ensure that professional installers who operate to high standards are chosen.

The British Urethane Foam Contractors Association has a list of competent registered installers for sprayed and injected polyurethane foam installations at www.bufca.co.uk.

People on the move

NEWLY APPOINTED HOMES FOR LAMBETH BOARD GET TO WORK A group of directors with decades of experience in housing, local government and industry has been hand-picked to provide independent oversight and strong governance for Lambeth’s new council-owned housing company, Homes for Lambeth.

Group, and has led a number of complex regeneration projects throughout his career. He already has experience of chairing a nonexecutive board in the social housing sector.

The new non-executive directors include an ex-managing director of a Barratt Homes Group company and a former head of the development company of another London council. They have begun work on delivering the council’s ambitious house building programme.

The other non-executive directors of HfL Homes and Build are Wendy Stokes and Peter Walters. Ms Stokes has broad experience of similar council-led initiatives, including time as MD of Broadway Living, Ealing Council’s development company.

Mr Walters has a housing association background and currently chairs the board of the Sutton Housing Partnership.

Richard Reynolds has been appointed Group Chair of the board for the Homes for Lambeth development company, HfL Homes and Build. He previously held the post of MD of one the largest companies in the Barratt Homes

Mike O’Donnell has been appointed as chair of the HfL management company, HfL Homes, bringing with him a breadth of experience in similar public-sector roles, such as Executive Director at the London Borough of Camden. He will be

EIGHT ARCHITECTURAL PROMOTIONS AT PICK EVERARD LEADING independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy Pick Everard has promoted a raft of employees across its architecture discipline to support its ambitious expansion plans.

David Shaw has been promoted to director and will be heading up the architecture department. Brian Fisher, Derek Gee, Paul Knifton and Richard Torkington have been promoted to associate directors, while Justin Ashworth, Jade Broadhurst and Devika Parmar will take on the role of associates.

As part of Pick Everard’s strategic expansion aims, the eight promotions – who have more than 170 years of combined experience – will support the firm as it positions itself as the first-choice property, construction and infrastructure consultancy as part of its 2020 vision.

David, who joined Pick Everard as an associate in 2016, said: “I’m really pleased to have had my hard work and dedication recognised and I’m excited to tackle the challenges which lie ahead. My top priorities going forward are to continue to strengthen and develop the architectural discipline for Pick Everard, while maintaining a highquality service to ensure sustained client satisfaction.”

Brian, based in Pick Everard’s Leicester office, has been involved in a number of projects for Warwickshire County Council, completing major extensions to cater for the growing demand for school places in the area.

Derek qualified as an architect in 1987, before joining Pick Everard’s London office in 2013 and has a particular interest in the design of low impact buildings.

Paul, based in Pick Everard’s Derby office, joined the consultancy in 2013 and is currently working on the Les Quennevais School – a revolutionary secondary teaching facility for SEN students.

joined by Gerri Scott, who previously led the housing team at the London Borough of Southwark.

The role of the non-executive directors will be to deliver the business and operational plans agreed on an annual basis by the council’s elected cabinet. This will ensure that their performance is in line with expectations, and that risks are effectively managed. They will also oversee budgets, funding and the company’s compliance with government regulations.

All members bring impartiality, wide experience and specialist knowledge with them to Homes for Lambeth.

Richard Reynolds, HfL Chair said: “I’m delighted to be joining Homes for Lambeth alongside people with such a broad range of experience.

Lambeth has a very ambitious programme to build more and better homes in the face of the housing crisis and we will be doing all we can to deliver the council’s housing agenda”

Richard joined Pick Everard’s Bury St Edmunds office in 2000 and is looking forward to enhancing the firm’s architectural offering in the east.

Justin has been working at Pick Everard’s Bury St Edmunds office since 2012 and is currently working on the £35m Riverside leisure centre redevelopment in Chelmsford.

Jade works from Pick Everard’s Leicester office, which she joined in 2006. Going forward, she is keen to encourage new architectural talent within the business.

Devika joined Pick Everard’s Leicester office in 2015 after qualifying in 2007.

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