The Architectural Technologists Book

atbwww.at-b.co.uk

Spring 2011

T H E A R C H I T E C T U R A L T E C H N O L O G I S T S B O O K

4 - Gallery - the BIG pictures12 - News and announcements

18 - Building product news42 - Opinion - manufacturers points of view

48 - Building product news

Some of the colour photography used in The Architectural Technologists Book is provided and paid for by contributors. Whilst every effort is made by the publishers to ensure that the content of the articles is accurate, the publishers do not accept liability for errors that may appear in the publication. Published quarterly, free of charge to a readership under the publishers control. Copies are otherwise available on request at cost of £5.00 per single issue including postage. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of the publisher. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording in any storage or retrieval system without the consent of the publisher.Published by: Link2Media Architectural Publications Ltd Editorial Office: Barn 3, Dunston Business Village, Stafford Road, Dunston, Stafford ST18 9AB Tel: 01785 711591 Fax: 0845 862 8639e:[email protected] www.link2media.co.uk

contents

Photograph supplied by TRENDwww.trend-vi.com/en

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First Application Of Technal’s Revolutionary New Low Rise Façade System Is Now Under Construction The first application of the latest aluminium glazing system from Technal is now under construction. The revolutionary new MODAL low rise façade system has been specified for the Sirius Academy and Ganton Special School in Hull.

Designed by Aedas and under construction by Balfour Beatty Construction, the Hull National Academies Framework project will replace Pickering High School and provide a new site for Ganton Special School. Scheduled for completion in Summer 2011, construction of this inspirational learning campus is well advanced and the glazing is now being installed. The visionary scheme will provide a new 1,650-place academy, specialist support for 40 pupils with visual and hearing impairments, and Ganton Special School, which will accommodate a further 88 pupils.

The oval-shaped landmark building comprises four storeys of teaching accommodation organised around a full height atrium space with community and enterprise hubs and multi-agency space. Glazing fabricator Hurricane Architectural is installing around 4,000sqm of Technal’s MODAL low rise façade system across the campus building as part of a £1m contract. Finished in grey with grey glass, MODAL is being used on every elevation, both as fixed

lights and with an integral opening vent to minimise sight lines. Vertical aerofoil caps will provide solar shading and the GXi balcony door, which is fully integrated with MODAL, has also been specified.

Commenting on the use of MODAL, Phillip Jackson, Associate Director at Aedas said, “Our specification criteria was for a glazing system that would maximise light, and accommodate large floor-to-ceiling spans of glass without large frames. It also had to co-ordinate with the rainscreen cladding.” “MODAL will give us a good overall appearance and is sufficiently robust for a demanding secondary school environment. It has effective thermal performance to minimise heat loss and gain, and will help us achieve high levels of acoustic protection, which are important as the site is located near a busy road.”

John Cowie, Design Manager at Balfour Beatty Construction, added, “The MODAL system is allowing us to keep the frame weight and size to a minimum for both aesthetics and natural light. It has the benefit of a fully integrated opening vent that reduces the visible aluminium as an effective alternative to inserting a window into curtain walling.”

MODAL is a rapid-build low rise façade system – and the first in the UK to offer

integral opening vents. It has an innovative modular design, which will reduce work on site, installation time, and gives specifiers a wider choice of configuration options.

The new academy will make a lasting impression on the local community, with its creative design for a bright and modern learning environment. Its diverse facilities will include dance studios, a hair and beauty salon, external construction workshop, ICT-rich specialist areas and an eco-dome for environmental science.

It is hoped the scheme will achieve a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating. Features designed to minimise its impact on the environment include biomass boilers, a wind turbine, rainwater harvesting, an air source heat pump, natural ventilation and highly glazed elevations to maximise natural light. www.technal.co.uk/MODAL

Enquiry No. 1www.at-b.co.uk/card

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New Life From Iconic Boathouse

David Wootton Photography

buildings to breathe new life into areas of dereliction. The 20-acre waterside site in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire has been transformed with a mixed-use development designed to exceed modern building standards while creating a perfect location for local, national and international businesses.

The centrepiece of the development is The Boathouse, a complex design on the bank of the river Nene, designed in the shape of a boat. Despite having to withstand severe weather and salt corrosion, the design incorporates wide-bay curtain walling and a faceted configuration.

For the Wisbech project, commissioned by Fenland District Council, Devizes-based Wrightstyle installed glazing systems and fire doors to protect fire escape routes, working closely with their customer to design a solution to meet the architectural requirements of Feilden + Mawson LLP.

The Boathouse, highly commended in the most recent RICS Awards, is an integral part of creating a gateway to the Wash and to the network of inland canals stretching into

Cambridgeshire and the Midlands – an asset that had been in decline. The site, derelict for 20 years, is now a tourist attraction for the town and a major catalyst for further development.

“The Boathouse involved some real design challenges, to develop and fabricate a fire safety solution for a completely unique building design,” said Lee Coates, Wrightstyle’s technical director. “However, we have the capability to meet the most exacting of designs – a reputation that is winning us business around the world.”

Wrightstyle has been closely involved in a number of regeneration projects, in the UK and internationally, most notably for a recent scheme in Hong Kong, now recognised as a milestone in urban renewal, and which includes a 53-storey office tower, a 5-star hotel with 665 bedrooms, rooftop swimming pool and a 600,000 sq ft shopping mall – and which now attracts over 100,000 visitors every day.

On a smaller scale, but of regional importance, The Boathouse is the focal point of a wider regeneration project that also has a new business centre, yacht club,

and leisure facilities. The strategic vision for the site, its ergonomic design and environmentally-friendly design features will make it an example of excellence for other regeneration projects across the country.

“Good design is at the heart of all successful regeneration projects, helping to transform and enhance the built environment while offering leisure and working facilities that meet changing expectations.

When it comes to regenerative projects, we are now recognised as a supplier able to design and fabricate complex or large spans of glazing with optically-brilliant glass, and giving comprehensive protection against all natural and man-made threats,” said Lee Coates.


world-class architecture and glazing systems from Wrightstyle can createAn iconic new building in Cambridgeshire is underlining how

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Photo Supplied by Craig Holmes

The Cube Is Unveiled – The Largest UK Application Of Wicona Unitised Curtain Walling

Photo Supplied by Craig Holmes

unitised panels that form a dramatic, glistening façade, the project is the UK’s largest application of Wicona’s façade system.

Designed by Make, this exceptional £100m 23-storey mixed-use scheme has pushed the boundaries of design and construction. The 42,000m2 development was inspired by Birmingham’s jewellery and engineering heritage, and is based on the concept of a jewellery box. The bespoke façade was constructed and installed by HAGA using Wicona unitised curtain walling to provide a geometric blend of projecting gold, silver and bronze anodised aluminium panels and glass. This intricate design is complemented by a decorative metallic fretwork screen.

The 20,000 panels have three different depths, casting a variety of shadows to add texture to the external façade. The internal elevations are different but no less dramatic, designed to emphasise ‘the jewels within the box’. Here, glazed unitised panels twist up through a central courtyard and ‘explode’ at the top to crown the building with the city’s first rooftop restaurant.

The Wicona unitised façade was engineered to allow a higher degree of movement, and removed the need for scaffolding and material storage on this constrained city centre site. Its off-site fabrication also allowed each floor to be clad ready for earlier fitting out as the building rose upwards.

Commenting on the building’s design and specification, Frances Gannon, Partner at Make, said, “The building acts as a protective metal box, pure in form, assembled from a multitude of glistening components, which give way to a glassy, crystalline interior of light and colour. The specially-designed unitised cladding solution has been an important part of the building’s identity and successfully echoes the city’s heavy engineering heritage. We are delighted with the end result, which is very beautiful, providing a strong contrast between the external façade and the crisp appearance of the courtyard elevations.”

Paul Ruddick, Specification Manager at Wicona in the UK, said, “This is Wicona’s largest project in the UK to date and demonstrates how unitised façades can deliver an architect’s ambitious vision for a project, different aesthetic requirements for a single scheme and a demanding specification, as well as site-related

advantages, such as minimising work on site, and removing the need for material storage space and scaffolding. The Cube is very different to any other Wicona application – both in the UK and internationally – and its striking, elegant and intricate appearance is testament to the creativity of the design and development team.”

The Cube is a high profile mixed-use project, which has a low energy design. The modular cladding gave the architects the flexibility to tailor the glazing on the external and internal elevations in response to potential solar gain, and provide a high degree of insulation and air tightness, as well as a low U value façade.

The project has created a spectacular new ‘entrance’ to the canal network and city centre, accommodating a 44-bedroom boutique hotel, four floors of waterside retail and restaurants, 244 apartments, Grade A offices for a regional department of the Highways Agency, a rooftop restaurant, and sky bar. www.wiconaprojects.co.uk


The Cube in Birmingham has been unveiled. Featuring 20,000 Wicona

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Rejuvenating The Prince Regent’s Masterpiece In LondonGeorgian London’s Cornwall Terrace overlooking Regent’s Park has undergone a thorough refurbishment and conversion with the help of the Dartford branch of Stannah Lift Services.

A bespoke Stannah 8-person passenger lift has been installed into each of the eight five-storey, double-fronted ambassadorial residences that comprise the development. A Stannah 50B Microlift, or ‘dumbwaiter’, has also been installed in the largest property to provide movement of food and diningware between the kitchen and dining areas ranged over the lower floors.

Designed by the architect, John Nash, in 1820, in response to the Prince Regent’s vision for a regal capital city, Cornwall Terrace was also the former headquarters of UK property investors, British Land. The project spanned eighteen months and completely retro-transformed the development from office accommodation to historically accurate residential use, with the residences marketing at prices up to and well over £60 million.

Cornwall Terrace was fully restored by Falmouth Developments, part of the Oakmayne Group, with the support of main contractors, Laing O’Rourke, and architects Paul Davis & Partners, Tate & Hindle, and Darling Associates. Leading London estate management services company, South Central Management, was

responsible for construction operations. Director, Jeremy Sutton, specified Stannah bespoke passenger lifts for their “hydraulic drive, quiet, reliable performance, and customisable capability. Following a trouble-free installation, the lifts are performing well and very much looking the part – the perfect people-moving solution for this upmarket development”.

The lifts were installed early on in the development to assist the builders in the safe movement of equipment and materials between all floors. Thereafter, the main people-moving criterion was smoothness of ride and operation. This was fulfilled by the ‘hydroelite’ integrated control and drive system, a unique, eco-friendly modernisation package which ensures that every ride is even and accurate. With the drive mechanisms housed remotely in the garages, all the passenger lifts save on space. From marble floors to half-height, dark wood panelling, antique-finish mirrors and suspended white ceilings with discreet lighting, the finish reflects the immaculate neo-classical décor.

The Microlift 50B features stone-enamel primed architraves and satin stainless steel car and doors. Ideal for the discreet ferrying of smaller items such as crockery, glassware, documents and medical equipment, Stannah Microlifts are in use in private and public premises throughout the UK and Europe within a multitude of environments from industrial to hospitality,

leisure and medical – wherever efficient, behind-the-scenes movement of smaller goods is required.

All the lifts conform to the architectural constraints of Grade I listing, an identification stage applied by English Heritage to protect the top 2.5% of historic buildings in the UK.

Dartford is just one of eleven branches that comprise Stannah Lift Services nationwide network for the repair, modernisation and refurbishment and maintenance of all types of lifts, stairlifts, escalators and moving walkways from the Stannah product range, and also other lift manufacturers’ equipment.

Drawing on over 140 years of lift industry experience, Stannah Lift Services was able to fulfil Oakmayne’s demanding specification and contribute significantly to the comfort and convenience of the ultra-affluent residents of this premier London address. www.stannahlifts.co.uk


Costing a king’s ransom of circa £350 million, a Grade I stretch of

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Kaba Door Systems Will Exhibit At easyFairs MAINTEC 2011

Kaba Door Systems will be exhibiting at MAINTEC 2011, to be held at NEC Birmingham on 29th- 31st March and will be showcasing expertise in maintenance and repair

of industrial and commercial door systems. Visitors will be able to visit Kaba on stand D8 in Hall 11 where staff will be on hand to offer advice

on repair and maintenance issues and information on the full Kaba product portfolio of technologically advanced automatic sliding, folding and swing doors, rollershutter, sectional overhead and high speed doors, fire shutters, fire curtains and grilles.


Charter Launch New Website – Inspired Security Shutter Solutions

Charter Specialist Security are launching an updated website. The site showcases the Charter-Integr8 security shutter range, including the 180BS Brise Soleil system for light and climate control as well as an innovative ‘vertical rise’ shutter, which closes by rising from the ground. Charter pride themselves on offering intelligent design solutions ensuring the highest degrees of security and enhanced aesthetics. The shutters form an integral part of the build make up and are finished in any RAL/BS colour. www.chartergroupuk.com


Howe Green Is Pleased To Announce The Appointment Of FF Systembau s.r.o As Its New Partner In Eastern Europe

FF Systembau s.r.o manufactures quality access solutions for floor, wall and ceilings at their sophisticated and highly equipped production facility in Slovakia from which the business also supplies its sister companies in Germany, Italy and Poland for efficient distribution across all central and eastern European areas. Howe Green plan is to take ranges from the Systembau portfolio to complement their own. A good example of this is FF Systembau’s F4 range of plasterboard faced wall panels, which unlike many competing products, are fire rated and fully compliant in the UK and in Europe. Once installed, they can simply be skimmed and finished to match the surrounding wall with a perfectly flush and virtually seamless end result.


Logwise Homes Feature On “How To Be Green TV”

Logwise, the official agents for Honka log homes from Finland will be appearing on “HOW TO...Reduce Energy Consumption and Save Money” a television documentary. Part of the massive “HOW TO ...Go Green” series.Logwise, who also design their own range of bespoke timber buildings, took part in the TV series which will be broadcast across Sky TV, BBC and ITV Freesat networks on Tuesday 15th of March at 7:30pm and Sunday 20th March at 6:00pm. The programme is centred around the work of The Energy Saving Trust,. Logwise and Honka buildings use wood as a primary construction material - offering invaluable sustainable qualities. The timber absorbs and releases moisture within a building, naturally controlling humidity. Its structure acts on thermal changes by restoring heat or coolness to control the inside temperature as well as possessing anti-static qualities. Honka log homes are proven to be 50% more airtight than the average log home and this equates to an annual saving of around 20% on heating bills.


Hunter Douglas Sun Control Selected For Lidl Stores

Supermarket chain Lidl has selected Hunter Douglas as its preferred supplier for the provision of sun control as part of its store refurbishment and expansion programme. The UK & Ireland division of Hunter Douglas Sun Control and Façades has to date been asked to supply materials to six of Lidl’s expanding store network in the UK and Ireland, with more expected as the programme rolls out. Hunter Douglas has been specified as preferred sun control supplier for all new stores as well as those being upgraded. Hunter Douglas is supplying its 132S Sun Louvre panel systems, consisting of 132mm Z-shaped roll formed aluminium panels within an elegant support structure. This panel type is typically used to achieve a crisp and clean architectural result. Hunter Douglas has recently received RIBA accreditation for a new CPD presentation entitles Intelligent Sun Control. Interested parties should contact Maureen Atherton on 01543 272655 or email [email protected]


Brick Is Best – Naturally!

This year the Brick Development Association (BDA) will further promote the merits and benefits of brick with the launch of yet another exciting and comprehensive marketing campaign, as it continues to increase the awareness and recognition of brick as the material of choice for the UK construction industry.Continuing with the ‘Think Brick’ brand supporting one of the construction industries’ most highly respected trade associations, the main purpose of this campaign is to focus on the natural virtues of brick and with the aim to dispel common misconceptions. The messages are clear and concentrate on three key areas: Brick is better for the environment: Brick is built to last and Brick is low cost.www.brick.org.uk

Enquiry No. 14www.at-b.co.uk/cardFOR FURTHER INFORMATION GO TO WWW.BRICK.ORG.UK/BUILTTOLAST

Yorkon Publishes New Technical Paper For The Design Of Flexible And Adaptable Healthcare Facilities

Healthcare construction specialist, Yorkon, has published a new technical paper for architects, contractors, healthcare and estates professionals – ‘A Guide to Health Building Note 11-01 – How to Plan and Design Flexible and Adaptable Facilities for Primary and Community Care’. The Department of Health’s Health Building Notes (HBNs) provide best practice guidance for the planning and design of healthcare buildings and the adaptation or expansion of existing facilities. HBN 11-01 sets out a less prescriptive approach to the design of facilities for primary and community care services. Buildings now have to be more adaptable for a variety of uses – and potentially on a daily, weekly or longer-term basis. Designers are encouraged to consider wider uses for a building than ‘9 to 5’, and the impact of key service issues on space planning, such as service timetabling. www.yorkon.info/industryreports


Remmers Wood Coatings – Now In The UK

Remmers, Europe’s leading manufacturer of specialised building, repair and protection products for the construction industry have launched their top quality exterior joinery coatings in the UK. Remmers’ Induline range of Opaque and Translucent Exterior Coatings offers excellent durability, elasticity and blocking resistance giving a 10 Year maintenance free guarantee. Opaque coatings are of high opacity and build and are available in RAL, NCS, BS4800 and many more, while the Translucent coatings offer excellent clarity and feel and are presented in more traditional ‘timber’ finishes such as pine, mahogany etc.


Balcony Systems Offers Glass Juliette Balconies For Under £200

Balcony Systems is aiming to conquer the glass Juliette balcony market with its affordable, stylish and popular product costing from under £200. At £199, the BAL 128 version measuring 1,280mm with white handrail is available in various quantities – from just a single unit to bulk delivery for larger housing schemes. Low-maintenance glass Juliette balconies are not only a great deal on initial purchase, but also prove to be a long-term cost-effective choice when compared to conventional balustrading materials as they don’t require painting or repairs. Clear glass retains views and maximises light to the interior.www.balconette.co.uk


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Alfa Laval Produces A Simple Guide To Heat Transfer

Alfa Laval has produced an updated version of its pamphlet “The theory behind Heat Transfer” which provides a simple yet detailed explanation of how and why heat is transferred from one medium to another. Within its 12 pages the pamphlet explains the natural laws of physics which dictate that the driving energy in a system must flow until equilibrium is reached. Therefore, heat, as long as there is a temperature difference, heat leaves the warmer body or the hotter fluid and transfers to the colder medium. It then goes on to discuss direct and indirect heat exchangers before concentrating on the indirect variety, starting with how different physical characteristics dictate thermal performance and demonstrating how to calculate heat load and heat transfer coefficient. Copies in hard back or pdf form of “The theory behind Heat Transfer” are available on request from [email protected]


The theory behind heat transfer

Plate heat exchangers

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Forbo CPD For Entrance Flooring That Maximises Performance And Minimises Risk

The inadequacy and sheer ineffectiveness of many entrance flooring systems installed around the UK has been clearly exposed by the extreme weather conditions experienced this winter. Forbo’s RIBA certified CPD seminar “Entrance Matting Systems: Complete Solutions to Maximise Performance and Minimise Risk” is designed to help specifiers to deliver well designed, fully integrated entrance flooring that will keep interiors clean, dry and safe in all weather conditions, thereby prolonging the life of floor coverings and finishes, reducing maintenance and cleaning costs and contributing to pedestrian safety. Forbo is the UK market leader in this sector, offering attractive, longlasting and highly effective

primary and secondary entrance flooring solutions for every conceivable type

of commercial and public building, including airports, shopping centres and underground railway stations. The company’s made-to-order Nuway Tuftiguard rigid engineered barrier matting and Coral textile ‘wipe off’ ranges can be installed solus or in combination as integrated colour co-ordinated systems.Forbo’s CPD seminar covers applicable Building Standards, guidelines for product selection, environmental and safety matters and inspirational case studies. It also includes sustainability issues as Nuway and Coral are the only entrance flooring systems to have BRE certification after undergoing stringent assessment to measure their environmental impact at every stage in their life cycles.This is one of seven RIBA certified CPD seminars offered by Forbo Flooring Systems. For further information please telephone 01592 647283, email [email protected] or go to www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/CPD


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Foremans Publishes New Literature For Recycled Modular BuildingsForemans Relocatable Building Systems has published a new brochure outlining the design options and technical advancements now available for its highly sustainable, fast and cost-effective accommodation solutions. The new literature is an informative guide to procuring recycled modular buildings for offices, schools and colleges, utilities, hospital, transport and project accommodation. The literature is illustrated with completed projects from a diverse range of sectors and features comments from architects, contractors and building occupiers. All recycled and refurbished modular buildings supplied by Foremans meet the requirements of the revised Building Regulations Part L2A 2010 (England and Wales) and Section 6 2010 (Scotland).


Alfa Laval’s Virtual Showroom

Customers Of Alfa Laval Can Now Obtain 3D Interactive Previews Of Important New Products On A Re-launched Version Of The Company’s Virtual Showroom At www.alfalaval.com/showroom. Currently on display are seven of the company’s latest products for important sectors such as energy, the environment and food. Using 3D imagery, the Showroom provides visitors with the opportunity for a 360 degree overview of each product accompanied by concise details of each product’s key features and benefits. Since the launch in 2003, five versions have been introduced, each available in more than 30 languages. The most recent edition is available in 50 unique country / language versions and includes new features such as films, customer testimonials and downloads for, seven of the company’s most groundbreaking new products. www.alfalaval.com/showroom


COMAR 9P.i High Performance Framing, Windows & Door System

Comar Architectural Aluminium Systems unveil the new Comar 9P.i High Performance Framing, Windows and Door System. A recent extensive market research,

indicated that a thermally efficient future-proof facade system was required, with off-site manufacture and value engineering

solutions that actively seek to reduce material content. Comar 9P.i high performance framing offers two options of construction, ladder frame or mitre frame. 9P.i windows and 9P.i doors hang directly from the frame, reducing the need for additional outer frames, creating a truly integrated solution.


D&E Architectural Hardware has one of the most comprehensive catalogues available. To assist customers and architectural specifiers alike, we have created the D&E Product Overview. This 32 page brochure provides product information about all items in the D&E portfolio. The brochure allows easy cross-referencing to the full D&E catalogue, as well as the current price list. Download the pdf version from our website www.DandE.co.uk


D & E A r c h i t e c t u r a l H a r d w a r e

L I M I T E D

P R O D U C T O V E R V I E W

D&E Architectural Hardware Catalogue

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Klober Examines Effects Of Air Tightness On SAP Calculation

The 2011 edition of Klober’s ‘Taking control of air leakage’ brochure provides a valuable insight into how to make roofs airtight. An accompanying ‘SAP supplement’ also details the impact of varied levels of airtightness on CO2 Target Emission Rates. It examines the effects of reducing air permeability from the Building Regulations ‘default value’ to that recommended by the Energy Saving Trust and includes variations in elemental U-values, types of heating, ventilation and hot water system and building fabric characteristics such as thermal bridging.


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How can we reduce the risk of flash flooding?

What is SUDS?

What’s my obligation under the new Flood & Water Management Act?

What effect does permeable paving have on water quality?

IN THE DARK ABOUT COMPLEX DRAINAGE ISSUES? THE ANSWERS ARE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.


Doing More With Less - By David Jolliffe, managing director of leading fire safety glass manufacturer, CGI International

Doing more with less is certainly the order of the day – public sector spending cuts are continuing to impact on all corners of UK commerce and the construction supply chain is already feeling the effects.In times of reduced budgets, it’s important to avoid taking a dramatic step backwards in product specification and to continue investing in the best you can. After all the cost of getting it wrong, both to peoples’ lives and buildings, is impossible to put a price on.Fire glass products can be grouped into three main categories. The first is integrity only (E) which prevents flames and hot gasses from spreading for a specified time – typically from 30 to 60 minutes. The second is

integrity and insulating glass (EI) which has the same ability as integrity glass but also restricts the temperature transfer to the unexposed face in the fire. The third option is integrity and radiation control glass (EW) which provides radiant heat control and significantly reduces the amount of heat transmitting through the glass.Most common materials will ignite spontaneously once temperatures reach 500-600ºC, meaning that even if the fire is contained in an adjoining room, catastrophic damage and further spread of fire can take place on the safe side if an Integrity only (E) glass is used.

For those experiencing budgetary pressures, integrity and radiation control glass (EW) can provide a superb mid-way alternative to the integrity and full insulation (EI) fire glasses, offering considerably better performance than integrity only (E), but without the higher cost. For advice and support on the best product for the job and your budget, you should seek advice directly from your glass supplier or contractor.The cost of fire damage has been rising steadily for the last decade and, coupled with figures which show that arson attacks increase in a recession, fire safety protection has never been more critical.www.pyroguard.eu T: +44 1942 710720


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IT’S BETTER THAN A SURFACE WATER SOLUTION,IT’S A TOOL TO REDUCE FLOODING.The ever-increasing risk of flooding throughout our urban environments needs to be dealt with through preventative measures and Marshalls can provide you with all the help you need in order to implement an effective and legislative water management solution. As market-leading experts, we have all the relevant products and industry know-how to ensure sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) are central to your urban planning projects.

Find out everything you need to know about water management atWWW.MARSHALLS.CO.UK/WM OR CALL MARSHALLS ON 0870 241 4725

www.marshalls.co.uk/systems

www.marshalls.co.uk/act

www.marshalls.co.uk/permeable

www.marshalls.co.uk/flash

Pressalit Care Brackets For Height Adjustable Basins

Pressalit Care’s height adjustable basin brackets have been designed to bring flexibility for users with limited mobility, enabling them to carry out everyday washroom tasks with increased independence. For use in installations such as school hygiene rooms and Changing Places facilities, as well as home adaptations, Pressalit Care produces a range of brackets suited to both frequent and periodic use. Pressalit Care’s basin brackets have been designed for functionality and ease of use, allowing standing or seated users to choose the individual height they need to use a washbasin in comfort.Where frequent adjustment is required – such as multi-user bathrooms in schools, hospitals, care homes or public places – gas assisted or electric brackets are recommended. Operated by means of a lever control or remote control, height adjustment of up to 300mm is achieved. Where height adjustment is required only periodically, the more cost effective manual option may be preferred.When planning a height adjustable bathroom, care should be taken to choose an ergonomically designed basin that ensures seated and standing users can reach the running water as well as use the tap. A concave front edge, as incorporated into the design of Pressalit Care’s hand basins, stabilises a standing as well as a seated user, with the rounded shapes providing support. The flat bottom of the basin leaves space for the legs of a seated user. Taps should have long levers and spouts for ease of use.


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Pivette - Helping You Maximise Clear Opening Width

A prerogative at Leaderflush Shapland is not only to help designers and specifiers provide a doorset solution that meets all regulatory and legislative requirements but to provide a doorset solution that is inventive as well as easy to use. Leaderflush Shapland’s uniquely designed two-leaf articulated door, the Pivette, minimises door swing area whilst maximising clear opening widths. Pivette offers cost-effective solutions to a wide range of design problems presented by Part M of the Building regulations, The Discrimination Act and the newly updated BS8300:2009. As stated within the BS8300:2009, reduced swing doorsets reduce the extent to which the door swings into the room and corridor, facilitating movement in and out of rooms such as WCs and bathrooms. The sliding and folding mechanics of the Pivette makes it a versatile solution where functionality, access and space are important considerations, such as lobbies with space required for wheelchair access between doorways or where doors open onto landings, leaving access space to comply with Part K.www.leaderflushshapland.co.uk


Optimum is the latest ultra low profile shower tray from leading shower tray manufacturer MX. It’s the slimmest tray on the market at just 25mm high. It brings an impressive combination of adaptability,

strength and light weight – which makes it suitable for most types of shower enclosure, makes it very easy to carry and transport, and results in it being immensely strong and reliable – borne out by its 25 year guarantee. This patented low profile shower tray has been specially designed to complement all of the latest trends in the modern bathroom, helping designers to create an idyllic minimalistic, wet room type look without the installation costs.


OPTIMUM – The Ultra Low Profile “Wet Room Look” Shower Tray


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Bespoke Garage Doors From Rundum Meir

Rundum Meir has 40 years of experience making bespoke automated side sliding doors, overhead garage doors and front doors to match. Celebrating thier 10th year in the UK, Rundum Meir is pleased to have been specified on award winning projects around the UK. Garage doors often have to meet specific design requirements that come about as a result of the location or period of an existing building. Often conservation areas or listed properties demand particular door designs.

Occasionally doors are designed to remain true to a building such as a coach house or a mews property. Some schemes express the desire to reconcile old with new, such as mews houses that are contemporary in their conception and treatment, while echoing original mews planning where vertical timber sliding doors are preferred. Ventilated garage doors for underground, car lift and multi user garages are frequently specified.

“Project architect and home-owner Helen Seymour-Smith RIBA specified the 7m wide Rundum Original timber automated door for her Cotswold Stealth House – the first accredited passive house in England. Rundum Meir are pleased to have manufactured, supplied and installed our timber garage door system on such an exciting and interesting project.” Image credit: Image courtesy of Dow Building Solutions and Sto LtdPhotographer: Samuel Ashfield

Most garage door manufacturers have a large range of garage door systems, each of which has different structural opening requirements. Often the garage door is overlooked at the early stages of a project, which then can result in design compromises. Considering how large a garage door is in relation to the overall elevation of a building, it pays to consider the design of a garage door from the outset.

The wide ranges of materials Rundum Meir use in the construction of their garage doors include aluminum, insulated steel and a variety of timbers, including oak. All of these materials are ideal for architect led projects, refurbishment and conservation of listed and traditional buildings. Their sliding garage door can be made to follow the curvature of a building or unusual shapes and their custom made garage doors operate very quietly and have many additional advantages and features such as electric remote automation and insulation. Both their bespoke wooden and metal doors have numerous options for personalization and adaption into a wide variety of installations.

Rundum Meir’s comprehensive service includes the ability to offer technical and creative direction within the parameters of their door systems to effect the implementation of many design requirements. www.rundumuk.co.uk


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T: +44 (0)1376 518037 E: [email protected]: www.davidclouting.co.ukDavid Clouting Ltd. Perry Road, Witham, Essex CM8 3UD

Call today for information on our product range

exciting range of high gloss sheet materials for the commercial and domestic sectors

Revolutionsfor Interior Design

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New GV X-Vent Product Launch at GV Head OfficeGlazing Vision (GV), the original frameless glass rooflight manufacturer, are delighted to introduce their extensive rooflight portfolio, the new GV X-Vent safety oriented Rooflight. Launched at their new head office and factory premises in Diss, Norfolk, the GV X-Vent is a vital addition to any commercial building or large residential property. The GV X-Vent prevents a building becoming smoke logged in the event of a fire, allowing occupants more time to evacuate safely. The GV X-Vent complies with BS EN 12101-2:2003 and has been subjected to rigorous external testing.These tests included 10,000 cycles, extreme temperature operation from -15°C to +300°C, operation under snow load and various weather testing requirements. The product will be CE marked as complying with BS EN 12101-2:2003, as well as receiving a certificate issued and audited by International Fire Consultancy (IFC). The GV X-Vent is the first Glass smoke ventilation system designed, manufactured and tested in the UK with the ability to open to 145o and back. It also opens to 45o for regular day to day ventilation so is a dual purpose product with many great features. With all the aesthetic qualities of a regular GV Rooflight, the GV X-Vent has dual colour as standard, concealed fixings, thermally broken base and lid extrusions, Plug and Play design for ease of manufacture and maintenance and a fully concealed mechanism when closed. www.glazing-vision.co.uk


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Insulation That Recycles Lost Heat

The A. Proctor Group are proud to announce the launch of Dynamic Insulation. Jablite Dynamic Frame Insulation is an active insulation product and is used in place of traditional static insulation. By using heat energy that is normally lost through the building fabric to pre-warm incoming ventilation air entering the building and recycling it, Jablite Dynamic Frame helps to reduce space heating requirements and lowers energy consumption. The benefits of this unique form of thermal insulation include, lower u-value per unit thickness of insulation, also the capture and recycle of heat energy which would otherwise be lost. Jablite Dynamic Frame is designed for use within a timber frame construction and is available in two options – Jablite Dynamic Frame (In Stud) and Jablite Dynamic Frame (In Cavity). www.proctorgroup.com


Any size, Any shape, Anywhere

Wake up to Flushglaze® Rooflights

The Flushglaze product is a fixed flat glass skylight. The concept is based

on an innovative design that helps to achieve maximum daylight, longevity

and high performance, in various shapes and sizes to enhance any building.

• Maximise the light

• Uncompromised style

• Enhance your living space

Call for a brochure on: 0333 8000 881

Fax: 0333 8000 882

Triangular Flushglaze

Circular Flushglaze

Rectangular Flushglaze

Modular Flushglaze

www.glazingvision.co.uk

RIBA•CPD

PR

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VIDERSNET

WO

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Hand Built in the UK

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New Vortex Lock For Unrivalled Security

The new Vortex magnetic door lock from Videx Security combines mechanical and magnetic security in a lock that is 75% smaller and has a lower current consumption than a standard magnetic lock. Yet it offers a 400% higher holding force than a standard lock as a result of incorporating not only a magnetic plate but also a conical orifice which retains a very strong alloy pin. This results in a vortex of magnetic and mechanical strength. Vortex features built-in monitoring that not only monitors for a door being forced, but built-in pressure sensors also monitor for attempted door force. www.videx-security.com


Touch Free Urinal Control With Schell Compact II

The latest item to hit the UK market from SCHELL GmbH, is the Compact II concealed, automatic urinal flush. The concealed flush valve is controlled by an infrared sensor wall-mounted above the urinal which automatically releases a 0.3 litres/second flush as soon as anyone walks away from the urinal. The valve unit itself is concealed behind the wall and the only part of the system visible to the user is a neat cover only 124mm x 153.5mm with a small horizontal glazed slit in it for sensor recognition. The Compact II can be operated from mains

electricity using the 230V/50Hz power converter with plug supplied or by use of an easily accessed long-life 9 volt alkaline cell battery.


New Alitherm 300 ‘A’ Rated Window System

Smart Architectural Aluminium’s new Alitherm 300 residential window system is designed to exceed the latest requirements of the Building Regulations Document L 2010. It incorporates an extended Polyamide thermal break which improves the overall U Value of the profile, allowing Alitherm 300 to achieve a Window Energy ‘A’ Rating when used in conjunction with the correct double or triple glazed unit.The system is suitable for all residential and light use applications as internally or externally beaded, side or top hung open out windows. The 53mm Profiles have the option of either ovollo, chamfered or square edges. Profile options are available for both standard and slim-line friction hinges. Alitherm 300 has been successfully weather performance tested to BS 6375 Part 1, and achieved the following classification in Air: Class 4, 600pa, Water: Class E, 1200pa and Wind: Class E, 2400pa.


Control Pro – Launch Of New Generation Of Lighting Sensor Technology From Steinel

Lighting sensor technology specialist Steinel is introducing Control PRO, a system of presence detectors that represents the next generation of technology. Among the many differentiating features of Control PRO, innovative square-shaped detection characteristics better match the traditional layout of rooms such as offices and conference areas compared with the round attributes deployed by conventional presence detectors. The mechanically scalable square-shaped detection characteristics demonstrated by Control PRO’s infrared presence detectors represent the first innovation of this kind anywhere in the world. Zones can be planned perfectly thanks to reliable detection at every point of the room. The design of the Control PRO family is understated. This range is intended for recessed ceiling installation and therefore extremely shallow. www.steinel.co.uk


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High Gloss, Stunning Finish - It Has To Be Zenolite

Zenolite, a high gloss acrylic decorative panel exclusively available in the UK from David Clouting, offers an exciting, eco friendly, colourful, tough and light weight alternative to more traditional interior surface materials such as back painted glass, ceramic, aluminium and wood. Zenolite features a palette of 10 innovative colours including Carbon (shown) to provide the designer with endless possibilities to create inspirational designs for a wide variety of applications. Each panel is highly resistant to UV light, cracking, staining or warping and has 25 times the impact strength of glass. www.davidclouting.co.uk


COMPAC - Influenced By Nature COMPAC’s range of quartz worksurfaces includes a collection of natural colours providing the designer with endless opportunities to create inspirational designs. ‘Kenya’ is the perfect example of how natures colours can blend together to create worksurfaces which will look simply stunning in any kitchen environment. COMPAC quartz worksurfaces not only look good, they provide: superb consistency of colour, practically non-existent porosity, high resistance to impact, heat and abrasion and natural antibacterial protection. Available in standard 3m lengths and a range of thicknesses, The company is so confident about their high quality of manufacture that they now offer consumers a Lifetime Warranty on their complete range of quartz worksurfaces.

‘Kenya’ a quartz worksurface from COMPAC –influenced by nature. www.compac.es



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Meta-Slate Is Tops For Reading Day Centre

A day centre for people with learning disabilities in Reading has replaced its old concrete roof tiles with Meta-Slate®, an innovative slate-effect metal roofing system from building products manufacturer Steadmans. Strathy Close Day Centre’s new roof combines the traditional appearance of natural slate with the advantages of lightweight, pre-engineered roofing materials. Steadmans supplied over 800 sq metres of Meta-Slate® to replace the previous roof tiles. Meta-Slate® provides a robust alternative to the original concrete tiles. Weighing only 6 kg/m2, Meta-Slate® roof panels require less substructure when compared to traditional slates and can be fitted onto both steel and timber roof structures. The Meta-Slate® system can also be fitted directly over Steadmans AS35 insulated panels for warm roof applications.


A-Safe Barriers – Fit To Eat Your Dinner OffSafety barrier specialists A-Safe is working alongside leading international food and drink manufacturing companies to provide first class hygienic safety systems helping to reduce workplace accidents and protect valuable assets in factory environments. Internationally renowned companies such as Cadbury and Fox’s Biscuits operate food manufacturing plants with high-traffic despatch centres and have seen first-hand the benefits of the polymer-based safety barrier systems over and above steel equivalents by providing the strength and durability of steel, with the flexibility and reduced maintenance of plastic. The big plus for the food industry is that A-Safe barriers have passed stringent food hygiene tests; they are inert, resistant to both chemicals and harmful bacteria. Rick Lloyd, Chief Engineer for Fox’s Biscuits, Uttoxeter said: “A-Safe barriers are excellent; they do what it says on the tin. The product is ascetically pleasing in both colour and construction, reasonably priced and more cost effective than metal barriers”.The A-Safe Safe Factory Food Processing Environment encompasses a whole range of products and key safety solutions. Because A-Safe products are polymer based, they are far more flexible and durable than conventional stainless steel barriers. Critical for the food industry, is A-Safe’s Hygiene Package. This is a specially developed system of seals on joints to prevent cross-contamination of dust particles and dirt. Hit them with a vehicle and inherent strength and structural memory allow them to buckle on impact, dissipating impact forces and then springing back to the original.

A-Safe barriers feature a resilient, solid yellow and black colour scheme as standard, which enable both pedestrians and drivers alike to see at a glance where they should or should not be. No painting is required with minimal maintenance costs and with the hygiene package fitted, offer optimum protection within the food industries’ factory environment. A-Safe barriers are a viable alternative to more expensive stainless steel.John Young, Safety Officer for Cadburys, on a follow up to their recently fitted barrier use said: “I’m very pleased with the barriers and know of no issues reported. They [barriers] have been hit by vehicles a couple of times but can report that they have done their job very well. If asked, I would use A-Safe barriers again”.A-Safe provides far more than just a comprehensive range of safety products for installations in food and drink manufacturing environments. They also offer a full consultation service, ensuring that that the right product is assigned to the right application. This is complemented by a full installation and maintenance package as well as a leasing option, if required, to fit your financial solutions. www.a-safe.co.uk, Tel:01422 344 402


Act Now On Hidden Dangers

Landlords and homeowners need to take action now to meet new rules for concealed flues serving gas boilers, including fitting a carbon monoxide alarm if one is not present, as an interim measure. Gas engineers are required to check that there is an appropriate audible CO alarm present or, if not, fit one. Kidde Fyrnetics’ latest range of battery-powered models offers simple, self-installation without the need for a professional electrician. It is essential that CO alarms work effectively throughout their design lives. Manufacturers that produce their own CO cells – the key component – rather than buying them in, can apply tighter quality controls. For example, every Kidde sensor is tested under CO and all products must pass through several key quality testing ‘gates’ before becoming available for sale. For new buildings and refurbishment, the latest Kidde Fyrnetics mains powered CO alarms are ideal, with sealed-in, rechargeable lithium cells for back-up, preventing tenant access. www.smoke-alarms.co.uk



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Marshalls Water Management SolutionsRain never seems too far away in the UK, but as our climate changes we can expect more extreme downpours - especially through warmer and wetter winter months. While annual average rainfall may decrease slightly, the seasonal distribution of precipitation will change significantly, with winters seeing an increase in rainfall of up to 30%. An increase in extreme weather events, where winter storms will become more frequent, has also been forecast. And - as we’ve seen over the last few years - more intense rainfall means a higher risk of flooding.Under natural conditions, most of the water that falls as rain soaks into the ground or gets carried away by rivers. But in urban areas, the built environment alters the natural drainage of water, with hard surfaces increasing both the rate and amount of rainwater that turns into run-off. And it has to go somewhere.

Traditional piped ‘drains’ have a limited capacity to cope with the high levels of surface water generated by extreme rainfall events. And, when the capacity of one or more parts of the drainage system is exceeded, the worst happens. For example, in the floods of June 2007 extreme rainfall in

the Midlands and the north of England led to large-scale urban flooding, with over 55,000 properties affected: two thirds of these from surface water run-off overloading drainage systems.In addition to flood risk, large amounts of surface water run-off can cause water quality problems. As water runs over hard urban surfaces, it picks up pollutants that are washed into water courses. For example, run-off from roads contains heavy metals and hydrocarbons which can seriously impact on water quality. A well planned drainage infrastructure helps to manage water run-off by preventing domestic properties and other spaces such as paved public areas, car-parks, driveways and roads acting as conduits for run-off water. And it is more sustainable to manage storm water in a way that allows it to permeate naturally through the ground where it falls rather than being directed into already overloaded drains and public sewers.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS)Sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) provide an alternative approach to piped systems. Whereas piped systems are characterised by a limited capacity, SUDS solutions such as permeable paving enable water to soak away from the surface where it falls, mimicking natural drainage processes. By reducing run-

off volumes and encouraging recharge of the natural groundwater at source, they mitigate many of the adverse impacts of storm water run-off on the environment in terms of both volume and pollutants.At the heart of the philosophy is the need to address three key concerns: water quantity, water quality and biodiversity. By considering these three factors known as the ‘SUDS Triangle’ when designing developments, it becomes possible to create drainage systems that provide natural water quality treatment, encourage infiltration, reduce the impact of peak flows and minimise impacts on the local habitats of both communities and wildlife.Indeed, as a major legislatory step towards improving both flood risk management and the way we manage our water resources, The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 seeks to define clearer roles, responsibilities and standards for the creation of sustainable drainage systems in line with proposed flood risk management strategies.Whilst the act places responsibility for managing SUDS on Local Authorities’ SUDS Advisory Boards, responsibility for the specification, design, implementation and maintenance of SUDS schemes remains shared between local government, drainage planners and hydraulic engineers, town planners and civil engineers, land-owners, developers and even homeowners. With so many stakeholders involved, decisions about new developments and increasingly essential water management systems can be taken without a complete understanding of surface water risks - or the most effective solutions.Hence, everyone involved in creating our built environment bears some responsibility in implementing water management strategies to meet our changing climatic conditions. As such, each must play their part and work together. Wherever you sit in the water management process, Marshalls has the depth of expertise and wide choice of high performance drainage products to help you create more effective sustainable water management plans to meet your obligations.Marshalls fully supports DEFRA’s vision for water policy and management where, by 2030 at the latest, we can sustainably manage risks from flooding. And if those of us responsible for the development of urban spaces are to maintain our quality of life while protecting the environment, we must take action now. www.marshalls.co.uk/watermanagement


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There has been a reawakening of interest in brickwork as the foremost cladding material. Not only for housing, which has always been a strength for this company, but also for prestige developments in the commercial and educational sectors.This primarily relates to an interest in using bricks which are non-standard and which offer a different scale to the user. In the past, such prominent architects as Frank Lloyd Wright with his landmark Brodie House in South Chicago and much earlier Baroque architects used longer thinner bricks. The Romans, who we should remind ourselves were the creators of the first United Europe, specialised in designs which used a long thin brick.In Europe the Flensburg format is currently enjoying popularity and, here in the UK, a number of different formats that are allowing architects to put their own specific stamp on a given project have come to the fore. The unique flexibility of the production facility which York Handmade has in our factory at Alne enables us to manufacture bricks from 230mm up to 440mm in length and down to 40mm in thickness. Whilst it is early days, it looks as if the popular size will be between 280mm and 350mm in length and between 40mm and 50mm in thickness. The photograph illustrates some of the bricks produced by the company to date.Of equal interest to specifiers will be the fact that York Handmade can not only offer a texture which is rough and full of character made by our traditional methods, but also a much neater tidier brick for those who like sharp arrises and a clear definition round the perimeter of the product. Currently we have projects going in both types and we are very proud to be supplying Chetham Music School in Manchester with a 327mm x 50mm brick

manufactured in our traditional texture. Meanwhile the iconic The Shard development at London Bridge is using 290mm x 47mm bricks, which are made in the neater classic style. For Chethams we have developed a new through coloured grey which is an exciting addition to our range .Despite the fact that these bespoke bricks are more expensive than the traditional, it is important to remind ourselves that the bricks still represent a very small percentage of the total cost of a given project; four per cent being the likely maximum for any project in which brick is used. More than anything else, the choice of an original brick with a personality and character of its own makes a statement which may mean that historians will look back on the early 21st century as a time of exciting brickwork comparable to the classic brickwork used in former years.Brick has always made its mark, but it is the use of a reassuring traditional product - used in an exciting modern way - which heralds the dawn of a new era.Brickwork of this type has already been highlighted in buildings produced by Peter Zumthor in his museum in Cologne and the award winning buildings in mainland Europe.


AutoCAD for MAC

The software you love on the platform you want!

AutoCAD® for Mac® brings robust 3D free-form design tools and powerful drafting capabilities to the platform of choice. It takes full advantage of the Mac OS® X platform, with an intuitive, graphical user interface that makes it easy to bring ideas to life.

YOu can benefIT frOM:

3D tools

4D rendering tools

reseller visit: www.bringingdesignstolife.co.uk

your typical autocaD layout autocaD for Mac is customizable, allowing you to tailor the user experience to meet your own needs.

find out just how AutoCAD for MAC can help you.

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Why Long Bricks Are Back In Fashion


32 33

Toilet Cubicles & Washroom Systems

Manufactured from High Pressure Laminate and anti-vandal fittings, the Grampian Cubicle System (pictured) is a tough washroom system suited for areas of high traffic and reasonably robust conditions.

Cubicle Centre Ltd is a family owned business celebrating over a decade of supplying washroom products manufactured to the highest standards.An extensive range of toilet cubicles and washroom systems are available on a manufacture and supply basis - all designed to allow for simple installation by any competent tradesperson.

This month sees the launch of a new brochure containing the latest technical information and up-to-date product imagery.

To order your free brochure pack contact Cubicle Centre Ltd on 01924 457 600 or visit www.washroomcubicles.co.uk


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rainline sustainable rainwater systems in steel

Rainline – no matterwhat the colour, it willalways be greenIn Sweden they know a thing or two about manufacturing sustainable building products

and their impact on the environment, so it’s not surprising that Lindab’s Rainline carbon

footprint is significantly lower than many of the rainwater systems currently on the market.

This combined with high performance, quality and competitive pricing makes Rainline one of the most effective and ‘green’ solutions for the control of rain drainage on all types of buildings.Manufactured from high quality, zinc coated

part recycled galvanised steel; Rainline offers all the features you would expect from a system manufactured by one of Sweden’s leading companies.Available in a range of attractive high build polyester colours, the finish of which is guaranteed for 15 years, Rainline is also available in natural copper, Aluzinc and plaingalvanised.For an information pack contact us at the address below.

SilverMetallic

Lindab Ltd • Building Products Division • Shenstone Trading Estate • Halesowen • West Midlands • B63 3XB

Telephone: +44 121 585 2780 • Facsimile: +44 121 585 2782 • Email: [email protected] • www.lindab.co.uk

Lindab Rainline Ad ATB.indd 1 18/2/11 17:30:11

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Planet Partitioning

Planet Partitioning, the UK’s largest independent partitioning specialist, has supplied their latest Nova partitioning system to the iconic headquarters of NAPP Pharmaceuticals at the Cambridge Science Park. In the most recent new build extension, Nova from Planet was specified as it provided a high quality solution and an ideal aesthetic match for the open plan interior layout. The frameless glazed design with distinctive metal joint helps to create a light and airy office environment, with flexible enclosed spaces and numerous breakout areas for personal privacy and meetings.



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Sustainable StrengthIs the cornerstone of a Comar Aluminium Façade

British by Design

Comar sustainability comes from longevity and the real end of life use for this material.Longevity is provided with a standard 25 year guarantee for polyester powder coating or 35 years for anodised finishes. Added to this, with minimal maintenance, aluminium has almost an indefinite design life. Aluminium is the best known recyclable material; it can be recycled again and again with no loss to its form or function.

Comar strength comes from our aluminium’s unique properties. Its high-strength-to-weight ratio means that less material can be used to achieve large glazed areas and meet the most demanding design brief.

Comar is British by Design, with aluminium windows, doors, window walling and curtain walling, that continue to provide solutions now and for future generations.

For further information, contact [email protected] simply call on 020 8685 9685 to organise a meeting with your regional Comar Consultant. www.comar-alu.co.uk

Sustainable StrengthIs the cornerstone of a Comar Aluminium Façade

British by Design

Comar sustainability comes from longevity and the real end of life use for this material.Longevity is provided with a standard 25 year guarantee for polyester powder coating or 35 years for anodised finishes. Added to this, with minimal maintenance, aluminium has almost an indefinite design life. Aluminium is the best known recyclable material; it can be recycled again and again with no loss to its form or function.

Comar strength comes from our aluminium’s unique properties. Its high-strength-to-weight ratio means that less material can be used to achieve large glazed areas and meet the most demanding design brief.

Comar is British by Design, with aluminium windows, doors, window walling and curtain walling, that continue to provide solutions now and for future generations.

For further information, contact [email protected] simply call on 020 8685 9685 to organise a meeting with your regional Comar Consultant. www.comar-alu.co.uk

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Steel Glazing Company In UK Installation First

The Elegant Afriston Towel Rail From JIS Europe

JIS EUROPE of Haywards Heath has a new heated towel rail named THE AFRISTON. The towel rail is manufactured in an elegant round section shape with nine horizontal rails giving an appearance of refined luxury, together with a stylish 90 degree angle on the top rail.The AFRISTON is 1260mm high and 520mm wide. It can be used in central heating, electric or dual fuel formats, which will allow the rail to be heated when the central heating is turned off.The AFRISTON towel rail is manufactured in 100% stainless steel pressure tested to 12 Bar and is available in polished finish with brushed satin finish available to order making this radiator durable and hygienic and they come with a 25year guarantee.


Wrightstyle Limited has become the only UK steel glazing system specialist to provide a complete design, fabrication and installation service, offering a turnkey solution and a quality guarantee at each stage of the contract process.The company, which supplies glazing systems, fabricated products and fire resistant glass worldwide, can now offer its UK customers a cost-efficient service that includes a full design and fabrication service at the company’s own specialist facilities – and an installation service using only Wrightstyle accredited personnel.This gives subcontractors, contractors and specifiers the option for single sourcing a steel glazing contract, often for complex design applications, to just one company – negating the need for ordering from multiple supply chains, and then using further sub-contractors to fabricate and install the finished systems. Wrightstyle is undertaking installer training programmes at its UK headquarters to ensure that it has a network of technically-advanced installers, trained by the same personnel that originally designed, tested and developed the systems.



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Exclusive Trend Mosaic Collection Enriched With 10 New ColoursFor 2011, leading Italian mosaic tile maker Trend has enriched its top-line Liberty collection with 10 sumptuous new colours, all handcrafted from stained glass and featuring the signature chromatic and iridescent textures of this exclusive design. Composed of hand-cut tesserae in a variety of compatible shapes, Liberty reinterprets glass mosaic design by presenting a selection of different tile shades and sizes, with both straight and sinuous lines, so that the reflective light of the material is the predominant decorative element. The new Liberty creations extend from the shimmering brilliance of Diamond and Pearl, through the contemporary look of Denim and Dove, to the dramatic, deep tones of Bronzite, Onyx and Tobacco. They join six existing colours that include tonal Black and White statements, as well as luminescent Blue and Red stained glass effects. Ideal for accent mosaic panels or flamboyant showcase walls and ceilings, Liberty is offered in film-faced modules measuring approximately 26cm x 31cm and retails from £275 to £320 per square metre.In line with Trend’s ‘green’ ethos that is focusing on the use of eco-sustainable materials, Liberty mosaics are made from up to 75% post-consumer recycled glass. This allows architects, interior designers and builders to obtain LEED credits for sustainable buildings certification and enables homeowners to select Liberty glass mosaics with a clear environmental conscience. Unique to Trend in concept and execution, the Liberty collection results from a design collaboration with celebrated Italian artist Giulio Candussio, creator of the dramatic ‘Iridescent Lightning’ mosaic mural at New York’s World Trade Centre,

and enables his artistic vision to become part of today’s interior design language. This dynamic creative vision is exemplified in the new Liberty designs, which are coloured en masse, so that each tile is tinted throughout and completely resistant to wear, sunlight and chemical agents. The metallic notes of Amber, Bronzite, Diamond and Topaz are highlighted with occasional mirror-finish tesserae, while opalescent Pearl plays gently and subtly with reflected light. Deceptively simple Denim offers changing textures in faded blue, whereas the gorgeous earthy tones of Dove, Onyx and Tobacco project real depth of colour in contrasting tones. A palette of plums and purples in characteristically different shapes and sizes completes the Liberty collection, in Purple. To enable Candussio’s distinctive mosaic designs to be installed with ease, each irregularly-shaped module is faced with clear film, so that it can be positioned, cut and adjusted without disrupting the essential pattern. A complete range of grout colours is available in complementary and contrasting shades, to enhance the finished decorative effect. Fully frost and water resistant, Liberty tiles are 4mm thick with 1mm joints and are perfect for many interior and exterior settings, including bathrooms, wetrooms and outside living areas, as well as high grade commercial applications like receptions, restaurants, lounge bars and boardrooms. www.trend-vi.com/en


Steadmans is a leading manufacturer of quality cladding products and cold-formed structural sections for industrial and commercial buildings.

• State-of-the-art products and manufacturing.

• We always put the customer first.

• Local service with nationwide coverage.

• Big enough to deliver but small enough to care.

• A reputation for excellence since 1911.

CLADDING PRODUCTS

FLASHINGS

STRUCTURAL PRODUCTS

SERVICE

www.steadmans.co.uk

For a copy of our latest product range literature visit:

email [email protected]

or call 01697 478277

TECHNICAL APPROVALS FOR CONSTRUCTION

CERTIFICATE No. 99/3641


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LOOKING GOOD. FOR LIFE.Imaginative. Impressive. And the smartest of looks. With stunning profiles and outstanding quality, the brilliant new Twyford collections will inspire new ways of thinking about bathroom design.

For more information call 01270 879777 or email [email protected]

BY APPOINTMENT TOHER MAJESTY THE QUEEN

MANUFACTURERS OF BATHROOM& WASHROOM FITTINGSTWYFORD BATHROOMS

STOKE-ON-TRENT

12357_Building Innovations_297x230:Layout 1 24/01/2011 16:04 Page 1

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Galtee Veneer Fire Doors – Safety By DesignFire doors perform many vital functions - creating separation delaying the spread of fire, providing a means of escape, and creating time for property and ultimately people to be made safe. If a fire occurs, fire doors perform a vital and specific task by burning at a certified specific rate and providing a barrier to hold back smoke and fire from other areas, but whilst fire doors are tightly regulated and essential in the specification of public and commercial buildings, their visual design need not be restrictive.Timber fire doors are carefully designed, engineered and tested to appropriate standards to ensure that, when required, it performs as expected. BM TRADA offers comprehensive certification for timber fire doors through its Q-Mark manufacturing and installation schemes, and Galtee Veneer Fire Doors, based in Ireland, is the latest company to achieve its Q-Mark manufacturing certification.Galtee Veneer Fire Doors locally manufacture bespoke veneered timber fire doors to FD30 & FD60 (30 and 60 minutes). Made to order, the size and design of Galtee’s veneered fire doors can be made to match nearly any required specification, including FSC certification. The range of options available mean that most needs can be met, be they driven by budget, design or style.Galtee Veneer has become a high volume veneering plant supplying veneers, veneered MDF and veneered fire doors through its dealer network in the United Kingdom & Ireland. Based in Co Limerick in the south of Ireland, Galtee’s veneered products are used in applications from contract fit-out and shopfitting to interior design, as well as supplying veneered interior wall panelling which match their interior and fire doors.Sean Ryan, managing director of Galtee Veneers said, “Our standard and bespoke doors and fire doors made to high standards with the best materials available, and along with the latest processes we can manufacture all doors in standard or custom sizes. But it is our ability to veneer designs and include machining detail which is really interesting our customers”.Created to meet various specifications and requirements, Galtee can provide quick and easy bespoke solutions, or create fire doors with inlays and grooving detail to a designers precise requirements. Environmental responsibility is a top priority for Galtee, and a large number of measures have been put in place, from sourcing and supplying FSC certified materials to recycling waste and reducing emissions. Mr. Ryan also believes that Galtee’s local manufacture as a source of sustainable supply is increasing demand. www.galteewood.net



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Exclusive Wedge-Lock™Glass Securing System

For more information call FREE on

00 800 0421 6144e: [email protected] f: 00 800 0262 3299

Charles Babbage Avenue, Kingsway Business Park, Rochdale OL16 4NW

Call now for our cut to length door rail quotations

The CRL Door Rail System is one of the most innovative andversatile rail systems on the market today. It features theexclusive Wedge-Lock™ Glass Securing System for rapidinstallation and steadfast holding power.

• Manufactured door rails cut to length from stock in Manchester

• Features the Kwik-Adjust™ vertical Jamb Alignment System for easy installation

• Cut to length - between 750mm and 1250mm, for rails 102 mm (4 ") in height

• Adjust and align doors without removal

• Door assembly can be ready for installation in less than 10 minutes

• Fully adjustable in closed/final positions - no need to remove the door

• Available in six different finishes

• Matching sidelites available

• Available with or without Locks (Eurocylinders Locks)

• Designed to work effectively with full CRL range of products - Patch fittings,Handles, Locks & Floorsprings

• A range of standard length Door Rails available, including Low Profile, Tapered andSquare Rails

DoorRails✔ Cut to Length✔ Adjustable✔ Available From Stock

in Manchester

easyinstallation

Quick &

www.crldoor-rails.co.uk

CRL Door Rails Cut to Length J8409 Architectural Technologists 23/02/2011 11:08 Page 1

Deceuninck Announces The Launch Of Its Zendow Monorail Sliding Patio Door

Deceuninck has just announced the launch of its latest product: the Zendow Monorail Sliding Patio Door. The door is intended to fill a particular market niche. Feedback from the market showed that there was an opportunity for a luxury PVC sliding door system designed for use on both domestic and commercial contracts where aluminium has usually been the specified material. The Monorail Sliding Patio Door has been designed to target this sector.The Monorail has been designed to be as versatile as possible. The 133mm front to back profile system is available in 2, 3 and 4 pane options. As part of the Deceuninck 70mm Zendow system it is compatible with all Deceuninck 70mm product platforms, meaning there is a comprehensive range of accessory profiles and glazing options from 6-42 mm. It is available in a wide range of colours both in the unique Decoroc colour process or laminated foil options. As Deceuninck customers have come to expect, the Zendow Monorail Sliding Door system is a technically advanced, high end product. It has achieved the standards for wind load, air permeability and water tightness in accordance with the requirements of BS 6375-1:2009. It can also have Notified Body Status should it need to be CE marked. A 6 point high security locking system and bespoke keep specifically developed for the UK market is available from Group Homesafe, giving end users peace of mind. Finally, it meets the requirements of the recently amended Part L of the Building Regulations along with Section 6 of the amended Scottish Building Regulations. www.deceuninck.co.uk


Sesi - A Water Conditioner That Really Delivers

If you’re looking to fit a water conditioner, you need to fit one that is proven and which has the science to back it up so an electrolytic physical water conditioner is the ideal choice. The SESI from Salamander Engineering uses a zinc electrode and a natural electrolytic process to flush hard salts through the system rather than allowing them to settle and build up as limescale. Its environmentally friendly and cost-effective operation has been proven in tests over the last 20 years, as has its efficiency at controlling limescale. The SESI from Salamander has the advantage of being able to protect an entire household pipe system from the formation of limescale encrustation and, in the case of steel pipes, rust deposits, without the use of chemicals or salt and without the need for any electrical power supply, helping specifiers and installers to meet the requirements of Building Regulations Part L cost effectively. www.salamander-engineering.co.uk


Balcony Systems Adds Double-Sided Self-Cleaning Coating To Glass Balconies

Balcony Systems is the first to add a low-cost, self-cleaning glass coating option to its external and Juliette balconies in response to increasing demand for the ultimate reduced-maintenance solution. Applied using a special ‘vapour chamber’ process, this unique patented double-sided coating creates a smooth surface that quickly repels water, dirt and grime. Protected from the elements on both sides, glass stays looking clean for longer; requiring just the occasional wipe down with a wet cloth. Available now across Balcony Systems’ entire product range.www.balconette.co.uk



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A recent report from Glenigan has shown a considerable decrease in construction activity during 2010, December in particular was badly hit due to exceptional bad weather during the month. Despite the poor weather conditions towards the end of 2010, the recently released Glenigan Index1 indicates a positive start for 2011, with private non-residential construction on the rise due to improved business confidence and lending conditions.Despite the positive outlook for building construction, keeping costs as low as possible is crucial to gaining new business in a tight market. The UK currently has some of the highest construction costs in Europe. Recent research undertaken by HM Treasury2 suggests that much of the increased costs of construction in the UK are instigated in the early design stages and could be drastically reduced.In a typical building specification, the facade specialist will be asked to provide actuators fitted to opening vents to a given specification which will determine the stroke (opening distance) and possibly the number to be used per vent, complete with a wiring route to the location of the buildings BMS or similar. The specification will be loosely based on a specification for an electrical contractor to provide power for operation and possibly some form of integration with the BMS.This approach usually resorts to the facade contractor selecting the most competitively priced actuator which meets their quality standards, but with little reference to the power that the device consumes. A single device taking 18 Watts power may seem a small amount of power to run a single actuator, multiply this by 100 actuators and the consumption runs to 1.8 Kilowatts. Compared to a 12 Watt device the saving in power alone is 33%, but more importantly the switching equipment will need to handle more power as a result and increase installation costs as a result.The most cost efficient way of specifying and installing natural adaptive ventilation systems and smoke control systems is to approach a specialist who can offer a complete design package, from design through

to installation and maintenance. Not only can this approach offer a balanced approach as far as the system is concerned, but by offering specialist ventilation design advice at architectural concept stage can reduce building costs and as importantly future running costs which effects the buildings long term sustainability. So often initial budgets omit significant packages necessary to implement adaptive natural ventilation successfully, later making causing poor compromise and ill feeling toward the technology.With clients now very much aware of BREEAM ‘excellent’ buildings being completed and promoted heavily in the construction press, contractors are keen to differentiate their services to attract clients. Reduced construction costs can be achieved by smarter design practices across the

whole of the supply chain, often leading to more sustainable buildings. As our buildings become more ‘intelligent’ specialists should be on board at the very early design stages to take responsibility for discussing options to use the very best latest technologies.BMS systems are now available at reasonable prices, so these systems are finding their way into ever more buildings, not just in new build but refurbished construction projects as well. By bringing specialists

together to cover automated ventilation provision and renewable technologies, with heating and lighting requirements, complete joined up cost effective solutions can be found. Simply put, an early design meeting with these specialists will often offer the contractor the correct way to get the best results for less.Greater involvement from one specialist will also offer more robust warranties on the final system installed. We have seen this in the external envelope provision over the last 20 years; more contractors approaching one specialist for a complete envelope provision. As a result, there are fewer interface problems giving a more reliable and weather tight envelope covered by a single installer’s warranty. As M&E systems continue to become more complex, and increasingly involve renewable

Window Automation - Balancing the Budget

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technologies, builders are beginning to see value engineering at its best when they involve specialists at an early stage, rather than try to cut corners by pushing others to try and reinvent the wheel.Commissioning a system provided by several contractors can be challenging at best. The system may not provide the complete solution envisaged at the outset, and may need further modifications; but at who’s cost? Specialist commissioning for smoke ventilation is crucial. These

specialists can computer model designs to ensure smoke evacuation takes place quickly and effectively - potentially saving lives in the process.A single provider of natural adaptive ventilation and smoke control will also be best placed to provide a routine and preventative maintenance service for their installations, vital in smoke ventilation installations to meet the latest legal requirements for landlords and giving proven cost savings on any system over the alternative strategy of ‘fix and forget’.SE Controls are a UK company that offers specifiers and building owners a one stop solution for smoke control and adaptive natural ventilation solutions. Any building can benefit from these modern low energy and low maintenance automation systems, whether they be new build or existing property.

Through experience gained in almost 30 years in the industry, SE Controls offers complete “turnkey” solutions from design and manufacture to installation commissioning and on-going service throughout the lifetime of the building. SE Controls have 8 “Core Competencies” that enables them to offer a totally professional solution to clients from system design, manufacture, distribution, project management, installation, commissioning and on-going training, service and maintenance.

The result is a well-designed system which saves energy and improves comfort and safety for building occupiers. Building owners can be assured that UK legislative requirements are met, and that the systems installed are regularly maintained to ensure safe operation.

Author: Will Perkins - Managing Director - SE Controls

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With its cost and time saving attributes, off-site modular construction has seen tremendous growth in the last few years. Andrew Dickinson of Hochiki Europe examines how the fire detection industry is reacting to this development and the benefits it offers.Touted by some as the future of building, modular construction has seen a rapid growth in interest and popularity in recent times. Between 2003-2006 the off-site market grew from £2bn to £6bn and it’s not hard to see why – a shorter timeframe for construction, a more consistent level of quality, versatility of use, sustainability, and financial cost savings are just some of reasons why it has become better accepted and more readily available.

InnovationAccording to research carried out by the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) on behalf of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), only 63 per cent of site-based construction projects are delivered on time and only 49 per cent are delivered to budget. In light of these statistics it is no surprise that some industry experts are claiming that traditional methods are failing to meet the major challenges facing construction. While it is especially popular in the higher education, retail, hotel and defence sectors, modular buildings have a wide variety of uses, including camps, civilian and military housing, and industrial facilities. Modular buildings are also a perfect solution in remote and rural areas where conventional construction may not be reasonable, or even possible.

ConceptCentral to its recent success is the realisation that modular construction does not necessarily result in buildings of a temporary nature. The materials used and methods of constructing them mean that they are built to extremely high standards in factory controlled conditions. The majority of today’s modular buildings have steel frames and a design life of 50 years.However, it is highly likely that they will last longer than that – longer in fact, than some, so-called permanent buildings constructed in traditional materials. The component parts of a modular building can take one to three months to be developed but often take as little as a few weeks to assemble. Once they have been transported to the building site, a crane is brought in to put the modules together. Once assembled, modular buildings are essentially indistinguishable from typical site-built buildings.

The construction industry is looking to galvanise wider industry acceptance, with organisations such as BuildOffSite campaigning for greater uptake of off-site modular construction. BuildOffSite is an alliance of clients, developers, designers, contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, government, advisors and researchers. Its mission is to help create the mechanism which will enable the off-site industry to make its case more effectively by increasing awareness, informing and setting standards.

GreenThe advantages of off-site modular construction include:• Construction that exceeds Building Regulations requirements for air

permeability, improving thermal efficiency for lower running costs

and reduced carbon emissions (according to modular construction company, Yorkon)

• Up to 90 per cent fewer vehicle movements to site (says building consultants, MTech)

• Material wastage reduced by up to 90 per cent (according to the Government sponsored Waste & Resources Action Programme, WRAP)

• Project duration reduced by up to 50 per cent for earlier handover and occupation (Yorkon)

• Safer, quieter and cleaner construction• Improved build quality and reduced future maintenance• Flexible buildings which can be expanded

As these points clearly demonstrate, there is a substantial green argument for off-site modular construction. Despite the current economic climate, the pressures on project costs have not diminished the appeal of green construction methods. Clients expect to see progress in the development of sustainable buildings and modular construction has a massive part to play in achieving this objective. For example, when focusing on whole life sustainability, modular construction can provide reductions of up to 50 per cent below the carbon emissions required to satisfy Part L of the Building Regulations.

ControlFire detection and emergency lighting systems are particularly suited to the advantages of modular buildings, by reducing the need for laborious snagging, on-site testing and commissioning. They are also able to offer guarantees and assurances that the systems are fitted to the exact specifications laid down in the original design. In fact, modularity is rapidly changing the way that fire detection systems are being implemented. Manufacturers are able to supply cables in pre-determined lengths with pre-fitted connectors which then plug into back-boxes that are pre-wired to fire system devices.This provides a pre-engineered, safe and quick installation which

maximises efficiency and reduces device installation times by up to 80 per cent compared to traditional device installation methods. A factory controlled environment improves overall quality because products and systems can be fully checked, tested and signed-off prior to being delivered on site. This method also means that the people working with particular products on a regular basis will be able to produce a higher quality fit-out.

ProcessAccording to Chris Carvell, Commercial Director of TCS Fire Safety Services Ltd, and one of Hochiki’s partners: “Although different to traditional systems, specifying and installing a modular fire detection system is far

from complicated”. Currently TCS is working on two modular projects in Bradford.He continues: “The installation process begins with a site visit to verify the positions of all of the fire detection equipment based on the fire system design. At this stage specific cable lengths between system devices are measured and recorded. Once the site survey is complete the various cable lengths and types can be specified, and the types of units and detection devices needed are ordered. The cables for the project can then be delivered direct to site if required”.As with a traditional cabling system, modular fire detection system cables should be installed and clipped to comply with industry standards. The cable assemblies have a colour coded ‘in’ and ‘out’ end which should be correctly located by the installer in line with the system diagram. Excess cable length for ceiling mounted devices can be formed into a helix and

secured with metal ties to the installation fabric. The use of loop test lead assemblies allows the cables to be quickly linked together to facilitate cable testing. This cuts down on time on site when compared to traditional wiring, which would have to be stripped and terminated into connector blocks.At final fix, with the cables brought through the ceiling or wall, the loop test lead assemblies can be removed and then stored for future use. The cables are then plugged directly into the specially manufactured device back boxes before they are fitted into the pre-cut holes in the fixing surface. One innovative manufacturer’s cable plugs and mounting back boxes have been mechanically designed and colour-coded to prevent mis-mating, thus eliminating the risk of wiring error. Once the unit is located

into the fixing cavity the fixing screws are tightened and the relevant fire detection device can be secured ready for commissioning.One producer has created the ‘Rotalock’ mechanism which has been specially designed to lock flush fit back boxes into place. Installing the detectors on a modular system is a great deal quicker than with a traditional system and rather than installing one device, it is quite possible to install six or seven within the same timeframe using modular fire cabling.

In summaryOff-site modular construction represents a step-change in how buildings are designed and built. Labour is the biggest cost on a modern project, so anything that can reduce this while enhancing the quality of the finished installation is welcomed. This means that the common practice

of having a range of tradespeople on-site will also change and working methods will have to adapt accordingly.However, for the client this means enhanced quality, more efficient working practices, and significant time and money savings. Rather than being a quick fix to get the industry through these tough recessionary times, off-site modular construction is here to stay and will only grow in popularity. The triple benefits of faster project turnaround, greater efficiency and financial savings that are recognised by the fire detection and emergency lighting sectors are being experienced elsewhere. The future is undoubtedly modular and once presented with the facts, clients are recognising its advantages.

Author: Andrew Dickinson of Hochiki Europe

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The Shape Of Things To Come

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and should be a consideration in any future developments, particularly in vulnerable areas. Finally, in what can often be a very cramped, hectic, urban setting, having a usable, green space in which to relax can be an invaluable asset. It’s not just people that benefit; green roofs also provide a home for birds, insects and flowers, increasing biodiversity in area that would otherwise have little or none, and also providing educational possibilities for inner city schools.

From an architectural perspective however, there are practical considerations; the loading on a green roof, particularly an intensive

one, can be considerable. Clearly this is less of an issue where the green roof is part of a new design, as the loading will be taken into account when specifying the supporting structure. The challenge then is to identify materials and products that are capable of sustaining the high loading without intruding excessively on the internal space or substantially increasing the capital costs.

Naturally the primary structure must be designed to withstand the weight, but there would also be an expectation of increased secondary steelwork, which would have cost and possibly space implications. An

innovative way round this is to use a structural insulated panel that has the strength to reduce or even eliminate secondary steelwork.

The potential for such a system to revolutionise the market for green roofs is great, as it simplifies the design process, speeds up construction, lends excellent and instant weather tightness, as well as added quality assurance for projects. The elimination of secondary steelwork also helps to keep costs down whilst maximising space. Even more importantly it reduces the overall loading on the primary structure. With the vast choice of façade finishes that can be applied to a thermally efficient insulated karrier panel, the option to fully integrate renewables, and the availability

of products that can provide strong but lightweight structures to support exciting design features such as green roofs, architects can create buildings that benefit and function in harmony with their surroundings, meeting the triple demands of aesthetics, performance and economic viability, and setting the standard for the buildings of tomorrow.

There are many challenges facing architects today and the process of designing a building can throw up seemingly conflicting demands. Clients need their buildings to be multi-functional, aesthetically appealing and high performing, whilst also being financially viable. Furthermore, with increasingly demanding environmental regulations being brought into place the needs of tomorrow also have to be kept in mind.

These conflicting demands can seem overwhelming and might lead architects to feel that the freedom and flexibility they need to realise their vision is being compromised. However, construction is an innovative and versatile industry, and the materials are already available to allow architects to create beautiful and inspiring buildings, whilst meeting the latest environmental standards and providing clients with the spaces they need.

Glass, wood, metallic and ceramic are being used on new builds to create exciting, vibrant buildings that reflect the architects creativity, but it is what lies underneath the bold facades that determines the extent to which form and function can achieve the right balance. For example,

using an insulated karrier panel system beneath a facade provides high levels of airtightness and thermal performance, but it can be clad in materials in an array of different textures and colours to allow full scope for aesthetics without compromising on the imperatives. With this kind of system, the new dynamics offered by using unusual materials doesn’t mean increasing construction costs, as insulated panels combine fast track construction to provide a weathertight envelope with ease of facade installation, helping to maintain programme. Facade design is not limited to good looks only; the rapid advances in photovoltaic technology mean that PV panels can be fully integrated into facade systems, not as clumsy

add-ons, but seamlessly to form part of the face of the building. The more usual home for this type of technology is of course the roof, where again panels can be fully integrated into the fabric of the building.

The roof itself can also provide a beautiful, functional and environmentally, even socially enhancing space through the potential offered by green roof systems. Green roofs can include anything, from simple sedum planting to provide a green covering and a habitat for wildlife, to a fully fledged intensive roof with cultivated planting to create a garden and recreational space. But the benefits offered by green roofs extend far beyond the obvious added aesthetic appeal, and include enhanced

thermal performance resulting in reduced heat loss, and increased acoustic performance, as well as increased roof life span and property value.

Research has shown that green roofs can help combat the phenomenon of urban heat islands in cities, they also clean the air, reduce dust and smog levels and help to retain storm water (thereby aiding flood management). This last feature is particularly important in light of the heavy flooding the country has experienced in recent years. Green roofs will not solve the problem of persistent rain, but they can certainly reduce the impact

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Author: Mark Harris

www.kingspanbenchmark.com

Setting The Standard

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Howe Green Floor Access Panels Prove A Big Hit At Custard Factory

Built by Sir Alfred Bird, the inventor of instant custard, around a century ago to manufacture his famous dessert, the Custard Factory has been revamped as an arts and media quarter for Birmingham. To provide high quality access to essential building services in the development’s entrance atrium, 5000 Series floor access panels from Howe Green were selected for their outstanding reputation.A 600 yard walk from Birmingham’s famous Bullring shopping centre, the Custard Factory is yet another exciting addition to the city’s centre. The brief for this collection of early 20th-century industrial and office premises, spanning five acres, was to convert the buildings into affordable, attractive workspaces and to create an environment in which small creative companies could interact and support each other. Key to this was the emphasis on public open space and interesting common areas, central to which was the courtyard and lake, flanked by cafés and shops and overlooked by many of the studios. Specialist subcontractors DSM Flooring completed the various flooring requirements throughout the project, including the installation of the Howe Green access panels necessary to provide access to essential building services located under the floor of the building. The Howe Green access panels were specified for the company’s widely held reputation as the leading supplier and producer of floor, ceiling and wall access covers. As it was expected that the flooring would be subject to quite heavy foot traffic, as well as the frequent passage of trolleys, the access panels needed to be durable and reliable and it was decided that five of Howe

Green’s 5000 Series aluminium panels would meet the requirements.In keeping with the high aesthetic standards of the Custard Factory, DSM Flooring inlaid tiles within the covers, matching the existing white porcelain tiles of the floor for an uninterrupted and seamless finish. Laid into the substrate flush with floor level, the panels provide excellent access to building services whilst not presenting a trip hazard. Tamper resistant features provide additional security, whilst double sealing at the edges makes for perfect hygiene.All of Howe Green’s access panels are built to order at no extra time or cost to the client. Corrosion resistant thanks to their aluminium build, 5000 Series panels are available in a standard depth of 50mm. With inset lifting points, they are easily raised for access to building services with the use of supplied keys.By using the company’s 5000 Series panels on the Custard Factory, the stylish precinct has ensured impeccable aesthetics and long lasting access to its vital building services. www.howegreen.com [email protected]


Hauraton Drainage At Chesterfield FCThe B2net stadium is now the home of Chesterfield Football Club. Known as the Spireites after the town’s famous crooked spire of Our Lady and All Saints Church, the club’s new 10,400 all-seat stadium has also become a landmark building and an important part of Chesterfield’s A61 regeneration programme. The stand structures incorporate a glass fronted executive lounge and a prestigious conference/banqueting venue. The area also boasts a new hotel and Tesco supermarket just across the road from the stadium.Hauraton surface water drainage channels were specified throughout this project by Opus Joyne’s Pike Consulting Engineers. Over 1000m of the RECYFIX® HICAP® high capacity channels were used to drain the car park area surrounding the stadium. A further 430m of FASERFIX® channel and grating system was used around the pitch-side.The RECYFIX® HICAP® system was installed in a single 1000m run, sweeping around the whole stadium in a large oval to drain the 36,000m² car park. Starting with HICAP® 100 a further four sizes of channel were installed in a stepped fall arrangement ending with the largest size, the 650, which has a maximum water volume per metre of 443 litres. The high storage capacity of the system meant only one gully was required. Allowing for a high storm event, the hydraulic calculations ensure the system can cope with a discharge rate of over 400 litres per second into the gully. The RECYFIX® HICAP® channels, made from 100% recycled PE-PP have integral ductile iron slot gratings that provide a durable neat appearance in the surrounding asphalt surface.For the pitch-side drainage, FASERFIX® KS 100 channel system was specified. This is a robust, fibre reinforced concrete channel with a removable ductile iron grating featuring the company’s SIDELOCK® patented boltless fixing system. Over 400m of KS100 were used around the pitch.The first league match kicked off at the new B2net stadium on 7th August 2010 - happily Chesterfield won 2-1 against Barnet.


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Hörmann Meets Your Design ChallengeAs market leaders in both garage and industrial doors, Hörmann has the technical expertise to provide the right solution whatever the project. For the bespoke look Hörmann has created a steel up and over door frame that you can clad in the material and finish of your choice. This way doors can be created to blend in with the building style and design or become a design feature in their own right.This door frame is fully welded for strength, pre-drilled and then galvanised and coated in high-grade polyester primer. The design allows the frame to be either completely hidden or used as the door edges as a part of the desired look. With space saving, insulated, weather-sealed sectional garage doors established as the standard across Europe, Hörmann has developed an aluminium sectional door frame that can also be clad to suit your requirements. Based on the proven ALR industrial door this is especially stable and designed for reliable long term operation.If your design calls for a timber sectional door Hörmann offer the additional service of creating the technical drawings from your outline design before manufacturing the bespoke door in either Hemlock or Nordic Pine. Hörmann has the products, expertise and commitment to help you develop the technical solutions you need. See an example of a timber design in progress, for an open-for- infill frame, at the Homebuilding and Renovating Show at the NEC, 24th -27th March.


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Tormax Entrance For Excellent Breeam Rated London Development

One of the most sustainable office developments ever built in the UK, 14 Pier Walk is the first of many Class A commercial buildings planned for London’s Greenwich Peninsula and features a prestigious TORMAX Classic revolving entrance system combined with an iMotion® automatic swing pass door. Powered by technologically advanced low-energy door operators, this access combination has been shown to effectively minimise heat lost from a building and contribute positively to energy consumption targets.The four-leaf 5251 Classic Revolving door is designed for reliability and constructed for longevity. Although the revolving entrance is fully compliant with current DDA regulations with advanced sensors adapting rotation speed to match that of users, the automatic swing door located alongside offers disabled users alternative access as well as flexibility for larger deliveries.


Sika Ensures Another Watertight Car Park In Jersey

Saviours Place, a stunning new development of 64 apartments on the edge of St Helier in Jersey, has incorporated Sika Watertight Concrete to ensure that the basement car park remains dry. Saviours Place is situated on the site of the old Rex Hotel, and is positioned at the bottom of, and built partially into a steep hill, with the inherent problem of water draining into the building. Dandara, who are both architect and engineers on the project, specified BBA approved Sika Watertight Concrete for the basement construction. The Sika Watertight Concrete System, a quality solution for basement and below ground construction, is becoming ever more popular as a proven alternative to external tanking membranes traditionally used for basement waterproofing. The overdig requirement is also greatly reduced, an important consideration on this project with excavation into the hillside.


Levolux Keeps Exhibits Cool In Liverpool

The £72 million Museum of Liverpool, situated on the Mann Island site, alongside the historic Albert Dock, features an installation of automated Roller Blinds by Levolux. A focal point of the building, with its prominent, inclined glazed elevation, the floor to ceiling glazing, measures approximately 28 metres in width and 8 metres in height. Levolux was approached to develop a custom internal Solar Shading solution, incorporating it’s radio-controlled, motorised Roller Blinds. In total, Levolux installed 15 fabric Roller Blinds. The highly technical Blinds feature an efficient charcoal fabric, with an openness factor of 10%, which is skilfully inclined vertically and horizontally. The complete system effectively reduces glare levels and limits the impact of solar heat gain within the building, particularly during the summer months.

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glassHUS Canopy Completes Tyne Tunnel HQ Offices Refurb

An innovative glass canopy created using SFS intec’s glass attachment systems has completed the entrance to the newly refurbished administration building of TT2, the company that operates the existing Tyne Tunnell. The canopy has been created using 12 flat laminated glass panels in a faceted arrangement to deliver a curved appearance. The glass panels are secured to a dark blue structural steel framework using SFS intec’s articulated point fixings in combination with its spider fixings to ensure a reliable angled attachment. With a total glazed surface area of 27.5m2, the canopy provides extensive cover for the busy entrance door. www.sfsintec.biz/uk


Fendor Revolutionises Secure Fenestration At Rampton

Fendor has developed a window system that offers a revolution in terms of both performance and the living environment for a new secure unit at Rampton high secure Hospital. Fendor has supplied double glazed curtain walling for communal areas, as well as double glazed windows to patients’ rooms and other vulnerable locations. For the Therapeutic Core building there were 27 areas of AlphaLine Aluminium curtain walling installed with SwingVent opening windows on actuators. Fendor also supplied steel glazed doors and 26 Steel SwingVent windows incorporating anti escape top hung vents.


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BEKO - First Choice For Major Student Kitchen ContractOne of the main distributors for Beko products has been involved in fitting out two new student accommodation buildings at The University of Reading, acting as a one-stop shop for the supply, wiring and pre-commissioning of all the appliances within 122 ‘cluster kitchens’. JPD Contracts, based in Coalville, Leicestershire, provides a nationwide service, supplying housebuilders and main contractors with the full range of white goods and other appliances. In the case of The University of Reading‘s Stenton and Mackinder Hall buildings Morgan Sindall was the main contractor. Each individual kitchen was equipped with a Beko oven, hob, extract hood and an upright fridge-freezer. As is normal on contracts of this scale, JPD worked with the rest of the project team on the creation of prototype kitchen which the university’s architect and property management department could inspect and fine tune. The Managing Director of JPD Contracts, John Evans, comments: “We have been dealing with Beko for some three years now and will have seen our business with the manufacturer grow by 30 per cent in the past year. Not only do we get good service from Beko, but they are the right products at the right price for the current market. Beko’s commitment to product reliability, a dependable delivery programme and technical support is a real asset to us Our client base includes the UK’s top 10 housebuilders while we work extensively with the public sector, and Reading University is just one of a number of student accommodation contracts we have completed recently in conjunction with Beko. The appliances are delivered to our main distribution warehouse and then our teams of fitters take them to site where they then gas, wire and pre-commission everything before taking away the packaging and any rubbish. Stenton Hall had 50 cluster kitchens, and Mackinder 72, done in three and six phases respectively, where we had up to four teams working at any one time.”The University of Reading project was completed and handed over ready for the start of the current academic year.


Worcester Sources Crittall WindowsAs part of an extensive and long term project to revitalise the Lowesmoor area of Worcester, Crittall W20 steel windows have been specified for one of the most familiar buildings on the site. The Great Filling Hall was a feature of Worcester’s historic vinegar works. Planning demands were stringent for the Filling Hall, with conservation officers insisting upon like for like replacement for the windows, in order to maintain the continuity of appearance and character of the architecture and of the surrounding environment. Crittall W20 windows, with their minimal sightlines, enable the architectural value of a building to emerge, providing the necessary thermal performance required for double glazed units and offering immense inherent strength.


Steel Windows Offer Listed Mill Authentic WarmthThe residents of a Grade II* listed former cotton mill, located on the Aston Canal in Greater Manchester, have gained increased comfort levels through the installation of Part L compliant, W40 fenestration by a member of the Steel Window Association. Rea Metal Windows replaced all of the wooden frames with modern, high performance W40 steel frames offering authentic sight lines as well as excellent thermal insulation values in line with the requirements of Part L to the Building Regulations. This is achieved through fitting IG units featuring a soft coat inner leaf and argon gas filling in a 4-16-4 make up. www.steel-window-association.co.uk

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Fire Glazing For Southampton University

Building 85 lies within the campus of Southampton University, and is the new home for the Institute of Life Sciences. The core to the design was the use of sustainable and low maintenance materials, a category which included fire glazing systems from Fendor. Over 40 different fire glazing elements were required, ranging from screens, doors and panels offering 30 minutes fire rating in the atrium to 60 minute fire rated doors and screens in the lift lobby.


Top Notch Rainwater System Does The Trick…

When the elderly cast iron guttering on Steve Parson’s house became detached from the fascia boards, he knew that the house needed surgery! Having been nearly decapitated by the old guttering, he had no desire to replace the old guttering and downpipes with new cast iron, and was impressed by the latest Elegance uPVC cast iron look alike system from Polypipe. The new profile, just released - the Elegance Ogee notched looked just right for the property providing a secure fit and countered the problem of gutters becoming dislodged from their retaining clips during warm weather due to heat expansion, making leaky joints a thing of the past.


210 Attempts To Get Just Right!

It’s not unusual when developing new products to test numerous prototypes before coming up with a final formulation. But when German industrialist Dr. Kemper developed the world’s first elastomeric cold liquid

waterproofing in the late 1960’s it can be fairly said that he took this to the extreme! At the time, glass-fibre was the membrane typically used for liquid waterproofing, yet whilst this was flexible in one direction, it had no lateral elasticity which meant resistance to movement and thermal expansion was poor. In his search for a product that combined tensile strength, elasticity and permeability Dr. Kemper developed a unique system comprising polyester fleece and resins which together formed an exceptionally durable waterproofing membrane that was seamless, would bond to almost any substrate and offered permanent elasticity. He

trialled no less than 210 formulations in developing this final product, which was then brand-named “Version 210”. Kemperol V210 remains to this day the world’s leading professional waterproofing system, with the earliest installations now approaching their 40th year of continuous protection. www.kempersystem.co.uk


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Crittall Windows Retain The City Character

95 Gresham Street is a gem in the heart of the City of London. The £35 million refurbishment of the site makes extensive and impressive use of glass and steel to contrast with the existing external facade of Portland Stone. And for the glazing element, Crittall Windows supplied and installed its Corporate 2000 and W20 profiles for optimum visual impact and long lasting performance. The installation of the new windows was a like-for-like replacement, with the Crittall profiles helping to retain the character and traditional appearance of the external facade, whilst at the same time providing modern, advanced glazed units that comply with all thermal and energy efficient requirements. Crittall’s involvement extended beyond just supplying the profiles, as architect, George Corrigan of architects, Rolfe Judd explained. “95 Gresham Street actually comprises both Princes House and Bartlett House,” he said. “One of the tasks that Crittall Windows was faced with was to refurbish the cast iron framing and panels to some of the fenestration in Bartlett House prior to installing the new profiles. This was done successfully, with the rest of the replacement window project completed on time and to the standards required for this conservation area. Crittall’s ability to offer this complementary service greatly contributed to the smooth progression of the scheme.”


ARDEX UK worked with Mega Marble Limited, specialist fabricators and installers of Natural Stone, to assist with the completion of the vast £220m restoration of London’s iconic Savoy hotel.Mega Marble sourced, fabricated and installed the marbles and granites used throughout the public areas within the hotel. ARDEX A 35 rapid setting and drying cement was used to screed the floor areas. ARDEX X 7001 W Rapid Drying Pourable Floor Tile Adhesive in white was used to fix the floor tiling. One where ARDEX X 7001 W was used to great effect in this project was the famous Front Hall, which has been spectacularly renewed to its former glory with a newly laid, intricate floor of black and white marble tiles, co-ordinating with columns clad in the same material. ARDEX S 16 W white rapid hardening and drying natural stone adhesive with ARDEX E 90 admix was used to fix the wall tiles.


Ardex Make A Stylish Entrance At The Savoy

NIBE Contributes To Freshney Green’s ‘Code 5’ Sustainable Home

Freshney Green is set to become one of the showpiece developments in the Grimsby area, transforming an ex-Council Estate into a pleasantly green community of 440 modern, eco-friendly homes split 60/40 between private and Affordable Housing. The latter is taken by the Shoreline Housing Partnership, and among the new houses is one of the first in the country to conform to the stringent requirements of Code5 of the CSH [Code for Sustainable Homes]. A NIBE F370 Exhaust Air Heat Pump has been installed which generates efficiencies in heating and hot water buy extracting warm air generated from the wet rooms and utilising this via a heat exchanger to assist recycling to heat the dwelling. Th Code 5 dwellings have additional PV solar panels installed on the roof which generate electricity and are utilised to further reduce the overall electricity consumption of the dwelling.


Non-com Exterior Protects One Of The Largest Western Red Cedar Projects In The UK

One of the largest Western Red Cedar cladding projects ever commissioned in the UK, requiring over 4,000 sq metres of material, has been protected with Arch Timber Protection’s Non-Com Exterior fire retardant treatment.The cladding was supplied by John Brash, a specialist timber manufacturer, and used on The Rock, a £350m mixed use residential and retail development in Bury, Lancashire. The timber has been used to create a rear-ventilated rainscreen cladding system on all façades of the new Debenhams store and Block ‘B’, a mix of residential and retail units. A mechanical secret fix system was specified to fasten the Western Red Cedar to the Debenhams building and a face fix system was used on Block D.Western Red Cedar was specified by Building Design Partnership (BDP) because they were looking for a natural, sustainable material that would add an aesthetic contrast to the grey fibre cement cladding used on other aspects of the development. Non-Com Exterior is the only leach resistant fire retardant protection for timber that is listed and approved by the UK Wood Protection Association and does not require a decorative coating for exterior applications, which allowed the natural beauty of the Western Red Cedar to be a key feature.


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Bespoke Kährs Flooring Specified At The Lancasters

Kährs bespoke walnut flooring has been specified throughout The Lancasters – a stunning residential development situated directly opposite Hyde Park. A joint venture between Northacre plc and Minerva plc, the development compromises 77 luxury homes, including 10 penthouses and two townhouses, designed by Architects, Nilsson and Interior Designers, Intarya. All flooring is being installed by CFA-member, Tyndale Flooring, with first stage

completion due in February and final completion expected this summer.

One of the longest and highest Victorian terraces, dating back from the mid 19th century, The Lancasters was originally a parade of fifteen stucco-fronted Grade II listed houses. To reflect the building’s heritage, Kährs was assigned to produce two styles of sustainable walnut flooring to a bespoke specification; a block floor, which

was laid fully-bonded over underfloor heating, in a traditional Herringbone design, and a one-strip floor which was bevelled along one edge. Specific grades of timber were used, along with bespoke gloss levels for the floor’s lacquered prefinish.

Both the block and strip flooring were installed throughout the homes, in an intricate installation that flowed from room to room, spanning stairs and gallery walkways. The fully-bonded installation allowed larger continuous areas to be installed and reduced both step noise and thermal resistance between the floor and the capillary heating system. www.kahrs.co.uk


Selectaglaze At The Supreme Court Located on Parliament Square, opposite the Houses of Parliament and close to Westminster Abbey and the Treasury Building, is the UK’s first Supreme Court. The site was originally occupied by Westminster Abbey’s Sanctuary Tower and Old Belfry where fugitives sought refuge from their pursuers. In 1889 the old courthouse was replaced by the first Middlesex Guildhall, which housed the Middlesex County Council and Quarter Sessions. This soon became too small and was subsequently replaced in 1913 by the present “art nouveau Gothic” building. Seventy years later it was converted to a Crown Court, accommodating seven criminal courtrooms and numerous cells.

Working on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, the design team for the Supreme Court, led by Feilden and Mawson and supported by Foster & Partners, developed refurbishment plans conserving the fabric of the building while creating a modern working environment. With its 6,000 square metres of internal space the building now accommodates the requirements of the newly created judicial authority, with ample space for members of the public to observe the Court in action and to facilitate live media broadcasts.

Establishing the Supreme Court at Middlesex Guildhall has reinvigorated this historic building and restored its beautiful moulded timber beams and tall perpendicular stained glass windows, many of which bear the armorial glass of the Lord Lieutenants of Middlesex.

Main contractor Kier Wallis called upon Selectaglaze, the UK’s leading secondary glazing specialist, to help improve the building’s environmental credentials and security through designs and specifications sympathetic to the complex variety of windows found in this Grade 2* listed building. One key objective was to achieve BREEAM rating ‘Very Good’ which required a significant improvement in the thermal efficiency of the windows and reduction in draughts. The external windows could not be modified and hence secondary glazing, a reversible adaptation to a listed building, offers an ideal solution. The use of a hardcoat low emissivity glass within the secondary window lowers the U-value, a measure of heat loss, to below 2.0 and meets current Building Regulations for new buildings.

Sound insulation was equally important for the proceedings of a Court set so close to one of the busiest parts of London with its constant noise from heavy traffic and crowds of tourists. The Selectaglaze windows glazed with a thick laminated glass can reduce noise levels by more than 45dB and will also markedly improve the security of this sensitive building.

The project required 450 separate window frames ranging from hinged casement, vertical sash, fixed and horizontal sliding to sympathetically treat the very wide range of window styles. This included a significant number of gothic arches and three large shaped acoustic screens between the public gallery and Courtroom 3.

Selectaglaze secondary glazing is purpose made and can be discretely fitted with minimal disruption in occupied buildings. It is recommended by Heritage bodies for use in Listed buildings and those in conservation areas but is equally applicable to almost any building type.

Established since 1966 and a Royal Warrant Holder since 2004, Selectaglaze is at the forefront of product development and design. The extensive range of products are tested and certified for acoustics, thermal efficiency and for enhanced protection against intruders and the effects of blast. www.selectaglaze.co.uk


Sonic Windows For Manchester Piccadilly’s Prize Winning Car Park

Sonic Windows recent contract was the old portable building that had served as an office, a point of contact with the parking public and a base for APCOA staff at Manchester Piccadilly. It was decided to replace it with a custom built new building attached to the outside of the station. A pleasant and practical design for a new Customer Service Enquiry Centre was agreed upon; a single storey building with staff facilities at one end and a square office at the other with a large L-shaped window overlooking the parking area. Main Contractor, OCON Construction, undertook the building and called on Sonic to supply and fit the window system. The result has proved extremely popular with all staff. The Sonic design consists of a large ‘picture’ window facing forward and a smaller window at the side with only a slip pillar in between.


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Chesterfield Royal Hospital Gets Sureclad TreatmentThe gleaming white ceramic granite exterior envelope of the new ward complex at Chesterfield Royal Hospital is one of the most striking aspects of this impressive £12 million building.The 2000m2 of prefabricated ceramic granite panels used to create the ventilated facades of this sleek and minimalistic development were supplied by Shackerley and have been installed using the company’s Queen’s Award winning Sureclad Access System. The facades were specified by The Manser Practice and installed by Task Contracts for main contractors GB Building Solutions (Wakefield).Project Architect Guy Barlow, one of the first UK specifiers to recognise the many aesthetic, technical and environmental benefits of ceramic granite as a ventilated facade material in the 1990s, was responsible for delivering the new wards for the Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust:“This new three-storey building significantly extends the hospital’s capacity, providing almost a hundred additional beds for patients,” he said, “We were seeking a simple aesthetic, with crisp clean lines and flush glazing, but with a very high quality finish. We’d always planned to clad the building with ceramic granite rainscreens, and as this practice has considerable experience of using Shackerley’s ventilated facades, the Sureclad system was an ideal solution.”“The decision was clinched when Shackerley introduced us a new style of panel which hadn’t previously been used in this country in an exterior cladding system. We knew straight away that the ‘almost-white’, monochromatic coloured ceramic granite with its polished surface and high degree of reflectivity was just what we were looking for.” www.shackerley.com


Zinc Key To Heritage RestorationAmong the many heritage refurbishment projects being undertaken by traditional metal roofing contractors, VMZINC is now providing specialist advice to a growing number of architects. Experience drawn from regular restoration work using zinc throughout Europe has led to the company supplying materials for projects such as St Mary’s Church Plas Power and the highly acclaimed Clapham and Sheffield Bandstands. St Mary’s Plas Power is of late 19th century construction and still owned by the Fitzhugh family. As the last remaining privately maintained chapel in Wales to hold regular services, Heritage and CADW funding was obtained to replace the original zinc roof and rainwater system, dating from 1875. Use of pre-weathered zinc not only captured the style of the decades old patina

but provided a colour which will continue to age normally. By contrast, the £1.2m refurbishment of Clapham Common’s Grade II listed bandstand involved VMZINC in the manufacture of a bespoke, 62-section natural zinc roof and central finial. In 1995 it had been placed on English Heritage’s ‘Greater

London Buildings at Risk’ but had fallen into serious disrepair. Among factors affecting zinc’s specification by architects Dannatt Johnson were its resistance to corrosion, weight and the ability to meet a highly complex roof design. 1:1 roof replication was undertaken, manufacture being divided into sections for cutting and shaping. Plaster prototypes were also used to create

drilled sections and to design the punching moulds. A finely crafted curved wooden structure was built to support the zinc covering and the end result is an exceptional illustration of zinc’s versatility.Renovation of the derelict Grade II listed Victorian bandstand in Weston Park Sheffield formed part of a £2.7 million Heritage Lottery funded project to create the city’s first municipal park. It is again thought to be the only surviving example of such a design, VMZINC’s 0.8 gauge natural zinc having been fitted using sliding caps, one of the earliest techniques for constructing a zinc roof. The material was laid hollow, supported by timber boarding, and wired to the wrought ironwork frame. Archive photographs were used to ensure all original detailing was accurately replicated. Zinc has proved to be equally suited to church projects in which a combination of styles was required. There is no better example than the Community Centre Annex to St Pancras RC Church Lewes. The sweeping curves of the pre-weathered, standing seam zinc complement the traditional Victorian style in which clay plain tiles and brick have been used.


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Another Major Project For Sapa’s Dualslide Provides Fulham Residents With Bespoke Windows Solution

The refurbishment of a private block of flats near the River Thames has provided Sapa Building Systems with another major project for the company’s new sliding window system, Dualslide. The River Gardens contract, worth £1.6 million to fabricator/installer Hazelmere Windows, was for a major residential window replacement in a conservation area in Fulham, close to Fulham football grounds. Sapa’s involvement in the project goes back four years prior to the order being placed during which time the company was heavily involved in consultation with the residents on the choice of product and in planning approval by Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Because of the particular requirements of the project, the Technical team at Sapa designed a bespoke interlock detail to allow the sliding window sashes to bi-part for cleaning, supplying also Dualframe hinged doors, C125 high performance sliding doors and Dualframe reversible windows. “We chose to work with Sapa because of their attention to detail and their excellent service and supply,” said Barry Matthews, Hazlemere’s Commercial Contracts Director. “It enabled us not only to meet the design criteria but also to help ensure the building facade was constructed to a very high standard.” Dualslide (now available in kit form) is available in horizontal and vertical format and provides an unrivalled level of thermal and weather performance in aluminium sliding systems. www.sapabuildingsystems.co.uk


Hochiki Europe Helps To Get Chatham Historic Dockyard Ship ShapeNo1 Smithery at Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent recently underwent a £13m restoration and is now a living museum showcasing a range of unique maritime artefacts. Hochiki Europe’s innovative fire detection products have been installed throughout the building to protect these national treasures. The building required the installation of a BS5839 compliant category L1/P1 addressable fire detection system. An L1 system is designed for the protection of life and deploys automatic detectors throughout all areas of the

building – including roof spaces and voids. This type of fire detection system gives the earliest possible warning of fire and makes sure that there is sufficient time for escape. The system also had to be P1 compliant in order to protect the fabric of the building and summon the fire services in the early stages of a fire.

CTA Fire selected an intelligent analogue addressable system based around Hochiki’s Enhanced Systems Protocol (ESP). Stuart Davies, Hochiki’s Marketing Manager, explains: “ESP is a total communications solution for intelligent fire detection and fully integrated systems. ESP has a multi-purpose structure that provides the flexibility and expansion to accommodate simple addressable systems through to sophisticated integrated building management and safety systems.”

The installation used a wide variety of Hochiki’s base sounders, sensors and call points as well as 15 sets of beam detectors at the top of the building. These products are particularly suitable for large open spaces and for heights way above the operating limits of conventional smoke detectors.Unwanted and false alarms can be hugely disruptive in any type of building but in public buildings like museums they are particularly unwelcome. To address this, ESP multi-sensors were used extensively in order to limit the potential for unwanted alarms. Within a museum environment there are many different materials and within one room – there can be some artefacts which will produce fast spreading flame, while others will give off a high level of smoke. Using a multi-sensor caters for all possible eventualities and offers a degree of flexibility as, when necessary, the algorithms in the devices can be adjusted to make them less prone to unwanted alarms.”CTA also had to make sure that as little of the fire detection system as possible would be visible to the public.The detectors and sounders were mounted in a way that made them as inconspicuous as possible, and installed all the controllers for the beam detectors at low level and accessible to engineers in the non-public areas. www.hochikieurope.com


Staffordshire Hotel Turns To Intatec For Stylish, Safe And Accessible Bathrooms

Domestic and commercial bathroom equipment company Intatec is supplying Staffordshire hotel the Dog & Doublet with a range of anti-scald bath and shower products which help save energy, as well a new range of equipment to make bathrooms flexible and accessible for guests with disabilities or limited mobility. For washrooms in public areas Intatec will supply its Perfect Time range of taps, which allows water to flow for a fixed time when they are operated. This prevents them being left running unattended, helping to prevent wash basins flooding. Washrooms incorporate thermostatic mixing valves. For guest room bathrooms, the Dog & Doublet has chosen Inta Mio, a range of safe touch showers and bath shower mixers in contrasting high quality chrome and black. The bar type valve has a safe touch body.The Dog & Doublet will be the first hotel in the country to install Intatec’s new IntaQuick – a revolutionary new system which transforms an ordinary bathroom into an accessible one and back again in a few simple steps. IntaQuick is a stylish, high quality collection of removable hand rails, seats and accessories that pack away when not needed, so a bathroom can be accessible when necessary and not create an extra obstacle for the able bodied to encounter when it is not.www.intatec.co.uk


Flag-Soprema TPO Meets Highest Sustainability Criteria

The new £9.7 million Bournville school consolidated the existing Infant and Junior Schools into one. Sustainability criteria required achievement of a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating, so Flag-Soprema worked closely alongside Approved Contractor Central Cladding Systems to secure specification of its Flagon TPO single ply membrane for the roof waterproofing. As the first TPO to achieve a BRE Green Guide A+ rating, a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, EPC B-Rating (with a score of 36) and a recycled content of 22% were achieved.


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Neaco Receives Praise For Church Contribution

Neaco received praise for their contribution to a major refurbishment project at Holy Trinity Church in Ripon, where the company’s Clearline structural glass has been specified by RBA Moody Bros (Contractors) Ltd for balustrading on a mezzanine floor. The installation formed part of an exciting and sensitive reordering of the historic building.

A spokesman for RBA Moody Bros said: “Neaco were engaged to supply and install the bespoke structural glass balustrading for this prestigious project. They worked diligently and pro-actively with ourselves and the project engineers to ensure that all the ‘tricky’ detailing relative to the facetted balustrading was thoroughly investigated and practically resolved in a manner that in no way compromised the aesthetic aspirations of the client. The structural glass and handrail was delivered to site on time and installed without a hitch”. Suitable for both external and internal use, Clearline’s free standing balustrade requires no supporting uprights - continuous glass

is fixed in place by aluminium floor channels with integrated rubber seals which insulate the glass and eliminate the need for the more traditional messy mastic detail. Clearline glass is toughened in accordance with BS EN12600 class 1 with options including clear or tinted grey, bronze, green or blue with the option of acid etching or an applied emblem/logo. The range also includes a low iron glass option offering a noticeably clearer panel than the inherent green cast of standard clear float glass used in balustrade applications. www.neaco.co.uk


Last year the ExCeL London management team started investigating how they could improve their lighting in order to achieve uniformity throughout the central boulevard of the exhibition and conference centre. At almost half a mile in length it’s the main thoroughfare and public space used by all events. The solution they chose for this critical space not only improved the light quality, but reduced operating and maintenance costs while also improving energy efficiency.

The lighting challengeEngineering and Energy Manager, Chris Barnes explains: “During the Phase Two expansion of ExCeL we used ETFE roofing to allow us to harvest a lot of daylight. The Phase One section was still lit by 400W HPS lamps which produce variable colour rendering as they age, so it looked dark by comparison. We specifically wanted to improve the lighting so that visitors could flow through the two areas without noticing a big difference in lighting conditions.”Additionally the ExCeL management team wanted to meet energy efficiency targets as part of their award-winning policy to continuously evolve and implement practices that deliver economic security, social and environmental benefits.

How the challenge was overcome with LED lightingBy replacing its 400W sodium lamps one-for-one with DuroSite™ Series LED High Bay lights from applied LED technology specialist Dialight, ExCeL immediately took its measured lux from 100 to 220.

Chris Barnes says: “Dialight’s High Bay suits the purpose for the building; it’s aesthetically pleasing, it ticks all the boxes. For example, the boulevard is a public area and when there’s a power cut the HPS can take 2-3 minutes to come back on, whereas the LED is back on instantly. Our events managers noticed that and they like it, so now there’s a push to get more LEDs installed. They’ve got a far better colour spectrum than HPS – and that’s important for events like our big fashion shows.”

He comments: “Considering our ceiling height is 10 metres, installation was very easy – four guys, six nights on two ‘magic carpets’. In fact we’ve also retrofitted the dock edge walkway which relied on light from the building for illumination. With LED High Bays along the edge of the building, it’s much safer and people are no longer worried about using it; we can also turn off the building lights at night saving 78% in energy.”

By replacing its high pressure sodium lamps with Dialight LED High Bays ExCeL will potentially save close to 700kW of energy per day equating to over 250MW of energy per year. On top of that the LED High Bays carry Dialight’s 5-year warranty which means they will also save greatly on maintenance. As a result further plans now include fitting Dialight LED High Bays throughout ExCeL’s 46 conference halls. www.dialight.com


Award-Winning ExCeL London Chooses LED Lighting To Meet Energy Efficiency Targets

ExCeL London’s central boulevard lit by Dialight’s LED High Bays

Installation snapshot• Central boulevard almost ½ mile long• Number of fixtures – 194• Replaced – 400W HPS with 150W LED High Bay• Illuminance level – moved from 100 to 220 lux • Mounting height – 10 metres• Energy reduction – 70%

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Providing intelligent and unconventional design solutions involving community buildings is high on the agenda for Vienna based architects ARTEC Achitekten. This is demonstrated in Tokyo Street, Vienna, where a high density project incorporates Schöck thermal break modules to combat thermal bridging at key connectivity points.

The original concept was for terraced housing, but to optimise space utilisation it was decided to stack different types of housing on top of each other. There is an elevated tract of ‘Casablanca’ apartments (single-storey apartments with a two-storey high loggia space) placed along the length of the Tokyo Street construction block. All units are the same size, made possible by rotating the living room 45° and adding triangular loggias with a balcony. The balustrades, alternatively set back and protruding, are made from expanded metal linked by trellises and have already been christened ‘spiders’ by the neighbours.

On the courtyard side, single-roomed apartments form the counterpart to the street arcade and on top of these units, there are maisonettes arranged in an L-shape around a two-storey atrium. The third layer is made up of a row of two-storey terraced homes with gardens and a children’s play area in the middle. At the very top, the typical and very popular Viennese small garden house has

been incorporated into a tight structure. The development is formally known as the “The Town Musicians of Bremen” – a reference to a folk story by the Brothers Grimm, where at one point a donkey, dog, cat and cockerel stand on each others backs to gain height.

The project has been nominated for the European Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, 2011 and designer Richard Manahl explains the background. “Our aim was to achieve as differentiated a range of spaces as possible, with all of the 100 apartments having plenty of exterior space and daylight from at least two sides. Thanks to the complex configuration of the construction resulting from the stacking concept, there is an extremely large surface area compared to an ordinary apartment block. However, it remains a low-energy house”.

Legislation, along with the need for energy conservation and a reduction in CO2 emissions, demand that preventing thermal bridging is now a critical consideration in the construction process. In a building as complex as this, thermal partitioning at the cross-over points – for example the access balconies – is a crucial element if condensation and mould growth are to be avoided. One of the most effective solutions is the Isokorb® range of thermal break modules from Schöck, which offers outstanding thermal insulation properties and dramatically reduces thermal energy loss in connective areas, by guaranteeing the homogeneity of the thermal envelope between cantilever structures and the internal floor.

The Isokorb® also transfers load and maintains full structural integrity, while at the same time enabling inner surface area temperatures to remain well in excess of those likely to cause mould formation and condensation. The products in the Schöck range are unique on two counts. They are the only thermal break solutions to allow connections to be made between concrete-to-concrete, concrete-to-steel and steel-to-steel – and also provide BBA Certification and LABC Registration.

In total, 720 Isokorb® units are incorporated into the Tokyo Street project and Anton Harrer, the geotechnical engineer responsible comments: “We always recommend installation of the Schöck Isokorb® because we know it has proven performance values“. www.schoeck.co.uk


Schöck Specified For High Density, Low Energy Project In Vienna

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Talon Covers For Frank Godley’s Pipes

Frank Godley Court is a sheltered housing development of 40 one-bedroom flats plus a three bedroom flat for the resident manager. Part of a recent refurbishment project consisted of installing Talon 105 Skirting Cover Profile over the heating pipes, giving vital protection to residents against burns should they fall as well as improving the tidiness and appearance of the flats. Talon’s Skirting Cover Profiles have proved extremely popular as a simply installed, neat, secure and safe method of hiding pipes at floor level. Once the pipes have been clipped in, the cover simply click-fits over the top, giving the appearance of a standard skirting board. www.talon.co.uk


Massive Doorset Package For Mint Hotel Tower Of LondonThe ‘Mint Hotel Tower of London’ is one of seven prime city centre hotels which form the rebranded City Inn group. Situated close to Tower Hill and Fenchurch Street stations, the 583 room, 9-storey building is at the heart of London’s historic and business centres.

A £65 million refit designed by leading architects Bennetts Associates to the highest environmental standards has fulfilled the brief to provide a distinctive, contemporary interior style. The project, which was completed in January 2011, included the provision of extensive renewable energy provisions for the hotel, with Laidlaw Solutions chosen to supply doorsets, ironmongery and access control systems.

Working closely with the main contractor and specialist supply-and-fit joinery subcontractor SJ Eastern, in excess of 2100 quarter-cut veneered doorsets were supplied. The majority were of an American White Oak finish, but for conference and meeting rooms a contrasting Black Walnut was specified. Bespoke ironmongery was manufactured and VingCard Access Control factory-fitted using

morticed lock fittings. Orbis Commercial Softline door closers and supporting accessories in Satin Stainless Steel were also supplied. By providing an integrated doorset package from a single source, the potential for on-site disruption associated with multi-supplier provision of doors, frames, architraves and ironmongery was avoided.

Laidlaw Major Projects Manager David Manley commented “This once again demonstrated the scale and profile of hotel specification which Laidlaw manages. These projects present a particular challenge in terms of demands on functionality but our continuing product development ensures that the highest performance specifications can be met. The Orbis doorset 10-year guarantee also provides added reassurance of the durability and reliability of Laidlaw products”.


Full House For Abet At Mecca Bingo

British LED Lighting Experts Win Contract To Light Up Manchester Airport

L-Shaped Glass Canopy Optimises Aesthetics In Curtain Wall Façade

Universal Aluminium’s new MU4200 curtain walling system has combined with SFS intec’s VDS canopy attachment system to create an architecturally distinctive new access tower for a Grade II Listed Manchester building. The slimline curtain walling system and frameless glass canopy were used in the access tower at the Hartley Hall. Using SFS intec’s VDS canopy attachment system, the glass canopy is installed above the main entrance doors to the access tower. The structural integrity of the MU4200 semi-structural curtain walling is such that securing the large L-shape glass canopy was possible without the need for heavyweight bracketing.


Manchester based MHA Lighting has secured a contract to supply LED lighting to Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 & 3 car parks.The forward-thinking firm, which specialises in innovative lighting solutions, triumphed over national lighting firms to transform the design of the car park fittings at the UK’s fourth busiest airport.MHA Lighting created a powerful retrofit solution which replaces the two thousand 80w bulbs across the two car parks with 30 and 40 Watt LED units in a move which will halve carbon emissions and cut (car park) energy bills by £80k per annum.Jonathan Beswick, Manchester Airport Project Technician, said: “After several months of trialling numerous lighting technologies and designs, MHA Lighting’s bespoke retrofit LED solution outshone all others. We were particularly impressed with the speed and efficiency of MHA Lighting to design, fit and test their product to our stringent criteria. The end product has exceeded our expectations.”MHA Lighting offers a patented British LED lighting solution that can deliver up to an 85% reduction in lighting energy costs, virtually zero maintenance and 10 times longer life. www.mhalighting.com


Several designs from ABET LAMINATI’s unique and diverse range of high pressure laminates are being used nationwide on a new interior concept for Mecca Bingo.The new scheme embraces different Collec-tions from the ABET comprehensive range of high pressure laminates. HR LAQ is a unique laminate with a high gloss finish. SIt has high resistance to scratching, wear and abrasion. The highly reflective range is available in 24 bold and bright colours. www.abetuk.com


Documents

The Architectural Technologists Book