Low odour with no compromises

Low odour with no compromises

Decothane Ultra sets new standard for the roofing industry

The next generation of liquid applied roof membranes has been launched by Sika Liquid Plastics. Decothane Ultra is a low odour non-disruptive roofing solution that achieves more than 80 percent reduction in odour strength five minutes after application and greater than 95 percent reduction after just one hour against a similar one-component competitor. These results were established by independent testing.

Decothane Ultra utilises a range of new novel curing agents developed and patented by Sika. This new chemistry offers a versatile platform from which to formulate extremely low solvent content and low odour liquid applied membranes for a wide range of applications.

Extensive field tests have been undertaken on the product prior to launch and a large number of these applications were in odour sensitive areas such as food manufacturing plants, hospitals and schools. They were all successfully applied without disruption to activities within the buildings.

Commenting on the introduction Nigel Blacklock, head of technical at Sika said: “Over the past decade, concern about construction product emissions has grown significantly especially from those involved in their supply and installation. European regulation now imposes strict controls on Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) contents, together with a growing focus on ensuring relating chemicals are non-hazardous in their use.

“This backdrop posed a significant development challenge for us but we were keen to achieve a successful outcome without compromising other aspects of the product. In particular, there are problems that occur with low solvent and solvent free products which often handle poorly, exhibiting high viscosity at lower temperatures and sagging on vertical applications at elevated temperatures. Additionally, they do not permit the use of glass fibre reinforcement and are therefore forced to rely on fleeces that can be more time-consuming to install. Our goal with Decothane Ultra was to tick all the boxes and make no compromises.”

During the development of Decothane Ultra, Sika Liquid Plastics worked closely with a consultancy specialising in the testing of occupational health exposures to develop a test method intended to replicate the ‘worst case scenarios’ on roofs using a closed test area without ventilation. A cross-section of single component polyurethane liquid membrane products were tested under these conditions and all were found to breach workplace exposure limits however, through careful engineering and innovation Sika Liquid Plastics has produced Decothane Ultra, a single component polyurethane that when tested within a confined space was found not to breach any workplace exposure limits. “We see this as the new benchmark for liquid applied roof membranes,” commented Nigel Blacklock.

Sika Liquid Plastics quality assured contractors have been trialling the product prior to launch and have already identified its increased advantages. Martin Eyre from Surface Protection commented: “Surface Protection has worked with Sika Liquid Plastics for many years and so we were more than happy to take part in trialling Decothane Ultra, testing it in sensitive areas, such as hospitals where we’ve now used Decothane Ultra in more than 15,000sq m on various hospital roofs.

He added: “Surface Protection has even been able to use it at a highly sensitive nuclear site, as it was the most suitable roofing membrane for this challenging project.”

While Daniel Devlin of Designed Roof Systems said: “I would happily recommend Decothane Ultra, as it’s an excellent product, applying it is even easier and the odour is hard to detect. This makes it the ideal choice for sensitive areas which are highly populated, such as shopping centres, food manufacturers, schools or hospitals.”

Decothane Ultra is available in the UK from Sika Liquid Plastics. For further information visit www.decothaneultra.co.uk or call the Enquiry Line on 01772 259781

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Hat-trick of Encon companies notch up a brace of certifications

Hat-trick of Encon companies notch up a brace of certifications

Three members of the Encon Group have gained two internationally recognised certifications.

Pictured from left: Will Barker and Richard Prince

The Encon Group has achieved a brace of performance standards.

Specialist distributors Encon Insulation and Nevill Long and passive fire-protection manufacturer PFC Corofil have gained the environmental standard ISO 14001:2004 AND the Occupational Health and Safety standard OHSAS 18001:2007.

This was achieved in just five months across all of the group’s 21 sites and its Head Office from the UKAS-accredited body NQA using an integrated management system some 15 years after Encon became the first national insulation distributor to gain the quality standard ISO 9001 across all its sites.

Encon Insulation was founded more than 30 years ago with the aim of providing energy-saving solutions to customers so ISO 14001 was a logical progression. The Encon name also derives from Energy Conservation.

Group systems and quality manager Richard Prince is tasked with ensuring it meets its KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for the next three years in terms of reducing commercial fuel usage by 5% and increasing the recycling of waste.

Group Health and Safety manager Will Barker has been instrumental in a drive to make reductions in 3 key areas. This has resulted in 2013/14 seeing lost work time incidents reduce by 29%, lost working days by 42% and RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) incidents by 57%. Another positive note was an improvement in the way the company are reporting potential incidents, thus helping to reduce future injuries.

Encon’s chief operating officer John Bedford said: “Gaining these certifications forms a key part of our distributor and employer of choice strategy, showing the industry and our employees our commitment to Health, Safety and the environment and the values embodied in these standards.

“The fact that we achieved certification in a relatively short time bears testimony to the high standards that each site operates to and the engagement of every employee involved in the process. The work now starts to ensure we continually look to raise our standards and share best practice across the business to the benefit of our customers, suppliers and employees.”

For further information, please visit www.encon.co.uk/

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Jutland Slates installed on Somerset homes

Jutland Slates installed on Somerset homes

Jutland fibre cement slates from Cembrit have been installed on a development of innovative ‘heritage-styled’ new homes in Somerset. Built by Redrow Homes, the development is located on the outskirts of Wellington in the County, and the Jutlands have been installed on 33 of the 112 new build homes to help achieve an Arts and Crafts inspired traditional exterior for each property.

The Bagley Green development is in an idyllic semi-rural location, close to the Blackdown Hills, as well as Exeter and Taunton. The development consists of two, three, four and five bedroom homes from Redrow’s New Heritage Collection. North Roofing of Somerset used Jutland slates to ensure the project achieved the desired architectural and period detail for the property.

“Jutland is an attractive looking fibre cement slate that combines traditional appearance with contemporary performance,” says Warren from North Roofing. “Furthermore, it is easy to install which is particularly important on a housing development where any weaknesses in a product will be exposed. Jutland was the perfect slate for this project as it has been for many of our other similar jobs.”

Cembrit’s decades of expertise mean that their Jutland slates are created with a smooth surface which creates an aesthetically pleasing finish. They are also lightweight, pre-holed and have consistent dimensions. The slates can be cut with hand tools – all that is required is a scribe and straight edge – and no power tools with associated dust suppression equipment are necessary. Jutland slates are manufactured to the highest European standards and are suitable for all types of projects. The slate is easy to handle and install, it is durable and offers an economic alternative to natural roofing materials.

For further information, please visit cembrit.co.uk

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Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital Improve Access with Axis

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital Improve Access with Axis

The ongoing refurbishment programme at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital identified a set of emergency exit doors on the Holly Suite Cardiac Day Care Unit being regularly used as a delivery point for supplies and exit for waste materials. The doors were not automated which made it difficult to move trolleys through the doorway and left them prone to damage, both cosmetic and functional.

Discussions with Axis Automatic Entrance Systems of Northampton led to the replacement of the old doors with a set of half glazed aluminium doors automated with Axis ax85 Universal swing door operators. These allow push button operation to open the doors from the inside of the building with a delayed action setting allowing ample time for users to pass through the doorway before they automatically close to maintain security and fire protection. From the outside door operation is initiated by a magnetic card reader which restricts access to authorised users.

The name ax85 comes from the 85mm height dimension of the unit making it one of the neatest systems on the market. The universal qualities of the ax85 drive system derive from its electro-mechanical construction and its modular design. When the door drive motor operates, it simultaneously tensions a spring integrated in the drive housing. The closing movement uses energy stored in the spring, which, if necessary, is motor assisted.

Optimum power deployment is achieved in the entire door swing area, even without motor assistance. This moves the door reliably to its end position and also complies with the norms and standards of current safety requirements. The ax85 is approved as a hold-open system for fire protection barriers and can be used with various fire-protection profile systems.

Elsewhere on the site, a pair of swing doors on the ambulance entrance to the Critical Care Unit was causing problems. The old operators installed by another company some years ago were failing to cope with the strong winds that regularly blow directly onto the doors of that part of the building. This time Axis recommended a single leaf Stanley Dura-Glide sliding door system that opens automatically when the monitored safety and activation (combined) sensors detect an approaching ambulance crew or other user.

The new sliding door is not affected by the local wind and shuts securely every time. The sliding configuration also maintains clear access to a store area that was previously reduced by the operation of the old swing doors.

Axis Automatic Entrance Systems also supply, install and maintain a wide range of folding doors, bypass doors and bifolding doors. The range includes doors for specialist installations such as hospital intensive care units as well as shopfronts, curtain walling, security roller shutters, turnstiles, car park barriers and architectural ironmongery. Complete access control systems can also be supplied and installed.

Axis employs ADSA Authorised Technicians (Automatic Door Suppliers’ Association) for the specification, supply, installation and maintenance of automatic door operators as per the guidelines of EN16005 (formerly BS7036:1996 – Code of Practice for safety at powered doors for pedestrian use).

For further information call 0844 504 6525, email sales@axisautomatic.com or visit www.axisautomatic.com

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Gebrik System Awarded BBA Certificate

Gebrik System Awarded BBA Certificate

Aquarian Cladding Systems Ltd announced today that the wide range of applications of its Gebrik Insulating Brick Cladding System has been recognised by the British Board of Agrément (BBA) with the inclusion of an additional product sheet within its existing BBA certificate 07/4403.

The new product sheet covers the use of the innovative brick cladding system onto lightweight steel frame systems (SFS), timber frame and structural insulated panel (SIP) systems up to a height of 18 metres, and for use on SFS over 18 metres in accordance with the recent successful BR135: Annex B fire test, carried out at the Building Research Establishment (BRE). This is in addition to the certification for use onto clay and concrete masonry buildings, which has been held for over 10 years.

The system was subject to rigorous evaluation by the BBA across a range of factors, including thermal performance, strength and stability, behaviour in relation to fire, the risk of condensation and durability. The certificate confirms that when correctly installed, used and maintained, Gebrik satisfies or contributes to satisfying the relevant requirements of the Building Regulations (in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), the CDM Regulations (2007) and the NHBC Standards (2014).

Upon receiving the certificate from BBA Chief Executive Claire Curtis-Thomas, Paul Richards, Aquarian Cladding’s Managing Director, said: “As the UK’s most recognised independent assessment and testing authority, the BBA is respected throughout the industry so we and our manufacturing partner Isosystems are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this addition to our certificate.

“Gebrik is the only off-site manufactured, insulating brick cladding system to be backed by a BBA Certificate, reinforcing its position as the best-tested system on the market. The BBA award follows earlier successful testing of Gebrik both for weather-tightness with the CWCT and fire performance with the BRE.”

Already proven in a wide range of education, residential, commercial and healthcare applications throughout the UK, the Gebrik insulating brick cladding system delivers significant operational, performance, construction and aesthetic benefits. For more details, visit www.aquariancladding.co.uk or call the company’s support team on 0844 334 0077.

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Aico – making sheltered housing safer

Aico – making sheltered housing safer

Aico, UK’s market leader in domestic mains powered Fire and Carbon Monoxide (CO) detection, has developed an innovative product to solve a safety issue facing people in sheltered housing and other vulnerable people that use Telecare/Warden Call Systems.

Telecare/Warden Call Systems are commonplace in dwellings for vulnerable people and are an important tool to let people live independently in a safe environment – but in most situations they are not connected with the Smoke and CO alarms in the property.

The new Ei414 Fire/CO Alarm Interface provides a dedicated connection between Aico Smoke and CO alarms and Telecare/Warden Call Systems, enabling an emergency signal to be transmitted directly to that system if fire or CO is detected.

The Ei414 is a flexible device that interconnects Aico RadioLINK Smoke, Heat and CO alarms with most new and existing Telecare/Warden Call Systems. The connection to the Telecare/Warden Call Systems can be made wirelessly with Radio Frequency (RF) signals using RF Universal Transmitters, if available, as part of the Telecare/Warden Call Systems, or via hard wiring directly between the two devices.

As the Ei414 is a RadioLINK device and links to Aico RadioLINK Smoke, Heat and CO alarms wirelessly, it brings all the advantages of a wireless interconnect alarm system; these include far less disruption during installation, increased tenant compliance, more flexible coverage and greatly reduced installation time as a result of RF signal, rather than hard wired, alarm interconnection.

The Ei414 can be powered directly from the mains or from a 12-24V DC supply, from the Telecare/Warden Call Systems for example, and has built-in tamper-proof rechargeable Lithium Cells which will power the device in the event of any mains failure.

Exceptionally easy to use, the Ei414 features a removable key with three settings: On, Off and Test. When ‘On’ the Ei414 responds to an alarm signal from House Coded RadioLINK Aico Smoke, Heat or CO alarms, and switches the relevant ‘Fire’ or ‘CO’ relay contacts to trigger the Telecare/Warden Call Systems. LED indicators provide visual confirmation of mains power and fire or CO alarm activation. The ‘Off’ setting stops all fire and CO alarm triggers being sent to the Telecare/Warden Call Systems, which is particularly useful if a property becomes vacant. The ‘Test’ setting allows a responsible person such as a Warden or Fire Engineer to test the entire system, which would include a signal being transmitted to the Telecare/Warden Call Systems.

“The Ei414 has been developed in response to a need identified whilst working in close proximity with the social housing sector,” explains Neal Hooper, Director of Aico. “The challenge has been to solve a problem that falls in between two specifiers within the same department – one for smoke alarms and another for the Telecare/Warden Call Systems. We are encouraging these two specifiers to work together and call on the expertise of our highly trained Regional Specification Managers to explain the benefits of joining the two systems together and demonstrate how simple it is to install and use the product.”

The Ei414 Fire/CO Alarm Interface from Aico comes complete with a full five year guarantee and has RF performance to EN 300220-1 and EMC performance to EN 301489-1.

Aico is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ei Electronics and is the first name in residential fire protection in the UK. All alarms are designed and built in Europe specifically to meet UK standards and regulations. For more information, please visit www.aico.co.uk.

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Smile, you work in the construction industry!

Smile, you work in the construction industry!

A recent survey by the Construction Industry Council aimed to find out if people are satisfied working in the industry. The results suggest overwhelming positivity across the sector.

734 people responded to the survey, out of which 83% said that they are proud to be part of our industry. Only 4% claim that they are not, 9% are unsure. (3% chose not to answer.) Perhaps more impressively, 62% of respondents had been in the industry for over 10 years – showing that even difficulties and challenges faced over recent years have not deterred them from continuing within their positions. The general message taken from the results was a good one, with the majority of people involved believing that the construction industry plays a vital role in the UK; their job directly influencing this. 55% of people felt that their job was inspiring.

Despite such a large amount of people reporting a great deal of job satisfaction, only 74% of people said that they would recommend working in their industry to others. This is for a few reasons:

  • The lack of flexible working practices sometimes make it hard for both genders to progress equally within their field whilst simultaneously starting a family
  • Poor communication between professionals can cause stress and frustration throughout the process of construction
  • Many feel that not enough is currently being done in the name of sustainability. Refurb and renew is currently not getting the attention in the industry that people feel it deserves.

Another issue was brought to light by the survey – the quality of training and education within the sector, which could potentially be contributing to the current skills crisis. It seems widely accepted that relevant training needs to improve in order to better prepare newcomers to the industry so that they have maximum opportunity to experience success throughout their career.

CIC chairman, Tony Burton made a statement about the results, saying “I congratulate the CIC2050 Group on this excellent piece of work. As we strive to adopt new working practices, brought about by new technologies and by economic, sustainability and climate change imperatives, we must be receptive to new ideas. This survey has been informed by a broad and deep cross section of the construction industry workforce; it contains important insights; we do well to take note of what it has to say.”

The CIC continue to collate important data and statistics and aim to share them with industry professionals, giving them much better visibility and understanding of their working environment.

Published on 30/10/2014

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Crewe to house HS2 “superhub” station

Crewe to house HS2 “superhub” station

An announcement was made yesterday by HS2 chairman David Higgins that Crewe would be proposed to the government as the desired home for a large HS2 train station. The station will apparently be built and operational by 2027; five years earlier than planners initially envisioned.

HS2 will cut the journey time from Crewe to London to 55 minutes, a significant improvement on the current duration of approximately 1hr30m. This improvement is intended to make it easier for businesses and people to get where they need to be, creating a sense of accessibility across the UK.

News of the station has met critical acclaim by council leaders across the county, as the Superhub will reportedly produce 64,000 jobs and boost annual economic output in the region by £3.5bn. Crewe will become a key interchange between HS2 and the regional rail network, easily connecting it to Liverpool, Chester, Stoke, Shrewsbury, and North Wales. This will supposedly widen people’s employment opportunities and help close the North/South divide.

Chairman of South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce, John Dunning says “It will deliver immediate benefits for the whole of the North West in particular, South Cheshire and our neighbours in Staffordshire.” He also expressed his own personal approval of the plan, saying “it’s great for the economy and all the people who live in the area. A new beginning for a town famed for rail travel.”

Published on 29/10/2014

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RCI show 2014

RCI Show 2014

The RCI show is taking place at the Ricoh arena in Coventry today and tomorrow. After many requests from members of the roofing, cladding and insulation industry the sector now has a fantastic platform, where exhibitors can show their new products/services and benefit from the RCI’s comprehensive marketing program.

Over 100 companies will be exhibiting throughout the course of today and tomorrow, which will mean that the show is bound to have something that is of interest to you.

Supported by SUG, NFRC and Waverley Communications, a solid foundation has been laid to ensure that the RCI Show can go from strength to strength for many years to come.

@BuildSpecifier will be visiting the show tomorrow and tweeting highlights from the event. Be sure to follow us to keep up to date.

To see a full list of exhibitors click here.

Published on 29/10/2014

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Chernobyl: The elephant in the room

Chernobyl: The elephant in the room

The structure designed to contain the crumbling casing surrounding the dangerous ruins of reactor 4 takes another great leap forward in its uncertain journey to completion. It has now been announced that the second half of the structure was completed on Friday.

Once completed, the mega structure (coined ‘the New Safe Confinement’) will stand at 360ft tall, 541ft long and 853ft wide. Its frame is constructed from a lattice of steel tube sections built on two longitudinal concrete beams – weighing in at an impressive 30,000 tons. To put that into context, it will be almost 4 times the height of Big Ben, over the length of two professional football pitches and nearly as wide as two Westminster Abbey’s. Not to mention a weigh equating to a herd of approximately 6667 fully grown Elephants!

Plans to create a new container to house the poor, leaky structure of the original makeshift sarcophagus were made as early as 1992, but construction work didn’t actually begin until September 2010. Since then it has consistently been plagued by funding issues. The cost of the entire plan is estimated to be €2.15bn, or £1.7bn. A construction such as this has never needed to be built anywhere else in the world, or had such costly obstacles and issues that needed to be addressed throughout every stage of construction.

The structure is comprised of two separate sections and is being built at a safe distance from the reactor, so as not to put the workers at prolonged risk of radiation exposure. The building implements two heavy duty cranes on rails that, once finished, will slide the New Safe Confinement into place over the ruins of the reactor. It will purportedly be tornado-proof and will stand efficiently and safely for 100 years. It will also contain all the equipment required to deconstruct the old structure from within, as well as the damaged reactor.

Weather-permitting, the two main structures will be joined (off-site) by the end of this year. There is still a lot of work to be done until the structure is completed and can be positioned in its final destination. The official date for completion is now the end of 2017; a two year extension on the original date given of 2015. This is because the project is reportedly currently running short of money, €600m behind by the end of the year, to be exact. Also casting a dark shadow over the project are proposed government sanctions that will freeze construction work within the Ukraine; all alarming obstacles that could potentially trip the Chernobyl Shelter Implementation Plan on its rocky road to success.

On 26th April 1986, during a safety check, reactor 4 of the Chernobyl power plant experienced a meltdown that could not be contained. As a result, it is estimated that more than 100,000 people have died as either a direct result of fallout or from subsequent radiation-related illnesses. It is also estimated that over £111.7 billion worth of damage was caused by the disaster. These astounding figures prove that regardless of who is considered responsible for the accident, cleaning up Chernobyl is of worldwide concern. If another reactor had blown during the meltdown, Chernobyl could have rendered the whole of Europe uninhabitable. 

Just as an elephant never forgets, it is imperative that neither do we – As you read this the old sarcophagus is crumbling, threatening to release 200 tons of radioactive material into the environment. All eyes are on the Ukraine as they painstakingly press forward, working tirelessly on arguably the most important structure of the 21st Century.

Published on 28/10/2014

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