Building News is an information portal for all professional building specifiers. Here you can find all of the latest construction news from around the UK and the rest of the world.

Multi-million-pound water treatment works

Plans are being developed for a new multi-million-pound water treatment works in Dumfries and Galloway.

Scottish Water says the new works near Boreland will ensure it can “continue to provide clear, fresh, high-quality drinking water to 40,000 households and businesses in Lockerbie, Annan, Dumfries and the surrounding area, now and in the future”.

The existing Black Esk Water Treatment Works was built in the mid-eighties and supplies up to 21.6 million litres of water each day, the equivalent of nearly nine Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Scottish Water said the site would “utilise innovative, new water treatment technologies” and would be “built by specialist teams in Scotland using some offsite construction techniques to cut construction times, disruption, and carbon”.

The new works will be located on land adjacent to the existing works, within an area of commercial woodland.

It will be supplied by raw water from Black Esk reservoir through existing pipework and infrastructure.

Stewart Smolarek, Scottish Water’s Project Manager said: “The new works will use the latest state-of-the-art ceramic membrane treatment to provide high-quality, fresh drinking water that meets the needs of present and future generations.

“An advantage of this type of technology is the ability to build parts of the kit off-site to reduce the amount of onsite construction, it takes less time to build and cuts carbon costs.

“We will also be looking to include renewable energy sources at the site and to offset the delivery of energy used to help Scottish Water reach its ambitious zero carbon target.”

Scott Fraser, Corporate Affairs Manager at Scottish Water said: “We are now starting the detailed design process and have engaged with those living closest to help us gather local knowledge and feedback before any planning applications are submitted.

“Through this engagement, we have begun the process of reviewing the size and layout of the new building and are reviewing the potential site entrance.

“Our priority is to minimise disruption and work with local residents and the community throughout the development and delivery of this project.”

Preparatory felling on the commercial woodland started in February to understand the ground conditions.

As compensatory planting, Scottish Water has committed to planting nearly 3,200 broadleaved trees at Ettrick, about 20 miles away, by the end of March.

A further two hectares of native broadleaved woodland will be planted at Black Esk by the end of 2026 to replace the commercial woodland felled to facilitate the new works.

Source: itvX

/0 Comments/by

Committed to Specification

GEZE UK has demonstrated its commitment to specifiers and architects with the recent appointment of Alex Flokkas who joins the renowned manufacturer of door and window control systems as Specification Manager covering the south of England.

 

Alex will focus on collaborating with and supporting architects and end users providing technical solutions for all GEZE products, ensuring compliance with all the latest legislation and regulations. He will be the first point of contact at all stages of the specification process.

 

With over 20 years in the construction industry with a focus on windows, doors and the glazing sector Alex brings a wealth of knowledge. Previously he has assisted architects, contractors and end users with high-end prestigious projects from residential new builds to Grade I or Grade II listed buildings.

 

Said Alex

‘I am excited to join a global and well-established company which is 160 years’ strong. GEZE’s work culture and values are key to its success and I am thrilled to join a business that mirrors my own values and principles.

 

Richard Richardson-Derry, National Specification Manager added

‘It’s great to have Alex join the team; he has vast experience in the industry. He will be a great asset to the company and an important part of the company’s continued growth.’

 

CLICK HERE

For more information about GEZE UK’s comprehensive range of automatic and manual door and window control products

 

 

 

/0 Comments/by

DELAYS, UNCERTAINTY AND A LOOMING GENERAL ELECTION BURDEN ALL STRANDS OF UK ENERGY MARKET

 

Chris Goggin looks at the current state play in the UK energy , heating and hot water provision marketplace

 

 

 

Commercial heating and hot water provision sectors currently exist in a state of uncertainty in relation to customer costs, outside investment, future direction and implementation of national legislation that encourages decarbonisation. Further turbulence will be exacerbated by the certainty of a UK general election and a possible change of government which could signal a redrafting of national energy policy.

Over a year the current UK government and opposition parties have reneged on several ecological pledges and appears to have lost momentum in implementing national decarbonisation. Shifts in policy has resulted in creating confusion for investors inside the UK energy market. And, in the meantime, life goes on as the population still requires heating and hot water provision, through new build and replacement. UK national energy acquisition, property regulations and UK gas boiler manufacture are areas of the UK energy market that have experienced recent reversals in terms of active or in-coming legislation.

One of the UK’s biggest insurance company’s – Aviva – was quoted in The Times as saying: “the government increasingly focuses on short-term energy security over long-term sustainability.”

As European and American big business have embraced large renewable projects, UK political indecision, ever rising global energy costs and the question of supply security has led to a lack of investment within large scale UK renewable projects. Also published in the same Times article as above, Aviva believe that “the recent dilution in government net zero targets is an even bigger challenge and creates uncertainty.”

The Energy Transition Readiness Index 2023 is a measurement of a regions ability to transition towards NetZero. It is a report compiled for potential investors to evaluate a country’s viability towards profiteering from renewable electricity. The latest report   believes that investors will only be attracted towards UK projects if they can observe clear and succinct governance as well as regulatory stability. Presently there is not enough evidence of either to entice outside capital investment.

The UK government has had to offer £800 million to support new offshore wind farms as the amount of capital incentives offered in the previous round of CfD offshore wind auctions failed to attract a single bid.

 Concurrent with this is the MEES situation. These are regulations which ensure that all buildings are in ownership of an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) with an “E” as its lowest rating. Further amendments drafted in 2021 aimed for Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards to be raised to “D” in 2025 and “C” in 2030.

This would have meant that landlords who privately own and rent property across the UK would have had to legally meet energy efficiency standards to continue renting to customers.

However, the UK government has scrapped these plans as implementation would have meant extra costs to both landlord and property rental customer. A redrafting of MEES regulations is expected and will likely impose clean energy standards on rented property.

Also, there is the ‘ban’ on gas boilers being installed at off-grid sites has been lengthened from 2026 to 2035. The “boiler tax” has also been delayed. This proposed tax system would have been imposed on gas boiler manufacturers that failed to substitute several percentage points of boiler sales for heat pump sales, resulting in a £3,000 fine for each missed installation.

A potential new government later this year could also introduce further change to the UK energy market by way of a new direction in policy and cost. As one observer said about the current parlous state of play in the UK now as being akin to ‘all the runners are lined up for a sprint start to a very quick finish line’.

Specifiers, contractors, installers and UK property owners should seek manufacturers of hot water and heating products that can offer a wide range of appliances in the variety of energy vectors to produce low carbon solutions for all residential, industrial and commercial properties. It is likely that the UK will hold on to natural gas for the moment whilst purposely manoeuvring different energies and production into play on a mass scale – be they wind, solar, DME, BioLPG.

CLICK HERE

TO VISIT THE RINNAI BLOG PAGE AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE RINNAI NEWSLETTER TODAY

 

 

RINNAI’S H3 DECARBONISATION OFFERS PATHWAYS & CUSTOMER COST REDUCTIONS

FOR COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND OFF-GRID HEATING & HOT WATER DELIVERY

www.rinnai-uk.co.uk/about us/H3

Rinnai’s H3 range of decarbonising products include hydrogen / BioLPG ready technology, hybrid systems, and a wide range of LOW GWP heat pumps and solar thermal. Also, within Rinnai’s H3 range is Infinity hydrogen blend ready and BioLPG ready continuous flow water heaters which are stacked with a multitude of features that ensure long life, robust & durable use, customer satisfaction and product efficiency.

Rinnai’s range of decarbonising products – H1/H2/H3 – consists of heat pump, solar, hydrogen in any configuration, hybrid formats for either residential or commercial applications. Rinnai’s H3 range of products offer contractors, consultants and end users a range of efficient, robust and affordable decarbonising appliances which create practical, economic and technically feasible solutions. The range covers all forms of fuels and appliances currently available – electric, gas, hydrogen, BioLPG, DME solar thermal, low GWP heat pumps and electric water heaters.

Rinnai H1 continuous water heaters and boilers offer practical and economic decarbonization delivered through technological innovation in hydrogen and renewable liquid gas ready technology.

Rinnai’s H1 option is centred on hydrogen, as it is anticipated that clean hydrogen fuels will become internationally energy market-relevant in the future; Rinnai water heaters are hydrogen 20% blends ready and include the world’s first 100% hydrogen-ready hot water heating technology.

Rinnai H2 – Decarbonization simplified with renewable gas-ready units, Solar Thermal and Heat Pump Hybrids. Rinnai H2 is designed to introduce a practical and low-cost option which may suit specific sites and enable multiple decarbonisation pathways with the addition of high performance.

Rinnai H3 – Low-GWP heat pump technology made easy – Rinnai heat pumps are available for domestic and commercial usage with an extensive range of 4 – 115kW appliances.

Rinnai’s H3 heat pumps utilise R32 refrigerant and have favourable COP and SCOP.

Rinnai is a world leading manufacturer of hot water heaters and produces over two million units a year, operating on each of the five continents. The brand has gained an established reputation for producing products that offer high performance, cost efficiency and extended working lives.

Rinnai’s commercial and domestic continuous flow water heaters offer a limitless supply of instantaneous temperature controlled hot water and all units are designed to align with present and future energy sources. Rinnai condensing water heaters accept either existing fuel or hydrogen gas blends. Rinnai units are also suited for off-grid customers who require LPG and BioLPG or DME.

Rinnai products are UKCA certified, A-rated water efficiency, accessed through multiple fuel options and are available for purchase 24/7, 365 days a year. Any unit can be delivered to any UK site within 24 hours. Rinnai offer carbon and cost comparison services that will calculate financial and carbon savings made when investing in a Rinnai system. Rinnai also provide a system design service that will suggest an appropriate system for the property in question. Rinnai offer comprehensive training courses and technical support in all aspects of the water heating industry including detailed CPD’s. More information can be found on Rinnai’s website and its “Help Me Choose” webpage.

Visit www.rinnai-uk.co.uk

for more information on the RINNAI product range

Or email engineer@rinaiuk.com 

 

 

/0 Comments/by

HARDIE® ARCHITECTURAL PANEL CHOSEN FOR GO MODULAR PROJECT

Beam Contracting, the high-end construction firm, has chosen to utilise the Hardie® Architectural Panel, a product from James Hardie, the world leader in the manufacture of high-performance fibre cement and fibre gypsum building solutions, as part of its construction of ten modular flats in Poole in conjunction with Go Modular Technologies (UK) Ltd, the modular building manufacturer.

The decision to choose the Hardie® Architectural Panel was based on the fact that it is easy to install and delivers a cost effective, low maintenance solution with the assurance of an A2 fire rated performance.  Vivalda, the independent distributor of cladding panels, supplied the materials for the project, fabricating the panels in phases to coincide with the construction schedule.  Smooth sand, one of the available textures, was chosen to match the planning specification in three of the core panel colours (Arctic White, Anthracite Grey and Cobblestone), giving the project a modern and contemporary look, and reflecting the coastal location.

 

Steve Hawes, Project Director at Beam Contracting commented:

“This was the first time that we’ve used the Hardie® Architectural Panel and we were really pleased with how easy it was to install – so much so that we have subsequently added the panel as a standard specification option for Beam Contracting.”

Lee Bucknall, UK Sales Manager at James Hardie, added:

“Modular buildings are becoming an increasingly popular solution providing construction firms and clients with lower project costs, sustainability benefits and significantly reduced build times. Hardie® Architectural Panel is perfectly suited to supporting modular building methods providing a sustainable solution that is durable and easy to install.”

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE WEBSITE

 

 

 

 

/0 Comments/by

SOLAR FARM BID INVITATION

Oldham Council is inviting businesses to tender for a £1.2 million contract to deliver a major new solar farm in the borough.

The site at Wrigley Head, Failsworth, is the council’s first solar farm and is a key project in our Green New Deal – our strategy to make Oldham Council buildings carbon neutral by 2025, followed by the whole borough by 2030.

We’ve now launched a tender process, inviting interested businesses to design, build, operate and maintain the 1MW site for 20 years.

Cllr Abdul Jabbar MBE, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Resources, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for green technology businesses to get involved in a pioneering project in Greater Manchester.

“The solar farm will create green energy which is capable of creating enough electricity to power the equivalent of around 750 homes at one time.

“It will transform the land, which was previously a derelict site, giving it a new sustainable purpose which will boost the environment and biodiversity. It will also reduce our reliance on fossil fuels giving the council cheaper energy bills that stay low – unlike gas prices, meaning we have more money to spend on front-line services.

“We were the first council in the UK to adopt a Green New Deal and we are aiming to be the greenest borough in Greater Manchester.

“This new solar farm is just one of many green projects we have planned, and an added plus is that it will be the first subsidy-free local authority owned solar farm in Greater Manchester.

“This is your chance to play a key role in this exciting programme.”

With construction planned to start in September, the council requires a contractor who can review the outline design for the ground-mounted solar PV array and improve upon it, taking into account developments in new technology and any other factors. The new design will need to be agreed with the council, planning authority and any other key stakeholders.

Following this, the contractor will then construct, operate and maintain the installation for up to 20 years. The net value of the contract is £1.2m.

Interested parties can view the tender documents on the council’s procurement portal The Chest at www.the-chest.org.uk

/0 Comments/by

Removing the Roadblocks to 3D Housing in Texas

Images: Icon

 

Over the last few years, several new startups have promised to build better homes using less labor, time, money, and materials — all with the help of a piece of technology: a 3D printer.

But amid this quest to alleviate the US housing crisis, the nascent 3D printing construction industry has continued to face major roadblocks.

A construction-tech startup in Austin now says it has the solutions.

On Tuesday, Icon announced four products that could help solve for 3D printing construction companies’ biggest pain points: a multi-story printer, a “low-carbon” concrete mix, a digital catalog of designs, and an AI printed-home designer.

In the last few years, startups — and even colleges — have unveiled 3D printed dwellings around the US.

In Virginia, Alquist, a 3D printing construction company, has built three Habitat for Humanity houses using a 3D printer.

In Texas, Icon is now working with construction giant Lennar to build the world’s largest printed neighborhood.

And in Maine, a state university is now scaling up its manufacturing space to increase its production of fully recyclable printed dwellings.

But their lofty goal of mass-producing affordable homes still faces some big problems, including an underdeveloped workforce, the tech’s inefficiencies and limitations, and the sky-high cost of materials and printers.

On the latter note, most construction printers extrude a cement mix. However, concrete is far from being environmentally friendly.

Think of it as a 3D printing home starter kit — starting with Icon’s new printer, Phoenix.

Many 3D printed family homes — including Icon’s previous builds — are single-story, with the only printed components being its walls.

The rest of the house has to be built traditionally.

The “six-degree robotic arm” can create a multi-story building’s foundation, walls, floors, and roof structures without stopping, Melodie Yashar, Icon’s vice president of building design and building performance, told Business Insider.

Jason Ballard, cofounder and CEO of Icon, stated that a Phoenix-built wall systems and foundations are estimated to be about 30% less expensive than conventional homebuilding methods.

Regarding speed, he said the timeline for completing a home’s printed elements could be “twice as fast as traditional construction.”

Despite its widespread use, concrete isn’t great for the environment: The global production of cement, which is an ingredient of concrete, makes up 8% of the world’s carbon emissions, triple the aviation sector’s global output, The Washington Post reported.

Like other cement mixes made for 3D printers, CarbonX would still be fireproof, mould-proof, and insect-proof.

The formula would be available to other homebuilders in April, with more environmentally friendly mixes already in Icon’s pipeline.

“Many times, developers, builders, and city planners come to us and don’t know where to start,” Yashar said. “They don’t know what’s possible in terms of designs or the best product for them.”

To help with this, Icon created Codex, a digital catalog of printed home designs.

Avant-garde, as in some buildings are U-shaped, Yashar said. Others were designed to be “very affordable” — some of the units could be built for $99,000 or less.

To compare, the startup’s first six builds in its upcoming 100-home neighborhood were listed between $476,000 and $566,000.

Developers can then browse this catalog, select their preferred designs, and tap Icon to build these properties.

They can then either send Icon a deposit on the model (if there’s already one ready to purchase) or join a waiting list that would alert them if their ideal design has hit their market.

Some of Icon’s projects, including those at its development in Marfa, Texas — where homes “start in the upper $900,000s,” according to Icon’s website — will be available through Codex.

Yashar said Vitruvius, an AI-based system, was created to “democratize” Icon’s design process. However, the company didn’t say how much it would cost to use the tech, which is still in beta.

When it’s complete, people can use Vitruvius to create floor plans and renderings — while considering requirements like budgets and permits — of their ideal printed residence.

“In the future, I believe nearly all construction will be done by robots, and nearly all construction-related information will be processed and managed by AI systems,” Icon’s CEO said in a release.

Architects could use Vitruvius to “accelerate” the home design process.

“I want to build a better world faster and cheaper,” Icon cofounder in 2022.

Two years later, with the release of this new suite of products, it seems Ballard could still be on track with his goal.

 

Source: Business Insider

 

 

 

 

/0 Comments/by

Groundforce Shorco delivers bespoke solution for major Dublin dig

 

Groundforce Shorco has supplied a bespoke support system for a major excavation in Dublin.

Contractor Bennett Construction is building a new eight-storey campus building in Dublin city centre for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).

Two of the building’s eight storeys are below ground, which means the site is currently occupied by a deep excavation more than 50m long and 30m wide.

Modular hydraulic equipment supplied by Groundforce Shorco is supporting the concrete secant-piled retaining wall while Bennett Construction completes the excavation and installs the reinforced concrete basement slab.

Although the excavation is roughly rectangular in plan, it includes several irregularities that complicate the engineering of the support solution. Lateral forces impose geotechnical loads varying between 215kNm and 300kN/m which are supported by Groundforce Shorco’s MP150 and MP250 hydraulic props via a waling beam comprising the company’s modular Mega Brace system.

However, where the shape of the excavation does not allow the use of standard equipment, bespoke beams and props have been designed and supplied to ensure that all of the concrete secant piles remain fully supported.

Five MP250 props support the middle of the excavation, spanning almost 30m. These props are fitted with 1,220mm-diameter ‘super-tube’ (twice the diameter of standard extension tubes) to increase stiffness and prevent deflection.

Each of the four corners of the excavation is supported by a combination of MP150 and MP250 props in lengths ranging from just over 5m to more than 18m. These props act as knee-braces, supporting the Mega Brace beam at angles of approximately 45o. This arrangement imposes a significant shear force on the retaining wall.

“At certain locations there are very short lengths of retaining wall comprising only a few piles and these are unable to resist the shear from the knee braces,” explains Groundforce Shorco major projects manager Adam Fletcher.

To enable the waling beam to resist the shear at these points, Groundforce Shorco designed bespoke steelwork that was welded to the Mega Brace beam in-situ.

“When the final pile layout was determined we decided to split the frame to suit two levels of propping and designed a bespoke corner brace to follow the pile line and limit the deflection where shear keys could not be used,” explains Adam.

Chiara Morena, Groundforce Shorco design manager, said:

“In standard procedures, the props are located against the retaining wall using gallows brackets. These not only ensure the correct positioning of the prop but also carry its unsupported weight and prevent any risk of slippage. On this project, only the hard secant piles could be used for supporting the beam via gallows brackets and that was an additional challenge. Once a partial built wall was provided, we had to verify the anchored connection of the gallows brackets for each beam extension around the excavation.

“However, due to the difference in level in the RCSI excavation, one of the MP250 props is installed at a 3o angle to the horizontal which introduces an upward force at the higher end of the prop as it is braced against the waling beam. To counteract this, we installed an additional gallows bracket upside down, in non-standard fashion, above the prop at this point.”

Adam added: “Groundforce Shorco became involved when the design was at a very early stage and contributed to several revisions before the design was finalised, which also gave the opportunity to have a full picture of what was happening around the design. The bespoke solutions provided where the standard kit was not suitable are one of our strengths.”

Damien Watson, project manager with Bennett Construction, commented:

“Groundforce Shorco provided continuous assistance after completing the design and during the installation and removal phases. They even helped with elements that fell outside their responsibility as a supplier of temporary propping equipment.”

 

VISIT THE GROUNDFORCE WEBSITE

 

 

/0 Comments/by

RINNAI CASE STUDY: HOT WATER HEATING SOLUTION FOR SURREY CARE HOME

RINNAI’S COST EFFECTIVE AND LOWER CARBON

HOT WATER HEATING SOLUTION FOR SURREY CARE HOME

 

A large 72 room care home in Surrey with a 123-person occupancy needed to reduce its operational carbon emissions by 20% but maintain a generous hot water supply during peak periods. The owner-operators also needed to re-structure both the operational costs and energy usage.

The Rinnai Design Team sized this commercial care home site by taking into account the peak periods of hot water usage in the morning and early evening. The Rinnai Design Team provided the customer with three options based on the carbon production, energy usage and operational costs. The new options were also compared  to the existing, traditional storage system.

The options included a Rinnai H1 gas-powered system of three N1600 Continuous Flow Water Heaters. Secondly, a Rinnai H2 hybrid system, made up of two 21kW heat pumps and three continuous flow N1300s. Thirdly a Rinnai H3 all-electric solution that utilizes two 50kW heat pumps and two 48kW E-cylinders.

Over five years the costs of each hot water system were clearly shown:

  • the Rinnai H1 natural gas system is the most cost effective at £52,806.30.
  • the Rinnai H2 hybrid system is at £56,745.84.
  • the Rinnai H3 all electric system amounted to £149,666.32 – The huge gap here is explained by electricity costing around 300% more than gas.

Rinnai’s decarbonising hot water solutions are represented in the colours grey (H3 all electric), orange (H2 hybrid) and blue (H1 natural gas), whilst the currently installed gas system is highlighted in yellow. The first graph demonstrates the operational costs associated with each system.

As reducing 20% of emissions was a key part of the customers ‘must-do’ objectives, all suggested systems are proven to perform to a cleaner standard than the existing traditional system. The Rinnai H1 natural gas, Rinnai H2 hybrid and Rinnai H3 all electric systems offer carbon reductions of 14.9%, 30% and 67.5% respectively.

The following graph depicts the energy savings to be made:

  • the Rinnai H1 natural gas system offers a 14.9% reduction.
  • the Rinnai H2 hybrid system sees a 27.1% reduction.
  • the Rinnai H3 all electrical system yields a 39.7% reduction.

The care home decided that the preferred solution for this particular property would be the H2 hybrid hot water system. The H2 system would offer a reduction in emissions by at least 20%, as well as reducing the initial investment and forecasted operational expenditure by 21.7% and 62.1% respectively, when compared to the H3 all electric system.

Rinnai’s design team offers all UK customers a report and calculations on carbon and cost comparisons to other systems and fuels. For more information on FREE customer services visit Rinnai’s website at: www.rinnai-uk.co.uk.

Rinnai continues to provide UK customers with a variety of low carbon and cost-effective technologies that encourage commercial and domestic decarbonisation. No matter the specific requirements of any site, Rinnai can offer the ideal customer solution.

 

RINNAI’S H3 DECARBONISATION OFFERS PATHWAYS & CUSTOMER COST REDUCTIONS

FOR COMMERCIAL, DOMESTIC AND OFF-GRID HEATING & HOT WATER DELIVERY

www.rinnai-uk.co.uk/about us/H3 

Rinnai’s H3 range of decarbonising products include hydrogen / BioLPG ready technology, hybrid systems, and a wide range of LOW GWP heat pumps and solar thermal. Also, within Rinnai’s H3 range is Infinity hydrogen blend ready and BioLPG ready continuous flow water heaters which are stacked with a multitude of features that ensure long life, robust & durable use, customer satisfaction and product efficiency.

Rinnai’s range of decarbonising products – H1/H2/H3 – consists of heat pump, solar, hydrogen in any configuration, hybrid formats for either residential or commercial applications. Rinnai’s H3 range of products offer contractors, consultants and end users a range of efficient, robust and affordable decarbonising appliances which create practical, economic and technically feasible solutions. The range covers all forms of fuels and appliances currently available – electric, gas, hydrogen, BioLPG, DME solar thermal, low GWP heat pumps and electric water heaters.

Rinnai H1 continuous water heaters and boilers offer practical and economic decarbonization delivered through technological innovation in hydrogen and renewable liquid gas ready technology.

Rinnai’s H1 option is centred on hydrogen, as it is anticipated that clean hydrogen fuels will become internationally energy market-relevant in the future; Rinnai water heaters are hydrogen 20% blends ready and include the world’s first 100% hydrogen-ready hot water heating technology.

Rinnai H2 – Decarbonization simplified with renewable gas-ready units, Solar Thermal and Heat Pump Hybrids. Rinnai H2 is designed to introduce a practical and low-cost option which may suit specific sites and enable multiple decarbonisation pathways with the addition of high performance.

Rinnai H3 – Low-GWP heat pump technology made easy – Rinnai heat pumps are available for domestic and commercial usage with an extensive range of 4 – 115kW appliances.

Rinnai’s H3 heat pumps utilise R32 refrigerant and have favourable COP and SCOP.

Rinnai is a world leading manufacturer of hot water heaters and produces over two million units a year, operating on each of the five continents. The brand has gained an established reputation for producing products that offer high performance, cost efficiency and extended working lives.

Rinnai’s commercial and domestic continuous flow water heaters offer a limitless supply of instantaneous temperature controlled hot water and all units are designed to align with present and future energy sources. Rinnai condensing water heaters accept either existing fuel or hydrogen gas blends. Rinnai units are also suited for off-grid customers who require LPG and BioLPG or DME.

Rinnai products are UKCA certified, A-rated water efficiency, accessed through multiple fuel options and are available for purchase 24/7, 365 days a year. Any unit can be delivered to any UK site within 24 hours. Rinnai offer carbon and cost comparison services that will calculate financial and carbon savings made when investing in a Rinnai system. Rinnai also provide a system design service that will suggest an appropriate system for the property in question. Rinnai offer comprehensive training courses and technical support in all aspects of the water heating industry including detailed CPD’s. More information can be found on Rinnai’s website and its “Help Me Choose” webpage.

Visit www.rinnai-uk.co.uk  

Or email engineer@rinaiuk.com  

CLICK HERE For more information on the RINNAI product range visit

/0 Comments/by

British Gypsum Launches Innovation in BIM Technology

 

British Gypsum, part of Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions, has launched a groundbreaking digital construction tool that enhances the use of its Building Information Modelling (BIM) objects. The first-of-its-kind, cutting-edge technology makes it easier to maintain the golden thread of information and acts as a reliable single source of truth.

 

BIMlocker is a digital solution that provides an additional layer of security and support within British Gypsum systems.  BIMlocker is a free plugin security wrapper that enables users to increase accuracy and accountability across projects. It seamlessly integrates with Revit software, offering enhanced data validation capabilities to mitigate potential risks of specification data corruption, without compromising the design process.

 

Architects, specifiers, and quality controllers will benefit from BIMlocker’s design preservation features. It safeguards the quality, integrity, and accuracy of system performance data, and provides peace of mind that British Gypsum product data remains faithful to the original system test substantiation throughout the design process.

 

Paul French, Head of Digital Construction from British Gypsum said,

 

“Demonstrating compliance, accountability, and integrity has never been more important within our industry. [WL1] Our new BIMlocker software provides reassurance as an invisible layer of security that acts as a valuable aid to construction supply chains in the Building Safety Act era. It eliminates any ambiguity and ensures complete transparency.

 

“Anyone choosing BIMlocker can have complete confidence that they are managing risk in the design process. The supply chain demands accurate and reliable product data, and BIMlocker is the ultimate solution. making it effortless for everyone to uphold the highest standards and to make the right decisions.”

 

British Gypsum is part of Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions and is committed to making a positive change in building design and design for the well-being of its end users. Constant research and development ensure that its solutions meet the current and future performance needs of all buildings, from simple to complex. It is committed to achieving net zero carbon by 2050, with checkpoint targets set by Saint-Gobain for 2030.

 

 

To download BIMlocker, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

/0 Comments/by

Holistic approach to sustainability sets SFS rainscreen brackets above the competition

The complexities and sometime confusions to sustainability in construction put specifiers in a daunting position, with even apparently responsible choices of material – including picking recycled aluminium – leaving a host of questions still to be answered.

 

In an effort to help, SFS has published a series of well researched White Papers on the subject, including ‘Sustainability in aluminium rainscreen subframe solutions,’ with subject areas ranging from the verification of scrap metal streams, through the design of rainscreen system brackets to reuse and end-of-life strategies, explored in detail.

There are some irrefutable facts about aluminium in that it is one of the world’s most recycled materials, but while its reuse consumes only 10%of the energy required for smelting the virgin metal, the widespread use of coal-fired electricity (Far East / China) compared to hydro and other renewable resources, means the aluminium industry still accounts for 2% of global greenhouse gases.  It is also worth noting the recent CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) introduction which places a price on the carbon emitted during the production of carbon intensive products in an effort to limit supplies of intensive carbon products.

Manufacturing products from recycled aluminium is therefore a huge potential win from an environmental viewpoint, but the situation is complicated by the very varied performance characteristics of the different alloys available; with the 6000 series being most relevant here.

 

Magnesium and silicon impart additional strength to the alloy, with 6063 being commonly used in rainscreen systems.  However, the four types of support bracket in the SFS range are produced from the superior 6005 alloy.  Crucially, though in 6005, 100% of the raw material is recycled, which has required the company to create a closed loop supply chain involving certified brokers, to ensure the physical characteristics of the alloy are not threatened by mixing with other scrap.  SFS is also working towards becoming part of the Council for Aluminium in Building’s wider scheme, which brings together the value chain and supports enhanced recycling processes across the industry.

 

The superior strength characteristics of the 6005 alloy compared to the 6063 version. Not only is the 6005 variant’s tensile strength higher, providing it with greater resistance to bending, twisting, or breaking under stress, but it also offers improved yield strength. That means it can withstand higher levels of force without permanently deforming a crucial factor in handling environmental stressors in building applications. The 6005 alloy also excels in terms of fatigue strength, enabling it to endure repeated load cycles over time without failure. These enhanced properties make 6005 aluminium brackets a more durable, reliable, and long-lasting solution for rainscreen systems compared to their 6063 counterparts.

 

The material composition of rainscreen brackets plays a vital role in their thermal performance compared to steel counterparts. Equally significant are their design and engineering; therefore, it is crucial for specifiers to collaborate with a trusted manufacturer in a project’s early stages. This collaboration helps to avert the potential issues of selecting a product that, despite its seemingly lower unit price, may demand a higher number of brackets to support the loads. Consequently, this could adversely affect the installation costs and the overall thermal performance of the system.

 

David Fraser Business Unit Manager of SFS, explains: “We work with our customers to ensure the brackets provide the required loads to match the project demands, and in avoiding over-specifying, we keep down installation costs and reduce the environmental impact by using less material, which is of course itself recycled.

 

“Our Nvelope® Project Builder design tool offers specifiers project specific thermal calculations, together with bracket and rail spacings, plus budget cost per square metre.  Consultants and contractors should avoid concentrating unit cost, as employing more brackets increases thermal bridging and heat loss, leading to thicker insulation being required and the overall installation thickness rising.”

 

In addition to SFS’s support for CAB’s supply chain initiative on sorting and certifying scrap aluminium in the supply chain, the company is fully committed to cutting carbon in construction through improvements in product durability and waste reduction, which will eventually help to achieve a circular economy.  And through the adoption of digitisation, this will not only lead to an extended working life for buildings, but also to the potential reuse for its rainscreen support systems.

 

 

For further information please CLICK HERE

  

OR CALL 0330 0555888

 

/0 Comments/by