Archive for category: Building News

Two seven-storey residential apartment buildings in the cultural and social hot-spot of Cardiff Bay are now protected by evacuation alert systems from UK manufacturer, Advanced.

The EvacGo panels have been installed to meet the criteria set out in the BS 8629 Code of Practice for the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by fire and rescue services in England and Wales.

Situated in Cardiff Bay’s Tiger Quay development, Roath House and Queen Alexandra House are a mix of 73 social and market-rented one and two-bedroom apartments managed by Trivallis, one of Wales’ largest housing associations. Trivallis appointed Cardiff-based, Tremorfa Ltd, to complete the installation, requesting that Advanced’s EvacGo solutions be installed to ensure both residential buildings met the BS 8629 recommendations.

With all Advanced evacuation alert systems custom-manufactured to reflect each individual building’s evacuation zones, Advanced supplied two EvacGo systems to Tremorfa complete with 1-loop card, expandable from four to eight evacuation zones. The two systems were installed alongside a combined total of 63 sounders to provide audible warning to building occupants in the event of an emergency.

Graham Smart, Fire & Security Installation Manager, at Tremorfa Ltd, said: “Having installed Advanced solutions for a number of years, we knew we could depend on its evacuation alert system to meet the requirements of the BS 8629 code of practice. The systems in both apartment buildings are now performing as required and we will be completing the installation of further EvacGo systems at Trivallis’ properties.”

Evacuation alert control and indicating equipment (EACIE) is now strongly recommended in England and Wales for all new tall residential buildings – and is mandatory in Scotland. The EACIE must operate completely independently of fire detection systems and be designed to support any evacuation strategy chosen by the fire and rescue service.

Ken Bullock, Business Development Manager – Evacuation Alert Systems, said: “We are seeing a rapid growth in interest in evacuation alert systems from local housing authorities and private landlords eager to ensure that the safety measures installed in their tall residential buildings meet the latest regulations.

“EvacGo has been built using our industry-leading MxPro 5 fire panel technology and, in developing our solution to meet the BS 8629 Code of Practice, we have consulted with fire industry experts involved in developing the standard. Both Trivallis and the residents of Tiger Quay can now rest easy knowing that they have the latest and most sophisticated fire evacuation equipment installed in their homes.”

BS 8629:2019 is the new Code of Practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by fire and rescue services in England. In place since November 2019, this code of practice recommends the installation of a dedicated evacuation alert system intended for the sole use of the fire and rescue services and separate from the building’s fire alarm system. New high-rise residential developments are among the buildings being prioritised for evacuation alert system installation. Although not yet a legal requirement in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, EACIE installation is already mandatory in new buildings containing flats over 18 metres in Scotland and considered best practice by a number of fire and rescue services.

Advanced, owned by FTSE 100 company Halma PLC, protects a wide range of prestigious and high-profile sites across the globe – from London’s Shard to Abu Dhabi International Airport and the Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macau Bridge.

Advanced is a world leader in the development and manufacture of fire protection solutions. Advanced’s reputation for performance, quality and ease of use sees its products specified in locations around the world, from single-panel installations to large, multi-site networks. Advanced’s products include complete fire detection systems, multiprotocol fire panels, extinguishing control, fire paging, false alarm management and reduction systems as well as emergency lighting.

Halma is a global group of life-saving technology companies with a clear purpose to grow a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day.

For more information please contact: Jeremy Mountain jmountain@advancedco.com +44 (0)345 894 7000

Building product manufacturer IG Masonry Support is the first masonry support manufacturer to achieve carbon neutral status and is on its way to becoming a net zero energy company; the latest stage in IG Masonry Support’s sustainability journey.

A manufacturer of innovative brickwork support systems, IG Masonry Support is leading the way in the Keystone Group, becoming the first company within the group as well as its sector to achieve carbon neutral status. As a Group committed to reducing the environmental impact of all operations, other companies within Keystone are now taking the necessary steps to achieve carbon neutral status.

IG Masonry Support’s achievement feeds into the wider Keystone Group’s commitment to becoming increasingly environmentally responsible and sustainable organisations, through the reduction of carbon emissions.

IG Masonry Support’s sustainability journey began in 2018. Year on year the company has implemented sustainability initiatives including upgrading forklift trucks to electrically operated systems and having 0% waste sent to landfill. Earlier this year, carbon neutral certification was awarded to the company’s B.O.S.S. A1 brick on soffit system product, a goal which formed one of the first steps in the company’s commitment to bringing innovative products to the marketplace in the most sustainable, carbon neutral way.

Speaking of IG Masonry Support’s latest achievement Andy Neal, IG Masonry Support Managing Director said: “We take our environmental responsibility seriously and are making the necessary changes within our business practices to become a net carbon zero company. I am proud that we have now achieved carbon neutral status and are the first masonry support manufacturer in the UK to reach this goal. It is testament to our team’s passion and commitment to operating a sustainable business and to delivering sustainable products and solutions to our marketplace.”

Andy Neal, IG Masonry Support Managing Director on achieving Carbon Neutral status

Amidst many initiatives implemented by IG Masonry Support, such as switching to a 100% renewable energy tariff, the company is continuing to proactively reduce its carbon footprint alongside SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiative) methodology. This methodology drives ambitious climate action in the private sector by enabling companies to set science-based emissions reduction targets. For IG Masonry Support, identifying Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions provided clarity of the environmental impact across all operations and raised opportunities for carbon reductions.

As the company sees its emissions plummet following the SBTi, IG Masonry Support is on track to achieving the 1.5 degree Paris Agreement target, tackling climate change on a global scale.

Going forward, IG Masonry Support will continue to address all areas for improvement with a sustainably-focussed supply chain, helping to source its responsible future. IG Masonry Support pledges to develop products that provide environmentally significant solutions to its customers and end users, amongst other goals including a conversion to 100% electric fleet by 2025.

It will also develop Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for its product portfolio, providing transparent and comparable information about the life-cycle environmental impact of its products. Doing so will empower the business and its people to make and adhere to the changes that are needed to reduce impact on the environment.

igmasonrysupport.com

Global real estate and investment group Lendlease chose commercial heating specialists UnderFloor Climate Management (UFCM) and Instacoustic to improve the flexibility of the heating installation at a prestigious Manchester project.

Lendlease decided to change the original specification for the apartment heating systems across the Potato Wharf development to decrease the required installation time of the underfloor heating.

The final phase of the building in Manchester’s Castlefield is due to be completed this year and includes 191 apartments across two blocks. Lendlease completed the first two blocks, comprising 102 one and two-bed apartments, in 2014.

Instacoustic and UFCM worked with Lendlease on providing an alternative to the original rigid board system.

The project build plan was redesigned around the installation of the Instacoustic cradle and batten system with the UFCM designed Underfloor heating system. This provided construction time benefits to be gained. This also included the time-saving, auto-balancing manifold.  Using patented valve technology, UFCM’s Stainless Steel Auto-Balancing Manifold constantly adjusts each circuit to the desired flow rate, ensuring the underfloor heating system operates with optimum temperature distribution and maximum energy efficiency. The use of the cradle and batten system allows for the work programme to be condensed – which would not have been possible to achieve with a screed system or the specified rigid board system at the Potato Wharf site.

Rachel Smith, General Manager Underfloor Heating at UFCM, said: “We were very happy to be able to help Lendlease improve the efficiency of the construction of this major development.

“The acoustic system was specifically designed by UFCM and Instacoustic to integrate underfloor heating into the floor system at the Potato Wharf development. The auto-balancing manifolds save time on commissioning and will ensure that heat outputs are optimised.”

John Reed, Operations Director of Instacoustic, said: “Fitting the cradle and batten system is less time-consuming than traditional screed systems – as work can be completed more quickly, installation programmes can be more flexible and adapt to the requirements of the overall project priorities.”

 

The versatile cradle and batten system is widely used where pre-completion testing is required in new-build projects.

The systems can be levelled on-site to eliminate variations in the structural floor surface and can accommodate building services. The InstaCoustic cradle provides a route to acoustic compliance to the values set out in Part E of the building regulations.

The unique recycled rubber crumb cradles in the system also contributed towards a more sustainable build for Lendlease at Potato Wharf. The project required more than 80,000 acoustic cradles. Each individual cradle is made from recycled lorry tyres, is 100% acoustically resilient, recycled and re-useable at end of life. Potato Wharf saved 1320 lorry tyres from going to landfill.

Lendlease is renowned globally for designing homes with the finest specifications and finishes. The company recently secured the contract to lead on the refurbishment and partial restoration of Manchester’s grade one-listed Town Hall.

Click here to find out how to get the best technical advice for your project

By James Wilkinson, Gradient Design Team Manager

Age, poor maintenance and deck deflection are among the many causes of roofing failure. When this happens, urgent action is required to prevent costly damage to the building itself. Therefore, which factors need to be taken into consideration when undertaking the refurbishment of an existing flat roof system?

With climate change leading to an increase in extreme weather systems, which have seen four of the UK’s wettest winters take place over a 14-year period since 2006, it focuses the need to ensure a building’s most protective element is correctly designed and installed in order to optimise its long-term performance.

Eliminate ponding

Aside from the visual signs of failure, indications that a roof isn’t performing as it should include rooms within a building feeling too cold in winter or excessively warm in summer. When it comes to a flat roof’s refurbishment, an initial survey is carried out to assess its condition. This will determine what action needs to be taken to ensure it meets industry regulations for energy performance. It will also help achieve the required falls outcome, which is crucial to directing water away from a roof and preventing ponding. A flat roof is typically designed to shed water, not collect it. Failure to address this basic element of a roof’s design could ultimately lead to system failure and structural deflection due to the weight of water collecting on the roof.

Designing for falls

In terms of falls, there are several types of tapered designs which ensure water is effectively dispersed from the roof, the most common being fully-mitred, and straight falls to tapered gutters. “Flat roofs are not flat”, as the saying goes, so in order to eradicate ponding issues, falls on a flat roof should achieve a minimum 1:80 pitch at any point. Gradient is able to manufacture a system that achieves these falls but still meets regulation thermal performance. This is due to its ability to offer a bespoke tapered insulation system that is designed to overcome the backfall in order to prevent water ponding.

Survey calculation

For larger refurbishment projects such as those involving schools, surveys are even more of a necessity. It allows Gradient, for example, to plot where ponding-based deflections have occurred and allow them to design-out future issues by calculating how to achieve constant water movement over a roof, rather than have it disperse and build-up in different areas.

Ask the expert

Ideally, a non-leaking flat roof can be refurbished simply by bonding a new tapered insulation system direct to the existing felt substrate. Again, this is where engaging with a specialist such as Gradient pays dividends, as its teams are not only able to design and manufacture a solution to a client’s precise requirements, the completed system can be transported in its entirety to ensure a time and cost-effective installation that will last the lifespan of the building.

Roof refurbishment isn’t a game of chance; one errant episode in the design or installation process can cost the building’s owner dear in the long-term. Which is why its overall maintenance is best left to the experts; because peace of mind is priceless. 

gradientuk.com

Healthcare and education buildings which will be undergoing boiler repair in the coming months will encounter two unfortunate challenges: poor weather and the coronavirus. With the reliability of electrical and gas supplies put to question, it is important to consider effective temporary measures, as part of a contingency plan, that will assure people’s health and wellbeing will not be put at risk. Temporary heat provider, Ideal Heat Solutions, explains why it is important to utilise impermanent solutions and have a disaster plan in place on sites where health and safety is the main priority.

A supplier such as Ideal Heat is reactive and flexible to the individual needs of education and healthcare facilities who need temporary boilers immediately. Whilst we are always on hand to deliver heat when people need it, in order to bring a site back to its normal function in no time at all and to prevent any unforeseen problems, a contingency plan is the answer. With the onset of colder days ahead of us, this level of assurance – that you can get temporary heat pretty much immediately – pays dividends.

Let’s take a care home as an example. If for instance, the site is to have an upgraded boiler room in the new year, have they considered what might happen should the old boiler break in the meanwhile? In this case, how will a contingency plan help?

With a disaster plan, the site would not only ensure temporary heat could be delivered quickly, it assesses or surveys, how that heat can be installed in the safest way. Every building is different, and the design and sensitivity of healthcare facilities is no exception. From access requirements to the need for enabling works, a contingency plan will ensure all bases are covered and nothing’s missed, so that when the heat is required, installation teams can turn up to site and get it back up and running in a swift timeframe.

It is always worthwhile to highlight which risks have to be controlled, to see what and who will be affected in a worst-case scenario. By pinpointing risk, it will be clearer as to why a contingency plan is needed in the first place. Also bear in mind the risks that are insurable. Always have the necessary financial protection in place to ensure nothing falls between the cracks.

With health and wellbeing critical in education and healthcare facilities now more than ever, rest assured that in an emergency, temporary heat as part of a comprehensive disaster plan can be the hero this winter.

www.idealheatsolutions.co.uk