Archive for category: Building News

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced new measures which go faster and further to improve building safety and in particular with regard to the removal of the combustible cladding that still surrounds many buildings.

Mr Jenrick’s announcement is set to name and shame companies who have not begun the removal of the unsafe cladding from their buildings, but for some the spotlight has swung too late.   The UK Cladding Action Group, created to raise awareness of the problem has said the progress by the government are “simply unacceptable” while John Healey, shadow housing secretary, claims the proposals are “too little, at least two years too late”. He added “Thousands of people continue to live in unsafe homes, condemned to do so by this Government’s failure on all fronts after Grenfell”.

 

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The proposals are published on www.gov.uk and reproduced below:

• Government committed to delivering the biggest change in building safety for a generation
• Housing Secretary announces the new Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive, to be established immediately
• Government sets out clarified and consolidated advice for building owners, proposal to extend cladding ban, update on fire sprinklers
• Response to Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry published
• Building owners who have not taken action to make their buildings safe will be named from next month

The Housing Secretary has warned that the slow pace of improving building safety standards will no longer be tolerated and he has announced measures that go further and faster to ensure residents are safe in their homes.

To give effective oversight of the design, construction and occupation of high-risk buildings – a regulator will be at the heart of a new regime – and established as part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Building owners are responsible for ensuring their buildings are safe and where there is no clear plan for remediation, the government will work with local authorities to support them in their enforcement options.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Jenrick also made clear that from next month he will start to name building owners where remediation has not started to remove unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding from their buildings.

While government action in this area has led to considerable progress to remove unsafe cladding, there are still some building owners who have been too slow to act.

Mr Jenrick confirmed the government will consult on extending the ban on combustible materials to buildings below 18 metres and we will seek views on how risks are assessed within existing buildings to inform future policy.

The package comes as the Prime Minister has written to the chairman of the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, updating him on the government’s response to Phase 1.

The Prime Minister and Housing Secretary also met with bereaved, survivors and residents of the Grenfell Tower fire in Downing Street last week.

Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:

The government is committed to bringing about the biggest change in building safety for a generation.

Progress on improving building safety needs to move significantly faster to ensure people are safe in their homes and building owners are held to account.

 

That’s why today I’m announcing a major package of reforms, including establishing the Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive to oversee the new regime and publishing consolidated guidance for building owners.

Unless swift progress is seen in the coming weeks, I will publicly name building owners where action to remediate unsafe ACM cladding has not started. There can be no more excuses for delay, I’m demanding immediate action.

Today’s package of measures includes:

Building Safety Regulator

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will quickly begin to establish the new regulator in shadow form immediately, ahead of it being fully established, following legislation.

It will raise building safety and performance standards, including overseeing a new, more stringent regime for higher-risk buildings.

With a strong track record of working with industry and other regulators to improve safety, they will draw on experience and the capabilities of other regulators to implement the new regime. Dame Judith Hackitt will chair a Board to oversee the transition.

Chair of the Health and Safety Executive, Martin Temple said:

We are proud the government has asked HSE to establish the new Building Safety Regulator.

HSE’s vast experience of working in partnership with industry and others to improve lives will ensure people are confident the creation of the new regulator is in good hands.

Advice on building safety for multi-storey, multi-occupied buildings

Recent high-rise fires, including that in a block of student flats in Bolton in November 2019, have highlighted that many building owners have still not taken sufficient measures to ensure the safety of residents in buildings at all heights.

The government appointed independent expert advisory panel (IEAP) has clarified and updated advice to building owners on actions they should take to ensure their buildings are safe, with a focus on their external wall systems, commonly referred to as cladding.

This consolidated advice simplifies the language, consolidates previous advice into one place, and – vitally – makes clear that building owners need to do more to address safety issues on residential buildings under 18 metres.

It additionally reflects the independent panel view that cladding material comprised of ACM (and other metal composites) with an unmodified polyethylene core should not be on residential buildings of any height and should be removed.

A call for evidence will also be published, seeking views on the assessment of risks within existing buildings. This important step will help to gather ideas and lead to research which will provide a firm evidence base to guide decisions for both existing buildings and future regulatory regimes.

Fire doors

The consolidated advice also makes clear the actions building owners should take in relation to fire doors.

The government welcomes the commitment by the Association of Composite Door Manufacturers to work with building owners to remediate their doors which failed tests.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that this commitment is followed through.

Remediation of buildings with ACM cladding

To speed up remediation, we will be appointing a construction expert to review remediation timescales and identify what can be done to improve pace in the private sector.

To ensure cost is not a barrier to remediation, the government is considering different options to support the remediation of buildings. We are examining options to mitigate costs for individuals or provide alternative financing routes.

Combustible cladding ban

The government has also launched a consultation into the current combustible cladding ban, including proposals to lower the 18 metre height threshold to at least 11 metres.

Sprinklers

The government’s consultation on sprinklers and other measures for new build flats concluded on 28 November 2019.

We have proposed lowering the height threshold for sprinkler requirements in new buildings and will set out detailed proposals on how the government will deliver the technical review of fire guidance in February.

Fire Safety Bill

The government has also set out further details of the upcoming Fire Safety Bill being introduced to Parliament, which we set out in more detail in our response to the Public Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations.

This will clarify the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 – ‘the Fire Safety Order’ – requiring residential building owners to fully consider and mitigate the risks of any external wall systems and front doors to individual flats.

The changes will make it easier to enforce where building owners have not remediated unsafe ACM by complementing the powers under the Housing Act.

Researchers have developed a nondestructive and noninvasive optical technique that can determine the setting times for various types of cement paste, which is used to bind new and old concrete surfaces. The new method could aid in the development of optimized types of cement with less impact on the environment.

“Our noninvasive optical method characterizes and determines the setting time of cement, which is a very important parameter for the construction industry,” said José Ortiz-Lozano, a member of the research team from Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Tecnológico Nacional de México and Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica, in Mexico. “It can also precisely assess the cement hydration process in real-time. This information is crucial for both the study of physical chemistry and the quantitative characterization of the nanomechanical properties of cement-based materials.”

In the Optical Society’s (OSA) journal Applied Optics, the researchers describe the new method, which combines laser-based technology with an optical model to calculate the dynamic behavior of the cement paste. The researchers show that their approach can accurately calculate both the initial setting time — the time available for mixing the cement and placing it in position — and the final setting time, when the cement reaches its full strength.

“Our group is trying to enhance the performance of cement-based materials, such as cement pastes, mortars and concrete,” said Ortiz-Lozano. “New material characterization methods, such as the one we report here, can be used to improve the behavior and performance of cement by optimizing its constituents. This could lead to new types of cement that use less water and raw materials like limestone and clay, which would make them more environmentally friendly.”

 

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Studying cement with light

Although a variety of techniques exist to study the dynamics of setting cement, they come with various drawbacks such as being destructive, invasive or influenced by human factors. The new method uses the optical properties of cement paste to directly calculate the initial and final cement setting time by measuring the diffuse light that reflects off the cement.

As the cement sets, the diffuse light reflection changes as it reacts with water and the spaces between the cement particles change. The amount of water present and the protective surface layer at each setting stage also influence the diffuse reflection properties. The researchers combined the diffuse reflection measurements with the Kubelka-Munk model, which is used to describe diffuse reflection of opaque samples.

“This new optical method was developed using tools, components and materials common among the optical industry,” said Ortiz-Lozano. “It would be, therefore, quite simple and economic to implement in cement quality control laboratories. It can be applied to any type of cement once the appropriate calibration is performed with the Kubelka-Munk model.”

The researchers applied the new technique to six cement samples and found that the results for all the samples were repeatable and agreed well with measurement techniques commonly used today.

“This laser-based technique gives continuous and accurate assessment of cement hydration process with high repeatability and reproducibility, showing its potential for studying the physical chemistry properties of cement,” said Ortiz-Lozano.

Next, the researchers plan to acquire more data using more types of cement, mortars, concretes as well as additional water to cement ratios and cement pastes that contain chemical and/or mineral admixtures. They are also planning to perform the work required to normalize the method as a standard.

 

Source: Science Daily

 

 

Non-regulation manhole covers may be being installed incorrectly on type III roads on new housing and commercial developments across the UK.

According to the civils and drainage supplies specialist Scott Parnell Ltd. and manufacturer Wrekin, the issue could cost housing developers significant sums to rectify.

The regulations, which were updated as part of Sewers for Adoption (7^th Edition), include a stipulation that manhole covers situated on trunk roads, dual carriageways, A roads, and bus lanes and services, should be 600mm x 600mm with a frame depth of 150mm and should comply to BS EN124, BS7903 and HA104/09* standards.  

 

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Steve Parnell, Director of Scott Parnell, said:

“The updates, which have been in force for quite some time, can be overlooked. Currently, there is a real lack of awareness for what constitutes a correct manhole cover for the purpose. For example, EN124 compliant D400 manhole cover with the correct clear opening and frame depth might be deemed suitable, but it’s not necessarily Highways Agency compliant.”

However, the issue isn’t just the type of manhole covers being used, but also how they are installed.

Wrekin, explained:

“Manhole covers situated in NRSWA road categories I, II and III should be installed using Highways England DMRB HA104/09* compliant bedding mortar. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, this isn’t always happening so we are regularly seeing the groundwork around manhole covers disintegrate over time. This can cause problems in the long term, including surface cracking, as well as more major issues where manhole covers have sunk into the ground creating serious hazards for vehicles that could prove to be catastrophic.”

Scott Parnell and Wrekin have been working together to formulate a solution. In addition to raising awareness of the issue, it is urging housing developers to consider using specified, ‘own-brand’ manhole covers.

Wrekin, continued:

“It is important that housing developers to ensure the correct product is always installed onsite. By manufacturing fully compliant manhole covers that include the developer’s logo on the top side, the developer can specify this product be used onsite, making it instantly recognisable as a compliant product and providing the assurance for the developer, associated contractors and the Highways Agency that it meets the required regulations and that costly rectification work doesn’t have to be carried out. The additional bonus is that the developer’s brand remains visible onsite for its lifetime, even after the project has ended and they have departed.”

While there is still some way to go to ensure compliance is adopted across the board, the hope is that more awareness of the issue will result in better communication among developers, contractors and sub-contractors resulting in fewer replacements having to be carried out and substantial cost savings.

 

Website: www.scottparnell.com

As part of its ongoing commitment to keeping up to carbon neutral standards, XL Joinery, the market-leading supplier of doors and associated products, has announced its support of three inspiring projects throughout 2020. The projects were chosen as a result of a staff vote at the company’s head office.

 

The first project chosen was the Borehole Rehabilitation Project, which helps ensure safe supplies of clean drinking water for local communities in Uganda. The support will help the project identify and repair broken boreholes, thereby lowering the risk of disease by providing clean drinking water. The need for fuel is also lessened as water does not need to be boiled before consumption.

 

XL Joinery will also be supporting the Nanyang Dajing River Solar Cooker Project in China which helps replace 50,000 stoves in the Nanyang region with clean solar cookers. This simultaneously builds a better quality of life for the local community and lessens the impact on the environment.

 

Finally, staff voted to continue support of the Mariposas Hydroelectric Power Project which recycles the unclean waters of the Maule Norte Alto canal in order to generate electricity, replacing traditional gas or coal.

 

David Crossley, Head of the Carbon Neutral team at XL Joinery, commented: “We are so proud to be supporting these projects that not only help to combat climate change and also people who are most at risk. Sustainability is at the forefront of our business and we will continue to pave the way for sustainable business practices in the future.”

 

For more information about XL Joinery, please visit: www.xljoinery.co.uk

 

• Delivers above average coefficient of performance to help reduce a building’s energy consumption and reduce operational costs

• Perfect for hybrid DHW systems that help meet new carbon targets

• Quick and easy to install and then maintain

Hot water and heating specialist Adveco, in partnership with Italian heating manufacturer Cosmogas, introduces the FPi range of commercial-grade Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP). The two variants, the FPi-9 and FPi-13, provide excellent levels of performance, especially throughout the UK’s relatively mild winters.

 

FPi delivers an easy to install method for commercial sites to achieve lower cost water heating or cooling. With sleek looks and quiet operation, the compact monobloc design is capable of providing domestic hot water (DHW) at up to 55°C, or cool water to -7°C for use in fan coils.

 

Bill Sinclair, technical director, Adveco, says, “The FPi range of ASHPs is perfect for combining with a traditional gas water heater and controls to create a hybrid system. Offering better compatibility with existing DHW distribution systems and the demands of higher thermal requirements. This approach provides the versatility to reduce operational costs while maintaining the higher water temperatures demanded by commercial DHW operations. A hybrid system built around the FPi can help businesses meet their carbon targets in the coming decade, while keeping running costs low.”

 

Due to advanced vector control technology that provides accurate response to variable operational cycles throughout the year, the FPi range is able to achieve an above-average coefficient of performance (COP). Ranging up to a very high COP of 4.7, FPi ASHPs can make a real impact on a property’s energy consumption.

 

The FPi range is virtually maintenance free, requiring simple, regular cleaning of the coil and filter. Sensors constantly check pressure and each unit is equipped as standard with frost protection, enabling them to operate effectively with excellent yields even if temperatures drop as low as -25°C.

 

 

Technical Information

 

	FPi-9	FPi-13
Dimensions HxWxD (mm)	753x943x354	1195x1123x400
Weight (kg)	62.5	113
Noise level (dB(A))	56	59
Max. heating capacity (1) (kW)	10.1	12.6
Max. heating capacity (2) (kW)	9.53	11.5
COP min. / max. (1)	4.02/4.65	3.89/4.7
COP min. / max. (2)	3.12/3.55	2.97/3.28
Circuit max. pressure (bar)	42	42
Rated water flow (L/s)	0.43	0.61

 

(1) Heating condition: Water in/out temperature 30°C/35°C. Ambient temperature DB/WB 7/6°C.

(2) Heating condition: Water in/out temperature 40°C/45°C. Ambient temperature DB/WB 7/6°C.

 

About Adveco

With almost 50 years of industry experience, Adveco is the trusted specialist provider of bespoke hot water, heating and power systems to the building services industry. Committed to partnering with its commercial and government customers, Adveco helps create comfortable, efficient, functional, safe and sustainable buildings through invaluable support in the design, supply, commissioning and service of business-critical hot water, heating and power. Headquartered in the UK, the company operates across Europe from offices in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Adveco – Expertly engineered for you. Visit www.adveco.co