Vortice has launched a new single room heat recovery unit which is quiet, efficient, energy saving and anti-allergic thanks to built-in filters preventing the release of pollutants and allergens into the surrounding air.  Easy to install and maintain, the Vort HRW Mono is an ideal alternative to traditional ventilation systems and intermittent fans.  Suitable for recessed installation in outside walls of thickness between 285 and 700 mm, it has a low voltage EC motor-driven fan and five speeds. 

There are two versions of the Vort HRW Mono, manual or RC (remote control), allowing the unit to be turned off and on and the mode of operation to be selected.  The device includes LEDs for filter monitoring and diagnostics. The Vort HRW Mono has three operating modes; ventilation with heat recovery, ventilation with air extraction only and ventilation with air intake only and there is also the option to install temperature and relative humidity sensors.

 

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Sales Manager Paul Gunner said: “We are very pleased to have introduced this single room heat recovery system.  It is already being extremely well received by our customers.”

The Vort HRW unit can also be fitted with an anti-insect mesh which is inserted into the duct and external grid at time of installation.  For more information about this and other heat recovery systems from Vortice visit www.vortice.ltd.uk

 

The RO Group is pleased to confirm they are the first company to have secured Fitwel certification for a building in Hampshire. Fitwel is a healthy building measure that is quickly gaining traction in the UK and Europe, with registered projects in over 35 countries. The building, One Dorset Street in Southampton, is also only the second multi-tenanted building in Europe to have been awarded this certification. The first multi-tenanted building in Europe to have secured Fitwel certification is another of the RO’s buildings: Dakota in Weybridge, Surrey.

Fitwel sets out over 55 evidence-based design and operational strategies that enhance buildings by addressing a broad range of health behaviours and risks. Each strategy was associated with unique point allocations in One Dorset Street, based on the strength of evidence and the demonstrated impact on occupant health in the building. One Dorset Street has received a 2 Star certification, from the 3 Star categorisation.

 

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One Dorset Street has a total floor area of 24,564 sq ft (2,282 m²) and is an architecturally striking stand-alone office space in one of the most prominent parts of Southampton’s main business district. It has been fully refurbished to a very high standard to meet the requirements of the modern office occupier and can be configured to provide office space from 2,992 sq ft to 18,246 sq ft. The office space has a barriered car park and secure, enclosed cycle storage and separate shower and changing facilities. The office includes a new inspirational reception and business lounge area on the ground floor.

David Kershaw, Group Real Estate Director, the RO commented:

“We are very proud to have the first Fitwel certified building in Hampshire, a key regional growth area for the UK. Everything in One Dorset Street’s space has been designed to improve workers’ health and productivity and to create a welcoming environment.

“Employees are increasingly aware of betterment in office environments generally. Landlords and employers, across all sizes of buildings and businesses, should take note. In the race for talent, these trends cannot be ignored.”

Georgia Elliott-Smith, Director at Element 4 Group Ltd added:

“I am delighted with this result. This now gives the RO the first and second multi-tenanted Fitwel certifications in the UK and Europe, making the RO the region’s leading landlord for occupant wellbeing. Congratulations!”

 The RO Group

A new build estate of bespoke modular houses, under construction as part of one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration programmes, is benefitting from the outstanding thermal performance of Kingspan Kooltherm K110 Plus Soffit Board.

The Beechwood West estate forms the first step in Swan Housing Association’s 10 year development plan for Basildon. The new neighbourhood of 251 family houses, is designed to bring affordable, custom-built homes to the popular commuter centre. Pollard Thomas Edwards has created a variety of designs which buyers can choose from. Once selected, the homes are constructed at scheme partner, NU living’s, factory using modular approaches.

Swan Housing Association is aiming to reduce the operational CO² emissions of each of its properties to 2.6 tonnes per year by 2021. This will be achieved by taking a fabric-first approach to the construction of new homes and implementing retrofit measures on existing properties, such as replacing boilers, windows, doors and roofs. With this commitment in mind, the Kingspan Kooltherm K110 Plus Soffit Board was specified for use in the houses with recessed entrances, in order to effectively insulate the spaces above.

The product is part of Kingspan’s K100 range of rigid insulation boards which achieve a thermal conductivity of 0.018 W/m·K across all board thicknesses. This outstanding thermal performance allowed the target U-value to be met with a slim thickness of insulation, ensuring the aesthetic integrity of Pollard Thomas Edwards’ contemporary designs could be maintained.

Installers were able to simply cut the lightweight boards to size with a fine-toothed saw and install them within the modular buildings ready to be transported to site.

Kingspan Kooltherm K110 PLUS Soffit Board produced at Kingspan Insulation’s Pembridge manufacturing facility is certified ‘Excellent’ to the demanding BES 6001 responsible sourcing standard and are manufactured with a blowing agent that has zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and low Global Warming Potential (GWP).

 

Website: www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk

 

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Award-winning building features Kawneer curtain walling and debuts a new door.

Two types of curtain walling, and entrance doors, by leading UK manufacturer Kawneer, including the first use in the UK of a new severe duty welded door, feature on an award-winning building at the heart of the dynamic redevelopment of Cardiff’s Central Square.

Kawneer’s AA®100 capped and zone-drained aluminium curtain wall, complemented by its SSG (Structurally Silicone Glazed) and mullion-drained sister product, have been used throughout the glittering façade of the striking new headquarters building for BBC Cymru at Three Central Square.

They in turn are complemented by thermally-superior AA®720 doors and the new dual colour AA®190 TB severe duty welded doors with class-leading thermal performance that is so robust they are offered with a lifetime guarantee.

The project, designed by Foster + Partners and built by main contractor ISG Construction for developer Rightacres Property, won a 2019 RICS Wales award for Design Through Innovation, and it is easy to see why.

Set over four floors, the building is the new home for 1,200 BBC Cymru staff and includes 16,292m² of curtain walling and 3,572m² of precast stone panels over 150,000ft² of office, studio and production space.

The 2,000-tonne steel frame is an essential design feature, as part of the design’s focus on the building’s visibility. It is left exposed underneath a glass roof garden canopy supported by 10 28m-high supporting steel columns, with the frame’s connections forming a diamond shape in the centre.

The building is designed to be open and welcoming – visitors can access the ground floor and look up through a full-height atrium into the working spaces above, as well as into a new café facing the square. The design also establishes a sense of openness and transparency between different departments to create new opportunities for collaboration and interaction.

The heart of the headquarters is a 4,000m² ‘hub’ which extends across three linked levels and incorporates studios, offices and production facilities. The scheme includes a sheltered garden on the hub’s roof which is connected to a restaurant and provides a unique venue for filming as well as a valuable social amenity for staff.

The project targeted BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ environmental accreditation with strategies such as chilled beams, locally-sourced and recycled materials, and an efficient envelope. Mechanical systems have been carefully integrated to create a highly flexible interior which can anticipate and respond to changing technologies.

Adam Newburn, partner at Foster + Partners, said: “The Kawneer system was proposed by the façade contractor, Dudley’s Aluminium. We looked at the product closely and found that it met the performance requirements of the design.”

The glazed elements are fundamental to Foster’s design which was to have large-format curtain glazing so the Kawneer products were instrumental in allowing that to happen. They met the aesthetic and performance intent of the design, enabling the design intent to shine through and integrating seamlessly with the rest of the façade.

 

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Located opposite Cardiff Central railway station, the project is situated on the site of the former bus station. Works on Plots 1, 2, 3 and 6 have completed, or are near completion, and works on Plot 4 are to start soon, and this will create a dynamic area known as Central Square.

The innovative spirit of the project was defined by the BBC’s vision to be the most creative organisation in the world, its commitment to create genuine public engagement and the idea to create an open and attractive workplace. Broadcasting studios usually require a controlled environment for operations, yet the building manages to achieve the contrasting aims of the project to open up to the public as well as be a world-class broadcasting hub for BBC Cymru.

RICS judges said the project created a dynamic principal building for the Central Square redevelopment and that the team behind it had created a “spectacular” commercial, pre-let building.

Historically, Central Square was the site of the planned settlement of Temperance Town, a 19^th Century inner-city suburb, which was demolished to make way for Cardiff bus station which opened in 1954, and office buildings.

For many years the area suffered from a lack of sustained investment. Despite its significant public transport attributes, it failed to deliver high levels of economic activity and provided an underwhelming and unwelcoming arrival for many visitors. The case for regeneration of the site was made because the existing under-development was hindering Cardiff’s potential.

Cardiff’s rapidly changing skyline reflects the capital’s huge economic growth over the past 10 years. Central Square is within the Central Cardiff Enterprise Zone which is already home to several financial and professional service businesses.

One of the primary aims of the project was to give back to the city and the relocation of BBC Cymru from Broadcasting House in Llandaff acted as a catalyst for change, creating the opportunity to regenerate the historic site and unlock the heart to the city.

 

www.kawneer.co.uk

Structura UK, the fabricator and installer of glass curtain walling and specialist refinishing expert, has completed a massive project renewing and refreshing this London landmark.

Delta Point, the 28,500sqm former BT office building in Croydon, has been completely overhauled as part of its transformation into 404 apartments and commercial units. Work started on complete glazing refurbishment coupled with refurbishing and refinishing the entire cladding façade.

Due to the scale of this project, Structura was on site for over a year with a full-time crew and set up a specialist preparation/spraying booth in order to facilitate refurbishment with minimum disruption. This innovative booth, complete with extraction venting, was complemented with a curing booth set up in the basement. Work on other panels was also carried out in situ from cradles suspended around the building.

An added complication was the fact that, with the building changing use from Commercial to Residential, the paint needed to achieve class 0 on spread of flame in accordance with BS 476. In order to ensure conformity and correct certification, Structura’s bespoke colour formulation was tested at Exova Warrington Fire to make sure it was fully compliant.

This substantial project is a perfect example of how Structura’s various divisions can collaborate to provide a one-stop-shop for the complete renewal of facades. The ability to design, fabricate and install replacement glazing, along with cladding refurbishment and refinishing, creates a seamless project management workflow and reduces costs and time spent on site. Importantly, it negates the need to use several different contractors with the associated problems that can entail.

Case studies and technical information are available from Structura UK Ltd on tel: 01233 501 504 or by visiting www.structura-uk.com

 

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