Latest innovations and products in the building fabric section of the construction industry.

Smart Architectural Aluminium Case Study: Kingston Hospital

In 2014, the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust embarked on a major refurbishment programme to replace the windows and doors of the hospital’s Esher Wing. The work was commissioned not only to improve the building’s aesthetics, but also improve thermal performance, reduce energy costs and deliver improved patient, visitor and staff comfort.

The seven-storey block contained a mix of wards, operating theatres, maternity units and administration facilities, with all four elevations still featuring the building’s original 1960s, heavy-duty steel windows which were well beyond their useful life. As a consequence, the performance of the windows had become extremely poor, with both drafts and water ingress causing major issues.

After an exhaustive scoping and tender process, the trust awarded a management contract to construction consultants Pellings, who took responsibility for the detailed design, specification, procurement and project management of the whole programme. ARJ was subsequently appointed main contractor, with the fenestration fabrication and installation contract being won by Heritage Window Systems (HWS), one of Smart Architectural Aluminium’s specialist partners.

Having been appointed, HWS’s first task was to undertake a full survey of the wing, which revealed a significant variation in the size of the window apertures. To address this, Heritage and Smart developed a novel solution – effectively based on a curtain wall ‘grid’ system with variable trim to allow for the different size of the window units.

Chris White from HWS explains: “This was the only way that we could meet the programme and give the installation team enough flexibility on site to react to programme changes. We sourced colour-matched trims for the windows and then trimmed each one on site to exactly meet the dimensions of the aperture.

“Although the size of the windows was quite large – nominally, each was six metres wide by three metres high – our experienced teams of fabricators and installers were certainly able to deal with units of these dimensions. The main issues we faced were logistical. With work being carried out as the hospital continued to operate, we had a very exacting programme to follow – and a period of just nine hours to complete the upgrade for each unit, whether that was a ward, a theatre or an office. In that time, our teams had to take out the old windows, fit the new units, change the radiator and clean the area to a clinical standard.

“We also undertook the work through the summer of 2015 which had some very high temperature spikes, leading to a rise in admissions and occupancy of many of the hospital’s wards. At one time, the hospital also had to create an isolation ward due to an outbreak of the Novara virus. As a result, our programme was subject to change at very short notice, and our contract manager was based on site for the duration of the work to make sure we kept in daily contact with all parties.”

HWS completed the work in just eight months, starting on site in April and completing just before Christmas, 2015. During this time, the company installed around 1,200 Smart Eco Futural windows – with a combination of tilt and turn and bottom-hung casement windows – as well as seven sets of Smart Wall double doors and the MC 600 curtain wall grid system. MC600 was specified due to the requirement to hang brise soleil units from two of the building’s elevations, with HWS fabricating a bespoke bracket to accommodate this.

The materials were finished to one of Smart’s own colour formulations from the company’s Sensations range, with an Antique Grey finish specified for the external profiles and Velour for the internal.

Paul Dancey, Operations Manager of BMI’s Coombe Wing which formed part of the refurbishment programme said: “The whole project was exceptionally well managed, with the clear communications between all parties a vital component of its success. As a result of the programme, we now have state-of-the-art windows which have considerably improved patients’ comfort and provided a much improved working environment for all hospital staff.”

Ian Nunn from Pellings had the final word: “This was a technically and logistically challenging project, but one which was successfully delivered on time and under budget, thanks to a true partnership approach. All parties – Pellings, ARJ, HWS and Smart worked extremely collaboratively to ensure that the programme was achieved with as little disruption to the hospital’s staff, patients and visitors as possible.

“While inevitably in a project of this complexity issues did arise, they were resolved quickly and collaboratively to ensure that the work remained on track. The end result is a much-improved appearance and a building which is warmer, weather-proof, more energy-efficient and better ventilated.”

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IAQ and the safe opening of high level windows

For centuries, windows have been the preferred and sometimes the only means of ventilating buildings to ensure that carbon dioxide, temperatures and pollutants can be vented and replenished by fresh air.

They remain an important part of the ventilation solution as windows can provide greater air flow rates and the capacity for purge ventilation required by Building Regulations ADF (for example to vent odours caused by spillages) and also the greater flow rates required for cooling during the warmer summer months, both during the day and as part of a night purge strategy.

Ensuring openable windows comply with Building regulations

Nevertheless, designers should be aware that any window upgrade undertaken as part of a building refurbishment or repurposing project that incorporates the replacement of high-level openable windows, must comply with Building Regulations Part K (Part N in Wales). They stipulate that window opening controls must be accessible and located no more than 1900mm above floor level (AFL) or 1700mm AFL, if obstructed.

Consequently, ordinary window handles on such high level vents do not meet building control requirements and alternative opening control methods should be considered. The regulations clearly specify that if the window controls cannot comply, then an alternative remote electrical or safe manual solution should be provided.

At SE Controls, we provide a range of solutions for the operation of high level windows; using push button operated electrical actuators, either stand-alone or linked to automatic indoor air quality monitors, such as our NVLogiQ system, or via a manual winding mechanism. We can also provide assistance to help designers specify the most appropriate solution.

Whatever method is used, windows still provide a simple, effective and economic route to air quality and temperature management, whilst allowing the all important ability for them to be controlled by building’s occupants.

Ventilation is not just about ensuring that fresh air can enter a building, but enabling contaminants to be removed, or at least diluted, to improve overall air quality. Although there are numerous methods of improving air quality, just opening a window is one of the easiest and most accessible, but it must be compliant.

By Dr Chris Iddon CEng MCIBSE – Natural Ventilation Design Manager with SE Controls
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One of Europe’s largest regeneration schemes specifies Silavent heat recovery systems

345 Silavent Green Line HRX2 Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems from Polypipe Ventilation are being installed into apartment schemes at London’s Greenwich Peninsula – one of the largest regeneration projects in Europe.

The ambitious regeneration scheme will supplement the extensive development that Greenwich has seen to date, including the iconic O2 venue. Once complete, Greenwich Peninsula will include over 10,000 residential units across 51 developments, providing homes for 23,000 residents, as well as 62,500sqm of commercial, retail and office space and 48 acres of green open space.

Polypipe Ventilation’s Silavent HRX2 MVHR systems have been specified by Wates Construction for two key plots, incorporating 201 and 144 apartments. Both plots feature buildings arranged to create a perimeter block and a central courtyard, with surrounding buildings ranging from two storey maisonettes to 11 storey blocks, over half of which are affordable housing.

The Silavent HRX2 units are being installed in utility cupboards within each apartment for easy access with Polypipe’s market leading Domus rigid ducting.

Featuring a heat exchange efficiency of up to 95%, the HRX2 offers the homeowner a year-round ventilation solution. It operates by transferring the heat from the waste stale air extracted from kitchens or bathrooms to fresh filtered air drawn in from the outside. The pre-warmed, filtered air is then distributed to the living rooms in the home. As well as helping to reduce demand on the central heating system, Silavent Green Line HRX2 MVHR units also provide a healthy living indoor environment through continuous balanced ventilation.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the HRX2 is 2010 Building Regulations compliant and has the highest available heat exchange efficiency on the Performance Characteristics Database (previously known as SAP Appendix Q). Featuring the latest fan technology, these units offer an extremely low Specific Fan Power (SFP) down to 0.46 W/(l/s), resulting in minimal energy usage whilst retaining full airflow performance. The distinct moulded EPP casing helps to maximise airflow, as well as delivering improved thermal efficiency, thereby enhancing the recovery of a home’s waste heat.

When used with Polypipe Ventilation’s Domus rigid ducting, insulated by Domus Thermal insulation, as seen in the Greenwich Peninsula development, the Silavent Green Line HRX2 offers one of the most comprehensive MVHR solutions available on the market.

Silavent Green Line HRX and Domus duct systems have a well deserved reputation for quality, supported by excellent technical support, from a market leading manufacturer and designer. Polypipe Ventilation is well placed to offer immediate, practical solutions to Building Regulations Parts F & L. The company continues to provide differentiated solutions in the private and social housing sectors, transforming the way developers, specifiers, installers, home owners and distributors meet emerging environmental standards.

For further information please go to www.polypipe.com/ventilation or call 03443 715523.

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Supply chain partnerships and innovation key aspects of building refurbs

Managing Director of Mila Window and Door Maintenance Tristan Cooke tells us that as service providers to the Social, Educational, and Commercial sectors for nearly 30 years now they are always taken by what seems to be a never ending drive from the product supply chain to innovate new ideas and launch new products.

“In my view the sector supply chains are to be congratulated for understanding that things can never stay the same, that even the best and most reliable products can and indeed need to be enhanced to deliver better results when being used as a part of a building refurbishment”.

“Nothing stands still – there is always something more that can be done, and as a service provider into the same sectors I firmly believe that this applies to us equally”.
“Key in amongst this is that we are constantly talking to suppliers – looking at developing our existing supply chains and discovering news ones”.

“It is important as a specialist contractor for large scale window and door remodelling or regeneration projects that we are able to offer our potential clients not only the best service, but the best information and knowledge on the products available to them for their schemes”.

“It is one part of an innovative culture in our business and as a direct consequence we have developed formal partnership programmes with our supply chains in which we don’t just buy products, but where we share information and technical knowledge, we undertake on-going programmes of technical training for our staff, and we share best practice borne out of our experiences on site”.
“Anything which enables us to offer the clients we work with more innovative solutions for the buildings they are going to is a good thing as far as I am concerned”.

Case study – Aragon Tower London

Mila Window and Door Maintenance worked in partnership with German hardware producer WSS on the re-modelling of the windows in one of the most iconic structures in London.

The 26 storey Aragon Tower was bought from social housing ownership in 2006 and was later converted into luxury apartments including the addition of 3 new stories of penthouses to take it to 29 stories – at the time the highest privately owned residential block in the city.

When after a period of time there was a requirement to re-model the windows and to fit a new range of hardware to upgrade them from both an aesthetic and performance point WSS hardware was chosen.

Mila Windows and Doors worked with WSS from a technical point of view to understand their products and how they were to be fitted to ensure that the installation of all items was correct. Working on Aragon Tower was the start of what is now an on-going partnership between the two companies which is delivering benefits for other clients.

“Working with WSS on Aragon Tower is just one of the many success stories we can point to” says Tristan “WSS is renowned world-wide for its innovative range of products, its extensive testing, and the quality of its workmanship. For us to be in partnership with such a dynamic company enables us to install the latest and most comprehensive range of innovative products for our clients supported by our own high service levels”.

Tristan Cooke is Managing Director of Mila Window and Door Maintenance. For more information please visit www.milamaintenance.co.uk 0808 100 8881. For more information on WSS www.wss.de.
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Designing an imposing entrance for a heritage building

No two renovation projects are ever the same, making them uniquely challenging when it comes to the design and installation of entrances, especially when a building is of aesthetic and historical significance.

Kaz Spiewakowski managing director of GEZE UK explains that it is important to balance the need to preserve historical features with those of accessibility, compliance and sustainability during the design stage.

He said: “Most heritage buildings need substantial alteration to ensure their entrances can safely cater for an increased footfall. For example, Ripon Cathedral wanted to fundamentally change the way people enter, creating an entrance that reflected its national importance and allow people to see in from the street.

“Behind the Cathedral’s large historic wooden doors, the Narthex Entrance – a stunning glass porch – has been installed flooding the Cathedral with light. We installed Slimdrive SL NT automatic operators to power the entrance and exit single-leaf doors positioned on either side of the lobby. This controlled the flow of people and created a safe automatic entrance for extremely high levels of footfall.

“At 1 Finsbury Circus, however, it wasn’t the Grade II listed building that was the issue, it was the floor! We designed an elegant circular glass entrance lobby with automatic sliding glass doors and a discreet Slimdrive SCR operator.

“The listed floor was created from the thick steel hull from a ship, the building was once home to a shipping company, making installation a challenge. It was impossible to dig into the floor to fit a floor ring so we needed to design a new way to install the doors that was both functional and aesthetically pleasing. We made a specially fabricated floor ring from a stainless steel sheet just 15mm thick, which was then machined on to the floor and every fixture was surface mounted. It was the first time we made a steel ring in this way, which was an exciting challenge.

“Sometimes a building’s use can affect the design of an entrance such as at No.1 Smithery in the Historic Dockyard Chatham where the priceless displays at needed protection from the elements – and from theft.

“Temperature and humidity changes caused by opening and closing doors needed to be minimised to preserve the historic artefacts. We installed a stylish three leaf manual TSA 325 revolving door to maintain the building’s delicate environment and a UV protective film was installed on the glass surfaces to protect the interior from sunlight.

“The revolving door enhances the historical atmosphere of the museum and reduces the speed with which people can exit, reducing the likelihood of theft. A roller shutter was installed for added security.

“Then to meet Building Regulations and the demands of the Equality Act two pass doors were installed. One was fitted with the sleek Slimdrive EMD-F automatic swing operator which was concealed in the façade. The second door was manual and was fitted with a panic bar to provide quick and easy outside access in an emergency.

“Ultimately, when it comes to specifying and installing entrances for heritage projects there’s far more to consider than the style of door and a building’s footfall. But if you consider issues such as aesthetics, functionality, the building’s use and its historical significance from the start you will create an entrance solution that like the building is truly unique.”

For more information about GEZE UK’s comprehensive range of automatic and manual door closers call 01543 443000 or visit www.geze.co.uk.
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Looking to improve an interior space? Decorative casings add style and practicality

Most of our lives are spent within buildings, at work, socialising or relaxing, so it’s essential that our built environment is designed and constructed with care and attention. From the layout and ‘flow’ of a building to the very fixtures and fittings within its walls, every aspect needs to be considered when attempting to promote healthy and vibrant spaces in which to exist and thrive.

We spoke to Martin Taylor, MD of Peterborough-based decorative casing company, Encasement Ltd, about the importance of good design and how column casing and wall lining solutions help combine aesthetics with practicality.

Q) Martin, what role do decorative casing solutions play in helping a building achieve its maximum potential visually?
“In simple terms, if it wasn’t for column casings and interior wall cladding solutions, building interiors would be considerably less attractive environments. Yet, as they are designed to integrate as part of the fabric of a building, their importance may often be overlooked or taken for granted by the building’s occupants.

Very few people stand back to admire a laminated plywood column casing at a school or the brushed stainless steel wall lining in a prestige office building, yet they are key elements in interior design and integral to the aesthetics of countless building environments.

However, it must be remembered that these products are not just about decoration. For column casings their primary purpose is to conceal unsightly structural columns, whether they’re steel or concrete, while wall linings provide a durable surface for high traffic areas.

Apart from improving aesthetics, column casings are also designed to be durable. Our ‘Circa, laminated plywood column casings, for example, are resistant to impact damage and scuffing, making them virtually maintenance free. It’s a similar story with our ‘Polyma’ GRP range, which is highly resilient and can even be hosed down to keep them clean, which is a feature exploited at a project in Manchester’s new Smithfield Fish market.”

Q) With that level of versatility, are you seeing an increase in the use of good quality casing installations on building projects? As architectural trends shift, are you finding that they’re becoming more prominent?
“Yes, absolutely. As I mentioned, column casings are both practical and decorative. Their role, however, has been transformed since the mid 1980s from being a purely functional device for concealing structural steelwork to one of visual and decorative importance. Although they were initially used by a relatively small number of architects, they are now commonplace, with their aesthetic values and appeal being a key consideration during the specification process.

As a result, the demand for wider choice and enhanced aesthetics from architects, interior designers and specifiers has increased significantly in recent years, which have been key influences on the growth and development of our company. As styles and tastes invariably change from building to building, it is essential that designers have the broadest palette to work with. This has resulted in our product range becoming the most comprehensive available in the UK.”

Q) The positive effect that an interior can have on users of public buildings is very real and cannot be overstated. From the colours on the walls to the brightness and positioning of the lighting, every aspect has to be carefully considered. Is this an area where you feel Encasement products have something tangible to offer?
“Definitely, and it is an area in which we have a proven track record. Some of our most recent projects include Winchester College, Birmingham Dental Hospital and University College London, all of which are very different buildings requiring different solutions to integrate with the interior design.

In addition, some products in our column casing range are designed to also be used in exterior applications, where they’re used to conceal structural steelwork and improve aesthetics.

Our ‘Forma’ metal casings and ‘Polyma’ GRP ranges are perfect examples and are widely used in both interior and exteriors applications. The exceptionally wide selection of finishes available, particularly in the Forma range, provides specifiers with an even greater scope of options enabling them to be specified with diameters from 250mm up to 1000mm or as square, rectangular or even hexagonal forms.”

Q) Would you say, then that Forma and Polyma are your most popular products in your column casings range?
“That’s an interesting question. While the versatility of ‘Forma’ metal casings makes them the ideal choice for many projects, our plywood ‘Circa’ and ‘Quadra’ ranges were the first that we launched and they are still, arguably, the most popular.”

Q) Why is that?
“Apart from being highly cost effective, the main reason is that they provide specifiers and contractors with a diverse palette of finishes from plain colours, wood grain and metallic, as well as textured and real wood veneers, to name but a few. Whilst ‘Circa’ is available as a plain casing for on site painting and decoration, by far the most popular finishes are durable decorative laminates.

‘Circa’ and ‘Quadra’ are designed specifically for interior decorative applications and they are used in almost every building type from education, retail, hotel, sports and leisure, as well as the health sector and commercial office buildings.

This versatility has also influenced the choice of sizes available, which is also very wide, to allow specifiers to select not only circular and square, but also extended circles and rectangular options, which use additional infill panels to give greater flexibility while ensuring they are still easy to install.”

Q) One of the more recent additions to your range has been the ‘Vecta’ wall lining system, which has already been installed in a number of buildings that many of us are very familiar with. Can you tell us a little more?
“We introduced Vecta just a few years ago and the system enables us to provide a high quality solution for interior wall linings, bulkheads and reveals, many of which are 100% bespoke and require immense precision during installation, which is why we also launched our specialist installation service at the same time.

Vecta has been widely used in retail, education and commercial buildings, such as Tesco, South Bank University and Prêt a Manger, as well as prestigious office developments, including Wellington House and the Carmine Building in Paddington, London.

These buildings experience high volumes of foot-fall and as such, everything within the building needs to be high quality, durable and in-keeping with the overall design features of the space. ‘Vecta’ is just one of the solutions we offer that is helping our customers enhance their surroundings for their clients, staff and anybody who uses the building.”

Q) Your company strapline says ‘sustainable building solutions’ and you must use a reasonably high volume of timber in the manufacture of your products. How important is it to ensure that timber is sourced legally and ethically? What efforts do you make to ensure that this happens?
“The use of timber as a structural and decorative material has grown considerably over the past 10 to 15 years, as it is one of the most environmentally friendly materials available, especially since sustainable and managed sources have increased and stronger regulation on illegal supply have been introduced.

I feel very strongly about sustainability, compliance and the ethics of using only certified sources of legal timber. As a direct result of our approach, we are currently the UK’s only supplier and manufacturer of pre-formed plywood decorative casing products that holds an FSC® ‘Chain of Custody Certification’ from the Forest Stewardship Council.

This is important for us, as both our ‘Circa’ and ‘Quadra’ column casing ranges are manufactured from FSC® certified plywood. This makes them automatically compliant with sustainability codes and environmental procurement policies.”

Q) Architects and designers are primarily focused on developing and improving our built environment; how does your product range help specifiers achieve this goal? “Our column casings provide a perfect mix of practicality and aesthetics. We’ve taken a lot of care to ensure our product range meets both of these key criteria while ensuring that we always remain competitive and maintain high quality standards throughout our business.

Also, by specifying and installing Encasement products manufactured from FSC® certified plywood, they can have a positive effect on improving the BREEAM rating.

Our products are used in projects across the UK in just about every sector of the construction industry and the entire range has been configured to provide the widest possible choice, as well as being easy to specify. We also offer some very specialised solutions, such as the Metza range, which provides up to two hours fire protection for mezzanine floor columns.

In addition, The ‘Vecta’ wall lining system allows specifiers to source a range of specialised interior finishing and decorative casing products from a single company with high levels of expertise and experience in this sector.”

Encasement’s latest ‘column casing solutions’ e-brochure is available for download from the company’s website and covers every product in the range as well as providing details on materials, sizes and finishes available alongside an extensive technical information section. Further information is also available from their website at www.encasement.co.uk or by calling 01733 266889.
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Investment in new Midlands cutting centre at Ibstock Brickworks

The UK’s largest brick maker, Ibstock has opened a new state-of-the-art cutting centre for its Chesterton brick works as part of its ongoing investment programme.

The investment has resulted in doubling of production at the site, the installation of the fastest slipsaw in the UK – capable of processing 8,000 bricks a day – and increased staff numbers.

Ibstock’s Chesterton site specialises in custom made brick shapes from the Ibstock-Kevington range of special shapes and prefabricated solutions including Faststack, Fastwall, arches and underslung soffits.

Iain Durrant, operations director at Ibstock-Kevington, says: “Our Chesterton factory is well placed to support the supply of our specials range across the UK.  We know many construction professionals are seeking ways to speed-up build timescales and the investment is designed to support our range of products and solutions which can help to do just that.

“Our site at Chesterton is one of the most efficient factories of its type in the world and the new cutting centre adds to what it offers to meet demand across construction.”

Ibstock is also investing £55 million in its site in Ibstock, Leicestershire.  The new state-of-the-art production facility is set to boost manufacture by an additional 100 million bricks per year – enough to build around 15,000 new houses.

For more information, visit www.ibstock.com or call 0844 800 4575.

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Rodeca helps Severnside recover its energy

Cladding by Rodeca is being used on an Energy Recovery Centre in South Gloucestershire.

A massive 4,000m2 of translucent polycarbonate cladding panels by Rodeca are currently being installed on the £760million cutting-edge Severnside Energy Recovery Centre (ERC) project as part of a sub-contract package.

The 34 megawatt facility will produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 50,000 homes and could also provide heat to local businesses in a solution which will enable the West London Waste Authority to divert 96% of its waste from landfill, saving two million tonnes of CO2 over the duration of the 25-year contract.

Rodeca’s tongue and groove Opal panels in up to 13m lengths are being installed around the ground-floor process areas and north-east gable end of this significant building adjacent to Seabank Power Station and the former Terra Nitrogen plant in South Gloucestershire by specialist sub-contractor Massey Cladding Solutions for main contractor Sir Robert McAlpine.

Being developed under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with a capital investment of around £250million in total by a consortium comprising SITA UK (the operators, now known as SUEZ), Aberdeen Asset Management and i-Investments, the centre will also include an on-site facility for the recycling of bottom ash. The majority of household residual waste will be delivered to the facility by rail from West London.

The design developed by AECOM architects is due for completion in summer 2016 when it is expected to create more than 50 permanent jobs. It is currently employing around 700 people on site during construction.

For more information please visit www.rodeca.co.uk.

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New Product Downloads

Marflow Hydronics has further developed its website to now allow customers to download relevant technical information, including BIM Models, via a brand new Product Downloads section.

With BIM Level 2 being a new requirement from April 2016 and the move towards complete BIM compliance getting closer every day, Marflow Hydronics has introduced a brand new Product Downloads area on its website that allows people to download BIM Models as well as other technical documentation. Marflow Hydronics is dedicated to providing customers with the information that they require, and this is just another part of the company’s added value service. In addition, all product pages can now be captured in PDF format at the press of a button and can be used as a data sheet, another way the company is trying to make life easier for product users.

Chris Forbes, Managing Director, says “We are continually seeking to add value for our customers and we are constantly looking at ways to develop our website further to provide people with access to the information they need. The Product Downloads area is very new and we will be working hard over the coming weeks to make sure all relevant documentation and BIM Models are included. We encourage our customers to let us know if there’s something they need that they can’t find.”

The new Product Downloads area can be accessed via the relevant button at the top of all product pages or in the Knowledgebase. Also on all product pages, there’s a new PDF Download button that will export the product information into a PDF at the click of a button.

Access to the new area is found on the Marflow Hydronics website: www.marflowhydronics.co.uk.

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Cembrit B5 upgrades Penlan holiday homes

Cembrit B5 corrugated sheets have been installed on eight Swiss-style lodges at a holiday village in Swansea. The refurbishment of the roofs has updated the building, and provided a finish that exudes that holiday retreat feel.

Located in the heart of the beautiful Teifi Valley, Penlan Holiday Village is a small family run holiday park that is set amongst beautiful woodland and parkland. The development includes two and three bedroom detached lodges, a heated open-air swimming pool, picnic area, playing field and parking. The holiday village attracts many visitors throughout the year, as it provides quick access to the beautiful Teifi Valley and the West Wales Coastline.

Graham and Alistair Greenshield, the owners of Penlan Holiday Village wanted to replace the thirty year old roofs, as they were looking tired, and not performing very well. Graham chose to take on the job himself, and after looking at the options, decided to purchase Cembrit B5 corrugated sheets. Approximately 150 black coated B5 corrugated sheets have been installed on five lodges also utilising close-fitting one piece Cranked Crown Ridge to fit perfectly into the roof pitches.

“The exceptional quality of Cembrit’s B5 corrugated sheet helped us to enhance the exterior design of the lodges,” comments Graham Greenshield, part-owner of Penlan Holiday Village. “Time has been of the essence, considering the size of the project, and the fact that we didn’t want to close the business for too long. Cembrit’s B5 corrugated sheets have saved us a great deal of time, as it is quick and easy to install. In addition, its cost-effectiveness and design features ticked all the right boxes for us. I am not only pleased with the end result, but I enjoyed installing the product.”

The rust and rot free B5 Corrugated Sheet is the perfect solution for someone looking to clad or repair single-story buildings such as stables and garages. B5 is available in fourteen different lengths ranging from 4′ to 10′ 6″ the sheets are approximately 40% wider than traditional 3″ profile which allows for much better coverage per sheet. They also offer superior water shedding capacity due to the profile of its corrugations.

B5 offers numerous advantages that are helpful for the installer. B5 sheets have a small overlap, and as sheets are approximately 40% wider than comparative products, so it offers a much better coverage per sheet. This has the advantage of decreasing the weight of the roof covering. There is less side lap and overhang, and increased maximum end lap. B5 can be laid to a 5° pitch for small roof areas if the end laps are extended to 300mm and are double sealed with mastic strips. A number of accessories come with the B5. A one-piece close fitting Cranked Crown ridge that can fit into roof pitches, two-piece lose fitting ridge which is adjustable to roof pitches and the Plain Wing Angle ridge that can create high level ventilation. Also there is the Cemsix Barge Board which is used to close verges at gable ends and the one-piece and two-piece Roll Top Finial which forms an integral part of closing a verge apex.

For further information, please visit www.cembrit.co.uk.

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