Latest innovations and products in the interiors section of the construction industry.

Rinnai cascades with continuous flow into high on-demand water heating market

Rinnai’s Infinity Plus Cascade is a major move into bigger sites and applications which have a high demand for hot water and energy efficiency, the design parameters of the cascade systems mean that upgrading the traditional water heater to a technologically advanced continuous flow system is simple.

Rinnai, leading innovators in the manufacture of continuous flow water heaters, can now offer commercial hot water provision which is virtually limitless in this custom-made solution with a choice of either two unit or three unit modules of its award-winning condensing continuous flow water heaters.

Infinity Plus Cascade has been developed by Rinnai to guarantee high volumes of temperature accurate hot water. The design parameters of the cascade systems offer ease of integration into new and existing buildings even when retrofitting from traditional storage systems. The modules incorporate Rinnai’s proven energy-saving 1500 or 1200 condensing continuous flow water heaters with its newly developed common header flue system technology.

Infinity Plus Cascade is designed to deliver high efficiencies for the building operator whilst also streamlining the installation in one “turnkey package.” As any number of modules can be manifolded together, it is an ideal solution for large sites and for those applications – where there is a heavy demand for constant hot water.

Installers will find fitting the modules easy and straightforward as Infinity Plus Cascade comes with its own made to measure rack making installation simple and quick, and with no need for excessive rejigging of pipework. The compact footprint of Infinity Plus Cascade means it can be housed in a small space and still be easily accessible for maintenance and servicing.

Not only does the choice of Infinity Plus Cascade give highly significant cost savings over other forms of water heaters, but there also the added remedial work savings, for instance there is no need to knock through walls to cater for the movement of large cumbersome water heating equipment, valuable internal space can be created or saved.

Hot water downtime is also virtually eliminated as the modular nature of the system means that when service and maintenance is performed, elements of the system are still operational saving on service interruptions.

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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Creating homes from disused offices

Giacomini UK is on a mission to create homes out of underused office spaces around the country!

In recent months Giacomini has been involved in many projects that transform commercial office units into residential areas. The latest project is on a site in Crawley, called Babcock House, where 185 apartments are being created in a disused eight storey office block.

The Babcock House site will create 185 units comprising of studio accommodation as well as one and two bedroom flats – all designed to a very high specification, along with having excellent communal facilities.

The work will involve re-roofing the building, renovating the external façade and installing 185 of Giacomini’s twin plated heat interface units to allow each apartment independently controlled, efficient heating and hot water in the multi-dwelling building.

Since regulations surrounding planning permission were altered, meaning that Class B1 offices could be converted to Class C3 residential dwellings without the need for specific planning and development permission, there has been a noticeable growth in projects of this nature.

Matt Lowe, Giacomini UK’s managing director, commented “The planning permission policy change for projects like this aims to support an increase in housing supply, bring empty properties into productive use and encourage regeneration of office space. The Crawley development is the latest project we have been involved in where we are utilising disused space to bring revenue and housing to the local economy whilst complementing the buildings’ existing features.”

The project, estimated to cost £16.5 million, is due to be completed by September 2016.

For more information on Giacomini, and its heat interface units, please visit www.giacomini.co.uk.
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Rinnai training courses for September/November

More dates have been added to Rinnai UK’s 2016 training programme to cater for the increasing number of engineers and specifiers turning on to the energy saving benefits of gas fired continuous flow water heaters.

Rinnai has seen a massive increase in interest for its complete and comprehensive range of highly efficient ErP labelled A-rated continuous flow water heaters. The company supplies models from the smallest domestic unit to super-size industrial appliances, and since the introduction of energy labelling, demand from engineers for training on the Rinnai Infinity range has rocketed.

The demand has led Rinnai, which believes in making it easy for professionals to experience hands on training with its technologically advanced product, to schedule a new tranche of tailor-made, flexible courses that allow engineers the opportunity to explore at first hand the practical and energy saving benefits of continuous flow gas fired water heaters and to familiarise themselves with the technology.

Rinnai training specialist Ian Jenkins says: “Since ErP, enquires for Rinnai Infinity units have increased exponentially as the transparency of energy labelling allows specifiers and end users to compare products and make an informed choice. As a result of this surge in interest, so far this year we have trained 66% more engineers. These have included our bespoke courses designed to fit in with the modern time demands for professionals. We have also seen a large increase in CPD modules all over the UK.”

“The most popular course modules are ‘Understanding ACOP L8 and hot water system design’ and ‘System design incorporating continuous flow and renewables’,” says Jenkins.

The hands-on training events are aimed primarily at engineers and facilities managers, and cover both traditional and new technologies for commercial water heating and highlight the considerable energy and monetary savings that can be achieved by installation of a continuous flow hot water system.

Courses can be arranged to suit individual requirements either at Rinnai’s Runcorn, Cheshire HQ in the dedicated training facility or if preferred, Rinnai will take the module to the customer’s workplace or other venue convenient to delegates.

Since August and up to October Jenkins has organised a course every week for Gas engineers as well as catering for the needs of other customers and consultants in the private and public sectors.

The additional course dates announced by Rinnai for engineer training are:
27 September and 27 October, 24 November: ‘Service and fault diagnostics (Water heaters)’. These courses are open to engineers, are free, and available at Rinnai’s Runcorn HQ.

The comprehensive engineer training course line-up for 2016 includes nine modules: Rinnai product overview; Continuous flow and the future of water heating; Intermediate water heater; Continuous flow – Excellence in design; Service and fault diagnostics (Water heaters); Service and fault diagnostics (Energy saver warm air units); Understanding ACOP L8 and hot water system design; Maximising renewable gain in hot water design; and, Continuous flow as an innovative method of satisfying energy and regulatory demands.

CPD Roadshow courses are also available, designed by Jenkins for M&E consultants and specifiers, design and build engineers, facilities managers and gas contractors. These courses have already attracted praise from CIBSE. For example, it says of the CONTINUOUS FLOW WATER HEATING SYSTEM SIZING AND DESIGN course: “The course delivers what it outlines and is well constructed.”

“As demand for the A-rated Rinnai range continues to grow, our flexible training ensures key market personnel at all levels, nationwide training from our highly skilled team of technical experts, guaranteeing expertise with the products both for specification, system design and installation. The courses also ensure delegates will be up to speed with any changes in legislation and product developments,” says Chris Goggin, Rinnai UK Associate Director.

For more information contact Ian Jenkins on +44 (0)1928 531 870 or email ianjenkins@rinnaiuk.com.

For more details on RINNAI products visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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RWC UK launches new TIU CPD

Reliance Worldwide Corporation (UK) Ltd (RWC UK), the leading manufacturer of water control systems and plumbing solutions, has launched a new CPD seminar focusing on the use of Thermal Interface Units (TIUs), approved by three professional bodies.

The new seminar ‘Understanding the use of Thermal Interface Units within Community Heating Networks’ has been specifically developed for consultants, specifiers and architects involved in designing heating and hot water systems in commercial or domestic premises, and is approved by CIBSE, RIBA and The CPD Certification Service.

Lasting around 45 minutes, the session examines how a network with individual property heating and hot water systems might be constructed to take advantage of the latest TIU technology. Delivered by members of RWC UK’s technical and sales teams, the seminar explains the features and benefits of such systems and provides building professionals with advice on key considerations and requirements for specification.

David Craven, Key Account Director at RWC UK, explains: “The specification of TIUs is becoming more popular, especially in the design of multiple-occupancy buildings where their use brings significant benefits. For example, installing TIUs reduces material costs and maintenance thanks to the absence of copper pipework and flues. They also remove the need to conform to Gas Safe or FGAS regulations in each dwelling.

“This is exactly what our new CPD aims to highlight; the simplicity and flexibility of community heating networks and TIUs. The session is also free of charge and for the convenience of our customers, we’ll visit their premises to deliver the presentation.”

In 2015, RWC UK introduced the first major brand of UK designed and manufactured Thermal Interface Units to the market with its Radiance® range, made at the company’s head office in Evesham, Worcestershire. Just this year, the range was recognised by two industry awards, being shortlisted in the H&V News Awards in the Innovative Products category, and receiving the Highly Commended in the Innovative Product of the Year category of the Northern Ireland Plumbing and Heating Awards.

To book the TIU CPD Seminar with RWC UK contact marketing@rwc.co.uk

For more information please visit www.rwc.co.uk.
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Rinnai makes major investment in London and South East with appointment of sales team

Rinnai, the UK’s leading manufacturing supplier of high efficiency continuous flow hot water heating and delivery units, has announced a major investment in London and the South East with the formation of a dedicated sales team covering the whole region.

This major investment follows the opening of a London office also dedicated to serving the region.

The new sales team will work in tandem with the Rinnai UK sales centre and technical support at the company’s Runcorn, Cheshire HQ.

“The new premises have been set up in response to high demand for Rinnai product and expertise. Specifiers and installers in the London area now have a direct line to the Rinnai sales force which is ready to offer advice on the latest technologies and legislation and will be a vehicle to inform the industry of new developments, new technologies and new ways,” says Managing Director Tony Gittings.

The team and their areas are, as follows: Scott Amass will look after North London and the associated Home Counties; Steve Richards will be heading sales in West London and associated Home Counties; Kim Wullf will be looking after South London and their Home Counties. All three have extensive experience and track records in the hot water delivery business.

Rinnai’s comprehensive range of A rated energy efficient products for hot water solutions qualify for additional energy efficiency points, boosting building energy performance. The product range far exceeds energy efficiencies in current Building Regulations (Conservation of fuel and power) and legislation. For owners of existing commercial buildings, the use of Rinnai Infinity condensing and high efficiency water heaters qualifies for extra heating efficiency credits.

For more details on RINNAI products visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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Kemmlit on Parade

Associated Architects were commissioned to provide a comprehensive refurbishment of 6 East Parade, Leeds, – a six storey, 45,000sq office building in the heart of city centre.
30 Kemmlit Classic Cell floor to ceiling cubicles were specified for the washroom areas.

Classic Cell is a design classic and features 42mm thick smooth surfaced welted doors with special inlays which guarantee a high degree of privacy and noise reduction.

Concealed edges and recessed leg supports produce an elegant yet functional design; its robust construction makes it the ideal choice for all types of washroom applications.
For this project, the architects selected Kemmlit’s innovative high quality aluminium ‘handle bars’ for the systems’ door furniture which house LED vacant/occupied indicators.

Classic Cell is available in a choice of colours including a new solid black crystal coat varnish finish and is part of a wide range of high performance cubicle and locker systems available from Kemmlit UK.

For more information please visit www.kemmlituk.com.
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The silent scream

Juliet Woodcock talks to Paul Barrett, Product Manager at ROCKWOOL Ltd, about acoustic issues in commercial and educational buildings.

These days within my local library, there seems to be no issue regarding offering overspill space to the neighbouring crèche and play group, gathered in loud restless circles containing a dozen or more exuberant infants. However, there was a time when such municipal facilities demanded a peaceful environment for reading or cultural enrichment, while the stern voice of a librarian calling “Quiet please!” quelled noise in an instant.

Intrusive noise coming from without as well as within is a fact of modern life, though fortunately, there are companies out there that do care about creating a peaceful environment for us to live, work or learn in, as Paul Barrett – Product Manager at Rockwool, explains: “Acoustics in commercial and educational buildings matter. It’s imperative that ambient noise is kept as low as possible to minimise intrusion and distraction in these environments. It’s no surprise that studies consistently show that quieter classrooms and workplaces achieve better results. Unfortunately, a large number of schools and office buildings in the UK suffer from poor acoustics.”

Paul Barrett asserts that the most serious issue regarding poor acoustics is caused by flanking transfer, and went on to explain: “The noise is transmitted indirectly via paths such as external wall cavities, voids above partitions and internal corridors, or where there are problems of excessive reverberation within the rooms themselves.”

But it is not just the internal environment that should be considered when trying to improve a building’s acoustic performance. Indeed, when refurbishing or specifying a new school or commercial premises, plans to reduce the noise from outside from wind, rain, hail and traffic, as well as playgrounds and sports centres should be included.

Stone wool insulation is renowned for its excellent acoustic properties, its open fibrous structure making it ideal for absorbing and regulating noise in the building for the lifetime of the property.

Paul Barrett continues: “It is also incredibly versatile, with products and systems available to suit a wide variety of building applications. These include metal and standing seam, flat, green and pitched roofs; ground, exposed and separating floors; internal partitions and separating walls; fire protection and fire stopping; HVAC and masonry cavity walls.
“Fully tested to meet the rigorous demands of today’s legislation, stone wool insulation solutions are proven to reduce ambient, impact and reverberation noise in educational and commercial buildings.”

Utilizing ROCKWOOL’s HARDROCK® Multi-Fix (DD) product on a flat roof, for example, as a 0.25W/m2K single layer or 0.18W/m2K dual layer, mechanically fixed roof solution can provide an acoustic performance of Rw 35dB (single) and 39dB (dual layer) and Class C sound absorption. HARDROCK® Multi-Fix (DD) also provides an impressive fire safety rating as a flat roof board insulation with a Euroclass (A1) non-combustible fire classification and LPCB approval (LPS 1181: Part 1 (Ext-A).

My local library was the last bastion of peace and quiet in my town; I used to know I could go there and get away from other people’s noise – including my adorable nephew’s teething tantrums. I would feel rested there, browsing through books, and in the early days of my journalistic career, going through the micro-fiche with the librarian to order tomes for research that would arrive up to six weeks later pre-Internet days ….. Good acoustic insulation in buildings is vital to our health, our capability to work and learn.

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Mapei products specified to create a distinctly British feel in luxury London apartments

Mapei’s products were specified to help represent the epitome of sophisticated city living in an apartment redevelopment. Mapei products were distributed by Boyden Tiles, Croydon with the project being led by WB Simpsons.

Keraquick and Latex Plus were used on approx. 340m2 of flooring to lay the Domus porcelain 600 x 600 tiles in all the main and ensuite bathrooms plus all of the balconies within the apartment block.

800m2 of wall tiling were fixed using Mapei’s Ultralite S2 – a high performance, lightweight cementitious adhesive with very low emissions of volatile organic compounds. The adhesive, specifically developed for large size tiles to be laid on large surfaces without back buttering, was used to bond Domus Tiles 3m x 1m ‘Kerlite Slim’ porcelain tiles to the walls of the apartments luxury bathrooms and ensuites.

Mapei’s Topcem, was specified as a screed for an area of 120m2 onto external balconies. The quick setting screed allowed the installation of Domus Tiles 200 x 800mm ‘Wood Sense’ porcelain tiles just 24 hours after application.

For more information on Mapei resilient products, other products or training days, please visit www.mapei.co.uk, email info@mapei.co.uk or tel. +44 (0)121 508 6970.
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Rinnai: a gas-fired range of space heaters

Rinnai’s Energysaver range of fanned convection powered flue gas-fired space heaters are designed specifically for use in schools, community centres, libraries, conservatories and churches and other large spaces, where they have earned themselves great popularity with end-users and installers.

Now, with a new super energy efficient addition to the range in the form of the Rinnai Energysaver 559FT with sleek good looks, and a matching new streamlined look for the popular Energysaver 309FT, Rinnai is leading the field in large interior space convector heating.

Sporting a modern, sleek casing, the heaters simply blend into the background in line with modern demands for modern interior aesthetics while offering exceptionally high efficiencies in operation and reduced running costs.

Changes have been made to the operation board which is now an easy to use touch control pad sited conveniently and discreetly on top of the appliance, (rather than on the front with a flip up cover). The unit is also supplied with a child lock to eliminate any problem of small hands tampering with the controls.

Added to these advantages are the timer function and eco mode which are combined with the new unit’s ability to heat spaces fast.

The 559FT has an input of 6.4kW and output of 5.2kW. The streamlined unit measures 554mm x 750mm x 250mm.

The Rinnai Energysaver 309FT, like the 559FT, sports a similar sleek casing and turns in net efficiencies of 88%.

It has an input of 3.4kW and output of 2.92kW. The streamlined unit measures 695mm x 465mm x 257mm. Natural Gas usage has been pegged at 0.31m3 while LPG consumption is 0.26kg/hr.

Also available is the Energysaver 1004T with its impressive input of 11.6kW and outputs 10.23kW. Its measurements are 670mm x 930mm x 315mm and it has energy efficiencies of 96% under the guidance of Part L 2014. This puts it in the top rank of space heaters in its class.

Like the Energysaver 559FT and 309FT, the 1004T heater is also suitable for central timer control. This feature allows the building manager to run any number of Rinnai space heaters off a central time clock providing heat to the largest of spaces. The Energysaver Multi controller is not limited to single Energysavers as the flexibility of the system guarantees units can be mixed and matched to satisfy even the most unique of buildings.

Rinnai Energysaver range delivers energy-efficient and consistent warm air powered by Natural Gas and LPG options and is built with fully modulating burners so heat output and energy input is reduced as the space warms up.

The Rinnai Energysaver range comprises fanned convection-powered flue models that exceed seasonal thermal heating guidance under Building Regs Part L.

In a building with high vaulted ceilings, with conventional convector heaters the heat will immediately rise to the ceiling. With the Energysaver range Rinnai has successfully come up with a solution that heats from the floor up and by modulating gas usage in relation to room temperature, provides unparalleled levels of comfort combined with efficiency.

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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Polypipe Ventilation achieves hat trick success at coveted product awards

For the third year, Polypipe Ventilation is pleased to announce its win in the Housebuilder Product Awards Best Services Product category; this time for its Domus Green Line, High Efficiency rigid duct bends. The company won the award in 2015 with its Domus Radial duct system and in 2013 with its Silavent Green Line HRX Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system, whilst in 2014 it was highly commended for its Domus Thermal duct system.

With the move to more energy efficient air tight homes, effective ventilation in residential developments is an important necessity. This has helped evolve whole house, mechanically driven systems such as MVHR. However, if these are to perform efficiently, ducting needs to be an air-tight, quality end to end system, such as Polypipe’s Domus rigid duct systems.

The Green Line High Efficiency rigid 90° duct bends are the latest addition to the Domus range. They provide up to 60% reduction in resistance to air flow within the bend, significantly lowering a duct system’s total pressure loss and therefore overall energy usage. When used as part of an MVHR system, this can also lead to cost savings as certain properties may be able to use a smaller unit than previously possible.

The unique design of the Domus Green Line 90° bends results in reduced air speed through the bend, thus lowering system noise as well as smoothing the air flow, thereby helping to achieve higher air flow rates when required. All of these factors improve home owner comfort as well as making central ventilation systems easier to specify.

Domus Green Line High Efficiency 90° bends are available for use with Polypipe Ventilation’s best selling Supertube 204x60mm and Megaduct 220x90mm rectangular rigid duct systems, ideal for whole-house ventilation applications which require higher air flow rates.

The Housebuilder Product Awards were held at Edgbaston Stadium on the 29th June, where the winners were announced. Steve Heeley, General Manager – Director for Polypipe Ventilation comments, “I’m absolutely delighted we have won this award. It’s testament to the hard work, innovation and desire to advance the ventilation industry that exists within the business”.

Domus ducting has a deserved reputation for quality and excellent technical support, in line with Polypipe’s position in the ventilation market. 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, homeowners and distributors meet emerging environmental standards.

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