Sika waterproof roof membrane caps shopping centre’s seasonal showpiece

Sika-Trocal helped save Christmas by supplying the durable, easy-to-apply waterproof roof system for a spectacular seasonal attraction.

With the festive season fast approaching, KD Decoratives were the supplier to The Mall retail complex in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, which required a new roof for the fairytale focal point of its alfresco “Winter Wonderland” experience – a sparkling Santa’s castle. The sky blue, portable building replete with a 20ft turret has been installed at the Mall every Christmas for a number of years, but its existing roof had started to display signs of wear and tear.

For retailers, the run-up to Christmas is their most profitable time of the year. It was essential, therefore, the Mall’s Winter Wonderland crowning glory was installed and fully-waterproofed as quickly and safely as possible in order to provide an additional draw for families and children. Flat roofing specialists, Single Ply Services, from Clevedon near Bristol, in conjunction with main contractors, KD Decoratives, specified Sika-Trocal SGK as the solution – a rapid-apply, best-cost performance bonded membrane.

The castle consists of six modules which were re-roofed during an off-site operation which also involved the installation of Sika-Trocal SGK membrane. The modules were then weathered together onsite at the Mall. Suitable for both new build and refurbishment applications, in both warm roof and cold roof construction, the membrane provided the age-resistant, weather-proof covering to the modules’ metal deck. With the roof installed, the castle was transferred to the shopping centre where it was craned into its position then weathered together – the Mall’s outdoor car park.

Single Ply Services had four days off site to install a new warm roof weathered with Sika-Trocal SGK and then just one day on site to fully-seal the roof’s connecting joints to ensure its weather-tightness and readiness for Winter Wonderland’s grand opening.

Robin Hambly, Small Works Manager at Single Ply Services, said: “We chose Sika-Trocal SGK because it is quick and easy to apply. It is also extremely reliable, and as its job is to keep Father Christmas, his helpers and all his young visitors safe and dry during the festive period, the system’s durability was essential to its specification. We didn’t want to ruin anyone’s Christmas.”

The fully-adhered Type SGK roofing membrane is approved by the British Board of Agrément (BBA) to have a life expectancy in excess of 35 years. It’s easy-to-apply properties ensured Winter Wonderland’s star attraction was completed in-line with the client’s strict deadline, whilst providing an aesthetically-pleasing finish to enhance the castle’s magical appeal for young visitors throughout the festive period.

For more information please visit www.gbr.sika-trocal.sika.com.
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Senior provides recipe for success at new kitchen showroom

Combining superior thermal performance with minimal sight lines, Senior Architectural System’s SF52 aluminium curtain walling is helping to attract customers to a new flagship showroom for kitchen manufacturer Magnet.

Fabricated and installed by Aire Valley Architectural Aluminium Ltd for main contractor Castlehouse Construction, the SF52 curtain wall was specified as a toggle structural glazing system which thanks to its slim 52mm profile, provided the perfect solution to achieving a façade that features uninterrupted large expanses of glazing and an attractive flush finish.

The thermal performance of the SF52 system has also been enhanced through the use of double-glazed low emissivity glass, helping to contribute to the overall energy-efficiency of the building and the creation of a comfortable internal environment.

Senior’s curtain walling has been further complemented by the use of its thermally broken SPW500 commercial doors and SPW600 windows which together help to provide a light and welcoming space for customers.

Located in Leeds, West Yorkshire, the new flagship showroom for Magnet has been designed by LoRoc Architects and also features a new trade counter, office and warehouse facility.

With a wealth of experience in delivering high-quality solutions for commercial and retail applications, Senior curtain walling and glazing systems have been designed to help specifers working in this market meet the required environmental requirements by creating high-visibility shop frontages that minimise solar gain to create a comfortable consumer experience.

For more information about Senior, visit www.seniorarchitectural.co.uk.
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Martindale sponsors SkillElectric

As part of its commitment to supporting the next generation of electricians and inspiring others to take up electrical apprenticeships, Martindale Electric was delighted to sponsor this year’s SkillElectric 2016, the electrical industry’s premier skills competition.

The challenge was set over a two day period and saw eight top apprentices from around the UK carry out a series of practical tests and tasks at the NEC, in a bid to secure a place at the World Skills Event in Kazan, Russia in 2019. The event was organised by the two charities, NET Services, specialists in accreditation of electrical skills, and Worldskills UK.

Using top of the range safe isolation kits, which were donated by Martindale Electric, apprentices were faced with a selection of workplace scenarios, typically faced by electrical installers.

Safe isolation is a crucial element of electrical work and a key skill for any electrician, so Martindale Electric was delighted to be involved in this prestigious event. “We were very pleased to support good practice in electrical safety and equip tomorrow’s electricians with the tools they will need to enjoy a safe and successful career” comments Steve Dunning, Managing Director at Martindale Electric.

Over the two day competition where all entrants demonstrated an exceptional level of workmanship, Stuart Graham secured Gold, Patrick Carr (Silver) and Steven Harper (Bronze). They will go on to compete against the 2017 UK finalists to determine who will represent the UK in the world’s largest professional skills competition in 2019.

Held every two years, the World Skills Event, brings together competitors from around the world, aged between 18 and 23, to demonstrate their excellence in a wide range of skills, including electrical safety. WorldSkills International is a non-profit association aimed at raising the value and standards of professional training and skills worldwide.

NET is an independent charity that develops and administers Assessments of Occupational Competence (AOC) on behalf of the electrotechnical and electrical engineering industries in the UK

Leading the way in safe isolation, Martindale Electric provides simple and reliable solutions to ensure that circuits have been de-energised and properly isolated prior to maintenance and modifications.

To learn more about Martindale Electric and its range of electrical test and safety equipment, visit www.martindale-electric.co.uk.
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Are you missing the connection?

Aico releases new information on part 6 and part 1 fire alarm system integration.

Launched in 2014 and immensely popular in the social housing sector, the Ei414 Fire/CO Alarm Interface from Aico provides a cost-effective, convenient means of interconnecting Aico Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms to third party life safety systems such as Fire Panels, Telecare Devices and Sprinkler Systems. To help clarify the most popular connection options, Aico has introduced a new dedicated brochure, ‘Are you Missing the Connection?’

Most properties now have Fire Alarms – and many have CO Alarms, but these systems mostly work in isolation. The Ei414 Fire/CO Alarm Interface provides a dedicated connection between these alarms and third party life safety systems, enabling an emergency signal to be transmitted directly to that system if fire or CO is detected.

The new Aico brochure explains how the Ei414 works and provides an installation overview, showing just how simple it is to install the Interface. It looks at the three most common safety systems to connect to – Fire Panels, Telecare/Warden Call Systems and Sprinkler Systems – using clear graphics to help demonstrate the benefits and the system set up. For example, one of the most widespread uses of the Ei414 is to integrate a BS5839 Part 6 Fire Alarm System with a Part 1 panel based system installed in communal areas of a property. The Ei414 can be used to maximise safety by ensuring the communal alarm can be heard within each property, but without allowing individual flats’ alarms to activate those in the communal areas or within other tenant’s homes. This solution has proven popular in homes in multiple occupation (HMOs) and sheltered accommodation across the UK.

The Ei414 Fire/CO Alarm Interface can be powered directly from the mains or from a 12-24V DC supply and has built-in tamper-proof rechargeable Lithium Cells which will power the device in the event of any mains failure. Exceptionally easy to use, it comes with a removable key with three settings – On, Off and Test (with the Off setting being particularly useful if a property becomes vacant) – and LED indicators for visual confirmation of mains power and fire or CO alarm activation.

To obtain a free digital or postal copy of Aico’s ‘Are you Missing the Connection?’ Ei414 brochure, please register at www.aico.co.uk/publications. Information on the Ei414 is also available on Aico’s relaunched website, including a step by step guide on domestic alarm integration in the new Innovation and Technology area of the website. This new section has been introduced by Aico to provide easy to understand overviews of the new technologies developed by Aico and incorporated across a wide number of products.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Ei Electronics, Aico is the market leader in residential Fire and CO protection in the UK. All alarms are designed and built in Ireland specifically to meet the UK standards and regulations. With more mains powered domestic Smoke Alarms installed in the UK’s social housing than any other manufacturer, Aico is tried, tested and trusted.

For more information please go to www.aico.co.uk or contact Aico on 01691 664100 or enquiries@aico.co.uk.
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Bespoke designs with Marley Alutec

In partnership with Associated Architects Birmingham and leading commercial roofing company Briggsamasco, Marley Alutec has supplied a unique rainwater solution for the cascading roofs of Leicester’s Centre for Medicine.

The £42 million Passivhaus and BREEAM Certificate of Excellence holding Centre for Medicine built for The University of Leicester comprises three towers of differing heights linked by glass-roofed atria. Whilst visually stunning, the building posed a significant rainwater drainage challenge, therefore complex calculations and bespoke components had to be made to cope with the cascading run-off.

Tony Wereszczynski, Technical Director at Marley Alutec, commented: “As a medical building, the roof drainage design specification for the Centre for Medicine had to meet what is known as Category 3 standard, which dictates that rainwater systems must have capacity for extremely high levels of rainfall. When combined with the unusual roof structure of the building, this meant that we had to design and develop specially wide and long rainwater chutes which included roof membrane clamping flanges and which penetrated the complex parapet wall configuration.

“Purpose made hoppers and downpipes were also required to suit. In addition, some of the rainwater pipework intended to be run internally had to be diverted to drain outside the building before transferring to internal drainage, something which was not originally intended.”

Marley

Marley Alutec worked very closely with the architects and roofing contractor, providing all flow calculations and matrices for the complicated cascading roof system. Duncan Philbin, Project Supervisor at Briggsamasco, said: “The high level of specification on this project demanded the best quality products and high quality workmanship. As the main roofing contractor responsible for the waterproofing, capping, green roof and rainwater system installation, we were in constant communication with Marley Alutec’s technical department and the architects.

“During the pre-design meetings it was clear that Marley Alutec were very knowledgeable and their expertise made our job much easier. Equally, working with aluminium products, particularly at height, was preferable as they’re extremely lightweight yet offer the durability required.”

Complementing the high quality ethos of the build, all of Marley Alutec’s products installed are made of marine grade aluminium and have a life expectancy of 50 years or more. What’s more, this extended life expectancy is virtually maintenance free, reducing life cycle costs and any disruption to the building’s operation. Roof and roofline products can be particularly expensive to maintain due to the costs of access equipment, so any reduction is of great benefit.

Another extremely important consideration on this project was the sustainability of the building materials used as it strived for BREEAM certification. Marley Alutec’s aluminium products were the perfect fit as they are amongst the most sustainable in the UK. Made from the third most abundant element in the world they are completely recyclable at the end of their life span. In fact, it is estimated that 75 per cent of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today.

For more information please visit www.marleyalutec.co.uk.
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Sika provides flexible solution for Stokesley School

A North Yorkshire school has built its motto ‘Being the Best We Can Be’ into the fabric of its school campus following a roof refurbishment involving two of its buildings, using Sika Liquid Plastics’ Decothane Ultra 20 year system.

Located 10 miles south of Middlesbrough on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, Stokesley School is the founder member of the Areté Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust (MAT) that aims to drive excellence and engage with locally-based businesses.

The school operates on an existing campus of 1970s construction and both the main teaching block and the art & geography block have been fully refurbished, including an overlay to the existing roof, as part of a phased seven-month programme.

The refurbishment project addresses condition issues to ensure Stokesley School’s buildings continue to offer a high quality teaching and learning environment, whilst also improving energy efficiency and future-proofing the site. Staff and pupils were decanted from the main teaching block prior to the start of works on site and the main contractor removed a service hatch and several roof lights prior to the start of the roofing scheme.

Sika Liquid Plastics worked closely with Gateshead-based Northpoint Architects to develop the technical specification for the roofs and carried out a full site audit to assess the condition of the existing roof and recommend the most appropriate solution.

The project is funded by the EFA’s Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) with Sika and Northpoint working closely with the school to prepare the technical specification and independent professional advice required for the bid.

Joe Moore from Northpoint Architects, said: “Not only did Sika’s cold-applied liquid system, provide the ideal solution for this fast-track refurbishment scheme but the company’s thorough approach to assessing the condition of the existing roofs and developing a technical specification compatible with the substrate ensured a high quality finish.”

The existing main teaching block had a felt roof covering that had reached the end of its serviceable life, with unprotected bitumen visible in many areas and vapour blisters and delamination along the laps of the felt. The felt roof on the arts and geography block was similarly degraded and required additional insulation in order to bring the building up to current building regulations standards. On both roofs, there was extensive preparation to be done to make good previous patch repairs, delamination, blistering and upstands.

Following preparation of the substrate, roofing contractor, BriggsAmasco, installed a Decothane Ultra system – a two coat liquid applied membrane, incorporating fibre matting. Throughout and upon completion of the project, Sika Liquid Plastics’ dedicated field technicians thoroughly inspected the project to ensure a single point guarantee of 20 years could be issued.

For the art and geography block, the installation began with 60mm Decotherm insulation board to supplement the existing insulation. Sika Liquid Plastics self-adhesive S-VAP 5000 E SA carrier membrane was then installed prior to application of the Decothane Ultra System to the roof in the same base coat, Reemat, top coat process.

The buildings were unoccupied during the refurbishment works but both projects were carried out on a live school campus, making the cold-liquid applied system ideally suited to the scheme, with no hot works or nuisance odours.

Steve Wilkinson, property services manager at Stokesley School, added: “This project marks the first phase of a five-year plan to modernise and improve the Trust’s estate, reduce energy consumption and optimise the use of our facilities. The Decothane Ultra solution recommended by Sika not only provided an ideal solution for minimising disruption to staff and students during the works but the BBA-certified, single-point guarantee will provide us with peace of mind for a generation.”

For more information please visit http://gbr.liquidplastics.sika.com.
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Rinnai training courses for 2017

Rinnai UK’s 2017 training programme has been designed to cater for the growing number of engineers and specifiers looking to utilise the energy saving benefits of gas fired continuous flow water heaters.

Since the introduction of ErP last year, Rinnai has seen a massive increase in interest for its complete and comprehensive range of highly efficient A-rated continuous flow water heaters, and a commensurate surge in demand for training on the units. The company supplies models from the small domestic multi-point units to bespoke industrial hot water solutions.

The Rinnai training department has trained 66% more engineers than in the year preceding implementation. These have included bespoke courses designed to fit in with the modern time demands for professionals and the company has also seen a large increase in CPD modules all over the UK.

Rinnai’s series of tailor-made, flexible courses allow engineers the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience of the practical and energy saving benefits of continuous flow gas fired water heater technology.

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

Engineers courses have already been booked through until the first week of February at Rinnai’s dedicated Runcorn training facility and at various venues in the South of the country. Additional courses have been added that will take place on 9 and 23 February and 9 and 23 March at Runcorn, with more courses in the process of being added.

According to Rinnai training specialist Ian Jenkins: “The sizing course is extremely popular, certainly with the specifiers, and the L8 module is also proving to be in demand. We trained 22 British Gas engineers in August alone last year – this is the third time we have trained groups of their engineers.”

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

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

The engineer training course line-up for 2017 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.”

For more information contact Ian Jenkins on +44 (0)1928 531 870 or email training@rinnaiuk.com.
For more details on RINNAI products visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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UK’s largest brickmaker scoops trio of prestigious awards

Image: Courtyard House Photography Tom Gildon & David Butler

Ibstock, the UK’s largest brickmaker, has further cemented its position as the industry-leader by winning three awards at the 40th annual Brick Developers Association’s (BDA) Awards, which celebrate excellence in design and construction using brick.

This latest success takes Ibstock’s total award wins since 2005 to 77 – more than any other brickmaker. The stunning builds feature bricks from Ibstock’s wide-ranging portfolio of colours, textures, sizes and finishes to achieve a huge variety of aesthetic effects.

Projects using Ibstock bricks picked up the top accolade in three categories, including: Best Individual Housing Development, from Dallas Pierce Quintero for Courtyard House, which showcased a creative application of Staffordshire Blue Umbra Sawtooth and Standard; and Best Large House Builder for Linden Homes by Stride Treglown, which used Audley Red Mixture and Commercial Red to achieve a striking impact.

The distinctive arched pavilion of the Brentwood School Learning Resource Centre in Essex, designed by Cottrell & Vermeulen, won Best Education Building, using brick façades to harmonise with existing buildings using the distinctive Heritage Red Blend.

In addition, Ibstock-Kevington products were also used in Newport Street Gallery, which picked up the Supreme Award. The innovative project used precast lintels and beams, together with CNC cut brickwork, all of which were manufactured by Ibstock-Kevington.

Andrew Halstead-Smith, group marketing manager at Ibstock, commented: “As brick continues to retain its position as the number one construction material of choice, what we are seeing is more innovative and creative applications of brick, which really showcase its tremendous design capabilities.

“Architects, specifiers and contractors are pushing the boundaries when it comes to application to create breath taking designs, which these award-winning projects really demonstrate. We congratulate all those involved.

“The calibre of builds shortlisted at this year’s awards was incredibly high; so to have three projects where Ibstock bricks were used receiving awards, in addition to playing a part in the Supreme Award winning entry, really is testament to the versatility of Ibstock’s wide-range of options.”

A further project which also used Ibstock bricks received the judges’ commendation in the category of Best Education Building, for Merchant Taylors’ School Design Centre designed by Architecture PLB.

For more information visit www.ibstock.com.
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A modular approach

Modular building projects are on the increase, reports Giacomini UK, and most notably in the education sector.

Giacomini UK, one of the UK’s leading underfloor heating providers, has recently noticed an influx of modular projects with its three most notable all being for primary schools or nurseries.

Modular underfloor heating systems consist of pre-built modules, which are installed in transportable sections of various sizes. The sections are created in a controlled factory environment and are then delivered to site and craned into position to simply be connected together.

This innovative system results in projects being completed punctually and quickly as, by using the modules, efficiency and installation speed are maximised with limited disruption on site. However, most importantly for the schools involved, the biggest benefit of using modular underfloor heating is that it is very cost efficient and helps keep the project comfortably within budget and effortlessly within the tight timeframes such as school holidays.

Giacomini was selected by Hull based Servaccomm for the projects which saw the company supplying the underfloor heating materials for the plated modular systems, as well as factory pressure pre-testing the systems and fitting the manifolds on site.

The first project was at Prae Wood primary school in St Albans where the UFH was installed on the ground and first floors as part of the school’s £2 million expansion. This was followed by two further school projects, which saw Giacomini UK and Servaccomm install modular systems within a state-of-the-art nursery and primary school in Milton Keynes.

Matt Lowe, managing director of Giacomini UK, commented: “Underfloor heating is proving to be increasingly popular within schools due to its safety benefits as well as being cost efficient. Further to this, by working with Servaccomm’s modular builds we can ensure minimal disruption is caused to the customer, due to the majority of the construction and installation taking place in the factory with only the final connection taking place on site.”

For more information please visit www.giacomini.co.uk.
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Titon Trickle Vents meet recently revised Scottish regulations

Titon has updated its range of trickle ventilators to include additional versions which comply with the recently revised Scottish Technical Standards – the equivalent of the England & Wales Building Regulations.

The Scottish Technical Standards were amended in 2016 to alter the method of measuring background ventilation from the traditional ‘Free Area’ unit (the geometric area of a ventilation device) to the more widely recognised ‘Equivalent Area’ (EA) unit (based on the rate of air flow through the ventilation device). As a result, all background ventilators in the UK now use the same EA unit, as determined using BS EN 13141-1, ensuring a simpler system can be employed throughout the supply chain.

However, the Scottish Technical Standards stipulate more background ventilation is needed per dwelling; this means a higher number of ventilators are required in Scotland than in England & Wales. This has led to Titon redesigning its trickle ventilator sizes where possible, ensuring the ranges have denominations of sizes which comply with the average EA totals stipulated in the revised Technical Standards. These changes have been made throughout the company’s mainline plastic and aluminium ventilator ranges – including its newest and high performing SF Xtra model. This surface-mounted slot ventilator is now available in a version which supplies 5,500mm2 EA (or 6,000mm2 depending which canopy is used), meaning the average 11,000-12,000mm2 EA required for new build projects in Scotland can be achieved with just two vents in a room, as opposed to three.

In order to reflect and explain the implications of the revised Standards, Titon has also updated its Scottish Ventilation Regulations CPD (Continuing Professional Development) presentation accordingly. Specifiers seeking to understand the new Standards as they take effect can now arrange for Titon to visit their offices and present this CPD seminar free upon request.

Titon is very active in Scotland, which remains an important market for background ventilators. The company has an established presence, with local representation and a network of distributors in place to assist customers.

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