“Selly Oak students get bronze!”

Birmingham University scholars, lucky enough to have student accommodation at the new Athena Sudios, Bristol Road, Selly Oak, have top quality bronze anodized, composite windows, with dark Anthracite Oak veneers internally, in every room – which sets them apart from ordinary accommodation.

Uniform Architectural Ltd is pleased to have supplied the latest, Italian designed uni_one® range of composite windows and doors, to Torsion Group Ltd, major building contractors.

As can be seen on this impressive development, Uni_one composite windows are ‘raising the bar’ by having introduced to UK, a new higher standard of excellence, in terms of quality, innovation, design originality and reliability – plus, many exclusive and valuable features:

  • Welded aluminium corner joints – simply NO joint to see, or to deteriorate.
  • Car windscreen glazing system – structurally bonded, factory glazed sashes for ultimate weather protection and strength.
  • Thermal and acoustic excellence – Triple glazing, 0.8 U values and Rw 50+ dB sound reduction.
  • Narrow sight-lines and flush exterior of the uni_one Executive™ outward opening casement windows and doors – including Fully Reversible – and ‘Parallel’ opening, pushing straight out.
  • Maximum performance and widest range – uni_one Standard™ tilt & turn system, double and triple glazed.
  • Lift & Slide patio units – up to 3 metres wide per door, ultra-smooth, finger-tip light operation.
  • Widest range of finishes in UK.
  • Internally, 12 beautiful and hard wearing timber shades and pastel colours.
  • Externally, Bronze or Aluminium, natural or anodised, any RAL colour & texture.
  • Fully concealed for maximum elegance – Hinges, drainage, trickle vents and handles.
  • Spandrel panels – externally deglaze-able for inspection behind, or if damaged.

Despite the many advantages above, all schemes are tendered for and won against fierce competition in the Design and Build market.

For further information, brochures or a quotation please visit www.uniform-arch.co.uk or email us at enquiries@uniform-arch.co.uk or call 01275 217227.
/0 Comments/by

Decorative casing – in a class of their own

If it wasn’t for column casings and interior wall lining solutions, building interiors would be considerably less attractive environments, which is as true for academies, schools and universities, as it is for the commercial or retail sectors.

Yet, as they are usually designed to integrate as part of the fabric of an educational building, their importance can 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 brushed stainless steel wall cladding in a new university, yet they are key elements in interior design and integral to the aesthetics of the learning environment.

For column casings, at least, their role has been transformed from being a purely functional device for concealing structural steelwork to one of visual and decorative importance. While initially used by a relatively small number of architects in the mid 1980s, column casings are now commonplace, with their aesthetic values and appeal being a key consideration alongside size and material during the specification process.

The demand for wider choice and increased aesthetics from architects, educational design teams and specifiers have been key influences on Peterborough based casing and interior cladding company, Encasement, whose range has continually expanded and diversified during the past ten years to become the most comprehensive available in the UK.

Alongside the company’s six individual ranges of column casings, its ‘Vecta’ system provides a high quality solution for interior wall linings, bulkheads and reveals. Launched just a few years ago, the system has been used in a diverse range of key retail and commercial projects with Tesco and Prêt a Manger, as well as its extensive use for a new extension at South Bank University, London.

While Vecta has already gathered significant momentum, it is for column casings that Encasement is perhaps best known. The company’s extensive range not only includes pre-formed plywood and glass reinforced gypsum (GRG), as well as a specialised fire resistant solution for use with mezzanine floors, but also aluminium, stainless steel and glass reinforced polymer (GRP) casings for use on exterior applications due to their inherent weather resistance.

Interestingly, Encasement’s ‘Forma’ metal casings and ‘Polyma’ GRP range are also widely used in educational building interiors, where the wide selection of finishes coupled with their durability, make them an ideal solution. In particular, the Forma range provides specifiers with an even greater scope of options and can be specified with diameters from 250mm up to 1000mm or as square, rectangular or even hexagonal forms.

Recent projects, such as Winchester College, Birmingham University Dental School, University College London, Farnborough Sixth Form College, Shenley School and Liverpool University’s Donnan Laboratories have all exploited the practical and decorative properties of Encasement’s ‘Forma’ metal casings, as well as its ‘Circa’ and ‘Quadra’ products manufacturer from pre-formed plywood.

Alongside Forma, the Circa’ and Quadra ranges were the first to be launched by the company and are still arguably the most popular, as they provide specifiers and contractors with an unrivalled selection of finishes, which includes plain, laminated or real wood veneers.

In addition, as Encasement is the UK’s only supplier and manufacturer of pre-formed plywood pipe boxing and decorative casing products that holds an FSC® ‘Chain of Custody Certification’ from the Forest Stewardship Council, both Circa and Quadra are manufactured from FSC® certified plywood. This makes them compliant with sustainability codes and environmental procurement policies, which is key consideration on educational building projects.

Designed solely for interior decorative applications, Circa and Quadra casings are used in an extremely diverse range of projects beyond the education sector, which underlines their versatility, ease of specification and the immense range of decorative finishes available to complement or contrast with a building’s interior design scheme.

While Circa and Quadra are available from Encasement as a plain casings for on site painting and decoration, by far the most popular casings are those finished with decorative laminates, which not only resist damage, scuffs and scratches, but also provides the specifier 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.

The choice of sizes available is also wide, allowing specifiers to choose not only circular and square shapes, but also extended circles and rectangular profiles, which use additional infill panels to give greater design flexibility while ensuring they are still easy to install.

Encasement’s Managing Director, Martin Taylor, commented: “Column casing provide a perfect mix of practicality and aesthetics, which are essential considerations for all educational buildings, whether they’re schools, colleges or universities. We’ve taken a lot of care to ensure our range meets both of these key criteria while ensuring that we always remain competitive and deliver high quality products, which are probably key factors behind why we have undertaken so many projects in this sector.”

“The Vecta interior cladding system enhances our educational building interiors offer and allows specifiers to source a range of specialised interior finish products from a single company with high levels of expertise and experience in this sector. We also have our own contracting arm, which enables us to offer a full supply and install service to support contractors.”

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.

/0 Comments/by

More than just academic: The importance of lighting controls solutions tailored for education applications

Important legislative changes have impacted on the use of lighting control systems within the education sector. Contractors must now provide controls which deliver greater energy savings in line with increasingly stringent regulations around sustainability. Additionally, these must be designed to meet each institution’s precise operational requirements, making decision-making around lighting and controls more complex.

Meanwhile, lighting controls have become significantly more sophisticated in functionality and quality. This allows specifiers and installers to select the most appropriate products for each customer, with expectation from end users around lighting controls increasing considerably.

There is now greater emphasis within BREEAM on consultation to truly understand client needs. Similarly, the implementation of BIM requirements means specifiers, armed with this in-depth understanding, must select fully compliant products.

A valuable lesson

As in any sector, it makes sense to select a lighting controls partner with significant experience in educational projects. Where schools and educational facilities differ from commercial spaces or offices is that the primary objective is to create an environment optimal for learning.

Budgetary constraints in the education sector cover both initial cost of purchase and delivering ongoing reduction in energy usage.

For instance, occupancy-sensing controls ensure lighting is used only when required, creating a well-lit classroom suited to effective learning while minimising unnecessary energy consumption and cost.

The best of both worlds

Typically, there will be three or four banks of lighting in a classroom – one close to windows, with another at the front where the whiteboard is. A lighting control system adjusts lighting accordingly to account for varying levels of artificial and natural light.

Typically, this means the lights nearest to the windows will be dimmable, and on a sunny day may dim down to as low as 25% of full output. Further into the space, depending how far the daylight penetrates, other rows may dim down to, say, 75% – or even remain at 100% output.

With widespread use of interactive whiteboards and projectors, dimmer switches help focus students’ attention as these can be used to dim light elsewhere within the teaching space.

Many classrooms, particularly in secondary schools, are used by numerous teaching staff and support staff outside teaching hours. This means the control interface must be easy to use by individuals unfamiliar with that classroom and with varying degrees of technical competence.

Versatility

Classrooms are often also used for extra-curricular and community-based activities. To optimise energy use, it makes sense to implement flexible systems which can cater for this. The absence of such measures can lead to wasteful energy consumption and increased cost, as lights are left on when only a few classrooms, connecting corridors and stairways are in use.

Similarly, rooms in universities and colleges are occupied sporadically, highlighting the need for automated systems ensuring lights are kept on only when in use. Selecting the right occupancy detection can deliver significant savings. In a classroom, for instance, a single microwave detector may offer the same control as two or more PIR detectors, reducing capital costs and cabling requirements.

The same applies to corridors, where the directional qualities of occupancy detectors can provide maximum coverage with the minimum number of sensors.

Conclusion

Lighting controls are continually evolving to meet the precise needs of the education sector. Correctly chosen solutions can help create the optimal learning environment. Seeking advice from those with specialist knowledge and experience in these crucial areas can help ensure clients receive the best solution.

The new Vitesse Plus, a seven-channel lighting control system by CP Electronics, has been specially designed with BIM and EFA guidelines in mind, as well as a growing need to find a cost-effective solution which is easy to set up. Features such as graduated dimming and corridor hold are simple to set up and control, with photocell detectors making adjustments that take advantage of natural light levels.

To find out more visit www.cpelectronics.co.uk.
/0 Comments/by

Ticking the right boxes for social housing

When it comes to ventilation social housing has very specific needs. It is therefore important to select fans designed especially for the sector. Jenny Smith, Marketing Manager at Vent-Axia explains:

Keeping tenants happy is an important part of being a landlord. After all an unhappy tenant equals an unhappy landlord. At Vent-Axia we understand landlords’ concerns and design products to help ensure tenants and landlords alike are happy.

Happy landlords

For landlords this means a fan which offers simple specification, low maintenance and reliability. For example, the new Lo-Carbon Revive from Vent-Axia is designed to be versatile since it has a choice of run speeds for multiple installation options and can be ducted or through the wall, making specification easy. Plus Revive is low maintenance since its market-leading Multi-Vortex™ technology does not require a filter, while the highly sculpted interior actively repels dust, avoiding clogging, thus helping avoid call backs. Revive also boasts reliability backed by up to seven years’ warranty.

Happy installers

Installers need to be able to fit multiple fans on multiple sites as quickly and easily as possible. Featuring Smart Sense™ intelligent technology Revive is quick and easy to install with the fan featuring a simple alpha numeric LED display which is clear and easy to read and a three-button menu for commissioning and data gathering. Smart Sense™ technology even tells the LED display which orientation to use depending on whether it is wall or ceiling mounted. All of which saves time on site and reduces installation complications.

Happy tenants

But to ensure happy landlords you need happy tenants. A noisy fan will not only disturb tenants, it will make them aware the fan is running, this could potentially cause tenants to tamper with the fan to turn it off to avoid added energy costs. This can result in poor indoor air quality (IAQ) causing condensation and mould and subsequent damage to the fabric of a building, causing costly redecorating. Revive is designed therefore to be powerful enough to remove moist air to ensure good IAQ, but also quiet enough not to disturb while remaining energy efficient.

Revive’s Smart Sense™ technology can also provide real-time data via an intuitive interface to communicate the fan’s energy efficiency so landlords can reassure tenants of the low-running costs. Meanwhile, nuisance tripping is another reason tenants avoid using fans, Revive’s Smart Sense™ therefore features an ambient response humidistat to avoid this.

With tenant satisfaction vital, Revive’s innovative Multi-Vortex™ technology has a high-pressure hybrid impellor that is powerful and efficient, yet quiet. The fan operates discreetly removing moisture and stale air, leaving a comfortable home environment. Performing to its design intent with a tile-like grille, Revive draws air into the fan via its bell mouth design allowing air to enter the fan fluidly and silently. This offers tenants a quiet, unobtrusive fan without a spinning impeller visible, so they will hardly notice it. The tile-like grille also stays cleaner than open-grilled alternatives.

Meanwhile, Revive’s Smart Sense™ also allows multiple configurations so the fan can be commissioned to meet the needs of the property and the tenant. Quick and easy to select, it offers a bespoke solution where performance or noise is key.

However, despite the latest fans offering energy efficient, quiet comfort some tenants may still have concerns. To help Revive’s Smart Sense™ therefore includes a Day Logger which tracks how many days a fan has been running to ensure it is used as intended.

Landlords can also use the Day Logger to track energy use and interrogate the fan on how many days a fan has been on humidity boost mode, pull cord boost mode, or trickle. This information can help build a profile of tenant activity aiding landlords in investigating humidity problems. This allows landlords to work with tenants to ensure a healthy indoor environment.

For more information please visit www.vent-axia.com.
/0 Comments/by

Stannah lift products star in spectacular new entrance to Leeds Station

Opened on 3rd January 2016, the new southern entrance to Leeds Station features four Stannah escalators and two passenger lifts.

Following multiple escalator and lift installations at the Midlands hub of Birmingham New Street and Grand Central for Network Rail and Mace, Stannah were again the chosen supplier and installer of all vertical transport within the southern entrance building (known as the LSSE scheme.), this time working with main contractor Carillion to fulfil the brief. The work was completed by the Stannah Escalator & Moving Walkway Department and Stannah Major Projects team in just twelve weeks.

Funded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Leeds Council, the Department for Transport and Network Rail, the new extension provides an attractive new accessible entrance and additional concourse built in the River Aire. The building was created to diminish congestion at this busy commuter station into and out of West Yorkshire and the North of England, making it an attractive route for tourists again. Up to 20,000 passengers (or 20% of current footfall) are estimated to benefit from using the new entrance, shortening commute times and providing easy access from the south of Leeds.

The four escalators provide continuous vertical transportation for ambulant people. Those travellers with heavy luggage, child buggies or wheelchair-users are well provided for with two bespoke 13-person traction passenger lifts located just inside the entrance.

The tight restraints on the site meant some of the features of the lift equipment had to be modified to achieve the design and vision without compromising safety.

The escalators are to NR specification with some additional features bespoke to the Leeds station project. These features were based on the tight restraints of the site and the designers risk assessment required to mitigate those risks.

This included special software so that all the machines operate to a special design philosophy when stopped in an emergency situation, including installing an additional stop button on each machine during mid travel. Bespoke manufacture of the machines at 35 degrees instead of the standard NR specification of 30 degrees, and the reduction of the speed of the machines from the standard NR .65m/s to .05m/s all result in safe, efficient travel within the constraints of an unusual and stunning building design. With no room for housing external controllers these became an integral part of the escalators.

The lifts had restricted space so machine room-less traction equipment was installed to enable the largest capacity possible within the tight footprint of the new building.

The new pedestrian entrance will be of great benefit to people living and working south of the river, and will open up new travel opportunities providing a further stimulus to redevelopment and expansion of the city centre, and will support the continued regeneration of the southern quarter of the city.

Stannah continue to add to their portfolio of high-profile rail projects, helping Network Rail achieve their target of ‘Step-free access’ across the rail network.

The North West England and North Wales Stannah service branch, part of Stannah’s nationwide branch network, will be maintaining the lifts and escalators to ensure the safe flow of people and goods through this new entrance.

See more at www.stannahlifts.co.uk/news-and-resources/news-centre/
/0 Comments/by

Optima from Profile 22: Future-proof high performance windows

Months of rumours and speculation are now at an end as Profile 22 launches not one but two of the industry’s most eagerly awaited window and door systems. Hailed as the biggest new product introduction in the window industry for a decade, Profile 22 has unveiled Optima, developed to be the most advanced products of their type available in the UK today.

Developed specifically with commercial sectors in mind, and backed by the Profile 22 Approved Window Contractors scheme, Optima offers a compelling choice for the professional specifier. Behind this launch is a radical rethink of each of the key processes in the production of a window and door system for the 21st Century: extrusion processes that ensure superb quality and consistency whilst protecting the environment through reduced energy and ecological impact and products that easily satisfy current technical and aesthetic demands by anticipating those of many years ahead.

The two product streams are characterised by the Optima Chamfered System and the Optima Sculptured System, from which a large number of options are available including a brand new Flush Casement to compete in the burgeoning ‘heritage’ flush sash timber replacement sector.

In basis the systems offer a 6 chamber outer frame (up to 8 with RCM inserts) and a 5 chamber sash (6 with RCM), structures that provide optimal thermal performance and rigidity with the capability of U values as low as 0.8 W/m2K with appropriate Argon filled IGUs. Around these basic structures will be the widest range of ancillaries and add-ons of any system on the market to allow the production of windows in every style, for every property type. Important niche products such as a fully reversible window; a vertical sliding sash; flush tilt & turn; a flush casement; composite door; french door sets; and a patio door may be manufactured by combining existing profiles with the Optima suite. Performance is to A++ Window Energy Rating.

The Profile 22 system that Optima replaces enjoyed huge popularity for its aesthetics and Optima retains a close similarity, but with a larger rebate and stylish slim upstand. The distinctiveness enjoyed by Profile 22 over other systems will therefore continue.

The real difference however is in the details: the system is designed with a high performance centre seal option for improved weather and thermal performance, features that are unique to Optima amongst UK systems; deeper drainage channels further improve water egress and contribute towards weather performance.

Optima has been designed to offer the widest choice of glazing options on the market including 24 and 28mm double and 36, 40 and 44mm triple glazed units. Bead location has been fully researched with the result that glazing clips are unnecessary to pass security tests and are future-proof against proposed and anticipated enhancements to PAS24.

The systems have been awarded the British Standard Kitemark which includes testing to BS6375 parts 1, 2 & 3, Performance of windows and doors in addition to testing in relation to PAS24:2016 enhanced security performance requirements for doorsets and windows in the UK. Both standards are the latest to be published and allow specifiers to assess Optima against the most exacting UK standards currently available.

Products are also manufactured under Environmental and Health & Safety standards BS EN ISO 14001 and BS EN ISO 18001 respectively and BES6001 to ensure Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products. The Optima systems far surpass UK and EU Building Regulations and PAS24, and have the highly accredited Secured by Design approval. In short Optima is the most accredited window system available in the UK market today.

The increased demand in the window market for colour and woodgrain has been acknowledged with an increased stock and fast turnaround of special colour options. The Optima foil offer is superior to that of any other systems supplier boasting 28 colour options. The range of greys competes well with aluminium products.

Andrew Reid, Commercial Sales Director of Profile 22 says: “We wanted the new window systems to be the best in the market and represent innovative design and exceptional thermal performance. We designed the new products around the needs of the specifier for slim, modern and stylish aesthetics, whilst offering the most technologically advanced product features and performance capabilities to future-proof our product range in meeting future Building Regulations.

“To achieve this we have invested in the most advanced extrusion systems available today. This investment ensures consistently excellent window and door profile quality whilst also significantly reducing the environmental impact of the production process. This is a key element in the specification of modern window and door products,” added Andrew.

“Specifiers can include Optima knowing that they are choosing the most advanced window and door products available in the UK today with key benefits of exceptional thermal performance, reduced maintenance schedules and improved durability. Their clients will also enjoy the benefits of excellent design, greater comfort levels and security as well as reduced heating bills for tenants and homeowners alike.”

Those wanting to appreciate Optima are encouraged to visit the Profile 22 microsite www.profile22.co.uk/optima, the showroom in Telford or at the Building Centre, London.
/0 Comments/by

Powdertech (Corby) Ltd selected to undertake powder coating as part of Eurostar’s refurbishment programme

Image above: New e320 train on the left and refurbished e300 train on the right.

Alongside introducing its new Siemens e320 trains, the first of which began operating in commercial service on November 20th 2015, Eurostar is carrying out a complete re-modelling of its original trains. The Class 373s which are being rebranded as e300s have been in service for over21 years since the launch of Eurostar in 1994.The complete and complex refurbishment of the interior and exterior of the trains is being carried out in SNCF’s Hellemmes Technicentre in Lille. It covers all mechanical components as well as the design of the train which is being changed to mirror the look and feel of the new e320 trains. created for Eurostar by Italian design house Pininfarina.

The role of Powdertech Corby Ltd

As part of the refurbishment, the interiors were shipped to Powdertech Corby Ltd, in Northamptonshire for stripping and powder coating.

The various components were divided into sets for six different paint colours. Powdertech (Corby) Ltd spent six months dealing with an enormous train set, or parts of one at least. Once coated, the pieces were repackaged and sent back to Lille where the carriages were reassembled. Tagging and labelling of the parts was absolutely critical as there are slight variations between carriages and trains. The engineering company overseeing the reconstruction used a system of unique identification involving a grid of dots, similar to a QR code, imprinted on to the metal. This coding system would ensure that every part went back to the right place in the right carriage on the right train.

Eurostar required a powder coater that could deal with the high demands of the refurbishment programme, not only in terms of high quality powders and coating proficiency but also the operational logistics of dealing with the numerous parts and correct customised powder colours. Following a visit to Powdertech’s factory in Corby, Eurostar deemed the company capable of meeting the exacting requirements.

“Cleaning the metal was a challenge,” said Powdertech Sales Director, Richard Besant “Together with the old paint, twenty one year’s of grease and grime needed removing, not to mention carpet and carpet glue from many of the sections. Powdertech looked into a variety of paint stripping and surface cleaning methods and used, amongst others, blasting with glass beading, orbital sanding and metal polishing.”

The six powder colours were custom made for Eurostar by Axalta, for whom Powdertech is an approved applicator. The first refurbished e300 train set, capable of carrying 750 passengers, set forth from London to Brussels in September 2015. Rail travel expert Mark Smith of seat61.com train travellers’ website (named after his favourite Eurostar seat) was on board and tweeted “Internally it’s unrecognisable – most passengers will think it’s a brand new train. Superb job”.

“That says it all for us,” said Richard Besant. “We are delighted that Powdertech Corby was chosen to make such a big contribution to this exciting makeover project.”

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

/0 Comments/by

Birmingham dental hospital

The long awaited new Dental Hospital designed by healthcare experts One Creative Environments Ltd brings together state of the art teaching and medical facilities. Designed using BIM, this process enabled One Creative to provide a virtual building for all parties involved in the project to visualize and contribute to. This is the largest and first integrated, stand-alone dental hospital and school of dentistry built in the UK for almost 40 years.

As part of the University of Birmingham, The School of Dentistry has been specifically designed to support Undergraduate and Postgraduate dental students in world class facilities. Costing £34 million, the new hospital provides a varied range of dental services for the West Midlands and surrounding areas. Considered to be a landmark development it contributes further to promoting Birmingham as a centre of excellence for medical learning and life sciences. Totalling 15,465 sqm, the new dental hospital houses a range of services for the public including walk-in emergency dental care, restorative dentistry, oral surgery, oral medicine, orthodontics and paediatric dentistry. Opening in the second half of 2016, over 115,000 people annually are expected to be treated at the new Hospital.

This latest Hospital is only one of 10 dental hospitals in the country, and the second to have nora® rubber floor coverings installed.

The facility follows the strict hygienic requirements of an all-encompassing hospital. Clean and smooth finishes with appropriate trims are necessary to ensure a hygienic floor with easy cleaning. Due to the dense vulcanised surface nora® rubber floor coverings are perfectly suited to this type of installation. All nora® floorcoverings are hygienic, fungi-static and bacteriostatic. The dense surface means no coatings necessary throughout the long life of the floor and also results in a floor with very low abrasion. This is why nora® are able to offer unrivalled long life warranties. Finally the floors have already benefited from the efficient and effective cleaning which is achieved when using nora’s specially designed cleaning pads, which can be attached to most standard cleaning machines.

nora® floorcoverings were initially chosen for their durability and easy maintenance; however, the environmental properties for nora® are unsurpassed with the A+ individually assessed accreditation and the Blue Angel award. This award for low VOC’s provides the client with the assurance that the building will contribute to the healing environment with clean, comfortable air.

Nora floor coverings offer excellent sound reduction which is vital in such an environment where we have learning and healing/recovery environments linked together. The floors can offer up to 20dB. The rubber floor coverings provide a surface that offers high walking and standing comfort which is great for clients, patients and employees alike.
With nora® rubber floor coverings you can be sure your floor will continue to look good for decades.

For more information please visit www.nora.com/uk/products-systems/floor-coverings/noraplan-sheet/showproduct/noraplan-sentica/
/0 Comments/by

Komfort launches the next evolution in frameless glazed partitioning

Over 40 years as the UK market leader in the design, manufacture and installation of partitioning systems, specialist internal glazing, doors and access panels, the new system Polar Evolve meets the performance requirements and the demands of today’s designer.

Under independent and supportive owners, Komfort is now stronger than ever. We are investing in growth and innovation, with a fresh new identity, several new products ready to launch and BIM models available on our website. We are well on our way to making Komfort a fast paced, customer focused company designing and installing leading edge products, supported by unparalleled levels of customer service. Neil Davis, Managing Director The re-evaluation of Komfort’s Polar range of frameless partitioning has been one of the fi rst steps on the company’s innovation path. The Design & Development Team have improved, perfected and evolved our current range to push the boundaries of what is possible in partitioning.

Inspirational design

For designers, the new system is an intelligent interior solution for installing into scenarios up to 3600mm high “as standard”. This flexible system enables designers to be creative with a range of head tracks, including a standard head, 1-part deflection head and an integrated ceiling adapter, alongside interchangeable 3-way adaptors and T-junctions for single and double glazed. A unique design feature to the system is the introduction of the ‘room function indicator’ for our door frames which complies with Document M for the visually impaired.

Powerful performance

The newest partitioning system to join the Komfort range has the performance attributes to meet design and technical challenges suitable for 102mm and 122mm drywalls and glazing pockets to suit 10-19mm glass thicknesses. It offers guaranteed certifi ed sound reduction of up to 40dB (Rw) for single glazed combinations and up to 48dB (Rw) for double glazed. (BS EN ISO 10140 2:2010). All our systems are designed to deliver sustainable performance.

Intelligent integration

Polar Evolve can be used in conjunction with our standard 44mm timber, 12mm single glazed and 44mm Sonik Door.

We think.
We reason.
We solve.
We are Komfort.

 

For more information email: general@komfort.co.uk. Ref: Polar Evolve
/0 Comments/by

Saving money saving lives

Kidde Safety’s Firex range of smoke and heat alarms offers opportunities to improve fire safety during refurbishments at lower costs.

Hard-wired, interconnected smoke and heat alarms, with reliable power back-up should now be the norm for all housing, whether existing or new-build. This is spelled out in the Code of Practice BS 5839-6:2013, which takes the form of guidance and recommendations. Although not in itself mandatory, it does form the basis for Building Regulations and is used as a benchmark in housing standards (including HHSRS), specifications, legal, insurance or other situations.

Minimum Standard

While BS 5839-6 is based on a risk assessment approach, it recognises that in most cases guidance tabulated in the Code can be applied as a minimum standard. It lists the minimum Categories (locations for alarms) and Grades (power sources) recommended for different types of housing. Typically, for houses up to 3 storey and individual flats, the Code recommends Category LD2. This means smoke alarms in all escape routes and any areas where fires might start, such as living rooms, plus heat alarms in all kitchens.

The Code also recommends Grade D hard-wired, interconnected smoke and heat alarms with back-up power. This is demanded by Building Regulations for new housing and changes of use, where battery-only smoke alarms are not permitted. But Grade D is also important for existing buildings. In another important change, the 2013 edition of the Code now excludes Grade F battery-only systems from all rented homes.

Long-life Low-cost

The resulting growth of hard-wired systems has developed interest in energy saving products. In response, Firex smoke and heat alarms offer a much lower, maximum mains consumption, with substantial energy savings over previous models and significantly lower running costs. Other features include an Alarm Memory Function, identifying which alarm has triggered, as well as dust compensation and bug screens on all optical alarms to minimise nuisance alarms and call-backs. Accessories include a wired, remote ‘Test and Hush’ switch, and a relay pattress to operate other devices.

An important Firex innovation is the introduction of long-life lithium battery back-up options for all three sensing technologies (ionization, optical and heat), alongside the usual loose battery and integral rechargeable battery versions. This innovation ensures reliable back-up throughout the whole alarm life, without the need to change batteries, at a much lower price than rechargeable products.

Firex alarms can also interconnect with Kidde’s 4MCO and 4MDCO hard-wired carbon monoxide alarms, as well as with each other, using the unique ‘Smart Interconnect’ feature. Here, the alarms have different, distinct alarm sounder patterns for carbon monoxide and fire – an essential facility, supported by different display messages on the 4MDCO model. So, without the need for any further operation of the system (such as remote switches), Smart Interconnect automatically alerts occupants throughout the property of the specific hazard that confronts them. It allows them to respond quickly, making the right choice from the very different actions for either fire or carbon monoxide.

Firex is manufactured and supplied exclusively by Kidde Safety. For more information, call: 01753 766392, email: sales@kiddesafety.co.uk or visit: www. kiddesafetyeurope.co.uk.
/0 Comments/by