COMPAC launch Unique Calacatta – inspired by the beauty and elegance of natural stone

COMPAC have just launched Unique Calacatta, a quartz worksurface that offers a stunning contrasting grey veining design on a pure white background.

Inspired by the beauty and elegance of natural stone, Unique Calacatta offers a mechanical and chemical performance that is superior to nature’s own.

Combining traditional skill with innovation, COMPAC has been able to create a worksurface that makes it possible to decorate private homes and public spaces with elegant overall compositions that transmit serenity and harmony.

The striking contrast of pure white with the powerful grey veins characteristic of marble will give any space clad with Unique Calacatta a truly magnetic personality.

Architects and designers can now specify this new finish for their projects with the confidence. Every reference in this new product category is unique on the market, because just like in nature, each slab presents different nuances and patterns in design.

Added to this is an enviable set of technical specifications, the natural hardness of quartz comes hand in hand with a waterproof, hygienic finish offering even greater resistance.

This means that Unique Calacatta is especially appropriate for intensive use areas such as kitchen surfaces, floor tiling or wall cladding.

For more information www.compac.es.

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Charcon Materials used in London’s best new place to live

Charcon, the commercial hard landscaping division of Aggregate Industries, has collaborated on a top London residential project, Trafalgar Place in Elephant & Castle, which is being hailed by The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP for design innovation and longevity.

The project, part of a wider £1.5 billion, 28 acre regeneration scheme to upgrade and reconnect Elephant & Castle with the mostly derelict Heygate Estate, saw an office block converted into a development of 235 homes.

With a brief to create a quality urban residential space, Charcon was consulted to recommend approximately 3,500m2 of hard landscaping options that would establish a strong relationship between the green spaces of both the private communal and public areas, to the adjacent buildings and edges.

1,840m2 of Charcon’s Andover Textured flag and block paving in Midnight Grey, Silver Grey and Light Grey was supplied, offering a premium quality block paving product at an affordable price. Pairing the unique three colour blend with five different block sizes specified Andover Textured offers an eye-catching design solution that runs throughout all of the main tree-lined avenues of the scheme.

1,050m2 of premium Appalachian flag paving in Leemoor Ground was used for an upper private courtyard podium. Incorporating up to 60% recycled and reclaimed materials, the uniquely formulated granite aggregates offer exceptional performance and durability.

Charcon’s technical specialists also created a bespoke product for the project, producing 250m2 of ‘Special’ Appalachian Leemoor. Using a double process prior to sandblasting to expose a greater amount of aggregate, the end product was a unique polished and sandblasted finish which, when laid alongside the Leemoor Ground, created a distinctive contrast of textures within the private courtyard.

In addition, 100 linear metres of hard wearing Natural Granite kerbs and radii in Silver Grey were incorporated to create features throughout the scheme, and 240m2 of Europa block paving in Brindle was the ideal solution for the heavy-use pedestrianised areas.

Together with the buildings, planting and communal space, Trafalgar Place has been praised within the industry as an example of exemplary design, scooping prestigious awards such as The Mayor’s Award for Planning Excellence and Best New Place to Live, both at the London Planning Awards 2016.

Architects dRMM worked with landscape architect Grant Associates to create the regeneration masterplan. The project was managed by developer Lend Lease and leading landscape architecture company Randle Siddeley was invited to complete the detailed landscape design.

Sharon Chan, Project Landscape Architect at Randle Siddeley, comments: “Peter Brown from Charcon was very professional and extremely efficient in providing us with technical information we needed during both the design stage and construction stage. Andover and Leemoor are cost effective products that meet the planning requirements but do not compromise the aesthetics of the landscape scheme.”

Mike Davies, Specification and Major Projects Manager at Charcon, said: “This has been a fascinating project to watch evolve and we’re very proud to have played a role in what has become a flagship for urban regeneration in London. Our goal is to provide innovative solutions using the highest quality and most sustainable materials across every aspect of the construction industry, and these credentials married perfectly with Randle Siddeley’s vision for the development.”

More information is available on www.charcon.com.

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New heat network design guide created with efficiency in mind

Evinox Energy have launched a Heat Network Design Guide and CPD Seminar for Communal & District heating systems.

Packed with useful information, our Heat Network Design Guide contains all of the key factors to consider when planning, designing and delivering a communal or district heating project.

The scope of any heat network project begins at the planning stage, and carries through to system design, product selection, network maintenance and end user support. Attention to detail must be applied at every stage of the project in order to deliver a successful, efficient and cost effective heat network.

Successful design, installation and operation relies on a large number of factors, that can vary from project-to-project. Our free guide is a useful tool for system design and product selection process, supplementing other industry standards, guidelines, regulations and codes of practice.

Our CIBSE approved CPD seminar provides the opportunity to explore this topic in depth and identify new ways to add value, performance and efficiency to your heat network project.

Visit our website to download the guide, or contact us on 01372 722277 / info@evinoxenergy.co.uk to request a hard copy or book a seminar.

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Kee Safety provides safe access with self-closing safety gates

Kee Safety, a global supplier of fall protection equipment and safety railing systems, has launched Kee Gate, a range of self-closing safety gates, which provides industrial workers with a safety solution when working at height and on ground level.

Designed to work both internally and externally, on ladder and stair access points, roof hatches, walkways and roof tops, Kee Gate, ensures maintenance, inspection and warehouse staff can fulfil their job, follow best practices and comply with current safety standards, without putting their safety at risk. Kee Gates are spring loaded so can automatically close behind the user, providing an added level of security and overcoming the potential for human error. This type of system is the preferred solution to chains, bars or sliding tubes, as these traditional forms of protection can lead to a hazardous void, when used incorrectly.

Kee Safety self-closing safety gates are available in galvanised steel and if required can be powder coated in safety yellow. The safety gate is available with standard ‘U’ bolts for fixing to uprights of 33.7, 42.4 and 48.3 mm diameter, enabling the gate to be fixed quickly to existing supporting structures, posts or stringers. An additional fixing pack is provided which allows the gate to be fixed to square, flat or angle uprights. Easy to install on all types of handrails or to retro-fit existing structures, such as galvanised handrails and roof edge protection systems, Kee Gate is 1 metre wide. Designed to be trimmed on-site, this solution saves companies the time and money it takes to fabricate their own gates.

Kee Gate is compliant with the requirements of EN 13374 Class A, EN ISO 14122 Part 3 & Part 4 and is CE marked to EN 1090. The range is also compliant with international standards, meeting OSHA, O.B.C and I.B.C requirements. The system has undergone extensive testing to ensure total reliability of the gates. These include salt spray testing to ASTM B117-11 Neutral solutions over 200 hours to assess the coating’s corrosion resistance, life cycle testing to BS 6375-2:2009 Clause 6.5 – Opening and closing of Gate through 90 degrees 50,000 cycles and Abuse Testing where 9 x 25kg weights were suspended from the gate to test what happens if pressure is applied. This ensures durability, superior corrosion resistance and defence against signs of wear.

For more information, please visit www.keesafety.co.uk.
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Fermacell flags up its flooring credentials

A new brochure on its range of flooring systems has been published by Fermacell.

Leading building boards manufacturer Fermacell has launched a comprehensive guide to planning and installing its dry flooring systems.

The 64-page A4 manual details how Fermacell’s dry flooring systems are a practical and cost-effective alternative to conventional wet screed to concrete floors and how their excellent thermal conductivity makes them a very efficient overlay to underfloor heating systems. In addition, an optional wood fibre layer to the gypsum fibreboard base gives it excellent acoustic properties.

The brochure details the advantages of working with fermacell flooring systems (their light weight and dry and fast installation times, to name just a couple) and gives an overview of areas of application such as home, office and shopping areas, and areas where people congregate, as well as the loads to factor in for each.

It also advises on the substrates that fermacell flooring can be installed on (such as solid floors, timber joist floors with structural decks and trapezoidal steel sheet floors) and how they should be prepared. Step-by-step guides illustrate this process as well as how they can also be enhanced with a honeycombed acoustic infill.

Specific advice is given on flooring that is exposed to moisture and humidity, where fermacell’s cement-based Powerpanel H2O can be specified. A step-by-step guide details this particular installation procedure. And a table details guideline values for tolerance levels for completed fermacell floors over coverings such as carpet, cork, ceramic tiles, parquet and laminate.

Six pages are given over to example drawings of construction details for all the different flooring combinations, with another 11 pages advising on building physics and construction performance in areas such as fire protection and sound insulation. Material usage tables and installation times complete the picture.

Fermacell’s new flooring brochure is available to download from http://www.fermacell.co.uk/en/content/1038.php.

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Armstrong Ceilings prove a multi-acting medicine for CPI

Metal and mineral ceiling systems from Armstrong have been used on a new biologics centre.

A wide variety of ceiling systems from Armstrong have proved just the tonic for a ground-breaking new medical research centre.

More than half a dozen different solutions, including wall-to-wall systems, rafts and linear baffles, were specified by architects NORR for the National Biologics Manufacturing Centre in Darlington, County Durham, which was opened by Jo Johnson, Minister of State for Universities and Science.

Developed with a £38 million investment by the Government as part of the Strategy for UK Life Sciences programme, it is used for conducting research on biologic products by promoting collaboration between academia, the NHS and industry.

The 5,000m2 facility features flexible laboratory and pilot plant areas, dedicated spaces for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) process, analytical and technological development, and clean rooms for research as well as offices, meeting rooms and spaces for training and conferencing.

Armstrong Ceilings systems were used widely in white for maximum light reflectance, including the manufacturer’s metal systems – Tegular 2 microperforated tiles with acoustic fleece in the laboratories, B-H 300 microperforated planks (1800mm x 300mm) with acoustic fleece between plasterboard margins in corridors, and V-P 500 perforated metal baffles (1534mm x 150mm x 30mm) at 125mm centres in break-out areas and the double-height reception area. The D-H 700 floating raft ceiling, comprising 2140mm x 500mm x 30mm microperforated panels with acoustic fleece hung from a U-profile grid system, was also used in the reception area.

Mineral systems used were humidity-resistant Hydroboard 600mm x 600mm tiles with corrosion-resistant grid and perimeter trim in the changing rooms, Optima Vector tiles (600mm x 600mm) on a 24mm grid with shadow perimeter trim in meeting rooms, and Cradle to Cradle™ certified Ultima+ Vector tiles (600mm x 600mm) on a 24mm grid in offices, corridors and stairwells.

They were selected by regular Armstrong specifiers NORR, who handled Stage 4 onwards detailed design and full technical delivery to completion, for an equally wide variety of reasons, with particular challenges being the short timescales for a heavily serviced building (it was a 15-month build), aesthetics and services.

A NORR spokesman, who was taken by Armstrong’s Architectural Specialities team to Paddington Station to see Armstrong V-P 500 baffles in service, said: “The Armstrong systems were specified for the look of the ceiling, the excellent pre-specification service, the fact they are a great product, and that they have been used on similar buildings of quality.

“They play multiple parts in the project, from adding interest to a 7m high ceiling, providing easy access and maintenance, acoustics and reducing air intake as the baffles are used to assist the M&E strategy.”

The centre is managed by the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) which provides guidance to companies to develop new products and processes from concept to finished product. It uses applied knowledge in science and engineering, together with sophisticated development facilities, to enable clients to develop, demonstrate, prototype and scale-up the next generation of biologic products and processes.

The NORR spokesman added: “The client is very happy with the Armstrong systems. Quite often ceilings are missed out but the Armstrong systems enhance the space while providing access, ventilation and acoustic performance. The details were very straightforward to create.”

They were installed in the steel-framed building for Darlington-based design and build contractor Interserve over three months by a team of 16 from specialist Armstrong Omega sub-contractor Interceil.

Managing director Steve Jones said: “The biologics centre development was an extremely exciting project to be involved in. The Armstrong products afforded the installation of high-quality specifications providing excellent performance and stunning visual enhancement to the suspended ceilings.”

To view more images of this project, please go to the Armstrong project gallery www.armstrongceilings.co.uk/projectgallery.

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Offsite given wings

Juliet Woodcock looks at a new concept surrounding modern methods of construction.

It has long been accepted that manufacturing construction elements in the factory environment is safer, ensures higher quality end products with reduced wastage and can help meet tight deadlines, as well as getting around the problem of the skills shortage we are still experiencing post-recession.

But, as with every good idea, there is always someone who will take it one step further: on a large building contract, why not take the factory to the site? Indeed, a project funded through the Technology Strategy Board’s Low Impact Buildings Innovation Platform has undertaken a fundamental rethink of building processes, developing ‘flying factories.’

Led by Skanska, the project involves partners from Modcell, the University of Reading, The South West Manufacturing Advisory Service and the Building Research Establishment. Together they have developed the system of ‘near-site’ manufacture using modern flying factories.

To develop the technique and secure funding, Skanska’s Innovation Centre put together a research consortium of external organizations. Inspiration was taken from the offsite fabrication of May Park School in Bristol.

Combined with virtual-reality-enabled supply chain management and process improvement, the system provides a 28 per cent reduction in cost per square metre and 30 per cent shorter programmes, delivering higher quality and a more predictable build.

The concept was used to assemble wall panels for Glenfrome School in Bristol, enabling a building extension to be completed in just six weeks during the summer holiday.

It was then successfully applied to the SRW engineering services project for the Battersea Power Station Development phase one, where 550 ‘utility cupboards’ have been created for residential use. Significant cost and programme savings have been recorded for both projects; for the Battersea scheme, cost and time savings of 44 per cent were achieved.

If the Government is to reach its 2025 construction targets of 33 per cent reduction in building costs and 50 per cent faster delivery, plus 50 per cent lower emissions, then near site factories could offer a significant part of the solution.

Manufacturing components offsite, but close to the location for erection or installation helps to deliver many efficiencies:

  • Faster onsite installation
  • Minimal quality defects and associated waste
  • Optimized transport solutions to reduce costs
  • Overall reduction in operational and embodied carbon
  • Safer working environments for personnel
  • More likely to meet programme deliverables and reduce commercial risk
  • Avoiding the problems of poor weather

Speaking exclusively to MMC Magazine, Sam Stacey, Head of Innovation for Skanska commented: “The concept of flying factories is that they are temporary and flexible so that they probably need to be located within 25 miles of the site where buildings will be located: so we will either be looking at rented warehouse space; or possibly temporary hire structures erected on hard-standing. Good road connections with the final site are essential.

“It will also mean taking on labour on a temporary basis which, although it has not proved a problem to date, it does require us to get people up to speed quickly in order to maximize the benefits. The approach then is to simplify the process as much as possible, possibly taking steps out of the assembly process; and as much as possible making it like assembling a piece of furniture.

“At present the design supply chain is not well established to facilitate this type of working, but we will look to use templates where we can while the advent of Building Information Modelling (BIM) also offers a good basis for progress and I believe we can benefit with 3-D modelling, as well as what we term ‘virtual rehearsals’. There is a degree to which we will have to be responsive to each type of assembly we have to work with. ”

Apparently Sam Stacey’s team includes software specialists adept at working with virtual reality and they have already been experimenting with the Oculus type gaming helmets: making it possible to walk through some of the building prototypes currently being planned. This type of advancement could soon put the technology underpinning flying factories on an even footing with the automotive and other high tech industries.

“I think this type of technology will be enormously helpful for those involved,” continued Sam Stacey, “To experience what we are proposing to build, including the construction sequence, and identifying any gaps in the design, or something we can improve in the process. It will be applicable to anything that can be produced as a pod: kitchens, bathrooms or the utility cupboards we have been producing for a residential development in Battersea – packed with the M & E equipment.

Offsite2-BS-ARTICLE

“With flying factories you ae not tied into big overheads or high transport costs; and you are adapting the factory to exactly your needs at the time, so the concept is opening up the potential for a massive increase in the amount of offsite fabrication across the country,

“ It is also a good environment to ‘tag and track’ all the components with RFID (Radio Frequency Identity) tags which then facilitate quality checks and carry out condition monitoring to support condition based maintenance of moving and rotating machinery; particularly pumps.”

Offsite3-BS-ARTICLE

Back in July, Skanska was additionally awarded £700,000 to develop construction robots, to be used to carry out several tasks, including cutting, drilling and fixing on site. The funding was awarded by Innovate UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as part of their collaborative R&D programme; and it is expected that these robots will also be used in flying factories to further speed up the build process.

Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said of the flying factory notion: “The work we are funding will encourage the UK construction industry to undertake a fundamental rethink of current ways of working and enable businesses to explore potential commercial opportunities created by novel design, procurement and construction processes.”

While capital investments are greatly reduced by rented space for flying factories, the pilots did reveal that the break in continuity of production could be an issue; which automation might overcome. Other lessons learned were that there needs to be an increased control over the start-up phase regarding decision making, early decisions and involvement of expertise, as well as increased control over the design and production process.

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The easy answer for FSC® compliant boiler casing

Encasement is the UK’s only FSC® certified manufacturer of pre-formed plywood pipe boxing and boiler casings, so you can box in boiler pipe work quickly and easily while also ensuring compliance with your company’s sustainable procurement policy.

Every Encasement boiler casing carries a full FSC® ‘Chain of Custody’ certification from the Forest Stewardship Council to verify that the timber used is from sustainable and managed sources, so you don’t have to worry about compliance.

They’re quick and easy to fit on-site too. As our pipe boxing an boiler casings are pre-formed and pre-finished in durable melamine, they can be fitted in less than half the time of site made alternatives and are easily removed for boiler servicing and maintenance, which saves time and money on every service visit.

Further savings can be made as our casings can be easily fitted by heating engineers or plumbers at the same time the boiler is installed, rather than having to arrange a separate visit for a joiner to box in the unsightly pipework. ‘One visit – one fit’. It really is that simple.

With Encasement boiler pipe casings, less is definitely, more:

  • Less time
  • Less cost
  • Less travel
  • Less disruption
  • Less hassle

Encasement FSC® compliant boiler casing. Simple, quick and cost effective – Job Done!

For more information on our boiler pipe casings, please visit:
www.encasement.co.uk/boiler-pipe-work-casing.html
www.encasement.co.uk/gallery_boiler-pipe-casing.aspx
View our FSC® certificate here
www.encasement.co.uk/Encasement-Ltd-FSC_Certificate.pdf
Learn more about our sustainable products here.
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Discover how to avoid a service entry disaster in your project

Leading specialists in Service Entry Solutions have come together to produce an informative document detailing what you need to know when planning service ducts and entry points within a construction project.

This free report provides all the benefits of getting the right service ducts, as well as how to ensure your building project remains watertight at all times.

Future-proofing your building with service ducts that are built to last is the key to saving your development project time and money. As a recognised voice in the industry, this FREE download will provide detailed knowledge that is tried and tested.

There is information on many of the major brands in the UK, as well as guidance on what you should do if things ever go wrong.

To find out more about how to avoid a service entry disaster in your next building project and download your FREE copy visit www.serviceentryexperts.com.
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IAQ and the safe opening of high level windows

By Dr Chris Iddon CEng MCIBSE – Natural Ventilation Design Manager with SE Controls

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

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

Ensuring openable windows comply with Building regulations

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

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

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

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

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

For more information please visit www.secontrols.com.
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