Zumtobel and Thorn provide ‘a light at the end of the tunnel’ for St. Patrick’s Special School  

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Working on a brief to deliver a first-class facility for students and teachers at St. Patrick’s Special School in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Zumtobel Group brands Zumtobel and Thorn have supplied a number of luminaires throughout the €14 million project.

In conjunction with building engineers Semple and McKillop Ltd, the project involved the supply of custom made linear SLOTLIGHT infinity light lines that had to be the exact size of the radiant panels and be able to incorporate 3rd party lighting control sensors. The lighting installation was carried out by electrical contractor, Ronan Burke Electrical Ltd.

Designed for students with special educational needs, the 5,940m2 building, mainly single-storey and part three-storey, consists of 20 classrooms with ensuite toilets, junior and senior dining areas, a general-purpose hall, specialist teaching rooms, and clinician facilities. The school provides a much needed, high quality facility for 400 students from Enniscorthy and the surrounding areas. In addition, the building incorporates a hydrotherapy pool with an extensive range of support facilities onsite, including a fully equipped speech and language suite, horticulture room, ICT suite, home economics room, and physio services.

To achieve the required light levels and customised client requirements, Zumtobel’s SLOTLIGHT infinity has been installed extensively throughout the facility – custom versions for the main classrooms, corridors, and the GP Hall. The SLOTLGHT infinity modular light line offers practically unlimited options, with freedom and flexibility of design, not just in straight lines but even around corners. The unmatched, consistent light quality with virtually end-to-end illumination is available in runs of up to 20 metres in length without any joins to fulfil every lighting requirement. An unusual and eye-catching, customised SLOTLIGHT infinity ‘ring’ was created primarily to illuminate the main foyer.

Zumtobel’s CLEAN recessed linear luminaires have been installed in the swimming pool area to meet the exact specification requirements of swimming pool and clean area lighting, using the latest lighting technology with a three-level luminaire concept. An important feature of CLEAN is the cover which has a high-quality anodised aluminium frame and toughened glass to ensure maximum safety for pool users. Zumtobel’s versatile CAELA illuminates the changing rooms, with a depth of only 55 mm and a diffuse cover that delivers the perfect light distribution.

Thorn’s Beta 2 LED luminaires have been used to illuminate the office spaces, providing low glare (UGR 19<) and ensuring a comfortable ambient light.

Other luminaires installed in the interior of St. Patrick’s include Zumtobel’s HELISSA in the toilet and stairwells, Thorn’s Duoproof LED in the kitchens, ForceLED in the plant rooms, and Linn modular, wall recessed luminaires in the interconnecting space. Thorn’s long life and low maintenance Voyager Star provides the addressable emergency lighting throughout the school, thanks to its specialised optics, Voyager Star sends light exactly where it is needed in the event of an emergency. Its wide spacing values reduces the number of luminaires required compared to other solutions and therefore reduces the costs involved.

External illumination is provided by Thorn’s Isaro Pro robust and high-performance LED street luminaires, D-CO LED Bollards offer comfortable visual guidance, and square recessed Linn LED luminaires the pathway lighting. Thorn’s Eyekon energy efficient, robust, and impact resistant LED bulkheads and Olysys LED floodlights with asymmetric distribution have also been incorporated into the exterior lighting design, including illumination of the amphitheatre space.

“From start to finish, we partnered with ZG Lighting Ireland, as we have done for many of our educational projects in Ireland. The brief was complex, and we needed to ensure that we delivered a state-of-the-art lighting solution for a state-of-the-art school, and ZG Lighting Ireland did not disappoint. The bespoke circular fitting that greets you when you enter the school is a testament of the hard work undertaking by all parties involved. I very much look forward to working with Niall and his team on future projects in Ireland,” comments Declan Smyth, Senior Associate and Project Engineer at Semple & McKillop Ltd.

Zumtobel and Thorn have delivered a flexible and adaptable energy efficient, low maintenance solution to create a 21st Century learning environment for the pupils of St Patrick’s Special School. Principal Lee Rogers commented, “Because of the difficult year that everyone has had in terms of activities and outings being curtailed by COVID 19 restrictions within the school, the new campus is effectively ‘a light at the end of the tunnel’”.

For more information on Zumtobel, please visit the website https://z.lighting/en/zumtobel/ and for Thorn www.thornlighting.co.uk

 

 

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ALTRO DELIVERS ON STYLE AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR ECO HOLIDAY HOMES

Altro Ensemble™ modular flooring has been used throughout a new development of 21 modern, sustainable holiday homes; part of a new ‘eco’ hotel complex in Thuringia, Germany. The chalet-style, solid wood accommodation has been built with high-quality natural materials, and sustainably equipped as part of an ecological construction project.

The build, including the interior design, required sustainable materials, sourced from local companies, helping to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint by keeping delivery miles low. This local supply chain also helped to contribute to the environmental balance of the hotel’s construction.

Flooring company, Alexander Oertel, recommended Altro Ensemble modular flooring for the interior floors due to Altro’s membership of the German Sustainable Building Council (DNGB). Other contributing factors included Altro’s policy of sourcing raw materials locally and these products being manufactured at the company’s nearby German site in Dessau.

“It was important to us that we found a floor that fits our sustainability concept and at the same time looks stylish and modern,” explains Katrin Schlottke of Bio-Seehotels.

Altro Ensemble has up to 15dB impact sound reduction with added comfort underfoot, making it perfect for front of house areas in hotels including foyers and reception areas, restaurant and café dining areas, retail, offices, and student accommodation – any environment where design is key. With four modular sizes, you can mix and match to create unique patterns utilising colour and design. It combines with Altro Whiterock wall designs for a unique interior statement.

Visit https://www.altro.co.uk/Floors/LVTs/Altro-Ensemble/Gallery for inspiration and ideas using Altro Ensemble modular flooring.

 

 

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BATTERY RECYCLING IN ROTTERDAM

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TES Closes Deal On 10,000 sqm Battery Recycling Facility With Europe’s Largest Seaport – The deal between TES and the Port of Rotterdam will bolster Europe’s capacity to recycle lithium batteries

TES, one of the world’s largest providers of sustainable technology lifecycle services, has announced it has agreed to a deal that secures the future of a 10,000 square metre (approx. 110,000 sq. feet) recycling facility in the Port Of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest seaport.

The facility, strategically located adjacent to the waterways of the port of Rotterdam and with an option to extend onto a neighbouring plot that will increase the site to over 40,000 square metres (approx. 430,000 sq. ft), already has a basic waste license to receive, store and forward lithium batteries and to manage electric vehicle batteries and battery production scrap as well as a license to shred alkaline batteries.

The site extension is planned to be fully operational by late 2022 and will be the first lithium battery recycling plant in the Netherlands, complimenting the two other TES lithium battery recycling facilities in Grenoble (France) and Singapore.

The TES site in Grenoble was one of the first recycling sites to use an inert shredding process that safely crushes lithium batteries and developed a number of key patents for hydrometallurgical processes.

The expertise gained in France played a key role in TES opening Southeast Asia’s first lithium battery recycling facility in Singapore in March 2021. This state-of-the-art facility has the daily capacity to recycle up to 14 tonnes of lithium batteries — the equivalent of 280,000 smartphone batteries.

These existing facilities will support the development of the new, larger-scale site in the Port of Rotterdam. The combined capacities of the three facilities will make TES one of the largest service providers of lithium battery recycling globally as well as one of the largest generators of commodity materials produced from the battery recycling process.

This deal is part of an ongoing commitment from TES to improve the collection and recycling of portable and industrial batteries in Europe and supports the European Union’s goals laid out in the European Green Deal.

It is also a strategic move in preparation for the huge rise in global demand for lithium batteries as car manufacturers increase their electric vehicle outputs — which are predicted to increase 14-fold by 2030 (compared to 2018 levels).

A report from Circular Energy Storage in December 2020 explained that Europe is currently under capacity for sustainable lithium battery recycling, and more capacity is needed to meet waste generation by 2030.

According to figures from the European Commission2, the EU could account for 17% of the global demand for lithium batteries by 2030, the second highest share worldwide.

Thomas Holberg, Global Vice President of Battery Operations at TES commented, “We have a vision to be a global sustainability innovator, and our unwavering ambition to turn the Port of Rotterdam site into a state-of-the-art European battery recycling facility is key in delivering that strategy. Once up and running, we will have up to 10,000 tonnes of shredding capacity per year and a subsequent hydrometallurgical process which focuses on the recovery of nickel, cobalt, and lithium as a precursor feedstock for the battery industry.”

In response to rising demand, the European Commission has proposed modernising EU legislation on batteries as part of its Circular Economy Action Plan3. This includes goals for batteries that are more sustainable throughout their entire life cycle — which is key for the European Green Deal and will contribute to the EU’s zero pollution ambition.

Jean-Christophe Marti, Senior Partner and CEO at Navis Capital Partners, added, “With this investment, TES deepens its commitment to a global network of sustainable battery recycling offerings that addresses the challenges around the lifecycle while positioning TES as a trusted partner in closing the loop for our customer’s battery supply chain.”

Securing the future of this facility is welcomed by the Port of Rotterdam and is another example of their continued focus on supporting the development of circular industries within the port.

Allard Castelein, CEO at the Port of Rotterdam, commented, “We are working not only towards a net zero CO2 emission port and industry in 2050 but also looking at ways to make the industry more circular. Therefore, besides working on projects regarding, for instance, hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, it is important to take significant steps to establish circular production processes. The TES project in Rotterdam is exactly that. This could very well become the largest European facility for recycling batteries from electric cars.”

Holberg concludes, “Our mission at TES is to ‘close the loop’ on lithium battery production by encouraging reuse and improving the collection and recycling of the scarce metals and materials they contain. Our commitment to this facility in the Port of Rotterdam is a clear indication that we are choosing to invest in our future now and to increase capacity in the European battery recycling supply chain.”

www.tes-amm.com

 

 

 

 

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TN International launches fast-track, flexible liquid waterproofing system

Pure Polyurea is a new fast-track waterproofing system from TN International.

A next-generation, solvent-free roof waterproofing system with excellent crack-bridging performance has been launched by global waterproofing specialists TN International (TNi).

Pure Polyurea is the latest enhancement to TNi’s DacoShield PU cost-effective range of liquid roofing and waterproofing systems which have recently been introduced into the manufacturer’s extensive portfolio.

DacoShield Pure Polyurea is a two-component, extra fast-curing system that is applied by hot mechanical spraying equipment to waterproof concrete structures such as roofs, podiums, balconies and terraces. More than 800m2 can be applied in a single day, providing an extremely fast-track solution, even in areas difficult to access.

The elastomeric membrane is BBA approved and has a Broof T4 fire classification, with a life expectancy of up to 60 years. As well as being solvent free and low-odour, it is also free of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).

DacoShield PU liquid waterproofing systems have been specially designed to offer specifiers, contractors and clients a fast-curing, highly durable waterproofing solution for both new-build and refurbishment applications.

With a choice of finishes and a full range of accessories, the DacoShield PU range provides a highly flexible, aesthetically pleasing waterproofing option for Modern Methods of Construction.

 

www.tnroofingsystems.com

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The benefits of dual-certificated fire doorsets

Architects and specifiers selecting fire doors for residential buildings need to be confident that they will perform as they should. That is where third-party certification makes a difference.

Door-Stop International has launched its new Fire and Security Dual-Certificated Doorset; a timber core product with GRP facings that is third-party certificated using a robust base of primary test evidence as the foundation for certification.

 

Full traceability of all doorset components

Door-Stop operate a strict, digital, factory production control system designed to provide complete control and traceability. These processes are regularly audited by independent, UKAS accredited auditors.

Specifiers, building owners and residents can easily access the key features of the specification and associated certification. A unique label is applied to each doorset that aids traceability of the product.

 

Door-Stop makes what it burns

Door-Stop only undertake fire tests on products that are manufactured under witness and verification of an independent third-party.  It means the design specified has been inspected and documented, not a ‘golden sample’ that has been engineered just to pass the test.

The Door-Stop dual-certificated doorset is accredited by the Warringtonfire Certifire scheme to demonstrate fire credentials and by Certisecure for its security performance. This product range is also recognised by Secured by Design as dual certificated.

 

Multiple tests that make up primary test evidence

Primary test evidence refers to when a fire door has been tested as part of a complete doorset.

Door-Stop includes a list of the test reports used to create the certification scope, and all stakeholders can access the summary test evidence and certification for complete transparency.

Its fire doorsets are tested multiple times across a variety of components and configurations, and goes beyond minimum standard benchmarks including:

  • Robust testing regimes: The Door-Stop product range is tested in multiple configurations to really understand the extremes of performance and address potential variability in results. This test evidence supports the specification that is provided by certification.

 

  • Lineal gap sealing: tested with two different methods of lineal gap sealing – a compressible, expansion joint seal which acts as a fire barrier – in order to prove installed performance. Based on those tests, a number of alternative systems are approved for use by Certifire.

By testing in this way, variability is accounted for within the process, which provides additional assurances in the results.

This primary test evidence forms the basis of the certification and demonstrates that the pass was not a ‘one-off’.

 

Golden Thread

Door-Stop’s digital ‘Critical to Safety’ production control process records the specification and adds traceability of every doorset to offer reassurance that the every doorset meets specification. This creates a golden thread of information that aids traceability for all stakeholders in the chain.

 

Technical support at every stage
Door-Stop’s online product configurator tool helps architects and specifiers to tailor the doorset to the required specification. This is a critical control point as orders can only be made when doorsets comply with a specification that is compatible with the certification.

Detailed instructions and resources are provided to ensure that doorsets can be installed in line with the certification. Competent installation means the doorset should perform as designed, and assists installers and building owners in meeting their legal responsibilities to ensure the safety of residents.

 

www.masonite.co.uk/firedoorsets

 

 

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Kawneer systems help take the wind out of Birmingham’s sails

Curtain walling, windows and doors feature on a 33-storey apartment tower.

 

High performance building façade products manufactured by leading UK manufacturer Kawneer were specified to handle the challenging wind loads on Birmingham’s tallest exclusively residential tower block.

Kawneer’s AA®100 zone-drained and capped curtain walling, complemented by AA®720 top-hung ventilator windows on the first to top floors, with AA®190 TB entrance doors on the ground floor, were specified by Glancy Nicholls Architects for the £30 million 33-storey Left Bank 2 tower.

The external façade is constructed of in-situ reinforced concrete frames that were developed over two years by main contractor Wates for developer Regal Property Group, Left Bank 2 is the second tower to feature Kawneer’s aluminium systems at The Bank, between Broad Street and Brindley Place in the city centre.

Also funded by real estate investment company Aprirose, Left Bank 2 comprises 217 luxury one to three-bedroomed apartments with private gym, residents lounge and coffee bar, private kitchen and dining room, on-site cycle storage, and secure and private outdoor green space.

Featuring 3,580ft2 of ground-floor retail space, it is one of only two residential skyscrapers in the city to measure over 100 metres tall. Left Bank 1 is 21 storeys and features Kawneer’s thermally superior AA®720 windows.

Glancy Nicholls’ focus was to respond to the Grade ll listed building that occupies a key part of both the site and its streetscape, and to provide a new public realm link to the adjacent commercial and leisure district. The “brass” building envelope on both towers takes reference from the historical context of the neighbouring Brasshouse building and the site’s brass and metal working heritage.

 

Glancy Nicholls’ Marketing Co-ordinator Sophie Casewell said: “We specified the Kawneer systems for their system performance, particularly in relation to wind loads.

“The curtain wall system delivered the required performance to deal with the challenging wind loads on the 33-storey tower, with the site also elevated geographically within Birmingham. The aesthetics of the system also delivered upon the desired design intent.”

She added: “The Kawneer glazed elements are a significant element with the façade design and assisted with the aesthetic detailing required. The glass to glass corners maximise daylighting and views across the city.

“The client has been very satisfied with the product, with over 70% of the apartments sold by building completion. The glass to glass corner windows were a big selling point and the aluminium material assisted in achieving the client’s sustainable target deliverables.”

 

The Kawneer systems, including AA®100 curtain walling featuring 50mm sightlines, were installed over 18 months by a team of eight operatives from Kawneer-approved specialist sub-contractor APiC UK who also installed the Kawneer windows on Left Bank 1.

APiC’s Sales and Estimating Technician Andrew Finn said: “The relationship that was established on the first tower ensured that Wates and Glancy Nicholls had the confidence to proceed on Left Bank 2 using Kawneer products with APiC as their preferred curtain walling sub-contractor.”

Left Bank 2 was a finalist in the 2020 Facades Awards UK for Best use of a building facade system using aluminium.

Glancy Nicholls have also used Kawneer systems on the St Modwen student residences in Swansea and the John Taylor Free School in Burton.

 

www.kawneer.co.uk

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Fire Protection Advice for Construction

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NBS AND ASFP ANNOUNCE SAFETY-BASED COLLABORATION

Today, NBS, a leading specification and product information platform for the construction industry, has entered into a new partnership agreement with the ASFP (Association for Specialist Fire Protection), the UK’s leading association for the passive fire protection sector.

The partnership aims to assist with peer review and ensure the accuracy and quality of specifications relating to passive fire protection. It allows NBS to publish references to and extracts from ASFP Technical Guidance in NBS products and services, and to provide ASFP with extracts of NBS content for peer review.

The move will result in improved support to architects, designers and specifiers in developing specifications for passive fire protection products and systems. It ensures they will have access to appropriate high-quality guidance and technical content, helping them to produce accurate and structured specifications. It will also assist passive fire protection manufacturers to provide product information and technical data in an appropriate and structured format.

Commenting on the partnership, ASFP CEO, Steve Davies, said: “One of the ASFP’s key aims is to raise the standards and improve the quality of passive fire protection products and installations. This new partnership with NBS offers us the opportunity to influence the way in which passive fire protection products are specified and to improve understanding throughout the construction sector of the properties and performance of these key life safety products.

“We look forward to working with NBS to raise awareness so that passive fire protection will be considered much earlier in the construction process. By sharing our technical expertise and best practice guidance we hope to promote the correct design, specification and installation of passive fire protection products and systems.”

Richard Waterhouse from NBS, said: “Fire safety has never been more important, and the ASFP bring a wealth of knowledge that’s unmatched in the industry. Having them on board will no doubt prove invaluable to our users when looking to specify passive fire protection products. Equally, this will be hugely beneficial to manufacturers who are looking to provide the very best standard of data and in a format that architects and specifiers can easily obtain.

“As specialists in their field, ASFP are the leading authority on passive fire protection and the design and installation of passive fire protection products, so we’re thrilled to be announcing this partnership. We’re also keen to share with ASFP members how NBS software can help protect against risk through our digitally collaborative specification writing platform.”

Commenting on the partnership, Sascia Elliott, Head of Partnerships at NBS, said: “Similar to the NBS ethos, end-user safety is at the heart of what ASFP do. The need for further expertise and guidance on this matter has never been more relevant and we’re looking forward to introducing this knowledge into the NBS platform as soon as possible.”

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WIND – ARE YOU IN?

Countries around the world need to urgently scale up deployment of wind power in order to address the climate emergency, according to the Global Wind Coalition for COP26, which officially launches today on Global Wind Day.

The world is in a ‘make or break’ decade for climate action, and it is against this backdrop that the wind sector is intensifying its call for urgent climate action leading up to COP26 in November. Holding the most decarbonisation potential of any renewable energy source, wind power is an indispensable part of the solution to climate change while generating significant socioeconomic benefits.

But the world is not installing wind power at the pace needed to achieve net zero, and much more needs to be done to unleash its potential. According to recently released roadmap reports on reaching Net Zero by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the world needs to be installing wind power at around 3-4 times the level of 2020, which saw a record 93 GW installed.

The wind industry’s new campaign for COP26 asks governments, companies, and people across the world one critical question: Wind. Are You In?
“We need to move from talking to action, and work together to massively scale up wind power around the world if we want to get to net zero by 2050. We need to be installing wind energy three to four times the current pace, which means we need governments to urgently raise their ambition, simplify red tape, invest in grid and revamp energy markets,” said Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC.

“The wind industry has the technology, and there is huge appetite from investors and companies to switch to clean energy, but we need governments to stop holding us back and be all in for wind”, he added.

Wind power, both onshore and offshore, has expanded significantly in the last decades and is now a cost-competitive, clean energy powerhouse poised to be at the centre of the race to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. There is now nearly 750 GW of global installed wind capacity, which helps the world already avoid 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of South America.

The record-breaking deployment of global wind energy has been driven by a virtuous cycle of innovation, cost reduction, and increased scale. The result of this immense growth is that wind energy is now a mainstream energy source and has proven to be reliable and affordable while being a sustainable engine for economic growth.


“Investing in wind power is a win-win for countries to create new local jobs and investment today to power a green recovery, while building more resilient infrastructure and economies for tomorrow. Governments are missing their golden opportunity to achieve their parallel goals of climate action and boosting economies after the COVID-19 crisis if they don’t take urgent action to drive wind power growth. We need them to get serious about wind”, commented Rebecca Williams, Director of COP26 at GWEC.

“All eyes are going to be on Glasgow this November as world leaders gather for COP26, and governments need to use this critical moment to put the world on the right track to achieve net zero. We don’t have time left to go on ‘business-as-usual’ – the climate emergency is already here. Luckily, we already have the solution that can significantly reduce the world’s carbon emissions, but we need governments to join us now or risk getting left behind”, she added.

 

 

The Global Wind Energy Coalition for COP26 is an initiative led by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), and is a multi-stakeholder group of leading wind power companies and associations from across the globe committed to ramping up wind power capacity to limit the dangerous impacts of climate change. Members include: Aker Offshore WInd, Akselos, BayWa r.e., DNV, EDP Renewables, Equinor, GE Renewable Energy, Glennmont Partners from Nuveen, Green Investment Group, Mainstream Renewable Power, Orsted, Principle Power, RES, RWE, Siemens Gamesa, SSE Renewables, Vestas, ABEEolica, American Clean Power, Chinese Renewable Energy Industry Association, Chinese Wind Energy Association, RenewableUK, South African Wind Energy Association, and WindEurope.

For more information on the global wind industry’s COP26 campaign, visit the campaign website here.

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£9.8m Hospital Project Awarded to Premier Modular

Premier Modular, one of the UK’s leading offsite construction specialists, has been awarded a £9.8m project for Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to build a 62-bed Priority Assessment Unit at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey.

 Main contractor Premier will be supported by strategic delivery partner Claritas Group. Due for completion by summer 2021, this fast-track building project will reduce the programme by up to nine months compared to in-situ construction. The speed of offsite manufacturing and fitting out will allow earlier occupation to support the increased demand for emergency care.

Designed by BDP and delivery architects P+HS, the two-storey scheme will provide a new Priority Assessment Unit. It will be linked to the Emergency Department and will accommodate 62 patient bays, nurse stations, staff rooms, seminar rooms, laundry, clean utilities, and kitchenettes. The new unit will be fitted with medical gases, datacomms, security systems, CCTV, nurse call systems, and fully integrated with the main hospital.

Andrew Grimes, Assistant Director of Property and Capital Development, said, “This project forms part of the Trust’s emergency pathway redevelopment programme, which is now underway, and responds to the urgent national need to increase capacity in emergency care.”

“Offsite construction means less time on site and therefore much less disruption to patient care, which is a priority for the Trust. The Premier solution met the technical constraints of this site, particularly to provide seamless connections at two levels to maintain patient flows between the existing Emergency Department. Premier has demonstrated the flexibility and design capabilities to engineer a bespoke solution for this challenging site, with all the speed, quality and value benefits of offsite construction. We look forward to the successful delivery of this much needed new unit.”

Akshay Khera, Architecture Director at BDP, said, “This project is an example of how striking and unique architectural design, that is also in keeping with its surroundings, can be successfully married with delivery via offsite construction, bringing many benefits including speed, quality and efficiency.”

Dan Allison, Director of Premier Modular, said, “This scheme is ideally suited to offsite construction. It allows the Trust to meet an urgent need to expand capacity for emergency care and the development of a very constrained site. The new building will be located in a courtyard and close to the Emergency Department which will require careful logistical planning. We will be maximising construction and fitout work offsite to radically reduce disruption to patient care. This means we will only be on site for just over six months.”

The offsite solution has been engineered to maintain patient flows between the existing facilities and the new unit, with continuous level floors throughout. Externally, the assessment unit will be finished in vertical rainscreen cladding in shades of grey and brickwork to complement adjacent buildings.

The building envelope has been designed to be highly thermally efficient to reduce running costs and carbon emissions, and the picture windows will have solar control glass and integral brise soleil sunshading. A building energy management system (BeMS) will optimise energy use.

The project was procured through the Crown Commercial Service framework.

Premier develops bespoke building solutions for highly constrained hospital sites which may be completely inaccessible for in-situ construction. Existing facilities can also be expanded rapidly and cost effectively, both vertically and horizontally. Its specialist healthcare teams have the expertise to provide purpose-designed facilities for primary care, acute services, and mental healthcare.

Premier uses advanced offsite technology to construct fast-track healthcare schemes of the highest quality, with less disruption to staff and patients, improved quality, shorter build programmes, and greater assurance of completion on time and on budget.

For further information, visit www.premiermodular.co.uk, call 0800 316 0888 or email info@premiermodular.co.uk.

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Threat of an Internet Dark Ages for Rural Areas

  • Property values in less densely populated areas have risen almost twice as fast as in urban hubs
  • The broadband infrastructure is lagging behind in rural areas
  • With the increase of population in areas with poor infrastructure, this will strain the current internet connections.
  • There has never been a more essential time to have good broadband with families being unable to meet and work being conducted from home.-Peak network traffic will have doubled by 2025

If nothing is done now some rural areas will be left in a digital dark age.

Rural property values in less populated areas have risen almost twice as fast as urban hubs over the last year. Naturally, this is due to people making the most of the freedoms we have been allowed and craving more space- inside and out.

Whilst rural housing prices have been rising to meet this demand, rural broadband infrastructure has not. In urban settings, good broadband is a common sight, with FTTP availability on the up and being fueled by the Governments ‘Project Gigabit’ scheme. However, in rural locations good internet is more of a luxury with some big providers refusing to touch the rural areas with anything more than FTTC, deeming them unprofitable.

Naturally, these factors create a dilemma as increased service in this area may leave residents struggling to connect to the internet and strain the existing infrastructure. In a time where good broadband is essential for contacting family and friends but also to work from home, this could cripple whole villages from keeping up with modern life.

Compare Fibre research has predicted that peak network traffic will have doubled by 2025. In this time, left unchecked, the fallout of this could be anything from damaged mental health due to increased loneliness right up to people being made unemployed for not being able to do their job. It is here then that the digital divide has very real implications.

With rural living on the up, infrastructure in these areas needs to be futureproofed within the next four years. It is in the interest of the residents, the housing market and the telecoms industries to do so with FTTP connections adding value to property prices. Alt Nets such as B4RN are already stepping up and bringing Gigabit-capable broadband to rural areas but these are a patchwork of networks across the country. If the dots are not connected in this time then some rural locations will inevitably be heading for a digital dark age.

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