Altro Ensemble modular flooring has helped create a comfortable and elegant reading and learning environment for children and adults in a Swedish library.

The old library in Smedstorp was squeezed into a school, which meant visitors had to go through the school building to access it. Tomelilla Municipality moved the library to new premises and decided to allow visitors to access the library after hours on evenings and weekends with a library pass. They needed to find a floor for the new library that improved sound reduction and provided comfort underfoot. They chose to install Altro Ensemble.

Award-winning Altro Ensemble is a modular flooring system that gives complete design freedom to create stunning floors for interior spaces. From colour blocking to geometric patterns, the possibilities are as endless as the imagination.

The flooring has up to 15dB sound reduction with added comfort underfoot, making it perfect for front of house areas in hotels, including foyers and receptions, restaurant and café dining areas, retail, offices and student accommodation – any environment where design is key. With 39 colours and four modular sizes, you can mix and match to create unique patterns using colour and design.

“We chose Altro’s LVT flooring mainly because of its acoustic benefits,” says Lars Axelsson, Project manager, Tomelilla municipality. “We have invested in sound absorbents on walls and acoustic solutions in the ceiling, but we wanted to dampen the noise as much as we could to promote peace and quiet when reading and that’s where Altro’s solution fitted in well. It is a floor that is neat, quiet and easy to maintain, so everyone has been happy: the visitors, the staff and the cleaning staff.”

Ronnie Bergström, from Floors in Ystad, was the installer on the project. “Altro Ensemble was incredibly easy to handle which is always an advantage to an installer. In addition, it is a good floor for a library, as the underside of the tiles offers both sound reduction and provides a nice surface to walk on. The process was smooth from start to finish and the result was very good.”

 

About Altro – www.altro.co.uk

New Altro Wood™ adhesive-free is providing Coate Water Care’s Woodstock Nursing Home in Gloucester with homely flooring for bedrooms and en suites, was quick to fit and caused minimal disruption.

 

Altro Wood adhesive-free is a safety wood-look floor with easy cleanability; perfect for decorative, homely or biophilic areas. The range has been created with design freedom in mind – Altro Wood adhesive-free shares some designs with Altro Wood Comfort and Altro Wood, allowing you to coordinate floors with different performance criteria across different areas of the building.

Nursing Home Manager, Trudy Glassonbury, says: “Our previous flooring was getting very tatty and needed replacing. We wanted to continue with a wood effect product, as it is stylish, homely, and warm looking. We needed something that would be quick to fit, so that it would cause minimum disruption to residents.

 

“C&C Flooring, who we have worked with for many years, recommended the new Altro Wood adhesive-free product, because it could go down on top of the existing flooring and would take a fraction of the time to install compared with an adhered product.

 

“This was ideal for us, as we could fit it in the five bedrooms and en suites we were refurbishing without prolonged disruption to residents. It took far less time than an adhered flooring would have taken. There was no need to remove the old flooring, or put down a screed, or drying time. It was so professional and fast. Plus of course there were no adhesive smells, which in a care home setting with vulnerable residents is a very important consideration.”

Using Altro’s award-winning adhesive-free installation method, you can halve installation time compared with a traditional adhered installation. Depending on substrate condition, a 200m2 corridor would be laid in two days compared with four days with an adhered floor covering, with a significant cost saving too.

With no DPM and no adhesive required, floors can be welded and walked on the same day. Adhesive-free floors are ideal for busy public spaces where disruption needs to be minimal, plus there are no associated adhesive odours. And at the end of their life, they can be re-used elsewhere or recycled.

The new Altro Wood adhesive-free range was the first floors to use Altro’s innovative underside emboss structure, which provides 14dB impact sound reduction and comfort underfoot. It has 12 wood-look designs, enabling you to create biophilic, stylish, or warm and homely aesthetics together with the safety and durability needed for medium to high traffic areas.

With a 10-year guarantee and Altro’s one in a million slip-resistance reassurance, Altro Wood adhesive-free offers high levels of comfort underfoot providing a safe, durable and decorative solution for busy spaces. Robust enough to withstand rigorous and frequent cleaning, like all Altro floors, Altro Wood adhesive-free can be steam cleaned thousands of times without damage. It is ideal for public-facing areas, where it will continue to make a great first impression and support the wellbeing of users for the lifetime of the product.

Trudy says: “We are delighted with our new flooring; it looks lovely, has superb safety credentials, is very easy to clean and the entire installation process was completely hassle free.”

 

About Altro – www.altro.co.uk

VORTICE has announced the launch of a new de-centralised continuous Mechanical Extract Ventilation (dMEV) system complying with system 3 of the building regulations.

This sleek and stylish new fan comes in four models, a standard and a timer with humidity control (T-HCS), both available in a surface mounted and a recessed design.  Units are equipped with a trickle and boost function, with one of four trickle functions (ranging from 5 to 12 litres per second) The timer function allows the user to programme the boost mode to come on immediately or after 45, 90 or 120 seconds” selected at the time of wiring. The fan is PCDB Listed offering low power consumption with low specific fan powers on both through the wall and ducted applications. The unit is also extremely quiet and has a hinged cover which allows for easy maintenance to the filters.

Sales Manager Paul Gunner said: “This fantastic new de-centralised continuous mechanical extract fan offers Italian aesthetic style, is energy efficient and extremely quiet. This will be a great addition to our residential fan offering.”

For further information visit www.vortice.ltd.uk

The Kingspan TEK Building System of structural insulated panels (SIPs) has been used to create a spectacular, cantilevered self-build in Oxfordshire, achieving excellent airtightness and energy efficiency with a fast-track build programme.

Homeowner, Daniel Frazer, identified timber frame as his preferred construction method at the outset of the project due to its speed of build and ability to be constructed in most weather conditions. Following discussions with Greenspace Architects and Kingspan TEK Delivery Partners, Point 1 Building Systems, he finally settled on the Kingspan TEK Building System. “I was attracted to SIPs due to their air-tightness and even faster erection speed,” Daniel commented. “I particularly liked the ability to have a roof fabricated from the panels.”

The Kingspan TEK Building System is formed from rigid insulation panels which are faced with OSB/3. Kingspan TEK SIPs are pre-cut to each project’s specifications by trained delivery partners, ensuring a simple, fast and accurate installation once on site. Their unique jointing system also ensures excellent insulation continuity throughout the envelope whilst limiting air-leakage.

The building’s unique angular design presented some unusual challenges for the project team as architect, Geraint Edwards, explained:

“The first-floor volume cantilevers in two directions to create a balcony to the front of the house, along with an inset entrance doorway. We try to minimise the use of steel with SIPs projects but in this case it was necessary. The benefit of Kingspan TEK panels is that they can be used in combination with other structural elements – whether it is steel, glue-lam or masonry. It was also incredibly helpful to have an experienced Kingspan TEK Delivery Partner to advise on detailing and avoid unnecessary complications.”

Point 1 Building Systems used detailed 3D modelling to interrogate the requirements at the quotation stage and ensure an appropriate structural package was developed. Once the design was agreed they precisely manufactured the panels before delivering them to site to a careful scheduled programme. This supported a rapid build programme and allowed materials to be stored within the perimeter of the site, without encroaching into neighbouring plots.

In addition to the steel structural elements, the final package combines 142 mm Kingspan TEK panels with a 25 mm layer of Kingspan Thermawall TW55 and Thermapitch TP10, which was fitted throughout the envelope internally, helping to meet the demanding fabric performance requirements of the Graven Hill development. Besides achieving wall and roof U-values of 0.15 W/m2K, this also meant particular attention had to be paid to detailing.

“Psi-values were calculated showing the performance gain when the 25 mm layers of Kingspan Thermapitch TP10 and Thermawall TW55 were installed internally. Working within the scope of Graven Hill Plot Passport, our SAP assessor was able to confirm the required performance at an early stage to prove compliance.”

The home is also expected to achieve a measured air-leakage rate of less than 1 m3/m2hr @ 50 Pa. Daniel Frazer personally oversaw work to achieve this, which included applying silicone and airtight tape to all junctions other than those between the Kingspan TEK Building System panels.

 

For further information, please contact:

Tel: +44 (0) 1544 387 384

Email: literature@kingspantek.co.uk

Website: www.kingspantek.co.uk

 

 

  • A range of compact commercial semi-instantaneous gas condensing water heaters
  • Perfect for applications requiring direct contact with soft, softened and chlorinated water
  • Highly efficient modular design offers continuity of service in one appliance

 

Commercial hot water and heating specialist Adveco, announces the AD range. A new generation of sleekly designed, modulating commercial floor-standing gas condensing water heaters to be used with a buffer for high demand semi-instantaneous hot water applications in sports & leisure centres, hotels, spas, schools, stadia, and large commercial buildings.

Bill Sinclair, technical director, Adveco said, “The titanium-stabilised stainless-steel construction of the AD range’s heat exchangers is the perfect response to counter the concerns of corrosion in soft, or softened water applications. Compact, lightweight yet still powerful, the AD’s patented space-saving design makes it equally applicable to both new projects or renovation work where a lack of space would traditionally stall or quickly drive up costs of a project.”

With each water heater composed of one to four 70 kW heat exchangers, the AD range offers appliances from 70kW up to 280 kW. This approach optimises the supplied output (up to 160 litres/minute) ensuring maximum efficiency when providing DHW. Models with multiple integrated heat exchangers offer load balancing for optimal long-life operation and inbuilt redundancy guaranteeing continuity of service.

Tough and efficient, AD water heaters are all equipped with premix burners made of Fecralloy metal fibre for large modulation range with excellent functionality at extremely high temperatures. Using a premix burner ensures the AD requires less gas, making it more cost-effective, plus reducing harmful NOX and CO emissions. The AD’s heat exchangers will also work in direct contact with chlorinated mains water.

The AD range can be configured to operate in a cascade of up to eight water heaters. The AD’s controller provides full temperature control and self-check maintenance functions. The controller also accommodates 0-10 input, MODBUS communication, and alarm output for seamless system integration.

Additional information

  • Five-year warranty on AISI 316Ti heat exchangers
  • Compact floor standing arrangement: AD 70T & AD140T H1180 x W600 x D945mm / AD210T & AD280T M1880 x W600 x D896mm
  • High maximum run pressure up to 11 bar
  • Low emissions, built with Class 6 technology for NOₓ at 27 mg/kWh GCV
  • Available for natural gas or LPG
  • Acid condensate neutraliser included
  • Ideal for soft water applications. Hard water areas over 150ppm require use of a water softener down to 100ppm.
  • Supports standard flue systems using low cost 110-160 mm diameter PP

Adveco – Expertly engineered for you. Visit www.adveco.co

Altro Wood™ adhesive-free flooring is helping to create a homely, welcoming and safe environment for residents at The Lawns, a family-run care home in Gloucester.  

 

Owner Anna Carrier said: “The previous carpet flooring was starting to look tired, and we were worried about infection control issues. Frankly it didn’t look very good. But we also wanted a floor that looked warm, to help residents really feel at home, so we knew we needed to make a change.”

 

The new Altro flooring was installed on the ground floor at The Lawns in the circulation areas, dining rooms, lounges and in reception. It was fitted by C&C Flooring. MD Roo Williams said: “We have used other Altro adhesive-free floorings for a few years now, and the new Altro Wood adhesive-free product is fantastic. It looks great, really creating a home-from-home look, and it complements the care home perfectly.

 

“It’s ideal for this kind of environment where there are vulnerable end users, because there are no harsh adhesives creating odours or potentially causing breathing difficulties. Installation is so much quicker because we are not waiting for glues to cure before laying, and it can go straight down onto the existing floor, so there is minimal disruption for residents. The acoustic value is brilliant, too, which is a huge benefit in any environment where there is a lot of noise.”

 

New Altro Wood adhesive-free creates maximum impact with minimum downtime. Its 12 wood-look colour choices allow the creation of biophilic, stylish, or warm and homely aesthetics. With up to 14dB impact sound reduction, a 10-year guarantee and Altro’s one in a million slip-resistance reassurance, the flooring offers high levels of comfort underfoot, providing a safe, durable and decorative solution for busy spaces.

 

Using Altro’s award-winning adhesive-free installation method, it can be welded and walked on the same day, and at the end of its life can be removed easily, allowing it to be reused or recycled. Using Altro adhesive-free floors, installation time can be halved, compared with a traditional adhered installation. It’s ideal for busy public spaces, where disruption needs to be minimal, plus there are no associated adhesive odours. 

 

Anna Carrier added. “We love the new flooring because it’s easy to clean, reduces noise in the building, but mostly the wood effect is lovely, so welcoming. It looks and feels like something the residents might have in their own home, so it makes them feel very relaxed. It’s also very comfortable to walk on, and this is so important for our residents. Overall the flooring fits exactly with what we want to achieve.

 

“It was so quick to lay, going down in just a day, and for a busy environment like ours, where we are looking after people with complex care needs, this made the lives of both residents and staff so much easier. From an infection control perspective replacing carpet with this Altro flooring has made our life so much easier.

 

“We will definitely use this product again, because we wanted a flooring that would enable us to keep the same homely ‘look’ throughout the home, and one that would meet our hygiene requirements. Both these critical issues have certainly been delivered.” 

 

Watch a video case study of this project at: https://www.altro.co.uk/Adhesive-free-floors

Regency Design, the design and manufacturing business, has launched a bespoke series of automatic hand sanitising stations which come in a variety of sizes to help prevent cross contamination challenges as schools and universities reopen.

Complying with the Equality Act, the automatic hand sanitising dispensers have been created to accommodate schools and pupils of all sizes, from nursery and pre-school to senior and secondary schools.

To teach younger children especially about the importance of hygiene, Regency Design has created a specific nozzle that dispenses sanitiser in a foam bubble, to make the concept of hand sanitising more fun.

Zak Manhire, Chief Commercial Officer at Regency Design, says that the team has used innovation and imagination to make the sanitising units suitable for schools: “We have adjusted the heights of our sanitising units as well as creating a variety of nozzles to make dispensing the sanitiser fun and interesting,” he says. “They can also be fully customised with a school’s coat of arms or colour schemes, to make them an integral part of the environment.”

As well as schools and early education facilities, the sanitising units are also being delivered to colleges and universities, with positive feedback already received from campuses in Sunderland and Edinburgh.

The sanitising units are 100% Made in Britain, which as well as supporting the UK economy, also means they are quick to manufacture and deliver.

Along with their hand sanitising units, Regency Design has created a full range of PPE, including face visors, which can help keep teachers and children safe when interacting in the classroom.

www.regencydesign.co.uk

Burton-upon-Trent ventilation systems supplier Vortice has launched the DePuro Pro plug and play air purifier specifically developed with double filtration to reduce the number of particles in the air such as bacteria, micro-organisms and viruses.  Designed for all kinds of spaces such as care homes, offices, hotels, universities and the health sector, this is clearly of huge interest as we fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The DePuro Pro is available in two sizes and comes with HEPA 14 absolute filters, capable of retaining up to 99.995% of microparticles (equivalent diameter 0.3µm) which require periodic replacement, highlighted by the filter status indicator on the control panel.  The DePuro Pro 150 is suitable for rooms up to 50 metres square and the DePuro Pro 300 is suitable for rooms up to 100 metres square.  This new product is highly energy efficient, is easy to handle and has sound absorbing panels making it almost silent to operate.

General Manager Kevin Hippey said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer an air purifier which will be an important tool to maintain good indoor air quality.  Scientists have reiterated the importance of good ventilation throughout this pandemic and that, coupled with air filtration and purification, can really help reduce infected particles making it of particular interest in the health and care sector as well as in universities, hotels and offices.”

Full details of the DePuro Pro air purifier are available on the Vortice website https://www.vortice.ltd.uk/shop/commercial-ventilation/depuro-pro/depuropro300/   as is a downloadable catalogue https://www.vortice.ltd.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Brochure_DEPURO_PRO_Range-EN_UK.pdf

 

www.vortice.ltd.uk

Titon has added a dynamic and fully interactive CGI environment – the ‘Titon Product House’ – to its website, showcasing the array of products available throughout the company’s Window & Door Hardware and Ventilation Systems divisions. To launch the Titon Product House, users simply need to visit www.titon.com and click on the option to ‘Explore the Titon House’ in the main web banner.

 

In addition to the Titon’s product portfolios, the new feature also contains detailed information about indoor pollutants, as well as advice on how these can best be combatted.

 

Once the user has opened the house in their browser, they are free to explore the Titon Product House by selecting from ‘Window and Door Hardware’, ‘Ventilation Systems’ and ‘Indoor Pollutants’. The first option then allows a 3D property to be explored, with products such as Titon’s trickle vents, door handles and window hinges all shown in-situ. Clicking an item results in a brief product overview being displayed, alongside a link to its relevant page on the Titon website.

 

Similarly, selecting ‘Ventilation Systems’ allows visitors to explore the same 3D environment while looking at the comprehensive range of systems Titon has to offer, with individual illustrative configurations available for intermittent extract fans and background vents, continuous mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) and continuous mechanical extract (CME) – the latter of which can be viewed in both centralised and decentralised arrangements.

 

Finally, the ’Indoor Pollutants’ version of the room identifies the most common sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found inside a home. It also contains links to the latest expert advice and information on improving levels of indoor air quality, from renowned industry organisations such as BEAMA.

 

Commenting on the Titon Product House, Tyson Anderson, Sales & Marketing Director at Titon, said: “The new feature offers the perfect snapshot of all the individual items we can provide throughout the hardware and ventilation sectors – and how they can be suited together within a variety of applications.”

 

He continued: “As a business, Titon has designed and manufactured window and door hardware since 1972 – including handles, hinges and locking systems. This is in addition to the latest ventilation products designed to remove pollutants and improve indoor air quality for occupants. Indeed, introducing the Titon Product House now allows visitors to our website to see how our products are fitted within various rooms, as well as their features, benefits and health advantages. This will be extremely beneficial to self builders, fabricators, specifiers and homeowners alike.”

 

For more information about Titon and its comprehensive range of window & door hardware and ventilation systems, please visit: www.titon.com

Rinnai – makers of units delivering limitless, on demand supplies of hot water – are offering end-users an easy-to-choose facility via online interface.

 

The end-user simply visits the www.rinnaiuk.com website for instant assistance on choosing the right products to deliver fuel, energy and environmentally efficient hot water, reliably and constantly.

 

Says Chris Goggin, “Whatever your industry we have innovative products and systems that give your site or sites limitless supplies of temperature-controlled hot water which are designed with the environment in mind, with low emission technology and high efficiencies, as well as a host of other great features, as well as costing you significantly less than any other mode of hot water supply.”

 

We recognise that every application is unique and that choosing the right product can be a little daunting so we invite end-users to visit our website www.rinnaiuk.com and find the ‘Help Me Choose’ facility and we will do everything else from there,” adds Mr Goggin.

 

Rinnai recently completed the installation of 2 x HDC1500i continuous flow hot water heating units at a busy laundrette serving businesses and the public in Stafford. Rinnai products were chosen on the recommendation of another laundrette owner, in Lancashire, who praised the efficiency and major cost savings because of switching to cascaded continuous flow hot water units as they guarantee almost unlimited supplies of hot water at peak demand whilst savings on fuel costs.

 

Word of mouth is the best possible marketing and a site survey was duly arranged and completed to confirm the best solution in controlling operational costs and efficiencies. The existing system was a heated stored water system – this meant that the site was paying to heat water it was not instantly using.

 

It was clear from the site survey that Rinnai units configured to maximise both space and energy efficiency – and critically – the system’s reliability – would yield seriously large cost savings to the owner.

 

Given that the Rinnai units were being wall mounted and externally flued, this gave extra storage space to the premises as there was no need for a dedicated plant room.

 

Comments Ray Gallimore, proprietor of the Weston Road Launderette, “The old storage system had become completely impractical, inefficient and needlessly expensive to run.

 

“For example, the washers tend to be used sporadically. During a busy weekend there could be a demand for eight to ten people battling to use the machines at once, during the week there might be one or two. That meant we had to store a decent volume of hot water ‘just in case’ in the form of a storage water heater. Needless to say, keeping the stored volume at optimum temperature 24/7 was often wasted energy, a really bad, expensive idea all round.”

 

Clearly the site needed to change the system to one that could cater for these fluctuations without running up huge energy bills and the solution wasn’t hard to find.

 

“I was made aware of Infinity water heaters installed in similar applications to mine and in general their experiences with their products and their personnel, such as the local Rinnai sales consultant, were consistently positive and professional.”

 

“The beauty of working with Rinnai is the service they offer. We presented the project to Rinnai’s Technical Sales team who came up with the design, configured the sizes of unit required and delivered the system complete and to a very tight timescale – this was key as the existing water heater had developed a leak and I was extremely mindful that the business had to remain operational to satisfy local demand. We are very happy with Rinnai and will be spreading the word,” adds Ray Gallimore.

 

Now two HDC1500i internal mounted water heaters with secondary circulation provide hot water for 12 commercial machines, plus a sink and a wash hand basin.

“The Rinnai system has resulted in an energy reduction and gas saving due to higher efficiencies and because we are no longer maintaining large amounts of stored hot water. It’s not rocket science to work that out!”

 

“In terms of gas usage running costs compared to the old wasteful storage system, our bills have virtually been halved since the Rinnai system went live five months ago which is absolutely tremendous,” says Gallimore.

 

Rinnai’s heavy-duty condensing range uses two heat exchangers to capture residual heat from flue gases to pre-heat incoming water, with the HDC1500i turning in 105% net efficiencies*. These figures add up to considerable on-going energy savings when compared with traditional gas fired stored water systems.

 

With a Rinnai condensing unit, temperature is regulated to within +/-1ºC via ‘smart’ internal controls without any variation of temperature at the outlet even when water is drawn off elsewhere. All models have full electronic ignition, no pilot light and operate on demand only, so there is no gas consumption when the unit is idle.

 

The units are easily configured in a manifold arrangement, ensuring there will never be a shortfall of instant hot water whatever the demand.

Rinnai, the UK’s leading manufacturer of the ErP A-rated Infinity range of continuous flow condensing gas-fired water heaters, supplies the best energy efficient range of low-NOx water heating units currently on the market.

 

Advanced condensing heat exchangers combined with innovative burner technology ensures that every cubic metre of gas is used to the maximum on HDC 1500i.

 

Legionella proliferation is answered by Rinnai: the company has developed additional ‘SMART’ controls for secondary return DHW systems in the form of an advanced temperature control system which allows for safe running of water at 42°C core temperature during the day and 60°C at a time when the building is closed. By the time the building reopens, core temperature is 42°C for safe use.

 

Another Rinnai innovation addresses an age-old industry problem with hot water delivery – lime scale build-up. The company’s integrated scale control system is an innovative solution and comes in the form of an LC (lime check) code on the display of the controller.

 

Almost all water-fed appliances, including plate heat exchangers, boilers and water heaters will accumulate scale deposits when used within hard water areas over time. Lime scale consists of calcium carbonate (calcite) with lesser amounts of other calcium salts such as the sulphate. Sometimes lime scale deposits contain corrosion debris and this scale build-up can affect the water heaters by reducing their efficiency and overall performance.

 

Ultimately, ongoing use with hard water may shorten the lifespan of conventional water heating appliances and systems. To safeguard against this Rinnai units continually self-monitor for lime scale deposits around the heat exchanger. If a lime scale build up has being identified, a message is sent to the built-in interface panel on the front of the appliance. The message is displayed as ‘LC’, which alerts the end user that it is time to call a Rinnai service agent to perform a lime scale flush to clear the potentially harmful deposits. This avoids and eliminates the adverse effects associated with lime scale build up, including lower energy efficiencies and rapid product de-generation.

 

Rinnai’s HDC range offers condensing technology with up to 107% gross efficiency, ultra-low-NOx of less than 20 ppm, a widely expansive modulation range of 54kW-4kW and high flow rates of 37/ltr/min. Add to these benefits are the peace of mind of an extended warranty, a top A-rating exceeding the demands of eco-labelling legislation, the flexibility of external wall mounting and delivery to site with all relevant accessories and the knowledge that the HDC range is future-proofed against future regulatory and legislative changes.

 

* Tested and certificated by Technigas to EN 26.

 

For more information visit www.rinnaiuk.com

 

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