Market survey shows Rinnai tops for quality product in continuous flow water heating

RINNAI HOT WATER – INSTANT, CONTINUOUS, LIMITLESS AND SENSIBLY ECONOMIC FOR EVERY TYPE OF COMMERCIAL SITE…

Plumbing and heating engineers have reviewed and rated Rinnai continuous flow units and systems as a leader in a recent survey into hot water heating delivery systems and products, identifying the company as having ‘superior quality’ to competitor products.

The survey showed respondents – all Gas Safe registered engineers – answered questions regarding overall satisfaction, brand awareness and product quality. Rinnai came top on product quality – and technical service, in particular.

Over 70% of those surveyed stated they were regular customers and identified ‘strongly’ that ‘quality of products’ and no ‘call backs to site’ as being the main reasons for their views.

Over 65% of respondents said that the quality of Rinnai’s product offering is ‘superior’ to the claimed market leaders with a further 85% indicating that the brand, including all elements of product range, reliability, innovation and customer service, is a genuine market leader.

Rinnai units and systems are now the number one choice for large buildings and businesses with a heavy demand for constant hot water or where high peaks of demand occur at certain times. The water handling capacity is infinite as units can be installed to ‘cascade’.

The benefits for the end user are big savings on fuel over other forms of water heating solutions, with the added advantage that there is no need to give up valuable space to install a cylinder. And there are no standing losses to account for as occur with traditional stored hot water systems.

The Rinnai system produces useable hot water on demand, at the turn of a tap or the push of a shower button. The relatively compact footprint of the units also means they can be housed in tight spaces and still be easily accessible for maintenance and servicing.

According to Rinnai’s Chris Goggin: “We believe our range represents the best value-for-money commercial hot water solution on the market today, and it can be delivered direct to site in one complete, easy to manage package. Its impressive energy performance ratings also make it a highly desirable development at a time when everybody is looking at decreasing energy bills and maximising energy efficiency.”

The condensing process delivers 95% thermal efficiency, which translates to significant energy savings when compared to standard on-demand water heaters. Rinnai’s high efficiency condensing range of continuous flow water heaters, including the HDC1500 with its 96-97% gross efficiency, covers a vast number of requirements.

Rinnai condensing continuous flow water heaters are low NoX, less than 50mg with gross efficiencies of 96-97% and recovery of 740 litres per hour at 50° Delta. All units are A rated on ErP.

For more details on RINNAI products visit www.rinnaiuk.com
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GEZE UK ‘family’ celebrates 30th anniversary

2018 is a milestone year for GEZE UK, which celebrates 30 years in the business as a ‘go to’ manufacturer and supplier of innovative door and window solutions

GEZE UK, is part of the global GEZE GmbH, a family-run business where traditional values are combined with pioneering strategic vision.

So, it was entirely fitting that to mark three decades of business success, its UK workforce and their families should enjoy a fun-filled family day of celebrations, hosted at Rodbaston Hall, near Penkridge in Staffordshire.

Kaz Spiewakowski, GEZE UK’s managing director – who himself celebrates five years at the helm this year – said that “GEZE was most definitely “a family business” and this is reflected in how it treats its employees.

“There are family members engaged in the business at all levels and GEZE considers each and every member of our 250-strong team very much part of the extended ‘family’. Everyone contributes so it was wonderful to get together this September to enjoy some downtime, celebrate our achievements and toast our continuing success in the years ahead,” he said

2018 was also a milestone year for head of the GEZE family, Brigitte Vöster-Alber, chief executive officer of GEZE GmbH, based in Leonberg, Germany, who this summer celebrated 50 years with the company. Taking over in 1968 at the age of only 24 years, Brigitte asserted herself in a man’s world and has since developed corporate strategy, the product portfolio and international business whilst continuing to champion the visibility of females within the workplace.

For more information about GEZE UK’s comprehensive range of automatic and manual door closers call 01543 443000 or visit www.geze.co.uk
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Brio gets Specified By

Brio, a global leader in sliding and bi-fold door hardware, is continuing its marketing communications aimed at architects and specifiers with a commitment to the web portal ‘Specified By’.

Specified By was created to help specifiers find and research building products and materials through modern search, comparison and information management tools. By providing well-structured, open data for thousands of products, the site is ready access to one of the most comprehensive databases of products and materials in the UK. It is designed to save architectural and specification professionals lots of time in the whole process.

“Life is lived online these,” says Dave Newton, UK head of Brio,” and we wanted product range and technical information readily available on ‘Specified By’ as it is purely for specification professionals. Our product range lends itself to adventurous architectural ideas that easily unfold into exciting reality.

“Brio is dedicated to shaping the spaces in which people live, work and play. With central operations in Sydney, Australia and subsidiaries in the UK and USA – Brio is recognised by architects worldwide as a leading design and manufacturing company.”

The company is approaching its 50th birthday, having been established in the early 1970′s. It has consistently innovated and developed new products for the global market, producing cutting edge designs such as Weatherfold exterior folding door hardware.

Brio’s R&D department continues to bring a strong design element to the business, developing and testing ground breaking concepts that continue to be at the forefront of the industry.

“It’s no surprise our name Brio translates to Energy, Spirit and Vitality – the core values that drive us to always discover new solutions for our customers.

We are committed to the continuous improvement of quality. That is why Brio UK is certified to Quality Management System ISO 9001: 2001”, says Dave Newton.

For more information on the full range visit www.briouk.com
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Titon’s new CPD on purge ventilation and overheating now available

Titon has introduced a new CPD seminar aimed at increasing awareness of how purge and overheating affects everyday quality of life.

The latest seminar has been created to help specifiers and designers within the residential sector interpret the current regulations regarding ventilation and overheating. It will also aid them with identifying areas that need special attention during the design and build of a dwelling.

The CPD, which is designed to last an hour, is an ideal opportunity for specifiers and designers to speak to dedicated engineers who understand and can explain the importance of understanding this hot topic. The seminar aims to cover the forms of ventilation available and how it fits in with Part F and Part L(a), as well as giving an insight into overheating.

The CPD focuses on how purge ventilation design plays an important part within a dwelling. It also covers compliance with Building Regulations, and gives an overview of overheating.

Commenting on the newly created CPD, Lee Caulfield, Sales Director, said: “The issue of purge and overheating in dwellings is a key one, as it needs to be addressed at the earliest stages of building design. We believe this CPD will give designers and specifiers the tools to deliver the best possible outcomes for their projects, as well as a thorough knowledge and understanding of the complex requirements when it comes to ventilation strategies.”

To register for the new CPD from Titon, visit https://cpduk.co.uk/directory/profile/titon. Seminars can be conducted at a specifier’s or designer’s premises, or at Titon’s offices in Essex.

For more information about Titon and its range of ventilation systems, please visit: www.titon.co.uk
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Cembrit plank brings life to a painted bungalow

Water leaks are a distant memory for the owners of a bungalow in the Isle of Wight after Cembrit Plank was installed on the property to provide a new watertight cladding system.

Ryde-based roofing contractor, L J Teal Roofing Service was approached by the homeowners who were looking for a solution to fix a water ingress issue. The concrete blocks and render finish had become porous and water was penetrating through. Having heard about the recently launched Cembrit Plank, the contractor was confident that this weatherboard could provide a good cladding solution for the customer.

“We pitched the idea of installing a weatherboard cladding option to Mr and Mrs Morrison, and they agreed that it would be a good way forward” commented Liam Teal of L J Teal Roofing Service. “We supplied Cembrit Plank in Ivory via Roofstore and the project began in February 2018.”

L J Teal Roofing Service started the project by chipping off the paint and render, stabilising the wall with bonding agents and installing a two-coat render system. Due to the block work having an uneven finish, the contractor fitted 38mm x 50 mm counter battens required individual attention to create a uniform structure onto which Cembrit Plank could be installed. Ventilated starter profiles ensured the correct air flow behind the weatherboard. The original roof overhang presented a problem, as the gable roof ends did not extend out far enough to accommodate the cladding underneath. This resulted in the contractor altering the roof and installing new PVC fascia being fitted at the gable ends.

Once the breathable membrane was installed on top of the counter battens, L J Teal Roofing Service then turned their attention to the cladding. The contractor started by levelling the first board around the whole building and worked their way up the property fixing Cembrit Plank horizontally. Work continued rapidly with the help of Gecko gauges which meant after the first plank was laid level, the successive planks were quickly placed and fixed. Extremely easy to install, the project was completed by April 2018. The owners are delighted with their brand-new exterior, which has a natural aesthetic, and is watertight, non-combustible and low in maintenance.

Fibre cement Cembrit Plank is low in maintenance, rot, rust, warp, crack, sun, heat, rain resistant, is non-combustible, providing a superior alternative to timber and plastic based alternatives. The overlapping plank is designed to look like painted timber but will retain its attractive appearance long after alternatives have started to age. Furthermore, Cembrit Plank does not require toxic preservative treatments in the way timber weatherboarding does.

Offering a 15-year warranty, Cembrit Plank is available in 15 different colours. A range of white and dark grey shades match traditional building styles, while the addition of reds, pale browns and pastel green offer a more contemporary choice. In addition, the range includes a ready primed option for clients wishing to add their own choice of colour. For large enough orders, Cembrit can arrange customised colours. The range includes a comprehensive set of colour matched accessories, including the roofline trims needed for a neat finish where façade meets the roof.

For further information visit www.cembrit.co.uk, email sales@cembrit.co.uk or tel: 020 3372 2300
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New ROCKWOOL website offers personalised experience for users

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Imagine a website that can predict and adapt to be completely relevant and helpful to you and your needs. ROCKWOOL UK’s new website powered by Artificial Intelligence has been carefully designed to do exactly that, providing you with a central resource for your insulation insights.

From Friday 21st September 2018 you will have the opportunity to experience the new ROCKWOOL website yourself. This sophisticated content rich platform of information, with powerful tools has been designed to support and deliver real value to everyone in construction, from Architect to homeowner.

The story gets better, the in-built machine learning of this website means that the more the site is used, the more the platform will be optimised to show highly relevant content and assets whether they are a home owner, a specifier, or a contractor.

To try out the new website, visit www.rockwool.co.uk on the 21st September 2018.
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Kingspan embraces the past with library extension at Dunfermline

A £12.4 million extension to the 19th century Dunfermline Carnegie Library in Scotland is helping raise the town’s cultural profile. The new building is designed and built to comply with Scottish Building Regulations, with the help of Kingspan Kooltherm K15 Rainscreen Board and Kingspan Kooltherm K10 Soffit Board.

The Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries project has created an exciting new local history Reading Room, Museum and Children’s Library to engage and entertain a wider number of visitors at Dunfermline’s Heritage Quarter. In addition, it also provides the town’s first purpose-built art gallery space and a new mezzanine café, ensuring visitors can relax with a coffee whilst enjoying the stunning views of the landscaped gardens and Dunfermline Abbey.

Ashlar sandstone, oak and Corten steel cladding have been installed on the new extension of the library building as part of a rainscreen cladding system. 500 m2 of Kingspan Kooltherm K15 Rainscreen Board was fitted within the steel frame cladding system of the regenerated external façade in a 70 mm thickness. The angular features of the building also have overhanging structural ceilings which required the installation of 200 m2 of Kingspan Kooltherm K10 Soffit Board insulation in a 75 mm thickness.

Martin Lambie, Architect from Richard Murphy Architects Ltd, commented:

“We wanted to create a space that embraced both the rich history of the building and the expectations of visitors both now and in the future. The façade successfully delivered the visual appeal, but we also needed to ensure the space was comfortable too. We chose Kingspan Kooltherm for this project as we knew it would help us to deliver the target U-values.”

Kingspan Insulation products can allow target U-values to be achieved with minimal construction thickness. Both premium performance products feature a fibre-free core and can achieve thermal conductivities as low as 0.020 W/m.K.

Kingspan Kooltherm K15 Rainscreen Board and Kingspan Kooltherm K10 Soffit Board feature a fibre-free core manufactured with a blowing agent which has zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and low Global Warming Potential (GWP). The product has been assigned a highest possible BREEAM Green Guide summary of A+ and is certified ‘Excellent’ under the demanding BES 6001: Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products standard.

Since the completion of the project, Kingspan has launched its Kooltherm K100 range offering thermal conductivities as low as 0.018 W/m.K across all thicknesses. The expanding range now includes Kingspan Kooltherm K110 Soffit Board helping buildings to achieve outstanding levels of thermal performance with a minimum construction thickness.

For further information, please contact: Tel: +44 (0) 1544 387 384
Email: info@kingspaninsulation.co.uk Website: www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk
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Altro Takes A Fresh Look With Bauhaus-Inspired Solutions

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Commercial interior surfaces specialist Altro has introduced stunning new high-design ranges to its floors, doors and walls package. Delivering premium aesthetics with outstanding durability, all backed by Altro’s sector-leading support and expertise, Altro Ensemble™ modular flooring system and Altro Whiterock™ wall designs wall sheet are ideal for office, retail and hospitality environments.

New Altro Ensemble modular flooring system is the next generation of luxury vinyl tiles. From colour blocking to geometric patterns, with a range of plank and tile sizes and textures, Altro Ensemble gives design freedom to create luxurious floors for commercial interior spaces. With 57 options to mix and match, the modular flooring system has natural wood and stone designs and bloc colours too. Altro Ensemble is 2.6mm thick with a 0.55mm wear layer, 15dB sound reduction qualities and added comfort underfoot, with minimal residual indentation and excellent durability. A truly exceptional material, it combines these features with unique flexibility and is lightweight, making it easy to transport, cut and handle for installation.

In developing the new Altro Ensemble collection, the design team has taken inspiration from the Bauhaus design school’s philosophy of bridging the gap between form and function to engineer products that meet the customers’ biggest challenges, such as the need for cleanability, sustainability and flexibility. The result is a premium modular flooring system that offers variety and design freedom to create sophisticated, contemporary and striking designs. It also has the benefits of local sustainably sourced raw materials made to Altro’s exacting manufacturing standards, which ensure high quality, excellent durability and high-performance characteristics.

Altro Ensemble is the perfect partner to Altro Whiterock wall designs – a new vision in wall decoration with natural wood, stone and linen options plus stunning metallic designs to give elegance to interior walls.

Renowned for high quality solutions backed by market-leading customer service and technical support, Altro has been at the forefront of innovation for almost 100 years. As a family-founded business, Altro has a strong sense of its values and a way of thinking that puts people’s needs at the heart of its work. It’s a human-centred approach to designing for the demands of 21st century life.

The new ranges are the natural progression of tried and tested products, each harnessing decades of research and expertise in the UK and in Germany, with extensive customer feedback integrated into the development process.

Although new to the UK, Altro Ensemble modular flooring system is the latest generation of a product which has been designed and manufactured in Germany, where it has enjoyed success for many years and is an excellent example of German engineering at its best. A tried and tested product, it has undergone an extensive redesign process which has benefited from the combination of existing technology and new expertise from several sources including the team in Germany, as well as the contribution of award-winning colour consultant Knut Völzke.

Altro Whiterock wall designs are the latest development from Altro’s UK design and development team, building upon decades of experience in wall sheets. The new range makes a show-stopping design statement and is perfect for general circulation areas, receptions and foyers, as well as wet environments such as bathrooms and spas, creating a design focal point. Matching sealants and co-ordinating and contrasting trims are available.

Discover Altro’s full building solution at www.altro.co.uk
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Armstrong Ceilings launches new education brochure

It focusses on ceiling systems that make a difference in education facilities.

Armstrong Ceilings is marking the start of a new school year with the launch of a new education brochure which focuses on helping architects and specifiers design cost-effective well-being measures into education buildings for the benefit of students as well as staff.

The new education brochure, which is available to download from [url], highlights the ceiling systems that make a difference in education facilities by focussing on three key areas – enhancing learning environments through acoustics, creating visual impact through upscale and inspiring solutions, and protecting students and the environment through sustainable building design.

Whether creating a high performance classroom for a better learning environment or designing a dramatic and engaging signature space to impact a university’s ability to recruit students, the brochure, and handy online room selector tool on Armstrong’s website, helps architects specify appropriate systems for all areas within an educational setting as no two spaces have the same requirements.

While classrooms need acoustics, hallways may need durability, kitchens may need ease of cleaning and maintenance, and entrances and auditoriums may need the wow factor that helps inspire students to learn and teachers to teach.

Research shows that on any given day, thousands of students are unable to understand one out of every four spoken words in classrooms due to inadequate acoustics*. In addition, teacher surveys consistently rank noisy classrooms and vocal fatigue high on their list of frustrations. Poor lighting and glare in the classroom can also cause eye strain and fatigue for both staff and students.

In a classroom, Armstrong’s standard range of medium-density ceilings, strikes the right balance between both sound attenuation and sound absorption, blocking unwanted noise from outside while enhancing sound quality inside.

For offices, Armstrong’s dB range of higher-density ceilings minimises noise transfer between rooms, keeping conversations private and staff reassured. And for canteens and libraries, Armstrong’s OP range of lower-density ceilings controls excessive sound reflections, offering customers optimal levels of sound absorption.

As well as acoustics, the new brochure also tackles the role that light-reflecting ceilings can play in reducing not just glare but also energy bills by maximising natural light and minimising electricity usage.

The constantly varying temperature fluctuations in areas such as kitchens, particularly during school holidays when HVAC systems are typically shut down, also require ceilings with resistance to high levels of moisture – as much a necessity as ceilings for laboratories and cloakrooms that are easy to clean and maintain.

A product selector page includes variations such as the new, ultra-green Dune eVo tile, anti-microbial BioGuard, moisture-resistant Hydroboard, Ultima+ dB planks, and perforated metal acoustic tiles.

Armstrong’s new brochure also sets the best example in terms of the environment in that it explains how its Cradle to Cradle certification (the first by a mineral ceiling tile manufacturer in Europe) helps architects specify products that are designed for recycling using manufacturing processes which minimise water consumption, adopt renewable energy strategies and acknowledge social responsibility.

It also explains how Armstrong’s pioneering recycling programme for mineral ceiling tiles used in new-build and refurbishments projects contributes to LEED®, BREEAM, HQE, DGNB and Ska credits by including ceiling recycling in construction waste plans.

Examples of how specifiers have brought this motivation to existing projects, using mineral and metal tiles and canopies and baffles, are contained within five school and university case studies which show how focussing on the function of an educational building does not have to impact on its form.

*A test conducted by Dr Kenneth Roy, senior principal research scientist for acoustic technologies at Armstrong, demonstrates the difference a high performance acoustic ceiling can make in an existing classroom.

The test took place in a sixth grade classroom at the Robert E Lamberton Public School in Philadelphia, PA. Built in 1949, the 24′ x 44′ x 11′ classroom consisted of a plaster ceiling, concrete block masonry walls and a vinyl tile floor. The Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of the existing ceiling was approximately 0.25. Sound reverberation measurements in the room were found to be an average of 1.08 seconds, far exceeding the ANSI S12.60 maximum acceptable reverberation time of 0.60 seconds.

An Armstrong School Zone Fine Fissured suspended ceiling was then installed. Following the change in ceilings, measurements were again taken and the average reverberation time was 0.56 seconds, within the maximum acceptable parameter.

However, acoustical results were not the only measures of success.

A number of subjective factors were also observed. The teacher, for example, indicated there now appeared to be less fidgeting and talking during her lessons. She also said her students seemed to be paying more attention.

An even more telling measure of success may have come from the students themselves. When asked if they noticed any changes, their most common response was about improvement in the noise level. Others also commented that the room was brighter. As one student, who sat in the back of the room, summed it up, “I can hear (my teacher) a lot better today.”

More information is accessible via the Armstrong Ceilings website https://www.armstrongceilings.com/commercial/en-gb/.
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Silentflor flooring improves acoustics at Newport primary school

Concrete effect Silentflor acoustic sheet vinyl flooring from UK manufacturer Polyflor was chosen to refurbish the reception area at St Andrew’s Primary School in Newport, South Wales.

Installed by Cardiff-based Parker Flooring Supplies, 84m² of Silentflor flooring in the Dark Grey Concrete design was fitted in the primary school’s reception, meeting room and office areas. This project was headed up by facilities management and contract services provider Newport Norse.

Andrew Herrington, Architectural Designer at Newport Norse, comments, “The project brief was to provide a modern and inspiring reception to reflect the aspirations of the head teacher to provide the best environment for the parents and children to be in. The flooring had to be both hard wearing and help with acoustics. The original supplier was unable to provide a suitable product, but a call to Polyflor who hold large amounts of stock were able to fulfil the requirements within a very tight timeframe.”

Made in the UK, the Silentflor range includes 36 stunning designs in a 3.7mm gauge and 0.65mm wear layer sheet format. The collection’s 8 contemporary concrete and 12 abstract designs have been specifically developed to achieve a modern on-trend look.

Silentflor is a robust, beautifully designed collection that achieves 19dB impact sound reduction and has been expertly created for a wide range of heavy traffic commercial interiors, such as installations in the education sector. The product’s acoustic layer provides warmth and cushioning underfoot as well as reducing the effects of impact sound travelling through a building.

For ease of maintenance, Silentflor is enhanced with Polyflor PUR, Polyflor’s exclusive and robust polyurethane reinforcement which is cross linked and UV cured to provide superior cleaning benefits.

The Silentflor collection is beautifully presented within a sampling package which includes a 40-page brochure, a comprehensive presenter and shadecard. Sampling can be ordered free of charge on the Polyflor website or by calling the Polyflor Samples Direct Hotline on 0161 767 2551.

Silentflor also has impressive environmental credentials, achieving a BRE A+ rating in major use areas and Indoor Air Comfort Gold, assuring that VOC emissions are below any globally determined levels. Silentflor is 100% recyclable via the Recofloor recycling scheme and contains recycled content.

Further details on Polyflor’s extensive range of resilient vinyl flooring are available from Polyflor Ltd, Radcliffe New Road, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 7NR. Tel: 0161 767 1111. Fax: 0161 767 1128.
Website: www.polyflor.com Email: info@polyflor.com
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