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OPTIM-R installed at Aberdeen medical centre

GP practice staff in Aberdeen city are enjoying a new and improved environment at their purpose-built facility, with the help of the Kingspan OPTIM-R Balcony & Terrace System.

Woodside Fountain Health Centre is a bespoke build replacing the Woodside Medical Group’s premises on Western Road. The triple primary care facility offers a collaboration of services within the fully accessible building. The new health centre is comprised of 12 consulting rooms, a minor procedures room, treatment rooms, an NHS dental practice, and a team of community nurses. The project was overseen by contractors Miller Construction, which was acquired by Galliford Try in 2014.

The centre features a spacious roof terrace. To insulate this, whilst also maintaining an even transition from the internal area, 30 mm thickness of the Kingspan OPTIM-R Balcony & Terrace System was specified. Unlike conventional insulation, Kingspan OPTIM-R panels feature a microporous core which is evacuated, encased and sealed in a gas-tight envelope. This design allows the panels to achieve outstanding insulation performance with an aged thermal conductivity of 0.007 W/m.K, enabling the target U-value of 0.15 W/m2.K to be achieved with the slimmest possible construction. A further layer of Kingspan Styrozone was installed above the System, followed by a waterproof membrane and the final balcony surface.

The Kingspan OPTIM-R Balcony & Terrace System also includes OPTIM-R flex infill strips which can be cut to size, ensuring the System can meet all design requirements. When installed to Kingspan Insulation’s guidelines, the Kingspan OPTIM-R Balcony & Terrace System can provide outstanding long term thermal performance over the lifetime of a building.

Kingspan OPTIM-R has a BDA Agrément® certification for thicknesses of 20-40 mm. BDA Agrément® is recognised by professional bodies such as the NHBC and LABC, which can fast-track approvals and offers an assurance that the products are safe and effective.

For more information, please email info@kingspaninsulation.co.uk or visit www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk/optim-r.
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Engineering innovation gives glass balustrades more view, but less posts

A new look in glass-walled balconies is coming this Spring, with the release of a leading-edge system designed by Surrey balustrade specialists Balconette.

The new system is called HYBRID®. It creates a new category of balustrade, to sit in between the traditional alternatives of post-supported and structural frameless glass. HYBRID® balustrades offer the open views of frameless glass at the cost and convenience of the older post-supported styles.

The HYBRID® category enables wide runs of glass with no, or few, vertical posts. Its ease of installation and lower cost bring the very high-end look into range for many projects for the first time.

“People buy a glass balcony to enjoy the view, not look at a row of metal posts. Fully frameless glass gives great views, but is expensive and requires complex structural fittings” says Balconette’s CEO Effi Wolff. “The HYBRID® category offers the uninterrupted views of structural glass but at around half the cost”.

The innovative engineering design at the heart of HYBRID® uses invisible bracing within an elegant self-supporting handrail, which achieves excellent structural integrity. The design of the rail means few vertical supports are required – often none at all.

Up to 4-metre glass runs are now possible without vertical supports – and where the balcony turns a corner or is curved the postless spans can be even longer. A three-sided balustrade square can have 12 metres without posts. In place of the extensive footings usually required for structural glass, HYBRID® balustrades use slim surface-mounting which is easy for builders and even DIYers to install.

“We went back to the drawing-board to solve some long-standing problems with balustrade design” continued Balconette’s CEO and designer Effi Wolff. “The HYBRID® category makes wide, open glass balustrades possible at a cost similar to old systems requiring a metal post every metre.

“Builders & developers tell us they love the ease of installation, and architects say it gives them a practical alternative to structural glass, with the same clean lines. Homeowners are effectively getting the most expensive style at half price.

Handrails for the HYBRID® system come in two styles: Orbit and Aerofoil. The Orbit handrail has a circular profile and allows for up to 3.3m runs without posts when attached either side to a wall or structural element. The Aerofoil handrail provides the longest post-free spans of up to 4m without posts. Both systems include panels of 10mm toughened glass, which can be produced in a variety of tint options including the standard clear, and customised blue, grey, bronze, green, and satinised (opaque).

For more information and downloadable images, go to www.hybrid.balconette.co.uk/press
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