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TRILUX Lighting Elevates the Shopping Experience

TRILUX Elevates the Shopping Experience

with Cutting-Edge Lighting Solutions

for Leading British Retailer

 

TRILUX’s new lighting concept for Marks and Spencer food halls was designed to create a “bigger, better, fresher” shopping experience and bring the market feel to life. The black finish of the custom designed luminaire blends into the ceiling, allowing the focus to be on the produce.

Marks and Spencer, a leading British retailer, wanted to bring a fresh, new look to its Food Halls. With a requirement to make the spaces feel like a market and not a conventional supermarket, TRILUX was brought on board to design the lighting concept. The new 75,000 sq ft Stevenage store, which opened in April 2022, showcases the concept and is one of the first in the country to feature the new design.

Invisible light

Traditional supermarket lighting is bright, white, and uniform. Marks and Spencer’s original lighting scheme centred around this concept with a highly visible frosted plastic lens, which TRILUX replaced with a new lighting system based on its popular E-Line continuous line. The key difference here, is that the customised luminaire features a black profile with a recessed LED light source to create the illusion of no visible light until customers are directly under the fitting. The light is evenly distributed on products, not the floor, using a double asymmetric distribution.

The modularity of the E-Line system allows spotlights to be integrated wherever needed, with the flexibility to move later, with little to no cost.

The selected optics light the vertical faces of the shelving units uniformly, while wall washing techniques were used to highlight the signage and areas above the merchandise to make the space feel welcoming.

Guiding customers with pockets of interest

TRILUX’s black E-Line trunking system is arranged in single continuous lines to align with the store’s aisles and includes B.Veo spotlights and Grado wall washers, giving a less cluttered ceiling appearance.

Each area of the food hall was carefully thought out to create pockets of interest and guide the customer through the shopping experience.

Spotlights and wall washers – key lighting techniques

Spotlighting is used to highlight key features such as aisle signage, wine tables, cheese barges and coffee grinding, to name a few, while wall washing techniques are used around the perimeter of the aisles to define the atmosphere of each space. For example, in the Beer, Wines and Spirits section, the intention is to create a moodier atmosphere. Hence, the wall washers are positioned lower on the product, and only the illuminated signage lights the walls above the shelving.

In other areas, the wall washers are aimed above the shelving units and illuminate decorative wall features, providing a lighter and airier environment and increasing the perception of the height of the area.

Adding pendant lighting into the mix

The horticulture section has a large decorative corkboard wall lit using the same wall washing techniques, with the added interest of striking pendants to break up the space. In contrast, the large fresh produce counters have rafts of large, suspended opal diffuser panels in arrangements of banks of 4, 6 or 8 panels.

Highlighting the till ends

Finally, where the experience becomes transactional, the tills are lit using a frosted lens, separating the space with linear lines over the cash registers, including a spotlight on the ends to illuminate the point-of-sale units.

TRILUX’s lighting design has helped transform Marks and Spencer food halls into an inviting, market-style shopping experience. The TRILUX scheme has been installed at 10 – 15 sites so far, the plan is to roll out the concept in all new stores.

Please CLICK HERE to find out more about TRILUX’s retail offering

 

 

 

 

 

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NEW ‘GEMELLO’ TWIN SKIN ROOF AND WALL SYSTEM

NEW ‘GEMELLO’ TWIN SKIN ROOF AND WALL SYSTEM FROM SIG BUILDING SOLUTIONS

 

Metal building envelope specialist SIG Building Solutions has launched a warranted twin skin system called ‘Gemello’.

Gemello, is a self-supporting roof and wall system consisting of a trapezoidal pre-finished steel liner and outer sheet with a Class A1 non-combustible glass fibre insulation in between.  Under development for a number of years, the system is now available for the roofing and cladding of steel framed buildings, including industrial, retail, office, health, education, and leisure buildings.

This new SIG Building Solutions roof and wall system can be tailored to suit the aesthetic, acoustic, thermal, fire and loading requirements of a building.  The Gemello external profiles are available in an extensive range of colours, profiles and coatings, enabling designers to create visually-engaging buildings.

In addition, the Gemello system can provide U-values down to 0.12 W/m²K or lower depending on the required performance. The design of a twin skin system also allows for denser materials to be used in its construction, improving acoustic sound reduction and rain noise.

A key feature is the Gemello system warranty.  The Gemello warranty is flexible, providing warranty periods for 12, 25 or 30 years. This warranty covers all the components within the twin skin system and the system itself.

SIG Building Solutions provides an extensive range of accessories for Gemello, including rooflights, gutters, flashings, fascias and cappings.

Working alongside the customer with a collaborative approach, SIG Building Solutions provides the technical expertise and robust product offering to develop a bespoke, effective roof and/or wall system with minimum complexity.

Commenting on Gemello, Samantha Jones, SIG Building Solutions’ commercial development director, said,

 

“An exciting product development, Gemello is an example of the innovation and expertise that is made available by bringing our extensive manufacturing experience together in one dynamic built up system offer.”

SIG Building Solutions

 

Following more than a decade of operating collaboratively alongside each other, SIG’s team of cladding and sheeting manufacturers came together in Q4 of 2022 to provide a cohesive customer facing brand under the SIG Building Solutions banner.

Providing complementary product ranges and servicing regional markets to create a national solution, these manufacturing businesses are prevalent in the agricultural and light industrial sectors and are well placed to combine their resources to present their service to a wider audience.

 

“SIG Building Solutions provides a relationship-driven, solutions-focused, single point of contact which translates well across the industrial, commercial and agricultural build sectors.  Our manufacturing businesses combine decades of roof and wall system expertise and manufacturing know-how which have been brought together and backed by the robust supply chain and extensive capabilities of SIG plc,” said Sam Jones.

 

SIG Building Solutions manufactures secondary steelwork, insulated panels, single and twin skin roof and wall profiles, bespoke fabrications, rainwater goods and ancillary products.

In addition, SIG Building Solutions has developed a range of solar car park canopy structures, and works alongside solar system providers to help organisations with large parking facilities generate solar energy and reduce their carbon footprint.

 

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE

NEW ‘GEMELLO’ TWIN SKIN ROOF AND WALL SYSTEM

 

 

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Smart innovations in focus at Futurebuild

 

Futurebuild 2023: Stand D10

 

Smart Architectural Aluminium will be displaying a wide range of new products and systems at this year’s Futurebuild exhibition. With innovative solutions across its three core product areas, visitors will have chance to see both completely new products and product evolutions in each of the company’s Internal, External and Outdoor Living collections.

The impressive 170 square metre stand will also feature displays of many of the company’s established systems, including the proven Alitherm Heritage windows and doors, Visofold Heritage slide/fold doors, Designer Doors and Smart Wall framing systems.

Innovative new additions to Smart’s External collection will feature prominently on the stand, including the all new Signature Door range, a double Designer Door option, two new Visoglide patio doors, an opening vent for the Aliver roof light and additions to the Alitherm 400 window and door system. The Signature Door range brings a completely new collection of entrance and back doors to sit alongside the company’s Designer Door range, opening up an even broader audience for these high quality, high security doors. The Visoglide slide/fold door additions include a new bonded system, which will provide enhanced security and extremely slim profiles, as well as a highly energy efficient option which benefits from low u-values.

Smart’s AluSpace system will be the focus of the Internal collection display, which will showcase the system’s ability to elegantly divide or delineate interior spaces, while retaining a light and airy environment.

Finally, the display of the company’s expanding Outdoor Living range will feature previews of the new aluminium SolDeck decking and SolUmbra pergola systems. Developed to provide a slip-resistant and durable solution for gardens, balconies, terraces and patios, SolDeck is easy to instal and requires virtually no maintenance. Complementing this is the SolUmbra aluminium pergola system. Free-standing or attached to a façade, the stylish system is fully customisable, with a wide range of profile, roof, colour and glazing options.

Commenting on the company’s presence at the show, Managing Director Eddie Robinson, said:

“We are delighted to return to ExCeL for Futurebuild 2023, and particularly to be involved in the Innovation Trail, which provides a great opportunity to showcase the broad range of innovative new products that we have developed across our entire product range.

“We are looking forward to having the opportunity of discussing all these new products in more depth with visitors to the show and to once again welcome customers, colleagues and industry partners to our stand.”

 

 

For more details visit the company on Stand D10 of the exhibition

or CLICK HERE for the

Smart Architectural Aluminium Website

or call 01934 876 100

 

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EUROFORM’S VERSAROC® MPA1 PANEL IS PART OF EUROPE’S LARGEST LIVING WALL

Euroform Product’s Versaroc® MPA1 sheathing board has been used in the construction of Europe’s largest living wall at Eden, Salford, which is set to be one of the UK’s most sustainable office buildings.

 

Eden is a £36 million, 115,000 sq ft, 12-storey office building at New Bailey in Salford, being developed by The English Cities Fund (ECF) – a strategic joint venture between nationwide placemaker, Muse, Legal & General and Homes England.  The main contractor is Bowmer + Kirkland.

The jewel in Eden’s crown will be a living façade, which at 43,000 sq ft will be the second largest in the world and the biggest in Europe.  The façade is designed to remove air pollutants including carbon, reduce urban temperatures offering thermal benefits to occupiers, and deliver a 174% net gain in the biodiversity of the area, while providing a high-quality green space.

Euroform’s Versaroc® MPA1 is part of the living wall structure, which involves a steel frame.  A fibre cement board comprising ordinary Portland cement with inorganic reinforcing fibres, Versaroc® MPA1 is intended for exterior sheathing of SFS frames due to its high durability and non-combustibility.

Versaroc® MPA1 achieves EuroClass A1 Reaction to Fire according to EN 13501-1:2018 and has third party Agrément from Kiwa BDA for steel frame sheathing application – certificate number BAW-20-154-P-A-UK.  Versaroc® MPA1 is also highly moisture tolerant and has achieved category A performance to EN 12467:2012 + A2:2018.  As indicated, category A is the highest level of performance that fibre cement sheets can achieve in terms of resistance to the destructive effects of varying climatic conditions including severe frost, a critical consideration for the requirements of the board used within the Eden façade.

A wide range of systems may be applied over Versaroc® MPA1 such as approved ETICS systems, terracotta cladding systems, high performance cladding systems and traditional brick coursework.

Ordered and installed by Lester Cladding, Euroform has supplied nearly 50,000 sq ft of Versaroc® MPA1 to site.

“Naturally, we are excited that our Versaroc® MPA1 product is part of the ground-breaking and prestigious new Eden office building,” said Mark Atkinson, Euroform Product’s national commercial manager.  “As we are Warrington-based, it is particularly good to have our product selected for what will become a landmark in our region.”

Once complete, Eden will have the capability to run on 100% renewable electricity and has been designed using the UK Green Building Council’s 2035-2050 standards.  Designed by Make Architects, Eden aims to be the standard-bearer in environmentally-conscious development and occupier wellbeing.

Eden is part of the wider 50-acre, £1bn Salford Central regeneration.

Euroform Products has been developing, fabricating and supplying materials for the construction industry since 1995.  Euroform specialises in ensuring fire and thermal compliance across its product range.  Each product is supported by an experienced and knowledgeable technical team to provide advice and guidance.

Euroform is part of Performance Technology Group an SIG Trading Ltd group of companies specialising in supporting the construction industry to meet acoustic, fire, thermal and vibration challenges.

 

www.euroform.co.uk

www.musedevelopments.com

 

 

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FUTURISTIC RED SEA RESORT

First overwater villa installed at The Red Sea’s Sheybarah Island Resort
 
Tailor-made solutions protect delicate marine environment.
 

Mammoet welcomed the start of 2023 with the delivery of the very first batch of modularly constructed villas for Red Sea Global’s Sheybarah Island Resort. A total of four villas were loaded-in at the Port of Hamriyah, in Sharjah, and were shipped to the island be installed at the site.

A new milestone was achieved with the installation of the first prefabricated, stainless steel overwater villa orb on its foundation.

For the installation, Mammoet used its 650t capacity Demag CC3800 crawler crane positioned on top of Mammoet’s modified barge, ALE 250. The shallow draft of the barge meant that there would be minimal disturbance to the sensitive marine environment of this unique and picturesque archipelago in the Red Sea.

At the construction jetty, the crane loaded and placed the first orb on the barge deck and sailed to the installation area. Once at the location, the barge was positioned using a hyper-accurate GPS system and the barge’s own winches, for precise alignment with the foundation. The barge was then stabilized using a retrofitted 300t spud jacking system provided by Combifloat – Mammoet’s partner for floating and self-elevating marine equipment suitable for nearshore operations. Safe and efficient lifting, lowering and (re)positioning of the barge was achieved through a locally controlled jacking mechanism and a 4-point mooring system.

The crane was raised to lift the orb into place – its superlift was replaced by a system designed specifically for the project where the back mast of the CC3800 is “tied back” to the barge. This gave the crane enough capacity to skillfully place the orb onto the foundation without requiring the additional mass of a superlift tray.

Robert van Tinteren, Lead Project Engineer for Mammoet commented: “Creative engineering at its best. It has been an exciting nine months building up to this point, but it never gets tedious to see the incredible things we at Mammoet can do when we put our minds to it!”

Mammoet was awarded the contract to transport and install all 73 villa pods back in May 2022. To support the shipment of the villas from the UAE to Saudi Arabia, Mammoet teamed up with P&O Maritime Logistics, a leading provider of critical logistics and marine solutions.

About the Sheybarah Island Resort
 
Sheybarah Island is located in the southeast of the archipelago on the Red Sea. The island is home to a highly diverse environment with mangroves, white sand dune beaches and some of the most beautiful and pristine coral reefs in the world hosting many species of fish and other marine animals.

The 73-key resort, designed by Dubai-based architectural firm Killa Design, comprises uniquely shaped overwater and beach villas, arrival, front of house and F&B buildings and other facilities. The approach to the façade design was to minimize visual impact of the architecture on the environment by employing a highly reflective polished stainless-steel cladding that reflects the natural surroundings: the ocean, the sky, sand dunes and the reef below.

The resort embraces the latest sustainable technologies in all elements of its design; an eco-friendly and sustainable design that not only preserves but enhances the biodiversity and the surrounding natural habitat, while offering a luxurious experience that will attract visitors from around the globe and elevating Saudi Arabia as a top tier marine eco-tourism destination.

The resort is a LEED Platinum off grid, zero energy, zero water development that widely promotes sustainable design in every aspect of its environment, to ultimately create a hospitality benchmark for regenerative developments. It is powered by a centralized solar farm and fresh water is supplied from a solar powered desalination plant. The recycling of waste material takes place on the island which minimizes the need to bring or remove materials from or to the island.

The Red Sea destination – the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism endeavors: a luxury destination created around one of the world’s hidden natural treasures. It is setting new standards in sustainable development, pioneering a new relationship between luxury tourism and the natural environment and will put Saudi Arabia on the international tourism map.

Offering a diverse array of seamless personalized experiences, The Red Sea will encourage visitors to explore the wonders and rich cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.

First guests will be welcomed to the destination this year, when three hotels open along with the first phase of the Red Sea International airport.

Upon completion in 2030, the destination will deliver up to 8,000 hotel rooms across 22 islands and six inland sites. The project is expected to play a significant role in driving the economic diversification of Saudi Arabia by attracting one million visitors every year, capped in line with sustainability considerations.

The Red Sea destination, part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, spans 28,000 square kilometers in the Kingdom and is expected to provide a significant boost to the country’s GDP upon completion, upwards of 22 billion riyals annually. The destination will also create 70,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs.

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Living Walls Enrich Urban Spaces

Delegates at this year’s Futurebuild exhibition are being encouraged to visit stand G24 to discover how Biotecture’s living wall systems can transform urban environments and enrich spaces inside and out.

This year’s Futurebuild is being held between 7 – 9 March 2023 at ExCel, London.

Biotecture is an innovative vertical green infrastructure company with a proven track record of successfully designing, installing, and maintaining living walls both in the UK and overseas. Recent projects include the living walls across the Canary Wharf estate, 20 Fenchurch Street in London and Wimbledon Court No.1.

Urban greenery provides many benefits from reduced air pollution to better wellbeing. When space is at a premium, both literally and financially, living walls are a space efficient solution for bringing more plants into urban areas.

A recent survey commissioned by Biotecture found that two thirds (66%) of people who live in urban environments want to see more botanical beauty where they live. And 78% say greenery improves their mental wellbeing.

Recognising that space in urban areas is limited, the majority (57%) would welcome more vertical greenery, such as living walls, to make up for the lack of ground level room in their city.

The Biotecture stand will be easy to find thanks to the largescale living walls which will be on display.

Biotecture’s BioPanelTM system is a patented modular hydroponic living wall that combines efficient water management with remote sensing technology. It is the UK’s leading green wall rainscreen cladding system.

The PlantBox system is a stackable, modular living wall that is ideal for ‘quick win’ urban realm improvements. It’s modular and stackable and only requires restraint fixings. Biotecture recently installed PlantBox living walls across the Canary Wharf estate and the scheme won a prestigious BALI Award.

Rounding up the reasons to visit stand G24 is the living wall industry’s new ‘External Cladding: Living Walls and Fire Safety Best Practice Guidance’ which Biotecture was closely involved in developing. The team will be available to discuss what is essential reading for anyone looking for clarity on the National Building Regulations in relation to living walls.

Richard Sabin, Managing director at Biotecture, said: “We are encouraging as many visitors as possible to our stand at Futurebuild. We welcome discussion with clients, architects and designers on how we can enrich their projects with green walls.”

He added: “We have a solution for all types of buildings; Our patented modular hydroponic system combines efficient water management with remote sensing technology, and our freestanding PlantBox system facilitates vertical greening in smaller commercial and residential locations.”

The Biotecture suite of urban greening products are made from recycled materials and enable the incorporation of nature into the built environment.

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THE SOUND CHOICE FOR NATURAL VENTILATION

Balancing effective natural ventilation with reduced noise pollution poses specifiers with a challenge, but leading product manufacturer Passivent has the perfect solution in the form of its patented SoundScoop® acoustic air transfer unit.

 

Passivent’s SoundScoop offers superior natural ventilation whilst simultaneously reducing sound transfer between noisy and noise-sensitive areas thanks to its patented internal lining and ribbed design. It has been designed in association with Arup in a collaborative approach to acoustic design, natural ventilation performance and product development.

The innovative design of the SoundScoop system allows air to pass through freely whilst sound waves are reflected and absorbed by the unit’s lining. The system targets mid-frequency sounds such as speech and footfall, helping eliminate noisy distractions and providing greater privacy.

The combination of low airflow resistance with high-performing acoustic attenuation, provides greater crossflow ventilation between internal spaces of buildings, allowing more schemes to adopt a natural ventilation system without the worry of excessive noise travelling from room to room. The SoundScoop system is particularly suited for education, residential and hotel projects, as well as commercial environments that are adjacent to noisy spaces, such as cellular offices, as it can reduce speech noise levels by up to 50%.

SoundScoop has been tested for acoustic performance and complies with BB93 (Acoustic Design of Schools – a design guide), Priority Schools Output Specification for Acoustic Design, BS8233 (Sound Insulation and Noise reduction for Building Code of Practice) and Building Regulations Part F (Ventilation). The system boasts a lightweight design, with units ranging from 3kg to 18.3kg for ease of both installation and transportation, and with a variety of different sizes available, is ideally suited to a range of different applications.

 

CLICK HERE to find out more

call 01732 850 770

or CLICK HERE to email Projects at Passivent

Follow us on LinkedIn to be kept up to date with the latest news.

 

 

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LATHAMS LAUNCHES NEW A&D SPECIFICATION TEAM 

A new team at materials supplier James Latham will connect architects, designers and specifiers with the most innovative and exciting products on the market today.

Bringing together expertise and insight from around the company, the Lathams Specification Team has been launched as a one-stop solution for materials specifiers.

There is a strong focus on products with unique benefits, including solid surfaces, hardwearing laminates, antimicrobial acrylics and robust exterior cladding.

Aesthetics are well catered for too, with the team able to recommend a range of surfaces, finishes, colours and styles suitable for any project. These include products that mimic other materials, such as decors that replicate the look and feel of various stones, woods and linens.

“There are many high-quality, advanced products being brought to market all of the time. It’s easy for specifiers to lose track of what’s available or just stick to what they know”, said Rob Goodman, who leads the team.

“What they are often unaware of is the broad range of options available to achieve that final finish that a customer has requested. By creating a single point of contact we can better support the A&D community and help them to find the right solution for their client’s brief.”

 

 

 

The team’s knowledge incorporates a broad product portfolio including solid surfaces such as HI-MACS and Avonite and decorative laminates and veneers from manufacturers including Egger, Xylocleaf, Kronospan and Decospan.  

While currently offering consultancy via video conferencing, the team will support customers throughout the UK, corresponding with the locations of Lathams various showrooms and depots.

The specification team comprises Debbie Northall (London), Joe Sepede (Yate, Thurrock and Hemel Hempstead), Natasha Smith (Dudley and Leicester), Mark Robinson (Leeds, Ireland and North West England) and David Schofield (Leeds, Gateshead and Scotland).

 To coincide with the announcement of the new team a solid surfaces website has also gone live, providing an additional detailed product resource for specifiers and customers.

Featuring product information, case studies, videos and inspirational images from HI-MACS, Avonite and Studio Collection brands, it offers guidance and support on the specification of solid surfaces for a range of architectural applications, both internally and externally.

 

To find out more visit www.lathamsolidsurface.co.uk

 

For more information about James Latham please visit www.lathamtimber.co.uk.

 

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Bringing beauty into the built environment

A commission to champion beautiful buildings as an integral part of the drive to build the homes communities need has been recently announced by the Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP.

The ‘Building Better, Building Beautiful’ Commission will develop a vision and practical measures to help ensure new developments meet the needs and expectations of communities, making them more likely to be welcomed rather than resisted.

This move follows the government recently rewriting the planning rulebook to strengthen expectations for design quality and community engagement when planning for development. The new rules also ensure more consideration can be given to the character of the local area.

This commission will take that work further by expanding on the ways in which the planning system can encourage and incentivise a greater emphasis on design, style and community consent. It will raise the level of debate regarding the importance of beauty in the built environment.

The commission has 3 aims:

  • To promote better design and style of homes, villages, towns and high streets, to reflect what communities want, building on the knowledge and tradition of what they know works for their area.
  • To explore how new settlements can be developed with greater community consent.
  • To make the planning system work in support of better design and style, not against it.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said “Most people agree we need to build more for future generations, but too many still feel that new homes in their local area just aren’t up to scratch.

“Part of making the housing market work for everyone is helping to ensure that what we build, is built to last. That it respects the integrity of our existing towns, villages and cities.

“This will become increasingly important as we look to create a number of new settlements across the country and invest in the infrastructure and technology they will need to be thriving and successful places.

“This commission will kick start a debate about the importance of design and style, helping develop practical ways of ensuring new developments gain the consent of communities, helping grow a sense of place, not undermine it. This will help deliver desperately needed homes – ultimately building better and beautiful will help us build more.”

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‘Forest City’ to be built in China

A city covered in one million plants and 40,000 trees will soon be built in China to help tackle the long-standing air pollution problem that plagues the country at present.

Designed by Italian architect Stefano Boeri (who was also behind the ‘Vertical Forest’ tower in Milan) the entirely fabricated metropolis will contain over 40,000 trees and one million plants.
At its heart, the scheme is intended to subvert the notion that urban areas are more prone to poor air quality, by introducing natural measures to absorb tons of CO2 and pollutants.

China has long been swamped with poor air quality. Studies show that over a million premature deaths are attributed to pollution in the country each year. Chinese power plants emit as much nitrogen oxides (NOx) as all the cars in the world combined.

In 2016, China declared red alert for air quality in the capital city of Beijing, closing schools and factories and removing 50% of cars from the road for a temporary period. This seems to have served as a wakeup call for the government, who have since introduced a series of measures aimed at curbing their alarming emissions. As well as championing renewables as a form of energy, the authorities are now looking at more innovative solutions. Could the ‘forest city’ be part of the solution to a worsening crisis?

The ‘forest city’ is planned to be built in Liuzhou, Southern China by 2020.

Here’s what it will look like:
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