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Washroom Washroom makes off-site work at new Paddington central offices

Leading commercial washroom designer and manufacturer, Washroom Washroom, has utilised its off-site service to deliver the perfect design solution for a high specification office washroom and changing area.

4 Kingdom Street, the first building developed by British Land at Paddington Central, is a landmark nine-storey building encompassing a number of wellbeing design features including outside terraces; a ‘glass pod’ delivering a creative meeting space outside of the main floorplate; and a social rooftop space including a café, bar and London’s highest rooftop basketball court.

Washroom Washroom worked closely with Allies and Morrison and main contractor Wates Construction to create the unique washrooms and showers, designed to complement the high specification interior of the building. Washroom utilised its off-site construction methods in order to fine-tune the design before installation on site.

The full height Alto toilet cubicle doors, which are a key feature of the new washroom design, were specified with a real wood veneer finish, stained to match the solid Douglas fir timber panelling in the reception area. Washroom took the lead on this and undertook several trials, adjusting the colour of the stain until a near-perfect match for the distinctive pale grey Douglas fir was achieved. This delicate process was undertaken off-site at Washroom’s Essex factory, several months ahead of installation, saving valuable time on site and reducing the risk of costly changes to the design at a later stage.

The full-size mock-ups took into consideration the placement of existing windows, doors and lighting to create an accurate representation of the finished space. A photo was even taken looking out of the existing washroom window and this image was then blown up to the exact size of the window, allowing the client the opportunity to view the washroom as close to finished as possible. Once the design was approved, the washrooms were deconstructed and stored safely at the factory ready to be delivered to site just in time.

As well as the distinctive Douglas fir real wood veneer finish, the toilet cubicles also incorporate a bespoke iPad holder as part of the design. The full-height Alto cubicles feature a flush front design to create an attractive, virtually seamless façade – ideal for a high specification office washroom.

Washroom also manufactured bespoke vanity units with cast polished concrete tops manufactured by MASS Concrete and integral waste bins. Its attractive Tego hinged mirror unit was fitted above the sinks to provide a neat and compact hidden storage solution for essential washroom consumables.

The new staff shower and changing room area which Washroom installed in the basement at 4 Kingdom Street features full height Alto FENIX shower cubicles for an ultra matt, high performance finish, along with Z style Forza solid grade laminate lockers.

Greg Holme, associate director at Allies and Morrison said “Washroom were helpful and patient, especially regarding getting the Douglas fir stain exactly right. They also recommended the concrete manufacturer for the vanities, who went on to supply concrete flooring for the main reception and concrete treads for the feature stair.

“The washroom mock-up was part of our specification and was vital to the success of this project. Washroom worked closely with us to deliver exactly what we were looking for and I know the client is happy with the end result.”

Trevor Bowers, director at Washroom Washroom added “One of the defining trends of commercial washrooms in recent years is the demand for more expensive and unusual materials so taking the time to make sure the design is perfect at the earliest stage is essential. Creating full-scale mock-ups is an invaluable tool for projects like this to help clients visualise the complete washroom design months ahead of installation, making the whole process more efficient.”

For more information on the range of services and products offered by Washroom Washroom, please visit www.washroom.co.uk, call 0800 999 8888 or email sales@washroom.co.uk.
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Building for builders

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Paul Gouland, Marketing Director at Clugston Construction, explores the design and build of Leeds College of Building’s new state-of-the-art campus development, and explains how it was delivered successfully through the YORbuild2 regional framework.

Leeds College of Building has built an exceptional reputation for first-class further education on construction, educating future construction professionals since 1960, and offering over 200 courses across a huge range of disciplines. So, when the college set about ambitious plans for a brand-new £13m campus development in Leeds’s South Bank, they knew only an exemplary build would do.

Using the YORbuild2 Contractors Framework to quickly procure its delivery team, Clugston Construction and architectural practice Fuse Studios were appointed, and immediately set about planning the complex logistics and timetable to deliver the whole project.

With such a challenging build programme, and in order to achieve the high standards that Leeds College of Building required, Clugston knew that a collaborative approach with the College was fundamental to seamlessly deliver a comprehensive scheme within tight timescales. By engaging with the client and design team from the early stages of the scheme, Clugston Construction have built a close relationship with the College and design team to ensure effective communication is maintained throughout the building phase.

Supported by an £11.9m grant through the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) growth deal, the state-of-the-art building, which is located alongside the College’s existing South Bank campus, will consist of a 5,200m2 four-storey building with a range of classrooms, workshops and technical support areas.

At the heart of the new facility sits an imposing full height atrium which splits the facility in two clear areas, with the workshops located on one side of the building and the classroom areas situated on the other. Topped with a pair of polyester powder coated (PPC) aluminium framed glazed roof lights, which flood the facilities with natural light, this creates a stunning central space which houses a café and student meeting areas.

A glazed balcony running around the perimeter overlooking the central area maintains an open airy feel, allowing access to the classrooms, meeting rooms and technical workshops on the upper level. In keeping with the desire to create an open and bright atmosphere throughout the College, the design also incorporates full height windows, highlighted by bright green aluminium surrounds, throughout the building.

Externally, the building combines striking grey anodized profile aluminium curtain walling to give the facility a modern look, and complementary grey and red brickwork to maintain the historic architectural elements of the surrounding city.

High-quality materials have been utilised throughout the build, with the roof over the classroom area made up of a single ply membrane over ridged insulated VCC metal decking and purlins, whilst the workshop roof is constructed using a Kingspan KS1000RW composite system featuring aluminium framed north lights.

Constructed with a lightweight steel frame, the result of team wide collaboration, floors are formed using a composite metal deck with an in-situ cast concrete slab. Meanwhile the two lift towers are formed using precast concrete units, which sit within the steel frame.

A number of innovative features are also included internally to enhance the teaching experience for pupils. Specially constructed building pods are situated within the workshop areas. Used to teach plumbing and mechanical and electrical (M&E), the pods are designed to replicate the construction of a typical timber frame building. A number of bespoke pods, with specially installed extract systems, have also been mounted to teach welding skills in a safe environment for pupils.

As well as tight delivery timescales, to meet the start of the 2019 academic year, practical considerations in terms of the build also had to be taken into account.

Situated on a tight parcel of land just off the centre of Leeds, and surrounded by a network of busy roads, considerable thought had to be given to the delivery of the major components and materials.

The College is situated on made up ground which was formerly occupied by industrial process facilities including part of the famous Tetley Brewery. Consequently, developing stable ground conditions for the foundations was an essential requirement. To achieve this, Clugston introduced a number of innovative techniques, including both Rapid Impact Compaction and Dynamic Ground Stabilisation which quickly prepared the terrain. This mitigated the need for piling – delivering cost and programme value engineering savings during the pre-construction stage.

The construction and refurbishment of educational facilities can pose significant challenges for the schools, colleges, universities, and construction companies alike. However, at Leeds College of Building, Clugston Construction has demonstrated how a collaborative approach can help deliver projects to meet key term dates and budgets.

Following the project delivery, Clugston now offers added value by supporting the College’s students by providing technical presentations on construction subjects from health and safety planning to building services, as well as organising visits to other construction sites.

For more information, visit www.clugston.co.uk
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Modular Vs. Traditional Construction

The traditional method of construction has for a long time, been the accepted norm.

A graduated approach, the process of building using the traditional method is steady progress. Foundations are laid, walls are built, roofs are added. And then the interior of the building is created. And finally, before being handed over to the customer, the snag list is completed – all those small issues and tasks that need altering.

And only then is the building complete.

Modular Building – The New Construction Method

Modular building changes everything about construction from halving the time it takes to construct a building, to changing attitudes.

Modular building techniques save time and money. As the foundations for a new building are laid, construction on the building itself, in a factory setting with skilled craftspeople, has already begun. This tandem working halves the time it takes to finish a building.

Before the building is delivered to site, the snag list is completed at the factory. Literally, the building in transported, fixed in place and the keys handed over.

Who Benefits?

Everyone. And the environment does too, with less waste and increase in the use of sustainable materials.

The pace of the turnaround means the customer has the extension or extra buildings they need quickly, but without compromising on quality. In terms of budget, there are no dead spots in the process either. No weeks on end without being able to use your buildings, while materials are waited for and so on.

Domestic and commercial customers are realising the benefits of modular construction. For some clients, the solutions on offer can’t come quick enough. For the medical industry, for example, modular construction means more room, and fast. It also means investing in additional space that can house specialised equipment and process too, without a hefty price tag.

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Courtesy of www.mtxcontracts.co.uk.

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How Icarus LSF used light gauge steel to the highest level of best practice in offsite sector

Icarus LSF recently partnered with Ashcourt Contracts to deliver 239 units of student accommodation over 9-storeys in the centre of Leeds. We caught up with the CEO of Icarus LSF, Andrew Turnbull to find out more about the design, manufacturing and installation of 6000m2 load-bearing light steel framing included in the project:

How long did it take to complete the project?

We had very early involvement in the design of the building, but manufacturing and installation took just 16-weeks. The on-site erection of the offsite manufactured light steel wall panels (with factory installed weather defence board) and floor cassettes (with factory installed steel decking) was completed 14-weeks ahead of the original 30-week target installation programme.

You mentioned offsite manufacturing; is the quick delivery time of the Leeds building due to the modern methods of construction implemented throughout the construction process?

Absolutely. We think the project is a perfect demonstration of how employing modern methods of construction, coupled with the incredible material properties of light gauge steel, can drastically speed up the construction process – without sacrifice to health, safety or quality.

Can you elaborate on that?

Most of the superstructure’s work content is actually completed before we need to set foot on site. While the site is being prepared and the podium levels are being constructed, we’re busy roll forming and assembling the walls and floors ready for erection on site as soon as the slab is ready for us. We take much of the work off the critical path, allowing the building to be erected in an incredibly short on-site timeframe.

The speed of LSF installation and ability to reduce the critical path meant the project was delivered 50% faster than would be possible with traditional methods. Added to this, round-the-clock manufacturing provided programme certainty not seen by our client on similar schemes. Beyond this, the fact that LSF can be installed in wet and inclement conditions enabled further programme acceleration and certainty. And finally, because the steel solution provided a rapid dry envelope, follow on trades could commence work in parallel to the LSF install.

So, how did you maintain a high level of quality?

By using light gauge steel as the main building material, we were able to offer a solution that not only benefited from the use of offsite manufacturing, but benefited from the mechanical and material properties of the steel itself. The light-weight galvanised steel we use not only provides a much lighter solution, helping reduce the cost of foundations, but it provides and incredibly high level of predictability. It’s a highly engineered solution, so what you design is exactly what you get!

It’s by marrying the use of bespoke 3D modelling software and BIM with the use of a direct CAD/CAM interface to our roll forming machines, that a fully pre-engineered solution can be assembled on-site with the confidence that all of the benefits of light gauge steel can be realised.

Beyond this, each stage of the project was measured and controlled to ISO standards; with every steel frame uniquely labelled with frame number, weight and GA site references. We use manufacturing philosophies and state-of-the-art machinery to ensure every steel component produced exactly matches the approved design. Further to this, each component is produced to be self-jigging for accurate and fast assembly within the factory, further assuring quality at every step of the process.

How did you ensure that the project was delivered within the client’s budget for the scheme?

The solution provided a myriad of cost savings. Prelim costs were reduced due to the faster programme; foundation costs were reduced due to the low weight of the solution; and waste costs were reduced due to the use of a pre-engineered no-waste design. Further, costs associated with moisture, shrinkage or settlement were removed due the use of steel to provide dry, stable construction. Outside of the prime cost, the client was also able to benefit from a swifter ROI and reduced borrowing costs and an increase in floorspace due to the reduced wall thickness that LSF afforded.

Do you think that as a practice, the manner in which you delivered this building is sustainable and less harmful to the environment than more traditional methods?

Without question. To meet sustainability objectives, the solution was delivered using 100% recyclable materials, with zero site wastage. 98% of factory waste was recycled and site deliveries were significantly reduced.

The project also fell in line with Icarus LSF’s A+ Green Guide rating, as well as the business’s zero waste-to-landfill policy, whilst also delivering against the project’s BREAAM requirements. For ongoing environmental benefit, the warm-frame nature of the LSF solution meant that the accommodation benefited from u-values significantly exceeding requirements.

With regards environmental disruption and impact on site, the solution enabled a clean and low-noise method of erection. Also, the pace of erection meant that the timeframe for city centre disruption caused by the site was significantly reduced.

The lightweight nature of the solution meant that building weight was significantly reduced, meaning the requirements for foundations and piling were minimised. The reduced weight of the structure also meant that on site logistics and cranage requirements could be minimised – reducing the environmental and noise impact of heavy duty construction equipment.

With regards transportation, the nature of the LSF solution meant that a significant proportion of the building’s structure could be delivered on each site delivery, dramatically reducing the number of site deliveries when compared to traditional methods of construction and in turn reducing the environmental and carbon impact of the project.

Let’s talk a little about your experience with the steel and offsite construction supply chains – were they positive or negative experiences? Ultimately, how did they help or hinder the delivery?

Due to the complex technical nature of the project and the tight timescales, it was important that all supply chain partners were highly aligned at every step of the project. An initial supply chain workshop was used to ensure all parties fully understood the complexities of the project and the client’s requirements; and this was followed by regular checkpoint reviews where time, cost, quality and risk were reviewed in collaboration with all key supply chain partners.

Information management at every step of the project value chain was key – ensuring the effects of any late architectural or design changes were managed and the effect of any site risks or constraints were understood by all parties. To manage the flow of information and ensure alignment of the supply chain, a dedicated project management team was allocated to the project, ensuring each supply chain touch-point had a single point of responsibility within Icarus, who could then act as a conduit of information to and from the client team.

This collaborative and highly controlled approach gave all parties continued confidence throughout the project that the supply chain was combining to deliver the most cost effective and speedy solution for the ultimate client.

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Legal & General unveils turn-key modular housing prototype

Legal & General (L&G) has revealed its first turn-key modular housing prototype as it continues to drive the evolution of the housing sector to help tackle the UK’s long term chronic production problem.

Located outside its 550,000 sq ft factory in Selby, near Leeds, the prototype is a two-storey, two-bedroom home. Exploring a range of designs, L&G expects to deliver its first homes in the first half of next year. The Leeds site is building the capacity to produce thousands of homes per year across 8 production lines, employing several hundred local people.

Modular building is quicker and more efficient than traditional house building, delivering homes in a matter of weeks rather than years to consistently high standards. This is achieved by building precision-engineered homes in a factory environment, ensuring accuracy of build, in dry controlled conditions, using state of the art methods and materials. The manufacturing process is highly energy efficient and will be carried out by a stable trained workforce. Constructing the homes from Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), delivers further environmental benefits by storing 1 tonne of CO2 in every m3 of CLT used in the construction of each home. This ensures an economically viable and sustainable solution to deliver much needed capacity for the industry.

Rosie Toogood, CEO of L&G Modular, commented: “The unveiling our first prototype today marks an exciting and important step in our programme to bring modular homes constructed from CLT to market. This prototype demonstrates the high quality of our modular solutions debunking preconceptions of modular housing. At full production, homes like this will be delivered repeatedly in a matter of weeks without the snagging issues faced by traditional methods.

“L&G has a long heritage in providing housing in the UK and sees modular construction as a natural evolution and extension of its position in this market. Modular construction is set to revolutionise the house building sector bringing new materials along with methods and processes used in industries, such as car-making to raise productivity and help to address the UK’s chronic shortfall of new homes.”

L&G has been involved in housing activities for nearly 20 years including: through its stake in CALA Homes; delivering a 1,000 home scheme in Crowthorne through its own house building arm, Legal & General Homes; and investing in a new institutional Build to Rent product. Legal & General more broadly is a significant investor in housing including social housing and student accommodation; and it is bringing housing back to the centre of the UK’s cities through large scale mixed-use urban regeneration schemes.

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Heathrow moves to revolutionise UK construction industry

  • Heathrow to use £16bn expansion to push growth in off-site construction in UK
  • In a first for a major infrastructure project, Heathrow invites communities across Britain to showcase why their area should host one of four new off-site logistics hubs
  • New logistics hubs key to Heathrow’s plans to build as much off-site as possible, making the project more affordable and environmentally sustainable while driving growth across Britain
  • Research reveals growth in the sector could boost Britain’s construction industry by up to £15bn outside London by 2020 alone

In a shake-up of the UK construction industry, Heathrow announced it would use its £16bn expansion project to revolutionise the way Britain builds major infrastructure.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye announced that the airport would be making a major push to support more off-site construction in the UK as it begins to deliver its expansion plans for Britain – a move designed to boost productivity and help rebalance the economy. The announcement comes as new research from economic consultancy WPI Economics revealed growth in the sector could lead to a £15bn boost for the construction industry outside London by 2020 alone.

Speaking to council leaders and representatives from the construction industry, Heathrow kicked-off the hunt for four UK sites to host the new off-site logistics hubs which will help deliver its expansion programme and drive growth across Britain.

Heathrow’s new logistics hubs will pre-assemble components of the expanded airport before transporting them in consolidated loads to Heathrow. By not building everything on-site at one of the world’s busiest airports, the logistics hub will play a key role in supporting the project’s efficient delivery, will make the project more affordable and will reduce emissions by transporting assembled components to site in fewer lorries. The new logistics hubs will also spread the jobs created from the project across more communities in every corner of the UK.

While off-site construction has enjoyed some success in the construction of homes – reducing costs by up to 25% and speeding up project delivery by 30% – the approach has had a limited role supporting major infrastructure projects. With Heathrow expansion set to be one of Britain’s largest infrastructure projects, the airport is aiming to drive a step-change in Britain’s construction industry and give Britain a leading-edge in an untapped new sector that can then be leveraged to support other major projects around the world.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said “The global construction industry is set to be worth £15 trillion by 2025 – that’s a huge prize that Britain deserves a bigger share of and Heathrow can help.

“We want to use Heathrow expansion to not only upgrade Britain’s infrastructure, but cultivate a new world-leading sector and drive growth across the whole country. Boosting off-site construction will help make expansion more affordable and environmentally friendly and give Britain a lasting legacy of expertise that it can sell around the world – helping Britain lead the pack in global construction.”

In a first for a major infrastructure project, Heathrow is inviting communities across Britain to showcase why their area is suitable to host one of the new logistics hubs. Suitable locations will have good connectivity, access to a relevant supply chain and strong local skills. Interested applicants should click here to register their interest and complete Expression of Interest questionnaire before 31st July 2017. All applications will be considered by Heathrow and a list of potential sites is expected to be announced later this year.

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Metsec delivers framing solution for Thetford riverside redevelopment

voestalpine Metsec plc has provided its Metframe pre-panelised steel-framing product for a new Travelodge hotel on the Thetford Riverside Development in Norfolk. The use of modern methods of construction allowed efficiency savings to be made and ensured the initial build phase of the project was completed within budget and to tight deadlines.

Thetford Travelodge is a 62-room hotel and is part of a 41,000 sq ft redevelopment of the riverside area in Thetford, which will also see the construction of a three-screen cinema and five restaurants. Opened in Autumn 2016, the investment into modern retail and leisure facilities represents a key part of overall renovation plans for Thetford town centre.

Work on the project began in June 2015 with Metsec product installed onsite by approved Metframe installer Vietchi Interiors in just eight weeks between December 2015 and February 2016. The Metframe load bearing walls and concrete floors formed the top three storeys of the hotel building. The acoustic properties of the hotel’s building structure were an important factor in the design process to prevent sound travelling between rooms and having a negative impact on overall guest experience. The concrete floors specified as part of the Metframe design provided the high levels of acoustic insulation required.

Metsec was engaged early on in the tender process to help assess the foundation and loading requirements of the building, establish a value engineered plan and achieve any savings possible.

The Metframe solution was selected due to the structural efficiency of the system and manufacturing the product offsite contributed to a fast build, allowing that section of the project to be completed to a tight schedule. Value engineering the structure resulted in key savings. For example, reduced weight allowed the use of shallower foundations, which reduced the amount of materials required and the overall cost of the building. Metsec’s SFS in-fill walling was also selected for use on the adjacent cinema building.

Colin Kennedy, Managing Director at Vietchi Interiors said “With the Metframe product we were able to achieve exactly what the client required on time and within budget despite challenges presented by the winter weather and a location where access was limited by proximity to the river. Metframe was chosen for this project due to the greater stability and fire resistance of the system compared with alternatives such as a timber-frame kit construction.”

The pre-panelised Metframe system is a lightweight steel structure designed to meet the demands of the modern construction environment. The cold rolled sections are manufactured in precise lengths and the panels are then assembled off-site.

Stairs and lift shafts are an integral part of the Metframe system and are installed as each floor is constructed. This removes the need to rely on external scaffold for access to upper levels, providing convenience and added speed to the erection sequence.

Phillip Browne, Contracts Manager from Farrans Construction concluded: “The Thetford Riverside development required a high quality solution that would meet the required acoustic, fire and insulation u-Values. Metframe ticked all these boxes and represented a solution that could streamline the construction process while maintaining high levels of build quality. The build of the hotel went exactly as expected. It was simple and straightforward, the panels came straight off the delivery in the correct sequence and were lifted into place.”

For more information on the Metsec product range visit: www.metsec.com. Alternatively, connect via @MetsecUK or facebook.com/MetsecUK.
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VIDEO: The first residential house has been printed!

Whilst plans were released last year, Apis Cor company have now successfully finished the residential house printing project (built in Stupino town, Moscow region) using mobile 3D printing technology.

In December 2016, the Apis Cor company in cooperation with PIK proceeded to print the building using a mobile 3D printer. Construction took place at the Apis Cor company’s test facility in the town of Stupino, on the territory of the Stupino aerated concrete factory. Printing of self-bearing walls, partitions and building envelope were done in less than a day: pure machine time of printing amounted to 24 hours.

After completing the wall structures, the printer was removed from the building with a crane-manipulator. The overall area area of the printed building is 38 m².

According to their website, construction is based on Apis Cor’s unique 3D printing technology. A distinctive feature of the printer is its design, which is reminiscent of the tower crane, allowing the printer to execute the printing process of constructing the building both inside and outside.

The printer is small in size, easily transportable and does not require long preparation before the commencement of the construction works because it has a built-in automatic horizon alignment and stabilization system.

The printing process itself is automated as much as possible to eliminate the risk of human error.

On the inside the printed house is no different from a conventionally built home — cozy and comfortable. The interior comprises a hall, a bathroom, a living room and a compact functional kitchen.

The construction cost of the printed house amounted to approximately £8100, which is around £220 per square meter. The cost of the building is surprisingly low, considering the unusual design of the building and the premium quality of the materials specified. Even more impressively, this cost also includes all the works that were done to make a complete house – such as work and materials for the construction of foundation, roof, exterior and interior finishing works, installation of heat insulation of walls, windows, floors and ceilings.

Watch the video below:

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Offsite construction expected to feature in Housing White Paper

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid will set out the details of the housing White Paper in a statement to MPs today. The Minister admitted that the current market is “broken” and if we are to fix it we need to consider modern methods of construction such as offsite and modular.

Javid’s speech intends to highlight the need for more homes (at least 250,000 new homes each year) as a matter of priority. Over the weekend Housing Minister Gavin Barwell admitted that the government were currently behind schedule on its goal of building one million new homes in England by 2020.

When unveiling the paper, Javid will say: “Walk down your local high street today and there’s one sight you’re almost certain to see. Young people, faces pressed against the estate agent’s window, trying and failing to find a home they can afford.

“With prices continuing to skyrocket, if we don’t act now, a whole generation could be left behind. We need to do better, and that means tackling the failures at every point in the system.

“The housing market in this country is broken and the solution means building many more houses in the places that people want to live.”

In an interview with BBC Radio 4, the Communities Secretary also indicated the need for a shift in focus on increasing home ownership, an ambition of most post-war Conservative governments. He said “It is a false choice. The reality is we need more homes, whether to rent or buy.”

The White Paper is expected to contain the following measures for meeting demand:

  • A £3bn fund will allow housing associations and councils to fully utilise the skills and facilities of smaller building firms, including support for modern methods of construction, such as modular and offsite
  • Councils will be required to provide the government with an up-to-date plan for housing demand
  • The delivery time for housing will reduced from three to two years between planning permission being submitted and construction works beginning
  • Green Belt is expected to be protected, only to be built on in exceptional circumstances
More on this following the release of the paper later today.
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