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TO BE OR NOT TO BE OSB?

For those specifiers who have contemplated using SterlingOSB Zero for a new project, Norbord has produced a CPD video presentation which highlights the features and benefits of the popular, versatile board. There are variants available and applications include roofing, timber framing and interior fit outs.  Available on RIBA’s CPD website, the video presentation, which features a voiceover, begins with learning aims and ends with learning outcomes.

 

The variants of SterlingOSB Zero are clearly described, with the voiceover, bullet points and images establishing the benefits of SterlingOSB Zero OSB3, SterlingOSB Zero Tongue & Groove, and SterlingOSB Zero Fire Solutions. This is followed by information on why OSB is better than plywood and why SterlingOSB Zero is better than regular OSB; particular focus is paid to SterlingOSB’s zero-added formaldehyde (ZAF).

 

The presentation also highlights Norbord’s commitment to the environment, showcasing that SterlingOSB Zero is FSC certified, BBA approved, and even recyclable.

 

 

 

 

For further information, call 01786 812 921 or visit www.norbord.co.uk.

 

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England still lags behind other countries in building safety, warns experts

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published its response to the government’s Building a Safer Future consultation, which proposes reforms to England’s current building safety regulations.

The RIBA called for a complete overhaul of the building regulations in the immediate aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and welcomes many of the proposals, in particular tighter regulation of higher risk residential buildings of 18m or more in height (rather than 30m plus which was originally recommended by the Government’s 2018 Independent Review of Building Regulations on Fire Safety).

However, the institute is concerned that England still lags behind other countries, including Wales and Scotland, in putting in place base line regulatory standards to ensure that high rise and other higher risk buildings are safe for the public. The institute urges the Government to:

  • widen the scope of the new regulatory system to apply to non-residential buildings – the new building regulatory system should apply to other higher risk non-residential buildings at any height, including places where vulnerable people sleep, such as care homes, hospitals, hotels, hostels, prisons, as well as schools and places of assembly, during the design and construction phase.
  • make significant changes to the responsibilities for all dutyholders – dutyholders based on the Construction (Design and Management) regulations model are essential. However, the duties proposed are not clearly defined and are not currently workable as set out in the consultation, particularly on design and build projects.
  • designate the Architect’s Registration Board (ARB) to oversee enhanced competence requirements of architects – as regulator the ARB should be responsible for the accreditation and licensing of architectural qualifying bodies, including the RIBA, who will hold registers for competent architects to work on buildings in scope of the proposed regulatory framework.
  • ensure all technical guidance issued to industry is improved by the new Building Safety Regulator –this should include setting baseline prescriptive requirements for fire safety and reviewing all relevant British Standards guidance documents, particularly those relevant to fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings.

Jane Duncan, Chair of the RIBA Expert Advisory Group on Fire Safety, said “Although a step in the right direction, the government’s proposals do not go far enough to protect the public and more work is needed, particularly to more clearly define the statutory duties of all involved in the industry. There have been many failings in England’s building safety regulations, exposed by the Grenfell tragedy two years ago, but we hope the government will act on their commitment post-Grenfell to ensure residents are safe, and feel safe, in their homes.”

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RIBA urges next Government to Build a Global Britain

The next Government must build new communities across the country and keep secure the UK’s position as the global leader in architecture and design innovation says the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in its General Election manifesto published today (Thursday 25 May).

RIBA’s ‘Building a Global Britain’ manifesto says the UK must:

  • Grow as a global trading nation –ensuring the existing mutual professional recognition agreement with the EU is maintained as part of the Brexit negotiations and that new mutual recognition agreements are developed with other key trading nations including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
  • Put local people at the heart of the planning system – delivering powers on housing and planning to regional and Metro Mayors so cities and regions can deliver more.
  • Deliver many more good quality homes that meet the needs of society – perusing development of new high-quality, affordable homes that alleviate the housing crisis and unstick some of the UK’s productivity problems.
  • Build schools that are better spaces for learning –ensuring better design of public buildings like schools, museums and hospitals to inspire communities and make the best use of scarce public money.
  • Show greater leadership in resilient infrastructure – Supporting innovation in flood defences to catalyse the UK’s export potential in new technologies.

RIBA President Jane Duncan said “People across the country will be keen to see how political parties respond to the challenges and opportunities of these changing times. Our political leaders recognise the need to improve quality of life across the country; they can start by supporting a better built environment. The RIBA’s manifesto outlines how the next UK Government can ensure that our communities have great high quality, sustainable places in which to live, work and play.
“The UK has a thriving architecture sector delivering inspiring buildings and places across our great nation and around the world. Our multibillion pound contribution to the UK economy and to the country’s reputation abroad is highly prized, and our universities train and equip the architects of the future.

“Whomever forms the next UK Government must recognise the strength and importance of our global cultural links and influence, and continue to support us by safeguarding our ability to attract the brightest and best talent from around the world, as well as ensuring post Brexit that architects practising in the UK are in an environment where they can thrive.”

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Kingspan takes the devil out of detailing

Kingspan Insulation has released a new technical bulletin and RIBA approved CPD article, designed to support enhanced detailing. The documents explore the effects of linear thermal bridging around openings in the building envelope, and present new research on the subject, allowing specifiers to use Kingspan Kooltherm Cavity Closer as a premium performance, one-size-fits-most solution.

The CPD article and technical bulletin are based on a thermal modelling study of jamb details by BRE Scotland. The study covers a variety of cavity wall constructions closed using Kingspan Kooltherm Cavity Closer. The calculated ψ–values within the study are considerably better than those given in the SAP Table K1 “Approved” column (which reflect the values given in “Accredited Construction Details”) and, in the BRE’s opinion, are equally applicable to the equivalent sill details.

Importantly, the resulting ψ–values can also be used as a “safe approximation”, for frame depths and overlaps (between the frame and Kingspan Kooltherm Cavity Closer) for a broad range of constructions. This makes it simpler for designers to specify enhanced detailing around openings in the building envelope.

To quantify the level of improvement, Kingspan Insulation goes on to compare the transmission heat transfer coefficient (HTB) calculated using the “safe approximation” ψ–values from Table 1 with that calculated using jamb and sill ψ–values from the SAP Table K1 “Approved” column, for four different dwellings. The HTB calculated using the “safe approximation” ψ–values is significantly better (up to 13% better) than that calculated using ψ–values from the SAP Table K1 “Approved” column.

The accredited CPD article is worth double points to RIBA Chartered Architects and can be accessed from the RIBA CPD website. Alternatively, the full technical bulletin – including the safe approximation ψ–values and relevant constructions – can be downloaded directly from www.kingspaninsulation.co.uk/psidetails
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Kiwa BDA Hosts STA Members and Guests

BDA Founder Professor Nico Hendriks spoke at one of two lunches held for the Structural Timber Association during the week of the Ecobuild exhibition. BDA Technical Manager Paul Oakley spoke at the second event.

The STA comprises companies who make, supply or install structural timber products or systems and also companies supplying services to the sector.

A key role of the organisation is the maintenance of high standards and to that end it has introduced its STA Assured schemes covering different parts of the sector. The highest level, STA Assured Gold, is for products and systems supplied to construction sites. These include Structural Insulated Panel (SIPS) and framing systems as well as trussed rafters and roof systems.

We are delighted that the STA accepts Kiwa BDA Agrément® as meeting the requirements of its’ Gold scheme and Nico and Paul were pleased to be able to explain the way BDA goes about its’ assessments to those attending the events, including manufacturers, distributors, architects and building control personnel, as well as STA members and senior management. Key elements of our assessments include consideration of the requirements of Building Regulations for the products or systems concerned as well as NHBC or other non-statutory requirements. Arrangements are also made with the manufacturer to ensure maintenance of the agreed and approved specification for the product or system every time it is made or assembled.

The availability of approval by Kiwa BDA has been welcomed by manufacturers across the industry and we have many assessments underway, including timber and timber-related products.

Other speakers at the lunches included new RIBA President Ben Derbyshire, QS Ian Dacre, whose practice, Rider Levett Bucknall has worked with the STA on an estimating guide and costing exercise, as well as senior figures from the Construction Products Association and the House Builders Federation who addressed the issues facing our industry as it rises to meet the challenge of delivering 300,000 homes a year.

For more information please visit www.kiwa.co.uk.
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Without skilled migrant workers the UK faces construction crisis, warns experts

Secure post-Brexit access to a skilled workforce or risk a construction crisis, professional bodies warn Government Brexit Minister, David Davis has been warned that the UK’s construction skills crisis could severely worsen, if the Government does not take steps to ensure access to a skilled workforce during its post-referendum negotiations.

The warning comes from a coalition of professional bodies representing the construction and built environment sectors. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) have written to the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, outlining their concerns around skills, as well as five other priorities that the UK Government should focus on in light of the UK’s Brexit vote.

The six priorities are:

Access to skills

The greatest strength of our sector is the skill of our workforce. The free movement of labour within the EU has been vital to the growth and flexibility)of the construction sector. Access to a skilled workforce of the highest quality and a focus on developing the next generation of home-grown talent are critical to ensure we can build the homes businesses and infrastructure we need to compete globally. We therefore urge the Government to explore options and approaches to ensure that this access is not impeded to the detriment of the built environment.

Common standards

We believe that the UK has much to gain from pursuing an approach that makes it easier to do business with trading partners new and old. Access to markets in the EU and around the world has transformed the UK construction sector. The mutual recognition of qualifications and the development of common technical standards have reduced the barriers our members face working abroad. Reducing tariffs and harmonising standards have helped UK firms of all sizes expand to Europe and beyond. These common approaches have also meant that UK businesses can support best-practice in environmental and product standards, supporting efforts on global issues such as climate change. It is imperative that governments in the UK protect and promote the UK’s role as a leader in environmental and consumer protection standards.

Research excellence

Our members have benefitted from the collaborative research that the EU has enabled and promoted. Our future success depends on maintaining these relationships, while forging new ties with research organisations around the world. In addition the continued success of our world class university courses training our young people in the built environment is essential to the underpinning of research and the continued supply of labour for construction and allied activities.

Infrastructure investment

The UK’s global competitiveness will be hampered unless we do more to tackle the major infrastructure challenges we face. With a housing crisis, and growing concerns around energy, telecoms, road, rail and airport capacity, the Governments in the UK must seek and entice prospective investors to consider infrastructure of all kinds. Providing confidence to the construction industry through infrastructure funding and development will provide stability during a period of uncertainty and ensure that the UK is well-placed to take advantage of growth opportunities in the future.

Devolution commitment

The referendum has brought divide between the different parts of the UK into sharp focus. Our organisations welcome the recent commitment to continuing the Northern Powerhouse and we believe that further devolution from Whitehall should be a key priority for the UK government as powers move from the European Commission. Devolution will enable a rebalancing of the economy so that all parts of the UK can benefit from any new opportunities arising from the UK’s new relationship with the European Union, and is an effective way of ensuring infrastructure spending is efficient, timely, coordinated and accountable.

Community development

Through the extensive skills and experience of our members we are best-placed to advise on how the built environment can unlock new opportunities and combat existing challenges, as well as provide places for people to live, work and play. Leaving the EU could present a great opportunity for the UK, but it should not be associated with a drive to the bottom in the environmental and building standards which future generations will live with.

RICS President, Amanda Clack FRICS, said “Recent RICS figures have shown that we are in the grip of our worst construction skills crisis in almost 20 years. There is a real concern within our industry that if access to a skilled workforce is further restricted, Britain could stop building. My colleagues and I would urge Government to keep this at the front of their minds when they come to negotiate our withdrawal from the EU.

“We know that infrastructure and construction investment is key to Britain’s economic growth. The uncertainty that immediately followed the referendum outcome led to decline in economic growth, increased market volatility and a reduction in UK infrastructure investment.

“While the initial post-Brexit slump appears to have stabilised, it is important that the Government focuses on maintaining infrastructure and construction investment leading up to and after Brexit, ensuring the right conditions are in place to attract infrastructure investors in all sectors across the UK.

“As we approach an unprecedented period of uncertainty, it is fundamental the government prioritises infrastructure and it remains at the forefront of maintaining a strong economy.”

RIBA President Jane Duncan commented “UK architecture, surveying, town planning and construction are flexible and innovative professions. I’m confident our members can help deliver strong economic growth in the UK, providing the buildings and infrastructure that meet the needs of our communities.

“With the right actions taken from the Government to address our industries joint priorities, we can tackle the challenges and exploit the opportunities that Brexit will bring. But unless we fix the housing crisis and address the economic imbalances in our economy, the UK won’t be in a position to compete internationally.”

Stephen Wilkinson, Vice President of the Royal Town Planning Institute, concluded “The UK is a world leader in environmental and building standards and in the professions which are involved in them. UK’s town planning expertise and university courses are among the most sought after in the world. Leaving the EU could present a great opportunity for the UK, but it should not be associated with a drive to the bottom in the environmental and building standards which future generations will live with.”

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2016 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist announced for the UK’s ‘Best New Building’

The shortlist for the prestigious 2016 RIBA Stirling Prize for the UK’s best new building has been announced today (Thursday 14 July). The six shortlisted buildings will now go head-to-head for architecture’s highest accolade, to be awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on Thursday 6 October 2016. Now in its 21st year, the 2016 RIBA Stirling Prize is sponsored by Almacantar.

A partly-subterranean house on a sloping plot in the Forest of Dean (Outhouse); the conversion of an entire street of listed industrial buildings into a free public gallery for artist Damien Hirst’s private collection (Newport Street Gallery); a radical new landmark university building in Oxford (Blavatnik School of Government); a flagship high density housing development on a regenerated site in south London (Trafalgar Place), a new college campus that reinstates the value placed on civic education in post-industrial Glasgow (City of Glasgow College) and the restoration and significant reinvigoration of a Grade II listed building that is home to one of the world’s greatest research libraries (Weston Library). This is the 2016 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist:

 

Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford by Herzog & de Meuron

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City of Glasgow College, Riverside Campus by Michael Laird Architects & Reiach and Hall Architects

 

Newport Street Gallery, Vauxhall, London by Caruso St John Architects

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Outhouse Gloucestershire by Loyn & Co Architects

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Trafalgar Place, Elephant and Castle, London by dRMM Architects

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Weston Library, University of Oxford by WilkinsonEyre

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Half the shortlist are education buildings, with one client, the University of Oxford, responsible for an unprecedented two of the six projects. The Blavatnik School of Government, a contemporary new building in a conservation area takes the traditional Oxford quad and tears up the rule book; Herzog & de Meuron have created a succession of wide twisting staircases, offset balconies and communal spaces that encourage greater debate and interaction for aspiring civil servants and politicians. Elsewhere in Oxford, WilkinsonEyre have opened up the Bodleian’s Weston Library to the world. This Giles Gilbert Scott Grade II listed gem was once rather insular but has been transformed by a bold new glazed mezzanine to reveal to the public the treasures contained inside. In Glasgow, the city benefits from a bold statement about the importance of civic education with the addition of City of Glasgow College, Riverside Campus; the architects Michael Laird Architects & Reiach and Hall Architects have created a new icon on the Glasgow skyline with a campus anchored by two generous civic spaces, a cloistered garden and grand hall.

Newport Street Gallery in Vauxhall is the new home of artist Damien Hirst’s private collection. Three Victorian workshops that were once used to create sets for West End productions have been bookended by Caruso St John’s new buildings; the five buildings now joined together seamlessly to create superb gallery spaces and a beautifully curated new street.

Trafalgar Place, the first results of the wholescale redevelopment of Elephant and Castle’s 1970s Heygate Estate, are on the shortlist. Here dRMM Architects have designed a flagship development of 235 high density, high-quality homes set amongst retained mature trees and extensive landscaping; bringing a sense of tranquillity to a very urban location. Clever use of brickwork gives the new buildings an identity of their own; eight types of brick have been used, each one chosen to reference neighbouring buildings.

Outhouse by Loyn & Co is the first private house to feature on the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist for 15 years (The Lawns by Smerin Architects was shortlisted in 2001). An exemplary concrete house on the Welsh borders, designed for a couple of retired artists, it delights with unexpected spaces, some underground, with a field as the roof. The architect’s use of light, air and vistas make the absolute most of its sloping site and wide views.

The shortlist features projects by previous RIBA Stirling Prize winners, Herzog & de Meuron (Laban Dance Centre, 2003) and Wilkinson Eyre (Magna Centre, Rotherham, 2001; Gateshead Millennium Bridge, 2002). Reiach and Hall, Caruso St John and dRMM have all been nominated once before. Michael Laird Architects and Loyn & Co Architects are shortlisted for the first time.

Speaking about the shortlist RIBA President Jane Duncan said “The RIBA Stirling Prize is awarded to the building that has made the biggest contribution to the evolution of architecture in a given year.

“Every one of the six buildings shortlisted today illustrates the huge benefit that well-designed buildings can bring to people’s lives. As seen at Trafalgar Place and Newport Street Gallery, they can breathe life and kick-start regeneration in neglected urban pockets to create new, desirable destinations and communities; as with Blavatnik School of Government, Weston Library and City of Glasgow College, they can give cities and institutions a new landmark to delight and draw in visitors, improve education potential, and increase civic pride. Meanwhile Outhouse provides a fantastic model for a private house – one that delights its owners and responds exceptionally sensitively to its treasured rural position.

“With the dominance of university and further education buildings on the shortlist, it is clear that quality architecture’s main patrons this year are from the education sector. I commend these enlightened clients and supporters who have bestowed such remarkable education buildings. Sponsors, such as the Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation, and Damien Hirst are continuing in the proud history of private patronage of architecture, and their continued support contrasts the slump in publicly-funded architecture.

“The shortlisted projects are each fantastic new additions to their individual locations – on an urban street, a city riverside, an estate regeneration, an historic city centre and a hidden part of the countryside – but their stand-out common quality is the inspiration they will bring to those who study, live, visit and pass by them, for generations to come. To me, this shortlist reflects everything that is great about UK architecture – a blend of experimental, artistic vision and a commitment to changing people’s lives for the better.”

The winner of the RIBA Stirling Prize will be announced on Thursday 6 October 2016.

The Architects’ Journal is the professional media partner for the RIBA Stirling Prize.

Use #StirlingPrize in your social media posts about the shortlist.

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