Latest innovations and products in the external works section of the construction industry.

Bespoke designs with Marley Alutec

In partnership with Associated Architects Birmingham and leading commercial roofing company Briggsamasco, Marley Alutec has supplied a unique rainwater solution for the cascading roofs of Leicester’s Centre for Medicine.

The £42 million Passivhaus and BREEAM Certificate of Excellence holding Centre for Medicine built for The University of Leicester comprises three towers of differing heights linked by glass-roofed atria. Whilst visually stunning, the building posed a significant rainwater drainage challenge, therefore complex calculations and bespoke components had to be made to cope with the cascading run-off.

Tony Wereszczynski, Technical Director at Marley Alutec, commented: “As a medical building, the roof drainage design specification for the Centre for Medicine had to meet what is known as Category 3 standard, which dictates that rainwater systems must have capacity for extremely high levels of rainfall. When combined with the unusual roof structure of the building, this meant that we had to design and develop specially wide and long rainwater chutes which included roof membrane clamping flanges and which penetrated the complex parapet wall configuration.

“Purpose made hoppers and downpipes were also required to suit. In addition, some of the rainwater pipework intended to be run internally had to be diverted to drain outside the building before transferring to internal drainage, something which was not originally intended.”

Marley

Marley Alutec worked very closely with the architects and roofing contractor, providing all flow calculations and matrices for the complicated cascading roof system. Duncan Philbin, Project Supervisor at Briggsamasco, said: “The high level of specification on this project demanded the best quality products and high quality workmanship. As the main roofing contractor responsible for the waterproofing, capping, green roof and rainwater system installation, we were in constant communication with Marley Alutec’s technical department and the architects.

“During the pre-design meetings it was clear that Marley Alutec were very knowledgeable and their expertise made our job much easier. Equally, working with aluminium products, particularly at height, was preferable as they’re extremely lightweight yet offer the durability required.”

Complementing the high quality ethos of the build, all of Marley Alutec’s products installed are made of marine grade aluminium and have a life expectancy of 50 years or more. What’s more, this extended life expectancy is virtually maintenance free, reducing life cycle costs and any disruption to the building’s operation. Roof and roofline products can be particularly expensive to maintain due to the costs of access equipment, so any reduction is of great benefit.

Another extremely important consideration on this project was the sustainability of the building materials used as it strived for BREEAM certification. Marley Alutec’s aluminium products were the perfect fit as they are amongst the most sustainable in the UK. Made from the third most abundant element in the world they are completely recyclable at the end of their life span. In fact, it is estimated that 75 per cent of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today.

For more information please visit www.marleyalutec.co.uk.
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Sika provides flexible solution for Stokesley School

A North Yorkshire school has built its motto ‘Being the Best We Can Be’ into the fabric of its school campus following a roof refurbishment involving two of its buildings, using Sika Liquid Plastics’ Decothane Ultra 20 year system.

Located 10 miles south of Middlesbrough on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, Stokesley School is the founder member of the Areté Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust (MAT) that aims to drive excellence and engage with locally-based businesses.

The school operates on an existing campus of 1970s construction and both the main teaching block and the art & geography block have been fully refurbished, including an overlay to the existing roof, as part of a phased seven-month programme.

The refurbishment project addresses condition issues to ensure Stokesley School’s buildings continue to offer a high quality teaching and learning environment, whilst also improving energy efficiency and future-proofing the site. Staff and pupils were decanted from the main teaching block prior to the start of works on site and the main contractor removed a service hatch and several roof lights prior to the start of the roofing scheme.

Sika Liquid Plastics worked closely with Gateshead-based Northpoint Architects to develop the technical specification for the roofs and carried out a full site audit to assess the condition of the existing roof and recommend the most appropriate solution.

The project is funded by the EFA’s Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) with Sika and Northpoint working closely with the school to prepare the technical specification and independent professional advice required for the bid.

Joe Moore from Northpoint Architects, said: “Not only did Sika’s cold-applied liquid system, provide the ideal solution for this fast-track refurbishment scheme but the company’s thorough approach to assessing the condition of the existing roofs and developing a technical specification compatible with the substrate ensured a high quality finish.”

The existing main teaching block had a felt roof covering that had reached the end of its serviceable life, with unprotected bitumen visible in many areas and vapour blisters and delamination along the laps of the felt. The felt roof on the arts and geography block was similarly degraded and required additional insulation in order to bring the building up to current building regulations standards. On both roofs, there was extensive preparation to be done to make good previous patch repairs, delamination, blistering and upstands.

Following preparation of the substrate, roofing contractor, BriggsAmasco, installed a Decothane Ultra system – a two coat liquid applied membrane, incorporating fibre matting. Throughout and upon completion of the project, Sika Liquid Plastics’ dedicated field technicians thoroughly inspected the project to ensure a single point guarantee of 20 years could be issued.

For the art and geography block, the installation began with 60mm Decotherm insulation board to supplement the existing insulation. Sika Liquid Plastics self-adhesive S-VAP 5000 E SA carrier membrane was then installed prior to application of the Decothane Ultra System to the roof in the same base coat, Reemat, top coat process.

The buildings were unoccupied during the refurbishment works but both projects were carried out on a live school campus, making the cold-liquid applied system ideally suited to the scheme, with no hot works or nuisance odours.

Steve Wilkinson, property services manager at Stokesley School, added: “This project marks the first phase of a five-year plan to modernise and improve the Trust’s estate, reduce energy consumption and optimise the use of our facilities. The Decothane Ultra solution recommended by Sika not only provided an ideal solution for minimising disruption to staff and students during the works but the BBA-certified, single-point guarantee will provide us with peace of mind for a generation.”

For more information please visit http://gbr.liquidplastics.sika.com.
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Sika provides watertight solution to town centre car park

Water ingress was being experienced to the exposed Asphalt split level decks at Sunbury Cross Shopping centre. With the site providing nearby residents with their only parking means, it was vital the system used to waterproof the existing surface allowed for a rapid installation which could withstand long-term vehicular stress. Sikafloor® RB58, a quality, highly-crack bridging system from global building product manufacturer Sika, met all the project’s requirements.

Sunbury Cross multi-storey car park in Middlesex serves the High Street’s busy shopping centre. The asphalt surface of its top two decks – which are reserved for residents – had become cracked and blistered due to long-term exposure to the elements. Contractor Makers Construction was appointed by clients, real estate leaders Colliers International, to install Sikafloor®-RB58 to refurbish the damaged surface as part of a five-week programme of repairs.

Selected for its dynamic crack-bridging, incredibly fast curing-times and high abrasion resistance, Sikafloor®- RB58 comprises of a fully reinforced system to guarantee the surface is watertight and free from cracks which allow the passage of water.

Wayne Greenwood, Site Manager at Makers Construction, commented: “Sikafloor®-RB58 was perfect for this project. The Sikafloor Primer allowed us to adhere directly to the asphalt, minimizing the surface preparation required.”

As part of the repair system, Sikafloor®-10 Pronto, a medium-viscosity, fast-curing primer was applied to the car park’s 3,000m2 asphalt surface. To fully strengthen the base coat, glass fibre reinforcement mat, Sika® Reemat Premium, was applied and embedded into the Sikafloor 32 Pronto. A further layer of Sikafloor®-32 Pronto filled with 1:2 Sikafloor® -Pronto Filler was also applied and fully broadcast with Quartz Sand.

Sikafloor®-18 Pronto, which offers excellent mechanical and chemical resistance, provided the system’s fast-curing, solvent-free seal, giving the floor a superb skid and slip-free finish sufficient to meet HSE regulations.

Wayne Greenwood added: “Sikafloor®-RB58 Pronto is incredibly easy to apply and as promised; fast-curing, which was vital to ensure the project was completed in good time.”

Despite work being intermittently disrupted by bad weather, repairs to the car park decks were completed on schedule and to the client’s full satisfaction. Sikafloor®-RB58 has ensured residents have renewed, hard-wearing, aesthetically pleasing and safe car park decks which offer long-term resistance to the elements as well as traffic-based wear and tear.

For more information please click here.
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A tasty solution from Encasement for Bradford’s Jinnah Restaurant

A stylish £500,000 restaurant serving high quality Pakistan and Kashmiri cuisine in Bradford is using Forma metal column casings from Encasement to conceal external structural steelwork and add a more aesthetic finish to the building’s extensive ground floor glazed facade.

Jinnah Bradford is part of the Jinnah Group, which runs nine restaurants in key towns and cities across Yorkshire, including York, Harrogate, Leeds and Selby, as well as operating United Foods, a cash and carry outlet also based in Bradford.

As the building has a large glazed facade, the Encasement column casings are designed to conceal the structural supports and provide a more integrated and attractive finish to the building’s exterior. This theme is also carried around the building to the main entrance, which is also flanked by Encasement’s decorative casings.

To achieve this, Encasement supplied and installed eight 832mm wide bespoke semi-circular ‘Forma’ column casings, which are manufactured from 3mm thick aluminium and range in height from 2988mm up to 3900mm. Every Forma casing is finished with a RAL 9006 metallic PPC coating to provide an aesthetic and durable finish while enhancing weather resistance.

Designed for use on both interior and exterior applications, Encasement’s Forma casings are regularly used to conceal exterior steelwork, as their aluminium construction makes them resistant to corrosion. Also the casings can be finished in a wide range of the, such as the used at Jinnah, which enables them to integrate and enhance a building’s design.

Encasement’s Managing director, Martin Taylor, explained: “Restaurants, foodservice and retail environments are areas where our column casings and wall lining solutions are widely used, as they provide a practical and versatile solution to help improve a building’s interior or exterior design while also being highly durable. The Jinnah restaurant project is an ideal demonstration of how column casings can be used to add the finishing touch and enhance the customer experience.”

For more information please visit www.encasement.co.uk

To see more pics of this project please visit www.encasement.co.uk/gallery_column-casing-jinnah-restaurant.aspx
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Bauder delivers first class roofing solution for British Airways

British Airways i360 is the world’s tallest moving observation tower and first vertical cable car. At the entrance of the attraction on Brighton Seafront is an accessible roof terrace area that features over 1,500m2 of Bauder’s reinforced, inverted hot melt waterproofing system with hard landscaping.

The futuristic British Airways i360 is a 531 foot tall structure located at the landward end of Brighton’s historic former West Pier. Eleven years in the making, British Airways i360 is the brainchild of architect-entrepreneurs David Marks and Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield Architects, best known as the practice that conceived and designed the world-famous London Eye. Groups of up to 200 visitors will glide gently upwards to a height of 138 metres in a futuristic, fully enclosed, hand-crafted glass viewing pod to admire 360-degree views across Regency Brighton and Hove, the South Downs, the English Channel and the south coast east to Beachy Head.

Passengers board each flight via the alluring outside terrace deck, which features reconstructed tollbooths of the original iconic West Pier that now serve as a ticket office and café, where people can relax and socialise. Understandably this roof top area will experience significant amounts of foot traffic all throughout the year, so the client wanted to install a waterproofing system that was both robust and of the highest quality. Given these requirements, Bauder’s hot melt structural waterproofing system with hard landscaping was a natural choice. The system is designed to last the lifespan of the building and provides a monolithic, fully bonded membrane that is self-healing to minor punctures and ideal for use on protected roof areas. As part of the system approved contractor Accurate Roofing also installed inverted insulation, to deliver high thermal performance in exposed conditions and help retain heat within the beachfront building below that houses a brasserie, café and gift shop.

This new landmark is an exceptional example of how modern architecture and roof landscaping can revive a historical monument, which is expertly and intricately intertwined with over 150 years of history. British Airways i360 has already attracted significant interest and proven extremely popular, welcoming its 100,000th visitor just three weeks after it was opened to the general public in August 2016. The attraction was given a Royal opening by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh in October.

For more information please visit www.bauder.co.uk.
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Stunning Shingle Lodge for luxury Scottish hotel

Architect John Murray has specified Marley Eternit’s JB Shingles to create a stunning cottage annex for a luxury Victorian boutique hotel in Dumfries and Galloway. The aptly named Shingle Lodge, built by 3b Construction, has been wrapped entirely in the western red cedar shingles to blend in with its natural surroundings.

The owners of Knockinaam Lodge hotel wanted to create a separate cottage annex to cater for guests who require easy accessibility and self-contained accommodation. Situated in 30 acres of landscaped grounds, with its own private beach, the architect needed to ensure that all exterior materials for the hotel annex were robust enough to withstand the severely exposed conditions without deteriorating.

Marley Eternit’s JB Shingles were specified for both the roof and cladding of the annex, creating a stunning cottage that sits beautifully within its surroundings as a breath-taking piece of architecture. When viewed at a distance, Shingle Lodge has achieved what the architect intended by retaining its aesthetic integrity and blending into the coastal environment.

Architect John Murray, comments: “I could see that using shingles would maintain the character of the hotel, retain the unique sense of place of the cove and fit well with the abundant backdrop of vegetation behind the cottage. The real beauty of shingles is that they age gracefully. In just a few years, the aptly named Shingle Lodge will blend into the local area as if it has always been part of the natural landscape.”

Sarah Jackson, marketing product manager from Marley Eternit, adds: “The use of our JB shingles on this cottage annexe provides the perfect aesthetic for this location. Using the product for both the roof and cladding creates a striking contemporary, yet natural, aesthetic, which is ideal for its rural and coastal setting.”

With one of the lowest carbon footprints of any widely used building product, shingles are perfect for projects which are driven by sustainability objectives. Marley Eternit’s JB western red cedar shingles also offer the highest-quality ‘Blue-label’ grade and are accredited by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), which ensures that the biodiversity and ecosystems of the forest are preserved.

JB Shingles are available with a clear preservative treatment called MicroPro® to retain the natural look of cedar, with a guaranteed minimum lifespan of 40 years. Many preservative treatments are alkaline and react with the natural tannins in the cedar, often leaving black or dark stains, or are prone to leaching (washing) out. However, MicroPro’s® unique formulation uses a suspended micronised copper-based preservative that leaves the shingle looking completely natural.

For further information on our range of products and services just ask ME at www.marleyeternit.co.uk or call ME on 01283 722588. You can also follow ME on Twitter @MarleyEternit.
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Charcon to Sponsor Prestigious Landscape Institute Awards

Charcon, the commercial hard landscaping division of Aggregate Industries, is proud to sponsor this year’s prestigious Landscape Institute Awards.

The annual awards, which take place in November, are designed to recognise examples of outstanding work by the landscape profession.

Charcon is sponsoring the Urban Design and Masterplanning category, which celebrates excellence in area based regeneration projects led by landscape architects.

Mark Barter, Sales Director at Charcon, comments: “As a major manufacturer and supplier of commercial hard landscaping materials, we are delighted to be supporting the Landscape Institute. The awards recognise the excellent work of landscape professionals at the very top of their game, especially those demonstrating a high level of commitment to sustainability.

“The calibre of entries is always incredibly high and we look forward to celebrating in the winner’s success on the night.”

Entrants in the Urban Design and Masterplanning category must demonstrate either one completed phase of a project or a strategy, development framework or master plan that is working towards or has achieved a planning status.

The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 24th November. To find out more, visit www.landscapeinstitute.co.uk/awards.

For further information about Charcon range of products, visit www.charcon.com or call 01335 372 222.
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Hydro-Brake® Flow Control Series Launch Delivers Comprehensive Toolbox

Hydro International is launching The Hydro-Brake® Flow Control Series, a versatile toolbox of precision-engineered devices for surface water, watercourse, foul and combined sewer network control.

Building on Hydro International’s leadership in flow control technology for more than 35 years, the launch unites each product in the series with the reputation for quality and repeatable, high performance embodied in Hydro-Brake® brand name.

Comprising Hydro-Brake® Flood, Hydro-Brake® Optimum, Hydro-Brake® Agile and Hydro-Brake® Orifice, the Hydro-Brake® Flow Control Series provides sustainable, performance-optimised water attenuation and control, whatever the project.

Alex Stephenson, Market Development Director for Hydro International said: “The name Hydro-Brake® has always been synonymous with rigorous research and continuous product development. The Hydro-Brake® Flow Control Series now offers designers, developers and contractors scalable, precision flow control performance for every site and budget – from flows of just a few litres per second up to major flood defence schemes of many thousands of litres per second.

“In all parts of the UK, new regulations and technical guidance are driving forward the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and improved flood defences, while water and sewerage providers are finding their networks stretched beyond the capacity for which they were first designed and constructed. Choosing from the Hydro-Brake® Flow Control Series will help problem-free progress though planning consents, construction and adoption.

“Choosing a Hydro-Brake® flow control means you can be sure of a device that is optimised for through-life value, to deliver buildable, predictable and maintainable projects.”

The Hydro-Brake® Flow Control Series comprises:

  • Hydro-Brake® Flood, a highly sustainable, precision-engineered vortex flow control for flood defence from small dispersed schemes to major watercourse control.
  • Hydro-Brake® Optimum, Hydro International’s flagship passive flow control device, independently accredited by both the BBA and WRc, the only vortex flow control for which the head and discharge relationship can be custom engineered for each design, saving space and costs.
  • Hydro-Brake® Agile, a float-activated flow control that achieves a constant rate of discharge, and therefore the minimum upstream storage over a wide range of heads, particularly suitable for constrained sites.
  • Hydro-Brake® Orifice, a precision-cut orifice plate that delivers cost-effective, precise flow control.

Hydro-Brake® Flow Controls can be supplied pre-fitted in precast, reinforced concrete chambers for quick and easy installation, with the potential to significantly reduce CDM (Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015) risks on site.

Designers and developers need to adapt their drainage designs to meet increasingly varied planning and environmental stipulations. Hydro International’s technical team is available to advise on correct flow control selection and design and ensure flow rates and upstream storage requirements are balanced to provide the best-possible drainage performance over the duration of a storm.

For more information about the Hydro-Brake® Flow Control Series, call the Hydro-Brake® Hotline on 01275 337937, email hydrobrake@hydro-int.com or visit www.hydro-int.com/en-gb/hydro-brake-flow-control-series.
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Expertise and plant capability secured contract for Powdertech

Powdertech (Corby) Ltd has demonstrated its expertise in metal finishing on both steel and aluminium in the exciting Dickens Yard development, Ealing, West London. As specialists in architectural metal finishing, Powdertech coated all of the steel balconies and balustrade on the site, and many sections of aluminium facade.

Dickens Yard has been developed on the site of a former council car park in the centre of Ealing. It is termed a ‘high density, mixed use’ development, with shops, cafes, restaurants, health and leisure facilities at street level. Sitting directly above these are over six hundred residential apartments with landscaped courtyards, terraces and balconies.

Powdertech powder coated over 70 galvanised steel balcony bases and 500 metres of aluminium glass channel in Axalta RAL7039 matt grey polyester powder, providing corrosion protection and colour for twenty five years. “The large balcony bases up to 6m by 1.5m, and weighing in excess of 800kg took some handling,” said Richard Besant, Powdertech Sales Director, “Our plant has the capacity to accommodate the size, the weight and the quantity of these units.” In addition, posts for over 500 metres steel balustrade were coated in Valspar RAL7012 matt grey.

Ealing is identified as one of London’s major metropolitan centres in the London Plan and Dickens Yard reflects that vision. “This is a prestigious development with a requirement to look smart over many years,” said Richard Besant. “The powder coated finish on the prominent metal work will help to achieve that with minimal maintenance.”

For more information please visit www.powdertechcorby.co.uk.
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“Get the Tempest look”

From Stormking Plastics, the UK’s largest GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) manufacturer, comes the new Tempest range of GRP door canopies. Developed to cater to the needs of the social housing, local authority and housing association market for refurbishment and new build developments. The canopies can totally transform the front elevation of a building, allowing for architectural self-expression and provide increased curb appeal.

The sought after products come in a variety of styles and finishes from GRP flat top, apex or mono pitch reproduction tiled effect, and contemporary design polycarbonate Tempest Clearlight canopies. Each is supplied with complete fixing instructions for a quick and easy installation and is virtually maintenance free.

The Clearlight canopy is manufactured in six standard sizes, in two styles and consists of a robust external quality steel frame in powder coated silver. To give you the complete contemporary look, it is supplied with a high quality clear UV stable protected 8mm polycarbonate roof.

The mono pitched reproduction tiled effect canopy is a lean-to style GRP door canopy with GRP reproduction plain tile roof including GRP lead effect flashing/ fixing upstand and GRP white moulded side cheeks, fascia and soffit. Available in 3 tile colours – terracotta, natural brown and slate grey, the canopy is supplied with a pair of recplas gallows brackets and fixing kits to suit.

Also available in a range of colours are the apex reproduction tiled effect door canopies which can be either spoked or open.

If you’re looking for something a little understated but with huge appeal, then the flat canopy maybe the ideal alternative. Tempest provide a flat top internal fix contemporary style GRP door canopy, a flat top door canopy with decorative kneelers or the flat top door surround and pilasters. All are equipped with GRP reproduction lead roof including lead effect flashing/fixing upstand, all internal framework, internal mild steel fixing brackets, white GRP moulded fascia and soffit.

Made in the UK, all products are certified by the ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems and ISO 9001 Management Systems.

Visit the website at www.tempestgrp.co.uk to view our range of canopies for all your requirements including new build and refurbishment projects. Alternatively, email sales@tempestgrp.co.uk or call 01827 311 100 to request a brochure.
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