Latest innovations and products in the interiors section of the construction industry.

Photo courtesy of Aberystwyth University

 

Vectaire’s Microbox 125/2DC MEVs were chosen to ventilate the new, en-suite student rooms in the refurbished Grade 11 Listed Pantycelyn Hall of Residence at Aberystwyth University.

This prestigious project required discreet, but effective ventilation (now even more essential to control the spread of COVID-19).  The Microbox, provides this.  It is a low energy product which runs continuously, quietly and efficiently,  extracting pollutants and controlling condensation.  This in-line unit is slim (less than 184 mm deep) so is particularly suited for installation where space is at a premium.  It is easy to install, requires only one discharge grille and uses the minimum amount of ductwork (therefore fewer fire dampers and less coring),   There is a variable choice of low (trickle), boost and purge speeds at installation.  It is IPX4 rated, SAP PCDB Listed and UK manufactured.

 

 

 

Follow us on Twitter            Join us on Linked in  

 

Gilberts has the Covid-19 solution for ventilation with standard MFS Ventilation units

As new guidance on the role of good ventilation in addressing COVID incidence is published(1), Gilberts has announced its Hybrid MFS ventilation already achieve compliance.

“The over-riding message of all relevant guidance in relation to COVID and building services is to increase the ventilation- to increase the amount of air changes and minimise CO2 levels to below 1000ppm,” explains Roy Jones, Gilberts’ Technical Director. “Our MFS can already deliver that requirement, giving peace of mind to existing users: MFS is the current product of choice for schools and has been successfully installed thousands of times to provide clean fresh air to the occupants.”

For further customer re-assurance, Gilberts Blackpool Limited has still further developed new COVID-19 modes for the stand-alone MFS hybrid mechanical/natural ventilation units. The options require no additional accessories nor equipment. In many cases, the building services manager can personally execute the change, just by pushing a few buttons.

By changing the settings on the control menu on its bespoke MFS Controller, the air is provided with increased outside (clean) air. The system can also be overridden with a boost facility as required by the occupant, to potentially further increase fresh air volume by as much as 200%.

A simple adjustment of controls means the way the single sided space is ventilated can continue but increases agility by providing fresh air more often by adjusting the C02 sensor set-point.

Gilberts has advanced the MFS Hybrid product’s abilities over the last 5 years and has provided such items as heating coil options. Most customers now take up this option, as it reduces the need to provide a separate heating system in most applications. For those that have been provided with the coil option, Gilberts has provided a further advanced and protective system. Gilberts has the ability to provide 100% fresh air and temper with the coils for the full operation of the rooms. This will advance the ventilation and keep a cleaner and safer environment whilst ensuring indoor temperatures are not compromised at all.

 

This simple programme change to the bespoke controller is required with an option provided to the occupant to swich in and out of Covid mode, as the occupier determines. This option will have a minor increase on the heating bill but benefits the occupier with a still further clean air ventilation system.

“We already had a compliant product. With minor adjustments this can be enhanced to increase ventilation rates but without detriment to indoor environmental quality (IEQ)” adds Roy Jones

Full details of Gilberts’ MFS system can be found here: https://gilbertsblackpool.com/natural-ventilation-solutions/mistrale-mfs-fusion/. Alternatively, email sales@gilbertsblackpool.com or telephone 01253 766911.

Leading water heating manufacturer Ariston has a range of high quality, energy efficient products designed with landlords, HMOs and rental properties in mind. Ariston’s electric water heaters are reliable, robust and suitable for buy-to-let applications including apartments, family homes, bedsits and en-suite rooms as an alternative to traditional cylinders.

 

UK landlords are legally responsible for ensuring their tenants have adequate hot water at all times. They are also responsible for any repairs and replacements required under the Landlord and Tenant Act (1985). As a result, any water heater needs to be robust and reliable, while also complying with the latest energy efficiency legislation.

 

Ariston’s electric water heaters are lightweight and easy to install, offering tremendous cost savings – both in terms of the initial price of the units, as well as lower energy bills. Electric storage water heaters, such as Ariston’s Velis Evo Wi-Fi, boast fast reheat times and best in class ErP energy efficiency ratings, making them the ideal option for rental properties – benefitting both landlords and tenants alike. These compact models utilise ultra slim (27cm depth) twin tank technology for optimum performance. With a choice of 45 or 80-litre models available, units offer up to 16% more hot water availability compared to an equivalent capacity standard electric water heater, alongside superfast reheat times of under 30 minutes!

 

In addition, each unit’s Wi-Fi compatibility offers additional energy saving opportunities, as the products work with the Aqua Ariston Net app for remote smartphone control; this allows tenants to monitor their energy consumption and achieve savings of up to 25%, via daily and weekly programming. In turn, fitting modern water heaters with such smart functionality provides landlords with an enticing selling point when marketing a property.

 

Another electric storage water heating option for rental properties is Ariston’s Andris range, with the Andris Lux and Andris Lux Eco units both boasting capacities of 6, 10, 15 and 30 litres. These compact products offer impressive reheat times, while Andris Lux Eco models also benefit from anti-legionella functionality.

 

Finally, an alternative to electric storage water heaters is Ariston’s Aures Slim Multi, a wall mounted, instantaneous unit that does not need any time to heat up. Water does not need to be stored – instead, it is heated instantly when it comes into contact with a powerful heating element as it flows through the unit, resulting in unlimited availability on demand.

 

Victoria Gutierrez, Marketing Manager at Ariston, commented: “Our range of market-leading electric water heaters offer landlords a number of long-term benefits, including lower repair bills and enhanced efficiency, complying with all necessary EPC requirements. We also ensure that renters remain healthy and safe for the duration of their tenancy by offering products that eliminate the risk of being exposed to legionella.”

 

For more details regarding which type of electric water heater is best suited for a particular rental application, please visit Ariston’s dedicated blog here.

 

For more details about Ariston and its range of electric water heaters, visit: www.ariston.com/uk.

A dilapidated former care home has been transformed into award-winning supported living flats by social care provider Precious Homes. Interior Designer Penny Green worked with Altro to select a range of flooring options to deliver flexible solutions in different application areas throughout the scheme.

Located in the former Nethercest Residential Home in Dudley, the previously empty buildings have been redeveloped to a very high specification, resulting in modern flats and communal space for up to 25 people. The new supported-living flats provide bespoke, accessible accommodation for people with autism, learning disabilities and physical disabilities, with an on-site cafe that is open to the community.

Michelle Cox-Coley, Director of Business Development at Precious Homes, explains, “The new flats within – Osprey Mews, Goldcrest Court and Turaco View – have been developed in partnership with Golden Lane Housing, a leading social housing landlord for people with a learning disability, in response to demand for this type of bespoke accommodation alongside specialist support in the local area. We’ve worked hard to create bright and modern homes which are fully equipped to be accessible to all and can be tailored to meet the individual needs of the people we support. The new flats and the team we have in place provide support which is outcome-focussed and person-centred, encouraging individuals to become as independent as possible in their own homes.”

The Foundry Café is a key element to the project’s success. Run as a social enterprise, it offers opportunities for people to learn transferable workplace skills, and it provides a social hub for residents and the wider community. Interior designer Penny Green drew design inspiration for the café from Dudley’s industrial heritage. “I looked to the industrial revolution, the turn of the century – so important in the development of Dudley,” she explains. “The ‘foundry’ style is big, open and robust, so it was so important we chose products that delivered on looks but also worked to soften the feel.”

Penny chose Altro Ensemble™ modular flooring system – luxury vinyl tiles, in four modular sizes that can be mixed and matched to create unique designs from colour blocking to geometric patterns. It also brings the benefits of 15dB sound reduction and added comfort underfoot. “It was quite a dark space at the start, so we took all the walls down to open it up, and chose a light tone of flooring – Greige Rustic Oak.”

Although Penny and Precious Homes have used Altro products for years, this was their first project using Altro Ensemble. The flexible LVT modular flooring has delivered on many levels. “The feedback has been phenomenal,” says Penny. “People simply cannot believe it is vinyl and not wood, they are so complimentary about it. But even more importantly it delivers so many benefits over real wood in this space. It wears better, it feels softer, and its acoustic properties help soften the Foundry environment, which is so important for the individuals who will be accessing the café.”

Penny worked closely with Altro consultant Joe Hurst to find the right solutions. “We have some big spaces here and needed to avoid looking too institutional,” she says. “Altro Ensemble was ideal for that as we explored different patterns and layouts to define different areas. Using the same flooring but laid differently – basketweave in one area, plank to plank or herringbone in another. The results are incredibly effective.”

In areas with higher risk of slip, Penny selected Altro Wood™ safety flooring, choosing Vintage Cherry for the café as the red tones sit well alongside the foundry brick, and the cooler, greyer tones of Ranch Oak for the innovative, accessible and inclusive communal kitchen areas of Goldcrest Court.

Altro Wood is homely and stylish – a great biophilic safety option. The general purpose 2mm wood-effect vinyl safety flooring is available in a range of designs with different plank sizes and shades. It is designed to cope with medium to heavy traffic and, like all Altro safety floors, has sustained slip resistance for the lifetime of the floor.

The flats within this location offer different levels of support for individuals with learning disabilities, autism and physical disabilities. Support provided within people’s own homes is tailored to each person’s needs and also supports individuals who are stepping down from secure units and hospitals including those who may have experienced previous placement breakdowns. They provide tiered support and a range of accommodation options from self-contained flats to rooms with communal areas. The accommodation is flexible, with furniture that can be moved and rooms that can be configured to suit.

“The partnership with Golden Lane Housing means we work collaboratively to create a home for people – a calm haven, a safe space. We use a palette that allows people to add their own personality, and I spend a lot of time searching for safe, good value accessories – rattan, knitted – ones that don’t matter if they break,” Penny explains. “At the other end of the scale we can spend a lot on items such as magnetic curtain poles that might be pulled down repeatedly but can be quickly and easily reattached. We have to think through all angles of the environment so that it doesn’t become challenging.

“The Precious Homes ethos is that everyone goes on their personal growth journey – whatever journey is right for them. A lot of people help with that – occupational therapists, psychologists, therapists, carers and many more. For many people living in their own flats it is critically important that their home environment enables them to have a home that is safe and supportive of their goals and aspirations.

“The domestic, homely feel was so important, but we also needed products that are robust and above all safe,” explains Penny. Safety is paramount, which is evident in many elements of the interior, including the flooring, chosen due to a variety of properties to fit with the design themes throughout. Altro Ensemble with its acoustic and comfort properties, then in areas where sustained slip resistance was key there is Altro Wood safety flooring in corridors, entrances and reception areas, Altro Pisces™ specialist safety flooring in the bathroom areas, Altro Stronghold™ in the café kitchens and Altro Reliance™ in back of house and delivery areas – each product meeting a different need.

Tina Hanson-Jones is Project Manager across the Dudley schemes and she is full of praise for the environment that’s been created: “WOW is the best way of describing the interior of the flats. It is fresh, appealing but homely, very good taste. It is well thought out and not what supported living places are usually like. Everyone that visits wants to live here.”

Partnership was key to the success of the project. “Altro are amazing to work with from a specification point of view,” says Penny. “They understand what designers need and are constantly developing products to meet those needs. As a designer you are confident to use their products as you know they have been developed for all the right reasons and to provide solutions. We hugely appreciate the effort they go to for designers, and all that Altro products bring to our projects.”

About Altro – www.altro.co.uk

 

Ariston’s super slim Velis Evo electric storage water heaters have been designed with the leisure and holiday accommodation sectors in mind. Providing a perfect combination of comfort and design, the units are suitable for applications such as country cottages, mobile homes, glamping pods and cabins – which are all currently in high demand as UK residents look to enjoy a summer ‘staycation’.

 

For owners and managers of park home, camping sites and other leisure facilities seeking a high quality, reliable and efficient source of hot water, the Velis Evo has everything required to keep guests happy, comfortable and clean for the duration of their holiday.

 

Each unit benefits from space-saving twin-tank technology; measuring a slim 27cm in depth, the products are simple to fit in holiday accommodation. The Velis Evo also boasts the best in-class ErP rating, as well as fast reheat times to ensure end users do not have to wait long for their shower to be ready. Its energy efficiency credentials are further enhanced by a low 1.5kW power supply, which is ideal when installing in leisure or off-site applications as an alternative to hot water cylinders.

 

Hot water hygiene is also important, with the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BHHPA) encouraging leisure sites to regularly review their legionella risk assessment procedures and follow advice from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). The Velis Evo allows park owners and managers to adhere to this legislation, as all units have an anti-legionella function that automatically increases the temperature of the water up to 65°C once a month. Doing so reduces the risk of legionella bacteria developing inside the tank to ensure healthier water.

 

Velis Evo electric storage water heaters are also fitted with Ariston’s ABS Safety System; this includes ‘Anti-Overheating’, ‘Anti-Freezing’ and ‘Dry Heating Self-Diagnosis’ functions, protecting products in the event of energy or water failures – providing the owners and managers of leisure facilities with absolute peace of mind.

 

Commenting on the super-fast electric storage water heaters, Victoria Gutierrez, Marketing Manager at Ariston, said: “With a higher number of people looking to spend their holidays on ‘staycation’ this year, it’s important their accommodation has a reliable supply of hot water. Our Velis Evo range has been designed with leisure applications in mind, with its slim design ensuring it can be installed in compact spaces without affecting its water heating performance. In addition to adhering to all health and safety requirements, park home and glamping site operators will also benefit from higher levels of efficiency – and lower energy bills.”

 

All Velis Evo units have an easy to configure, smart ‘blue tech’ touchscreen, and are supplied with an unvented kit, as well as a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty as standard.

 

For more details about Ariston and its range of electric water heaters, visit: www.ariston.com/uk.

Altro Ensemble modular flooring has helped create a comfortable and elegant reading and learning environment for children and adults in a Swedish library.

The old library in Smedstorp was squeezed into a school, which meant visitors had to go through the school building to access it. Tomelilla Municipality moved the library to new premises and decided to allow visitors to access the library after hours on evenings and weekends with a library pass. They needed to find a floor for the new library that improved sound reduction and provided comfort underfoot. They chose to install Altro Ensemble.

Award-winning Altro Ensemble is a modular flooring system that gives complete design freedom to create stunning floors for interior spaces. From colour blocking to geometric patterns, the possibilities are as endless as the imagination.

The flooring has up to 15dB sound reduction with added comfort underfoot, making it perfect for front of house areas in hotels, including foyers and receptions, restaurant and café dining areas, retail, offices and student accommodation – any environment where design is key. With 39 colours and four modular sizes, you can mix and match to create unique patterns using colour and design.

“We chose Altro’s LVT flooring mainly because of its acoustic benefits,” says Lars Axelsson, Project manager, Tomelilla municipality. “We have invested in sound absorbents on walls and acoustic solutions in the ceiling, but we wanted to dampen the noise as much as we could to promote peace and quiet when reading and that’s where Altro’s solution fitted in well. It is a floor that is neat, quiet and easy to maintain, so everyone has been happy: the visitors, the staff and the cleaning staff.”

Ronnie Bergström, from Floors in Ystad, was the installer on the project. “Altro Ensemble was incredibly easy to handle which is always an advantage to an installer. In addition, it is a good floor for a library, as the underside of the tiles offers both sound reduction and provides a nice surface to walk on. The process was smooth from start to finish and the result was very good.”

 

About Altro – www.altro.co.uk

New Altro Wood™ adhesive-free is providing Coate Water Care’s Woodstock Nursing Home in Gloucester with homely flooring for bedrooms and en suites, was quick to fit and caused minimal disruption.

 

Altro Wood adhesive-free is a safety wood-look floor with easy cleanability; perfect for decorative, homely or biophilic areas. The range has been created with design freedom in mind – Altro Wood adhesive-free shares some designs with Altro Wood Comfort and Altro Wood, allowing you to coordinate floors with different performance criteria across different areas of the building.

Nursing Home Manager, Trudy Glassonbury, says: “Our previous flooring was getting very tatty and needed replacing. We wanted to continue with a wood effect product, as it is stylish, homely, and warm looking. We needed something that would be quick to fit, so that it would cause minimum disruption to residents.

 

“C&C Flooring, who we have worked with for many years, recommended the new Altro Wood adhesive-free product, because it could go down on top of the existing flooring and would take a fraction of the time to install compared with an adhered product.

 

“This was ideal for us, as we could fit it in the five bedrooms and en suites we were refurbishing without prolonged disruption to residents. It took far less time than an adhered flooring would have taken. There was no need to remove the old flooring, or put down a screed, or drying time. It was so professional and fast. Plus of course there were no adhesive smells, which in a care home setting with vulnerable residents is a very important consideration.”

Using Altro’s award-winning adhesive-free installation method, you can halve installation time compared with a traditional adhered installation. Depending on substrate condition, a 200m2 corridor would be laid in two days compared with four days with an adhered floor covering, with a significant cost saving too.

With no DPM and no adhesive required, floors can be welded and walked on the same day. Adhesive-free floors are ideal for busy public spaces where disruption needs to be minimal, plus there are no associated adhesive odours. And at the end of their life, they can be re-used elsewhere or recycled.

The new Altro Wood adhesive-free range was the first floors to use Altro’s innovative underside emboss structure, which provides 14dB impact sound reduction and comfort underfoot. It has 12 wood-look designs, enabling you to create biophilic, stylish, or warm and homely aesthetics together with the safety and durability needed for medium to high traffic areas.

With a 10-year guarantee and Altro’s one in a million slip-resistance reassurance, Altro Wood adhesive-free offers high levels of comfort underfoot providing a safe, durable and decorative solution for busy spaces. Robust enough to withstand rigorous and frequent cleaning, like all Altro floors, Altro Wood adhesive-free can be steam cleaned thousands of times without damage. It is ideal for public-facing areas, where it will continue to make a great first impression and support the wellbeing of users for the lifetime of the product.

Trudy says: “We are delighted with our new flooring; it looks lovely, has superb safety credentials, is very easy to clean and the entire installation process was completely hassle free.”

 

About Altro – www.altro.co.uk

VORTICE has announced the launch of a new de-centralised continuous Mechanical Extract Ventilation (dMEV) system complying with system 3 of the building regulations.

This sleek and stylish new fan comes in four models, a standard and a timer with humidity control (T-HCS), both available in a surface mounted and a recessed design.  Units are equipped with a trickle and boost function, with one of four trickle functions (ranging from 5 to 12 litres per second) The timer function allows the user to programme the boost mode to come on immediately or after 45, 90 or 120 seconds” selected at the time of wiring. The fan is PCDB Listed offering low power consumption with low specific fan powers on both through the wall and ducted applications. The unit is also extremely quiet and has a hinged cover which allows for easy maintenance to the filters.

Sales Manager Paul Gunner said: “This fantastic new de-centralised continuous mechanical extract fan offers Italian aesthetic style, is energy efficient and extremely quiet. This will be a great addition to our residential fan offering.”

For further information visit www.vortice.ltd.uk

 

  • A range of compact commercial semi-instantaneous gas condensing water heaters
  • Perfect for applications requiring direct contact with soft, softened and chlorinated water
  • Highly efficient modular design offers continuity of service in one appliance

 

Commercial hot water and heating specialist Adveco, announces the AD range. A new generation of sleekly designed, modulating commercial floor-standing gas condensing water heaters to be used with a buffer for high demand semi-instantaneous hot water applications in sports & leisure centres, hotels, spas, schools, stadia, and large commercial buildings.

Bill Sinclair, technical director, Adveco said, “The titanium-stabilised stainless-steel construction of the AD range’s heat exchangers is the perfect response to counter the concerns of corrosion in soft, or softened water applications. Compact, lightweight yet still powerful, the AD’s patented space-saving design makes it equally applicable to both new projects or renovation work where a lack of space would traditionally stall or quickly drive up costs of a project.”

With each water heater composed of one to four 70 kW heat exchangers, the AD range offers appliances from 70kW up to 280 kW. This approach optimises the supplied output (up to 160 litres/minute) ensuring maximum efficiency when providing DHW. Models with multiple integrated heat exchangers offer load balancing for optimal long-life operation and inbuilt redundancy guaranteeing continuity of service.

Tough and efficient, AD water heaters are all equipped with premix burners made of Fecralloy metal fibre for large modulation range with excellent functionality at extremely high temperatures. Using a premix burner ensures the AD requires less gas, making it more cost-effective, plus reducing harmful NOX and CO emissions. The AD’s heat exchangers will also work in direct contact with chlorinated mains water.

The AD range can be configured to operate in a cascade of up to eight water heaters. The AD’s controller provides full temperature control and self-check maintenance functions. The controller also accommodates 0-10 input, MODBUS communication, and alarm output for seamless system integration.

Additional information

  • Five-year warranty on AISI 316Ti heat exchangers
  • Compact floor standing arrangement: AD 70T & AD140T H1180 x W600 x D945mm / AD210T & AD280T M1880 x W600 x D896mm
  • High maximum run pressure up to 11 bar
  • Low emissions, built with Class 6 technology for NOₓ at 27 mg/kWh GCV
  • Available for natural gas or LPG
  • Acid condensate neutraliser included
  • Ideal for soft water applications. Hard water areas over 150ppm require use of a water softener down to 100ppm.
  • Supports standard flue systems using low cost 110-160 mm diameter PP

Adveco – Expertly engineered for you. Visit www.adveco.co

Altro Wood™ adhesive-free flooring is helping to create a homely, welcoming and safe environment for residents at The Lawns, a family-run care home in Gloucester.  

 

Owner Anna Carrier said: “The previous carpet flooring was starting to look tired, and we were worried about infection control issues. Frankly it didn’t look very good. But we also wanted a floor that looked warm, to help residents really feel at home, so we knew we needed to make a change.”

 

The new Altro flooring was installed on the ground floor at The Lawns in the circulation areas, dining rooms, lounges and in reception. It was fitted by C&C Flooring. MD Roo Williams said: “We have used other Altro adhesive-free floorings for a few years now, and the new Altro Wood adhesive-free product is fantastic. It looks great, really creating a home-from-home look, and it complements the care home perfectly.

 

“It’s ideal for this kind of environment where there are vulnerable end users, because there are no harsh adhesives creating odours or potentially causing breathing difficulties. Installation is so much quicker because we are not waiting for glues to cure before laying, and it can go straight down onto the existing floor, so there is minimal disruption for residents. The acoustic value is brilliant, too, which is a huge benefit in any environment where there is a lot of noise.”

 

New Altro Wood adhesive-free creates maximum impact with minimum downtime. Its 12 wood-look colour choices allow the creation of biophilic, stylish, or warm and homely aesthetics. With up to 14dB impact sound reduction, a 10-year guarantee and Altro’s one in a million slip-resistance reassurance, the flooring offers high levels of comfort underfoot, providing a safe, durable and decorative solution for busy spaces.

 

Using Altro’s award-winning adhesive-free installation method, it can be welded and walked on the same day, and at the end of its life can be removed easily, allowing it to be reused or recycled. Using Altro adhesive-free floors, installation time can be halved, compared with a traditional adhered installation. It’s ideal for busy public spaces, where disruption needs to be minimal, plus there are no associated adhesive odours. 

 

Anna Carrier added. “We love the new flooring because it’s easy to clean, reduces noise in the building, but mostly the wood effect is lovely, so welcoming. It looks and feels like something the residents might have in their own home, so it makes them feel very relaxed. It’s also very comfortable to walk on, and this is so important for our residents. Overall the flooring fits exactly with what we want to achieve.

 

“It was so quick to lay, going down in just a day, and for a busy environment like ours, where we are looking after people with complex care needs, this made the lives of both residents and staff so much easier. From an infection control perspective replacing carpet with this Altro flooring has made our life so much easier.

 

“We will definitely use this product again, because we wanted a flooring that would enable us to keep the same homely ‘look’ throughout the home, and one that would meet our hygiene requirements. Both these critical issues have certainly been delivered.” 

 

Watch a video case study of this project at: https://www.altro.co.uk/Adhesive-free-floors