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

The Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens near Burford, Oxfordshire, has over 260 different species of animals and is the largest privately owned zoological collection in the UK and recently voted the 4th best zoo in the UK.

The Park’s recently refurbished Oak Tree Restaurant features Kemmlit’s Bambino cubicles for the children’s toilet area and their Cronus cubicles for the adult toilet facilities – specified by consultants Piers Sturridge and installed by the on-site maintenance team.

Bambino is a range of cubicles designed to keep children safe, comfortable and put a smile on their face.

Available in a range of colours, designs and accessories, Bambino cubicles are virtually indestructible featuring either 30 mm high density melamine panels or 13 mm solid grade laminate panels.

Safety is paramount to Kemmlit, which is reflected in Bambino’s edgeless door handles, integrated doorstop buffers, and outward opening doors with rounded edges.

Even the hinges have a rounded aluminium safety profile to eliminate the gap between wall panel and door to avoid hands being trapped.

The Cronus cubicle system is versatile and flexible and can be used for either dry or wet areas. The panels are made from 13mm solid grade laminate with a special overlay to protect them against abrasion, wear and scratches.

Bambino and Cronus are available in a range of colours and finishes that can be configured as a single or multiple cubicle system and can be installed into virtually any room configuration.

For more information please visit www.kemmlituk.com.

Durability and Installation time on site are two of the most important considerations for social housing procurement and maintenance managers when it comes to retro-fit or new bathroom projects. To provide specifiers with a high quality showering range which is also designed to minimise set up time on site, Triton, The Great British Shower Company, has launched the Dene Mixer range.

Practical Design

New for 2016, Triton’s Dene Mixer showers offer a choice of options with all the necessary fittings to complete the job. The range consists of a bath shower mixer, sequential mixer, concentric mixer, bar diverter and three TMV2 bar mixers options – Hi-Flo, Eco and Cool Touch. All would particularly appeal to Housing Associations, as they provide a solution for a variety of requirements and user needs. The collection has a contemporary all-chrome finish with high quality metal handles, perfect for new and replacement property programmes. Furthermore, each shower is WRAS approved certifying its compliance with Water Fitting Regulations.

Ease of installation

One of the key benefits of the Dene Mixer range is that the showers can be installed quickly and efficiently ensuring installation teams and maintenance managers can undertake a job swiftly and effectively whilst achieving a high quality finish.

The Dene Bar mixers are specifically designed with installation in mind as they are supplied as standard with a pipe spacer to ensure pipes are spaced correctly and then cut to the correct length ready to fit the Fast-Fit surface brackets with Push-Fit pipe connectors that are quicker and easier to install than compression fittings.

Powerful Performance

Understanding that versatility is key for an efficient maintenance programme, each of the Dene bar mixer showers works on all water systems, including gravity fed whilst still offering great performance for the end user. The high performance bar mixer shower is available in Hi-Flo and Eco options. The Hi-Flo TMV2 bar mixer shower provides generous flow rates with 5 l/min at 0.1 bar (18l/min at 1.0 bar) offering a strong and invigorating water flow, even on gravity systems. By comparison, the Eco TMV2 bar mixer model is the ideal choice for new build projects as the water flow is capped at 6 l/min, making it a desirable unit on account of the relatively low associated running costs while assisting in compliance with Building Regulations and the Home Quality Mark (HQM).

The Dene TMV2 Cool Touch bar mixer offers the same easy installation and safety features as the standard bar mixer options. Plus, the cool touch function ensures that the body of the shower remains cool to touch at all times as the bar mixer draws cold water across the valve for extra peace of mind for residents who require additional care.

The Dene Mixer collection is set to prove extremely popular for social housing procurement and maintenance teams alike due to the versatility, durability and installation benefits it offers. Each model in the Dene collection is covered by a full five year parts and labour guarantee, with Triton’s national team of engineers on standby if needed. The new Triton Dene Bar Mixer is priced from £85 (manufacturer’s list price).

For more information on Triton’s range of mixer showers, visit www.tritonshowers.co.uk and for the latest promotions and information follow @tritonshowers on Twitter or like TritonInstallers on Facebook.

Looks like a passenger lift? Check. Functions like a passenger lift? Check. All the gorgeous interior options of a passenger lift range? No problem!

Whilst technically being a machinery directive platform lift, our Piccolo looks just like a passenger lift with sliding doors, fully automatic cabin and landing controls. With its compact shaft size, minimal pit and headroom and its use of single-phase power supply, it’s the passenger lift your project needs with none of the headache.

Plus – we have made the installation of this groundbreaking product even easier with the introduction of the Stannah FX structure option. Unique to Stannah, the FX structure comprises of a ‘shaft within a shaft’. Erected by our engineers, it negates the need for scaffolding within the shaft – saving both time and money on site. Travel is now up to 12m and with smaller cabin sizes available, this lift is now even more adaptable to your project.

Piccolo offers the best of both worlds and is ideal in sites where digging a pit is neither practical nor possible. It delivers much of the functionality of a passenger lift but can be accommodated in surprisingly small spaces. It’s a great alternative to a traditional platform lift when the position of the lift is against a load bearing wall and a shaft can easily be created. It’s stylish, conventional appearance means it looks great in both public buildings, schools and colleges, shops and restaurants or even in your own home. It lends itself well to existing buildings but is equally at home in new-build projects.

The only thing you have to worry about with a Piccolo lift is letting us know your specifications. This is the lift for passengers – that isn’t a passenger lift!

To find out more call us on 01264 339090, email: liftsales@stannah.co.uk or go to http://www.stannahlifts.co.uk/platform-lifts/vertical/piccolo.asp

Drywall Grid System by Armstrong delivers up to 40% installation time savings.

Armstrong Ceilings has formally launched its time-saving Drywall Grid System (DGS) to the UK market following its stunning use on the largest hospital building project in Europe to date.

A new DGS brochure showcases the project Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow as well as other UK DGS projects, and in the United States where the system has been popular for years, the NOAA offices in Alabama and the Pennsylvania Academy of Music.

Now that the system is launched to the UK office, education, retail, leisure and hospitality sectors, giving specifiers the option to use as a standalone, wall-to-wall, or in combination with Armstrong tiles and Axiom perimeter systems as a fully compatible solution.

Up to 40% quicker to install, the DGS suspension system for plasterboard ceilings is available in three versions – standard for typical flat installations, faceted for curved and domed ceilings of any radius, and Shortspan for smaller areas such as corridors.

Designed for strength, but using 15% less steel, the CE-marked Drywall Grid System utilizes Armstrong’s popular T-shaped grids and can easily incorporate service elements such as light fixtures, access panels and air diffusers or ventilation systems.

A total of 70,000 linear meters of DGS were used at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital – flat DGS was installed alongside Armstrong’s bespoke pre-engineered Axiom perimeter solutions in the stunning reception atrium and curved DGS was used for the nurses’ stations in the wards.

The Drywall Grid System launch is supported with a technical brochure and also features on the Armstrong website (www.armstrongceilings.co.uk) and the Ceiling Systems App available from both the Apple store as well as the Google Play store. Just click on one of the links below with your mobile device www.armstrong.com/CeilingDownloads-Apple or www.armstrong.com/CeilingDownloads-Android.

Dry Wall Grid specialist Martin Dalby recently joined the Armstrong UK sales team and will support customers with technical training and on-site installation and support.

For further information, please contact Armstrong Ceilings on Freephone 0800 371 849 (UK) or 1800 409002 (RoI). Visit www.armstrongceilings.co.uk.

Sand and cement renders have been the most common replastering method used on rising damp affected walls since the 1950s. Whilst effective, they can also present problems. Hudson Lambert of Safeguard Europe explains.

In the face of rising or penetrating damp, there is a need for internal plastering that is impervious to salt-based damp damage. Traditional strong sharp sand and cement mixes are effective at holding back damp and salts; yet they are slow and expensive to apply, and are associated with condensation risk, poor insulation qualities and a cold feel that is unpopular with building occupants. They are also not suitable for heritage structures because they are inflexible, don’t breathe and can damage underlying brickwork.

For this reason, Safeguard has developed two new replastering systems that combine the effectiveness of sand and cement without the drawbacks. Both Dryzone Renovation Plasters and Dryzone Express Replastering complete the Dryzone System range of rising damp renovation products, enabling the sourcing of all necessary materials from one place.

The Dryzone System enables the treatment of rising damp from start to finish. Simply install a new damp-proof course with either Dryrod DPC Rods or Dryzone DPC Cream and choose one of the plastering specifications below.

Replastering System No.1: Dryzone Renovation Plasters

Dryzone Damp-Resistant Plaster is a modern formulation of breathable damp and salt resistant plaster that can be applied with traditional plastering techniques. For older buildings, Dryzone Hi-Lime Renovation Plaster is also available.

Unlike sand and cement renders, Dryzone Renovation Plasters are non-destructive to the underlying masonry, do not require gauging and provide a warmer surface. Simply mix and apply two coats.

These highly effective Safeguard renovation plasters can be applied to walls while they are still damp and has a porous structure which controls salt migration, allows walls to dry out by evaporation and results in higher thermal resistance, reducing the risk of condensation. Other properties include a low compressive strength ensuring that the plaster can easily be removed at a later date without damaging underlying brickwork; high water vapour diffusion and conformity for the EN998-1 CE Standard as ‘Renovation Mortars’.

Dryzone Damp-Resistant Plaster is applied in two layers as a 5mm anchoring rough coat and a 15mm to 20mm top coat. The working time of the plaster is 30 – 60 minutes depending on temperature and humidity; and a 2mm skim coat can be applied after 24 hours.

Replastering System No. 2: Dryzone Express Replastering System

This specification utilises plasterboard and provides the speed and convenience advantages of a traditional dot and dab plasterboard application and also provides a salt and damp-proof interior wall surface.

The system is quicker and consequently less expensive to install per m2 than traditional ‘wet’ plaster systems. These materials combined allow for treatment and room reinstatement in around a day – a massive improvement over the weeks that more traditional methods may take – and obviate, for example, problems associated with decanting tenants for significant periods of time.

There are two elements to the system: Dryshield Cream, which primes walls; and Drygrip Adhesive to direct bond plasterboard to treated walls. Armed with these products, a skilled operative can treat rising damp, replaster and complete re-decoration in just 24 hours.

Once a DPC is installed, Dryshield Cream is applied to affected walls. It is a breathable, salt-resistant water-repellent that weakens the crystal strength of salts forming in or at the masonry surface as damp evaporates. Easy to apply by brush or roller, the cream not only acts as a primer for Drygrip Adhesive but also penetrates the masonry structure deeply so as to form a durable, robust bond.

Developed for ‘dab’ fixing plasterboard directly to masonry surfaces, Drygrip Adhesive forms a strong and long-lasting bond and is resistant to both salts and damp. Once fixed, the boards can be tape-jointed and skimmed as in ordinary drylining situations.

For more information please email info@safeguardeurope.com or visit www.safeguardeurope.com.

Buildingspecifier considers the growing threat to indoor air quality, as well as ways in which it can be controlled and improved.

We frequently hear architects on property programmes referring to big windows “bringing the outside inside” as if they’ve just invented glass for the first time, but how much attention do designers pay to the fact that outside air is what we inevitably end up breathing while we are inside our homes or places of work?

While it might seem quite an amusing parallel to Ben Elton’s “Gasping,” to read of Leo De Watts, 27, selling air collected in the British countryside to the wealthy inhabitants of polluted cities such as Shanghai and Beijing for £80 a jar, the fact remains that air pollution in several areas of the UK is breaching EU safety limits. Alarmingly, 38 of Britain’s 43 air quality zones are exceeding EU safety limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels which will, inevitably, supply the air changes to our homes, schools, shops and public buildings.

Again we are told repeatedly that modern buildings are becoming more airtight, but as physicists have always stressed, “nature abhors a vacuum” so the tiniest change in pressure from inside to out will encourage airflow through all the tiny cracks and crevices which still exist around the building envelope. Even the Retrofit for the Future properties which were generally cocooned in Exterior Wall Insulation, or the super insulated PassivHaus buildings all still exhibit easily measurable air leakage rates at pressures of 50 Pascals.

As is the case with so many aspects of life in Britain, the agenda is being driven using targets set by Brussels, and as recently as last April the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Government should be taking immediate action to address infringement of health guidelines.

Law firm ClientEarth, which last year forced the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to come up with fresh plans to tackle illegal nitrous dioxide levels in British cities, warned that it would seek urgent court action because thousands of people’s lives could be being put at risk if present Government plans were not strengthened.

Not only are swathes of our cities failing European limits on harmful NO2 gases, which are mostly caused by diesel traffic, but the pollution is blamed for nearly 9,500 premature deaths each year in London alone; due to population densities and the number of people living or working near busy roads. According to Public Health England, the percentage of premature deaths attributable to micro particulates known as PM2.5s rose to 5.3% in 2013 in England from 5.1% in 2012. This death rate in London rose to 6.7% from 6.6%.

Under new plans revealed before Christmas, Defra promised Clean Air Zones for five cities by 2020 in addition to one already planned for London. In fact figures revealed that London’s Oxford Street had the worst NO2 levels in the world due to diesel buses; and one has to feel concern for the shop workers breathing in the fumes on a daily basis inside the buildings where most doors remain not just “open all hours” but all year. Hot air curtains might protect the indoor temperature, but not its quality. Furthermore it will still take at least five years to clean up pollution in many cities, including Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

The Clean Air Zones will be centred on areas of each conurbation where the air quality problem is most serious. These zones will aim to reduce the pollution in city centres by encouraging the replacement of old, polluting vehicles with modern, cleaner ones. Similar zones in Germany and Denmark have been shown to lead to an improvement in air quality. These zones will not affect private car owners, but will see the most polluting vehicles, like old buses, taxis, coaches and lorries discouraged from entering the targeted areas through imposing charges.

Furthermore, the Government’s scientific advisers on the issue, the committee on the medical effects of air pollutants, are expected to conclude later this year that across Britain up to 60,000 early deaths annually can be attributed to the main two pollutants (ozone and NO2).

The figure would represent a doubling on the current 29,000 from PM2.5s, and would put air pollution much closer on the risk list to smoking, which kills around 100,000 people a year.

It might be seen as ironic that smoking has actually been banned from most buildings – including bars, restaurants, shops, transport hubs and almost all workplaces – when deadly diesel fumes and other pollutants penetrate so many properties, but there are still plenty of measures which can be taken to improve indoor air quality overall.

Indeed there are numerous mechanical and non-mechanical products on the market which will help remove particulates, irritants, allergens and even noxious gases from the air that we breathe.

Interestingly, back in January, Waverley’s editorial team was invited to view the research and development facilities established by building services specialist, Zehnder at its premises in Camberley.
And although the main focus for the visit was the intriguingly named Flat 51 which forms part of the company’s comprehensive ‘visitor experience centre’; the press was also informed that the headquarters stands just a stone’s throw from a significantly large sewage farm. Happily you would never know from any smell inside the building, while the one bedroom apartment which serves as a testbed for some very sophisticated heating and mechanical ventilation systems, is actually named after the firm’s rigid ducting system.

As well as the Paul brand offered by Zehnder, specifiers could look to use one of the MVHR systems produced by Vent Axia, Polypipe Ventilation, Johnson and Starley, Nuaire or others. And of course these can be utilized in tandem with in-line filtration.

Alternatively, positive input ventilation (PIV) – again available from some of the above named companies – can be set to filter incoming air before blowing it into the occupied spaces. This has the benefit of forcing out moisture laden air and thereby helping to combat mould growth in areas like kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms where it contributes to respiratory conditions.

Commercial air conditioning systems normally offer a big step up in standards of filtration from most domestic equipment, but arguably top of the tree are the type of clean-room installations required for medical laboratories, pharmaceutical production and other highly sensitive industrial facilities.

When raising the bar this high in terms of indoor air quality it is essential to call on expert design and build contractors, such as CDC who can advise on what are also sometimes referred to as aseptic suites. And of course those who work in such environments have to wear medical type garb to prevent their own skin cells contaminating the air.

Returning to domestic scale designs, a new ‘hermetic homes’ policy has been thought up by the Department for Communities and Local Government and is now being forced on councils. The hope is to transform Britain’s 1,400 square miles of air pollution zones back into land that is suitable for building. Developers are now being told that they will only get permission to build on specific sites around the country if they work to stop polluted air getting into the building – one way being to specify windows that cannot be opened, along with mechanical ventilation systems as outlined earlier.

One of these sites is right next door to the four-lane A23 Purley Way in Croydon, south London, which is set to house a primary school, to be finished this autumn.

The same site was abandoned as unsuitable for young children five years ago, when the previous education establishments there were closed and moved to a less polluted environment.

However the Harris Federation, sponsoring academy group, has already issued literature publicizing its intention to open on the Purley Way site in September 2016. The school insists it will be able to protect children with the locked windows and filtered air.

Perhaps we should leave the last work to Simon Birkett, founder and director of campaign group Clean Air in London, said it was “breathtaking [sic] that toxic air pollution in the capital had breached the legal limit for the whole calendar year within the first few days of 2016.” He continued: “Worse, several air pollution monitors have been vying for the dubious honour of recording the first officially monitored breach of the NO2 legal limit in the world in 2016. Put simply, diesel exhaust is the biggest public health catastrophe since the Black Death”.

Written by Juliet Woodcock

Boxing in boiler pipework and flues is a simple task that can waste a huge amount of time and money if the casings are fabricated and then painted on site, especially when there’s a pre-formed and pre-finished solution being already being used by local authorities and HA’s across the UK.

Encasement is the UK’s only FSC® certified manufacturer of pre-formed plywood pipe boxing and boiler casings and our products are widely used in social housing heating and boiler refurbishment programmes.

Not only can they be fitted in half the time of site made casings, saving time, labour costs and disruption for tenants, they’re also made from sustainable timber, which makes them compliant with sustainable procurement policies.

Further savings can be made as our casings can be easily fitted by heating engineers or plumbers at the same time the boiler is installed, rather than having to arrange a separate visit for a joiner to box in the unsightly pipework. ‘One visit – one fit’. It really is that simple.

With Encasement boiler pipe casings, less is definitely, more:

    • Less time
    • Less cost
    • Less travel
    • Less disruption
    • Less hassle

For more information on our boiler pipe casings, please visit www.encasement.co.uk/boiler-pipe-work-casing.html

Click here to view our FSC® certificate.

Learn more about our sustainable products here.

An overwhelming body of recent research has stated in no uncertain terms the negative impact that poor indoor air quality is having on the nation’s health. Respiratory illness is on the rise and over a third of home are at risk of pollution. Jenny Smith, Marketing Manager at British fan manufacturer Vent-Axia, talks us through the latest research and what can be done to alleviate the problem.

The Royal College of Physicians have just published the report “Every breath we take: the lifelong impact of air pollution” which starkly sets out the dangerous impact air pollution is currently having on our health. It states that around 40,000 people are dying in the UK every year due to air pollution, costing more than £20 billion a year. Exposure to indoor air pollutants such as radon and second-hand smoke further add to these figures. The report looks at how factors such as kitchen products, faulty boilers, open fires, fly sprays and air fresheners all impact on indoor air quality. And with health problems such as cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, diabetes, obesity and dementia all linked to poor air quality, it is clear that this needs to be urgently addressed in every household.

This new report has brought indoor air quality (IAQ) to the fore once again and backs up the findings of other recent research. The new BEAMA survey “My Health My Home” has revealed that over one third of UK homes are at an elevated or severe risk of having polluted indoor air and follows on from IAQ research by a leading academic at The University of Reading. Professor Hazim Awbi’s report, “The Future of Indoor Air Quality in UK Homes and its Impact on Health”, states the health risks associated with poorly ventilated homes in no uncertain terms.

One of the revelations in this report is that, as new and refurbished homes become ever more air tight to meet the Government’s carbon emission targets for 2050, the number of people suffering with asthma could increase by 80% from current levels. It also states that current building regulations could increase indoor pollutant levels equivalent to the upper end of (and in some cases well above) World Health Organisation recommended limits.

The report suggests that there should be a legal requirement for new homes, and guidance for retrofitted homes, to have an air exchange rate of at least 0.5/hour, to help protect human health. It states that the most cost-effective solution for achieving this exchange rate, whilst still satisfying energy efficiency requirements, is the standardised fitting of effective continuous mechanical ventilation, preferably with heat recovery (MVHR).

Designed to work with the natural air infiltration, continuous ventilation systems control the air path through the home. As a result, they prevent the migration of damaging humidity and pollutants, providing near silent energy efficient ventilation. For new build homes there are continuous whole house Mechanical Extract Ventilation (MEV) and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) solutions which combine supply and extract ventilation in one unit. For refurbishments, there are continuous Decentralised Mechanical Extract Ventilation (dMEV) systems which extract stale air from the home, improving the air quality and preventing the migration of damaging humidity and pollutants. These energy efficient systems are also available with heat recovery. In addition, there are also dMEV single room heat recovery units available. Ideal for existing dwellings, they are low energy and low cost.

Marflow Hydronics has scheduled in a new date for its CPD training course on Pressure Independent Control Valves.

The CPD course is being held in Birmingham on 4th May and is free for anyone to attend. The half day session provides delegates with knowledge on how PICVs work, innovative pipe layouts and how to make systems more economical, including the introduction of electronic balancing. It’s aimed at consultants, designers, specifiers and key influencers who want to learn more about the products, improve their skills and specify, purchase or commission a PICV.

Nick Martin, Technical Manager at Marflow Hydronics says “PICVs are growing so much in popularity due to their numerous benefits, but to really get the best out of them then a user needs to fully understand them. Our course is set up to provide delegates with the knowledge they need to truly optimise the many advantages of the product.”

Places are limited, strictly on a first come first served basis, so immediate registration is recommended. To register or for more information visit www.marflowhydronics.co.uk/events, call 0121 358 2012 or email training@marflow.co.uk.

Netball Central, Sydney Olympic Park’s state of the art netball complex, is using a natural ventilation solution from SE Controls’ Australian systems partner, Unique Window Services (UWS), to deliver precise, energy efficient control over indoor air quality and temperature at the centre.

The natural ventilation system uses four compact SE Controls NVLogiQ zone controllers, which constantly monitor a range of indoor air quality parameters, including carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature and humidity to maintain a comfortable environment for teams and spectators.

Air quality in each of four zones in the centre’s upper and lower levels are monitored by the NVLogiQ units and if it exceeds any of the pre-defined environment set-point limits the controllers trigger the automatic opening of high and low level louvres to provide ventilation or cooling.

In normal operation, the principle of thermal stacking is used with warm stale air being vented through the high level vents, which has the effect of drawing cooler and fresher replacement air into the building via the low level louvres.

In addition to the NVLogiQ controllers, 10 dedicated SE Controls PSUs were also installed as part of the system, which ensure each louvre responds precisely to the signals received from the controller and provides the correct level of ventilation.

The system is also configured to provide night purge cooling at the end of each day, which not only helps reduce the internal temperature, but by fully opening the vents it also ensures that stratified air is removed along with any airborne pollutants that have built up during the day.

Shane Grice, UWS Managing Director, explained: “As an SE Controls technology partner, we have access to their advanced monitoring and control systems, which allow us to design and install highly effective and efficient ventilation solutions, which have proven to be of significant benefit on this an a number of other key projects.”

He added: “The demand for highly energy efficient building is an essential part of managing the global environment, and for prestige buildings, such as Netball Central, it’s important that they set the standard for low energy cooling and building management solutions.”

Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.