Where are your priorities? - Practical Facilities Management

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Portakabin has proved that convenience is key
to success in today’s ever-competitive housing
market with the sale of its 100th modular
marketing suite.
Launched less than two years ago, Portakabin
Marketing Suites were developed to provide
house builders, such as Redrow Homes, with
high quality, bespoke buildings that provide a
better environment to showcase new developments.
Providing spacious, stylish environments with
the flexibility to reflect whatever image is
required - from the hustle and bustle of city living
to quieter rural developments - the marketing
suites can be configured to the individual
needs of the project.
One of the UK’s most successful residential and
commercial property developers, Redrow
Homes was the first customer to purchase a
Portakabin Marketing Suite and has now become
the proud owner of the 100th.
Situated at the company’s new Platform One
development in Staffordshire, Redrow bought
this marketing suite, as well as the others it now
owns, to reflect its reputation for quality.
Chris Pitt, Redrow Homes’ Plant Manager, said:
“More often than not the marketing suite is the
first building to be put in place on any new site.
Honeywell valves at brewery
protect public water supplies
from contamination
Coors’ Burton Brewery - the
biggest brewery in the UK - has
installed 15 RPZ (reduced
pressure zone) valves from
Honeywell to ensure water
cannot flow back into the
mains in the unlikely event
that the supply pressure falls.
Each Honeywell RPZ valve discharges
water automatically
from the process side if the
mains water supply pressure
should drop, rather than allowing
it to enter the mains. Coors
explains that while a physical
break tank costs about the same
to install as an RPZ valve and its
filter, the tank requires regular
chemical dosing and cleaning to protect against
legionella, which makes it a far more expensive
and time-consuming option than an RPZ valve.
The brewery takes safety and environmental
concerns very seriously. “We took early action
to ensure compliance with the Water Supply
(Water Fittings) Regulations” explained Troy
Lee, Facilities Manager. “Our team comprised
experts from British Steam Specialists,
Honeywell’s Water Controls business, our water
supplier South Staffordshire Water and Coors.
“The team examined each possible violation
where backflow into the mains was possible and
Celebrating
suite success
They are crucial to the success of a development
as potential buyers have to be able to
visualise what the properties will be like when
they are finished.”
“Before Portakabin introduced its new marketing
suite range, we used to site our marketing
offices in the space allocated for a double
garage, which meant it could take several
weeks before it was up and running. It also
meant we had to design them to fit in with the
physical constraints of the space on offer, rather
than what we really needed in terms of shape
and size.
“Portakabin has provided us with high quality
site accommodation for many years so we
decided to look at what it could offer us for
marketing purposes, which could be easily
moved from site to site and constructed quickly.”
Marketing suites need to make use of as much
natural light as possible, as well as being spacious
and airy for sales staff and customers. The
exterior of the buildings also needs to be modern
and smart to reflect the high standard of
homes being built.
Portakabin Marketing Suites can be up and running
within two weeks, compared to the average
12 weeks it takes to construct one by traditional
means, allowing housebuilders to begin
marketing new developments much more quickly.
Chris continued: “The team at Portakabin
worked closely with us to design and develop a
bespoke building that incorporated all the features
we required and we’re very pleased with
the results. That’s why we’ve bought so many!”
Reader Reply No.: 84047
how we would prevent it.
These ranged from hose pipes
and hose reels to physical crossconnections.
We decided to
separate water supplies across
the site into departmental
zones, each supplied via a
Honeywell RPZ valve.”
Each Honeywell RPZ valve is
inspected, set up and certified
annually to comply with regulations.
The Honeywell valves
feature triple security to provide
optimum protection
against back pressure and back
siphonage: two check valves
and a discharge valve divide the
unit into three chambers, each
providing a separate pressure zone.
Maintenance is simple, as there is unrestricted
access to all internal components and the discharge
valve is mounted on the underside. The
work is carried out by a Burton-based sub-contractor,
Smiths International, and certification
is provided to South Staffordshire Water.
The only routine maintenance is to back-flush a
Honeywell filter, which protects each valve,
every eight weeks to remove residues. Any RPZ
valve seen to be dumping would be checked to
ensure correct operation.
Reader Reply No.: 84051
CIOB supports
construction code of
world class standards
for building Crossrail
Contractors employed in building Crossrail will
be required to employ ‘an appropriately qualified
workforce’.
This will be a requirement of the Crossrail
Construction Code, a draft of which was made
public after the Second Reading of the Bill in the
House of Commons. It is clear from the large
number of topics covered in the code that the
Government wants to establish world class standards
for building on what may prove to be one
of the most significant railway projects to be
undertaken in the United Kingdom.
The qualification for people to be employed on
site may include holding a card from a recognised
scheme such as the Construction Skills
Certification Scheme (CSCS) or the Personal
Track Safety scheme for railways. The ‘nominated
undertaker’ - the organisation appointed
by the Secretary of State for Transport to manage
construction of the new railway - will
require contractors to run induction schemes for
all personnel to ensure they are aware of their
responsibilities in complying with the construction
code. This will include provision for on-site
training on health, safety and environmental
topics, and for keeping employees informed of
changing circumstances as the work progresses.
Michael Brown CIOB deputy chief executive
commented, “There is a clear link between
using a fully qualified workforce, quality site
conditions and the standard of health and safety
on site. Raising the bar and employing a
totally qualified workforce on what is considered
an ‘exemplar project’ is exactly what the
government should be aiming for.
“We would urge all exemplar projects, especially
the London Olympics 2012, to commit to this
same ethos and apply the same importance on
the process of building these large projects as
they do on the final presentation.”
As to site management, the Crossrail construction
code expects that contractual arrangements
will require all Crossrail contractors ‘to
provide suitably qualified staff to manage and
execute the works in which they are involved.’
The nominated undertaker will be operating
under a requirement to ensure the health, safety
and welfare of everyone employed in building
Crossrail, as well as others who may be affected
by the work. The construction manager will
therefore be obliged to establish ‘appropriate
industry standards’ for health and safety, and to
seek continuous improvement in safety performance.
There will also be a demand for ‘community
consultation’.
Reader Reply No.: 84074
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