Refurb Projects July 2018

REFURB PROJECTS - THE JOURNAL OF REPAIR, MAINTENANCE AND RETROFIT JULY 2018

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A T h e r m O z o n e P r o d u c t

Contents 

Vol. 29 No. 191 July 2018 

Special Features 

Photograph by Joakim Nådell 

10-11 Coatings & Cladding 

12 Innovation 

14-15 Roofing 

18-21 Insulation 

22-25 School Building 

26-28 Social Housing 

29-30 Heating & Ventilation 

Also in this edition 

Cover Feature 

A full Knauf system specification is being 

used in a landmark development in 

London’s East Village. 

For the full story see Page 35 

Publisher/ Editor: Carole Titmuss 

Editorial Assistant: Sue Watson 

Advertising / Marketing: James Kennett 

Subscriptions: Kay Knight 

Design / Graphics: Ian Purves, Jonathan Milburn 

4-7 News 

8 New Products 

13 Glass & Glazing 

14 Windows & Doors 

16 Sustainability 

17 Fixtures & Fittings, Flooring 

21 Hospitals 

39-41 Products & Services 

This journal includes editorial photographs provided 

and paid for by suppliers. 

Refurbishment Projects incorporating Refurbishment 

Products is published by 

Sheen Publishing Ltd 

50 Queens Road, 

Buckhurst Hill, 

Essex, IG9 5DD, UK 

Tel: 020 8504 1661 

Fax: 020 8505 4336 

Email: editor@refurbprojects.com 

Twitter: @RefurbProjects 

Refurb Projects is available on subscription. 

Annual rate: UK £28. Europe: £36 Overseas: £40. 

Single Copies: UK: £5 Overseas: £10 

ISSN 1475-1135 

Printed by Manson Group 

www.refurbprojects.com 

reFURB PROJECTS / JULY 2018 3

NEWS 

Practising what we preach 

At Grundfos Pumps, 

sustainability is not a 

department or a report, 

rather it is a mindset as well 

as an important premise for good 

working practice. As a global leader 

in advanced pump solutions, we 

constantly push the boundaries of 

possibility in energy efficiency and 

water conservation to help us to 

reach our goals of bringing value to 

the world, our clients, our business 

and our employees. 

We are always looking for ways 

where we can help to make a 

practical and positive impact on the 

environment. So, with this 

ambition, coupled with the recent 

focus on the long-lasting damage 

that plastic bottles are having on 

the environment, urgent action was 

needed. An especially sobering 

thought is that if global 

consumption of this type of 

packaging keeps rising, there could 

actually be more plastic in the ocean 

than fish by 2050. 

The decision was therefore made 

to stop the use and availability of 

any single use plastic bottles and 

cups. Today, staff at the Grundfos 

Pumps UK HQ, have been issued 

with their own reusable drinks 

containers and all plastic cups have 

been replaced. Turning back the tide 

on plastic is a major undertaking, 

but every decision to ban it, is 

another step along this journey and 

we at Grundfos are proud to be part 

of the vanguard taking positive 

steps to halt this plastic tidal wave. 

Find out more about the many 

ways that our mission for 

sustainability manifests itself, by 

visiting www.grundfos.co.uk 

Julian Harrap Architects scoops RICS prestigious 

conservation award 

Julian Harrap Architects LLP has 

won the RICS Building 

Conservation award at the 

annual RICS awards ceremony 

held at The Royal Lancaster, London 

on Wednesday evening. Over 50 of 

London’s most impressive and 

community beneficial property 

schemes battled it out for top 

honours at the RICS Awards 2018. 

The event celebrates inspirational 

initiatives in the city’s land, property 

and construction sectors across eight 

category awards. 

Julian Harrap Architects beat off 

stiff competition including Rainham 

Hall, another of the London 

practice’s conservation projects that 

was shortlisted, with its meticulous 

restoration of No. 14 Fournier Street, 

Spitalfields. The building is a grade II 

listed townhouse built in 1726 by 

joiner and woodworker, William 

Taylor and is considered to be one of 

the finest Georgian houses in this 

part of east London. 

The project involved the repair 

and refurbishment of the historic 

fabric and a sympathetic 

modernisation. The architectural aim 

was to bring the five-storey house 

to present day standards, address the 

very serious structural issues and 

create a comfortable home, whilst 

retaining evidence of history, patina 

of age, and the effects of structural 

movement over three centuries. 

The judges said: “This project 

evolved from conserving and 

restoring visible defects to deep 

microscopic surgery, carefully 

conserving and bringing the whole 

historic house to life, creating a 

delightful home with character and 

charm. Outstanding attention to 

detail, structural steelwork inserted 

replicating and conserving the floors 

and ceilings settlement formed over 

the centuries….” 

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7729 5111 

sarah@julianharraparchitects.co.uk 

4 JULY 2018, REFURBISHMENT PROJECTS

Insulation 

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• Class 0 fire rating 

• Insulation, dry–lining and vapour control in one board 

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N E W S • N E W S • N E W S • N E W S • N E W S • N E W S • N E W S • N E W S 

New board member appointed 

by Rhodes & Partners 

Clearly a great solution 

When Portsmouth Aqua (a 

division of Portsmouth 

Aviation) were looking to 

develop a water 

purification system, they turned to 

Grundfos Pumps to work with them 

to produce a complete engineering 

solution. The aim was to deliver a unit 

that could, at the press of a button, 

produce sustainable clean water. 

Developing a product to meet 

such exacting demands was always 

going to be a challenge. However, 

with the expertise and in-depth 

pump solutions knowledge of their 

Grundfos contact, Luke Gardener, 

who applied his 13-years of 

technical knowledge and application 

know-how, a precision solution was 

devised. These units not only deliver 

clean water, but the design means 

that their power consumption and 

wasted water use are considerably 

less than other industry equivalents. 

Mechanical and electrical 

services contractor J S 

Wright has given an 

added boost to the 

housing industry after expanding 

into offsite 

construction. 

The Birmingham 

company, which also 

has offices in London 

and Bristol, has 

invested in a new 

production facility 

and appointed a 

prefabrications 

manager to meet 

increasing client 

pressure to build 

quickly and to the 

highest standards. 

J S Wright’s new 

prefabrications unit, 

housed in a 

warehouse in 

Birmingham, will 

produce fully loaded 

Today these sets are capable of 

supporting a range of applications 

where the demand to deliver clean, 

high quality drinking water from a 

poor-quality water resource, is now 

a reality. An obvious beneficiary is 

in humanitarian aid situations where 

the ability to deliver clean water can 

be lifechanging. Agriculture and 

farming will also benefit, along with 

a wide cross section of industrial 

and healthcare applications. 

This product is sure to be clear 

winner, as indeed was Luke himself 

at the recent Pump Industry Awards 

where he was announced as winner 

of the coveted title of Engineer of 

the Year, for his innovative approach 

and engineering prowess. Visit the 

Grundfos UK YouTube channel to 

find out more. 

Tel: 01525 850000 

grundfos-uk@sales.grundfos.com 

www.grundfos.co.uk 

J S Wright boosts services with move into prefabrication 

heat interface unit (HIU) backboards 

and other modular units in the 

future for London and UK-wide 

apartment schemes. 

The company will be able to 

Aleading civil and structural 

engineering consultancy has 

announced details of a key 

new senior management 

appointment. Manchester-based 

Rhodes & Partners has appointed Dr 

Jennifer Capp PhD MEng as a 

director of the company, in a move 

which is part of a wider 

restructuring programme that has 

been implemented to accommodate 

the consultancy’s continuing growth. 

“This is a significant step forward 

for Rhodes & Partners,” explains 

managing director Nick Ribbeck. 

“Jenny joined us in 2015, bringing 

considerable experience with her, 

having previously been involved in 

academia with both Newcastle 

University and the Building Research 

Establishment, 

before moving 

into 

consultancy 

roles. Since 

then she has 

made a very 

important 

contribution to 

our work.” 

Established 

over 25 years 

ago, Rhodes & 

Partners has 

earned an 

enviable 

reputation as 

one of the 

leading 

reduce work time on site with fewer 

trades required by shipping 

consistently high quality HIU 

assemblies direct from the unit for 

installation within individual 

apartments where they will deliver 

carbon-saving heating and domestic 

hot water from central plant rooms. 

A team of four engineers are 

already producing the units for the 

company’s building services work 

sites across London, including Mount 

Anvil’s 595-home high-rise 

Keybridge development in Vauxhall 

and Peabody and Hill’s 580- 

apartment canalside scheme at Fish 

Island Village in Hackney Wick. 

Roy Stevens, who has more than 

25 years’ experience in the building 

services industry and lives in 

Solihull, has been appointed to lead 

the unit as J S Wright’s first 

prefabrications manager. 

Having worked in building 

services, facilities management and 

in production assembly for the past 

structural and civil engineering 

specialists. The business offers a full 

range of professional services and 

operates across a wide range of both 

large-scale commercial and smaller 

domestic projects. 

“Jenny’s appointment to the 

board reflects the fact that we are 

planning for the future. In recent 

years we have continued to grow as 

a business, launching a number of 

new specialist services and also 

increasing the range of projects we 

handle. Having Jenny as a member 

of the board will be a tremendous 

asset as we prepare for even more 

growth in the future,” adds Nick. 

Tel: 0161 427 8388 

www.rhodesandpartners.co.uk 

12 years, he will manage site 

contract requirements and plan the 

development of other prefabrication 

models. 

Roy said: “Our prefabrications 

unit will ensure that we continue to 

provide top-quality installations but 

with fewer trades required on site 

and fewer man-hours required to 

complete projects. We are already 

assembling and pre-testing HIU 

boards under clean dust-free 

conditions to meet demand over the 

next six months.” 

Marcus Aniol, Managing Director 

of J S Wright, added: “Roy’s 

experience will prove invaluable in 

managing a unit that adds an 

exciting new dimension to our 

capacity to deliver mechanical and 

electrical services to the highest 

building and environmental 

standards for leading developers of 

multi-occupancy schemes.” 

Tel: 0121 322 4000 

www.jswright.co.uk 


N E W S • N E W S • N E W S • N E W S • N E W S • N E W S • N E W S • N E W S 

Schueco london opens new showroom and office 

Schueco has opened its new 

London showroom and 

office, previously in Islington, 

which is now in impressive 

new premises at 153 Great Portland 

Street, W1. The move has been 

prompted by the need to expand 

Schueco’s London operation and to 

make the Schueco product range 

and technical support services even 

more accessible to architects, main 

contractors, fabricators and endusers. 

With a total of 3,695 sq ft of 

space, the new premises – which 

are also home to the London office 

of Schueco International – include 

a spacious showroom on the 

ground floor with meeting rooms 

and a further display area and 

conference facilities on the lower 

ground floor. The upper and lower 

mezzanine floors are occupied by 

offices. 

The showroom areas contain 

permanent displays of Schueco 

façades, windows, sliding doors and 

entrance doors. In addition, there is 

a Virtual Reality facility showing 

examples of Schueco commercial 

systems and a Product Configurator 

that displays photo-realistic images 

and provides easy step-by-step 

configuration of Schueco slidingdoor 

systems in a variety of 

domestic settings. 

The new facility was officially 

opened on 14th June by Caroline 

Buckingham, Vice President (Practice 

and Profession) of the RIBA, Andreas 

Engelhardt, Managing Partner and 

CEO, Schueco International KG and 

Mike Lane, Managing Director, 

Schueco UK. 

Opening hours are from 8.30 

am to 5.00 pm, Monday to 

Thursday, and 8.30 am to 3.30 pm 

on Fridays, with a late opening one 

evening a week. Design and 

technical advice is available during 

opening hours and visitors are 

encouraged to make an 

appointment wherever possible. 

Grundfos scores in Russia 

The World Cup is one of the most watched sporting tournaments in the 

world that attracts an audience of over 3 billion people globally. With 

its roots back in 1930, this the 21st competition, is the first time that 

Russia has hosted the championship. Incorporating 11 cities that are 

spread across 1,800 miles and 12 football venues - many of which were 

purpose built – they together offer the capacity for 581,118 fans to watch the 

action first-hand. 

Also present and ready to greet the fans from the 32 countries who made 

the finals, are 850 Grundfos units that are supporting a wide range of pump 

application demands. Their role is to ensure that the venues meet a range of 

pumping demands including water supply, heating and ventilation, drainage, 

cooling and to provide fire protection systems. 

This is not the first time that Grundfos have been selected as a key player 

at a major sporting event as we have been present at all the recent Olympics 

and other major spectacles all around the world. You may not be able to see 

us, unlike the star players, but we are there, quietly delivering the support that 

is needed to keep the game flowing. 

To learn more about what we can supply visit www.grundfos.co.uk 

In addition, regular monthly 

events at which invited expert 

speakers will address a wide variety 

of industry topics will be staged. 

The full address of the new 

Schueco London showroom and 

office is 153 Great Portland Street, 

London W1W 6QW. 

The telephone remains the same as 

before: 020 7704 6704 

HVAC benefits from 

automotive experience 

Sensing Precision has 

launched a new pressure 

transmitter range which will 

bring accuracy usually 

associated with clean rooms and 

data centres to general HVAC 

applications. 

Developed in-house by Sensing 

Precision’s own R&D team using 

experience gained from the 

automotive industry, the new DPTx 

can greatly improve the 

effectiveness of building 

management systems and enhance 

energy efficiency. 

Sensing Precision has applied 

experience gained from developing 

specialist NVH (noise, vibration and 

harshness) equipment for use by 

leading motor manufacturers to test 

cabin air-tightness of leading cars, 

in particular hybrid or all-electric 

models where noise levels become 

important. 

Manufactured in the UK, the 

DPTx Pressure Transmitter is a fully 

featured instrument capable of 

measuring in duct static pressure, 

velocity and flowrates. It is 

equipped with the industry 

standard 4-20mA current 

output and 0-10V voltage 

output, which can be scaled 

independently against Pressure, 

Velocity or Flowrate, or scaled 

against the same 

measurement. Each output 

range can also be scaled 

independently of the other, even if 

on the same measurement, which 

provides incredible flexibility when it 

comes to using the DPTx to monitor 

HVAC systems. The DPTx range also 

features MODBUS over RS485 as 

standard for BMS integration. 

The range is fitted with an LCD 

display as standard which, coupled 

with a graphical menu driven 

interface, ensures that the DPTx is 

quick and easy to install and 

commission. 

“The DPTx is the perfect 

complement to our range of Wilson 

Flow Grids and Eco-Radial 

Flowgrids,” said Andrew Hamshere, 

Sensing Precision’s operations 

director. “They also enable engineers 

to replace old or faulty transmitters 

with a powerful new drop-in 

replacement.” 

Visit the DPTx product page to 

get a full product description and 

specification of this fully featured 

pressure transmitter. 

www.sensingprecision.com/product/dptxpressure-transmitter/ 

REFURBISHMENT PROJECTS, JULY 2018 7

NEW PRODUCTS 

Johnson Controls launches new Sapphire Plus 

70 bar system for improved fire safety 

Johnson Controls introduced an 

innovative 70 bar gaseous fire 

suppression system, enabling 

higher fill densities at an 

increased pressure – reducing 

footprint, installation costs and 

service time. Part of the proven 

HYGOOD SAPPHIRE® range, 

SAPPHIRE PLUS is designed to 

optimise fire safety performance in 

high value areas, such as power 

plants, telecommunications, aviation, 

transport, IT, medical facilities and 

museums. In addition, SAPPHIRE 

PLUS is UL Listed, FM approved and 

EN compliant, allowing complete 

confidence in its fire suppression 

capability. 

Leading the market, the 

SAPPHIRE PLUS system will deliver 

an increased container pressure 

rating of 70 bar – a substantial 

increase from traditional SAPPHIRE 

25 and 42 bar pressures. The greater 

pressure allows fill densities of up to 

1.4kg/L, reducing the number of 

containers required. It also enables 

extended pipe runs — above 100 

metres — meaning the containers 

can be stored further away from the 

protected space. As a result of the 

increased pressure capability, 

multiple hazards can be protected 

from a single container bank, 

through the use of selector valves – 

helping plant and facility managers 

save valuable costs and reduce 

installation time. 

The new system has also been 

developed to include all approvals 

and listings in one single global 

platform, without the need to 

switch to a different equipment 

range to suit regional variations in 

the accepted approvals and listings. 

Benefits therefore include 

compliance with all national and 

international standards such as EN 

15004, ISO 14520 and NFPA 2001. 

The new SAPPHIRE PLUS gaseous 

fire suppression system has been 

specifically developed to help 

suppress fires quickly and easily in 

areas with valuable equipment, 

where other technologies could be 

less effective. SAPPHIRE PLUS 

provides protection to high value 

assets, resulting in less damage, 

reduced downtime and lower 

installation costs. With zero ozone 

depletion potential, a global 

warming potential of just 1 and a 

high margin of safety, it is also a 

safe choice for both people and the 

environment. 

SAPPHIRE PLUS delivers 3M 

Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid, a 

clear, colorless agent that vaporises 

on discharge, absorbing heat and 

providing total flooding to suppress 

fire. With automatic detection and 

an extended temperature range, 

from –18°C to 65°C, the new system 

is ideal for use in the protection of 

high value assets, such as in power 

generation plant control rooms 

across the world, 24 hours a day, 

seven days a week. 

The SAPPHIRE PLUS system offers 

a greater degree of flexibility than 

with lower pressure systems, helping 

with the design of selector valves 

systems and offering opportunities 

for the containers to be stored 

remote from the protected hazards. 

The high safety margin of Novec 

1230 Fire Protection Fluid would be 

particularly useful if standardised 

container fills are used in a selector 

valve system designs, resulting in 

more agent being deployed in some 

of the protected hazards. 

Miguel Coll, Product Director for 

Engineered Systems, Johnson 

Controls, comments, “With the 

launch of SAPPHIRE PLUS, we aim to 

set new standards in fire protection. 

An extension of our reliable 

SAPPHIRE range, the new system 

will allow greater design flexibility 

in high value assets – while offering 

the same proven fast acting fire 

suppression.” 

To coincide with the launch of 

the new system, Johnson Controls is 

also introducing an interactive tool, 

to demonstrate how SAPPHIRE PLUS 

can bring benefits to both large and 

small high value areas. Users can 

apply the tool to help plan the best 

fire suppression solution for the 

environment. 

To learn more about the SAPPHIRE 

PLUS system protection, visit 

www.sapphireplus.com 

For questions or support, contact 

Tim Nichols, Associate Director, 

Sales, Fire Suppression Products 

timothy.nichols@jci.com. 


COATINGS & CLADDING 

A refurb fit for Royalty 

Simon Gregory, Sales Manager at Proteus Facades, 

looks at how modern rainscreen cladding materials 

are helping architects to repurpose older buildings 

without effecting their historical identity. 

Anumber of major towns and 

cities across the UK house a 

multitude of buildings that 

possess important historical 

interest, and represent the best of 

our architectural and industrial 

heritage; with many people residing 

in these areas identifying the 

buildings as significant landmarks 

that provide a link to their local 

history. 

However, in order to appeal to a 

new generation of residents, owners 

or occupiers and meet with current 

building performance and safety 

requirements, many of the country’s 

historical structures are in need of 

an upgrade. As such, in order to 

ensure the buildings retain some of 

their identity, specifiers are 

presented with the challenge of 

maintaining a link to their original 

design and purpose. 

An increasing number of 

architects are therefore choosing to 

integrate cladding into their designs. 

This enables the use of traditional 

materials such as copper, which has 

been featured on buildings for 

centuries, yet still has the ability to 

create a contemporary aesthetic. 

MODERN MATERIALS, 

TRADITIONAL DESIGN 

Bennetts Associates’ Storyhouse in 

Chester, which was recently officially 

opened by Her Majesty and the 

Duchess of Sussex, is a great 

example of this. A building once 

frozen in time, the Storyhouse has 

been brought back to life and stands 

proud against 21st century 

structures, by the addition of a 

striking copper clad façade. Cheshire 

West and Chester council had a bold 

plan to deliver a £37m vision for 

transforming the Grade II-listed 

Odeon building, which had been 

closed for many years, into an 

exciting new communal space. 

Featuring our Proteus HR 

rainscreen copper cladding, which 

was installed by Curtis Moore 

(Cladding Systems) Ltd., the project 

was an inspired rework and 

reinvigoration of the 1930s cinema. 

Whilst the building has undergone 

dramatic redevelopment, it has still 

retained its historical character and 

aesthetics. 

The success of the award 

winning design stems from the way 

that the TECU Classic copper clad 

extension containing the theatre 

spaces was added to the shell of the 

Grade II building. The ribbed, 

abstracted rainscreen clad ‘fins’ 

create a new façade that still pays 

homage to the original building. 

However, whilst the proportions of 

the extension relate directly to the 

listed structure below, the copper 

and glass helps to create an 

aesthetic that provides contrast and 

identity to the new build elements. 

SUMMARY 

While trying to retain a building’s 

historical past can result in a 

number of design constraints, it 

does not necessarily mean that it 

shouldn’t move with time. Making 

well-informed design decisions 

about architecturally significant 

buildings that are in need of an 

upgrade, like those taken at Chester, 

can be the difference between 

retaining and losing its true identity. 

Choice of materials is critical to 

this and copper remains one of the 

most versatile, attractive and 

adaptable architectural materials 

available. It has been used for 

centuries for roofing, cladding and 

rainwater systems and remains as 

sought after today as it always has 

been.” 

For more inspirational rainscreen 

facades from Proteus Facades, visit: 

www.proteusfacades.com or call: 

0151 545 5075 


COATINGS & CLADDING 

Six bed Cheshire home gets special exterior finish 

Treetops, a large detached house in rural Cheshire has become one of the most recent homes 

to receive the treatment. 

Set in about one acre of 

gardens, Treetops was built in 

the 1980’s and is a 

substantial six bedroom 

house. When the owners decided to 

refurbish the property, some 

extensive work was conducted to the 

outside of the house and two 

separate outbuildings were 

converted, one to become a coach 

house with three garages and the 

other to a theatre room for TV and 

cinema. 

As part of the refurbishment 

project Climatised Coatings of 

Chester, an Andura registered 

contractor, was appointed to apply 

the Andura Classic 21 high 

performance coating to the outside 

of the house as well as the coach 

house and theatre room. 

Vince Barlow of Climatised 

Coatings comments, “Before we were 

able to apply the Andura coating 

there was a fair amount of extra 

work which we were asked to do to 

the property including the creation 

of bay windows on one elevation of 

the house. Once these works were 

completed, we set about the process 

of applying the Andura external 

coating and using a team of three 

we were pleased to complete the 

whole project in just 14 days and the 

customer was delighted.” 

The Andura Classic 21 chosen for 

the project is a high performance 

textured coating system for masonry 

that eliminates the need for frequent 

re-painting and maintenance of 

exterior walls. For this property the 

owner chose the colour Spring 

Jasmine, from a range of 16 

contemporary architectural colours. 

Climatised Coatings use an eightstage 

process to achieve the final 

result. This involves the preparation 

of all external surfaces, removing 

loose rendering, power washing the 

walls and repairing cracks. This is 

followed by masking off all windows, 

priming the walls and then finally 

applying the Andura Classic 21 which 

is sprayed onto the walls. The surface 

is then shower proof within 20 

minutes and touch dry within 24 

hours, continuing to mature and 

harden over the next four weeks. 

Once cured, the Andura high 

performance coating will last for 

many years and Climatised Coatings 

provide a 10 year warranty on all its 

work. 

For Treetops, the coarse texture 

Andura Classic 21 was chosen, some 

200 litres of the coating being 

required for the 3,800 sq.ft. of 

external walls on the house, coach 

house and theatre room. The Andura 

Classic 21 system has been 

specifically formulated to provide 

high build, exterior protection along 

with excellent water resistance, 

outstanding durability, low 

maintenance and long life. Classic 21 

is available in coarse texture or fine 

texture in 16 standard colours and a 

special colour matching service is 

also available. 

Andura Classic 21 is many times 

thicker than conventional paint and 

its textured finish helps conceal 

surface imperfections, repair or 

restoration work to ensure uniform 

results of lasting beauty. The system 

resists rain penetration whilst still 

allowing the walls of the home to 

breathe, reducing problems 

traditionally associated with water 

such as cracking, spalling and 

delamination. 

The Treetops house featured 

natural stone window sills and 

headers, and also coping stones 

around the top of the house. For 

these Climatised Coatings used the 

Andura Pro-Clear coating once the 

stone had been cleaned and repointed. 

Andura Pro-Clear is a single 

component silane-siloxane system 

which penetrates the exterior 

building surfaces and chemically 

bonds to produce a water repellent 

surface. It significantly reduces the 

absorption of water thus allowing 

the substrate to continue to breathe 

and have excellent resistance to UV 

light. 

Andura’s Classic 21 coating is 

BBA approved and the company is a 

British Standards Registered Firm, 

accredited to ISO 9001:2015 quality 

management standards. 

Andura provides a technical 

support package to contractors and 

specifiers as well as training and onsite 

assistance. 

Further information on Andura 

protective and decorative coatings 

is available from Andura on 01869 

240374 by emailing 

info@andura.co.uk or by visiting 

the company’s website at 

www.audura.com 


INNOVATIONS 

The design behind the 

most innovative buildings 

As technology hurtles forward to new horizons, so too 

are the industries it supports and develops. Structures 

and buildings around the globe are taking design to the 

next level, thanks to cutting-edge technology allowing 

for a greater range of possibilities. We have investigated 

the best examples of advanced architecture across the 

world and bring to you the top three builds. 

Taipei 101 in Taiwan. 

Burj Khalifa in Dubai. 

At an astounding 2,722 ft, the Burj Khalifa 

is currently the world's tallest building. 

Starting construction in 2004 and 

finalising the project in 2008, many 

decisions had to be made to ensure that this neofuturism 

structure was able to serve its purpose, 

acknowledging that it would be a free-standing 

building and understanding the hot climate it 

would be situated in. 

Dubai uses desalination plants to convert sea 

water into fresh water. This is sent across the city, 

including to various skyscrapers like the Burj Khalifa. 

When the water hits the Burj, it is distributed to 

every corner of every floor on every level. However, 

with 163 floors, this can become a complicated 

process, which shows us just how special the Burj 

Khalifa actually is in terms of design. 

The designers of the Burj Khalifa realised there 

could be pressure complications with only one 

pump sending water through the structure, such 

as the pipes exploding. To counter this problem, 

they came up with a plan to help the water flow 

up the building in different stages. 

Water is sent from the basement to a reservoir 

up on the 40th floor. This then sends water on to 

various 200,000-gallon tanks up and down the 

structure, all the way to the top. As the water 

reaches the top, the water then travels back down 

under its own weight — it is said that 946,000 

litres of water are supplied per day which also 

helps the building stay cool in the hot climate. 

As a desert city, keeping the building cool is 

essential. Therefore, another water supply — an 

ice-chilled water system which is the first of its 

kind to be used in the Middle East — has also been 

implemented to enable substantial energy savings. 

Apple Park, Campus 2 in California. 

The previous crown-holder for the world's 

tallest building is next on our list. A 

platinum-certified Leadership in Energy and 

Environmental Design (LEED) build, the 

Taipai 101 has had other accolades to its name. Up 

until 2016, the structure had the fastest elevator 

on the planet, which could travel from the 5th to 

89th floor in 37 seconds! 

Taiwan has an amazing array of design styles, 

with Fort Provintia showcasing the classic build 

style, and the Tuntex Sky Tower serving as an 

example of super-modern style. But what makes 

it so spectacular? Starting construction in 1999 

and ending in 2004, the Taipei has 101 floors (if 

the name had not given it away) and is 1,666 ft in 

height — but the environmental factors that took 

over its design has changed the way we build for 

good. 

Taiwan deals with its share of typhoons and 

earthquakes, and any structure must be designed 

to withstand this. When it comes to Taipei 101, the 

structure can withstand high winds of 134 mph, 

which is due to the model prioritising resistance 

through the use of curtain walls, protected glass 

and high-performance steel. The walls can provide 

heat and ultraviolet protection by blocking 

external heat by 50%. 

The building’s column design comprises of 36 

steel columns, with eight of them converted to 

'mega-columns'; these columns have 10,000 

pounds of concrete per inch. These are supported 

by multiple other steel columns. Within Taipei 101, 

there are outrigger trusses every eight floors which 

connect to the columns within the exterior to 

ensure secure resistance from probable natural 

disasters in and around Taiwan. 

Apple, one of the world's top tech 

companies, has recently updated its 

offices. Worth a staggering $234.7bn, the 

company, which is now one of the biggest 

on the planet, was able to invest a further $5bn 

into a new building and move its tremendous 

workforce into a circular futuristic structure. The 

new office-space, which opened in April 2017 

midway through construction, is made up of 175 

acres — and is even bigger than The Pentagon. 

The building's roof is completely made by solar 

panels, making it one of the most energy efficient 

buildings on the planet. The solar panels are 

capable of generating 17 megawatts of power 

(75% during peak daytime) and the company has 

aims to make the complex entirely powered by 

renewable energy in the future. Another four 

megawatts are powered through the use of biofuel 

and natural gas within the complex, using Bloom 

Energy Servers which are popular within the 

Californian region, with Google, Yahoo and Wal- 

Mart using them, too. 

The office was designed with HVAC in mind - 

HVAC is the use of natural ventilation, heating, 

and air control. To achieve this, air is allowed to 

flow freely between the inside and outside of the 

building, which can help assist for nine months of 

the entire year — highlighting the importance of 

such features in the DNA of design. 

Buildings will continue to advance alongside 

the capabilities of technology, allowing for the 

continued balance in design and crucial safety and 

survival features. For example, London is set to 

have 13 new skyscrapers by 2026 — we know that 

these will be designed to uphold the ethical 

requirements for a modern-day structure. 

www.airah.org.au/Content_Files/HVACRNation/2010/March2010/HVACRNation2010-03-F01.pdf 

www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/the-tower/construction.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_101 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Park 


GLASS & GLAZING 

Medieval household hiding ancient priory 

ruins enriched with secondary glazing 

The Priory is a beautiful Grade II 

Listed residence in the village 

of Blythburgh, a settlement of 

probable Saxon origin. The 

Priory shares its grounds with the 

ruins of a 12th century Augustine 

Priory which has been the subject of 

an archaeological investigation by 

Channel 4’s Time Team as well as 

subsequent digs which confirmed the 

existence of a Christian church on 

the site from c.700 AD. 

Having managed to obtain a 

unique property deep-seated in 

history, the task of making the 

Priory a comfortable home for the 

Saunders family was paramount. 

One issue was heat retention as 

most of the primary windows were 

draughty and allowed heat to 

escape. Due to the Listed status of 

the building, these thermally 

inefficient windows could not be 

replaced. However, Mrs. Saunders 

found a solution in Selectaglaze. 

Selectaglaze secondary glazing 

systems incorporate efficient seals to 

almost eliminate draughts and when 

glazed with low emissivity glass will 

reduce heat loss by up to 65%. This 

lowers running costs, improves 

comfort levels throughout the room 

and assists with carbon reduction 

objectives. 

Selectaglaze installed 15 units 

comprising of the Series 10 - 2 and 

3 pane horizontal sliding units, 

finished in either walnut or black 

matt on the ground floor, corridors 

and bedrooms. The Chapel windows 

were treated with white Series 45 

single side hung casements with a 

gothic arch to match the opening. In 

order to compliment the design of 

the existing windows, the secondary 

glazing was mullion coupled where 

necessary. The secondary glazing was 

installed, sealed and secured upon 

bespoke timber frames designed to 

suit each opening. All units were 

fitted with 4mm low emissivity glass 

for improved thermal retention. 

The Saunders family were so 

impressed with the secondary 

glazing, that they ordered more for 

The Priory. A further 16 units were 

ordered and installed – a 

combination of the Series 10 - 2 and 

3 pane horizontal sliding units. 

The Saunders family are 

extremely happy with the upgrade in 

thermal efficiency in their home. 

“It can be a fine balance 

preserving the heritage of the house 

whilst making it a comfortable 

family home. Selectaglaze has 

helped make this possible and we 

were grateful to be draught free 

when the Beast from the East hit us 

earlier this year.” Chiara Saunders 

Established in 1966, Royal 

Warrant Holder Selectaglaze has a 

wealth of experience working on all 

manner of building styles, from 

Listed to new-build. 

For further information, please 

contact Selectaglaze on 

Tel: 01727 837271 

email: enquiries@selectaglaze.co.uk 

or visit: www.selectaglaze.co.uk 

Key considerations when replacing or specifying windows and doors 

The size, positioning, style and 

quality of materials used to 

create windows and doors play 

a crucial part in the overall 

look and feel of a property. 

So, what should be considered 

when specifying them for a 

renovation? 

Windows and doors make a huge 

difference to the internal and 

external appearance of a property. 

Today, there are many different 

bespoke options, for example, 

materials such as aluminium can be 

moulded to unusual shapes so are 

great for curved windows. 

Windows and doors contribute to 

the overall energy performance of a 

property, and they offer the 

potential to help save a considerable 

amount of money when choosing 

energy efficient products. 

To avoid high heating costs, look 

for options that keep the warmth in 

and the cold out - such as timber 

and aluminium clad variations and 

review the Uw-Value of the product 

which measures the heat loss 

through a building component - the 

lower the number, the more heat 

will be kept in. 

As well as heating, the amount 

of light a window let’s in is an 

important element. Consider the size 

of the windows and if you have the 

ability to reposition them, look for 

areas that will maximise the amount 

of light entering the property, and 

avoid locations that do not see a lot 

of natural light. 

In addition, review the benefits 

of having triple glazing and solar 

control glass over standard double 

glazing. Triple glazing can help 

reduce noise pollution and energy 

bills by making a home warmer, and 

solar control glass can ensure indoor 

spaces stay bright and much cooler 

in some situations. 

When selecting new windows and 

doors look for “Secured by Design” 

certified options. This means the 

products comply with Police 

standards and have gone through a 

series of rigorous tests to meet a 

high level of security. 

A final consideration when 

selecting windows and doors is their 

lifespan. According to the Wood 

Window Alliance, timber windows 

last for more than 60 years, double 

that of uPVC windows that have a 

lifespan of around 30 years. 

And, timber-framed units that 

have aluminum external cladding 

can protect the timber from 

weathering and offer a longlasting, 

weather-proof finish, 

meaning more return on investment, 

as the Window Wood Alliance 

(WWA) have found that they have a 

life expectancy of 83 years. 

Tel: 01869 248181 

generalenquiry@rationel.co.uk 

www.rationel.co.uk 


ROOFING 

Kee Systems provides Twinings with a roof 

safety solution 

Acombination of safety 

products from Kee Systems 

have been installed at the 

Twinings facility in Andover 

to provide a first-class edge 

protection solution for staff 

members accessing the rooftop. 

Twinings is one of the leading 

manufacturers of high quality teas, 

with over 300 years of history at the 

site in Andover, Hampshire. Kee 

Systems was invited to the Twinings 

facility to assess the site and to 

offer a complete roof safety system. 

The building features a large roof 

with poor access and limited edge 

protection and required a safety 

solution to address these issues. 

Having reviewed the site and the 

requirements, Kee Systems supplied 

and installed 320m of KeeGuard® 

systems to provide roof edge 

protection, four access platforms for 

safe access, eight Kee Gates®, 50m 

of Kee Klamp® tubular fittings to 

offer a railing system, and five 

access ladders to provide for safe 

access while working at height. A 

year later, Kee Systems was invited 

back to install additional platforms 

and gates. 

“Having a large roof with various 

levels, poor access and limited edge 

protection, we needed a practical 

solution that would address all 

issues,” says Alison Pembleton, 

Facilities Manager at R. Twining & 

Co Ltd.” Kee Systems came up with 

exactly the right solution at the 

right price. The installers worked 

quickly, efficiently and more 

importantly, safely to deliver this 

project on time and to budget. We 

now have safe access on to and 

around our roof.” 

Compatible with a range of roof 

membranes, including concrete, 

asphalt, PVC membrane, and felt, 

KeeGuard® offers a free-standing 

roof edge protection system capable 

of keeping workers on the roof safe 

without endangering the roof 

membrane itself. Employing a 

proven counterweight system, 

KeeGuard® combines a non-slip 

secure base with galvanised fittings 

and tube arranged in a modular 

configuration. 

Kee Systems’ access platforms 

and step overs are custom built from 

either Kee Klamp® galvanised or Kee 

Lite® fittings and tube and can be 

designed up to 3m in height. When 

higher access is required, the 

platform is constructed with the 

addition of an extra support arm. 

Kee Gates® are spring loaded so 

can automatically close behind the 

user, providing an added level of 

security and overcoming the 

potential for human error. This type 

of system is the preferred solution to 

chains, bars or sliding tubes, as these 

traditional forms of protection can 

lead to a hazardous void, when used 

incorrectly. 

Kee Klamp® is a range of cast 

iron tubular fittings that can be 

installed using a standard hex key. 

Each fitting incorporates an internal 

set screw to lock the respective 

fitting safely and securely onto the 

tube to create a strong, stable and 

safe structure. The Kee Klamp® 

system securely joins structural steel 

tube into almost any conceivable 

configuration across a variety of 

angles and is also capable of 

accommodating on-site variations. 

Kee Systems’ access ladders 

provide safe means of access onto a 

roof from either a fixed or cat 

ladder. The systems have been 

independently tested & CE approved 

to BS EN 14122-4. 

www.keesystems.com 


ROOFING 

Kemper System Delivers Roof Refurbishment 

to Art Deco Gem 

The roof of an occupied 1930s 

art deco municipal office 

building, situated in the busy 

town centre of Blackpool, 

Lancashire, required urgent repair. 

The building was experiencing 

standing water on a largely zero falls 

roof with only four drainage outlets, 

meaning water had started to leak 

into the occupied offices below. 

Kemper System’s Stratex Warm 

Roof system using its Kemperol V210 

was specified for the 1,200m2 roof 

area - offering exceptional 

performance and supplied as a 

complete integrated system of 

matched components. 

The Kemperol V210 is a 

polyester-based resin, applied weton-wet 

that forms a permanently 

elastic, seamless, yet highly durable 

waterproofing membrane. 

Due to limited access on site, 

Lancashire-based Castle Contractors 

had to remove 40 tonnes of stone 

ballast and inverted insulation on 

the existing roof by hand. Because 

of the volume of material and the 

busy street location of the building, 

skips were not suitable to dispose of 

the waste, so the material was 

lowered from the roof and then 

immediately taken away from site 

using contractor’s vehicles. 

The roof was extremely complex 

with detailing around airconditioning 

units, raised steelwork 

and cable trays in close proximity. 

Contractors also removed and 

replaced eight rooflights and boxedin 

others that were no longer 

required. All existing steel work on 

the roof was treated and 

encapsulated with plywood and 

waterproofed with Kemperol to 

ensure additional life span. 

Contractors had to clean the roof 

prior to the application of Kemper 

System’s Kemperol V210. The lack of 

drainage meant any power washing 

created more ponding on the roof. 

Therefore, contractors used a 

vacuum wash and dry system that 

automatically extracted the waste 

water and pumped it directly down 

the drainage outlets. 

After cleaning the substrate, 

contractors applied Kemper System’s 

Kempertec D Primer over the 

Kempertherm F insulation as part of 

the warm roof build-up. The 

insulation is rigid PIR board with 

multi-layer foil composite face on 

both sides, and has tongue and 

groove edges for interlocking 

construction. Kempertec EP5 Primer 

was also applied prior to installation 

of Kemperol V210 to the roof deck 

and stairwell areas. 

The cold-applied Kemperol V210 

liquid resin saturates a non-woven 

reinforcement fleece that is tailored 

to the exact contours and details of 

the roof. The waterproofing is 

installed in a single process and 

cures to provide a robust waterproof 

membrane that cannot delaminate 

and is UV stable. 

Mark Atherton, managing 

director at Castle Contractors, said: 

“There were three main challenges 

to overcome on this project – the 

safe removal of the existing ballast, 

cleaning of the roof prior to 

application, and the creation of 

drainage channels to carry water to 

the outlets. 

“Due to budget constraints 

preventing the use of a full tapered 

insulation scheme to improve the 

drainage, it was agreed by the client, 

Blackpool Council, for us to create a 

50mm deep channel system in the 

warm roof build-up to route all the 

water to the four drains that serve 

the entire roof. 

“Because Kemper System is 

applied wet-on-wet, we were easily 

able to waterproof the entire roof 

area including the new drainage 

system, and execute complex 

detailing around the roof lights with 

ease. Access to site was extremely 

challenging so the simple yet 

effective equipment required on site 

was ideal. 

“Thanks to the successful 

application of Kemperol and on-site 

technical guidance, we were able to 

develop a good relationship with the 

client for future projects.” 

Stuart Hicks at Kemper System 

added: “Despite the challenges faced 

by Castle Contractors, the project 

was completed ahead of schedule 

thanks to the quick and easy 

application of the Stratex Warm 

Roof system and our Kemperol V210 

liquid waterproofing system.” 

“The project was shortlisted for 

the Liquid Roofing and 

Waterproofing Awards due to the 

complexity of the roof which made 

this an ideal project for a liquid 

applied membrane, the technical 

solution offered, and the difficulties 

experienced with site preparation 

and logistics.” 

www.kempersystem.co.uk 


SUSTAINABILITY 

Living wall brings new sustainable university 

building to life 

Robert Woodhead Ltd has 

installed a fantastic living 

wall at the University of 

Nottingham’s brand new 

RAD* building. The building is part 

of the successful Energy Research 

Accelerator (ERA) initiative in the 

Midlands. 

It will include laboratories, 

offices and a central breakout area 

in the atrium, providing more space 

to accommodate the various 

research groups, academics and 

postgraduate students. 

The building has been designed 

to achieve BREEAM Excellent and 

will include Passivhaus measures to 

reduce energy requirements. 

The wall is made up of a variety 

of plants, all grown off site by 

Woodhead’s specialist sub 

contractor, ANS Global, at their 

offices in Chichester. After six to 

eight weeks growth in specially 

designed nurseries, the wall was 

installed using a modular system. 

The plants are watered through 

an irrigation system that is fed in to 

each individual module, ensuring 

they receive the correct amount of 

water needed to survive. 

The internal four storey living 

wall at the already impressive RAD 

building, based on the University’s 

Jubilee Campus’, spans the full 

height of one of the walls in the 

central atrium. 

Not only are living walls a 

beautiful and fascinating feature, 

they are becoming increasingly 

popular for their health and 

environmental benefits. The leaves 

of the plants filter out pollutants in 

the air as well as absorbing dust to 

help decrease smog, increasing the 

quality of air being breathed in. 

A living wall is also able to 

regulate temperature, which means 

it can help to keep the building 

warm in the winter and cool in the 

summer. It also acts as a very 

effective sound insulator, reducing 

sound by up to ten decibels. 

Craig Pygall, Construction 

Director for Woodhead said: “The 

installation of this impressive living 

wall has been a really exciting and 

interesting element of this project. 

“The RAD building is already in 

itself unique, specifically designed to 

meet BREEAM and Passivhaus 

standards. The addition of a living 

wall just adds to its innovative 

design and focus on the 

environment, as well as its efficiency 

as a building.” 

Ashley Roberts, Capital Projects 

Officer at the University of 

Nottingham, added: “We decided we 

wanted to add a feature in the 

atrium of the new building that 

offers benefits to the building users 

as well as creating a talking point. 

When a living wall was mentioned 

we got really excited about the 

possibilities and are delighted with 

the result.” 

The RAD building will join 

hundreds of impressive buildings all 

over the world to have had a living 

wall installed, including the National 

Gallery in London who depicted Van 

Gough’s ‘A Wheatfield with 

Cypresses’ painting on the hoarding 

outside the gallery to draw people in 

to see the real thing. 

See the wall in its installation: 

https://vimeo.com/264241554 


FIXTURES & FITTINGS 

Premium workspace accessed by Tormax 

invisible automation 

Creating a contemporary 

entrance befitting the 

transformed Power Road 

Studios in Chiswick, 

TORMAX worked with IDF 

Aluminium Ltd to provide invisible 

automation to two sets of automatic 

glass swing doors. Located in sealed 

casings beneath the floor, the 

TORMAX iMotion 1401 operators 

deliver unparalleled reliability, 

requiring minimal maintenance to 

ensure a long and trouble-free 

lifespan. 

Power Road Studios is a creative 

campus that comprises of five, 

multi-let studio buildings. The 

bright, loft-style workspaces retain 

the architectural features of their 

warehouse origins and include a 

communal courtyard and onsite 

café. The remodelled entrance 

creates a new gateway into the 

scheme, joining the individual 

studios to encourage a more 

collaborative environment. The 

space between the two sets of swing 

doors acts as a functional lobby that 

helps maintain the ambient 

temperature of the staffed reception 

area. 

In-house designed at the 

TORMAX HQ in Switzerland, the 

complete range of advanced iMotion 

door operators have none of the 

parts that usually wear out, such as 

gears and brushes. This unique 

design feature significantly extends 

the lifespan of the operator as well 

as delivers outstanding reliability, 

even in busy locations. 

“Our iMotion range of door 

operators really are second to none,” 

confirms Simon Roberts, md for 

TORMAX. “The fact that the 

powerful synchronous motor has 

been cleverly designed with no 

abrading parts to cause friction 

wear, significantly reduces 

maintenance and repair 

requirements making it entirely 

viable to situate the 1401 in steel 

boxes in the floor.” 

In addition to creating a truly 

minimalist entrance, the iMotion 

1401 operator is also ideal for 

heritage locations where the 

architectural integrity of the 

building must be maintained. 

Concealed beneath the threshold, 

automation really is invisible, 

combining the convenience of an 

automatic door within a traditionalstyle 

entrance. 

Tel: 01932 238040 

sales@tormax.co.uk 

www.tormax.co.uk 

Moduleo reflects on the 

first exhibitions of the year 

Luxury vinyl flooring 

manufacturer, Moduleo, has 

kicked off the 2018 

exhibition season with eyecatching 

stands at London’s Retail 

Design Expo, held at Olympia 

London, followed by a three-day 

stint at Clerkenwell Design Week. 

The events, which each attracted 

tens of thousands of delegates, are 

staples of Moduleo’s exhibition 

calendar. 

At both events Moduleo 

showcased its diverse product 

portfolio of stone- and wood-effect 

designs, as well as new lines from 

its Impress collection, which proved 

particularly popular. 

David Bigland, managing 

director of Moduleo UK and Eire, 

comments: “Both exhibitions were 

very successful. It was a great way 

to kick start our year of exhibitions 

and gave us a good picture of 

which trends will be popular across 

2018. 

“Exhibiting at these events is a 

great way for us to get closer to 

our customers, understand their 

needs and educate them on 

upcoming design trends, as well as 

provide a sneak peek of new 

product launches. 

“Retail Design Expo is a staple 

of our event calendar as the retail 

sector is a very important part of 

our business and we already have 

good relationships with several 

household names such as Tesco, 

Adidas and GAP. 

“We first exhibited at 

Clerkenwell last year and knew 

immediately that we’d be back. The 

unique format and creative 

atmosphere cannot be matched 

anywhere else. It’s a real hub of 

design and we’re looking forward to 

being part of it for many years to 

come. 

“We’re confident this that year’s 

exhibitions will be very fruitful and 

we’ve already begun forming some 

great new partnerships.” 

Moduleo will be attending 

several other exhibitions 

throughout the year including 

Harrogate Flooring Show, Vision, 

100% Design and Sleep. 

For more information, visit 

www.moduleo.co.uk or contact the 

Moduleo team on 01332 851 500 

FLOORING 


INSULATION 

Kingspan insulates inspirational 

rehabilitation centre 

Kingspan Kooltherm K15 

Rainscreen Board has been 

installed on a new £1 million 

state-of-the-art 

rehabilitation centre for people who 

have suffered catastrophic sporting 

injuries. 

Opened in December 2017, the 

Get Busy Living Centre has been 

created by the Matt Hampson 

Foundation to provide a place where 

its beneficiaries can come to receive 

the latest physiotherapy treatments, 

spend time with their families and 

meet and socialise with those in 

similar situations to themselves. 

Designed to echo the size and 

aesthetics of the World War Two 

aircraft hangar that originally stood 

on the site, the copper and timber 

clad building features an open-plan 

layout with a large mezzanine 

platform to increase the internal 

space. 

As a charity, it was important 

that the building was as energy 

efficient as possible to reduce the 

long-term running costs. Nick 

Preedy, Construction Manager at 

Willmott Dixon explained: 

“The project has a number of 

energy generation and saving 

strategies, such as the solar 

photovoltaic panels and Air Source 

Heat Pump heating system. To 

maximise the energy and cost saving 

benefits of these solutions, without 

reducing useable internal space, 

Kingspan Kooltherm K15 Rainscreen 

board was selected, obtaining the 

highest standard of thermal 

performance for the project.” 

Cladding and roofing contractors, 

Sage Building Envelope Contractors, 

installed the Kingspan Kooltherm 

K15 Rainscreen board throughout 

the building envelope. The premium 

performance product features a 

fibre-free core and can achieve 

thermal conductivities as low as 

0.020 W/m.K, resulting in a slim wall 

build up. It has also been assigned a 

highest possible Green Guide 

Summary Rating of A+ by the BRE 

and has been certified as ‘Excellent’ 

under the demanding responsible 

sourcing standard, BES 6001. It was 

the first insulation board for use in 

rainscreen cladding applications to 

achieve LABC Registered Detail. 

Louis Deacon, Commercial & 

Partnership Manager at the Matt 

Hampton Foundation, commented on 

the completed building: 

“The Get Busy Living Centre has 

been a dream of our founder, Matt 

Hampton, for many years. 

Determined to stay positive after 

sustaining life-altering injuries in a 

training session for the England U21 

rugby team, Matt created the 

foundation to support others who 

have endured similar serious injury— 

with the ultimate goal of creating a 

purpose-built rehabilitation facility. 

The quality of the completed 

building is not only testament to his 

inspirational energy and drive, but 

will enable us to offer physical and 

mental support to those that need it 

for many years to come.” 

The project is being delivered by 

a number of local firms, many of 

which are offering their time, 

services, materials and expertise for 

free, including Willmott Dixon and 

Sage Roofing. To find out more 

about the Matt Hampson Foundation 

and support the Get Busy Living 

Centre, please visit: 

www.matthampsonfoundation.org 

Tel: +44 (0) 1544 387 384 

Fax: +44 (0) 1544 387 484 

info@kingspaninsulation.co.uk 



INSULATION 

Sweeping curves, classic simplicity and 

green credentials 

When it comes to clean, 

modern lines and ecocredentials, 

insulated 

render gives other 

types of cladding a good run for 

their money, as Justin Price, sales 

director at Aliva UK explains 

The £15m headquarters of 

Wrexham-based telephone 

answering firm Moneypenny is a 

deservedly award-winning project. 

Not only is the interior fit-out an 

exemplar for all UK companies, the 

exterior is stunning in its classic 

simplicity, with green credentials to 

match. 

Aliva worked with AEW 

Architects to craft a clean, crisp 

façade that wraps in unbroken lines 

around the curved exterior of the 

building, using 5,000sqm of our 

Termok8 insulated render system. 

The result? A finish that is 

withstanding the worst of the 

British weather - imperative in the 

building’s semi-rural location - and 

will continue to look great. 

The British Board of Agrementcertified 

render was chosen for its 

excellent thermal insulation 

credentials. The render’s selfcleaning 

and anti-algae staining 

properties will also ensure the 

building maintains its pristine finish 

for years to come. 

Insulated render is of course 

better known as a perfect cladding 

material for major refurbishment 

projects, particularly social housing. 

It is cost-conscious, straightforward 

to apply (with expert supervision) 

and keeps its clean good looks for 

years. It can also be combined with 

brick slips to enable restored 

buildings to stay true to their 

surroundings. 

In Salford, Greater Manchester, 

we delivered a cost-effective, high 

quality insulated render façade for 

a 1960s tower block that was being 

upgraded and modernised inside 

and out to meet current building 

and thermal value regulations. 

Wade House is part of the Barton 

Village project in Eccles, Salford, 

where major regeneration work is 

underway. Aliva UK was brought in 

by architects HLP Design to re-clad 

the first of several blocks, to ensure 

that quality standards for the 

exteriors remained high. 

The architect chose our Termok8 

insulated render system in bespoke 

salmon pink plus blue smooth 

traditional brick slips and 

lightweight stock effect brick slips 

to over-clad the ten-storey block. 

The architect needed a lightweight 

solution to create a first-class 

aesthetic and thermal fabric for the 

building. The brick slips were 

chosen to complement the existing 

brick structure and surrounding 

buildings. The result was a bright, 

modern finish that transformed the 

look of an ageing building into an 

exemplar for 21st Century high-rise 

living. 

Because of the height and sheer 

expanse of the building, the 

architect required an insulated 

render that gave a consistent finish 

and strong, durable colour to 

ensure that the building kept its 

looks. Aliva’s Termok8 insulated 

render delivers all this, plus the 

self-cleaning properties that ensure 

the local community will remain 

proud of its renewed living space 

for years to come. 

Given that more than a third of 

the heat in a building is lost 

through its walls, high-quality 

insulated render that delivers a 

stylish, contemporary finish is a 

must for any energy-conscious 

building project. These contrasting 

buildings show that there is no 

limit to an architect’s dreams when 

it comes to using this versatile 

finish. 

www.alivauk.com/what-wedo/insulated-render/ 


INSULATION 

In-patient unit insulated with Kingspan 

Kingspan Insulation products 

have been installed 

throughout the envelope of 

the new in-patient unit at 

St David’s Hospice Care in Newport, 

creating a warm, comfortable 

environment for patients to receive 

first-class care. 

The 15-bed unit adjoins an 

existing day hospice, providing 

specialist support for patients with 

complex symptom management 

needs, end of life care and 

occasional respite care. Each room 

features a wet room and a private 

terrace, providing views of the 

newly-planted wildflower meadow 

and hills beyond. The Welsh 

Government has provided £3 million 

towards the cost of the unit which 

has been constructed by Andrew 

Scott Ltd. 

KKE Architects selected natural 

materials for the building cladding, 

including tumbled sandstone and 

cedar shingles, providing it with a 

welcoming external appearance. To 

ensure a slim external wall 

construction whilst also achieving 

the target U-value of 0.16 W/m2.K, 

Kingspan Kooltherm K8 Cavity Board 

was specified within the cavity wall 

sections of the construction. 

The unit, which holds an Energy 

Performance Certificate of A, also 

features a highly insulated floor and 

roof, with both elements achieving a 

U-value of 0.10 W/m2.K. To deliver 

this, almost 3000 m2 of Kingspan 

Kooltherm K3 Floorboard was fitted 

along with Kingspan Kooltherm K7 

Pitched Roof Board and Thermaroof 

TR27 LPC/FM. 

Kyle Fowler, Architectural 

Technologist at KKE Architects 

commented: 

“The Kingspan Insulation 

products delivered reliable 

performance, enabling us to achieve 

our desired design details. We were 

also able to contact their technical 

support team throughout the design 

process, ensuring the completed 

elements performed as expected”. 

Since the completion of the inpatient 

unit, Kingspan has launched 

its Kooltherm K100 range offering 

thermal conductivities of just 0.018 

W/m.K across all thicknesses. The 

expanding range now includes K103 

Floorboard, K107 Pitched Roof Board 

and K108 Cavity Board, helping 

buildings to achieve outstanding 

levels of thermal performance with 

a minimum construction thickness. 

Tel: +44 (0) 1544 387 384 

info@kingspaninsulation.co.uk 


Rockwool passes the ‘Terminal 4’ accoustic test 

Noise pollution is an 

inevitable fact of life at 

busy airports, and results 

in hoteliers in these 

locations needing to minimise the 

impact of unwanted noise on their 

guests. Thanks to a pioneering 

approach from ROCKWOOL that is 

based on acoustic performance test 

data and use of its BBA (British 

Board of Agrément) approved A1 

rated RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® 

insulation product, the new Crowne 

Plaza and Holiday Inn Express at 

London Heathrow Terminal 4 will be 

providing visitors with a peaceful 

and tranquil stay when it opens later 

this year. 

Connected via a convenient air 

bridge to Terminal 4, this dualbranded 

hotel development includes 

Crowne Plaza and a Holiday Inn 

Express, with a combined total of 

750 rooms. There is also a range of 

onsite business facilities, including 

five meeting rooms, to enable guests 

to be at their most productive 

during their stay. Minimising 

external noise from the UK’s busiest 

airport, where the average number 

of air transport movements reached 

1,295 per day in 2017, was a major 

factor in this build. To this end, 

Grove Developments, the 

construction division of The Arora 

Group, who is overseeing the 

project, challenged ROCKWOOL to 

achieve a significant Rw 58dB sound 

reduction within the façade system 

used on the development. 

Using test results from its 

Rainscreen Acoustic Reference 

Guide, and working closely with 

sub-contractor, SD Samuels, 

ROCKWOOL was able to demonstrate 

the exceptional performance 

capabilities of its 150mm 

RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB® product for 

the hotel development project. As a 

result, 5200m2 of the product was 

specified. 

RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB is a noncombustible, 

dual density insulation 

board that offers a robust outer 

surface and a resilient inner face 

designed for a variety of external 

cladding systems. Made from stone 

wool, RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB 

reduces noise intrusion into a 

building in multiple ways. 

As soundwaves try to pass 

through the air trapped within its 

fibrous structure, they get absorbed 

by friction as the individual fibres 

are made to move back and forth. In 

addition, the random orientation of 

the fibres makes it very difficult for 

sound to find a path from one side 

to the other. The top 15mm layer of 

each RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB board 

is manufactured at a higher density 

than the remainder of the board, 

changing its acoustic impedance so 

that sound is reflected at the 

interface between the two layers. 

RAINSCREEN DUO SLAB achieves 

an A1 Euroclass fire classification 

and is therefore non-combustible. 

The product also has the benefit of a 

high resistance to wind and rain 

during construction, which, together 

with the minimal number of fixings 

required, made installation quicker 

and easier for SD Samuels. At the 

Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn 

Express, the product was tightly butt 

jointed, knitting together to deliver 

an effective thermal insulation with 

a U-value of 0.20 W/m2K. It has also 

minimised heat loss that could 

otherwise arise from gaps between 

insulation boards. 

For more information, visit 

www.rockwool.co.uk. To download a 

copy of the Rainscreen Acoustic 

Reference Guide, visit 

www.rockwool.co.uk/technicalsupport/documentation/brochures. 


Chorley Hospital gives children a 

Younique ® experience 

HOSPITALS 

Washroom design using Formica ® Laminate helps inspire tomorrow’s doctors and nurses. 

The refurbishment of a 1930s 

building by multi-disciplinary 

practice, Frank Whittle 

Partnership Limited, into a 

state of the art children’s 

educational centre is the first of its 

kind in the UK. The architects 

specified Younique® by Formica 

Group for the washrooms at this 

ground breaking NHS experience 

centre at Chorley & South Ribble 

Hospital. 

The new LIFE (Learning 

Inspiration Future Employment) 

centre offers the people of 

Lancashire from the age of 5 

upwards the unique opportunity to 

learn about various hospital 

operations while gaining a greater 

understanding of the NHS and its 

functionality. 

The centre is set up with a range 

of departments including mock 

wards, A&E, X-ray and triage. A state 

of the art 3D experience theatre 

allows children to find out more 

about the human anatomy, diseases 

and healthcare, offering real insight 

into the day to day goings on of a 

hospital. 

In the washrooms, the use of 

Younique by Formica Group’s 

digitally rendered panels has enabled 

the project team to create a fun 

design feature with an educational 

theme on the toilet doors. Formica® 

laminate has also been used for the 

lockers and IPS (integrated plumbing 

systems) to provide a consistent 

aesthetic. 

David Simmons, associate partner 

and interior designer, Frank Whittle 

Partnership Limited, comments: “Due 

to the project being for such a wide 

age range, we set out to ensure the 

design appealed to all age groups 

and was practical at the same time. 

On receiving the brief, our design 

was inspired by the very nature of 

the building’s purpose. Working with 

the forward thinking Widening 

Participation Team, who welcomed 

exciting and innovative ideas, helped 

too.” 

Frank Whittle Partnership Limited 

focussed the design on what the 

future of hospital wards could look 

like. All rooms have been colour 

coded to aid with direction around 

the centre. For example, a purple 

scheme leads the way to the ward 

area with the beds clad in timber 

featuring purple banding to continue 

the theme. Each area is distinct and 

inspiring, and although clinical, they 

break-away from the sterile look 

that is mostly associated with 

hospital ward design. 

David continues: “We were 

looking for something different for 

this very exciting project and this 

included the design of the toilets 

too. We wanted these to be 

appealing to all age groups, yet 

somehow incorporate an educational 

theme. Our solution was to design 

the washroom doors with different 

images to illustrate the various body 

systems. 

“Formica laminate was a natural 

choice for this project, not just in 

terms of its aesthetic capabilities but 

also in regards to the surface 

material’s properties being ideal for 

the healthcare environment. We have 

used Formica Group products for 

years so we know how well it 

performs and we have never had any 

issues. The Younique by Formica 

Group collection allowed us to print 

images of our choice which was 

perfect for what we wanted. We’d 

never used Younique before and 

we’re extremely happy we did.” 

David concludes: “From a design 

perspective, the project stimulates 

visual interest throughout, from the 

colour coded zones to the bespoke 

graphics. However, the most 

important aspect is how the centre 

will be used to educate young people 

and the enthusiasm by everyone that 

was involved in the job.” 

www.formica.com/en/uk/products/ 

younique-by-formica-group 


SCHOOL BUILDING 

Work begins on 207-bed student accommodation 

development in Dublin 

Crosslane Student 

Developments, part of the 

Crosslane Property Group 

(“Crosslane”), is pleased to 

announce that construction has 

commenced on their 207-bed 

purpose-built student 

accommodation development on 

Carman’s Hall, Dublin. The project 

will be Crosslane’s first student 

scheme in the city and in the 

Republic of Ireland. 

The scheme comprises three 

residential buildings of between 

three and six storeys, with 207 highspecification 

en-suite beds arranged 

in cluster apartments of between 

five to eight bedrooms. The 

development will also feature 

significant dedicated communal 

areas, including a common room, 

gym, study room, bicycle storage, a 

public coffee shop at ground level 

and a private outdoor landscaped 

courtyard. 

The site is located at the junction 

of Carman’s Hall and Garden Lane, 

within Dublin’s main ring road, just 

to the west of the city centre and 

south of the River Liffey. The 

development is a short walk away 

from Trinity College Dublin and the 

Royal College of Surgeons’ campus 

in Ireland campus, with the 

University College Dublin and Dublin 

City University being easily 

accessible by public transport. 

The site is undergoing demolition 

and clearance work, following which 

construction will commence on the 

new development which will take 

less than fifteen months to 

complete, and is scheduled to be 

finished before the start of the 

2019/2020 academic year. 

Dublin is an internationally 

renowned university city, with 

approximately 70,000 students 

studying at the city’s higher 

education establishments. Trinity 

College Dublin – a short walk away 

from the development - is ranked 

88th in the QS World University 

Rankings 2018, and nearby 

University College Dublin is 

considered to be one of Europe’s 

leading research-intensive 

universities. 

According to the Higher 

Education Authority, there is a need 

for around 25,000 more student 

beds in Ireland with the shortage 

being most acute in Dublin. 

Crosslane’s Carman’s Hall scheme 

will go some way towards satisfying 

the significant supply-demand 

imbalance in the city, fulfilling 

increasing demand for well-located, 

premium-built student 

accommodation. 

Crosslane has appointed Duke 

McCaffrey Consulting as Project and 

Cost Managers, local Dublin-based 

John Fleming Architects to design 

the scheme, and Stewart 

Construction has been appointed as 

contractor for the development. 

Tel: +44 20 7680 6550 

Email: 

crosslane@newgatecomms.com 

McCullough Mulvin Architects’ striking student accommodation 

Dublin based practice 

McCullough Mulvin 

Architects, renowned for 

their award winning work 

particularly in education throughout 

Ireland, have been shortlisted for a 

prestigious World Architecture 

Award for the first phase of 

completed buildings for Thapar 

University in Northern India. 

McCullough Mulvin Architects in 

partnership with Design Plus 

Associates (DPA) have designed an 

overall masterplan for the 250 acre 

site to provide a series of iconic 

buildings for the University, 

including two phases of student 

residences, a sports centre and a 

new learning centre incorporating a 

library, lecture theatres and 

computer science building. A 

contemporary approach to design 

and materials has been employed 

across the campus to position the 

University as part of a modern, 

contemporary India. 

The first phase of the 

McCullough Mulvin Architects and 

DPA designed masterplan to 

complete is a series of student 

accommodation buildings providing 

residence for 1200 students. The ‘L’ 

shaped towers provide an 

architecture of solid geometric 

forms made with single materials. 

The four completed units are 

covered externally with red jali 

screen colour matched to the Agra 

Red Sandstone native to the local 

context, and together the towers 

make their own geometry, facing in 

different directions within a 

rectangular field of play. 

The towers are linked by a steel 

and concrete podium which shields 

the reception, gym and dining 

spaces below. A large staircase leads 

from the ground at either end and 

a series of walkways offer students 

and staff the opportunity to 

progress through the Patiala campus 

in a radically new way, protected 

from the weather with a covered 

walkway and enjoying all the 

amenities of nature. 

McCullough Mulvin’s approach 

to the architecture of Thapar 

University has been to consider the 

whole campus as a landscape and to 

make a new natural geography out 

of the buildings, extending part of 

their built forms to evoke rocky 

heights and shaded valleys, with 

connecting walkways. The provision 

of cooling and shade through 

floating podiums, covered walkways 

and walled gardens are key 

sustainable elements of the design 

and are a reference to Indian models 

of architecture. 

The first phase of student 

accommodation has been shortlisted 

in the Completed Buildings, Higher 

Education category of World 

Architecture Festival 2018 which will 

be taking place 28 - 30 November 

at the RAI Amsterdam. The second 

phase of works will complete in 

2019 with the masterplan fully 

complete in 2020. 

www.mcculloughmulvin.com 



£71 million of construction works under way on 

university’s campus over coming year 

The most ambitious current project is the £30 million Barbara Hepworth Building. 

A£71 million programme of 

new construction work plus 

upgrades and 

refurbishments to existing 

buildings is transforming the campus 

and making huge improvements to 

facilities at the University of 

Huddersfield. 

The roster of projects overseen 

by the University’s department of 

Estates and Facilities ranges from 

the £30 million creation of a new 

home for the study of art, design 

and architecture to the £2 million 

transformation of a small but 

distinctive listed building from the 

1950s. This will become an art café, 

open to the public, including 

exhibition space for student work, 

and retaining many original features 

from its decades as a bath house for 

foundry workers. 

Also underway is a new £18.2 

million block that includes an entire 

floor and facilities designed to 

enable college students to form links 

with their local university and 

stimulate their passion for science. 

There are numerous smaller, but 

important projects, including a new 

£2 million electricity substation that 

will ensure that the University’s 

campus can meet an increased 

demand for power. The contractor 

for this is Britcon. 

The most ambitious of the 

current projects is the £30 million 

Barbara Hepworth Building, the new 

home of the University’s School of 

Art, Design and Architecture. Its 

foundation stone was laid early in 

2018 by University’s Chancellor, HRH 

The Duke of York, and contractors 

Morgan Sindall are on target for the 

July 2019 completion date. The 

project has a website that includes 

pictures and regular updates. 

The site of the Barbara Hepworth 

Building was once occupied by the 

foundry firm Thomas Broadbent and 

still standing is the 1955 bath house 

used by the workers. This was 

designed by the long-established 

Huddersfield practice Abbey Hanson 

Rowe, which evolved into the major 

global architecture firm AHR – and 

this is the company that will now 

take on the sensitive task of 

transforming the bath house, which 

has features influenced by the 

legendary US architect Frank Lloyd 

Wright, into an art café, destined to 

be an important new hub and 

meeting place for the town. 

OTHER WORKS 

Already completed – by contractors 

Bardsley Construction – is an £8.3 

million refurbishment of the Joseph 

Priestley Building, home to the 

University’s School of Applied 

Sciences. Work now begins on an 

adjacent £18.2 million science block, 

with labs dedicated to the study of 

biology, chemistry and optometry – 

an all-new course. The building will 

be ready by July 2019 and includes 

the important innovation of an 

outreach floor. 

The architects for the science 

block are ADP – their first project 

for the University of Huddersfield – 

and the contractors are BAM, whose 

past assignments include the 

Business School, the Creative Arts 

Building and the Harold Wilson 

Building. 

There are also £400,000 of 

improvements at the Charles Sikes 

Building, home to the Huddersfield 

Business School. They include the 

creation of a business development 

area, and carrying out the work – to 

the specification of the Estates and 

Facilities Department’s in-house 

design team – are rfm Construction 

Management, on their first 

collaboration with the University. 

Other projects underway 

including £500,000 of improvements 

to the University’s Library, 

undertaken by Huddersfield 

contractor Illingworth and Gregory. 

And the contractor Jackson Lifts is 

carrying £500,000 of upgrades to 

lifts in three of the University’s main 

buildings. 

A car park at Wakefield Road, 

adjacent to the Schwann and Oastler 

buildings, is to be brought back into 

use, in a £100,000 scheme designed 

by architects Jefferson Sheard that 

will include a number of electric 

vehicle charging points. 

Tel: 01484 472982 

j.amos@hud.ac.uk 



LytaScreed top of the class in £10m UCL revamp 

Aggregate Industries’ revolutionary LytaScreed has once again proved its outstanding credentials during the 

renovation of one of the UK’s most prestigious educational institutions, University College London. 

As part of UCL’s £1.2 billion 

refurbishment programme, 

main contractor Balfour 

Beatty was tasked with 

building a terrace next to the 19th 

Century Grade 1 listed Wilkins 

Building, providing a vital passage 

through the university’s Bloomsbury 

Campus while also serving as 

an outdoor events space. 

Located close to Regent Park in 

London, the £10m revamp 

incorporates a complete 

modernisation programme, including 

the construction of a new single 

storey building below the terrace to 

house a full range of catering 

kitchen facilities to provide food for 

the new refectory. 

In keeping with the architectural 

heritage of the Wilkins Building, the 

terrace included a Portland stone 

floor, with a new external staircase 

leading to the refectory at lower 

ground floor level. 

As such, the project required a 

lightweight podium screed suitable 

to carry natural stone paviours that 

could also provide a superior 

drainage system. 

Cue Aggregate Industries and its 

pioneering LytaScreed – one of the 

fastest drying and most versatile 

floor screed ranges available to the 

UK market. 

Specifically designed and 

manufactured to meet the complex 

requirements of modern 

construction practice, when building 

the Wilkins Terrace 120 tonnes of 

LytaScreed Topped solution was 

utilised by placing the LytaScreed 

Base with a permeable 15mm sand 

cement topping. 

This created a semi dry floor 

screed suitable for all sensitive floor 

coverings, such as the Portland 

natural stone, in as little as five 

days. 

What’s more, with an ever 

increasing emphasis on sustainable 

construction, LytaScreed was 

instrumental in helping the UCL 

revamp achieving ‘very good’ status 

BREEAM ratings. This is because not 

only does the innovative product 

reduce the weight of a screed by up 

to 50%, but being a secondary 

aggregate, it also cuts the demand 

for natural quarried material. 

Steve Curley, Lytag general 

manager at Aggregate Industries, 

said: “The Aggregate Industries’ 

ground-breaking LytaScreed product 

proved the perfect solution for 

providing the lightweight podium 

screed suitable to carry natural 

stone paviours that the UCL 

refurbishment required whilst also 

creating an unrivalled drainage 

system.” 

For further information about 

Aggregate Industries, visit 

www.aggregate.com. 



School makeover revealed as part of Dulux 

smarter spaces initiative 

After beating off competition 

from schools across the 

country to win the 2017 

Dulux Smarter Spaces 

competition, Lawley Primary School 

has revealed the £10,000 makeover 

awarded as its prize. 

Taking inspiration from the 

school’s year five pupils, the colour 

and design transformation has 

totally revitalised and refurbished 

the school’s entrance hall and main 

corridor. After taking thoughtprovoking 

ideas and design concepts 

from the students themselves, it was 

decided to utilise colours and 

inspiring images to decorate the 

space, mirroring the ethos of Lawley 

Primary School, its staff and the 

children. 

Launched in April, on the belief 

that a vibrant space that utilises 

effective colour and design can help 

inspire teachers and students alike – 

a view backed up by 85% of 

teachers according to a Dulux study* 

– the competition required schools 

to submit a 300-word entry 

explaining why they should win a 

£10,000 transformation and how 

they would make use of the funding. 

After receiving entries from across 

the country, Lawley Primary was 

chosen as one of two winners by a 

panel of judges, including Matthew 

Burton and education expert, 

Professor Stephen Heppell. 

Dulux Smarter Spaces 

Ambassador Matthew Burton, of 

Educating Yorkshire fame, unveiled 

the new space at a ribbon cutting 

ceremony on 6th March. He said: 

“Dulux research undertaken as part 

of this initiative has shown that a 

staggering two thirds of schools in 

the UK lack the funding to make 

basic refurbishments, so it’s a real 

honour to be able to give 

something back to two deserving 

schools. 

“In my many years as a teacher I 

have witnessed first-hand the 

effects a cared-for classroom or 

school environment can have on 

pupils’ wellbeing and grades, and 

I’ve also seen how neglected spaces 

can be uninspiring and a challenge 

to teach in. I’m fully supportive of 

learner-led design. I believe children 

are much more likely to be engaged 

if they have a bright and colourful 

space that they’ve had some 

element of creative control over, so 

it’s wonderful to see Lawley Primary 

School children’s designs brought to 

life.” 

Ian Gisbourne, Dulux’s National 

Sector Manager for Education, said: 

“For three years, the Dulux Smarter 

Spaces initiative has been 

championing a movement to 

improve education environments, 

and we’ve seen how learner-led 

design and the effective use of 

colour can improve learning 

outcomes. Research conducted 

through the SSAT network** has 

shown that following the Smarter 

Spaces renovation undertaken at 

Upton-by-Chester High School, 

student attendance increased from 

90% to 92% and year 7 groups 

using the space are making greater 

progress against their targets than 

other groups that don’t have access 

to the room.” 

“We’re confident that Lawley 

Primary will see the educational 

benefits of this magnificent 

makeover right away.” 

Mrs Carol McQuiggin, Head 

Teacher at Lawley Primary School, 

said: “We are all absolutely over the 

moon to be winners of the Dulux 

Smarter Spaces competition. It’s 

fantastic for the children to see 

their ideas materialise, and the 

makeover has provided a lovely start 

to 2018 for us!” 

P J Arnold, Ltd, a trusted 

Contract Partner based in the West 

Midlands completed the works in 

just seven days. Dulux Trade 

Diamond Matt, a highly durable 

emulsion, was chosen for its longlasting 

finish, with Diamond Matt 

used on the feature wall (50BB 

18/276, 87GG 51/291, 93YY 52/598 

and 77GY 33/506) and on the 

broadwall (66YY 88/114). 

The Dulux Smarter Spaces team 

works in partnership with schools to 

find the best solution for their 

particular needs, from making sure 

they are matched with a quality 

decorating contractor to ensuring 

every aspect of the project is 

smoothly managed. Offering expert 

colour and design expertise, the 

service helps schools get the most 

out of their environment within 

their budget and allows teachers 

and head teachers to focus on 

running the school. 

For further information on Dulux 

Smarter Spaces please visit 

www.duluxsmarterspaces.co.uk or 

call 0333 222 7022. 


SOCIAL HOUSING 

Head to the bathroom to future-proof longer term tenancies 

Housing providers are being 

offered a new solution to 

help accommodate the 

needs of the growing 

number of older private and social 

renters- a market sector that has 

more than doubled in a decade. 

Closomat, Britain’s leading 

manufacturer and supplier of toilet 

technology for elderly and disabled 

people, is developing a range of 

stylish fixtures to future-proof homes 

to accommodate tenants’ needs as 

they change with age. 

Central to the package are 

Closomat’s wash & dry (automatic 

shower) toilets. The units look likeand 

can be used as- conventional 

WCs, but have integrated douching 

and drying, which can be selected as 

each user wants or requires. The 

douching and drying processes save 

the user having to wipe clean- or be 

wiped clean- with toilet tissue, of 

benefit for example with the onset of 

mobility, dexterity impairing 

conditions. 

Closomat is the only wash & dry 

toilet supplier in the UK to 

manufacture in Britain. Its range 

covers contemporary wall-hung WCs 

to floor-standing automatic height 

adjustable variants. Uniquely in its 

sector, it is the only company that 

also has an in-house service & 

maintenance team, ensuring timely 

facilities management of the kit. 

“The bathroom is the most 

common room to be altered under a 

housing adaptation, and changes to 

the toilet one of the most common 

alterations therein,” explains Robin 

Tuffley, Closomat marketing manager. 

“Installing a Closomat at the outset 

can save that disruption and cost. 

Uniquely too, our brand leading Palma 

Vita can be retrospectively accessorised 

to accommodate changing needs, so 

further future-proofs the capital 

investment. 

“Provision of such fixtures also 

means the tenant isn’t being forced 

to live in unsuitable accommodation, 

or have care, during the often lengthy 

process of organising the adaptation. 

In private housing, wash & dry toilets 

are becoming more widely known 

about, and viewed as an aspirational 

fixture that enhances the user’s 

wellbeing and intimate hygiene. In 

this sector, the concept can be used 

as a marketing tool, enhancing the 

appeal, rentability and rent level of 

the property.” 

The Centre for Ageing Better is 

already lobbying for housing providers 

to change their approach, and provide 

longer-term tenancies, and more 

accommodation for older people. 

Many potential tenants do not want 

the financial burden of selling their 

existing and buying a new, more 

appropriate home. Many can’t access 

social housing but can’t afford to buy. 

Research shows older tenants tend to 

be more satisfied with renting too. 

Adds Robin Tuffley, “Research 

suggests that up to a third of 60 year 

olds will be renting by 2040, so it’s a 

market that is going to expand, and is 

therefore worth accommodatingeven 

in such detail as bathroom 

fixtures.” 

Closomat’s website www.clos-omat.com 

covers all technical details in 

terms of selection and purchase, and 

includes details of ‘try before you buy’ 

centres, specification clauses, and 

‘how it works’ videos. 

Tel: 0161 9691199 

www.clos-o-mat.com 

Cheshire East and High Peak to receive major boost 

following Trust’s five-year plan 

Living standards, housing stock 

and local communities in 

Cheshire East and High Peak 

are set to benefit from a 

major boost with help from Peaks & 

Plains Housing Trust’s five-year plan. 

The plan, which sets out how the 

Trust will help to improve lives and 

local communities, will see a total of 

£30million invested across both 

Cheshire East and High Peak. This 

will be used to make its customers’ 

homes safer, warmer and more 

comfortable places to live. 

The Trust will help address the 

national housing shortage by 

building 750 high quality homes for 

affordable and private rent and sale. 

It has also pledged to deliver 

ambitious regeneration plans for 

areas like Macclesfield to make it an 

attractive and sustainable 

community for all. This includes 

regenerating Moss Estate and 

injecting new life into derelict 

buildings in the town centre to 

transform the area. 

In response to customer 

feedback, Peaks & Plains will also 

continue to develop its digital 

services over the next five years to 

deliver a first-class, convenient and 

accessible service for tenants, from 

24-hour repairs booking to even 

slicker online rental payments. 

The Trust is committed to 

improving lives, having 

demonstrated this over the past year 

by investing £2.7million on housing 

improvements, supporting well over 

9,000 people through its wellbeing 

services, and building 117 new 

homes across Cheshire and the High 

Peak. 

Tim Pinder, CEO of Peaks & Plains 

Housing Trust, said: “Over the next 

five years we will continue to be a 

great landlord and deliver first class 

services to new and existing 

customers. 

“We want to create homes in 

neighbourhoods that are sustainable, 

vibrant, well connected and 

thoughtfully designed, including 

regions like Cheshire and High Peak. 

“Innovation will be key to 

ensuring we do this over the next 

five years. So, we want to move 

away from a one-size-fits-all 

approach and use technology to 

enable us to better understand 

customers’ individual needs. We’ll be 

working in partnership with experts 

across all we do to ensure we create 

great places to live and deliver first 

rate services.” 

For more information on the fiveyear 

plan, please visit 

www.peaksplains.org/media/24434 

1/Five-Year-Plan-2018.pdf and a 

summary of the key points can be 

found below: 

FIVE-YEAR PLAN SUMMARY 

• Priority objective 1: Be a great landlord 

• Be clear about what we do for our customers and what we expect in return. 

• Priority objective 2: Invest in and enhance existing homes 

• Invest £30 million in the upkeep of our homes. 

• Priority objective 3: Create great places to live 

• Deliver ambitious regeneration plans for Sunderland Street, Macclesfield Town 

Centre and the Moss Estate in partnership with key players in the region. 

• Priority objective 4: Build 750 new homes across all tenures 

Build 750 quality homes mainly for affordable rent, with a third for market 

rent and sale, trial modular construction to build our experience and 

capability in this area, increase efficiency in new builds. 



Eyesore shops stood empty for 20 years 

transformed into affordable homes 

The empty row of shops on Chapel Road, Prestwich, before they were 

converted into homes. 

The new homes on Chapel New Road, Prestwich. 

Six derelict shops in Salford and 

Prestwich, some of which have 

stood empty for two decades, 

have been transformed into 

affordable homes. 

The former commercial properties, 

five of which are located on Chapel 

Road in Rainsough Brow and one 

situated on Eccles New Road in 

Langworthy, have been completely 

revamped and converted into modern 

two-bedroom apartments for people 

in housing need at affordable rents. 

The project to bring the empty 

buildings back into use has been 

carried out by Salix Living – the 

private sector leasing arm of Salford 

housing association Salix Homes, 

working alongside Salford Council 

and contractor Jackson Jackson and 

Sons. 

The ambitious regeneration 

project received £255,000 from the 

Homes England Empty Homes 

Funding programme, and has given a 

new lease of life to the abandoned 

buildings, previously branded an 

eyesore. 

Jonathan Drake, service director 

for Salix Living, said: “With more than 

6,500 people on the housing waiting 

list in Salford alone, it’s a crying 

shame to see empty buildings left to 

go to rack and ruin when for a bit of 

investment they could be transformed 

into desperately needed housing. 

“Some of these derelict shops 

have stood empty for around 20 years 

creating a real eyesore in the 

community, so we are delighted to 

bring them back to life, providing 

local people with a safe and 

affordable place to call home. 

“To date, working with Salford 

Council and private landlords, Salix 

Living has created more than 170 new 

homes for local people at affordable 

rents, by bringing abandoned 

properties back into use, helping to 

unlock affordable living across Salford 

and Greater Manchester.” 

Richard Broadfield, is the first 

tenant to move into the new 

apartment on Eccles New Road. He 

said: “I think what Salix Living is 

doing with empty properties is 

fantastic for Salford. By taking an old 

building that was lying unused and 

totally converting it, they have 

turned it into a lovely new apartment 

for me and my son. We’re delighted 

with the property and can’t wait to 

settle in.” 

Kieren McDonnell, managing 

director at Jackson Jackson and Sons, 

added: “We are proud to have 

partnered with Salix Living in the 

conversion of the disused shops into 

much needed affordable housing in 

Salford and Prestwich. 

“Both projects involved significant 

challenges that required specialist 

construction knowledge that the 

Jackson team brings. The successful 

delivery of this work validates our 

position as a national leader in 

managing construction projects that 

improve and enhance facilities in our 

communities.” 

Salix Living is currently working 

on further renovation projects across 

Salford to bring empty buildings back 

into use. This includes transforming 

The Star Inn - a disused pub in Eccles, 

into six new apartments which will 

available to rent in the near future, 

plus converting a disused shop on 

Lower Broughton Road, which is set 

to be completed in 2019. 

www.salixliving.co.uk 

The derelict shop on Eccles New Road before it was converted. 

Richard Broadfield is the first tenant to move into the converted shop on 

Eccles New Road in Salford. He is pictured here with Edward Sawford, 

manager at Salix Living. 



Coventry estate team win national award for 

considerate construction 

Amajor homes refurbishment 

project carried out by 

regeneration specialist 

Lovell at Coventry’s Manor 

Farm estate has received a national 

accolade for considerate 

construction. 

The Considerate Constructors 

Scheme has presented a Bronze 

National Site Award to the Lovell 

team recognising their communitycentred 

delivery of Whitefriars 

Housing’s large-scale homes 

improvement project. The year-long 

construction programme, which will 

be completed this summer, has 

transformed 300 estate homes with 

new external wall insulation, 

windows, doors and flat roofs. 

The Manor Farm refurbishment 

programme was one of only 816 

construction projects out of more 

than 6,500 registered with the 

national Considerate Constructors 

Scheme to achieve an award – one 

of the industry’s most-respected 

accolades – in 2018. The National 

Site Awards recognise construction 

projects which show the highest 

levels of consideration to the public, 

the workforce and the environment. 

Lovell regional refurbishment 

director Carl Yale says: “Putting local 

people and the community at the 

heart of the major homes 

improvement programme at Manor 

Farm has been key to our approach 

throughout and an important factor 

in the project’s success. I’m 

extremely pleased that our team’s 

focus on involving and working with 

local residents and our partners at 

Whitefriars has been recognised by 

this National Site Award from the 

Considerate Constructors Scheme.” 

The Scheme assessors praised the 

scheme as ‘an excellent site with 

regards to all aspects of considerate 

construction’, highlighting the work 

by the site team to engage with 

estate residents. This included 

establishing a garden tool loan club, 

which gives access to free gardening 

equipment to estate households and 

initiatives with schools, including 

visits to the scheme by students. As 

part of its commitment to 

protecting the environment, Lovell 

also provided residents with watersaving 

kits. More than 99 per cent of 

construction waste on site was 

recycled, including surplus pallets 

and timber being donated to a local 

recycling company. The project also 

provided training opportunities for 

people locally, including work 

experience placements for 

apprentices and school students. 

Considerate Constructors Scheme 

chief executive Edward Hardy says: 

“The growth of the National Site 

Awards year-on-year reflects the 

expansion of the construction 

industry’s commitment to raise 

standards in considerate 

construction across an ever 

increasing number of sites 

throughout the UK and Ireland. This 

year’s award-winning sites have all 

demonstrated a relentless 

commitment to help improve the 

image of our industry.” 

www.lovell.co.uk 

Horbury becomes approved supplier on Northern 

Housing Consortium framework 

Horbury Property Services, 

part of the Horbury Group, 

is celebrating securing 

approval on the Northern 

Housing Consortium Framework as 

the number one provider of passive 

fire safety services to its member 

organisations across the North of 

England. 

The contract, which started in 

May, with the potential to run for 

four years, will see Horbury Property 

Services providing fire door and fire 

compartmentation inspection and 

remediation services. 

Richard Sutton, General Manager 

at Horbury Property Services, said: 

“This is the latest in a number of 

framework approvals we have 

secured for fire safety, as we 

continue to demonstrate our 

expertise in the housing sector. We 

have our own experienced and 

certified team, with the capabilities 

to deliver fire safety works to the 

highest standards to ensure 

compliance to the regulations.” 

As well as providing passive fire 

services, Horbury Property Services 

provides a full range of works, which 

can form part of planned 

maintenance programmes. This 

includes fire alarm and emergency 

light testing, plus ceiling and dry 

wall partitioning inspection, 

installation, repair and maintenance 

of fire doors, joinery works, flooring 

installation, portable appliance 

testing, electrical testing and 

installation work, building fabric 

repairs as well as external cladding 

and render repairs. Horbury Property 

Services is FIRAS certified for the 

following: Fire Rated Partitions & 

Ceilings; Fire Rated Timber Doorsets; 

Penetration Sealing Systems; Cavity 

Barriers and Fire Door Maintenance. 

In addition, the wider Horbury 

Group provides painting and 

decorating, flooring refurbishment 

and installation, amongst others. 

The Horbury Group has its head 

office in South Yorkshire, plus 

regional offices in London and South 

Wales, ensuring a national capability. 

This regional presence enables its 

teams to successfully deliver 

responsive repairs or large planned 

refurbishment and maintenance 

programmes. 

The Northern Housing 

Consortium is a membership 

organisation which represents the 

views of housing organisations in 

the North of England. Its members 

are made up of local authorities, 

ALMOs and associations that provide 

social housing for tenants in the 

North. 

Consortium Procurement is the 

national procurement function of 

the Northern Housing Consortium 

and covers the whole of the United 

Kingdom. It provides a wide range of 

housing, property and social related 

procurement frameworks and 

solutions, helping members to make 

efficiency savings, whilst continuing 

to deliver key housing services to 

their tenants and residents. 

For more details, visit 

www.horburypropertyservices.com 

or call 01709 917555. 


HEATING & VENTILATION 

e-Series to the rescue for Contour Homes 

When Contour Homes was 

looking for a new chiller 

due to ongoing 

problems with its old 

one, Preston based GOS Mechanical 

& Electrical Ltd recommended the 

installation of three Mitsubishi 

Electric EAHV-P900YA-N e-series 

heat pump chillers to provide a lowcarbon, 

cost-effective option for the 

Housing Association. 

Contour Homes, part of the 

Symphony Housing Group, is one of 

Manchester’s largest registered social 

landlords with over 12,000 properties 

under its ownership and 

management across 23 local 

authorities. 

The Housing Association provides 

a wide range of services from a 

number of local offices throughout 

the North West. Its main office, 

based on Christie Way, West 

Didsbury, once belonged to leading 

pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca. It 

comprises offices and meeting rooms 

and is staffed during office hours. 

“Our chiller had failed and we 

had been trying to get it replaced for 

a number of years due to complaints 

from staff,” explained Rob Brierley, 

Gas Technical Surveyor at Contour 

Homes. “The offices often overheated 

during the summer and it wasn’t a 

good working environment.” 

The existing chiller system 

eventually failed in September 2017, 

so when funds became available a 

new chiller system was a high 

priority. As well as the efficiency 

benefits of the new system, there 

were other factors to be taken in to 

account before the new chillers 

could be installed. 

One problem with the old system 

was the level of noise it created. 

Employers have a duty of care to 

ensure their workers are not exposed 

to excessive noise. Prolonged 

exposure to noise can lead to 

gradual hearing loss, so a much 

quieter system was sought for this 

project. By utilising highly efficient 

components within a uniquely 

shaped chiller, the e-series offers low 

noise levels. 

Cooling is one of the main 

contributors to energy usage in 

buildings, so Contour Homes’ new 

system had to be energy efficient to 

help the building comply with 

modern efficiency requirements, such 

as the Minimum Energy Performance 

Standard, which came into force on 

1st April 2018. 

Another potential issue was the 

fact the existing plant space is 

extremely tight, making access to the 

area very difficult. Interruption to 

office opening hours and staff 

activity also had to be kept to a 

minimum. 

Preston based GOS Mechanical & 

Electrical Ltd has years of experience 

in providing mechanical, plumbing 

and boiler services throughout 

Preston and Lancashire. They 

completed the installation between 

October 2017 and December 2017. 

Peter Jackson, Managing Director 

at GOS Mechanical & Electrical Ltd, 

believes the choice of chiller played 

a key role in ensuring a 

straightforward installation. He said: 

“The e-series chiller was a sensible 

choice as it 

was available 

immediately. The 

only concern we 

had was the tight 

working space, but 

the flexibility of 

Mitsubishi Electric’s 

modular approach 

meant it could be easily 

manoeuvred into position.” 

The e-series’ unique 

modular approach allows up 

to six individual units to be 

connected together to provide 

a system capacity from 90kW to 

540kW. Using this modular 

approach reduces space 

requirements and simplifies lifting 

and installation. 

The e-series modular chiller has 

two inverter driven compressors that 

allow the unit to operate between 8% - 

100% of capacity. By having a broad 

operating range the e-series has 

exceptional part load efficiencies which is 

where most systems will operate. 

Contour Homes is delighted with the new 

system, which provides the office building with 

a cooling capacity of 270kW as Rob Brierley 

concludes: “Mitsubishi Electric has provided us 

with a modern, reliable and energy efficient chiller 

that I’m sure will prove to be a great investment in 

the long term.” 

http://gb.mitsubishielectric.com/en/products/airconditioning/index.page 


HEATING & VENTILATION 

Finding perfect comfort in the heart of 

Shakespeare country 

Carole Titmuss visits a new hotel in the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon and looks at how guest comfort and energy 

efficiency are made to go hand in hand. 

In my role as editor of Refurb Projects I do get to visit 

some lovely buildings and a perfect example of a 

stunning restoration is the new Hotel du Vin in 

Stratford-upon-Avon. 

I was invited as part of a Press Visit by Mitsubishi 

Electric which has launched the only viable R32 VRF air 

conditioning system currently available in the UK with 

their new Hybrid VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) solution. 

The venue was chosen because part of the 

refurbishment saw the hotel being fitted with a Hybrid air 

conditioning solution – albeit one using the current 

refrigerant of choice, R410A. I won’t go into the reasons 

behind the switch from R410A refrigerant to R32 but 

there are several articles on the Hub such as this one, 

which explain the details and the need for equipment 

with a low Global Warming Potential. 

A beautiful conversion 

The newest member of the Hotel du Vin brand, which 

opened in May, is a sympathetic conversion of two grade 

II-listed townhouses, right in the heart of this historic 

town. 

Over the years the buildings have had a variety of 

uses including being the home to the Embassy Club and 

being used as both houses and offices. 

Judging from my short visit, the refurbishment 

encompasses everything that the Hotel du Vin brand is 

renowned for, with 46 stunning bedrooms and suites that 

are complemented by the Bistro – which focuses on 

home-style French cooking, robust earthy dishes and 

slow-cooked foods. 

Two gorgeous private dining rooms, an event space 

that accommodates up to 70 people and an outdoor al 

fresco eating area add further style and space to this 

superb refurbishment. 

Hybrid air conditioning 

The converted building uses Mitsubishi Electric’s unique 

Hybrid VRF air conditioning to offer complete, 

controllable comfort for guests and uses the company’s 

new touch screen room controllers. 

Air conditioning is increasingly important in the hotel 

sector but refrigerant-based systems are now subject to 

BS EN378, which requires additional leak detection to be 

fitted in every occupied room, leading to additional install 

costs and extra annual maintenance. 

The Hybrid VRF system minimises the amount of 

on-site refrigerant, removing any need for leak 

detection within the bedrooms and helping reducing 

annual maintenance for the Hotel. 

Opening the hotel has taken a lot of dedicated 

work from both the tradespeople involved and the 

Hotel staff as Nicolas Jefford, General Manager Hotel 

du Vin Stratford explains: “Our team has worked 

incredibly hard over the last few months to ensure we 

can bring a much-needed boutique hotel and bistro 

to the area, which is befitting of a town with so much 

character and history. 

“Every aspect of our focus is on absolute guest 

comfort and this runs through everything from the 

décor, the service and the feeling within each room. 

It is therefore vital that we have reliable heating and 

cooling that both we and our guests can control, so 

that we can provide the right environment with 

minimum energy use. 

Commenting on the Hybrid VRF air conditioning, 

Mr Jefford said: “It’s still early days but so far, we have 

been impressed with the system.” 

How Hybrid works 

Hybrid VRF offers the same flexibility of design and 

operation as traditional VRF air conditioning systems 

but uses water to transfer heating or cooling to 

individual rooms. The use of water also delivers room 

comfort usually associated with chiller technology. 

The outdoor condensing unit is linked to a Hybrid 

brand controller (HBC) box by refrigerant piping but 

from the HBC, water is used to transfer heating or 

cooling to the individual rooms, which means there is no 

refrigerant at all in occupied spaces and the Hotel does 

not face the additional costs of installing leak detection 

monitors, or the cost of annually calibrating each one. 

The other thing that impressed me about the system 

was the new room controller that had been chosen. It 

offers guests simple control of their room temperature 

in an easy to understand touch screen system, but is 

also connected to the Hotel’s overall control system. 

Staff can therefore ensure that equipment is not 

running when rooms are empty, or can make sure the 

bedrooms are comfortable before guests arrive in the 

most energy efficient way possible. 

All in all it was a most enjoyable visit and shows how 

quality and efficiency can (and should) go hand in hand. 

I definitely know where I’ll be staying the next time 

I visit Shakespeare country! 

Carole Titmuss is editor and publisher of Refurb Projects. 

https://les.mitsubishielectric.co.uk/the-hub 

www.hotelduvin.com 


PROJECTS 

Theatre ‘goes dark’ as £7.5m refurbishment gets underway 

It’s shone a light on some of the 

biggest stars in theatre and 

music over the last 90 years. But 

Mayflower Theatre has ‘gone 

dark’ as a £7.5m refurbishment 

project gets underway. 

The iconic Southampton venue, 

which has seen the likes of Julie 

Andrews, Laurel and Hardy, Michael 

McIntyre, Take That and even The 

Beatles tread its boards, has flicked 

off the lights and temporarily 

closed the doors as it undergoes its 

biggest makeover in the last three 

decades. 

The multi-million pound project 

will ensure the theatre remains best 

in class and continues to draw in 

hundreds of thousands of people to 

the city. Every year more than 

500,000 people visit Mayflower 

Theatre, spending money locally 

while in the city and boosting the 

local economy. 

Among the work that will take 

place during the 11-week project 

will be: 

• the entire auditorium, with a 

brand-new red and gold colour 

scheme 

• Removing all of the seats in the 

stalls and circle and replacing 

with 1,659 brand-new (and 

wider) seats 

• Reupholstering all seats in the 

balcony 

• Installing new environmentallyfriendly 

LED lighting 

• Increasing accessibility, with 

better facilities for people with 

disabilities 

• Moving the orchestra pit to 

under the stage 

• Renovating the plasterwork 

As part of the theatre’s 

commitment to protecting the 

environment, 63 per cent of waste 

from the refurbishment project will 

be recycled. 

An army of contractors, many of 

whom are from the local area, will 

work day and night on the project. 

At the height of the construction 

programme there could be up to 120 

different tradesmen and women on 

site per day. 

The project has been welcomed by 

Southampton Cultural Development 

Trust, which says that Mayflower 

Theatre plays an important part in the 

city’s cultural offering. 

Chairman Brad Roynon said: 

“Mayflower Theatre doesn’t just 

bring in huge shows and hundreds 

of thousands of visitors to the city 

every year. It also plays an important 

part in connecting new audiences 

with theatre and inspiring young 

people to get involved in the arts. 

“It’s therefore absolutely vital 

that we preserve this historic and 

culturally important venue to ensure 

it remains, and develops further, as a 

catalyst for the growth of arts and 

culture.” 

Michael Ockwell, chief executive 

of Mayflower Theatre, said: “Closing 

our doors for just over three months 

isn’t a decision we take lightly but 

this work is absolutely vital to make 

sure the next generation of theatregoers 

and performers have access to 

a world-class facility. 

“This is without doubt the most 

significant refurbishment project 

that the theatre has seen in the last 

three decades and we’re incredibly 

excited to get work underway.” 

All permanent theatre staff will 

have the chance to volunteer with 

local charities and organisations 

while the refurbishment project goes 

on. Employees have already lent 

their skills to gardening at Countess 

Mountbatten Hospice. 

The venue opened on December 

22, 1928 as the Empire Theatre, 

becoming The Gaumont in 1950 and 

eventually Mayflower Theatre in 

1987. It remains the largest theatre 

in the south of England and attracts 

500,000 visitors a year. It employs 

230 staff. 

www.mayflower.org.uk 

Aggregate Industries’ 

innovative Lytag solution 

was the product of choice 

when it came to helping 

to lighten the load of a new 

upmarket commercial build in 

Edinburgh city centre. 

Located in the heart of the 

city’s Exchange District, the £24m 

2 Semple Street development has 

been designed to help alleviate 

the Scottish Capital’s chronic 

shortage of Grade A office 

accommodation. With an onus on 

energy efficiency and superb 

design, the newly-opened building 

boasts 45,000 sq ft of cuttingedge 

office and retail space, over 

five storeys. 

In terms of the flooring 

specification the challenge for 

awarded concrete and screed 

specialists, Advance Flooring 

Solutions was to procure a 

concrete solution which would 

enable minimal size slabs and help 

reduce the overall dead load of 

the building. 

The obvious choice then was 

Lytag from Aggregate industries; a 

highly innovative lightweight 

concrete which can effectively 

reduce the dead load of 

approximately 25% over normal 

weight control, while offering the 

same level of structural 

performance. 

In total, 744m3 of Lytag was 

supplied for the completion of the 

five floors over the course of eight 

months. This was supported with a 

robust delivery framework ensuring 

that all batches arrived on time and 

to the exact specification – thus 

negating the risk of cold joints. 

Stephen McKenna, Commercial 

Manager at Advance Flooring 

Solutions said: “Lytag is a fantastic 

product which was well-matched to 

this high calibre project for the 

Scottish capital. Supported with a 

Lytag helps make light work of 

New Edinburgh Exchange 

district landmark 

meticulous delivery plan, the concrete 

supply was first-class from Aggregate 

Industries – we’d like to pass on our 

thanks to all involved.” 

Barry Mellor Commercial & 

Technical Manager for Lytag comments: 

“From working with Advance Flooring 

Solutions at the early stages, we were 

able to put a stringent plan in place to 

ensure a continuity and consistency of 

product supply, ensuring the team had 

the exact specific technical and quality 

specification of Lytag as and when they 

needed it.” 

In production for more than 50 

years, Lytag secondary aggregate is 

made using innovative technology 

which transforms fly ash into small 

pellets which are then heated to 

1,100°C. The pellets formed are 

rounded in shape and range in size 

from 14 mm down to fines and can 

be used as a superior, consistent, 

lightweight aggregate. 

For more information on Lytag call 

01904 727922 or visit 

www.lytag.com 


PROJECTS 

Bespoke wall panelling from Armstrong Ceilings helps 

Hackney to award-winning heights 

Key feature of town hall refurbishment was bespoke acoustic wall panels by Armstrong. 

Customised wall panels by 

Armstrong Ceiling Solutions 

have proved a key feature in 

the award-winning 

refurbishment of the Grade II listed 

Hackney Town Hall. 

The folded bronze anodised 

aluminium panels were selected by 

regular Armstrong specifiers 

Hawkins\Brown architects for the 

end walls of two underused interior 

service courtyards that have been 

transformed into full-height multifunctional 

atria as part of the 

redevelopment. 

The bespoke wall panels were 

custom perforated by laser into a 

pattern that mimics the original 

walls behind, including aged 

brickwork, Crittall windows, drain 

pipes and services. They serve to 

conceal new ducts linked to the 

smoke ventilation system and feature 

an acoustic fleece behind the panels 

to absorb sound. 

Some 110m2 of the 1.5mm WH- 

1000 2m x 1m panels, which also 

feature a butterfly effect, where 

random perforations have been 

fabricated into “wings” to dapple the 

light, were installed by specialist 

Omega sub-contractor Roskel 

Contracts for main contractor 

Osborne onto a lightweight steel 

framing system on the walls at the 

eastern ends of the north and south 

atria. 

These were complemented by 

anodised trough boxes containing 

continuous strips of LED lights at the 

top of each three-storey wall. 

Hawkins/Brown associate director 

Chloe Marshall said: “We wanted to 

choose a standard proprietary 

acoustic wall cladding system for 

which we could customise the 

perforation pattern and selected the 

W-H 1000 Armstrong product after 

advice from the representative that 

this would meet our performance 

requirements and design intent.” 

Hawkins Brown then created two 

abstract images of each original 

windowed brick wall using the 

computer programme Grasshopper 

through which they programmed in 

the technical and aesthetic 

parameters and “plugged in” 

photographs. 

“It was important to us that the 

perforation pattern could be 

customised to create a new feature 

within the rooms rather than a 

dominating plain rear wall. A 

bronzed finish was selected to link to 

the historic building materials of the 

1930s interior and to interface well 

with the London Stock brickwork 

and painted steel structure of the 

new ETFE roof.” 

Roskel director Alan Brown 

added: “The panels were perforated 

to individual patterns and when 

combined formed the overall image. 

The perforation pattern and anodised 

finish were new to Armstrong and 

proved challenging but the desired 

finish and visual effect were 

achieved.” 

Built in 1937 to an Art Decostyle 

design by architects Lanchester 

and Lodge, Hackney Town Hall has 

been the subject of an exhaustive 

12-year and 12,500m2 restoration 

and refurbishment programme 

throughout which it has remained 

fully open. 

Previously shabby and in need of 

investment to create more office 

space, many of the building’s original 

Art Deco fittings and fixtures had 

been left intact, and this combined 

with a forward-thinking local 

authority, meant the planners were 

very open to new ideas and 

interventions, the Armstrong walls 

being just one of many elements. 

In the new atria, the brickwork is 

topped by a continuous steel ring 

beam that supports the new ETFE 

roof spanned by secondary beams. 

The former service yard’s basement 

floor has been raised to ground-floor 

level to allow level access from the 

refurbished marriage suites which 

now open onto the new atria’s resin 

terrazzo floor. 

Armstrong representative Alastair 

Wilson said: “The client’s requirement 

was for a tough, sustainable wall 

that had a unique look and was 

sympathetic with the building’s 

existing features. 

Hawkins\Brown worked with us 

to design the required solution. 

Armstrong was specified because of 

our approach, design concepts and 

ability to realise the vision required.” 

As well as creating 66% more 

office space, the refurbishment of 

Hackney Town Hall, as part of a 

wider masterplan for the London 

Borough of Hackney, has made the 

building more energy efficient. 

During the programme of works 97% 

of waste was diverted from landfill. 

Hackney Town Hall won a 2018 

RIBA Award (London Part 2). The 

judges said: “This long-term, multiphased 

conservation project is more 

than a refurbishment, as certain 

architectural moves have made 

significant improvements. These have 

generally been well-judged but the 

really impressive work has gone into 

the detailing. Nowhere has any cost 

or effort been spared so that the 

refurbishment has been carried out 

to the very highest standards. The 

overall detailing is impeccable and is 

the most rewarding aspect of the 

project.” 

More information is accessible via 

the Armstrong Ceilings website 

https://www.armstrongceilings.com/ 

commercial/en-gb/. 

Further information about the 

project is available via the 

Hawkins\Brown website 

www.hawkinsbrown.com/projects/ 

hackney-town-hall 


The Faversham Brewery, the 

oldest working brewery in the 

UK, recently undertook a 

restoration project to restore 

their Brew House and enhance the 

key architectural features that had 

been lost, including the original cast 

iron gutters. Provided by Marley 

Alutec, the Faversham Brewery’s 

rainwater system replicates the 

original Victorian aesthetic, whilst 

enjoying all the benefits of marine 

grade aluminium. 

Shepherd Neame is Britain’s 

oldest brewer - and while 1698 is 

the Brewery’s official founding date, 

there is clear evidence that its 

heritage pre-dates even this period. 

Located in Kent, beer production has 

taken place on this site for centuries 

and whilst Shepherd Neame’s 

dedication to brewing great beer has 

never wavered, the Victorian brew 

house was in need of restoration. 

During this time, the building 

had lost some of its key features - 

including the original cast iron 

gutters, which had been replaced 

with modern non-characteristic 

guttering. Re-establishing the 

heritage characteristics of the 

building was important to the 

history of the brewery and Jonathan 

Arthur, Senior Surveyor for the 

Brewery, felt strongly that a 

complete restoration was required. 

Jonathan commented: “After 

looking at several products, we 

approached Marley Alutec to help 

specify and design a suitable 

aluminium rainwater system for the 

restoration. The high quality range 

PROJECTS 

Britain’s oldest brewery benefits from aluminium rainwater systems 

of products on offer and the 

benefits of using a marine grade 

aluminium system immediately 

impressed us.” 

Alutec Area Sales Manager, 

Simon Lepine advised on the project 

and recommended Moulded Ogee 

from the Traditional range. 

Manufactured to original British 

Standard cast iron dimensions, this 

traditional style bolted selection of 

guttering is powder coated to mimic 

the appearance of cast iron gutters 

whilst being significantly lighter and 

easier to install. 

In addition to the ease of 

installation, there is little to no 

maintenance across the lifespan of 

the product. It doesn’t require 

painting and needs minimal cleaning, 

giving the product a low lifetime cost. 

The project was also ideal for 

Marley Alutec’s new 102 Tudor 

Downpipe, so much so that planned 

production was brought forward to 

accommodate requirements. 

SG Refurbishment was 

contracted to complete the 

installation, the first contractor to 

work with the 102 Tudor Downpipe. 

The Alutec team was also on-hand 

to help address any installation 

queries. 

“From quote to final product, 

Marley Alutec was readily available 

and bent over backwards to help 

out,” said Gary Gillett, Company 

Director for SG Refurbishment. 

“Simon Lepine came to site a 

number of times, and any issues or 

queries we had were resolved 

quickly. The team also kept us fully 

up to date, with lead times and 

delivery schedules. 

“The installation process was an 

absolute pleasure – everything 

arrived as ordered, and the systems 

were very quick and easy to install.” 

Jonathan Arthur oversaw the 

installation, and worked closely with 

Simon and Gary during this time. 

During the restoration – which also 

included the replacement of the 

roof, heritage joinery, stone and 

brickwork restoration, decorating 

and the complete refurbishment of 

the Brew Houses original Mash Tuns 

1A and 1B - the brewery remained 

operational and open for tours and 

events. This meant ensuring the 

safety and protection of brewers, 

visitors and office staff. 

Marley Alutec and SG 

Refurbishment complied with the 

required safety standards, protecting 

occupants of the building during the 

extensive refurbishment and allowed 

the brewery to continue its large 

scale operations. 

The refurbishment has been 

completed and the brewery now 

benefits from a rainwater system 

that is sympathetic to the original 

Victorian appearance, whilst 

requiring little to no maintenance 

and keeping the historic building 

free from water ingress. 

“The finish is absolutely perfect,” 

said Jonathan. “We’ve had no 

problems with the rainwater systems 

since installation and they look 

great. The contractor did a fantastic 

job, and any architectural issues 

were solved swiftly with the 

combined efforts of Gary and Simon. 

“Due to the hard work of 

everyone involved, Shepherd Neame 

has been restored to its stunning 

historical beauty.” 

For more information on Marley 

Alutec, please visit 

www.marleyalutec.co.uk 

Developers join forces for ambitious north east housing scheme 

ANORTH EAST company 

which specialises in 

developing historic buildings 

has joined forces with the 

owners of a prestigious property to 

create a new housing scheme. 

Plans are currently being 

developed to convert The Coach 

House at The Drive, Gosforth into 

luxury apartments and houses by 

North East-based FiftyTwo Group, in 

conjunction with McDougall Dodds 

Limited, who own the property. 

Subject to planning approval, the 

stylish joint development will retain 

all of the historic features of the 

building which is located in the 

heart of an upmarket residential 

area. 

McDougall Dodds, a family- run 

business with property holdings in 

the Gosforth area, has owned the 

building since the 1970s. Chris 

Summers, Managing Director, said he 

had spent some time finding the 

right company to work with. 

“I have seen what the FiftyTwo 

Group has achieved with their 

development at Old Elvet in Durham, 

transforming a Grade II listed 

building into 12 luxury homes,” he 

said. 

“And I realised they had exactly 

the right kind of understanding to 

sympathetically develop the property 

and retain the character of the 

building while still creating luxury 

accommodation.” 

The Coach House, together with 

the Gatehouse which is also located 

at the Drive, are the last remaining 

parts of Coxlodge Hall, a mansion 

built in Gosforth by Job Bulman in 

1796 which occupied a site of more 

than 30 acres. 

The magnificent house itself was 

destroyed by fire in 1877 but was 

rebuilt two years later and passed 

through a number of owners until it 

became a private school, eventually 

being demolished in 1939. 

The Coach House has been in use 

as offices since the 1950s but the 

planned scheme – if given the green 

light – will see the Grade II listed 

building restored to residential 

accommodation and ensure its 

future. 

The FiftyTwo Group was set up 

by North East entrepreneurs Fergus 

Bell and Daniel Gibson, who 

attracted international interest in 

their conversion of the former 

Durham County Club. 

“We are delighted to be working 

with Chris on what will be an 

extremely exciting development in 

one of the most prestigious 

addresses in the North East,” said 

Daniel. 

“The Coach House has had a 

fascinating history and with our 

previous experience of listed 

building development, we are 

confident that there will be a huge 

amount of interest in the plans.” 

The scheme will now be 

presented to Newcastle City Council 

and it is hoped that it will gain 

approval later in the year. 

If all goes according to plan, it is 

anticipated building will commence 

early in 2019, with a six to nine 

month conversion period, although 

the properties will be available to 

buy off plan prior to completion of 

the scheme. 

www.fiftytwo-group.com 


PROJECTS 

Arup appointed on Stadium for Bath project 

Stadium for Bath has 

appointed a leading 

engineering firm to play a 

central role in the design of 

a new community-focused stadium 

for the city. Global engineering and 

design consultancy Arup has been 

appointed by Stadium for Bath, 

which brings together Bath Rugby, 

Bath Rugby Foundation and Arena 

1865. Arup will provide an extensive 

range of building engineering and 

specialist technical services. 

The appointment follows a 

rigorous, multi-stage procurement 

process involving a series of 

workshops with the Stadium for 

Bath team. The workshops explored 

engineering challenges posed by the 

proposed site, which is positioned in 

the centre of the UNESCO World 

Heritage city. 

Arup will provide civil, 

geotechnical, structural, mechanical, 

electrical and public health 

engineering as well as ICT, audio 

visual, acoustic and specialist 

lighting design for the new 18,000 

seat, digitally-enabled stadium. 

Arup’s team will be led from Bristol 

and will work closely with the other 

firms appointed to design the 

stadium: Grimshaw Architects, Kay 

Elliot and Gross Max. 

The unique considerations and 

technical challenges that come with 

working in Bath are well understood 

by Arup – its 350-strong Bristol 

office has delivered infrastructure 

and building engineering services for 

a series of significant projects across 

the city, including the SouthGate 

shopping centre, the bus transport 

interchange and retail development 

at Bath Spa Station, and Thermae 

Bath Spa. Arup’s current project 

portfolio includes renewal of the 

former Herman Miller factory as a 

new home for Bath Spa University’s 

Bath School of Art and Design. 

Arup is recognised as a global 

leader in the design of sports stadia, 

with current and recent projects 

including new and upgraded stands 

at Lord’s in London as well as design 

of Brentford Community Stadium 

(football and rugby), and a new 

home for Italian football club, ACF 

Fiorentina. Arup’s past stadia projects 

include Twickenham, Singapore 

Sports Hub and the ‘Bird’s Nest’ built 

for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 

Commenting on the 

announcement Tarquin Mcdonald, 

Bath Rugby Chief Executive said: 

“Arup has a strong track record 

in delivering projects for sporting 

stadiums throughout the country, 

and this combined with their 

experience in working in our unique 

World Heritage City of Bath puts the 

company in a strong position to help 

deliver a stadium that the entire city 

can be proud of. 

“Arup’s expertise will be 

invaluable, and as we strive to 

create not only a home for Bath 

Rugby but a stadium for the Bath 

community. We’re looking forward 

to their design input over the 

coming months as a vision for 

Stadium for Bath begins to take 

shape.” 

Mike Cribb, Associate Director 

and Arup’s Project Manager for 

Stadium for Bath, said: 

“We’re excited to be part of this 

iconic project that that will enhance 

the city of Bath; complimenting its 

UNESCO-designated architectural 

heritage. A particular area of focus 

for us will be exploring material 

options for the stadium’s roof that 

will suit the setting and enhance the 

stadium’s atmosphere.” 

www.stadiumforbath.com 


“Full system specification” for 

Knauf at East Village, London 

Afull Knauf system specification is being used in a 

landmark development on the site of the former 

Athletes’ Village in Stratford that was a centrepiece 

of the 2012 London Olympics. Now known as East 

Village, the site already accommodates more than 6,000 

residents across 2,818 homes. 

The first element of phase two involves constructing two 

residential towers of 30 and 26 storeys which will contain a 

total of 482 apartments. The project is unique as it involves 

using the innovative “jump factory” method. The selfcontained 

factory is constructed around the outside of the 

new building. Inside, the residential tower is constructed floor 

by floor and when one is completed, the factory is ‘jumped’ 

up 3.3m to the floor above to repeat the process, revealing the 

completed building below. 

Main contractor Mace appointed subcontractors 

Conneely and AT Plastering to complete the drywalling and 

plastering elements of the project and chose to use Knauf Fill 

& Finish, Knauf Joint Filler, Knauf Airless Finish and Knauf 

Plasterboards as a full system specification. 

Dean Phillips of Conneely said: “I always use the full 

Knauf system for projects so was already familiar with using 

the products. I find the spray plaster very quick and easy to 

apply. 

“A representative from Knauf always comes to visit us on 

site to provide assistance with the product application. They 

are able to provide us with clear, easy to understand 

information and I’ve not had any problems with using the full 

Knauf system specification. Overall, using Knauf was a good 

experience from start to finish in East Village and I’d definitely 

use them again for my next project.” 

Andrew Mansfield from AT Plastering agreed. 

“Normally for a project this size you’d need 30-40 

plasterers, but using the Knauf system we only need 15 

spray plasterers. There is also no need to have the typical 

6-8 labourers to clear up wastage as using Knauf Airless 

Finish means there is almost zero waste. It’s also much 

easier to use compared to traditional plastering methods. 

The fact it is pre-mixed is a big plus for us as normally 

you’d have to wait for around two weeks after plastering 

before painters can come on site due to the cold 

temperatures and moisture associated with completing a 

construction job during the winter months.” 

Knauf Airless Finish only requires ventilation and a 

little bit of heat whereas traditional plaster requires all 

the moisture to be drawn out before paint can be applied. 

The spray plaster method allows us to expedite the whole 

process and helps reduce overall costs for projects due to 

the savings gained from reduced time and labour.” 

Manufactured from crushed and milled marble 

together with polymer and organic binders, Knauf 

Readymixed Finishing Solutions eliminate the need for a 

direct water supply on site. The significant reduction in 

product wastage is achieved through the ability to 

recycle any excess plaster back into the hopper to be 

used again. “It’s definitely the way forward,” says Andrew. 

East Village is due to be completed next year and Get 

Living London will manage the apartments upon 

completion. 

PROJECTS 

To discover more on how the Knauf Technical Services Team can assist with your next project, 

call 0800 030 4135 or alternatively email technical@knauf.co.uk. 

Britain’s oldest brewery benefits from aluminium 

rainwater systems 

The Faversham Brewery, the 

oldest working brewery in the 

UK, recently undertook a 

restoration project to restore 

their Brew House and enhance the key 

architectural features that had been 

lost, including the original cast iron 

gutters. Provided by Marley Alutec, 

the Faversham Brewery’s rainwater 

system replicates the original 

Victorian aesthetic, whilst enjoying all 

the benefits of marine grade 

aluminium. 

Shepherd Neame is Britain's oldest 

brewer - and while 1698 is the 

Brewery's official founding date, there 

is clear evidence that its heritage predates 

even this period. Located in 

Kent, beer production has taken place 

on this site for centuries and whilst 

Shepherd Neame’s dedication to 

brewing great beer has never wavered, 

the Victorian brew house was in need 

of restoration. 

During this time, the building had 

lost some of its key features - 

including the original cast iron 

gutters, which had been replaced with 

modern non-characteristic guttering. 

Re-establishing the heritage 

characteristics of the building was 

important to the history of the 

brewery and Jonathan Arthur, Senior 

Surveyor for the Brewery, felt strongly 

that a complete restoration was 

required. 

Jonathan commented: “After 

looking at several products, we 

approached Marley Alutec to help 

specify and design a suitable 

aluminium rainwater system for the 

restoration. The high quality range of 

products on offer and the benefits of 

using a marine grade aluminium 

system immediately impressed us.” 

Alutec Area Sales Manager, Simon 

Lepine advised on the project and 

recommended Moulded Ogee from 

the Traditional range. Manufactured 

to original British Standard cast iron 

dimensions, this traditional style 

bolted selection of guttering is 

powder coated to mimic the 

appearance of cast iron gutters whilst 

being significantly lighter and easier 

to install. In addition to the ease of 

installation, there is little to no 

maintenance across the lifespan of the 

product. It doesn’t require painting 

and needs minimal cleaning, giving 

the product a low lifetime cost. 

The project was also ideal for 

Marley Alutec’s new 102 Tudor 

Downpipe, so much so that planned 

production was brought forward to 

accommodate requirements. 

SG Refurbishment was contracted 

to complete the installation, the first 

contractor to work with the 102 Tudor 

Downpipe. The Alutec team was also 

on-hand to help address any 

installation queries. 

“From quote to final product, 

Marley Alutec was readily available 

and bent over backwards to help out,” 

said Gary Gillett, Company Director 

for SG Refurbishment. Marley Alutec 

and SG Refurbishment complied with 

the required safety standards, 

protecting occupants of the building 

during the extensive refurbishment 

and allowed the brewery to continue 

its large scale operations. 

The refurbishment has been 

completed and the brewery now 

benefits from a rainwater system that 

is sympathetic to the original 

Victorian appearance, whilst requiring 

little to no maintenance and keeping 

the historic building free from water 

ingress. 

For more information on Marley 

Alutec, please visit 

www.marleyalutec.co.uk. 


PROJECTS 

New Concept 3 star hotel, 3DReid's £2.7 

million Edinburgh refurbishment 

has completed a 

£2.7m refurbishment of 

3DReid 

a former student 

residence to create a three star, 45 

room hotel for Edinburgh First, the 

commercial arm of the University of 

Edinburgh. 

Working within the confines of 

the existing student room structure, 

KM Central offers a quirky ‘left 

bank' style interior concept with 

3DReid's design making use of all 

the available space to create 

comfortable and well equipped 

bedrooms and a breakfast room that 

doubles as a post graduate student 

common room. 

Italian large format concrete 

effect floor tiles were the starting 

point for the feel of the space, 

manifesting itself in industrial style 

features such as exposed ceilings 

and iron effect wall coverings. A 

lighter, more quirky and fun feel was 

brought in with an eclectic mix of 

materials, textures and furniture. 

Bright bursts of colour within the 

fixed joinery elements and furniture 

softened the industrial feel. 

Hundreds of postcards, riveted metal 

plates, and wire pigeon hole boxes 

created a variety of feature 

wallpapers, with wooden pallets 

forming the public bathroom 

ceilings and OSB rough boards, 

‘branded' with their delivery 

information, formed the WC 

cubicles. 

The breakfast room, Circa, is also 

the post graduate student common 

room, performing as a dining space 

for the hotel guests in the morning, 

and a study and relaxation space for 

the rest of the day. This allowed a 

mix of different furniture types, 

from traditional dining style tables 

and chairs to communal high table 

seating areas with power sockets for 

charging phones and laptops. 

The exposed ceilings and 

industrial materials opened up the 

space, maximising the natural light. 

In conjunction with the client, the 

team decided to use furniture rather 

than fixed screens or acoustic 

baffles to improve the acoustics. 

3DReid's design introduced high 

backed sofas and chairs (for group 

or single study) and three booth 

seats which featured TVs and 

upholstered banquette seating 

running up and over the ceiling. 

Explains Scott Torrance, Head of 

Interiors at 3DReid: "In the 

bedrooms, the compact space, 

18sqm, was a challenge and we had 

to use a series of techniques to 

make the rooms feel light and airy. 

In some rooms, we made best use of 

the floor space by having super king 

size beds which fitted into three 

corners of the room, under the 

window. The headboard also 

wrapped around three sides so the 

client could sleep any way around." 

Randomly coloured chairs add a 

zesty note in the bedrooms, along 

with various Edinburgh-themed wall 

murals with different colourways. 

The bathrooms feature small sized 

tiles and a wall to ceiling mirror to 

reflect light back around the room. 

An integrated vanity unit gives a 

sleek finish and a sliding feature 

door finishes the look. 

Concludes Scott: "The key to the 

success of the project was the 

rebranding and repositioning of the 

spaces within a commercial 

hospitality offering, as well as 

increasing the flexibility of the 

breakfasting room. The space now 

operates 24 hours, serving hotel 

guest breakfast, whilst 

accommodating students for single 

or group study, workshops and 

satellite learning." 

www.3dreid.com 


Planning secured for exciting Plymouth 

‘tall building’ development 

Planning permission has been secured for an exciting mix used 

development in the ‘tall building’ zone of Plymouth city centre, 

bringing with it jobs, student accommodation, office space and a 

new 105-bed hotel. Plymouth City Council passed a resolution to 

approve plans to demolish the existing Money Centre building at Drake 

Circus and create a 21-storey modern building in keeping with the city 

scape. 

National consultancy Pegasus Group, on behalf of a London based 

property development company, put forward the plans comprising: 

• student bedrooms 

• 1,858 sq metres of Grade ‘A’ office space 

• a 105-bedroom hotel 

• 149 sq metres of flexible retail accommodation 

Jim Tarzey, Executive Director for Pegasus Group, said: “This is an 

exciting mixed-use development proposal that will result in a new 

‘tall building’ of high quality design on a prime gateway site that 

will be a welcome addition to the Plymouth skyline. 

“The scheme delivers a package of overall benefits to the local 

economy, including replacement Grade A office accommodation 

and a new hotel on site, as well as indirect benefits 

such as financial contributions to the area and a new 

office development on the regeneration scheme 

adjacent to Plymouth Railway Station.” 

The economic benefits of the scheme to the region 

are likely to be 

substantial, with 

the plans 

supporting 374 

full time jobs, 

construction 

investment over 

the two and half 

year build 

programme 

estimated at 

PROJECTS 

£38m, and £8.4m predicted to be spent annually by the new students. 

Jim added: “The site forms part of the designated ‘tall building zone’ and 

the design has been created to blend in with both existing and proposed 

developments. Plymouth has set out its ambitions to have a tall building zone 

for over a decade, and while there has been some progress, this development 

should provide a welcome addition to the city skyline, with a modern, 

attractive and high-quality build. 

“The public realm immediately around the site will be extensively 

remodelled with the planting of 18 native trees to compensate for the loss of 

the existing five trees. As well as tree planting and public realm improvements 

at ground level, landscaping for the site includes 

the provision of five green spaces on the 

roofscape, where the seed mix will 

encourage butterflies, bees and 

ecological diversity.” 

Work is anticipated to start 

on the redevelopment in 

2019/2020. 

Pegasus Group has more 

than 260 skilled and 

experienced staff operating 

from 12 offices across 11 

locations throughout the UK. 

Their services span the entire 

project process from planning 

through to design and delivery, 

specialising in planning, 

design, environment, 

economics and transport. 

Tel: 0121 308 9570 

birmingham 

@pegasusgroup.co.uk 


PROJECTS 

Work starts on first modular home bound for 

innovative research project 

Ahome destined for Tyne and 

Wear is being brought to 

life in a Yorkshire factory as 

work on an innovative 

housing research project gets 

underway. 

Gateshead Innovation Village, a 

live research project led by Home 

Group, one of the UK’s biggest 

providers of homes for sale and 

affordable rent, will see a range of 

house designs take shape on the one 

site. Working with an external 

research partner, the scheme will 

allow Home Group and its partners 

to robustly compare and contrast 

modern methods of construction. 

The project aims to highlight 

potential and viable solutions to the 

housing crisis in a bid to grow 

confidence in off-site builds within 

the sector. 

ilke Homes, a British modular 

homes business specialising in the 

latest off-site manufacturing 

techniques, has started work on the 

first modular volumetric unit that 

will be delivered to the Gateshead 

site in just ten weeks’ time. 

In contrast to the traditional 

‘start on site’ launch, key 

stakeholders from Home Group, 

funding partner Homes England and 

development partner ENGIE, joined 

colleagues at ilke Homes for a sneak 

preview of its new factory where 

work has begun just this week, 

Joy Whinnerah, Head of Delivery, 

Home Group said: “We’re all 

incredibly excited about this project 

as it will see a wide range of homes 

and construction methods being 

tried and tested together on the one 

site. 

“Not only that, but we are really 

keen to understand what our 

customers like and don’t like about 

living in these types of homes. So 

we will be monitoring a range of 

aspects to check how these homes 

perform for the customers who live 

in them.” 

As well as instilling confidence in 

the sector to build at scale using 

modern methods of construction, 

the project aims to tackle negative 

public perceptions based around 

modular homes. 

www.homegroup.org.uk 

PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Green 

First planning permisson awarded for Mansard roof 

extension in Tower Hamlets’ conservation area 

Amulti-disciplinary 

construction consultancy is 

set to work on the first 

mansard roof extension 

granted planning permission in a 

canalside conservation area since 

the council changed its planning 

policy on their use. 

Daniel Connal Partnership (DCP) 

will be acting as party wall 

surveyors on the scheme in the 

Driffield Road Conservation Area 

which has received the go-ahead 

from the London Borough of Tower 

Hamlets. 

The team at DCP, which has 

offices in Norwich, Colchester and 

London, will work alongside 

architects Rivington Street Studio to 

convert, extend and reconfigure 

375-377 Roman Road. 

The scheme incorporates a 

mansard roof extension, carefully 

designed by the architect to 

minimise its impact on the street 

scene and the existing character of 

the Conservation Area, while still 

providing spacious, functional, high 

quality accomodation in the 

adjacent properties. 

Several earlier examples of 

mansard roof extensions already 

exist on this part of Roman Road, 

illustrating that they are a previous 

feature of the area, but in recent 

years their use has not been 

acceptable to the local authority. 

In June 2017 the London Borough 

of Tower Hamlets agreed to change 

its policy to strike a balance between 

protecting the heritage of the 

buildings while ensuring homes meet 

current housing needs. 

Jason Froude, partner at DCP, said: 

“We are thrilled to be involved in the 

first project in the Driffield Road 

Conservation Area to be awarded 

planning permission for a design 

which includes a mansard roof. 

“Following the borough’s decision 

to relax its policy, we’re confident that 

many other local residents will choose 

this type of extension to increase their 

available space.” 

The properties concerned have 

been vacant for several years and are 

in need of extensive repair and 

refurbishment to maximise their 

appeal, viability and value. The layout 

of the buildings, which offer 

commercial units on ground floor 

with residential accommodation 

above, is typical of street scenes in 

the conservation area. 

Jason added: “The approved plans 

from Rivington Street Studio will 

resolve the problems of the existing 

rear extensions to both properties 

being in a poor state of repair and the 

residential accommodation above 

being cramped and lacking amenity 

space.” 

The scheme will provide two 

improved commercial units on the 

ground and basement floors, while 

the first and second floors will benefit 

from well-designed spacious 

residential accommodation in the 

form of three flats with private 

amenity areas. 

The project has already started on 

site with estimated completion in 

Summer 2019. 

www.danielconnal.co.uk 

Twitter: @DCP_Surveyors 


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BUYERS GUIDE 

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WOOD REPAiR 

THE DESOWOOD REPAIR SYSTEM 

Wetherby Building Systems Ltd is the UK’s market leader in the manufacture 

and distribution of a wide range of external wall insulation (EWI) systems, 

polymer modified renders, silicone & acrylic thin-coat renders & brick slip 

systems for the retrofit market. 

Wetherby’s insulated render systems offer environmentally sympathetic external 

façade solutions that have been successfully installed on many domestic 

refurbishment projects, new build schemes, commercial buildings and 

educational establishments for over 20 years. 

With over 7 million untreated solid wall properties in the UK the government 

recognise the urgent need to tackle this housing stock to reduce energy bills 

and cut carbon emissions. 

Following the clients choice of 

insulant, Wetherby can then offer 

a range of different renders and 

polymeric coatings in an unlimited 

colour range ensuring whatever 

finish or colour the client wishes 

to achieve we can match. 

Complementing the render 

systems Wetherby also offer a 

unique brick slip system, allowing 

the façade to match traditional 

brickwork and increasing the 

scope for design. Including our 

new 7mm Brick 

Wetherby operate through a network of approved installers, all of whom are 

trained and regularly inspected to ensure specifications and best site practices 

are followed. 

Wetherby offer a comprehensive technical service to ensure potential customers 

have all the information to specify the correct system that will achieve maximum 

efficiency of the EWI specification. 

www.wbs-ltd.co.uk 

stAiNED GlAss REPAiR 

A DURABLE 

ALTERNATIVE TO 

LINSEED OIL PUTTY 

DESOWOOD DAP 

ELASTIC GLAZING 

SEALANT 

● A Product with an established record for performance. 

● A Product with over 20 year’s history in use. 

● Ideal for windows affected by break down of linseed oil putty. 

● Ideal for sash and casement windows. 

● For use on existing or new bead glazed windows. 

● Ideal for fixing single or double glazed sealed units on puttied or 

bead glazed windows. 

● For fixing laminated / safety glass. 

● Can be used on softwood, hardwood and metal windows. 

● Ideal for sealing plywood or pre-finished ‘in-fil’ panels. 

● Ideal replacement for ‘Back putties’ on windows affected by 

condensation on internally bead glazed windows. 

● Improves paint durability and contributes towards the prevention 

of wood decay 

● Can be painted with an opaque paint finish or translucent wood 

stain. 

● Excellent adhesion to timber, metal, concrete, brick and glass. 

Tel: 01767 682446 E:sales@desofil-uk.com 

THE DESOWOOD REPAIR SYSTEM 

Web-site: www.desofil-uk.com 



BUYERS GUIDE 

NAtURAl stONE 

cONsERvAtiON 

1,000 CONTACTS, 

PRODUCTS, SERVICES and INFORMATION 

RESOURCES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS 

THE BUILDING 

CONSERVATION DI REC TO RY 

For subscriptions or to be included in the 25th edition 

contact: Cathedral Communications Limited 

T 01747 871717 E bcd@cathcomm.co.uk 

www.buildingconservation.com 


Refurbishment, Repair, 

Maintenance and Retrofit 

are constantly moving, 

dynamic sectors. 

www.RefurbProjects.com 

features all the news 

as it breaks, 

as well as projects, opinion 

and the latest issue of the 

journal. 

Keep up to date. 

Visit 

www.refurbprojects.com 

Next issue in 

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Out Sept 2018 

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All types of projects 

deserve Schueco 

Unbeatable quality and real value for money make Schueco aluminium façades, 

windows and doors the first choice for any project. Offices and shop fronts, 

schools and colleges, housing association new-builds and refurbishments will all 

benefit from Schueco’s precision engineering. Add in the enhanced comfort and 

reduced running costs created by great design, an unrivalled choice of profiles and 

excellent thermal and sound insulation and you have a total, cost-effective solution. 

For German engineering made in Britain, there’s only one name. 

www.schueco.co.uk

The show for people who build 

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Refurb Projects July 2018

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