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<strong>MMC</strong><br />
MODERN METHODS<br />
OF CONSTRUCTION<br />
Nov 2018<br />
issue <strong>M10</strong><br />
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01249 816<br />
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Marsh • Calne • Wiltshire SN N11 9PX<br />
69 • F +44 (0)1249 815 234<br />
deceuninck.ltd d@deceuninck .com • www.deceuninck.co.uk/specification<br />
@deceuninckComm<br />
Save more than<br />
daylight this Autumn<br />
An important way to move fire<br />
safety forward in your homes<br />
and buildings.<br />
energy efficient Cross<br />
Laminated Timber homes<br />
G-frame help transform a new<br />
residential development on a<br />
working lock in Stratford.<br />
Offsite reaches new<br />
heights in Birmingham<br />
We hear from Creagh Concrete<br />
about the two-block 22 storey<br />
residential building in Brum.<br />
p 12 p 18 p 42
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2<br />
November is a busy time for the<br />
industrious construction industry<br />
professional. Events are plentiful, with<br />
UK Construction Week, London Build,<br />
Digital Construction Week and Kent<br />
Construction Expo (amongst others) all<br />
taking centre stage and eager for your<br />
attention. The nights are drawing in<br />
and the weather is changing. Hints of<br />
winter nip briskly at your heels,<br />
Christmas races Halloween to the shop<br />
shelves and you’re keen to squeeze<br />
every last productive drop from<br />
autumn in a bid to make hay whilst the<br />
sun still shines.<br />
<strong>MMC</strong> Magazine understands this... We<br />
don’t want to add to your seasonal<br />
stresses; we want to alleviate them.<br />
Flick through our pages and find<br />
exactly what you need – be it the latest<br />
product or service to solve your<br />
greatest challenges, thoughtprovoking<br />
opinions to spark the debate<br />
needed to push us forward as an<br />
industry or general updates on the<br />
goings-on in a thriving, vibrant and<br />
ever-changing sector.<br />
We’ve pulled out all the stops in the<br />
November issue to bring you the<br />
information you need now, so you don’t<br />
need to waste time scouring for it.<br />
Here it is - <strong>MMC</strong> November What are<br />
you waiting for!?<br />
Enjoy.<br />
Joe Bradbury<br />
Editor<br />
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01249 816<br />
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Marsh • Calne • Wiltshire SN N11 9PX<br />
69 • F +44 (0)1249 815 234<br />
deceuninck.ltd d@deceuninck .com • www.deceuninck.co.uk/specification<br />
Front cover<br />
@deceuninckComm<br />
Deceuninck is one of the world’s major<br />
PVC-U window and door systems<br />
companies and a leader in innovation,<br />
colour, sustainability and design.<br />
Deceuninck products are specified on a<br />
wide portfolio of commercial projects.<br />
According to Managing Director Rob<br />
McGlennon, its new-generation, highperformance<br />
window composites are<br />
the first real aluminium-alternative.<br />
For more information see page 50<br />
<strong>MMC</strong><br />
10 History at your feet<br />
MODERN METHODS<br />
OF CONSTRUCTION<br />
Britain’s oldest heritage charity believes that floors are the ‘downtrodden’<br />
Cinderella of building conservation. We never look down… until now. <strong>MMC</strong> hear<br />
from Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB).<br />
16 Protect Membranes delivers U-value<br />
benefits for new modular innovation<br />
A variety of wall construction membranes, roofing underlays and accessories<br />
from Protect has been installed into an innovative new modular concept<br />
manufactured by Tingdene Homes, holiday and park home specialists.<br />
20 High Specification for a Higher<br />
Education Building<br />
Nov 2018<br />
issue <strong>M10</strong><br />
Architecturally designed and built completely to spec, the new three-storey<br />
building on the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston Campus is full of<br />
unique features.<br />
28 Design Flexibility & Performance from<br />
Scotframe Val-U-Therm PLUS ®<br />
Val-U-Therm PLUS ® wall panels achieve 0.08 W/m2K - probably the best U-<br />
value wall in the world. Couple this with Scotframe’s expertise & track record<br />
and the sky really is the limit when it comes to design of buildings that tick all<br />
the boxes on your clients’ wish lists.<br />
38 Offsite Construction is Here to Stay<br />
Recent press coverage has focussed heavily on Offsite Construction providing<br />
the answer in a number of key sectors, due to the speed and efficiency of<br />
modular construction.<br />
Publisher Kevin Edgeworth Editor Joe Bradbury Design by Ellie Rich<br />
Sales and editorial enquiries to Kevin Edgeworth kedge@wavcoms.co.uk<br />
Press releases Gemma Spilsbury press@mmcmag.co.uk<br />
Publisher’s Statement. Printed in England. All rights reserved. No part of <strong>MMC</strong> may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form<br />
without prior permission of the publisher. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of editorial content, the editor and publishers do not accept<br />
responsibility for errors or loss and damage caused by any statements, claims or observations made by contributors, authors and their agents.<br />
Published by Waverley. Company Registration no. 04805329<br />
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<strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong> 3
news<br />
Government to assist the 74% of construction companies being<br />
killed by late payment<br />
A new announcement by Government to address the issue of late payment is expected to help the 74% of construction companies that have<br />
almost gone into liquidation due to the unfair practice.<br />
The package of measures unveiled by the Small Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst will also reduce the hidden, human cost of delayed payment.<br />
According to research commissioned by the Prompt Payment Directory, 48% of the 400 construction companies polled reported depression,<br />
panic attacks, suicidal thoughts and anxiety as a result of late payments.<br />
Late payment also affects a company’s ability to reliably predict cash flow, invest in training or even pay staff and bills.<br />
The small business commissioner will join the board of the Prompt Payment Code and measures will be put in place to remove signatories<br />
from the code’s list. This will help avoid the farce of Carillion and other similar companies being on the list despite their payment terms of 120<br />
days being well beyond what could be considered reasonable.<br />
The Government will aim to pay 90% of undisputed invoices within five days. Central and local government are not always prompt payers,<br />
often paying outside the terms of legislation. Having the Government lead by example will help change the culture.<br />
Only planning reform will<br />
fix the housing crisis<br />
The Government should do more to promote best practice and<br />
diversify the housing market, according to industry professionals.<br />
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) reports that in London, just<br />
one in three young adults is able to afford a home, compared to<br />
90% in 1990.<br />
According to the IFS, house prices have jumped 173% since 1997,<br />
while adults pay had gone up by just 19%.<br />
Polly Simpson, a research economist at the IFS and a co-author of<br />
the research, said “Many young adults cannot borrow enough to<br />
buy a cheap home in their area, let alone an average-priced one.”<br />
The IFS argues that easing planning restrictions would increase<br />
home ownership and reduce both property prices and rents.<br />
The National Federation of Builders (NFB) wholeheartedly agrees<br />
that easing planning restrictions would increase home ownership<br />
and considers the benefits of reformed planning to be instant.<br />
Planning remains the greatest growth barrier for small and<br />
medium-sized (SME) house builders and its impacts are felt across<br />
the entire housing supply chain, from housing associations and<br />
community land trusts to self-builders and constructors.<br />
However, it is important to remember that the Government sets<br />
national planning policy. Local authorities have the duty to allocate<br />
sites for housing as well as interpreting what a successful planning<br />
process looks like.<br />
Construction industry set to<br />
benefit from opening of new<br />
world-leading engineering<br />
research centres<br />
The Construction industry is set to benefit from multi-million<br />
pounds of investment into three new advanced engineering<br />
research centres opened this month at the University of Sheffield.<br />
Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry MP, and Mayor of the<br />
Sheffield City Region, Dan Jarvis MP, officially opened the centres<br />
which aim to boost Sheffield City Region’s reputation as a hub for<br />
advanced engineering and industrial digital technologies.<br />
Working with companies to help develop new technologies, the<br />
centres will use the transformational power of research to cut<br />
costs and lead times which will revolutionise industrial processes.<br />
Professor Mike Hounslow, Vice-President and Head of the Faculty<br />
of Engineering, said: “At the University of Sheffield we deliver<br />
pioneering interdisciplinary research and find solutions to global<br />
challenges. The three centres launched today build on this<br />
established expertise and firmly place us as a partner for<br />
industry, from large multinationals to local SMEs. The capabilities<br />
of the centres will enable us to test and operate on an industrial<br />
scale, translating theory into application to improve productivity,<br />
cost efficiencies and innovation.”<br />
Drop in EU migrant workers sounds alarm bell for UK<br />
construction<br />
The drop in EU net migration has sounded alarm bells for the UK construction industry, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said.<br />
Commenting on the Migration Statistics Quarterly report, published by the Office for National Statistics, Sarah McMonagle, Director of<br />
External Affairs at the FMB, said “EU net migration is at its lowest level since 2012 and this is deeply worrying for those sectors that rely on<br />
workers from the EU.<br />
“The drop in EU net migration is a particular problem for industries like construction. At present, 9 per cent of our construction workers are<br />
from the EU and therefore we are more reliant than most on EU workers. In London, this proportion rises to nearly one third. We can’t afford<br />
to lose any more EU workers as currently two-thirds of construction SMEs are struggling to hire bricklayers and 60 per cent are struggling<br />
to hire carpenters and joiners.”<br />
4 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
Industry welcomes abolition of cap on what councils can<br />
borrow to build houses<br />
Lifting the borrowing cap for councils will diversify the housing market, stimulate industry capacity and help councils more easily meet their<br />
affordable homes requirements.<br />
The Prime Minister Theresa May has shown her commitment to help fix the housing crisis by announcing the abolition of cap on what councils<br />
can borrow to build houses, in her keynote Conservative party conference speech.<br />
The Housing Builders Association (HBA), the house building division of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), is delighted that the<br />
Government is helping tackle the crippling house crisis, by listening to the industry and finally addressing concerns which the HBA has lobbied<br />
on for quite some time. The HBA has had the cap on local authority borrowing for new housebuilding as a measure in all of its past manifestoes<br />
and the entire supply chain has worked hard towards achieving this. Lifting councils’ house building cap will now help small and medium-sized<br />
(SME) builders and councils to work together to deliver the Governments’ target of delivering 300,000 homes a year.<br />
Research reveals connected<br />
tech is a bright way to recruit<br />
and retain talent for SMEs<br />
New research from Signify finds over half (54%) of SMEs currently<br />
struggle to find new employees.<br />
Two in five SMEs think investing in connected technology would<br />
help retain employees<br />
61% of workers believe that smart lighting would give customers<br />
and clients a more favorable opinion of a business.<br />
Over half of small and medium-sized enterprises struggle to<br />
recruit talent and two in five have issues retaining employees,<br />
according to new research from Signify, the world leader in lighting,<br />
formerly Philips Lighting. The findings show that employers are<br />
potentially missing a trick as over half of the employees surveyed<br />
said they’d be in favour of their company investing in connected<br />
tech, specifically smart lighting, ahead of other improvements.<br />
“High workplace satisfaction influences engagement and the<br />
reputation of a business as a great place to work. So it’s no surprise<br />
that SMEs are looking into connected tech options to enhance<br />
engagement,” said Bianca van der Zande, research scientist<br />
at Signify.<br />
New construction output<br />
figures show rise in output<br />
Commenting on new figures published by the ONS which show a<br />
continued recovery in construction output after a weak start to<br />
the year, Michael Thirkettle, Chief Executive of leading<br />
construction consulting and design agency McBains, said “These<br />
figures, which show a third successive increase in output, will be<br />
cautiously welcomed by the construction industry.<br />
“We’re still not out of the woods however, with Brexit worries still<br />
on the horizon and the cost of imported materials remaining high<br />
due to the weak pound. Before this recent upturn in output, we<br />
saw several months decline so evidence of sustained growth is<br />
needed before we can safely say we’re on the road to recovery.<br />
“In particular, construction needs some incentives from the<br />
government to help give housebuilding a further boost. We’re<br />
still building fewer homes than required, and while we heard a lot<br />
at the recent party conferences in terms of demand-side policy<br />
announcements to help more people onto the housing ladder,<br />
there was little detail on the supply side to help the industry build<br />
the homes that will allow such aspirations to be met.”<br />
Low-skilled does not mean low value<br />
The Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to unveil a new skills based system as part of her post-Brexit immigration plans.<br />
Under the proposals "The new skills-based system will make sure low-skilled immigration is brought down and set the UK on the path to reduce<br />
immigration to sustainable levels,” Mrs May said when speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, and that “free movement would end once<br />
and for all" when the UK leaves the EU.<br />
The industry has expressed concern that many jobs within construction fall under the low-skilled bracket and this will have a damaging impact<br />
on the construction industry. The Government is fully aware of the skills shortage the construction industry faces and the NFB is keen to see<br />
more details on how the system will work, which will be outlined in the white paper expected later in the autumn.<br />
UK has sixth-highest rate of excess winter deaths in Europe<br />
Research reveals that the UK has the sixth-worst long-term rate of excess winter mortality out of 30 European countries. In addition, when<br />
taking into account cold weather beyond just the winter months, the UK ranks second-worst out of 30 European countries.<br />
Over the last five years there has been an average of 32,000 excess winter deaths in the UK every year. Of these, 9,700 die due to a cold home –<br />
the same as the number of people who die from breast or prostate cancer each year. The fact that UK homes are amongst the least energy<br />
efficient in Europe confirms that these deaths are preventable.<br />
Pedro Guertler from E3G comments “The UK has one of the worst records on cold homes-related deaths in Europe and it is not only a public<br />
health tragedy, it is a national embarrassment. This epidemic is entirely preventable and E3G and NEA are calling on the UK Government to<br />
reinstate public capital investment in home energy efficiency to fix the cold homes crisis.”<br />
<strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong> 5
product news<br />
REHAU LAUNCHES RAUPIANO PLUS –<br />
THE SOUND APPROACH TO DRAINAGE<br />
REHAU has<br />
launched<br />
RAUPIANO<br />
Plus, a<br />
complete<br />
system of<br />
polymer pipes,<br />
fittings and<br />
accessories<br />
which offer a<br />
superior<br />
acoustic soil<br />
and waste<br />
solution.<br />
RAUPIANO Plus pipes feature a unique multi-layer composition<br />
which reduces noise without the need for additional pipe lagging.<br />
The pipe’s inner layer is made of polypropylene (PP) and is<br />
designed to be abrasion resistant and low friction to reduce<br />
blockages and extend life span; the middle layer is made of<br />
mineral-reinforced PP for sound absorption and stability; and the<br />
outer PP layer is impact resistant, shockproof and UV/weather<br />
resistant.<br />
To further improve the acoustics of the system, RAUPIANO Plus<br />
bends and branches have also been carefully designed to minimise<br />
noise. Bend fittings have thickened walls in sound-critical impact<br />
areas, while branch components feature hydraulically optimised<br />
inner contours to minimise flow noise.<br />
www.rehau.uk/raupiano<br />
MAKITA LAUNCHES 18V 16G LXT<br />
FINISHING NAILER<br />
The new and eagerly awaited<br />
Makita DBN600ZJ 18V LXT<br />
finishing nailer is setting new<br />
standards in nailing<br />
technology. Engineered for 16<br />
gauge finishing nails, from 25<br />
to 60mm in length, this nailer<br />
is particularly suitable for<br />
second fix construction site<br />
installations such as applying<br />
skirtings, architraves and<br />
doorways, and electrical<br />
fixtures and plumbing<br />
connections, which require a neat, professional visual appearance.<br />
Powered by a single 18V Makita Lithium-Ion battery the powerful<br />
motor will deliver up to 800 shots on a fully charged 4.0Ah battery.<br />
The magazine has the capacity to carry 110 nails and when empty<br />
the machine weighs a comfortable 3.4kg. A conveniently designed<br />
window allows for easy checking of the remaining quantity of nails.<br />
The Makita DBN600ZJ cordless, gas-less nailer ensures low<br />
running costs while downtime during low temperatures and cold<br />
weather working will be a thing of the past. It is supplied as a body<br />
only machine in a rugged, sturdy and protective Makpac case.<br />
For more news and product information about Makita UK please<br />
visit www.makitauk.com. Follow us on Twitter @MakitaUK,<br />
Facebook.com/makitauk and google.com/+makitauk<br />
www.makitauk.com<br />
GEZE UK ‘family’ celebrates 30th anniversary<br />
2018 is a milestone year for GEZE UK, which celebrates 30 years in<br />
the business as a ‘go to’ manufacturer and supplier of innovative<br />
door and window solutions.<br />
Founded in Germany in 1863, GEZE is one of the world’s leading<br />
manufacturers of door and window control systems. Investing millions in<br />
research, development and manufacture of innovative solutions, GEZE<br />
sets the global standard for advanced door and window technology.<br />
GEZE UK, is part of the global GEZE GmbH, a family-run business where<br />
traditional values are combined with pioneering strategic vision.<br />
So, it was entirely fitting that to mark three decades of business success,<br />
its UK workforce and their families should enjoy a fun-filled family day of<br />
celebrations, hosted at Rodbaston Hall, near Penkridge in Staffordshire.<br />
Kaz Spiewakowski, GEZE UK’s managing director – who himself<br />
celebrates five years at the helm this year – said that “GEZE was most<br />
definitely “a family business” and this is reflected in how it treats its<br />
employees.<br />
“There are family members engaged in the business at all levels and<br />
GEZE considers each and every member of our 250-strong team very<br />
much part of the extended ‘family’. Everyone contributes so it was wonderful to get together this September to enjoy some downtime, celebrate<br />
our achievements and toast our continuing success in the years ahead,” he said<br />
2018 was also a milestone year for head of the GEZE family, Brigitte Vöster-Alber, chief executive officer of GEZE GmbH, based in Leonberg,<br />
Germany, who this summer celebrated 50 years with the company. Taking over in 1968 at the age of only 24 years, Brigitte asserted herself in a<br />
man’s world and has since developed corporate strategy, the product portfolio and international business whilst continuing to champion the<br />
visibility of females within the workplace.<br />
For more information about GEZE UK’s comprehensive range of automatic and manual door closers call 01543 443000 or visit the website.<br />
www.geze.co.uk<br />
06 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
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product news<br />
McAVOY BUILDS NEW 420-PLACE<br />
ARTS PRIMARY SCHOOL OFFSITE<br />
The McAvoy Group,<br />
one of the UK’s leading<br />
offsite specialists, has<br />
delivered a new twoform<br />
entry primary<br />
school built offsite for<br />
Ramsgate Arts<br />
Primary School. The<br />
building provides<br />
state-of-the-art<br />
facilities for up to 420 children to support its focus on the arts.<br />
Part of Viking Academy Trust, Ramsgate Arts Primary is a new free<br />
school which offers a curriculum with an emphasis on the arts.<br />
Built offsite by principal contractor McAvoy, this bright, modern<br />
and spacious building was funded by the Education & Skills<br />
Funding Agency. It has created an exemplar learning environment<br />
for children from reception to age 11.<br />
The 2078m2 building is constructed from 46 steel-framed modules<br />
which were manufactured and fitted out offsite to reduce the build<br />
programme. The units were craned into position in two phases<br />
complete with doors, windows, partitions and first fix mechanical<br />
and electrical services.<br />
The contemporary and distinctive design theme for Ramsgate<br />
Primary features strong lines, bold geometric shapes and a palette<br />
of materials which includes render, natural timber cladding and<br />
picture windows.<br />
www.mcavoygroup.com<br />
Underfloor heating - a<br />
commercially viable<br />
alternative to radiators<br />
New research, by ForceDry, has used data from leading<br />
contractors to compare installation costs of underfloor heating<br />
with radiators.<br />
The study compared three options:<br />
1. traditional radiators and 75mm<br />
sand & cement screed<br />
2. traditional radiators with a<br />
50mm flowing screed<br />
3. underfloor heating with a 50mm<br />
force dried flowing screed<br />
Installation costs for an 80m2<br />
dwelling ranged from:<br />
Option 1 - £3,003.72 to £3,483.10<br />
Option 2 - £3,163.72 to £3,563.10<br />
Option 3 - £3,464.63 to £4,082.30<br />
ForceDry MD Ross Verity said:<br />
“Force drying reduces drying time by around two thirds,<br />
representing significant additional time and cost saving in the<br />
overall construction process. The carbon footprint associated with<br />
flowing screeds is also some 70% lower than sand and cement<br />
screeds.”<br />
www.force-dry.co.uk<br />
AG offers solution to reverberation woes<br />
AG, one of the UK and Ireland’s most innovative suppliers of hard landscaping, building<br />
and structural precast products are committed to pioneering excellent acoustic<br />
masonry products that meet architectural masonry specifications.<br />
Alphacrete ® Acoustic is a cutting-edge sound-absorbing masonry block with outstanding<br />
room and building acoustic performance. One of the first products of its kind, Alphacrete ®<br />
Acoustic effectively reduces airborne noises<br />
and excess reverberation. Additionally, the<br />
flutter echoes and standing waves produced<br />
by reflective parallel wall surfaces will be<br />
significantly reduced.<br />
Alphacrete ® Acoustic offers a solution to those<br />
who are tasked with dramatically improving speech<br />
intelligibility and acoustic performance in conventional<br />
constructions where reverberation causes problems. It provides a very clever<br />
solution because it is independently tested by sound research Laboratories to prove that<br />
it meets the acoustic performance standards for a Class D sound absorber according to<br />
BB93:2015. It is also extremely strong and durable compared to competing acoustic panels on<br />
the market. Overall, it is an excellent choice for controlling reverberation time in sports halls,<br />
church halls and leisure centres to name but a few.<br />
The block is available in two distinct finishes, Athena and Corinthian. Athena is smooth and<br />
stronger in colour and Corinthian has added texture and natural colour variances to give it more<br />
of a natural stone appearance. Both finishes come in a market leading array of colours<br />
including optimum LRV (Light Reflectance value) shades and special detailing shapes to flexibly<br />
create projects with impressive visual impact.<br />
For more details contact AG’s specification team at specifications@ag.uk.com or visit the<br />
website.<br />
www.ag.uk.com<br />
08 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
F rom<br />
design<br />
to assem<br />
bly<br />
In Tekla Structures each component, module and asset is defined and detailed in<br />
accordance with your customer’s requirements.<br />
Clash management,<br />
construction<br />
rehearsals and the issue of operational data to enable testing for manufacture,<br />
coordinated for assembly and approval, virtually, by all the necessary<br />
stakeholders is completed using the 3D model.<br />
Together we are shaping a smarter future for construction.<br />
www.tekla.<br />
com/uk/solutions<br />
TRANSFORMI NG THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS
article<br />
History<br />
at your<br />
feet<br />
Britain’s oldest heritage charity believes that floors are the ‘downtrodden’ Cinderella of building conservation. When people<br />
enter an old building, step onto a churchyard path or walk down a street in an ancient town or village their natural inclination is to<br />
look up – at a moulded plaster ceiling, at glorious stained glass windows, at panelled walls or at buildings above and around. We<br />
never look down… until now. <strong>MMC</strong> hear from Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB).<br />
SPAB plays a statutory role in the<br />
planning process, with councils in<br />
England and Wales obliged to notify<br />
them of applications to work involving listed<br />
buildings. Hundreds of proposals come to<br />
their attention every year and they are<br />
alarmed. Their caseworkers regularly report<br />
that they are involved too late in discussions<br />
about works involving old floors. By the time<br />
they are asked to comment on plans or<br />
proposals, pivotal decisions have already been<br />
made or are being actively pursued… and now<br />
they are putting their foot down!<br />
SPAB believes a vital ‘step’ is being missed by<br />
many of those involved with and responsible for<br />
the care of the built historic environment. A<br />
great number of schemes are being developed<br />
without initial consideration of the beauty and<br />
interest of the materials, literally, underfoot.<br />
In churches and cathedrals, for example,<br />
original floors – notably tiles and ledgerstones<br />
- have been re-laid and removed to allow the<br />
introduction of heating solutions or to create a<br />
level floor that better meets health and safety<br />
requirements. Another major driver in terms<br />
of interventions is the need to create a more<br />
flexible space, suitable for a variety of uses.<br />
Although laudable in intention, this can lead to<br />
destruction of ancient fabric.<br />
In private houses, caseworkers have been<br />
concerned to see similar proposals (and<br />
10 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
instances) involving original timbers,<br />
flagstones and simple stone and brick<br />
paviours. In the case of the latter, these more<br />
‘ordinary’ floor types are also at acute risk in<br />
ecclesiastical settings simply because people<br />
do not recognise their age or interest. Their<br />
modest nature conspires to make them<br />
expendable.<br />
Floors can play a vital role in revealing the<br />
unfolding history of a building. If a dwelling<br />
retains its original floors then it allows<br />
centuries of use – the story of its inhabitants –<br />
to be read, giving us a sense of how people<br />
lived and how they interacted within that space.<br />
The importance of being able to trace this<br />
‘hierarchy of space’ is especially true for older<br />
and vernacular buildings where surviving floor<br />
finishes and materials may well be one of only<br />
a few indicators of its evolution through time.<br />
Flooring matters<br />
The Society believes that floors contribute<br />
enormously to the ‘spirit’ of a place. The patina<br />
of time caused by centuries of wear and tear,<br />
daily use and gradual settlement are essential<br />
components of a space’s presence and unique<br />
atmosphere.<br />
Floors are where we make a direct physical<br />
connection to a space, following in the<br />
footsteps of those who – throughout the<br />
centuries – have gone before. Romantics<br />
among us might well feel a frisson of<br />
recognition to know that we are standing on the<br />
very spot where ‘history was made’.<br />
In Canterbury Cathedral a single candle on the<br />
stones marks the place where Thomas Becket<br />
was assassinated in 1170. Henry VIII and at<br />
least five of his wives (along with most of the<br />
people whose lives were fictionalised by Hilary<br />
Mantel in Wolf Hall) intrigued on the wide oak<br />
boards of galleries at Hampton Court. At<br />
Edinburgh’s Holyrood Palace, the boards of<br />
Queen Mary’s oratory witnessed the murder of<br />
her secretary David Rizzio. When you explore<br />
Shakespeare’s birthplace in Henley Street<br />
Stratford-upon-Avon you are walking on the<br />
floors of the house where he grew up and<br />
where he spent the first five of his family life<br />
with new wife Anne Hathaway. At Howarth<br />
Parsonage in Yorkshire the Brontes read aloud<br />
to each other as they criss-crossed the boards<br />
in the parlour. Jane Austen and her sister<br />
Cassandra danced on the black and white<br />
marble tiles of the Stone Gallery at the Vyne,<br />
Hampshire. Across the country there are<br />
thousands of places where thrilling<br />
connections still can be made.<br />
The wonderful grooves, undulations,<br />
imperfections and scratches on old floors of all<br />
materials are the 'ghosts of time'. SPAB<br />
contends that once you make a significant<br />
intervention to an old floor you remove<br />
something vital to a building’s heart and story<br />
and that this loss is irreplaceable.
Modern Methods of<br />
Construction<br />
We work with<br />
industry to help<br />
deliver long-lasting<br />
quality homes.<br />
•From component materials<br />
and design, to onsite<br />
installation and connection<br />
•System appraisal and<br />
acceptance<br />
•Inspection of the whole<br />
building to NHBC Standards<br />
•Backed by NHBC Buildmark<br />
warranty and insurance<br />
Talk to us...<br />
Call us now on 0344 633 1000 Email techservices@nhbc.co.uk<br />
or visit www.nhbc.co.uk/mmchub<br />
NHBC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and<br />
the Prudential Regulation Authority. NHBC is registered in England & Wales under company number 00320784.<br />
NHBC’s registered address is NHBC House, Davy Avenue, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK5 8FP.<br />
M589 10/18
article<br />
Save more than daylight this autumn<br />
Since 1916, Britain has been changing the clocks twice a year in order to save an hour of daylight. Love it or hate it, daylight<br />
saving has struck again. With this, <strong>MMC</strong> Magazine urges readers to think about an important way to move fire safety forward in<br />
your homes and buildings, as we have done with the hands of the clock.<br />
With the days growing darker and winter<br />
setting in, a few candles scattered<br />
round the room can lend a warm glow<br />
to an evening. But with candle fires resulting in<br />
around 350 casualties each year, we would like<br />
you to take extra care with candles this winter -<br />
nearly 40% of all fires started by candles result<br />
in a death or injury.<br />
With the days growing darker and winter setting<br />
in, a few candles scattered round the room can<br />
lend a warm glow to an evening. But with candle<br />
fires resulting in around 350 casualties each<br />
year, we would like you to take extra care with<br />
candles this winter - nearly 40% of all fires<br />
started by candles result in a death or injury.<br />
There were 558,963 incidents attended by the UK<br />
Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) last year. Of these<br />
incidents, around 161,770 were fires. These fires<br />
resulted in 261 fatalities and 7,081 non-fatal<br />
casualties. To put that into context - for every<br />
million people in England, there were 4.7 firerelated<br />
fatalities.<br />
Smokers’ materials (such as cigarettes, cigars<br />
or pipe tobacco) were the source of ignition in<br />
36% of fire-related fatalities in accidental<br />
dwelling fires.<br />
Cooking appliances were the source of ignition in<br />
49% of accidental dwelling fires and 50% of nonfatal<br />
casualties in accidental dwelling fires in<br />
and was by far the largest ignition category.<br />
Fires where a smoke alarm was not present<br />
accounted for 27% (8,100) of all dwelling fires<br />
and 36% (77) of all dwelling fire fatalities.<br />
According to the studies, mains powered smoke<br />
alarms continue to have a lower “failure rate”<br />
than battery powered alarms. 21% of mains<br />
powered smoke alarms and 39% of battery<br />
powered smoke alarms failed to operate in<br />
dwelling fires.<br />
Sounding the alarm<br />
Research suggests that you are at least four<br />
times more likely to die if you don’t have a smoke<br />
alarm.<br />
All building owners need to be aware of the fire<br />
risks within their properties and are required by<br />
law to protect their tenants from them. As any<br />
fire department will advise you, in a fire<br />
emergency, a few seconds could save lives.<br />
A fire detection system is designed to sense<br />
smoke, excessive heat or fire and provide an<br />
alert for tenants. The Fire Safety Advice Centre<br />
sets out the British Standards Specification for<br />
installing fire safety systems within a property.<br />
These standards include the BS 5839-<br />
1:2013+A2:2008 and the BAFE Fire Detection and<br />
Alarm Systems Scheme No. SP203.<br />
12 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
Landlords must ensure that all systems that they<br />
install, meet these specifications and that each<br />
system is installed correctly.<br />
It’s also important to remember that smoke<br />
alarms don’t last forever. The power might work,<br />
but the detection mechanism deteriorates with<br />
time. So whether they are battery operated or<br />
wired to the mains, to work at their best they<br />
should be replaced every ten years.<br />
Where fires start<br />
• Kitchen - 50% of accidental fires are caused by<br />
cooking appliances. (Room risks likely to be<br />
present: Gas cooker, boiler, Flue, Electrical<br />
equipment)<br />
• Living room - 7% of fires are caused by<br />
smokers’ materials. 36% of fires are caused by<br />
misused or faulty equipment. (Room risks<br />
likely to be present: Electrical equipment,<br />
space heaters, soft furnishings, open or gas<br />
fire)<br />
• Bedroom -25% of all dwelling fires are caused<br />
by textiles, upholstery and furnishings. (Room<br />
risks likely to be present: Soft furnishings,<br />
electrical equipment, candles, indirect carbon<br />
monoxide risk)<br />
• Loft - There are 11 chimney fires daily in the<br />
UK; that’s 4015 a year. (Room risks likely to be<br />
present: Chimneys, downlights, PV – Solar<br />
panel inverter, insulation, electrical wiring)<br />
• Hallway – Between 7pm and 8pm is the most<br />
frequent time for fire incidents within a<br />
property. (Room risks likely to be present:<br />
Although less likely to be the location of a fire<br />
source, this vital escape route could be blocked<br />
due to smoke entry from a fire in a nearby<br />
room)<br />
Placement is key<br />
Placement of a fire alarm system will vary<br />
depending on the type of alarm required and the<br />
layout of the property. Typical smoke alarms<br />
need to be installed in a centralised area of a<br />
passageway and should also be installed in the<br />
head of stairways on the top storey. Multi-storey<br />
structures should have a smoke alarm installed<br />
on each level. The alarm should be placed at a<br />
safe distance from lights, ceiling fans or air<br />
conditioning vents because the cooler air and<br />
flow could prevent proper detection of fire, heat<br />
or smoke.<br />
Proper installation of fire alarm systems is<br />
important so that the detectors will operate<br />
effectively and the audible and lighted alerts can<br />
easily warn occupants in case of a fire.<br />
Not only should the fire alarm systems be<br />
installed and working properly, but building<br />
owners should also provide training for<br />
occupants where possible to make sure they<br />
understand how critical the alarms are in an<br />
emergency.<br />
Testing<br />
Fire Alarm systems should be checked on a<br />
regular basis, either by setting off a call point or<br />
setting off the sounders, and making sure that<br />
the system is tested by a competent person.<br />
Then, depending on the size of the system, a full<br />
service should be carried out from between once<br />
a year up to four times a year. The frequency<br />
should depend on the size and the complexity of<br />
your fire alarm system.<br />
Sprinklers save lives<br />
Six centuries ago a well-known artist invented<br />
the first known sprinkler system. Leonardo da<br />
Vinci’s creation worked rather too well - when a<br />
comedy of catering errors in his patron’s kitchen<br />
culminated in a fire. The sprinkler system did its<br />
job but washed away all the food.<br />
Skip on a couple of centuries or so when<br />
German-born British apothecary Ambrose<br />
Godfrey created the first successful automated<br />
sprinkler system using gunpowder to release a<br />
tank of extinguishing fluid.<br />
The world’s first modern recognisable system<br />
was put into the Theatre Royal in London’s Drury<br />
Lane a hundred years later, patented in 1812 by<br />
William Congreve and, for over a century now,<br />
sprinkler installations have been successfully<br />
protecting people’s lives and buildings, and<br />
improving business continuity.<br />
Technology has, of course, moved on since Da<br />
Vinci’s kitchen nightmare. Modern sprinkler<br />
systems are efficient, reliable and cost-effective,<br />
a virtual firefighter in every room 24/7.<br />
Every year hundreds of people die in fires and<br />
many more suffer injuries, many of which could<br />
be avoided if sprinklers were installed, yet still<br />
only 2% of the UK’s council tower blocks have<br />
full sprinkler systems and less than a third of the<br />
260 schools built since 2014 under the<br />
Government’s School Building Programme have<br />
sprinklers.<br />
In summary<br />
Often the most deadly fires are small fires that<br />
quietly smoulder and smoke while people are<br />
asleep or in a different room. Without the early<br />
warning of a smoke alarm, people can be<br />
overcome with smoke before the fire is<br />
discovered. Please fit at least one smoke alarm<br />
on every floor of your property and regularly<br />
check them. The quicker firefighters are alerted,<br />
the quicker they can help save lives and prevent<br />
fires from spreading. Protect your people this<br />
November and if you see fire, get out, stay out<br />
and dial 999.
candle fires result in<br />
around 350 casualties<br />
each year, we would<br />
like you to take extra<br />
care with candles this<br />
winter - nearly 40% of<br />
all fires started by<br />
candles result in a<br />
death or injury.<br />
<strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong> 13
Offsite<br />
Offsite homes<br />
en masse for<br />
the masses<br />
It’s no secret that housebuilding needs to increase in the UK. It is currently estimated that a total of 250,000 homes need to be<br />
delivered each year in order to tackle spiralling house prices and the critical shortage of affordable homes. Year on year to date,<br />
this target has consistently been missed - with figures showing that only 184,000 homes were completed in England in 2016/17.<br />
Joe Bradbury of <strong>MMC</strong> Magazine discusses:<br />
Akey aspect to the problem is that<br />
developers in possession of large sites<br />
often only release a small amount of<br />
homes at a time, as slowing the pace of<br />
building affords them the opportunity to<br />
capitalise on the value of their assets. This<br />
results in local authorities looking to reclaim<br />
and manage the construction of new homes.<br />
Councils have largely been removed from<br />
housebuilding since the conservative<br />
government came into power in 1979, where<br />
private construction rose, but not by enough to<br />
compensate for the fall in public sector<br />
building.<br />
A cynic could be forgiven for posing the<br />
question “what have local authorities been<br />
doing all this time?” Council advisers argue in<br />
defence that they been exploring ways of<br />
getting back into housebuilding after decades<br />
of being removed. Both Labour and Liberal<br />
Democrats have historically argued in support<br />
of the state to once again commission and<br />
build new homes. Nevertheless, conservatives<br />
insist on austerity and warn that they need to<br />
be cautious about the state getting involved in<br />
housebuilding - stating that the country must<br />
live within its means in order to survive and<br />
thrive in a modern financial climate.<br />
It is clear that if the state reclaims house<br />
building then cost effective methods of building<br />
will have to be utilised.<br />
14 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
Offsite construction provides<br />
the solution<br />
Using offsite construction would allow the<br />
government to deliver houses faster and at a<br />
lower cost.<br />
It has been stated that a main factor holding up<br />
housebuilding in the short term, is a lack of<br />
materials. The surge in demand in late 2013<br />
and early 2014 led to a decrease in availability<br />
of traditional materials such as bricks. This<br />
paved the way for prefabricated materials like<br />
timber and steel to be used in housebuilding.<br />
Regardless of whether the state takes on<br />
housebuilding or if it is left to private house<br />
builders, the benefits of offsite construction<br />
are undoubtedly crucial to meeting targets<br />
which have to date been repeatedly missed.<br />
Offsite construction provides housebuilders<br />
with programme certainty and quality though<br />
simplification of site operations and reduced<br />
weather dependencies due to the controlled<br />
factory-based assembly process. Houses<br />
delivered through offsite construction offer<br />
enhanced specification standards and build<br />
quality which reduces occupancy costs related<br />
to energy use, defects and repairs. There is<br />
significant evidence that suggests that the use<br />
of offsite construction has been successful<br />
when applied to meet the needs of significant<br />
housing developments at scale with<br />
consequential opportunities for standardisation<br />
of design details - particularly to meet the<br />
need of government led programmes.<br />
Consider the environment<br />
‘The Waste and Resources Action Programme’<br />
posit that offsite construction practices<br />
generate up to 90% less waste than more<br />
traditional building methods. This is because a<br />
factory is a much more controlled environment<br />
than a traditional building site - throwing far<br />
fewer variables into the mix.<br />
Offsite and modular construction is much less<br />
energy intensive than traditional<br />
housebuilding. The carbon footprint left by the<br />
many construction vehicles and machinery on<br />
the site of a traditional construction project<br />
alone is considerably larger than that of<br />
modular construction. Fewer vehicles involved<br />
and less time spent on site results in fewer<br />
emissions and a vastly reduced carbon<br />
footprint as an industry.<br />
Offsite offers fast and affordable solution to a<br />
modern crisis, and with the UK Environment<br />
Agency and other government bodies putting<br />
increasing pressure on construction companies<br />
to reduce pollution and conform to<br />
environmental regulations, it may be a shift in<br />
practice that happens regardless of anybody’s<br />
stance on the subject. Ask yourself; are you<br />
ready for offsite?
Offsite<br />
see us at<br />
Offsite,<br />
stand no.<br />
C7<br />
The Loft from Tingdene Homes, fitted<br />
with construction and roofing<br />
membranes from Protect.<br />
Protect Membranes delivers U-value<br />
benefits for new modular innovation<br />
A variety of wall construction membranes, roofing underlays and accessories from Protect has been installed into an innovative<br />
new modular concept manufactured by Tingdene Homes, holiday and park home specialists.<br />
Offered under the THL Modular<br />
branding, The Loft is a contemporary<br />
two-storey holiday home designed and<br />
manufactured completely offsite in Tingdene<br />
Homes’ factory, using cutting edge design<br />
and high end specification to meet the needs<br />
of the growing “staycation” market. Fully<br />
LABC product approved and constructed to<br />
UK Building Regulations, The Loft can be<br />
built to suit varied client needs ranging from<br />
a two or three bedroom luxury lodge to a two<br />
or four room hotel pod, club house or café.<br />
A number of Protect products were supplied<br />
and installed on THL Modular’s first show<br />
home, including Protect BarriAir, an internal<br />
airtightness membrane, Protect VC Foil Ultra<br />
used as the insulating low emissivity vapour<br />
control layer, Protect TF200 Thermo<br />
insulating low emissivity breather membrane<br />
for external walls and Protect VP400 Plus LR,<br />
a roofing underlay offering unrestricted wind<br />
uplift resistance, and exceptional vapour<br />
permeability.<br />
Phil Harold, Quality Assurance Manager at<br />
Tingdene Homes commented, “The use of<br />
numerous Protect products for this<br />
16 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
development helped us meet specification and<br />
achieve our target U-values of 0.18 W/m 2 K for<br />
external walls and 0.14W.m 2 K for the roof<br />
element. With the numerous benefits of offsite<br />
manufacture over traditional construction<br />
including build speed, quality precision and<br />
reliability, we wanted a supplier who<br />
understood these principles to ensure our<br />
delivery demands were met. Protect supplied<br />
products quickly which enabled our process to<br />
run without interruption and facilitated swift<br />
turnaround at the<br />
factory.”<br />
Protect’s range of<br />
wall, ceiling and floor<br />
construction<br />
membranes together<br />
with its roofing<br />
underlays and<br />
accessories provides<br />
a comprehensive<br />
solution to the<br />
modular build sector.<br />
In particular, Protect<br />
construction<br />
membrane products<br />
with reflective technology help deliver thermal<br />
efficiency benefits to meet low target U-values<br />
and ensure compliance with relevant Building<br />
Regulations.<br />
For details of how Protect products can be<br />
incorporated into residential and commercial<br />
builds, please visit the below website email<br />
info@protectmembranes.com or call 0161 905<br />
5700, quoting ‘The Loft.’<br />
www.protectmembranes.com<br />
Protect TF200 Thermo, used on the exterior of Tingdene Homes’ The Loft.
SEE WINDOWS & DOORS<br />
IN A NEW LIGHT<br />
Call us now for more information on our new offsite<br />
construction window and door concept<br />
www.nationwidewindows.co.uk<br />
Tel: 01788 224 466 | Email: enquiries@nationwidewindows.co.uk<br />
Nationwide Windows Ltd | Nationwide House | 74-88 Somers Road | Rugby | Warwickshire | CV22 7DH<br />
SEE US AT STAND C22<br />
20TH - 21ST<br />
<br />
<br />
NOVEMBER 2018<br />
EXCEL LONDON
Offsite<br />
Working lock keeper’s island<br />
transformed by energy efficient<br />
Cross Laminated Timber homes<br />
A small man-made island which houses a working lock on the Bow Back Waters at Stratford, has been transformed by a new<br />
residential development designed and delivered by Architect and Developer Roberts & Treguer.<br />
Images: Roberts & Treguer<br />
Blaker Island is formed of a five storey<br />
apartment block known as The<br />
Warehouse and Howard’s House - two<br />
semi-detached town houses, built either side of<br />
a Listed and refurbished 1930’s lock keepers<br />
house. The development has been designed to<br />
passivhaus standard to provide seven spacious,<br />
modern homes with private outside space and<br />
views over the Olympic Park and surrounding<br />
waterways.<br />
The new buildings are built from Stora Enso<br />
PEFC certified Cross Laminated Timber which<br />
has helped to meet the high level of airtightness<br />
required for Passivhaus. Other key<br />
considerations for the specification of CLT<br />
include its ability to resolve limitations<br />
presented by the island site in terms of weight<br />
and access, possible only via a small foot bridge.<br />
Specialist hybrid construction firm, G-frame<br />
Structures, who supplied and installed the CLT,<br />
devised an innovative installation strategy to<br />
overcome the complex site logistics which<br />
enabled them to safely and efficiently deliver<br />
both superstructures in just six weeks.<br />
Roberts and Treguer’s design concept for the<br />
development was driven by a desire to provide<br />
high quality, low energy homes that would be<br />
completely different to anything else available in<br />
the area. “From the outset a key part of our<br />
design intent was to build highly sustainable and<br />
energy efficient homes that would meet<br />
passivhaus standards and CLT has helped us to<br />
achieve this due to its high airtightness<br />
qualities.” Explains Bachir Nebia, Contracts<br />
Manager at Roberts & Treguer.<br />
Airtightness details for Howard’s House and the<br />
Warehouse are designed to 0.6 ACH (air change)<br />
which is the maximum allowed for achieving<br />
Passivhaus standard. Windows are triple glazed<br />
and junction detailing between window and CLT<br />
wall panels has been carefully considered.<br />
Energy efficiency is further improved by a<br />
compact unit in each dwelling which combines<br />
MVHR with an air source heat pump to provide<br />
ventilation, heating and hot water. It is estimated<br />
that over a 60 year period a typical dwelling will<br />
save 192 tonnes of CO2 compared with a typical<br />
UK home.<br />
Weight was also a key consideration in the<br />
specification of CLT: “We were going to be<br />
adding a lot of weight to an existing structure<br />
and this was a key factor in the material<br />
specification. The island has river walls all<br />
around it which are owned by the Canal Trust<br />
and we carefully considered the potential impact<br />
on them of increased weight.” Says Bachir.<br />
18 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
“CLT is a more lightweight structural material<br />
than traditional construction materials and this<br />
enabled the project team to reduce the weight<br />
of the superstructure while still creating<br />
spacious, sustainable and energy efficient<br />
homes. We worked closely with G-frame<br />
Structures and timber engineer Furness<br />
Partnership on the detail design and the G-<br />
frame team developed quick and efficient<br />
solutions for the crane and installation<br />
strategy.” He continues.<br />
Lee Murphy, Managing Director of G-frame<br />
Structures expands on this: "The site is a manmade<br />
island surrounded by water on all sides<br />
and this made other, more traditional methods<br />
of construction less feasible. In terms of<br />
overcoming such complex site constraints, CLT<br />
provided the perfect solution because it is<br />
lightweight, fast and efficient. The installation<br />
strategy we developed involved the erection of<br />
a 100 tonne mobile crane adjacent to the site<br />
which we used to lift in a self-erecting IGO50<br />
mini tower crane to the island. This enabled<br />
the G-frame team to safely, quickly and<br />
efficiently install Howard House and the<br />
Warehouse apartments in a very short<br />
timeframe.”<br />
These factors were key considerations for the<br />
structural design and CLT panels were<br />
specified to be liftable by the IG050 mini crane.<br />
Brick slip cladding further contributed to<br />
achieving a lighter overall weight for the<br />
buildings as well as allowing for walls to be<br />
formed from the CLT wall panel, insulation and<br />
cladding without dramatically increasing<br />
thickness.<br />
The site layout also required the development<br />
of a cantilevered section at the corner of the<br />
Warehouse building to avoid the foundations of<br />
the foot bridge which are located close by. This<br />
was resolved by the introduction of Glulam<br />
beams integrated to the open façade and<br />
incorporating step-in level access to the bridge<br />
for servicing the building.<br />
Sound separation at the Warehouse was<br />
achieved by the use of double-layer CLT walls<br />
around the full height central core which<br />
houses the lift shaft and staircase. The two<br />
walls are separated by only a 90 mm space and<br />
to overcome the inaccessible nature of this<br />
element of construction, G-frame Structures<br />
used discreet connections which also<br />
contributed to the overall aesthetic of the<br />
building.<br />
Externally the development presents a varied<br />
streetscape and Roberts & Treguer have taken<br />
care to reflect the history of the Island and<br />
surrounding waterways. Though having the<br />
external appearance of one single house,<br />
Howard’s House is comprised of two spacious<br />
three bedroom homes. The design is based on<br />
the original home of the 19th Century chemist<br />
and amateur meteorologist Luke Howard<br />
which was originally situated on the island but<br />
demolished in 1934. Howard is known as the<br />
‘Namer of Clouds’ for having developed the<br />
nomenclature system for cloud classification<br />
which is still used today.<br />
Inspiration for the Warehouse is taken from the<br />
local vernacular of traditional warehouses to<br />
be found on the rivers and canals of Stratford.<br />
The building is very generously proportioned<br />
with just one three bedroom apartment on<br />
each of the ground, first and second floors and<br />
a two bedroom penthouse on the third and<br />
fourth floors. Bedrooms and large open plan<br />
kitchen/living spaces lead from a central<br />
hallway where the MVHR unit is located so that<br />
humid air can be extracted from the kitchen<br />
and bathroom and fresh air supplied to the<br />
bedrooms. The building features a recessed<br />
roof garden which has been achieved by an<br />
innovative solution developed by G-frame<br />
Structures and Furness Partnership whereby<br />
the beams effectively act as a cradle for the<br />
floor which hangs beneath.<br />
Internally, all the new homes feature exposed<br />
CLT throughout with accent provided by a<br />
simple monochrome palette which contrasts<br />
well with the texture and colour of the wood.<br />
www.g-frame.co.uk<br />
<strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong> 19
article<br />
High<br />
Specification<br />
for a Higher<br />
Education<br />
Building<br />
Architecturally designed and built completely to spec, the new three-storey building on the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston<br />
Campus is full of unique features.<br />
New office space was required to<br />
accommodate University academics:<br />
overall growth and construction work<br />
elsewhere on campus meant that staff were<br />
temporarily displaced. Planning permission<br />
was granted for a new office block, but only for<br />
3 and a half years.<br />
Not Just a Temporary Solution<br />
The brief: the building needed to be temporary<br />
but not feel temporary, and it needed to be<br />
spacious, contemporary and light. Time was of<br />
the essence, but without compromise on finish.<br />
Of the three companies asked to tender by the<br />
University, Wernick Buildings were selected as<br />
the preferred tenderer based on a combination<br />
of cost, quality and programme A Wernick<br />
Buildings’ modular system allowed the<br />
architects to customise the internal and<br />
external finishes while maintaining the budget<br />
and schedule.<br />
A wide range of features were specified from the<br />
outset: from architectural features such as the<br />
large sections of glazing, feature banding and<br />
projecting window surrounds, down to the<br />
finishing touches of skirtings, window frames<br />
and doors. The resulting space is befitting to its<br />
prestigious surroundings and listed<br />
neighbouring buildings.<br />
Modular Installation and<br />
Feedback<br />
After just six weeks in the factory, the 36<br />
modules were loaded and ready for the trip from<br />
South Wales to Birmingham. The February<br />
installation was on schedule: even after allowing<br />
for some of the worst snow this country has<br />
seen for some time! Crane trucks manoeuvred<br />
the modules through mature trees on the site –<br />
giving the final impression that the building had<br />
always been there.<br />
Kevin O’Flaherty, Senior Project Manager at<br />
University of Birmingham is responsible for a<br />
portion of the University’s ambitious capital<br />
programme, from the inception to getting the<br />
keys. Kevin, alongside the architects, worked<br />
very closely with the team at Wernick Buildings<br />
saying that he was in touch almost every day as<br />
decisions had to be made so quickly. Kevin<br />
found the Wernick team to be “highly<br />
professional and always wanting to do the best<br />
job”.<br />
Kevin remarked: “I often hear “it doesn’t feel<br />
like a modular building” - the extra touches<br />
have really made the space and feedback so far<br />
has been overwhelmingly positive from both<br />
staff and planning.”<br />
Due to the nature of the modular system used,<br />
the University can choose to move the building:<br />
either keeping the current configuration or<br />
changing it completely. The modules are built to<br />
be stacked up to four-storeys high or reduced<br />
down to one-storey. Kevin, however, feels the<br />
building sits very comfortably in its existing<br />
setting.<br />
Architectural Touches<br />
Glancy Nicholls Architects Ltd, based in<br />
Birmingham and London, is a Royal Institute of<br />
British Architects (RIBA) Chartered Practice and<br />
was started in 2004. Wernick worked with the<br />
firm previously, also at the University of<br />
Birmingham. Wernick helped GNA to deliver a<br />
low impact building for researchers studying the<br />
surrounding woodlands. Read more about the<br />
BIFoR scheme here www.wernick.co.uk/casestudy/buildings/specialist/bifor<br />
GNA architectural assistant Aiden Astle, who<br />
worked on the new office building, is excited<br />
about both projects’ potential to “challenge the<br />
misconception of modular buildings”. The office<br />
building, he added, is further proof of modular’s<br />
capabilities: “This project demonstrates that a<br />
limited time-frame doesn’t need to infringe on<br />
quality. This project has proven the flexibility of<br />
this method of construction and the results<br />
speak for themselves.”<br />
For more information on modular buildings,<br />
click here<br />
www.wernick.co.uk/buildings/modular, call<br />
0800 112 4640 or email us<br />
Enquiries.Buildings@wernickgroup.co.uk<br />
www.wernick.co.uk<br />
20 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
Visit us<br />
on stand<br />
D12<br />
SIPS Fabrications Service<br />
Marley Modular Systems SIP panels can be<br />
supplied in pre-fabricated wall, floor or roof<br />
sections complete with structural openings<br />
for doors and windows.<br />
Marley SIPs are manufactured in a state<br />
of the art factory and fabricated to exact<br />
customer dimensions for each project.<br />
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marleysips.co.uk
Heating, Ventilation & Indoor Air Quality<br />
What’s in a<br />
breath of<br />
fresh air?<br />
A breath of fresh air. A sigh of relief. An angry huff. An exultant gasp. There are many differing types of breath and as human beings<br />
we take on average 17,000-30,000 of them per day. Coupled with this, the average person in Britain spends 92% of their time<br />
indoors on a week day. So with less than two hours a day spent outdoors, Joe Bradbury of <strong>MMC</strong> Magazine explores the importance<br />
of clean air and ventilation within a building.<br />
When we are inside the home, an<br />
indoor workplace (or any other type<br />
of building, for that matter), we are<br />
placing ourselves unwittingly at the mercy of<br />
the air within that building. Any chemicals,<br />
toxins or pollutants are drawn into our bodies<br />
and can cause headaches, eye irritation, skin<br />
problems, allergies and fatigue. Prolonged<br />
exposure to more serious pollutants can even<br />
cause certain types of cancers and other longterm<br />
health complications. As specifiers<br />
building structures designed for people, we<br />
have to consider this in our projects and<br />
ensure we do everything within our power to<br />
protect occupants from the invisible menace<br />
of unclean air.<br />
According to the NHS, there are currently 5.4<br />
million people in the UK receiving treatment<br />
for asthma; comprising 1.1 million children (1<br />
in 11) and 4.3 million adults (1 in 12). The UK<br />
holds some impressive records but boasting<br />
some of the highest rates in Europe for<br />
Asthma is nothing to brag about; every day, the<br />
lives of three families are devastated by the<br />
death of a loved one to an asthma attack, and<br />
tragically two thirds of these deaths are<br />
preventable.<br />
Poor indoor air quality exacerbates symptoms<br />
of asthma in its sufferers, and plays a sinister<br />
role in the development of asthma in<br />
susceptible people, such as small children and<br />
the elderly.<br />
The construction industry is a major source of<br />
pollution, responsible for around 4% of<br />
22 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
particulate emissions, more water pollution<br />
incidents than any other industry, and<br />
thousands of noise complaints every year.<br />
Something must be done!<br />
Mechanical Ventilation with<br />
Heat Recovery (MVHR)<br />
Innovations within the field of airtightness in<br />
buildings have happened so rapidly in recent<br />
years and ventilation and heat recovery have<br />
had to play catch up to keep up with the<br />
momentum. Adequate ventilation in airtight<br />
buildings is essential and mechanical<br />
ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems<br />
offer that effective, efficient and clean way of<br />
ventilation so sorely needed by people living in<br />
poor quality air across Britain today.<br />
MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat<br />
Recovery) provides fresh filtered air into a<br />
building whilst retaining most of the energy<br />
that has already been used in heating the<br />
building. Heat Recovery Ventilation is the<br />
solution to the ventilation needs of energy<br />
efficient buildings. Mechanical ventilation with<br />
heat recovery (MVHR), heat recovery<br />
ventilation (HRV) or Comfort ventilation are all<br />
names for the same thing. A heat recovery<br />
ventilation system properly fitted into a house<br />
provides a constant supply of fresh filtered air,<br />
maintaining the air quality whilst being<br />
practically imperceptible.<br />
MVHR works by extracting the air from the<br />
polluted sources e.g. kitchen, bathroom,<br />
toilets and utility rooms and supplying air to<br />
the ‘living’ rooms e.g. bedrooms, living rooms,<br />
studies etc. The extracted air is taken through<br />
a central heat exchanger and the heat<br />
recovered into the supply air. This works both<br />
ways, if the air inside the building is colder<br />
than the outside air then the building will<br />
retain its nice and cool temperature.<br />
Bringing the fresh air inside<br />
Studies show that a well-sealed building<br />
envelope combined with effective filtration of<br />
incoming supply air can reduce particle<br />
penetration by 78%. The positive health<br />
implications of this are profound.<br />
The general public understands the impact<br />
temperature has on healthy and productive<br />
conditions inside buildings sadly all too well;<br />
fuel poverty and winter deaths take centre<br />
stage in our newspapers and magazines.<br />
Unfortunately, the fact that air quality is<br />
equally as impactful on society is regularly<br />
overlooked. Regardless of how hot or cold it<br />
may be outside, people have come to expect<br />
comfortable indoor temperatures. They<br />
demand that from their buildings. They now<br />
need to invoke the same demand for<br />
protection from harmful air pollution. Get<br />
either wrong and you run the risk of harming<br />
your occupants.<br />
Warmth and clean air to breathe is essential.<br />
As an industry, we are responsible for the<br />
comfort and wellbeing of the occupants of the<br />
built environment. We must also ensure we<br />
are moving forward towards renewables,<br />
otherwise I would argue that we aren’t moving<br />
forward at all. MVHR just might be the answer.
No ot expe ensive when you<br />
conside er the savings!<br />
Save on:<br />
• Floor Installation<br />
• HVAC Installation<br />
• Services Installation<br />
Save tim me, money and aggravation<br />
from costly call-backs<br />
The advant tages are clear:<br />
• Open web design provides ease of<br />
access for services and ventilationn<br />
• Improved quality of service fitting ,<br />
eliminating costly remedial work<br />
• Lightweigh t and made to measur e<br />
for speedy erection<br />
• Clear span further for greater des sign<br />
flexibility<br />
Extending your advantage<br />
For the largest network of li censed manufacturers throughout the UK and Ireland<br />
visit:<br />
www.mitek.co.uk/manufacturers/<br />
or call 01384 451400<br />
CPD Now available for Posi-Joist<br />
Contact MiTek today or visit www .posi-joist.co.uk for full details and an on-line presentation.
article<br />
Light gauge steel solutions for<br />
the construction industry<br />
see us at<br />
Offsite,<br />
stand no.<br />
A19<br />
Light Gauge Steel Frame manufacturers Frameclad supply components, frames and structures for the construction industry.<br />
They operate in every area of the steel framing arena, where clients require stock lengths and components to the multi storey,<br />
pre-designed, fully engineered and assembled end of the market.<br />
Components are formed from<br />
galvanised coil into the required<br />
straight sections and are either<br />
delivered in their raw state or they then<br />
undergo further engineered processes to be<br />
incorporated into framed products with<br />
dimples, fixing holes, service holes etc. All<br />
of these options can be viewed at<br />
www.frameclad.com<br />
From humble beginnings, trading materials<br />
as a specialised merchant, Mark Munns<br />
(founder) has grown the business through<br />
various phases of development; whilst<br />
strategically adding to the management team<br />
to ensure Frameclad continue to provide<br />
excellent products and services through a<br />
time of growth. After initial forays into the<br />
world of production pushed Frameclad’s<br />
manufacturing of component materials<br />
forward, the company soon began expanding<br />
their range to include complex flat pack<br />
frame products. This required the addition of<br />
Pictured outside Frameclad’s new manufacturing facility from L-R, Mark Munns<br />
CEO Frameclad, Clr. David Tyler Mayor of Dudley & Phil Dufty Operations Director<br />
Frameclad during his visit earlier this year.<br />
Frameclad strive to be the<br />
best option for quality,<br />
professional services and<br />
products within the Light<br />
Gauge Steel Frame market.<br />
Always aiming for betterment<br />
and differentiation. Frameclad<br />
are keenly looking for<br />
partners who share common<br />
goals and aspirations.<br />
state-of-the-art equipment, new production<br />
premises and a highly trained and motivated<br />
staff to produce fully formed, assembled and<br />
boarded panels and insulated systems of<br />
immensely complex design. These products<br />
and systems are offering a real alternative to<br />
traditional methods of construction and<br />
provide amazing<br />
benefits in cost,<br />
time and accuracy.<br />
Following sustained<br />
growth and<br />
additional<br />
purchases of new<br />
roll forming<br />
equipment<br />
Frameclad outgrew<br />
their original<br />
factory and in<br />
March 2018 moved<br />
into a new 24k<br />
square foot facility,<br />
this in addition to<br />
retaining the<br />
original 12K square<br />
foot premises. The<br />
new premises<br />
dedicated solely to<br />
the production of<br />
framing from<br />
rolling to assembly<br />
to boarding and<br />
despatch. Shortly<br />
after this was<br />
opened Frameclad<br />
received a visit from<br />
the then Mayor of<br />
Dudley, David Tyler,<br />
as part his term of<br />
Clr David Tyler Mayor of Dudley gaining an insight<br />
into roll forming and steel framing during his tour of<br />
Frameclad’s manufacturing facility with Phil Dufty<br />
Operations Director Frameclad together with<br />
apprentice Jack Pitchford.<br />
office pledge to visit 100 businesses in the<br />
area. During this visit he toured both<br />
manufacturing facilities, met key members of<br />
staff including apprentices. David has<br />
subsequently returned to see how things are<br />
progressing and is always a welcome visitor.<br />
Through taking pride in their work and<br />
refusing to compromise on quality,<br />
Frameclad have emerged as market leaders<br />
in their field. Honest and secure advice<br />
delivered from a platform of experience and<br />
backed by a collaborative approach at all<br />
stages of a construction project makes<br />
Frameclad the obvious choice as a partner.<br />
Frameclad clients enjoy a fairly unique<br />
experience of being engaged at all points<br />
throughout the process - from ideas and<br />
design through to sign off of design,<br />
manufacture and delivery.<br />
Frameclad strive to be the best option for<br />
quality, professional services and products<br />
within the Light Gauge Steel Frame market.<br />
Always aiming for betterment and<br />
differentiation. Frameclad are keenly looking<br />
for partners who share common goals and<br />
aspirations.<br />
If you have a project that you feel may benefit<br />
from the involvement of the Frameclad team<br />
they would be delighted to hear from you<br />
either by email or telephone –<br />
enquiries@frameclad.com or 01384 401114<br />
www.frameclad.com<br />
24 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
Frameclad<br />
The last word in load bearing light gauge steel frame buildings<br />
• Consultancy - expert advice on how to develop<br />
your project<br />
• Design - bringing your project to life and<br />
ensuring that every element is technically correct<br />
• Manufacture - state of the art equipment and a highly<br />
trained workforce ensure a precision product, delivered on<br />
time and to exact specification<br />
Talk to the experts - talk to us<br />
www.frameclad.com
article<br />
Are pods the future of construction?<br />
The UK construction industry is worth an estimated £100 billion to the UK economy each year. But tighter restrictions, increasing<br />
build costs and a lack of skilled labour are threatening the sector’s future growth. Thankfully, from hardship comes great<br />
opportunity and the sector has seen several innovative solutions come to the fore in recent years. This is particularly true when it<br />
comes to prefabrication and offsite construction products.<br />
Pods are one such innovation that is<br />
proving to be invaluable to the<br />
industry. They can now be found<br />
everywhere - spanning a diverse range of<br />
build projects, new and retrofit, in both the<br />
public and private sectors. And with<br />
increased backing from Government, (for<br />
housing in particular) we can expect them to<br />
become even more prevalent over coming<br />
years.<br />
Why offsite?<br />
So why are offsite solutions becoming more<br />
popular, and why does the Government seem<br />
so keen to back them? The answer to this is<br />
two-fold; they can allow large volume to be<br />
delivered at a level of quality that is<br />
consistent, and they also reduce lead times,<br />
meaning we can ultimately build faster when<br />
utilising offsite solutions such as pods.<br />
Currently the demand being placed on the<br />
construction industry continues to rise, but<br />
the number of projects completing on time<br />
and to budget continues to fall. This is not<br />
just due to tighter regulations and labour<br />
shortages, but other factors like the weather<br />
and delays in the supply of materials.<br />
Factor in housing shortages, an aging<br />
population, an increase in speciality housing<br />
needs, a lack of suitable student<br />
accommodation and an uptick in the number<br />
of build to let homes, and it’s clear to see why<br />
prefabricated solutions are being more widely<br />
used.<br />
Pre-fab pod solutions<br />
Modern pod solutions are proving to be a<br />
popular alternative method of construction<br />
due to them being able to be designed,<br />
manufactured and pre-assembled offsite, and<br />
then easily dropped into place for ease and<br />
speed in new build projects, without having to<br />
compromise on quality.<br />
Specialist manufacturers design and build<br />
tailored pods, to perfectly meet client<br />
specifications and these are simply delivered<br />
whole ready for installation and fitments or<br />
re-assembled onsite quickly and easily for<br />
refurbishment. Installation does not require<br />
skilled labour, significantly reducing time and<br />
costs.<br />
Bathrooms, showers and wetrooms are<br />
notoriously complex parts of a building to<br />
deliver and require a wide range of skilled<br />
labour, from designers and plumbers to<br />
electricians and tilers. Pre-fab pod solutions,<br />
on the other hand, can be completely bespoke<br />
26 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
and designed to fit into any space – whether a<br />
Grade II listed manor house, an office block, a<br />
refurbishment or a new-build. This greatly<br />
reduces costs, time, and the skill and labour<br />
involved in fitting.<br />
Sectional pods are perfect for anywhere that<br />
space is considered an issue, and designs can<br />
be completed from concept to delivery much<br />
quicker than when utilising more traditional<br />
building practices. A whole host of factors<br />
that can slow down the build, such as late<br />
delivery of materials, several contractors<br />
having to work together in confined spaces or<br />
work not being able to be completed until the<br />
work of other tradespeople has been<br />
completed, simply do not apply when opting<br />
to use pods.<br />
Pods promote health and<br />
wellbeing<br />
Health and safety is of course one of the<br />
highest priorities for contractors, and moving<br />
construction offsite into the better regulated<br />
environment of a factory has been proven<br />
time and time again to significantly decrease<br />
the risk of accident. Purpose built<br />
construction lines have been designed<br />
specifically for pod manufacture which<br />
almost entirely eliminate risk, and are<br />
unquestionably the safer environment in<br />
which to work.<br />
When pods are manufactured offsite, the onsite<br />
assembling process is far quicker and<br />
quieter with fewer people required, thereby<br />
reducing labour costs. Not only is this cleaner<br />
and safer, but it keeps disruption to a<br />
minimum – there are less materials and<br />
vehicles on site, making the site more<br />
efficient, less impactful on the surrounding<br />
environment and easier to manage.<br />
Environmentally-friendly<br />
Pod solutions also deliver on quality and<br />
efficiency. A traditional building site can be a<br />
source of wasted materials because of<br />
finishing, fixing and snagging errors.<br />
Prefabricated pods eliminate this; bespoke<br />
and resourceful design keeps wastage to a<br />
minimum, and their longevity (most come<br />
with a min 25-year guarantee) means they are<br />
a green alternative to traditional build<br />
materials.<br />
Often pod materials can be recyclable,<br />
reducing the carbon footprint of the build and<br />
providing a sustainable, quality assured<br />
building solution, for the future. The best<br />
quality pods are designed so that they do not<br />
even require sealant, yet are still 100% water<br />
tight and the materials used greatly reduce<br />
bacteria growth and therefore maintenance<br />
costs.<br />
Government-backed<br />
The Government continue to recognise the<br />
benefits of offsite construction. They have<br />
pledged to support building long term<br />
collaborations with the industry, exploiting<br />
digital technologies such as the adoption of<br />
offsite construction techniques on a wide<br />
scale.<br />
In addition, they have commented that they<br />
would “adopt a presumption in favour of<br />
offsite construction by 2019 across suitable<br />
capital programmes”, a true testament to the<br />
rising popularity of offsite modular<br />
construction.<br />
The future is offsite<br />
As more projects are completed and success<br />
stories spread until they are too prevalent to<br />
ignore, decision-makers within the industry<br />
will recognise that change is good and<br />
modular design can also be a commercially<br />
viable alternative to traditional methods.<br />
Sleek designs and high specifications mean<br />
they can be used from high-end projects such<br />
as hotels, right down to student<br />
accommodation, and still deliver a solid ROI.<br />
Indeed, the high specification, unrivalled<br />
quality, offsite checks and lower maintenance<br />
can extend the longevity of the bathroom<br />
environment way beyond those offered by<br />
traditional builds which often require ongoing<br />
maintenance.<br />
There isn’t anywhere deemed out of reach for<br />
a pod to be fitted. From sky-high city centre<br />
apartments to rugged rural surroundings,<br />
installations no longer need to be considered<br />
a logistical nightmare due to their location.<br />
From oil rigs to research centres in<br />
Antarctica, pods have been appearing in the<br />
unlikeliest of places.<br />
However, despite such overwhelming<br />
positivity surrounding pods and offsite<br />
construction overall, it still sadly accounts for<br />
less than 10% of total construction output at<br />
present. It is still early days, however a<br />
change is coming and as an industry we need<br />
to ride the crest of that change to success.<br />
The Government is on board, a growing<br />
number of construction managers are on<br />
board – are you?
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
<strong>MMC</strong><br />
27
Modular & Volumetric Building<br />
Design Flexibility & Performance<br />
from Scotframe Val-U-Therm PLUS ®<br />
Val-U-Therm PLUS ® wall panels achieve 0.08 W/m2K - probably the best U-value wall in the world. Couple this with Scotframe’s<br />
expertise & track record and the sky really is the limit when it comes to design of buildings that tick all the boxes on your clients’<br />
wish lists.<br />
Key to achieving this extraordinary<br />
performance is that the insulation is<br />
injected in off-site, quality-controlled<br />
factory conditions. The foam expands into<br />
every nook and cranny, providing a best-inclass<br />
BR443 U-value correction factor of zero.<br />
As well as excellent thermal insulation<br />
performance, details are available to minimise<br />
thermal bridging and give excellent airtight<br />
fabric levels.<br />
The Scotframe Val-U-Therm ® building system<br />
was originally launched in 2011 and has been<br />
used in over 8,500 homes with an excellent<br />
track record. A UK market leader in full timber<br />
frame packages for new housing and<br />
commercial projects, Scotframe exclusively<br />
offers the Val-U-Therm PLUS ® closed panel<br />
building system. This is accepted by financial<br />
institutions, NHBC, Premier Guarantee and<br />
Checkmate - the panels have a 60-year<br />
minimum service life.<br />
Because it’s a hybrid of the best<br />
aspects of SIPS and timber frame<br />
technology, coupled with the latest<br />
advances in material science, it<br />
offers much flexibility and<br />
innovation in the design and<br />
build process. The unique<br />
combination of design<br />
opportunities includes:<br />
• Can be used for walls,<br />
roofs and floors<br />
• All types of design and<br />
architecture, even curved<br />
walls and roofs<br />
• Can be thermally engineered to perform as<br />
an optimum combination<br />
• Unrestricted elevational treatments – brick,<br />
stone, render, cladding, tile, timber, etc.<br />
• All interior finishes and treatments<br />
• Large-span roofs with vaulted ceilings, if<br />
required<br />
• Dramatic open-plan layouts offering lifestyle<br />
flexibility<br />
• Extensive glazed features and uninterrupted<br />
roof-space living areas<br />
• BBA accredited building system, including infill<br />
panels in other building systems<br />
Couple this with its exceptional thermal<br />
performance and sustainability, Val-U-Therm<br />
PLUS ® provides a straightforward and costeffective<br />
way for architects to hit energy<br />
efficiency, air permeability and other<br />
environmental targets. It offers a fit-andforget,<br />
future-proof solution, whatever level of<br />
28 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
environmental<br />
specifications<br />
are required –<br />
for example, ‘A’<br />
rated Energy<br />
Performance<br />
Certificates,<br />
PassivHaus or the<br />
highest levels of energy<br />
saving and carbon<br />
neutrality.<br />
The patented Val-U-Therm PLUS ® is<br />
also inherently sustainable due to careful<br />
sourcing of raw materials with a minimal<br />
environmental impact. Scotframe’s timber is<br />
sourced from FSC and PEFC sustainably<br />
managed forests and the insulation in Val-U-<br />
Therm PLUS ® panels is based on renewable<br />
vegetable oil, has zero ozone depletion<br />
potential and is CFC, HFC and HCFC-free with a<br />
Global Warming Potential of less than 5. This<br />
means it has a BRE Green Guide A/A+ Rating –<br />
the same as straw bales or sheep wool yet is<br />
hydrophobic offering flood mitigation.<br />
From the UK’s first PassivHaus for rent (which<br />
won a Green Apple Award) to examples that<br />
significantly exceed the PassivHaus standard,<br />
Scotframe has been leading the way using Val-<br />
U-Therm ® technology in energy efficient<br />
building for many years.<br />
The Maryville PassivHaus delivered a total<br />
primary energy demand of 69 kWh/m2a<br />
(exceeding the PassivHaus requirement of 120<br />
kWh/m2a). This ‘Fabric First’ approach is also<br />
suitable for commercial buildings - the<br />
Rocking Horse Nursery at the University of<br />
Aberdeen, which caters for 78 pre-school<br />
children. achieved an air tightness of 0.475<br />
ACH.<br />
Hence Scotframe homes and buildings are<br />
warm and draught-proof in winter, cool and<br />
well ventilated in summer, healthy for all the<br />
family and enjoy remarkably low energy bills.<br />
Scotframe Val-U-Therm PLUS ® allows the<br />
construction of typical family homes that can<br />
cost less than £95 a year to heat.<br />
The great news is that building to these high<br />
standards is not necessarily more expensive or<br />
time consuming using Scotframe Val-U-Therm<br />
PLUS ® . Edinburgh Napier University compared<br />
the cost per square metre of superstructure<br />
using 10 different building systems.<br />
Scotframe Val-U-Therm ® cost £1092 when built<br />
to PassivHaus standards, whilst the other nine<br />
systems ranged from £711 to £1138 when built<br />
only to existing Building Regulations. It took 65<br />
days to build a Scotframe home to PassivHaus<br />
standards; the other 26 homes ranged from 49<br />
to 126 days to build, again only to Building<br />
Regulations.<br />
So, if you are looking to design a dream home<br />
or superlative building – think Scotframe Val-<br />
U-Therm PLUS ® .<br />
Scotframe Timber Engineering and Val-U-<br />
Therm are proud to be part of the Saint Gobain<br />
Group of Companies.<br />
www.scotframe.co.uk
Need more<br />
teaching space?<br />
The solution for<br />
longer lasting<br />
buildings<br />
Wernick buildings are built to last,<br />
with a backed 25 year structural<br />
warranty and a 60 year design<br />
life expectancy.*<br />
*Under current Building Regulations<br />
quick turnaround<br />
cost effective<br />
25 year warranty<br />
quality build<br />
An education in modular buildings<br />
To find out more and view education case studies go to:<br />
www.wernick.co.uk/education 0800 112 4644
Modular & Volumetric Building<br />
Raising the Bar for Offsite Construction<br />
As one of the largest specialist off-site manufacturing businesses in the UK, Caledonian Modular offers much more than your<br />
everyday construction company. Founded over 50 years ago, they supply around the UK from a 40-acre advanced manufacturing<br />
site in Newark, Nottinghamshire.<br />
Over the last few years’ Caledonian has<br />
achieved significant growth and now has<br />
a turnover of over £50m. A series of new<br />
contract wins look set to continue this success<br />
with a target of nearly doubling turnover by<br />
2019, an objective they are well on the way to<br />
achieving.<br />
Mind you, this kind of performance hasn’t come<br />
about on its own, but from a clear vision for the<br />
company, backed by a strong management<br />
team, and a focus on projects that are aligned<br />
with its key strengths and sectors that it<br />
understands; education, housing and<br />
healthcare. These include an ability to achieve<br />
up to 94 per cent completion of building<br />
modules off-site, meaning buildings can be<br />
handed over in up to half the time it takes for a<br />
traditional build, and with less disruption to<br />
roads and nearby buildings. Underlying this<br />
ability to consistently deliver projects on time<br />
and within budget is a commitment to<br />
excellence through the use of BIM, design for<br />
manufacture and assembly (DMFA) and lean<br />
manufacturing techniques.<br />
A case in point is the £55m contract awarded to<br />
Caledonian by Laing O’Rourke to build the<br />
accommodation modules for Hinkley Point C<br />
(HPC) nuclear power station in Somerset. The<br />
contract comprises 1,496 en-suite bedrooms<br />
across 44 individual buildings at two locations.<br />
The first accommodation units rolled off the<br />
factory production line in March last year and<br />
were delivered 96% finished, ready for<br />
rapid completion. Each 34<br />
bedroom block<br />
will<br />
be completed on site<br />
within just eight<br />
weeks from delivery.<br />
The entire HPC<br />
project is worth £18<br />
billion across the<br />
board for the<br />
Nuclear Build<br />
programme, the<br />
largest modular<br />
government project<br />
across the entire<br />
country.<br />
Another recent<br />
success, in<br />
partnership with<br />
their partner<br />
architects HLM,<br />
involved securing<br />
first place on the modular framework to provide<br />
permanent, component-based buildings and<br />
facilities for the ESFA’s new secondary schools<br />
block replacement programme. They won this<br />
procurement competition with others from the<br />
off-site construction sector, securing top spot<br />
against 64 other bidders. Being awarded first<br />
place immediately secured two projects with a<br />
combined value of £12 million, with the potential<br />
to realise further schemes within the £250<br />
million funding allocated to the lot.<br />
A track record of delivering these projects on<br />
time and within budgets means the<br />
management team can replicate their<br />
approach on each successive<br />
new contract – a great<br />
confidence<br />
builder with clients and main contractors. A<br />
case in point is the £25m contract awarded to<br />
Caledonian by Bowmer & Kirkland, announced<br />
in the last few weeks, for the 680 bedroom<br />
First Way Campus student development in<br />
Wembley.<br />
The ability of Caledonian’s modular building<br />
system to help meet the strict deadline dates<br />
on this project, which required handover in<br />
time for Euro 2020, helped secure this contract.<br />
As did their pre-engineered fire compliant<br />
modular solution suitable for a high rise<br />
development, which rises from 7 to 11 floors.<br />
Other recent contracts wins include the MOD<br />
Single Living Accommodation (SLA) for MoD<br />
Lyneham in Wiltshire as part of a £35m Kier<br />
development. Part of the Army Basing<br />
Programme, the project will create 296 rooms<br />
over 5 blocks, providing accommodation for<br />
troops returning from overseas and relocating<br />
within the UK. The latest contract continues a<br />
long partnership with the MOD, with the team<br />
successfully completing 1,145 rooms over 12<br />
blocks on the same base for Kier in 2012/13.<br />
Caledonian Modular prides themselves on the<br />
fact that their projects look as authentic as a<br />
traditional-build, indeed they are<br />
indistinguishable, while remaining as efficient<br />
and cost-effective as they do. By sticking to<br />
what they know – modular and off-site<br />
construction systems - underpinned by BIM,<br />
DFMA and lean manufacturing, this<br />
Nottingham based company is raising industry<br />
standards and demonstrating how modular<br />
buildings have the ability to resolve the UK’s<br />
building shortages quickly and efficiently.<br />
To find out more about Caledonian’s modular<br />
building system, call: 01636 821645 or visit the<br />
below website.<br />
www.caledonianmodular.com<br />
30 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
see us at<br />
Offsite,<br />
stand no.<br />
D3
see us at<br />
Offsite,<br />
stand no.<br />
B3<br />
<br />
minutes not days.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
13/4974<br />
CREAGH CONCRETE PRODUCTS LTD<br />
Email: spantherm@creaghconcrete.com<br />
www.Creaghconcrete.co.uk/spantherm.html
product news<br />
OFFSITE SOLUTIONS AWARDED UK’S<br />
LARGEST BATHROOM POD CONTRACT<br />
Offsite Solutions, the UK’s<br />
leading bathroom pod<br />
manufacturer, has been<br />
awarded an £8m contract<br />
by Berkeley Homes for the<br />
offsite manufacture of<br />
more than 900 high<br />
specification bathrooms for<br />
the 68-storey Valiant Tower<br />
at South Quay Plaza – a<br />
landmark development in the historic London Docklands.<br />
The contract is the UK’s largest bathroom pod contract for a single<br />
residential scheme and the highest value project to be awarded to<br />
Offsite Solutions in the history of the company.<br />
Offsite Solutions is manufacturing a mix of ensuite shower rooms<br />
and bathrooms with walk-in and/or over-bath showers. The<br />
delivery programme for this phase will be completed by the end of<br />
2019.<br />
Commenting on the specification of bathroom pods for this<br />
prestigious project, Joe Yusuf, Project Manager at Berkeley<br />
Homes, said, “The use of offsite construction for the bathrooms<br />
gives us programme certainty, better quality and improved<br />
logistics. We do not have to procure and install all the individual<br />
elements that make up a bathroom, which means fewer trades on<br />
site. This is far more efficient, particularly for health and safety,<br />
and generates programme improvements.”<br />
www.offsitesolutions.com<br />
Banc of California Stadium<br />
utilizes Glazing Systems from<br />
C.R. Laurence<br />
The new, 22,000-seat Banc of<br />
California Stadium has<br />
opened to the public. Located<br />
in Los Angeles, California,<br />
the Gensler-designed, stateof-the-art<br />
stadium will host<br />
Major League Soccer (MLS)<br />
games and be the home of<br />
the Los Angeles Football<br />
Club.<br />
The privately funded, $350<br />
million Banc of California<br />
Stadium is the most<br />
expensive MLS facility in<br />
league history.<br />
CRL’s DRS Door Rails and Blumcraft ® Panic Handles were installed<br />
throughout the stadium, including VIP entrances and suites. DRS<br />
Door Rails provide clean, uninterrupted glass spans, which give<br />
the entrances a contemporary, all-glass aesthetic. They feature<br />
patented Wedge-Lock ® technology that offers exceptional glass<br />
holding power and a faster installation time. The accompanying<br />
Blumcraft ® Panic Handles are ideal for high-traffic applications<br />
such as sports stadiums and further enhance the all-glass visuals<br />
using a slim and elegant tubular design. Oldcastle<br />
BuildingEnvelope ® supplied the glass for the entrances.<br />
www.crlaurence.co.uk<br />
HADLEY GROUP HELPS MEZZANINE INTERNATIONAL GROUP MEET MAJOR<br />
SPORTING CHALLENGE<br />
The construction of a massive new warehousing facility in Northampton has involved Hadley<br />
Group supplying unusually large quantities of its UltraMezz TM components to long-term<br />
customer Mezzanine International, with Hadley Group also supporting the successful<br />
erection programme throughout.<br />
The two-tier mezzanine structure will provide Decathlon Distribution – a German based sports<br />
goods supplier – with some 17,000 square metres of space for storage and racking; and is the<br />
latest landmark project undertaken by the mezzanine flooring supplier and manufacturer during<br />
an eight-year relationship.<br />
Beginning during the first week of August, Hadley Group has made weekly deliveries to the site on<br />
Thomas Dascher Way, keeping Mezzanine International’s team of two supervisors and up to 15<br />
sub-contract operatives supplied with C-section joists, cleats and other custom formed<br />
components.<br />
DesignSuite Pro is an intuitive and customisable software package that supports the design and<br />
specification of projects based on Hadley Group’s cold rolled, high strength, lightweight<br />
UltraZed purlins and UltraBeam side rails and floor beams making project planning and specifying easier than ever before.<br />
While similar mezzanines would normally be completed with the application of an intumescent paint system and non-combustible boarding<br />
beneath the decking, the Decathlon Distribution vinyl- coated decking construction and its conveyor belts are to be protected with a full sprinkler<br />
system.<br />
Going on to talk about other recent successes for the partnership, Andy Parsons added: “We have worked with Hadley Group on a number of high<br />
profile projects including a large warehouse for speciality drinks to store wine and other lines, and new distribution facilities for Amazon at<br />
Warrington, Bolton and Tilbury. All of these contracts involved very high loading requirements, for which we specified our Mezz-7 system. This<br />
involves Hadley Group supplying its B-Deck to support the main floor – making the installation seven times stronger than a standard mezzanine.”<br />
Hadley Group’s UltraMezz selection of components can facilitate the rapid and cost-effective erection of mezzanine floors for both new-build and<br />
retrofit applications. Offering enhanced performance based on the manufacturer’s unique UltraSTEEL process, the UltraMezz design and<br />
project management process cuts waste and avoids errors, while further support is available from Hadley Group’s technical sales team.<br />
www.hadleygroup.com<br />
32 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
product news<br />
REHAU LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN<br />
TO “BUILD YOUR LEGACY”<br />
REHAU has launched ‘Build<br />
Your Legacy’, a brand-new<br />
campaign designed to<br />
encourage Mechanical and<br />
Electrical contractors to<br />
consider how the product<br />
choices they make today will<br />
impact on a building’s<br />
performance in years to come.<br />
The campaign incorporates a range of print and digital marketing<br />
media, all highlighting the four key areas where choosing the right<br />
products can support the delivery of future-proofed, sustainable<br />
buildings – Quality, Technical Knowhow, Trust and Reliability, and<br />
Innovation and Sustainability:<br />
The campaign will also be putting M&E legacies under the<br />
spotlight in editorials placed in the trade press. These articles will<br />
revisit older, flagship projects to see how they are performing<br />
years later.<br />
To give contractors the tools they need to enhance their legacy and<br />
deliver future proof specifications, REHAU will also be issuing free<br />
downloadable guides as part of the Build Your Legacy campaign.<br />
The guide for Acoustics is available to download now from the link<br />
below and will be followed by further guides for District Heating,<br />
21st Century Plumbing and Heating, and Multi-occupancy<br />
buildings.<br />
For more information, please visit the website.<br />
www.rehau.uk/buildyourlegacy<br />
STO PROVIDES ROBUST EXTERNAL<br />
WALL INSULATION FOR NEW RUGBY<br />
CLUB BUILDING<br />
A combination of insulation products from Sto Ltd has been used<br />
to provide a robust external wall insulation system for a new rugby<br />
club building in Scotland. StoTherm Classic K external wall<br />
insulation, Sto Armat Classic reinforcing mortar and StoSilco<br />
façade render have been used on the new Canal Parks Rugby Club<br />
Pavilion building in Inverness.<br />
In order to provide effective thermal performance, the project was<br />
required to achieve a U-value<br />
of 0.18 W/m²K. “Sto is<br />
recognized as the market<br />
leader in insulation so it was<br />
an ideal choice for this<br />
project,” comments Ross<br />
Whittaker of project<br />
architects Capita Symonds.<br />
“Thermal performance was<br />
not the only requirement<br />
though. The nature of the<br />
building means that it might be subject to impact from sports<br />
balls, and the pavilion also stands in a fairly isolated location<br />
where there is the potential for vandalism. The cement-free<br />
composition of the reinforcing coat offered the impact resistance,<br />
ruggedness and resistance to cracking that were equally important<br />
considerations. Sto also worked closely with us and their input<br />
helped to ensure a successful end result.”<br />
www.sto.co.uk<br />
<strong>WEB</strong>EREND ONE COAT DASH<br />
DESIGNED FOR SPEED & ONSITE<br />
EFFICIENCY<br />
Saint-Gobain Weber has<br />
launched high<br />
performance weberend<br />
one coat dash, a one coat<br />
render that can receive a<br />
dry dash finish without the<br />
need to apply a base coat<br />
or a second pass.<br />
Designed to achieve a<br />
durable and weather<br />
resistant finish weberend<br />
one coat dash is especially suitable for the challenging Scottish<br />
climate where dash finish is commonplace.<br />
Suitable for brick, blockwork, concrete, natural stone and clay<br />
substrates weberend one coat dash can be applied and finished on<br />
the same day, avoiding the drying time associated with a traditional<br />
two coat system typically of three to seven days.<br />
Onsite preparation is quick and easy requiring only the addition of<br />
water to the factory-blended, through-coloured render mix. In<br />
many circumstances it is possible to apply the total thickness of<br />
weberend one coat dash in a single pass dependent upon criteria<br />
such as construction alignment, suction and mechanical key<br />
offered by the substrate. weberend one coat dash is factory<br />
produced for consistency of proportioning and available in three<br />
key colours: white, cream and buff.<br />
www.netweber.co.uk<br />
FROM FOUNDATIONS TO OCCUPATION<br />
IN JUST 7 DAYS<br />
The McAvoy<br />
Group, one of<br />
the UK’s<br />
leading<br />
offsite<br />
construction<br />
specialists,<br />
has<br />
announced<br />
its expansion<br />
into the<br />
residential sector with the launch of a new modular solution for all<br />
housing tenures – affordable homes, market sale, build-to-rent,<br />
student accommodation, and emergency housing.<br />
Following extensive product development and collaboration with<br />
Queen’s University Belfast, McAvoy has developed a steel-framed<br />
offsite housing solution for multi-storey apartments, detached,<br />
semi-detached and terraced family homes.<br />
An entire house can be assembled in a single day – and from<br />
foundations to occupation in just seven days.<br />
The McAvoy approach to housing will reduce programme times by<br />
at least 50 per cent compared to site-based construction. This will<br />
allow earlier occupation for public sector housing providers and<br />
generate a faster return on investment for private developers. It<br />
will use highly efficient and proven factory processes to deliver<br />
greater certainty of completion on time, on budget and to higher<br />
quality standards.<br />
www.mcavoygroup.com/sectors/housing<br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
<strong>MMC</strong><br />
33
External Building Envelope<br />
Shackerley’s SureClad ® System is<br />
a Winner for Racecourse Hotel<br />
Designed by KKA Architecture, the new Hilton Garden Inn at Doncaster Racecourse uses Shackerley’s SureClad ® ceramic granite<br />
ventilated façade system across all eight storeys, combining a natural cream finish with a distinctive grain, which contrasts with<br />
highly-polished black ceramic granite.<br />
“Shackerley’s SureClad ® ceramic granite<br />
system ticked the boxes on all counts, enabling<br />
specification of contrasting colours and<br />
textures and the use of large format 1198 x<br />
598mm panels in both vertical and horizontal<br />
orientation.”<br />
Buildability was also vital for the cladding<br />
contractor, Halcyon, and the company worked<br />
closely with Shackerley’s technical and<br />
production team to ensure that every prefabricated<br />
panel and custom-specified detail<br />
was precision-manufactured at Shackerley’s<br />
ISO9001 quality-certified factory in Lancashire<br />
and delivered to site, aligned to the sequencing<br />
of the façade programme.<br />
Contemporary Design<br />
The architect was keen to develop a design that<br />
is both stylish and timeless. Explains Alex<br />
Geddes from KKA Architecture: “The effect we<br />
have created on the elevation that overlooks the<br />
race course is one of a giant flat screen TV, with<br />
the darker curtain walling of the face forming<br />
the screen and a lighter outline of creamcoloured<br />
SureClad ® ceramic granite creating an<br />
impression that the glazed façade is floating<br />
within a stone frame. Polished black SureClad ®<br />
panels in the recessed areas and side elevations<br />
complete the optical illusions.”<br />
The variety of colourways and finishes available<br />
within the Shackerley SureClad ® ceramic<br />
granite range meant that the architect could<br />
meet the aesthetic requirements of the<br />
project with single source cladding<br />
system supply, creating an<br />
impression of natural<br />
stone that meets both<br />
planning<br />
requirements and<br />
client<br />
preferences.<br />
Alex continues: “The Shackerley ‘Lopar’ range<br />
of ceramic granite with its natural cream finish<br />
and subtle graining provides a fantastic<br />
alternative to natural stone, offering us the<br />
design flexibility to create strikingly different<br />
facades for the front, rear and side elevations.”<br />
While the race course elevation features a dark<br />
façade of curtain walling framed by cream<br />
ceramic granite, the road elevation frames a<br />
cream stone-like façade with the polished black<br />
ceramic granite. The columns at lower level<br />
have been replicated to create an open frontage,<br />
while a louvred effect for the window surrounds<br />
provides an impression of depth.<br />
Meanwhile, the side elevations feature a long<br />
column clad in the cream-coloured SureClad ®<br />
ceramic granite to create the frame for the race<br />
course elevation, giving the building a delicate<br />
appearance.<br />
Alex continues: “The relatively lightweight<br />
nature of the SureClad ® system and the ceramic<br />
granite material has allowed us to play with<br />
form and maintain a lightweight structure and<br />
that’s particularly visible on the side elevations.”<br />
Buildability<br />
Buildability and performance considerations<br />
were critical to the success of the design.<br />
Alex explains: “The building was designed as a<br />
thermally-efficient, lightweight structure so we<br />
needed a façade solution that would provide<br />
all the high-end finish and aesthetic<br />
appeal of natural stone with the loading<br />
and buildability benefits of a<br />
lightweight, slim-profiled system.<br />
Austin Ford from Halcyon comments:<br />
“Although this was quite a complex façade<br />
project, with extensive detailing around the<br />
windows and protruding frame, the installation<br />
was straightforward for our experienced team<br />
because the SureClad ® system goes up easily<br />
and every element was accurately prefabricated<br />
to our requirements before arriving<br />
on site.”<br />
The hotel is located close to the road network<br />
and much of the façade is the pale creamybeige<br />
colour but the impermeable nature of<br />
ceramic means that the façade will retain its<br />
high end aesthetic over time<br />
An exceptionally hard and durable material<br />
with excellent freeze-thaw resistance,<br />
Shackerley’s ceramic granite is impermeable,<br />
helping to ensure it does not degrade over<br />
time. Resistant to abrasion, algae, graffiti and<br />
UV light, ceramic granite is non-combustible to<br />
Class A1 in accordance with BS EN 13501-1.<br />
The Hilton Garden Inn at Doncaster<br />
Racecourse is the 8th Hilton-branded hotel to<br />
be specified with SureClad ® façades in the UK.<br />
www.shackerley.com<br />
34 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
Whatever you’re building<br />
Energy saving Thermomass concrete sandwich panels are changing the way<br />
Britain Builds by providing off-site construction proven to give:<br />
Sustainable, thermally broken constructions with certainty of programme and certainty of cost.<br />
With over thirty years experience the Thermomass system has<br />
been supplied on over 80 million m 2 of walling worldwide with<br />
no failures. With this track record and proven ability, certainty of<br />
programme and cost can be assured.<br />
Thermomass is now changing the way the Britain builds over<br />
the last ten years in the UK many high specification thermally<br />
broken buildings have now been completed.<br />
The very low “U” values (0.10W/m 2 K and below) and thermally broken characteristics of Thermomass capitalise<br />
on the high thermal mass of concrete ensures that operating costs are low as well as increasing thermal<br />
comfort, this makes the system suitable any building where people are working or living providing a sustainable<br />
solution to modern habitation. Thermomass buildings include zero carbon and PassivHaus standard projects.<br />
Thermomass structures for educational establishments large and small, hospitals, secure establishments<br />
such as prisons and police stations as well as entertainment locations such as shopping centres and<br />
cinema’s. The retain sector has also been supplied from supermarkets to their distribution supply chain<br />
including temperature controlled freezer locations and factories where the robust, fireproof and durable<br />
nature of the Thermomass system is highly desirable.<br />
This structural ability of the panels allows them to be used as part of cross-wall constructions for multi-storey<br />
developments such as Hotels, student accommodation and apartment blocks.<br />
All Thermomass projects are installed with no scaffolding and minimum site movements making a<br />
huge contribution to increasing on-site health and safety.<br />
To learn more about Thermomass, Versaliner brick placement, Versastone,<br />
thermally broken rainscreen and over cladding visit<br />
csm-uk.co.uk<br />
Construction Systems Marketing (UK) Ltd.<br />
Tel 01246 853 528 Mob 07785 735 392 Fax 01246 857 363
External Building Envelope<br />
This is <strong>MMC</strong>… but not as we know it<br />
Advances in construction techniques over the past decade have given rise to some genuine commercial, sustainable and health and<br />
safety benefits – all while improving efficiency and performance.<br />
However, as building regulations are<br />
updated over time and standards<br />
become increasingly stringent, these<br />
modern methods of construction risk failing to<br />
keep pace, particularly where thermal<br />
insulation is concerned. Chris Lea, Technical<br />
Sales Manager, SIG Performance Technology,<br />
explores why the construction sector needs to<br />
rethink its approach to reducing heat loss in a<br />
building and why the aerospace industry<br />
appears to hold the answer.<br />
Some of the major specification drivers for<br />
building design in modern times are the need to<br />
keep building footprint to a minimum, maximise<br />
internal rentable space and achieve the highest<br />
energy efficiency performance possible.<br />
Working within the confines of these design<br />
objectives, developers must also achieve<br />
accelerated build programmes in a bid to<br />
complete within budget and realise the return<br />
on investment as promptly as possible.<br />
Fast track construction which uses steel or<br />
timber frame has become a tried and tested<br />
build method in the UK, particularly in high rise<br />
developments. As the exterior of these buildings<br />
is commonly a cladding finish, the challenge of<br />
reducing heat loss while maximising internal<br />
floor space and minimising building footprint<br />
comes to the fore. Crucially, the insulation has<br />
to be installed within the through-wall build up,<br />
but this construction suffers from cold bridging<br />
as soon as the rainscreen carrier system is<br />
installed. This is where innovative new<br />
insulation techniques are helping modern<br />
construction techniques to stay at the forefront.<br />
Helping hands<br />
The availability of 3D thermal modelling has<br />
proven a valuable technology in assisting the<br />
development of new solutions which address<br />
current construction challenges. After reviewing<br />
thermal models of buildings using rainscreen<br />
systems, the innovation team at SIG<br />
Performance Technology identified high levels of<br />
heat loss being caused by the helping hand<br />
bracketry in the support systems. Realising that<br />
a reduction in the cold bridging through the<br />
bracketry would significantly improve the overall<br />
performance of the building envelope, research<br />
began into developing an insulated clip-on<br />
solution.<br />
After a programme of development, aerogel –<br />
most commonly used in aerospace and<br />
industrial applications – emerged as the most<br />
suitable insulant owing to its exceptional<br />
thermal performance and proven flexible<br />
properties. This led to the launch of CHI-<br />
GASKET, a patented insulated component which<br />
is simply clipped on to standard helping hand<br />
bracketry on-site. In doing so, the cold bridging<br />
is significantly reduced and means the<br />
insulation within the<br />
through-wall buildup<br />
does not have to<br />
compensate for this<br />
and consequently<br />
does not have to<br />
achieve such low U-<br />
Values. It is because<br />
of this that the CHI-<br />
GASKET is now<br />
considered from<br />
initial design stage.<br />
Aerogel in<br />
action<br />
The use of Aerogel<br />
as an insulant in<br />
helping hand<br />
bracketry is a unique application but one where<br />
a change in design process has enabled major<br />
developments to achieve core design objectives.<br />
This principle is also now being applied in<br />
modular buildings and offsite construction,<br />
where linear areas of heat loss at construction<br />
junctions prove a common challenge.<br />
As the modular buildings typically have much<br />
tighter junctions than those constructed onsite,<br />
these developments present several<br />
challenges. Firstly, lower density insulation is<br />
more flexible and easier to install into tight<br />
frames, but these materials are generally<br />
lower performing from a thermal perspective.<br />
Secondly, rigid materials offer good thermal<br />
insulation, but require cutting to size, either<br />
on or off-site, which adds a layer of<br />
complexity to the construction process.<br />
Finally, both of these methods leave room for<br />
installation error, as the materials are being<br />
cut to size or pushed into place manually.<br />
Offering a solution to this challenge is<br />
Aerogel. The material can be precision cut to<br />
size and fabricated to any bespoke shape to<br />
meet the exact needs of modular building<br />
specifications. Thermally excellent yet<br />
flexible, precision manufactured aerogel<br />
linings would deliver a much greater level of<br />
quality control and reduce labour time in<br />
construction – all of which align with modern<br />
methods of construction.<br />
While the name Aerogel is probably more<br />
synonymous with NASA than with <strong>MMC</strong>, as the<br />
construction market continues to innovate<br />
with insulation, this could be set to change in<br />
the not so distant future.<br />
www.sigpt.co.uk/chigasket<br />
36 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
Lindapter will Launch its New<br />
Modular and Offsite Booklet<br />
on stand A1 at The Offsite<br />
Construction Show<br />
see us at<br />
Offsite,<br />
stand no.<br />
A1<br />
Since 1934<br />
Lindapter has<br />
pioneered the<br />
design and manufacture of steel<br />
connections that often eliminate the<br />
need for welding or drilling on site.<br />
Whether securing structural steel sections,<br />
cable management systems or constructing<br />
modular buildings, Lindapter has a proven,<br />
accredited and adjustable connection that will<br />
allow fast alignment during installation.<br />
The adjustability of Lindapter’s clamping<br />
systems is particularly beneficial to<br />
contractors working in the modular or offsite<br />
industry because it allows them to maximise<br />
efficiencies and control costs. For example,<br />
cable managements systems contain several<br />
components that need to be positioned<br />
correctly as fast as possible.<br />
At Queensferry Crossing, Lindapter’s Girder<br />
Clamps allowed contractors to loosely fasten<br />
the cable tray modules to the bridge before<br />
aligning into position and tightening the clamps<br />
with standard hand tools to complete the<br />
installation. Girder Clamp by Lindapter also<br />
allows for a convenient disassembly or removal<br />
for maintenance, while preserving the integrity<br />
of the steelwork.<br />
Hollo-Bolt ® by Lindapter is also used<br />
extensively in modular construction.<br />
A recent<br />
example is The Spurn<br />
Discovery Centre in<br />
East Yorkshire where<br />
Hollo-Bolts were used<br />
to connect the<br />
Structural Hollow<br />
Section (SHS)<br />
frameworks of the<br />
rooms together.<br />
The Hollo-Bolt was<br />
selected because of its<br />
high strength capacity<br />
and its range of<br />
independent technical<br />
accreditations, including<br />
the CE Mark.<br />
The Hollo-Bolt allowed a fast and<br />
convenient installation process using<br />
just standard hand tools, which resulted in an<br />
efficient construction schedule.<br />
Find out more about Lindapter connections in<br />
the new modular and offsite construction<br />
booklet that is now available for download from<br />
the website.<br />
www.lindapter.com<br />
The Hollo-Bolt was<br />
selected because of<br />
its high strength<br />
capacity and its<br />
range of<br />
independent<br />
technical<br />
accreditations,<br />
including the<br />
CE Mark.<br />
<strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong> 37
Offsite Construction<br />
is Here to Stay<br />
see us at<br />
Offsite,<br />
stand no.<br />
D21<br />
Recent press coverage has focussed heavily on Offsite Construction providing the answer in a number of key sectors,<br />
due to the speed and efficiency of modular construction.<br />
Premier Modular has been delivering<br />
award winning offsite and volumetric<br />
solutions for more than 60 years and<br />
prides itself on its ability to provide the highest<br />
quality buildings, offering a skilled and<br />
knowledgeable design and build service. Part<br />
of a large multi-national industrial group, Waco<br />
International, Premier has the strong financial<br />
backing provided by the Group, which has<br />
enabled it to build a substantial modular hire<br />
fleet. This coupled with the manufacturing<br />
capacity offered by a 22 acre site means that<br />
Premier is ideally suited to deliver quality<br />
buildings for both hire and sale throughout the<br />
UK, no matter how large or small.<br />
Premier’s ability to deliver a modular solution<br />
on a massive scale is evidenced by the series of<br />
modular complexes they have provided at<br />
Hinkley Point C in Somerset. The buildings<br />
deliver 38,000 sqm of offices and welfare<br />
facilities to house all the management and<br />
technical personnel required for the<br />
construction phase of the new nuclear power<br />
station. The HPC requirement for the best<br />
temporary welfare and office facilities in the<br />
UK, delivered within a strict timescale, was a<br />
challenge Premier met and achieved and<br />
resulted in their being appointed to deliver an<br />
additional modular complex for the critically<br />
important infrastructure project.<br />
Developing such strong client relationships is at<br />
the core of Premier’s approach and their recent<br />
partnership with ISG has delivered 8 school<br />
facilities in 12 months as part of Manchester<br />
City Council’s Education Basic Needs<br />
framework. The first school, St Margaret’s<br />
CofE Primary School, was chosen by<br />
Manchester City Council to be their first pilot for<br />
delivering a project to BIM Level 2, including<br />
their first Asset Information Model. The 775m2<br />
2-storey building provided new nursery facilities<br />
and 3 reception classrooms, enabling the<br />
school to expand and accommodate an<br />
additional form of entry. This scheme was<br />
named as the winner of the Digital Construction<br />
category in the North West Regional<br />
Construction Awards for 2018, as well as<br />
receiving Highly Commended in the Integration<br />
and Collaborative Working category.<br />
Standardisation in construction delivery<br />
produces better end product quality, reduction<br />
in manufacturing costs, reduced design costs<br />
with less waste and can be achieved through<br />
the use of standardised components,<br />
prefabricated panels and modular construction.<br />
This volumetric approach to construction was<br />
used in the award winning construction of a 5<br />
storey student accommodation block, The<br />
Foundry, in Newcastle City Centre, delivered in<br />
partnership with Sir Robert McAlpine. This<br />
block consisted of a mixture of 54 studio flats,<br />
105 ensuite bedrooms and 2 accessible rooms,<br />
associated living spaces, kitchens and study<br />
areas.<br />
The speed of delivery for this project gave the<br />
investors a whole year of additional return and<br />
was a deciding factor in the project being<br />
named as the Project of the Year (up to £10m) at<br />
the Construction News Awards.<br />
This approach has also been used to great<br />
effect in other residential projects and following<br />
their appointment to the CHIC BuildSmart<br />
framework, Premier have worked closely with<br />
their framework partners to develop<br />
standardised housing products, delivered within<br />
an EU-compliant framework – the perfect<br />
solution to the critically important delivery of<br />
housing stock highlighted frequently in the<br />
news.<br />
The standard designs, coupled with CHIC’s<br />
existing proven materials supply chain, has<br />
resulted in a more cost efficient, quality product,<br />
with speed of delivery. Whilst the cost benefits<br />
of this scheme have been delivered by the<br />
development of a standardised product,<br />
flexibility is still available to procure bespoke<br />
designs and solutions where required.<br />
Premier’s forward thinking attitude means that<br />
they are always looking for product<br />
improvements and innovation; Premier believes<br />
that the fire resistance of buildings is very<br />
important, whether for a temporary or<br />
permanent building. At Premier we feel it is not<br />
good enough to provide our clients with an<br />
assumption that our buildings are ‘fire proof’<br />
based on various codes and data sheets. When<br />
developing our latest product, as part of our<br />
quality control during development, we ensured<br />
the product went through real life fire tests and<br />
received certification for this.<br />
In a market where shortages exist, building<br />
standards are extremely high and sustainability<br />
is of growing importance, standardisation and<br />
offsite construction as delivered by Premier has<br />
to be a big part of the solution.<br />
www.premiermodular.co.uk<br />
38 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
Thermomass Concrete Sandwich Panels &<br />
Fire Resistance<br />
Following the announcement of new legislation for building over 18 metres all having to be non-combustible, the construction<br />
industry has been presented with quite a challenge and the options are few.<br />
Fortunately, the fire properties of concrete<br />
are well known; it does not burn. In fact,<br />
Thermomass sandwich panels comply<br />
with drawing 34 of the Building Regulations and<br />
therefore do not require non-combustible<br />
thermal insulation. The multi-storey fire test<br />
proves this to be true. No cavity, no oxygen, any<br />
fire is starved of the fuel it needs to burn. See<br />
below:<br />
That said perception is becoming reality and the<br />
requests for thermal insulation which does not<br />
burn and achieve A1 or A2 to Euroclass fire tests<br />
is becoming the norm.<br />
CSM (UK) Ltd have pioneered the use of noncombustible<br />
thermal insulation in concrete<br />
sandwich panels incorporating the Thermomass<br />
connectors system in the UK and Ireland and<br />
provide two options; cellular glass and<br />
TmassRockpanel cores. The latter is a specialist<br />
hybrid product made for the company for use as<br />
a core in concrete sandwich construction.<br />
The disadvantages are an increase in the<br />
overall thickness of the panel and an<br />
increase in cost, however these two facts<br />
remain the same for which ever<br />
construction method is being chosen.<br />
That said, many designers are already<br />
choosing thicker insulation to achieve<br />
the aesthetic design required for<br />
their buildings, therefore the trade<br />
off in increased thickness is not<br />
noticeable.<br />
If building designers require<br />
attractive high rise buildings<br />
(such as the ones below) 100% compliant to the<br />
fire law either perceived or otherwise, then the<br />
Thermomass system proves the compliant<br />
solution with certainty of programme and<br />
certainty of cost.<br />
www.csm-uk.co.uk<br />
see us at<br />
Offsite,<br />
stand no.<br />
A43<br />
G 02/10/2018 09:30 Page 1<br />
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To find out more call<br />
0800 002 9903 or visit www.freefoam.com<br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
<strong>MMC</strong><br />
39
External Building Envelope<br />
What goes into a building envelope?<br />
In layman terms, a building envelope is the physical separator between the conditioned and unconditioned environment of a<br />
building including the resistance to air, water, heat, light, and noise transfer. <strong>MMC</strong> Editor Joe Bradbury breaks the building<br />
envelope down in detail to help specifiers better understand this crucial area of a construction project:<br />
The building envelope encompasses all of<br />
the aspects of a building’s outer shell<br />
that work together in creating a<br />
comfortable, dry indoor environment and<br />
facilitate climate control for its occupants.<br />
Building envelope design is a specialized area<br />
of architectural and engineering practice that<br />
draws from all areas of building science and<br />
indoor climate control.<br />
The building envelope serves many purposes,<br />
but can broadly be split into three general<br />
categories:<br />
1. Support (to resist and transfer structural and<br />
dynamic loads)<br />
2. Control (the flow of matter and energy of all<br />
types)<br />
3. Finish (to meet desired aesthetics on the<br />
inside and outside)<br />
Effective control is at the core of all well<br />
performing building envelopes. For a building<br />
to operate safely and efficiently, it needs to<br />
offer adequate rain control, air control, heat<br />
control and moisture control.<br />
Rain and moisture control<br />
In Britain our obsession with the weather is<br />
world-renowned, and for good reason. On<br />
average it rains for 156.2 days per year, so we<br />
feel a strong desire to be prepared for it. Being<br />
prepared for rain doesn’t just mean carrying a<br />
brolly; control of rain is fundamental for the<br />
protection and continuation of our built<br />
environment. To this end, there are numerous<br />
strategies that can be implemented within a<br />
structure to protect it from the Great British<br />
drizzle.<br />
These include barriers, drained screens, and<br />
storage systems for rainwater.<br />
Arguably, the main purpose of a roof is to resist<br />
water. Flat roofs actually slope up to 10° or 15°<br />
but are built to resist standing water. Pitched<br />
roofs are designed to shed water but not resist<br />
standing water which can occur during winddriven<br />
rain or ice damming. Typically<br />
residential, pitched roofs are covered with an<br />
underlayment material beneath the roof<br />
covering material as a second line of defense.<br />
Domestic roof construction may also be<br />
ventilated to help remove moisture from<br />
leakage and condensation.<br />
Walls do not get as severe water exposure as<br />
roofs but still require suitable protection.<br />
Barrier walls are designed to allow water to be<br />
absorbed but not penetrate the wall, and<br />
include concrete and (some) masonry walls.<br />
Drainage walls allow water that leaks into the<br />
wall to drain out such as cavity walls. Drainage<br />
walls may also be ventilated to aid drying such<br />
as rainscreen and pressure equalization wall<br />
systems. Sealed-surface walls do not allow any<br />
water penetration at the exterior surface of the<br />
siding material. Generally most materials will<br />
not remain sealed over the long term and this<br />
system is very limited, but ordinary residential<br />
construction often treats walls as sealedsurface<br />
systems relying on the siding and an<br />
underlayment layer sometimes called<br />
housewrap.<br />
Air flow<br />
Poor air quality is proven to negatively impact<br />
on everyone’s health, increasing the risk of<br />
serious illnesses and making existing<br />
conditions, like respiratory disorders, worse.<br />
Control of air flow is important to ensure<br />
indoor air quality, control energy consumption,<br />
avoid condensation (and thus help ensure<br />
durability), and to provide comfort.<br />
Control of air movement includes flow through<br />
the enclosure (the assembly of materials that<br />
perform this function is termed the air barrier<br />
system) or through components of the building<br />
envelope itself, as well as into and out of the<br />
interior space, which can affect building<br />
insulation performance greatly. Hence, air<br />
control includes the control of windwashing<br />
(cold air passing through insulation) and<br />
convective loops which are air movements<br />
within a wall or ceiling that may result in 10%<br />
to 20% of the heat loss of a building alone.<br />
The physical components of the envelope<br />
include the foundation, roof, walls, doors,<br />
windows, ceiling, and their related barriers and<br />
insulation. The dimensions, performance and<br />
compatibility of materials, fabrication process<br />
and details, connections and interactions are<br />
the main factors that determine the<br />
effectiveness and durability of the building<br />
enclosure system.<br />
Temperature<br />
The thermal envelope, or heat flow control<br />
layer, is part of a building envelope but may be<br />
in a different location such as in a ceiling. The<br />
difference can be illustrated by understanding<br />
that an insulated loft floor is the primary<br />
thermal control layer between the inside of the<br />
house and the exterior, whilst the entire roof<br />
(from the surface of the roofing material to the<br />
interior paint finish on the ceiling) comprises<br />
the building envelope itself.<br />
40 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
article<br />
Photography by Edward Moss<br />
Offsite reaches new heights in Brum<br />
A two-block 22 storey residential building topped out last month on the site of an old subterranean car park in Birmingham.<br />
Joe Bradbury was in attendance at the event, which proved to be a milestone for Creagh Concrete and a testament to the true<br />
power of offsite manufacture.<br />
Standing on top of a 22 storey building in<br />
the middle of a city I hold dear was<br />
something I am unlikely to forget. As<br />
Editor of <strong>MMC</strong> Magazine and regular<br />
contributor to trade publications within the<br />
construction industry, offsite construction is<br />
something I get to write about on a regular<br />
basis.<br />
But to actually stand on top of a tower block that<br />
was built using such practices brought with it a<br />
profound sense of what we are capable of as an<br />
industry when we set ourselves ambitious<br />
targets and knuckle down to achieve them.<br />
Project overview<br />
The two blocks house 324 apartments and have<br />
been built in a major contract by housing giant<br />
Galliford Try. The £40m project is part of a buildto-rent<br />
scheme for client Dandara Living, one<br />
that is expected to significantly boost the<br />
number of homes available in close proximity to<br />
Birmingham’s city centre once completed.<br />
Comprising two blocks of 17 and 22 storeys<br />
linked by bridges at each level, the development<br />
will feature studio, one-bed and two-bed<br />
apartments with balconies across all elevations.<br />
The towers are the tallest structure completed<br />
by Creagh across their entire 43-year history;<br />
and as a proud Midlander and lover of Brum, I<br />
would pose the question: where better for such<br />
a feat to proudly stand than beside the existing<br />
42 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
Alpha Tower, a Grade II-listed office built in the<br />
1970s, considered one of Birmingham’s most<br />
well-known architectural landmarks?<br />
Offsite manufacture<br />
The decision to use precast concrete systems<br />
for the bulk of the building’s structural frame,<br />
cladding and balcony units was taken at an early<br />
stage on the project. The brief demanded a<br />
robust finish on the building, which would limit<br />
the amount of ongoing maintenance required.<br />
Precast concrete is the ideal material of choice<br />
for frame construction and cladding. With this in<br />
mind, the project team looked at various<br />
different options for the structure and its<br />
subcontractors, before settling on the team at<br />
Creagh Concrete to deliver and install the frame<br />
panels, cladding sections, balconies and floor<br />
slab.<br />
Galliford Try Project Director Aidan Smith said<br />
“We knew we wanted the robustness that<br />
precast concrete offers and spent a lot of time<br />
researching our subcontractors. Creagh has the<br />
capability and experience to deliver both the<br />
hollowcore floor slab and the architectural<br />
precast concrete that we wanted. The screed<br />
that we place on top of the floor slab is there<br />
just to iron out any changes in level. It gives us a<br />
little wriggle room.”<br />
The placing of each level is based on a<br />
turnaround time of just 10 days. Prefabricated<br />
bathroom pods, manufactured in Hull, are lifted<br />
directly into position at each level as part of the<br />
cycle time therefore it was important that these<br />
were delivered between days five to seven – any<br />
later runs the risk of disrupting the project<br />
programme.<br />
With a turnaround time of just 10 days to place<br />
each level, the Galliford Try team is running the<br />
internal following trades just three floors<br />
behind.<br />
In conclusion<br />
The speed and efficiency of construction<br />
displayed with this project creates a real sense<br />
of momentum that I personally could feel when<br />
walking up the tower and standing on the top.<br />
Things are getting done fast and they’re getting<br />
done right.<br />
Creagh Director and Co-Founder Seamus<br />
McKeague concluded “We are seeing strong<br />
interest in our rapid build concrete systems<br />
because developers now understand the true<br />
value of slashing programme times.<br />
“Investors not only benefit from revenue gained<br />
by the early occupation of units but, also, from<br />
the mobility of their capital resource. Quite<br />
simply, shorter build times mean developers<br />
can complete more projects with the same pot<br />
of finance.”<br />
www.creaghconcrete.co.uk
Rapidres is an innovative offsite fastrack modular precast<br />
concrete build system, delivering robust traditional style<br />
<br />
It is ideally suited to multi-storey projects such as:<br />
• Apartments<br />
• Student accommodation<br />
• Hotels<br />
• Social housing<br />
• Custodial<br />
info@creaghconcrete.com
ARTICLE<br />
A lesson in acoustic<br />
control in education<br />
With research highlighting that ineffective<br />
sound control has a lasting negative impact on<br />
education performance * , it’s an ideal time for<br />
those involved in the education build sector to<br />
reflect on whether they are implementing<br />
adequate acoustic control to ensure building<br />
compliance in accordance with BB93.<br />
Here Rodney Davidson, Head of<br />
Specifications at AG looks at current<br />
standards and highlights Cheltenham<br />
Ladies College where AG’s Alphacrete ®<br />
Acoustic masonry was used to create an<br />
aesthetically pleasing, calm, safe and healthpromoting<br />
space.<br />
Acoustic control: Why it’s important<br />
The link between ineffective noise control and a<br />
poor education performance affects those<br />
involved in the Education build sector two-fold.<br />
Firstly, careful consideration should be given as<br />
to whether the correct building products to<br />
control external noise pollution and safeguard<br />
the health and wellbeing of the school’s<br />
surrounding community and local residents<br />
have been used. For example, a gymnasium<br />
housing a loud basketball game with cheering<br />
crowds should not be heard in nearby<br />
classrooms where lessons are taking place.<br />
Beyond the obvious distraction to students,<br />
proven hormonal responses to loud,<br />
unpredictable sounds suggests that students<br />
exposed to chronic loud noises over time are at<br />
risk of damage to their general health and<br />
mental wellbeing, not to mention academic<br />
performance.<br />
Secondly, consideration should be given as to<br />
whether the correct building products have been<br />
specified to instil adequate reverberation time<br />
control within each particular room or space.<br />
Without appropriate acoustic control measures<br />
in place large unfurnished areas like sports<br />
halls or assembly halls will have extremely long<br />
reverberation times; in layman’s terms this<br />
means that the room will have a lot of echo and<br />
it will be difficult to hear and understand speech<br />
44 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
or music within that space which is not at all<br />
ideal for students in a learning environment.<br />
What are the current standards?<br />
BB93: February 2015 sets out, minimum<br />
performance standards for acoustic<br />
requirements of school buildings. The overall<br />
objective of the performance standard is to<br />
ensure that the design and construction of<br />
school buildings provide acoustic conditions that<br />
enable effective teaching and learning.<br />
All parties involved in the build have a<br />
responsibility to ensure the products used<br />
successfully help to control reverberation time<br />
and meet the performance standard set out in<br />
section 1.5 table six of BB93: 2015.<br />
Achieving the right reverberation characteristics<br />
is critical to the acoustic performance of an<br />
interior space, particularly in school buildings.<br />
Good acoustics reduce distraction from airborne<br />
noises and make it easier to hear people speak,<br />
which is critical in a learning environment and<br />
helps aid and enhance pupils’ learning<br />
capabilities.<br />
Acoustic control in action<br />
AG completed the impressive gymnasium at the<br />
Cheltenham Ladies College in Gloucestershire<br />
using AG’s Alphacrete ® acoustic block range;<br />
providing structural support and optimumal<br />
light reflectance value (LRV) for sports halls<br />
according to Sport England’s guidance.<br />
The low-maintenance blocks arrived on site in<br />
the chosen colour (Ernestone Buff) negating the<br />
need for painting or adding a protective sealant,<br />
and were built below wooden panelling at<br />
Cheltenham Ladies College to create a<br />
distinctive contrasting aesthetic that was<br />
practical too. Alphacrete ® acoustic block’s<br />
durable surface made the hall hard-wearing<br />
against knocks, bangs and wayward balls, whilst<br />
also absorbing sound efficiently.<br />
The brief included the need for a brand-new<br />
wall mounted basketball and netball nets.<br />
Sports equipment, door frames and window sets<br />
are all easily integrated with Alaphacrete ®<br />
acoustic when installed in line with AG’s design<br />
guidelines.<br />
Alphacrete ® acoustic blocks are compatible with<br />
a wide range or mortar blends. For this<br />
particular project M4 Medium Buff mortar was<br />
used as supplied by CPI Mortars.<br />
Peace of mind with Alphacrete<br />
Design and build contractors and Specifiers can<br />
now have the BB93 reverberation time<br />
compliance confirmed prior to construction<br />
when AG’s Alphacrete Acoustic range is used,<br />
negating the need for post construction testing.<br />
For more details contact AG’s specification<br />
team at specifications@ag.uk.com or visit the<br />
website.<br />
www.ag.uk.com<br />
*usir.salford.ac.uk/34536/2/A%20survey%20of%20acoustic%20con<br />
ditions%20and%20noise%20levels%20in%20secondary.pdf:public
see us at<br />
Offsite,<br />
stand no.<br />
A33
ARTICLE<br />
COLLABORATION<br />
IS THE KEY TO<br />
CREATIVE<br />
STRUCTURAL<br />
SOLUTIONS<br />
By Wayne Yeoman’s, Head of<br />
Marketing at B&K Structures.<br />
The structure of a building is integral to<br />
its success: choosing the right material<br />
and method of construction can affect<br />
everything from the finished project’s BREEAM<br />
rating to the return on investment. Getting it<br />
right from the beginning is crucial.<br />
With potential legislation changes pending,<br />
working with a partner you can trust is just as<br />
important than the final choice of the<br />
structural frame solution. An experienced<br />
structural specialist is ideally placed to work<br />
alongside architects, main contractors and<br />
even the end client to deliver a successful<br />
scheme that meets regulations and exceeds<br />
expectations for all involved.<br />
At B&K Structures, we have a long history of<br />
innovation to ensure that our projects will<br />
stand the rigours of time, conform to<br />
legislation, offer environmental benefits and<br />
meet the design challenges.<br />
Our commitment to innovation means we think<br />
beyond the structural frame, moving forward<br />
towards more frame and envelope solutions<br />
which will include full system testing from the<br />
outset ensure that our products interact with<br />
all elements of the building.<br />
The options<br />
Different projects call for different solutions,<br />
and we work closely with designers and our<br />
supply chain partners to deliver the correct<br />
result.<br />
We always look for ways we can add value to<br />
projects – whether it’s reducing the load on the<br />
foundations whilst gaining additional storey<br />
heights, or maximising floor space to create<br />
airy interiors. Certain materials lend<br />
themselves to applications more than others.<br />
46 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong><br />
Greener structures<br />
For projects where sustainability and reducing<br />
environmental impact is a key target,<br />
engineered timber is the best option, and we<br />
remain fully behind our cross laminated timber<br />
(CLT) and glulam offering. Our timber products<br />
are fully PEFC or FSC certified, and the carbon<br />
is locked into the building rather than released<br />
to the atmosphere.<br />
Timber is the only truly renewable construction<br />
material, and when combined with offsite<br />
construction methods, CLT’s impact on a<br />
project’s sustainability is impressive –<br />
especially where there are carbon reduction<br />
targets in place.<br />
Using CLT as a structural material will lower<br />
the overall mass of the building, having a<br />
positive impact on foundation and piling design,<br />
reduces construction programmes and allow<br />
follow on trades to the start much sooner in<br />
the process then traditional build solutions.<br />
CLT also brings forward fewer site personnel,<br />
fewer deliveries, all helping to have a positive<br />
impact on the local community during the<br />
construction phase.<br />
Reduced costs, reduced time on-site, and<br />
increased return on investment makes CLT a<br />
future heavyweight in residential construction.<br />
Glulam is a structural element that is used in<br />
both vertical columns and in roofing trusses<br />
and supports. In terms of performance, it is<br />
comparable to light gauge steel frames and<br />
reinforced concrete structures whilst being,<br />
respectively, more sustainable and<br />
considerably lighter.<br />
Where steel works<br />
Where space and floor areas are a priority, we<br />
encourage our clients to consider steel. We<br />
have over 35 years’ experience in structural<br />
steel, so for projects which require open, airy<br />
spaces with uninterrupted square footage on<br />
the ground, we know that steel is often the best<br />
solution.<br />
Steel structures use slim columns and large<br />
unsupported spans and are ideal for new build<br />
projects and refurbishments. What’s more, our<br />
offsite construction methods allow us to<br />
accommodate changes to the design during<br />
construction, and its lightweight nature means<br />
it can be installed quickly.<br />
When we couple a steel frame with CLT floor<br />
decks on commercial builds, we begin to see a<br />
very compelling argument.<br />
At B&K Structures our extensive use of BIM<br />
modelling cuts down on waste during the<br />
manufacturing of the glulam element, and our<br />
offsite construction methods with factorycontrolled<br />
conditions allow us to create the<br />
glulam structural elements with minimal onsite<br />
contact.<br />
And with the option to combine CLT or glulam<br />
with steel elements as part of a hybrid<br />
structure, we can help to control costs, create<br />
innovative solutions and improve the<br />
environmental impact and aesthetic of<br />
buildings in equal measure.<br />
Whatever the project, we can work with our<br />
partners to devise a long-lasting structural<br />
solution that not only ticks all the boxes but<br />
safeguards the development for the future.<br />
www.bkstructures.co.uk
see us at<br />
Offsite,<br />
stand no.<br />
C18
product news<br />
BMI pitches up with a new flat roof training<br />
facility<br />
Following the completion of a new BMI Icopal flat roofing training area, and the<br />
refurbishment of the existing BMI Redland pitched training facility, the BMI<br />
National Training Centre is now able to offer contractors, developers, merchants<br />
and students an extensive range of both pitched and flat roof courses at the one<br />
location. This makes BMI the only UK roofing manufacturer able to offer training in<br />
both disciplines and on one site.<br />
Located in South Cerney, Gloucestershire, the National Training Centre boasts possibly<br />
the most comprehensive training resource in the country. The pitched roof area<br />
comprises a variety of rigs including: a gable-to-gable rig, life-size hip and valley rig, life-size monopitch with top edge abutment rig, and a<br />
plain tile detail rig for full system installation. These are complemented by a variety of mobile rigs outside.<br />
The training area for flat roofs is similarly well equipped with several liquid waterproofing rigs, two single ply detail rigs, a life-size flat roof and<br />
six demonstration tables for single ply and liquids detail work. Along with a large external bitumen rig, to allow torch on and pour and roll<br />
training.<br />
Courses offered range from the introductory, BMI Basic Roofing course (flat and pitched), to the higher-level courses, such as the Bespoke<br />
Standards and Workmanship course for pitched roofing. Alongside the existing BCP certification in pitched roofing, certified contractor training<br />
in all flat roofing disciplines is now available as well as specialist training for Decra, the lightweight steel tile range.<br />
Customers can also take advantage of bespoke training programmes too if they have a requirement outside of the core offering, with the added<br />
benefit of having these delivered on their own premises if desired.<br />
Mat Woodyatt, BMI Technical Training Manager, is excited with what the National Training Centre can now offer: “With the investment we have<br />
made in the new flat roofing facility and the improvements made to the pitched roof area, we are in a great position to offer the most<br />
comprehensive training available in the UK. Since opening over 45,000 delegates have enjoyed coming here and learning a new skill or even just<br />
brushing up on an existing skill. Now we can look forward to the next 45,000 and offer them even more.<br />
“Our commitment to training has never wavered and being able to run courses in both pitched and flat disciplines will help us cater for the<br />
needs of the contractor, merchant and student in a more cohesive and flexible manner”, he adds.<br />
www.bmigroup.com/uk<br />
First fix 11 windows offsite in just 23 minutes<br />
Timber frame and SIPs panel<br />
manufacturers can speed up the<br />
installation of windows and<br />
doors by using the Sidey Kitfix system.<br />
Pressure is on for builders and<br />
developers to get on and off-site<br />
faster. This means looking at ways to<br />
reduce the time spent installing<br />
windows and doors.<br />
“With the Sidey Kitfix System, windows<br />
and doors can be accurately fitted at<br />
the factory stage,” says Steve Hardy,<br />
Managing Director of fenestration and<br />
offsite construction specialists Sidey<br />
Solutions. “It’s quick too – 11 windows<br />
can be first fixed in 23 minutes. They<br />
are installed when the walls are<br />
horizontal in the factory and the<br />
innovative Kitfix brackets are twist<br />
fitted to the window or door frame. Air<br />
tightness, thermal and acoustic seals can also be included at this stage.<br />
“This system makes transportation simple and once on site, the panels are erected as normal. This means homes are wind, watertight and<br />
secure much sooner, and makes the build much faster. It also eliminates the need for separate deliveries of windows and doors, with no site<br />
storage required either.<br />
“The latest changes to planning laws announced on 5 March mean there is even more pressure to get the job done quicker,” adds Steve.<br />
“Choosing Kitfix to install windows and doors will help builders and developers build fast.”<br />
www.sidey.co.uk<br />
48 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
ARTICLE<br />
Fresh light on commercial<br />
window technology<br />
New generation, high performance window composites are the first real aluminium<br />
alternative, says Deceuninck UK Managing Director Rob McGlennon.<br />
Deceuninck MD<br />
Rob McGlennon<br />
Deceuninck has an impressive<br />
portfolio of commercial projects<br />
Windows are key building elements,<br />
providing natural light, protection from<br />
the elements and ventilation. They<br />
also have great architectural importance –<br />
helping to define the overall character of a<br />
building and creating visual interest.<br />
Innovations in window technology give<br />
developers and specifiers of commercial<br />
properties – both newbuilds and refurbishments<br />
– an expanding menu of window and door<br />
options combining architectural elegance with<br />
high-performance solutions.<br />
While aluminium has attracted architects<br />
because of its strength, durability and colour<br />
options, its place in the commercial sector is<br />
now being challenged by advances in an exciting<br />
new pultruded glassfibre-PVC-U composite<br />
material. This immensely strong material makes<br />
windows that can match aluminium for<br />
appearance and performance, at significantly<br />
lower cost. Aluminium is priced with a premium<br />
because of the high energy costs in its extraction<br />
and production.<br />
Architects’ negative perceptions of all things<br />
PVC-U were mostly formed by early PVC-U<br />
windows and doors which were energy efficient<br />
and low cost, but chunky, limited in scope - even<br />
with the required steel reinforcement - and<br />
almost exclusively ‘shiny’ white.<br />
Best in class PVC-U windows and doors are a<br />
long way removed from those early dinosaurs,<br />
and systems companies like Deceuninck are<br />
continuing to invest in new technology.<br />
Our latest Linktrusion TM composite technology<br />
moves the needle in a major way. Linktrusion TM<br />
composite profiles are as strong as steel and as<br />
slender as most aluminium. In fact, its great<br />
strength makes it suitable for tall windows and<br />
large doors (single, up to 1100 x 2500). It’s 30%<br />
more thermally efficient than steel-reinforced<br />
windows and saves up to 40% on materials and<br />
weight. What’s more, with Deceuninck’s<br />
proprietary Decoroc coating it’s available in any<br />
colour, and is fully recyclable.<br />
Linktrusion TM technology flows from a €4<br />
million, 30-month research and development<br />
programme. The patented technology is the<br />
backbone of the ‘5000’ window system, which<br />
incorporates immensely strong pultruded glassfibre<br />
in the profiles, plus optional patented<br />
thermal reinforcement with embedded steel<br />
wires in a low-density insulating foam core<br />
encased in recycled PVC-U for excellent U-<br />
values.<br />
The technology has been specified recently by<br />
developers including Crest Nicholson, Catalyst<br />
Housing, Countryside Properties and Berkeley<br />
Group.<br />
We design window systems and produce the<br />
PVC-U profiles which fabricators turn into siteready<br />
units. Our systems are engineered with<br />
perfect symmetrical balanced sightlines for<br />
aesthetics, and fully #CommercialEnabled with<br />
all our system details in BIM Library.<br />
The unique Decoroc colour finishing system,<br />
developed for commercial applications, creates<br />
the effect of powder coated aluminium and is<br />
available in countless colour options.<br />
In one of numerous commercial projects where<br />
our products have been selected over<br />
aluminium, Dempsey Dyer, working with<br />
contractor Bouygues supplied 700 Deceuninck<br />
2500 chamfered series windows and 150 Slider<br />
24 patio doors for the Alexandra Wharf<br />
apartments in<br />
Southampton’s<br />
Ocean Village.<br />
Dempsey Dyer also<br />
installed 1,100 frames<br />
in Imperial College<br />
London’s high rise<br />
Woodward Building<br />
complex, housing<br />
590 students. This<br />
was a technically<br />
demanding project<br />
with complex<br />
requirements for<br />
aesthetics, weather<br />
performance,<br />
acoustics, safety and durability. Our window<br />
ticked all the boxes, meeting the original<br />
specification for aluminium with the same<br />
performance and aesthetics, while saving 30%<br />
on the overall cost of windows.<br />
Other significant commercial projects include<br />
Trafford House, Basildon (4,500 apartments)<br />
Hinkley Point staff accommodation (1,400<br />
apartments) and Oakgrove Housing, Milton<br />
Keynes where Crest Nicholson specified<br />
Deceuninck’s 5000 series incorporating<br />
Linktrusion TM technology to meet the exacting<br />
performance requirements for the project.<br />
We aim to develop strong, close relationships<br />
with commercial partners to help them meet<br />
project specifications, and our technical support<br />
team is available to help with complex issues<br />
such as weather performance, energy efficiency<br />
and acoustics. At Hinkley Point, for example,<br />
high-performing acoustic windows were<br />
required to meet the stringent dB reduction<br />
levels on site.<br />
Commercial developers increasingly demand<br />
high standards of acoustic performance to<br />
reduce the impact of noise pollution. So, working<br />
in partnership with specialists at the University<br />
of Salford, we are investing in systematic<br />
acoustic testing of our full range. We<br />
understand, Deceuninck is the first PVC-U<br />
window systems company to do that. We have<br />
already completed tests on our 2500, 5000 and<br />
the #BestInClass Fully Reversible Window (FRW)<br />
ranges.<br />
Call 01249 816 969 or visit www.deceuninck.co.uk<br />
for more about our commercial range and<br />
commercial work. You can also download<br />
Deceuninck’s full product portfolio from the NBS<br />
National BIM Library at<br />
www.nationalbimlibrary.com/deceuninck-ltd.<br />
www.deceuninck.com<br />
Deceuninck windows with Linktrusion TM technology<br />
were specified for the Oakgrove Housing development<br />
50 <strong>MMC</strong><br />
Nov 2018 <strong>M10</strong>
Warmbeam<br />
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To opsheet System<br />
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