UpdatesVIVALDA’S LOCKDOWN VIDEO SERIESVivalda’s ‘Life After Lockdown’ series gives an interesting insight into the cladding sector.Vivalda Group has released a series of fiveshort videos which provide a snapshot ofthe industry in the wake of the Covid-19outbreak.Comprising ‘talking heads’ style comment frommanagers based in Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester,London and Birmingham, the films provide a timelyinsight into the impact the virus has had on theconstruction sector.Bucking the trend seen in many other sectors ofconstruction, all Vivalda branches reported asignificant uplift in sales of high performancecladding as soon as lockdown was lifted. AlanReece, Assistant Manager from VivaldaManchester, said: “Demand has gone upconsiderably. In July we saw output rise by around40% compared to the same time last year.”Andy Thomas, Branch Manager inLondon, said: “Things have beendifferent since lockdown. We’veseen a real boom in smallerdomestic projects, which hasprobably been driven by people withmore time on their hands. While weundertake major commercial work, these homeimprovement projects are sometimes moreinteresting. It’s opened up a new revenue streamfor us.”While work in Scotland was slower to restart, dueto different rules north of the border, MSP (whichVivalda Group acquired last year) is now back upto full speed. Gillian Thomson, Branch Manager,said: “We’re doing a lot of projects in England toreplace unsafe ACM with our non-combustible A1panels. Looking ahead, while we’re delighted thatthe government has provided £1.6bnfunding to replace faulty cladding,the problem lies with who does thework. There are lots of people thatcould do the work, but there areonly a few real experts with a proventrack record. We need to be careful toensure the right people are doing this vital work.”The video series also contains a selection ofrecent projects each Vivalda branch hascompleted, which demonstrates the sheerversatility of innovative cladding as well as thevalue of the more consultative approach providedby the business.View the videos on Roof-Tubehttps://roof-tube.co.ukwww.vivalda.co.ukBRICK SLIPS FIT WELL FOR TOYBOXA combination of external wall insulation and brickslips from Sto were specified for a major newlandmark building in Birmingham. The StoThermMineral K insulation system and StoBrick werechosen for the city’s new Toybox studentaccommodation building for their ability tocombine outstanding thermal performance with atraditional brick appearance, and blend with otherconstruction materials.“We wanted to create a visually striking appearancethat would give this new building a unique identitywithin the area,” explained Tony Mead of projectarchitects Corstorphine + Wright. “In order toachieve that, and also provide a high level ofthermal insulation, we worked with Sto to specify acombination of Sto thermal insulation, and differenttypes and colours of Sto brick slips. Combined withthe glazing and the external zinc panels this gave uslots of flexibility to translate our designs into reality.”The StoTherm Mineral K insulationsystem uses mineral fibre boardswhich were adhesively fixed to thesubstrate. This allowed for fast andeasy installation, and theaccommodation of the curvedsurfaces found on the building’sfaçade. The system provides a highlevel of thermal performance,outstanding fire protection and effective soundinsulation. Its single-leaf external construction alsodoes not reduce the interior space of the building.To create the impressive ‘shark fin’ appearance forthe completed building and extend the range ofsurface textures used, Corstorphine + Wrightspecified glazed ceramic StoBrick slips, in acontrasting green colour to the grey Sto resin brickslips used on other areas of the façade.StoBrick has been developed as a brick claddingsolution for use with mineral-fibrebased insulation systems, to providearchitects with the opportunity toincorporate genuine clay brickfinishes into their façade designs,whilst also achieving the requiredA2-s1, d0 fire rating.“The slips themselves are extremely lightweight andare bonded directly onto the substrate, opening upthe range of design options for recreating theappearance of traditional brickwork in architecturaldesigns,” commented Graham Chadwick of CraftInterior who installed the Sto materials.Contact Stowww.sto.comLeft: A combination of StoTherm Mineral Kexternal wall insulation system andStoBrick brick slips were specified for thenew Toybox student accommodationbuilding in Birmingham. Image: Tom Bird.50 TC SEPTEMBER 2020
Promotingsystems-basedsolutionswww.mcrma.co.ukFor metal-based roofing andcladding systems, products and services.Representing, Promotingand Supporting• Systems manufacturers• Component manufacturers• Systems installers• Independent roofing and cladding inspectors• Industry support services providersVisit www.mcrma.co.ukto find out more about the MCRMA and its members.The ‘MCRMA The Building Envelope Authority’ is a registered Collective Trademark of the Metal Cladding and Roofing Manufacturers Association Limited.
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