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The Brick Development Association (BDA) has announced the shortlist for the 2012 Brick Awards, one of the top design and construction awards in the country.

There are 13 awards split into three categories: housing, building and landscape, and technical and craft. There is also the Supreme Award – the Brick Development Association Building of the Year, judged to be the best overall project from the 13 award winners.

New for 2012 is the Architect’s Choice Award. Any architectural student or practicing registered architect from around the world can vote for the shortlisted project they believe demonstrates the best architectural use of brick. The award will be granted to the project which receives the most votes. An online voting interface has been set up on the BDA’s website, http://www.brick.org.uk/brick-awards/architects-choice-award/ and closes on Tuesday 6th November 2012. RIBA membership numbers and educational institutional details will be required.

Now in its 36th year, anticipation is growing for BDA Awards which will be presented at London’s Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel on 13th November. To book tickets and/or tables at the awards, please contact The Brick Development Association on 020 7323 7030 or email brick@brick.org.uk.

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Part L2 of the Building regulations considers Energy efficiency in non-domestic buildings (three phase applications), clarifying energy demands and the associated need to meter energy usage. Its effect will help building managers, landlords and tenants to understand where energy is used or wasted and to create opportunities to significantly reduce energy consumption, hopefully by around 5 – 10% p.a.

In response, Wylex has launched a new 125Amp rated range of modified distribution boards, the NHTN, which can be fitted with a multi-function digital meter (kWh) inside the enclosure, instead of relying on an “add on” extension enclosure, widely used previously. The new range has been designated MR – meter ready.

To complement the new range, an integral meter pack is also available from Wylex as a complete kit, allowing the contractor to easily install either an incoming standard check meter or MID certified meter (for monitoring the resale of electricity). The pack includes everything needed to fit and connect the internal meter into the new MR board including a DIN RAIL mounting plate, the multi-function KWh meter, three current transformers and three protection fuses. There is also a complete manufactured numbered wiring loom and connections.

Physically the new boards are the same size as their predecessors and typically supply both lighting and small power loads. The new NHTN range, with integral smart metering, enables specifiers and installers to meet the energy metering requirements of Part L2 cost-effectively and neatly, without the need for an extra enclosure, saving both valuable space and costly installation time.

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Developed specifically to make installation testing safer, faster and more convenient, Megger’s new and innovative MFT1700 series instruments set new standards for multifunction test sets.

• Two wire non trip loop testing for fast repeatable results
• Large bright LCD display showing dual parameters – loop resistance and fault current, insulation resistance and test voltage
• Phase rotation indication for verification of rotating machinery
• 3-phase RCD testing for industrial applications with no earth
• 3-terminal earth test for electrode resistance measurement
• On-board data storage and Bluetooth® download

Category IV safety

Developed specifically to make installation testing safer, faster and more convenient, Megger’s new and innovative MFT1700 series instruments set new standards for multifunction test sets. The range includes three models, all of which share the same lightweight yet robust IP54 construction, large backlit display panels and timesaving features like two-wire non-trip loop testing, auto-start continuity testing and optional pass/fail RCD testing.

All models in the new range have a CAT IV 300 V safety rating in line with BS EN 61010, which makes them safe to use on all areas of low voltage electrical installations. This makes it unnecessary to carry out time-consuming risk assessments to decide which instruments can be used in particular locations.

All 17th Edition functions plus

As well as the functions needed to test electrical installations in line with the 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations, high-end models in the range provide useful additional functionality. This includes facilities for checking phase rotation and testing three-phase RCDs and for measuring earth electrode resistance, something that is a common requirement in solar and other types of renewable energy installations.

The entry-level instrument in the range is the MFT1710, which offers insulation testing at 250 V and 500 V, 200 mA continuity testing, RCD testing for 100 mA, 300 mA and 500 mA RCDs, and two-wire loop testing with non-trip and high-current options. In addition, this keenly priced instrument has provision for measuring voltage, frequency and, when used with a suitable probe, temperature.

On-board memory and earth electrode testing

As with all models in the range, the MFT1710 has a large display that shows not only the main test result, but also useful additional information – for example, during an insulation test, the test voltage is shown as well as the insulation resistance. The display also includes a true analogue arc, which is a big timesaver on some types of test.

The MFT1720 provides all of the functions and features of the MFT1710, but adds insulation testing at 1 kV, continuity testing at 15 mA, an extended range of RCD tests including automatic RCD testing, and maximum Zs and R1 + R2 display for circuit verification. The MFT1720 also has a phase rotation feature, and facilities for testing three-phase RCDs.

At the top of the range is the MFT1730, which has similar measurement capabilities to the MFT1720, but also has provision for internal storage of up to 1,000 test results. A facility for downloading the results via a Bluetooth wireless link is provided and, when used in conjunction with Megger’s PowerSuite software, this allows rapid error-free preparation of test reports and certificates.

When used in conjunction with the optional earth stake kit, the MFT1730 also supports earth electrode resistance testing, and it is powered by rechargeable batteries that can be recharged without removing them from the instrument.

Case designed to accomodate tools

All multifunction installation testers in Megger’s new MFT1700 range are supplied in a robust carrying case that, despite its convenient size, has ample room to accommodate test leads, small tools and calibration certificates as well as the instrument itself, which can be stored in the case without the need to unplug the test leads. The testers have a three-year warranty, and are supplied as standard with a calibration certificate and a set of batteries.

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A standing seam VMZINC roof in a natural finish has been used in Scott Brownrigg’s design of the new £16 million home of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. The 5.4 acre site at Napier Lines Woolwich is the biggest zinc project in Europe over the past year and achieved a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating. The zinc complements timber cladding on buildings which provide stabling and full support facilities for 170 horses as well as a museum, veterinary clinic, saddlers' and tailors' workshops and the largest, most modern blacksmith's forge in the British Army. Zinc was chosen for its sustainability in a design which is ‘carbon minus’ and will generate surplus energy by running entirely on bio-fuel derived from horse manure and bedding. The zinc roof incorporates solar chimneys which provide natural stack ventilation to the stables together with rainwater harvesting and S.U.D.S systems.

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As part of its Work Within the Community project, the senior sales team from Mira Showers, the UK’s leading manufacturer of showers and shower accessories, are working on a pioneering initiative to enable the disadvantaged to get onto the housing ladder.

Called Habitat for Humanity, the charity enables would-be homeowners to use their labour – or ‘sweat equity’ as it is called – to replace the capital that would be required otherwise so that they can work 500 hours to provide the deposit for a home. The site in Liverpool is in Granby-Toxteth, a racially diverse area with more than 54 nationalities.

Mira is now a partner with Habitat for Humanity, so as well as the senior sales team working on site and performing basic laboring, the company will also supply products that are installed in the homes.

Paul Hollingworth, Sales Director, Mira Showers, commented on the makeover: “Such projects are very much in keeping with our principles of Corporate Social Responsibility; We judge our business not only by the normal business standards, but also by the difference we make to the world in which we live. We believe that partnering initiatives such as Habitat for Humanity brings sustained, collective value to our employees, our customers and society at large.”

Habitat for Humanity is a self-help charity founded by Millard Fuller, an American self-made millionaire, who believed that the poor didn’t need charity so much as capital.

In 1973 Millard took the housing partnership concept to Zaire in Africa. The model worked just as well there and more than 100 homes were built in the first project. So began a programme of expansion, and now more than 3000 communities in more than 90 countries (including Great Britain and Northern Ireland) have managed to solve their own local housing issues through the Habitat for Humanity model of self-help.

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FAKRO FTT U6 triple-glazed pine roof windows have been used in the design of the Passivhaus Artist’s Studio in Canterbury. As the UK’s first light industrial Passivhaus project the building obtained a preliminary airtightness test result of 0.39 air changes per hour, comfortably inside the Passivhaus limit of 0.6 and UK Building Regulations of just 10. The BBA certified FTT U6 has an overall U-value of 0.81 W/M2K, giving it the best performance available in a standard triple-glazed roof window. Its enhanced sealing system and internal laminated pane gives the glazing unit a thermal performance of 0.5 W/m²K.

Passivhaus Designer Paul Mallion of Conker Conservation commented, “I selected the roof lights as they have a good Ug value and insulated flashings, wool thermal break, airtight and windproof collar and remote electrical operation. Being one of the UK’s first certified Passivhaus buildings we also opted for a higher glazing specification”.

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Despite the fact that in the heating industry in the UK, renewables are the sexy topic of the moment, that fact hides some perhaps worrying truths that are overlooked. Firstly that the number of renewable systems being installed, whilst on the rise, is still a tiny proportion of the heating system activity taking place and secondly, that very few installers out there understand the breadth of options available and can genuinely integrate different renewable and energy saving systems to offer their customers a system that does exactly what it says on the tin – reduces energy use, reduces carbon emissions and reduces heating bills. Too many systems are simply whacking in a heat pump, or popping in a wood burning stove – without the benefit of system design.

One that can, and does, very successfully is Dave Clarke & Son in Hinckley, in the heart of Leicestershire.

A thriving business now, employing 25 people and offering probably the widest range of renewable and energy saving options of any comparably sized firm in the country, the company you find behind the interesting faÇade of its ex-chapel, ex-Co-op premises in the centre of Hinckley is a far cry from the business that started life in Dave and Anne Clarke’s tiny back bedroom in 1982!

Having attended two job interviews and not fancying either very much Dave decided to go it alone and do his own thing, with the not inconsiderable support of wife Anne and the snazzy transport offered by their bright red mini van. The business grew on the back of recommendation and a growing reputation for quality and in 1984 the company took on its first apprentice. In 1985 the second followed and in 1987, five years into the success story, it took on three qualified tradesmen and began to use sub-contractors. The company was on the move!

Not surprisingly it outgrew the small bedroom and had to move into a larger one in the house. But that was a temporary move and they were soon looking for ‘proper premises’ – and found an ex-chapel that had been a Co-op but which had been empty for two years. It was owned by an Austrian company and a rapid exchange of views and an offer saw the property pass into their ownership. The Clarkes had their own business home, although it needed significant work to turn it into their new HQ!

This was thirteen years ago and since then, two new companies have been formed under the same umbrella – Greenheat Geothermal Limited and David Clarke and Son Electrical Contractors Ltd – two new stand-alone companies that saw the business become a one stop shop for most activities they were offering to customers in the region.

The company celebrates its 30th birthday in August 2012 and now boasts 25 employees in total. Son Dale and daughter Kerry are now directors of the company so there’s a planned succession in place to guarantee the company’s long term viability. Dale was Plumbing Student of the Year at Leicester College and participated in SkillBuild 2004 – Plumbing at Stourbridge College, defeating the UK Apprentice of the Year on route to the final.

The firm has its first ever female apprentice currently working her way through her qualifications – Emily Friswell joined the company in 2011 and is now in her second year plumbing and heating course at Stephenson College in Coalville. She’s one of four apprentices currently working with the firm, another of which – James Toulouse – is building a very high level of skill in the area of geothermals having recently picked up the Building & Social Housing Foundation Award for 2011 which saw him win £1000 worth of renewables training.

A visit to the Clarke’s base in Hinckley is an impressive eye opener for anyone interested in the area of renewables and energy efficiency – and that’s not just the bacon butties dished up by son Dale – if we mention that some manufacturers use the test rigs at the premises themselves because they are actually more impressive than their own – you begin to get the picture. Dave Clarke has reached a stage in his career where he doesn’t necessarily believe everything it says on the paperwork that comes with equipment he wants to include in a system he’s designing. He likes to test the equipment himself to the level that he feels is required before he includes the piece of kit – whatever it may be – in a system design that he is devising for a customer: “I like to test the equipment myself so I can genuinely recommend a piece of kit in a design, with confidence that it will deliver what I say it will deliver – not necessarily what the paperwork says it will deliver,” he says with something of a twinkle in his eye.

“When a customer comes along and says to me ‘This is what I want’ I tell them, you can have what you want of course, but I’m here to show you – and give you – the options available to you – then you can make an informed choice.” He is a firm believer in having working kit available in his showroom to let customers see the kit he’s recommending, in action before they make a final decision.

Let’s take an example of kit he’s now recommending to his customers. Wilo pumps. For many years he used a major competitor’s pumps in every installation. Then he was encouraged to take his team to visit Wilo’s headquarters in Burton-upon-Trent for a training day. He resisted for a while, but eventually was persuaded to make the time investment. After a day of hands on training, getting to like the feel and to appreciate the energy efficiency benefits of using Wilo pumps, the team sat down for a discussion. They were all mightily impressed, not just with the products they had seen and worked with, but by the level of technical support they had had and which was on offer from Gary Wheatley, Wilo’s technical manager at Burton. They had a very sticky issue with a pump on a project they were working on and decided to put Gary to the test. He was invited out to the site to offer his advice. An hour later, they were all sold! And from that day to this every pump installed by the company has been a Wilo pump. A quick look around the showroom will confirm their conviction that Wilo pumps are the ones for them – with several of the new Wilo Yonos-PICO circulators driving systems.

David Clarke & Son Plumbing & Heating is taking major strides as it offers cutting edge integration of renewable heating options for its customers locally and farther afield. The reputation of the company has well and truly spread, and they’ve been undertaking some very complex heating system installations across the UK in recent months as a result of recommendations from happy satisfied customers: “30 years down the road, we have a business of which we’re proud and a future that looks rosey,” says Dave Clarke as he beams at you from his bright green sofas in the showroom. “And it’s on the back of quality people, using quality products in quality designs. It all needs a bit of thought. You can’t throw this kit together and hope. It’s about understanding each individual product and understanding how they can complement each other and come together to produce the most energy efficient heating system you can buy.”

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Georg Fischer (GF), one of the world’s leading providers of plastic piping solutions to the construction and public sectors, is celebrating the completion of its work at the new Portsmouth Queen Alexandra Hospital together with the new pathology centre, having been chosen to provide water piping systems to the project. Services included not only providing product but also technical expertise, installation and training capabilities in the use of ABS pipe fittings and valves, prefabricated PE sections and ELGEF electrofusion systems.

ABS had been specified for the chilled water pipework element of the project, while GF was also able to offer PE solutions for the condensed water element of the programme. In order to meet the needs of the contract, GF undertook significant training of partner contractor Haydon Mechanical & Electrical’s staff in order to bring all the pipefitters up to speed in terms of the plastic piping installation techniques required, including butt fusion and solvent cement jointing.

With a high concentration of Glycol in the water, GF had to show that its ABS systems were able to perform technically in a demanding environment, as well as working from an ease of installation perspective. In addition, large diameter PE systems were needed that could withstand the harsh 45°C environment of the condensing water system – and again, GF was felt to offer the perfect technical solution for the build programme.

Challenges for the programme included extremely limited site access and GF worked with logistics contractors to co-ordinate a ‘just in time’ delivery mechanism for pipework. The units were also cut to three metre lengths in order to overcome limited access to some of the floors.

Ian Wright, senior project manager at Haydon Mechanical & Electrical, noted: “We chose to work alongside GF because of its technical expertise and commitment to work alongside and train our team in terms of working with large diameter polyethylene systems. Between ourselves and Georg Fischer, we have formed an extremely effective partnership that delivered the piping systems on time and on budget…”

Georg Fischer’s marketing manager, Simon Alder, commented: “It’s been a privilege to work alongside Haydon and main contractor Carillion plc on the PFI project at Queen Alexandra Hospital. In a challenging environment, we were able to bring innovative, total plastic piping building solutions to the project in what was a great example of the capability of Georg Fischer’s piping systems and its commitment to client service.”

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The customer is always right and, in many cases the customer prefers analogue controls.

So Theben has added a surface- mounting controller with traditional clock and rotary controls to its range of OpenTherm compatible devices. At its heart, if course, is a digital microprocessor.

The unit regulates temperature by room sensing or weather compensation. As well as room heating the RAMSES 786 OT will control hot water temperature. It is suitable for radiators and underfloor heating No mains power required, data is transferred and power drawn via an extra low voltage OpenTherm bus via an OpenTherm compatible boiler.

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The BBA and RDL have joined forces to form a joint venture called Constructive Details Limited. Under this initiative the two companies aim to work together with the industry to provide solutions on the increasingly complicated, technical and often confusing issue of linear thermal bridging.

Linear thermal bridging (described by a psi-value) can now account for up to 30 % of heat loss in a building and with the need to provide more energy efficient buildings on the road to zero carbon, the industry is looking for ways to obtain reliable, favourable and realistic psi-values.

One of the aims by CDL is to facilitate accurate psi-value calculations and we are now pleased to announce the launch of the first Constructive Details handbook of masonry detail junctions developed for the Aircrete Products Association. The Handbook is available electronically via a dedicated “Resources” page on the CDL website and can be downloaded free of charge.

The junctions are for partial fill external wall (16 details) and full fill party wall (5 details). Another handbook of the same junctions but for a fully filled external wall cavity is already under assessment.

The main benefits of using Constructive Details are:

• The details have been optimised to provide significantly lower psi-values than those in the ACD’s, leading to a 60 % improvement of the overall y value
• The handbooks contain a complete set of junctions needed to construct a dwelling allowing optimum thermal bridging performance to be achieved. They match the ones currently featured in Appendix K of SAP 2009 with clear and simple drawings, easy to follow examples for achieving the desired psi-values, checklists for use on site and guidance on the amount of insulation needed
• They are future proofed – providing the E and P numbers for each junction and providing a range of U values for the plain elements to meet current and future performance all the way up to Passivhaus standards
• They use generic products allowing supply chain flexibility and consequent best costs

As Greg Cooper, Chief Executive of the BBA says “The BBA is delighted to have worked in partnership with RDL to produce this handbook. It will undoubtedly enable aircrete block manufacturers to pass on accurate information to their customers and provide house builders with a complete list of thermal details to use in their design and build process”. Dave Baker, Chief Executive of RDL adds “The CDL handbook follows the principles of the Robust Details Part E scheme handbook and should prove to be an invaluable tool for designers and new home builders alike.”

So go ahead and register to be the first to view the CDL Handbook and use our Twitter account @ConstructiveDtl to give us feedback!

For more information on this press release please contact enquiries@constructivedetails.co.uk

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