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Installer Live 2010 saw the first unveiling of the smart new Stelrad Radiator branding – as the company moves into a higher gear and launches a raft of new products over the next few months.

Stelrad Radiators introduced visitors to a wide range of products with a wealth of target applications in mind. The imposing stand at the show saw a wide range of products on show including the new Softline, a unique, contemporary design with a distinctive curved grille, the Elite – the UK’s most energy efficient radiator, the Compact – the UK’s best selling compact radiator, the Stelrad Planar – the architect’s favourite with an attractive smooth front panel, and examples of the Stelrad low surface temperature radiators – the LST Plus and the LST Standard – both of which meet stringent NHS requirements, and are fully compliant with all safety standards.

In addition, there was a selection of decorative radiators, from examples of the company’s Classic Column radiators to the stunning designer options including the Excel Vertical, the Ellipse and the Optia.

There was also a glimpse into the future with the Compact With Style Vertical radiator and the Compact K3 triple panel, triple convector product on the stand for the first time.

Stelrad Radiators’ marketing director Chris Humphreys was delighted with the stand and the impression created by the smart new brand identity – unveiled for the first time: “Installer Live was a very important show for us and we were delighted to have such an exciting range of products to show to our visitors under our new branding. We’re moving up a gear and looking to make some major headway over the next twelve months, backed by the significant development of our product portfolio.

We believe we are well placed to build the business and excite people with the range of products we have. Whilst we hope that the new build sector will begin to recover in the months ahead, we are seeing strong growth in the replacement sector and have every confidence this will develop still further in the year ahead. Whilst there will always be a market for new houses, whatever the economic climate, there will be those who decide to stay put and upgrade their homes and we feel that with the new products we have coming through, we are perfectly placed to offer the best choice of radiators – both conventional steel panel products and decorative and premium panel radiators, where designer style is needed.”

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Sustainability and well-being are important factors in the Thorn Plurio range of lanterns, especially designed for urban and residential spaces.

A special multi-facetted rotational reflector improves visibility, minimises glare and directs the light down, thus avoiding obtrusive light (upward light <1%). Optical accessories include a lamp cowl, a 120° cut-off shield and an ULOR 0% ring giving no upward light for areas with intrinsically dark landscapes.

The lantern takes either a 70 or 100W HIT-CE / HPS lamp, or a 57W CFL. There are four canopy styles with the possibility of customising the Plurio Effect and Original bi-coloured canopies. Fashioned from recyclable aluminium finished in silver grey and sealed to IP65, the Plurio is best suited to post top mounting at 3.5m. A range of columns and brackets, conforming to EN 40, continues the design theme.

It is these features that help the Plurio create friendly and effective illumination that enhances the quality of the urban environment without compromising the future.
www.thornlighting.co.uk

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The 2010 Archizinc Trophy Awards, sponsored by VMZINC, saw a record number of entries from specifiers all over the world. The winners’ ceremony at the Eiffel Tower in Paris saw Spanish projects enjoying particular success and Klaus Schonberg’s design of Hanover House, a former Victorian mill building in a conservation area of central Bradford, receiving one of 5 special awards. The building utilised zinc as part of an undeniably creative and daring roof design of a newly built penthouse. Archizinc jury members outlined their personal reasons for choosing Trophy winners, and highlighted how zinc can be used to suit diverse architectural styles.

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Designated Daikin Altherma EBHQ, the new packaged system has an operating ambient temperature of -15 to 250C for space heating and -15 to 350C for domestic hot water heating. Environmentally conscious, compact in size and requiring up to 15% less installation space than contemporary heat pumps, the system is easy to install and has all necessary field components located within the outdoor unit.

Heating and domestic hot water
Available in capacities of 6 and 8kW in both heating and heating/cooling versions, the system can be used to supply under floor heating, low temperature radiators or Daikin Heat Pump Convector units. The heart of the outdoor unit is a special Daikin inverter driven compressor, which reduces start/stop cycles, eliminates the need for a buffer tank, has a low starting current and offers a high full and partial load performances.

The system can also be supplied with an optional 150, 200 or 300 litre domestic hot water storage tank, compact enough for installation together with the control box in for example, a kitchen cupboard plus a 3-6kW back up heater, which is activated automatically in the event that water temperature drops to within 20C of freezing point.

Easy to install
The outdoor unit houses all required components such as plate heat exchanger, expansion vessel, water circulating pump, water and refrigerant piping, valves and flow switch etc, thereby reducing installation time to an absolute minimum. Since the refrigerant circuit is contained within the outdoor unit, no further refrigerant piping need be installed, enabling the system to be installed by any heating specialist.

The indoor control box offers easy to use control via a digital interface unit, which can either be located remotely in any area of the dwelling or installed on the control box itself. A weekly schedule timer allows low noise operation, domestic hot water heating or water temperature reduction to be activated as and when required. Up to 5 actions per day for every scheduled function can be programmed with this timer. Wiring is also simple and straightforward with only 4 wires between outdoor and indoor units, whilst the wiring to other components is pre-equipped with plug and play connections.

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MK Electric, the UK’s leading manufacturer of wiring devices and accessories, has expanded its Echo range of innovative ‘self powered’ wireless and battery-free switches with the addition of a variety of decorative and industrial finishes.

MK is the first major UK manufacturer to incorporate ‘enabled by EnOcean’ wireless, battery-free technology into switches. The range harvests tiny amounts of ambient energy to wirelessly operate lighting at ranges of up to 30 metres within buildings. The additional finishes now available within the Echo collection include Chroma, Albany, Aspect and Edge decorative styles; and Metalclad and Masterseal industrial accessories.

Echo’s benefits include almost instant switch installation; total location flexibility of light switches within buildings; and easy relocation, re-installation and considerable cost-savings when ‘churning’ office and other commercial spaces. The Echo range is also incredibly low maintenance thanks to the lack of batteries and lack of wiring in the wall.

The new options mean that Echo can be deployed in a far wider variety of interior schemes; providing the designer with enhanced style, function and technology opportunities.

Chroma, as the name suggests, has been designed to bring out the very best in chrome – with accessories produced to a superior mirror-like finish. Albany is coated with a special heat-cured powder lacquer; being highly scratch resistant and maintaining its satin, brass or matt chrome good looks for years. Aspect is very simple with a slim profile and flawless frontplate that ensures that it always looks extra special. It can also be mounted to walls adhesively, eliminating the need for fixing tools. Edge is smooth, clean and the products are very slim – just 1.5mm, in fact.

From the industrial perspective, Metalclad Plus is a comprehensive range of tough, impact resistant, surface mounted wiring devices, designed to suit a wide variety of applications from factories, workshops, plant rooms to warehouses, schools and hospitals. The award winning IP56 rated Masterseal range has been specifically designed for use either outdoors or indoors and in areas heavily exposed to dust and splashing water.

Echo switches further aid compliance with Building Regulations such as Part L by providing for localised control of lighting and integration with lighting management systems and other networks covering areas such as heating and air-conditioning. They also help with meeting Part M requirements thanks to their immense siting flexibility, combined with their easy-to-use wide rockers.

MK Electric’s ‘enabled by EnOcean’ Echo range of ‘self powered’ switches mean no wires, no batteries and no fuss. They radically revise the way switching is treated within commercial spaces; and deliver a host of benefits to the specifier, installer and facilities manager – whether seeking products permitting super-fast installation; to mount switches on glass; or total flexibility over switch location in partitioned offices subject to re-arrangement.

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Fan coil units manufactured by Ability Projects Ltd and supplied in a contract negotiated by Irish agents, Woodleigh Ventilation Ltd, Dublin, are installed in the chic new Gibson Hotel, Dublin – one of 7 Irish buildings short listed for a World Building of the Year 2010 award. Due to be judged at the World Architecture Festival, Barcelona, November 3 – 5, the competition represents a peer review of the year’s most acclaimed architectural projects.

The Gibson luxury Hotel, located in Point Square, in the city’s cultural hub and close to the O2 music Mecca, has around 250 guest bedrooms, all air conditioned by Ability Evolution EVO235, EVOZEUS (extra low fan speed) and EVOVERT, 4 pipe fan coil units. The EVO235 units are mounted horizontally in bulkheads above the room entry doors – the ECOVERT vertical units are installed in large penthouse suites on the top floor.

Capacities of the units vary from 2.7kW to 3.83kW (cooling) and 1.85kW to 2.90kW (heating) with a noise rating of NR30 at 10 Pascals resistance. Evolution fan coils are state of the art EC/DC units offering reductions of up to 89% (compared with equivalent AC units), infinite speed control and minimal motor heat generation.

In order to overcome space restriction problems on site, the bedroom units have shortened discharge plenums fitted to reduce overall unit length to 700mm and have rear mounted electrical enclosures to allow access from the rear. Also, units have rear facing coil connections with rear pipe entry for rear facing valves and a junction box at the back for access through a single hatch.

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MK Electric – the UK’s leading manufacturer of wiring devices and electrical accessories – has introduced a new range of multi-media devices designed to provide a complete solution for all residential television, radio and audio needs. The range consists of combination plates and audio-visual outlets which complement the company’s market-leading Logic Plus and other decorative collections.

The combination plates save installation time and space by providing a complete multi-media solution in one device. The four-gang large combination incorporates TV, FM/DAB, two Satellite, BT and four 13A switched socket outlets. Also fully compatible with Sky Plus, the plates feature space for four Euro modules for additional audio, data or power requirements.

The flexibility of the two-gang small combination plate makes it suitable for use in secondary locations, such as the kitchen and bedroom. Including two 13A switched socket outlets and space for four Euro modules, the plate can accommodate a significant number of TV, FM, Satellite, Audio, telephone and data combinations.

With more homeowners adopting increasingly sophisticated home cinema and hi-fi systems; the company’s new audio-visual modules ensure unsightly cables are hidden while providing excellent connectivity.

Audio modules are available in screw terminated RCA and gold plated binding posts. MK Electric also offers a HD15 module for transmitting VGA, XGA or VEASA analogue video signals making it suitable for plasma screens, video projectors and other similar systems. All the audio-visual modules fit in Euro plates across all MK’s accessory finishes.

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The prestigious Hamilton School in Aberdeen, Scotland is renowned as one of the leading and most innovative educational establishments in the country. A recent redecoration programme of the school has made use of SENS paints from Jotun Paints, a range which, in keeping with the individuality of the school, offers its own unique qualities.

The SENS range of paints has remarkable environmental credentials unlike any other comparable paint on the market. It is the only paint to fulfil the requirements of the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association, making the ideal specification for an environment where young children may be susceptible to infection.

The school was established in 1975 as a pre-school for 25 pupils and over the years, it has evolved to incorporate reception and primary school departments in purpose-built premises on the Queen’s Road. It also houses a training arm, the Children’s House, which has trained hundreds of childcare workers throughout the Grampian region and beyond.

With over 300 pupils and 90 full-time staff, it was essential that the painting would not only minimise disruption but would also meet the stringent environmental standards of the school. SENS contains no harmful substance and its 100% acrylic formulation offers the lower VOC emission rate of any other interior paint. Health-wise, it is ideal for use on high occupancy environments such as the Hamilton School, where young children are prone to early years’ allergies.

As Sean Taylor, Business Development Manager at the school explains, SENS fitted the specification perfectly. “The school is very discerning and there are some children with allergies,” he comments. “The qualities of the SES paint were truly unique in that it has an impeccable environmental and safety credentials and we specified it for the entire interior of the school in white.”

In addition, Jotun has supplied an exterior solution to repainting the external woodwork with its Demidekk Ultimate coating. This product is water-borne, presenting an opaque silk-like finish for enhanced decoration, formulated for UV resistance and long term colour durability.

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An electrical substation, built as a key part of the utilities infrastructure in the Olympic Park, has won the award for the best brickwork in Britain.

The external substation, hailed as a great success and an inspired piece of commissioning, beat off hundreds of competitors to take the prestigious Supreme Winner at the 2010 Brick Awards, held at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel in London on 3rd November.

The Brick Awards is one of Britain’s most respected design competitions. Organised by the Brick Development Association, the annual contest provides the definitive showcase for what brick can do. This year, there were a record number of entries, with projects from right across the globe.

Bob Allies, Chairman of the Judging Panel and partner, Allies and Morrison, comments: “This remarkable building demonstrates many ways in which brick can be used. The precision and clarity of the expression persuaded the judging panel that it deserved the ‘best of the best’ award. It will provide an enduring legacy on the Olympic site.”

A clear emphasis was put on the architectural designs of the substation to ensure the structure fits in with the design of the wider Olympic Park. The use of more than 130,000 of Ibstock’s Aldridge Himley Ebony Black bricks in the design, also reflects the traditional use of dark brick stock as window and corner details on the former Kings Yard industrial buildings on the site where the new substation has been built.

With sustainability considerations at the heart of the substation design through the reuse of materials from the demolition of the former Kings Yard buildings, the judges were struck by the way the architects, NORD Architecture, managed to reduce the area of a standard substation by a third and within the cost limits.

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and Design for London (DfL) went on to comment further: “We congratulate the client and architects for producing a real piece of architecture out of an everyday brief. We think this is an object lesson in how even relatively minor parts of the Olympic programme can benefit from committed design thinking.”

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Mitsubishi Electric has signed a five-year rolling contract with bespoke design and air conditioning supplier PACAIR following the company’s success as an official Value Added Reseller (VAR) of its comprehensive range of air conditioning, heating and ventilation products. The move comes after both companies enjoyed growth during one of the toughest periods for the industry for decades and reflects the investment that PACAIR has made which has seen the company grow its workforce and customer base. “Our sales have gone from strength to strength during an incredibly tough market and we put this down to our skills in giving customers the service levels they expect, combined with the excellent product line up that Mitsubishi Electric offers,” explained PACAIR Director, Nigel Palmer. Hertfordshire-based PACAIR supplies specialist independent support and has an experienced team covering all aspects of the supply chain from initial design to final commissioning; PACAIR staff have experience ranging from three to thirty years within the air conditioning industry. PACAIR complements Mitsubishi Electric’s nationwide sales network along with the company’s wholesalers, Dean & Wood, Air Creation and Kooltech, to offer the market a comprehensive choice in the provision of the company’s full range of air conditioning, heating and ventilation equipment. “Nigel and his team have developed an excellent reputation within the industry for delivering first-class customer service which matches the high standards that we demand and we are delighted to be able to demonstrate our faith in his approach with this new deal,” explained Deane Flint, Mitsubishi Electric’s Sales & Marketing Director. PACAIR was founded by Nigel Palmer, who has developed a team of key people to offer a full nationwide design service to customers in the commercial, leisure, retail and high-end residential sectors. The deal with PACAIR is a non-exclusive agreement, with the company also retaining its role as a sales channel for the Toshiba brand. “We have been delighted with how well the relationship with Mitsubishi Electric has progressed and see them as having a comprehensive range of the most innovative and energy efficient products available on the market today,” said Nigel Palmer. PACAIR would like to thank its supportive customers over the last few years and has stated: “This deal strengthens our ability to offer our customers a world-class brand enhanced by the bespoke design, sales, and technical expertise of our staff.”

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