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Marshall-Tufflex’s Supertube FR, formulated for applications where fire safety regulations are at their most stringent, is a key component in the upgrade of London Underground’s Victoria Line OPO CCTV camera system, where more than five miles (8,100m) of the high-performance conduit has been installed.

Manufactured from a special three-layer LSOH conduit, Supertube FR has provided system integration company KeTech with a superior design solution to protect cables that transmit images of the platforms to the train driver. Supertube FR is an addition to steel trunking and offers much faster fit times. It is supplied in coils of up to 100m and therefore produces little wastage from cut lengths.

KeTech, a leading systems integration contractor specialising in the railway industry, is working for Metronet on the line upgrade, which will accommodate a new fleet of trains. In developing a new and improved camera system, Chris Swainson, Project Manager for KeTech, was particularly impressed with Supertube’s EMC shielding capability when specifying the product for the first time.

“It’s gone extremely well, I’d certainly use it again,” he said. “ We chose Supertube for its ability to provide EMC shielding. It has proved a better way to segregate cables, which is greatly beneficial in London Underground applications where there are a lot of unknown cables to contend with.”

Supertube FR meets London Underground’s fire and materials specification, having undergone a series of tests conducted against the rigorous requirements set out by London Underground Ltd.

A Marshall-Tufflex spokesman said: “Having product specified for use in the London Underground system is of immense importance to us and a big rubber stamp for Supertube FR. The underground is a demanding environment that calls for products of the highest calibre and performance. We already had experience of supplying into this type of environment, having provided our Snakeway system into Angel Islington Tube Station, as well as for the subway in Chicago.”

For further information, tel 01424 856600, e-mail sales@marshall-tufflex.com or visit www.marshall-tufflex.com.

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Brick has long been a favourite building material. It’s not only beautiful to look at, it has excellent sustainability credentials and it’s hard to beat on price. This combination is especially valuable right now, given the pressure to meet CSH targets and the soaring costs and longer lead times from many rival cladding materials. An investigation by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) found that, against a line-up of popular finishes for the external skin, installed brickwork beats just about all of them on price.

The findings are especially valuable at the present time, given that contractors are experiencing soaring costs for many competing cladding materials. There is a popular misconception, fuelled by the off-site lobby that brickwork is an expensive external finish, but the RICS study clearly concludes that brick is a competitive option.

What the RICS investigation showed is that you can have such qualities, without paying over-the-top prices. It analysed a wide range of data, from major price books to bills of quantities for live projects submitted to them in 2007. The projects, which covered a selection from across the UK, ranged in value from £356,000 to £10.5 million.

The study compared the installed cost per square metre for brickwork against a string of rival external finishes. These included simple fibre cement sheets, different types of rendered blockwork, timber weatherboard, PVC cladding, plain tile cladding, ashlar stonework, and, at the top end of the price range, curtain walling and patent glazing.

Some of the highlights were:

• Facing brick came in at £59 m2 (less than some sheeting, pebbledash and proprietary render systems)
• Two thirds the price of timber weatherboarding.
• Barely one third the price of ashlar stonework.
• Curtain walling is nearly eight times more expensive, patent glazing nearly nine times

.

In its conclusion, the RICS notes: ‘Brick is a competitive option for the external skin. Most of the options that are less expensive in the study fall within the range of available facing bricks.’

With increasing pressure to reduce waste on site, it’s now possible to save even more money when using brick, by carefully calculating the correct quantities required.

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BT has placed an initial order to install Sabien's M2G intelligent boiler load optimisation control. This first phase roll-out follows highly successful pilots of the M2G which delivered savings in energy consumption and CO2 emissions of up to 36%.

The buildings included in the pilot already have Building Management Systems (BMS) in place and M2G units were integrated with these to deliver further energy savings. Sabien's measurement and monitoring package for calculating and verifying savings was independently observed and verified by AEA Technology, a leading energy and climate change consultancy which was contracted by BT.

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The search is now underway to find the best brickwork in action. The Brick Development Association has opened the door for this year’s Brick Awards.

The Awards, which first took place in 1977, are one of the top design and construction awards in the country – and the definitive showcase for what clay brick can do.

Every year, hundreds of companies submit outstanding projects in the hope of winning and carrying off a highly acclaimed a prize. The standards are high, the competition fierce. Past winners include the cleverly designed Guildford Education Campus, a 60s refurbished house in London, a private housing development in Leicester and hard landscaping at a school in Berkhamsted.

14 trophies and one supreme award, the BDA Building of the Year, are up for grabs. And everyone involved in creating the winning projects – the architect/designer, the brick manufacturer and the brickwork contractor – is saluted.

“The annual Brick Awards is one of the UK’s longest established and most respected construction industry awards,” says BDA chairman Alan Baxter. “For the winners it’s true recognition of their skill and craft. They’re recognised by their industry as being the best in the business.”

Alongside that recognition, winners can look forward to extensive media coverage and can use the accolade in their marketing campaigns.

The Brick Awards show just what brick – the UK’s most popular cladding material – can achieve. Just take a look at www.brick.org.uk/awards to see just how high the standards are.

Entrants are judged on architectural design demonstrating sustainability credentials and the choice of brick. The judges are also seeking attention to good brick detailing, sustainability and quality craftsmanship.

This year marks a change to the awards up for grabs. The housing category has been increased to encourage entrants from small to large companies and will now incorporate both public and private housing developments within them. Due to the high number of schools and educational buildings entered last year, the building and landscape category will include an award for the best educational building. Other changes include broadening Best Refurbishment to include renovation projects and showcasing how brick can enhance landscaping projects in the Best Outdoor Space Project. You can enter as many projects as you like and compete for several awards with the same project.

In housing:
• Best Housing Development 1-5 Units
• Best Housing Development 6-25 Units
• Best Housing Development 26+ Units
• Volume Housebuilding

In building and landscape:
• Best Commercial Building
• Best Public Building
• Best Education Building
• Best Refurbishment and Renovation Project
• Best Outdoor Space

And technical and craft:
• Innovative Use of Brick and Clay Products
• Best International Project
• Specialist Brickwork Contractor
• Best Craftsmanship Award
• Worldwide Brick

Then there’s the supreme award – the BDA Building of the Year, the one judged to be the best overall from the 14 award winners.

Last year’s winning project, The Guildford Education Campus, came top on the strength of its architecture and visual quality, which was brought to life by the choice of brick and the quality of the brickwork.’

The Brick Awards are open to anyone, whether they are architects/designers, building owners, developers, housebuilders, contractors or brick manufacturers. The only stipulation is that the project – unless it’s featured in the Worldwide category – must feature clay bricks or pavers made by BDA members.

The 2010 Brick Awards will be presented at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel in London on 3 November. You can download entry forms from the BDA’s website http://www.brick.org.uk/2010awards or a hard copy can be requested by emailing brick@brick.org.uk or by calling 020 7323 7030. The closing date for entries is 25 June 2010.

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SEAC’s Lamarite® composite roofing slates are engineered to offer benefits that cannot be achieved with natural slates yet retaining their authentic look. They are made from a composition of innovative materials that are robust, fire-resistant and enduring, using an exclusive compression moulding technique. Lamarite’s performance has been accredited by the BBA and is backed by a 50 year warranty.

More Benefits
In comparison to natural slates, Lamarites® are so lightweight they do not stress structures, this is especially useful for refurbishing old buildings. They can be securely and easily nailed in place at markings provided, and because they are more robust and easy to handle, they are faster to install saving up to 75% of installation time. Cost savings can also be made on rejects due to breakage, typically about 15% in natural slates.

More Choices The natural beauty of Lamarite® is offered in five classic colours*: Slate Green, Mulberry, Dusk Grey, Midnight Black and Terra Cotta. Shingle widths of 5”, 7” and 12” are available. You can either create a uniform appearance or vary the look with different widths, exposure lengths, and accent colours.

* SEAC only stocks Dusk Grey in 7” & 12” widths, others need leadtime of 7 weeks.

More Options
A variation of pre-cut Lamarite® shingles are offered as options and accessories to add even more beauty to the roof and also convenience for the installer.

• Scalloped and diamond-cut shingles for distinction
• Pre-cut hip & ridge shingles for a more authentic slate appearance
• Starter course shingles for faster installation and to help assure greater precision

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JS Air Curtains has supplied a bespoke Rund air curtain for the entrance to the offices of Cadbury in Birmingham. The 2m slate grey air curtain has a round design and is held horizontally above the reception door by matching slate grey supporting posts.

The newly refurbished reception area was becoming cold from air ingress through its main doors. The air curtain was designed to tie-in with the architecture of the entrance and provides a barrier of warm air to create a pleasant and welcoming environment for staff and visitors to the office.

Paul Dennick, Implementation Project Manager at Cadbury, comments, “After a major refurbishment of this part of the building, the reception area was suffering from cold air being sucked in through the main doors. We needed an air curtain that was independently mounted, as it could not be fixed to the fascia or ceiling of the reception. Since the air curtain from JS has been installed the cold air problem has been solved.”

The Rund air curtain has many different mounting options. It can be suspended from a ceiling with cables or attached using arms to either the ceiling or wall. Alternatively it can be stood vertically at the side of a door or mounted horizontally on goal-post type legs, as it was at Cadbury. The air curtain will protect a doorway up to 3.5m high from air ingress when mounted horizontally or 7m wide when two units are stood vertically aside an entrance.

The electrically heated unit installed at Cadbury can provide up to 5,550m3/h airflow and up to 30kW of heating. The Rund is available in electric or water heated versions, and as a non-heated, air only model. Five lengths are available from 1m to 3m and they can be mounted end-to-end as one continuous unit, with up to ten air curtains being operated from a single controller. It comes with 20m plug and play RJ45 connection cable and can also be operated from a BMS system.

The centrifugal double-inlet fans provide high levels of airflow whilst being remarkably quiet in operation. The Rund air curtains can also accommodate other services such as motion detectors, CCTV, signage or emergency lighting enabling these features to be hidden or more inline with the architecture of an entrance.

JS Air Curtains supplies an extensive range of air curtains, as well as bespoke solutions, for all commercial and industrial applications. JS’ in-house project management division also provides a smooth, hassle-free installation service that walks the customer through from design specification to post-installed product training.

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Crescent Lighting has recently supplied the EFO fibre optic lighting system to the Epping Forest District Museum to use as part of the total refurbishment of the ground floor archaeology displays. Eleven (?) new cabinets were constructed and fitted with the LBQR Lightbar linear fibre optic system with high intensity fibre grouping. These were powered by the CREAD068 EFO projector.

The Museum tells the story of the people who have lived and worked in this part of south Essex from the earliest inhabitants to the present.

Based in historic Waltham Abbey, in a building dating back to 1520, the Museum first opened in 1981and the collections have grown steadily ever since.

Artefacts are grouped by age, and include pre historic and Neolithic flint tools, pottery fragments, iron age tools & weapons, medieval coins and items excavated from a wealthy merchant’s house, dating from about 1600.

Exhibitions Officer Andy Hall commented “This is the first time that the Epping Forest District Museum has used this type of lighting in our displays and we are very pleased with the end result”

Note on the EFO system

Crescent EFO is a revolutionary new lighting system offering all the benefits of Fibre Optic Lighting with the added advantage of energy efficiency. Technological innovations from Crescents parent company, Energy Focus Inc., in solid core optical fibre and light collecting systems in EFO give crisp, white light with an efficiency way beyond what has been possible with Fibre Optics up to now.

The CREAD projector– revolutionary optics

The patented Compound Parabolic Collector (CPC) is at the very heart of the new EFO system. The CPC collects the light generated by the 68W DC HQI lamp directly from the arc tube, and, at the same time directs the light beams to the ideal angle (35 degrees max) to efficiently launch the light into the fibre.

The CPC non-imaging system mixes the colour and gives a much more even distribution. This in turn obviates the need for any mixing or randomising of the optic fibres in the port to achieve an even light output across the various tails of the fibre harness.

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Rockwool improves Nottinghams MP's green credentials

Nottingham MP, Alan Simpson has used Rockwool’s complete high performance external wall insulation, RockShield, to maximise the energy efficiency in his new, environmentally sound, self-build home in the city.

Converting an unused Nottingham inner city building into a highly sustainable family home was both a statement of commitment by Alan to his Nottingham South constituency and an opportunity to exercise his strong green principles.

In addition to some radical alterations, including the installation of the solar panels and a water recycling system, Rockwool’s RockShield was used to insulate the exterior envelope of the refurbished property.

Julian Marsh of project architects, Marsh and Grochowski, commented on the new build: “Sited behind a local pub, the building, which was previously known as the Lacemaker’s House, had been disused for at least 60 years and needed extensive work.

“The external walls are solid, two bricks thick with no cavity, so we needed to apply external insulation. We used 110mm of Rockwool RockShield, which was mechanically fixed to the wall and rendered over. Rockwool was chosen for its unrivalled sustainability credentials, thermal performance and durability.

“Durability is particularly important for this project because one of the property walls backs onto the pub car park, making it vulnerable to damage by poorly parked cars. Unlike rigid insulation materials, which would rapidly crack and deteriorate, Rockwool will withstand this kind of impact, without compromising its integrity or thermal efficiency.”

Rockwool Rockfloor was also used over the ground floor slab and Rockwool Flexi was used for insulating the roof space of the property.

Rockwool stone wool insulation is one of the most environmentally friendly and energy efficient construction products available and meets the highest standards of ‘cradle to cradle’ sustainability, energy conservation and recyclability.

It is manufactured using igneous volcanic rock, an abundantly-available resource. Over the lifetime of the building, the energy saved could be 100s of times more than that consumed to manufacture the Rockwool insulation.

Rockwool stone wool insulation has a low embodied energy of 16.8MJ/Kg and has zero Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP) and Global Warming Potential (GWP). Its excellent thermal properties significantly cut energy consumption in homes, reducing the need to burn fossil fuels and therefore helping to minimise harmful emissions of greenhouse gases.

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The West End Shopping Mall in Budapest, Hungary is one of Europe’s largest shopping malls. It houses over 400 luxury and brand-name stores, it is fully air-conditioned and its impressive futuristic design has won various architectural awards. However, maintaining the building and a comfortable shopping environment presents a major challenge for the facilities managers, as Hungarian summer temperatures often reach over forty-centigrade.

The site has 3 Baltimore TXV-500 cooling towers with total capacity of 9 megawatt, which work by the process of evaporation. So-called ‘wet’ cooling towers, they allow a portion of cooling water to evaporate into a moving stream of air. The cooling system experienced extreme limescale build up, which impaired the efficiency of the air conditioning system. This is due to the extreme water-hardness and high level of calcium in the region. This increased energy output, operating costs, and resulted in the system needing to be cleaned regularly using strong chemicals.

Monthly cleaning costs exceeded 2,500 Euros, plus the extra utility costs for topping up the system and the removal of chemical waste. Municipal drinking water was being used for topping-up the cooling towers because the hardness of the ground water, which therefore also increased the metered water costs.

To eliminate the high costs and the limescale problem, management at the site decided to trial Hydropath’s patented chemical free water conditioning technology in combination with a water filtration system.

Each cooling tower was installed with a Custom designed Aquaklear ‘P’ unit. A standard P unit was also installed on the side filtration, to enhance flocculation of the extra debris brought by air suction and to aid filtration. A HydroFlow C60 unit was installed to protect customer bathroom water systems.

Hydropath patented technology is unique as it treats all of the water in the system by inducing random varying electric fields into the water, which propagate throughout the entire system. The result is the production of nuclei everywhere in the water system. Without treatment, when water is heated the hard water salts deposit as encrusting limescale on the surface, blocking heat exchangers, pipes and components. With treatment, the limescale forms in suspension and is washed away with the flow. Hydropath technology prevents limescale forming and also reduces existing limescale.

The cooling system has seen significant improvements following the installation of the AquaKlear units. No new limescale had formed in the pipes of the cooling towers and the existing scale softened, which is easy to filter and wipe away – along with debris and algae. This has significantly reduced maintenance and energy costs at the shopping centre, removing the need for expensive chemicals and improved the efficiency of the cooling system. The HydroFlow C60 unit significantly reduced limescale build up on the self-pouring taps in the shopping centre’s toilets. The taps rely on sensors, which recognise when hands are placed underneath, which transmits a message to pour the water. The sensors were susceptible to scale build up, reducing their effectiveness. However, following the installation of Hydropath technology, this problem has now been eliminated.

A further benefit that West End Shopping Centre did not anticipate is that now they do not need to use the treated municipal supply water to run the cooling system, which is charged per usage. The cooling system now runs efficiently using ground water supply only. Louk van den Bosch of Hydroflow Magyarorszag Kft, who managed the installation of the units in West End Shopping Centre commented, “Water in the cooling towers is now crystal clear. Almost as good as drinking water – and that’s no joke!”

The HydroFlow ‘C’ Range and the AquaKlear ‘P’ Range is maintenance free and is simple to install by fitting to the exterior of the pipe. Additionally, The AquaKlear system also provides the additional benefit of killing bacteria and algae, therefore preventing bio-fouling. Units can also be used for smaller commercial and domestic applications such as swimming pools and spas, available to fit pipe sizes 60 – 200mm.

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Jacobs Ladder in Falmouth has had new handrails fitted with state of the art lighting to light up a flight of 111 steps.

The old handrails made up of crude sections of wrought iron work and cast iron pipe work have been replaced with a new high quality stainless steel handrail with light emitting diode (LED) light strips to the underside, which will enable the steps to be lit fully without the need to lay cables or disturb any ground, as all the cabling has been carried out within the central rail. The LEDs are fitted in such a way that in the event of a failure, the remaining LEDs will still operate, ensuring that sections of the steps will remain lit. LED strips provide a low maintenance and low energy lighting solution with a life expectancy of ten years.

The LED lighting strips will provide a uniform level of light along the entire length of the flight of steps which will have the benefit of allowing safe use in the dark and enhancing the appearance of the steps, creating an attractive architectural feature to a local landmark.

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