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Rockwool, the world’s leading manufacturer of non-combustible stone wool insulation, has developed a unique insulation system for a refurbishment project at the Grade II-listed Barbican Estate.

The project – which has been on-site since October 2008 – involves £40,000 of insulation product being installed to insulate the top three storeys in one part of the Estate’s buildings, which were being converted from offices into residential accommodation.

However, the tight radius of the Barbican’s barrel roofs meant that Rockwool, working in collaboration with its partners – the client; the roofing contractor, Delomac Roofing; and the membrane manufacturer, Sarnafil – had to develop a new kind of insulation system.

After designing, fabricating and trialling various alternatives, the team eventually settled on Rockwool’s 40mm Hardrock SPA roof insulation board (installed with Sarnafil membrane) with special grooves cut into the base of the board to allow for bending around the tight radius, fitting the roofs snugly.

David Adams, Market Development Director from Rockwool, said: “Barrel roofs are often difficult to insulate fully. Most insulation comes in boards, which is fine for covering vertical walls or horizontal roofs, but cannot always bend sufficiently to fit tightly – and therefore effectively – over a curved surface. Our bespoke product design will ensure the Barbican Estate roofs will be well insulated and as energy efficient as possible.”

Brendan McNulty from Delomac Roofing, the roofing contractor, said: “We have worked closely with Rockwool on developing this unique product. The installation is now well underway and reports confirm the system is performing precisely as intended.”

The Barbican Estate in the heart of London’s Square Mile contains a mix of urban residential accommodation and office space, as well as the Barbican Centre, Europe’s largest performing arts centre, which includes a library, concert halls, gallery, cinema and theatre auditoriums.

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JS Humidifiers has supplied, installed and commissioned three Neptronic SKE resistive steam humidifiers at the Royal Armouries Museum and the National Firearms Centre in Leeds. The humidifiers maintain the humidity around the 8,500 exhibits on display and in stores at the two sites. These exhibits include cannons, mortars and the largest collection of arms and armour on display since the 19th century.

Glyn Barraclough, Mechanical Engineer at the Royal Armouries, comments, “If the atmosphere becomes too dry it can damage the exhibits on display and in storage. The humidifiers maintain the atmosphere at 60-65% relative humidity preventing humidity-related damage to materials such as wood, fabric and hair. Incorrect humidity control can also affect the metals on suits of armour, causing concentric rings to appear.”

The Leeds Royal Armouries Museum is split into five galleries displaying different types of armaments from across the World. There is also a jousting display arena with seating for 1,200 people, a menagerie, a craft court and a “Hall of Steel” with a display of over 2,500 objects.

The Neptronic SKE is ideal for maintaining the correct humidity in museums and art galleries as it responds rapidly to a humidity requirement. Museums can be empty one minute and full of visitors in from the rain the next. Steam humidifiers are ideal as they can quickly increase or decrease their output accordingly.

The Neptronic SKE is a resistive steam humidifier that can deliver up to 80kg of steam per hour from a single unit and, unlike an electrode boiler humidifier, does not incorporate disposable boiling cylinders, making it much more economical to run.

The humidifier has an innovative scale management system that detaches the limescale from its heating elements and flushes it to drain during normal operation. This maintains the efficiency of the system and helps reduce required maintenance. The SKE is also the only resistive steam humidifier in the UK to have a two year guarantee on all components, including the heating elements. Its heating elements are robustly constructed from super alloy incoloy 825. They are protected from “element burn-out”, due to foaming in the water tank, with electronic water level sensors, internal and external temperature sensors, and an internal foam sensor.

A PureFlo reverse osmosis (RO) water filter was installed alongside the steam humidifiers at the Royal Armouries, which removes 90% of the minerals from the water prior to it being boiled inside the humidifiers.

This virtually eliminates limescale build-up in the units reducing the maintenance requirements to a simple check-over once or twice a year. An RO water filter also allows precise control over humidity to ±1%rH, as the mineral level in water tank does not need to be controlled through flushing and re-filling the cylinder. This results in a more consistent temperature level in the tank and a more consistent output.

JS Humidifiers is the UK’s largest humidification company with the widest range of products and offers a service of advice, design, supply, installation and maintenance. It also offers a comprehensive range of humidifier spares, not only for JS equipment but also for a large range of different manufacturers’ humidifiers, mostly available ex-stock.

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As a pioneer in the design and manufacture of decorative wiring accessories Hamilton Litestat has just introduced its redesigned Linea CFX Collection featuring super thin plate profiles, split finishes and secret screw fixings.

The CFX concealed fixing system affords seamless styling and sophistication to address specifiers’ more sophisticated requirements. Offering minimal depth for both modern and traditional accessories, its stunning appearance creates another facet within the interior design scheme.

The patented CFX Linea face plates have 4 pillars, with each pillar having a small metal clip which is designed to hold the face plate firmly to the back fame, neatly concealing the fixing screws. As the Linea CFX accessories incorporate a separate back frame and face plate they allow the specifier to choose whether to use the same finish on both elements or to use different ones to create a sublime contrasting option.

Utilizing the finest materials and production standards, Hamiltons offers six super finishes which are available for both the frame and face plate. These include polished brass, satin brass, antique brass, bright chrome, satin nickel and black nickel. In most cases, matching switch rockers are also available with either black or white surrounds to the switch inserts.

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At 80 pages, Laidlaw Solutions’ 2009 Handrail and Balustrade Solutions brochure provides an invaluable guide to handrail and balustrade specification and design. It includes detailed information on stainless steel, nylon, timber and combination systems as well as uprights, infills and structural glazing. Guidance on key aspects of installation such as spacing and loading is also provided in relation to Approved Doc Parts M, K (England and Wales), R (Northern Ireland) and Non-Domestic Technical Handbook Section 4 – safety (Scotland). Coverage of Building Regulations and Standards includes specific reference to the newly updated BS8300 in respect of grip, dimensions, spacing, LRVs and visual impairment.

Diverse case studies for all key sectors illustrate how use of Laidlaw systems fulfils aesthetic as well as functional design requirements, utilising component based, rather than site fabricated systems. As market leader in the supply of doorsets and architectural ironmongery, Laidlaw, which is now Chas accredited, offers six handrail and balustrading systems:

• Nylon – using nylon-sleeved galvanised steel components Stainless steel – using stainless steel components
• Timber – using four basic types of timber in conjunction with either nylon-sleeved galvanised steel or stainless steel components
• Combi – using a combination of nylon-sleeved galvanised steel and stainless steel components
• 3kN – using larger diameter stainless steel uprights to resist the greater loadings required for certain environments
• Modu-line –an on-site, easy assembly component system

Specification clauses are available via NBS Plus or from the company’s Handrail department which can supply detailed technical support and guidance.

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Specifiers, housebuilders and self-builders looking to achieve Level 3 of the Code of Sustainable Homes (25% reduced CO2 emissions from January 2010) should consider the latest Genvex heat pump ventilation systems from Total Home Environment Ltd (T.H.E).

The new Genvex Premium range combines heat recovery ventilation with heat pump technology to efficiently harness energy from outgoing air. With a 35-year pedigree in developing advanced ventilation systems, the Danish company Genvex, has designed the new Premium range to provide heat as well as ventilation and also cooling on hot summer days

All this from one appliance, compact enough to fit into the loft space of the house.

The efficiency of the low energy Genvex Premium system is outstanding; the appliance generates as much as six times the heat energy, as the power it consumes. Whilst the system provides an air change in the house every two hours, it can take outside air of –1°C and convert this to an incoming air temperature of 34°C.

The Genvex system continually provides fresh filtered air (pollen filters as standard) whilst removing moisture and humidity. It also usefully extracts the harmful cocktail of chemicals and dustmites present in the modern home and all in extremely quiet conditions because of its advanced design EC motors.

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The new 17th Edition of the wiring regulations is due to be implemented on the 1st June 2008. There are a significant number of changes, additions and deletions, both big and small.By ensuring the manufacturer states the instrument meets this standard and you cannot go far wrong. And of course Megger testers all meet the requirements of the 17th Edition.

The new 17th Edition of the wiring regulations is due to be implemented on the 1st June 2008. There are a significant number of changes, additions and deletions, both big and small.

To align the British and IEC numbering system sections 6 (Special installations or locations) and 7 (Inspection and testing) change places. The new section 7 will now include sections on: “Marinas and similar locations”, “Exhibitions, Shows and Stands”, “Solar Voltaic Power Supply Systems”, “Mobile and transportable units”, “Temporary electrical installations” and “Floor and ceiling heating systems”.

The good news for anyone doing “Testing and Inspection”, – there are no changes that prevent your current Megger testers being used.

A brief summary of current instrument requirements is detailed below:

Insulation testing

The most important change is to the insulation test limits for SELV, PELV and systems of <500 V

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Laidlaw Solutions’ new 28 page Orbis Anti-Ligature door furniture brochure contains comprehensive information on a range which has seen a significant number of additions since the last edition.

Co-ordinated, ready-to-install locksets are available with functions which include rollerbolt locks with primary and secondary barricade override options. Specific designs for washrooms and bedrooms are available with the option of auto-locking night latches, while new door pulls, radius plates, retractable doorplates and accessories have greatly extended combination permutations.

All have a standard 10-year guarantee, are supplied in either Satin Stainless Steel or Silk Anodised Aluminium and come complete with Torx pin tamper-proof fixings.

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Wilo UK has launched the incredible new Wilo-Stratos PICO high efficiency small circulator pump into the UK marketplace. The latest in the family of high efficiency ‘A’ rated small circulators, the PICO is right at the top of the class when it comes to energy efficiency savings with an average annual electricity consumption of just 46.5 kWh for a typical home. According to standard Europump Commitment measuring procedures, when it comes to electricity consumption, PICO is more efficient than any other A class pump you can buy.

A large percentage of the initial cost of the pump will be paid off in the first year of operation and by the end of the second year, it will have paid for itself and be giving back savings for the rest of its working life. There’s not many items in a home you can say that about!

As you would expect from a Wilo product it offers all the other benefits that you would want from a high efficiency small circulator, including reliable starting and maximum convenience due to its high starting torque and its in-built de-blocking software. It’s remarkably simple to set up and quick to install and features a display with a consumption reading along with a thermal insulation shell as standard

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Installing a pump has never been so easy as with the PICO. Its compact design allows this little high efficiency pump to fit into any set up you care to choose. And on top of that there’s its clever power connection mechanism. Until now you’ve had to connect the ends of the power cables to the terminal box but with the Wilo Connector that comes with the Wilo-Stratos PICO, you simply connect the cable to the patented plug connection, plug this into the corresponding connection on the pump and you’re done! In the blink of an eye!

Then what? Well it runs by itself. Just one press of a button sees the PICO activate its automatic bleeding device giving maximum performance and minimum noise. The most important thing is that the setting is correct and this is simple because this small pump has the same large display you have on the big brother – the Wilo-Stratos. This means the pump can be operated and read with ease from the front and all the setting parameters can be seen at a glance. The big display is also a big advantage for the homeowner as it allows them to read the current power consumption and total electricity consumption at any time. In effect this is like having your own electricity meter, so you can keep a wary eye on just how energy efficient the PICO is!

Dave Spragg is Wilo’s UK Domestic Product Manager: “Obviously I’ve seen this coming for several months and couldn’t wait for it to arrive here in the UK! We showed it for the first time at Installer Live 2009 a few weeks ago and it got an incredibly warm reception there. It’s great to have a pump that is ahead of all the competition in energy savings terms and it’s excellent to have a family of high efficiency ‘A’ rated pumps that we can offer to our customers. This is a little beauty and installers will love it – not just because its so energy efficient but because it makes their lives so much easier! It’s been designed to be the best of the ‘A’ rated pumps available but it’s also been designed for ease of installation and in such a way as you can prove its operating as it should do. It’s an installers dream and we have high hopes for PICO here in the UK.”

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Four new consumer units from Eaton are designed to help specifiers and installers meet the requirements of the 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations for increased RCD protection. They are the first offerings in a package to extend the Memera 2000 AD range of consumer units. They offer a dual-RCD, variable split-load configuration, providing residual current protection of all outgoing circuits, and a generous number of outgoing ways to meet modern installation needs.

The new Wiring Regulations (BS 7671), published on January 1 and coming into force at the end of June, call for much more extensive provision of residual current protection in domestic and non-domestic premises. The practicalities of meeting the requirements for protection of cables buried in the plaster surface of walls or enclosed within partition walls, will mean that most circuits will require 30mA RCD protection. It is also a requirement that all 13A and other socket-outlets up to 20A, for use by “ordinary persons”, should normally be protected by a 30mA RCD. In bathrooms for example, RCD protection is also required on all circuits, including lighting.

Whilst compliance with the new Regulations can be achieved with conventional isolator- controlled single or split-load consumer units in combination with individual circuit RCBO’s, a more cost effective solution may be found with a dual-RCD consumer unit.

The latest Memera 2000 AD consumer units include 8-way, 12-way and 15-way dual-RCD split-load units controlled by a 100A isolator feeding two separate variable split busbar sections each protected by a 30mA RCD. The fourth new unit is a 12-way dual-RCD variant which provides an additional, third, 3-way busbar section fed directly from the main isolator. The three unprotected ways can be used to supply non group RCD protected circuits and can be equipped with individual circuit MCB’s or, more likely, RCBO’s.

All four new consumer units use miniature circuit-breakers (MCBs) for final sub-circuit protection and feature Eaton’s variable split-load design, which allows on-site selection of the number of ways allocated to each main section. The new dual-RCD isolator-controlled units offer high-sensitivity protection of all circuits

Splitting the load over 2 or more sections of the consumer unit will reduce the instances of unwanted tripping and take account of other risks and inconvenience associated with such events. It would be prudent to separate the power circuits and lighting circuits in an area such as a bathroom in order to avoid danger to users in the event of an earth fault on a shower circuit also taking the bathroom lighting off at the same time.

Other consumer units are available which provide 100mA time-delayed RCD protection on the incoming device, which can be effectively co-ordinated with downstream RCD’s or RCBO’s.

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Shackerley (Holdings) Group Limited is seeking to inspire and inform architects with its new Sureclad brochure which features an impressive ‘Gallery’ of the company’s ceramic granite ventilated facade projects across the UK and Eire. The 64-page brochure clearly demonstrates the enormous scope for ceramic granite as a facade material and reveals how Sureclad facades have been used to stunning effect to create landmark buildings in the education, healthcare, retail, residential, general commercial and hotel sectors.

The ‘Gallery’ includes some of the UK’s largest and most demanding ceramic granite ventilated cladding projects such as the Paragon in Brentford, the Sage HQ in Newcastle upon Tyne and the high profile Media City development in Salford, still under construction. Of interest to many specifiers will be the testimonials provided by leading architects who are specifying Sureclad ceramic granite as a contemporary and totally natural and logical alternative to hewn stone in its original quarried state.

The new brochure also reveals a number of new additions to the Sureclad range. The very latest ceramic granite facade options include innovative ‘metallic’ finishes which shimmer in the sunlight, ‘travertine’ panels with a naturalistic texture and appearance, and new highly polished black panels in a 1m2 format. Whilst most of the new brochure is dedicated to ceramic granite, Shackerley has recently extended its range of Sureclad facade materials and these new options are also featured. New large format engineered stone panels measuring up to 3060x1230mm and in 20, 30 and 40mm thicknesses are now offered in a wide range of styles, alongside a collection of large format single skin terracotta panels.

Like Shackerley’s ceramic granite, all the engineered stone and terracotta panels are prefabricated in Lancashire at Shackerley’s ISO9001 quality certified production facility and are then installed in conjunction with a Sureclad facade support system. A patented undercut anchor process is employed to enable the panels to be fixed mechanically (to comply with BS 5385 Part 2) in an invisible, safe and stress free manner.

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