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Marley Eternit’s popular Hydropanel internal partition board is not only suitable for painting, papering and tiling over but it is now available in a smaller, lighter, one-man size.

Hydropanel was originally launched in three dimensions (1,200×2,500mm, 600×2,500mm and 1,200×3,000mm) but so versatile is it proving for dry construction, that Marley Eternit has now extended the range to include a 900×1,200mm one-man board weighing just 13.2kg

Hydropanel is a high performance board for use in buildings ranging from homes to hospitals and offices to leisure centres. It can be used throughout buildings, on their walls, ceilings and floors, and its smooth surface finished with paint, render, wallpaper or other decorative systems compatible with the board.

Hydropanel has exceptional proven performance offering resistance to fire, impact, water and sound. The high dimensional stability of the board also reinforces the building structure. Easy to handle and work, the boards are simply screw fixed using standard tools to a variety of timber or metal fixing systems.

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Space Air has recently revamped its popular residential show room at the Guildford HQ in Surrey. Following the success of the showrooms original opening in 2005 and the interest shown in the ‘as installed’ “Altherma”’ system on the Space Air stand at Ecobuild 2008 and the Ideal Home show. The revamped showroom features fully operational models of the DAIKIN residential product range; heat recovery ventilation, air-to-air split and multi split systems and the latest air-to-water heat pump system, ‘Altherma’.

Space Air’s Managing Director, Neil Afram commented “Although heat pump systems have been around for many years, they are a relatively new concept to the UK residential market and most home-owners are not familiar with this technology. The showroom is intended to provide clear, accurate data for the consumer, reassuring them with the look and feel of the systems. For many this is a large investment for their heating / cooling or heating and hot water needs and visitors can gain a much better perspective on the products-before they buy.”

The showroom features various wall and floor mounted fan coil units, above ceiling concealed units and cassettes, as they would appear within a home. The ‘Altherma’ system has been displayed in a cut-away airing cupboard, connecting to a variety of wet central heating emitters. All of the DAIKIN residential range easily conveys the distinctive functions that are considered to be particularly important to the home-owner, such as silent operation, stylish compact designs, energy efficiency and low carbon alternatives and simple but comprehensive controls.

For those considering heat recovery ventilation for the home, a Daikin HRV system is displayed on a wall in the form of a schematic drawing but with all the actual hardware in position. This particular system has been specially developed for the home-owner, by Space Air, and features push-fit components. No special installation skills are required and so, apart from the electrical connections this particular system could be considered a DIY product, subject to following the clear guidelines drawn up by Space Air design engineers. Daikin’s Siesta 7 ‘FS’ photocatalytic air purifiers can be seen fully working and viewed in cut-away form so that the seven filtration processes are clearly visible.

Existing dealer installers, consultants, architects, interior designers or, of course, end-users are welcome to visit the showroom at any time during normal working hours by appointment. A member of the Space Air sales team can accompany visitors and demonstrate the fully operational systems.

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Hamilton Litestat’s Cheriton Victorian wiring accessory range, which was supplied through Rexel Senate Eastbourne, has been featured at a major harbour front development at Grosvenor Quay, which lies at the heart of the prestigious Sovereign Harbour marina complex in Eastbourne, East Sussex. This comprehensive range of decorative wiring accessories has enabled the electrical contractor Chris Bartholomew Electrical Contractors Ltd to incorporate all the required accessories, including specials and multi-media, to address the more sophisticated demands of these luxury 2 and 3 bedroom apartments.

Property developer, Durham Construction selected these high quality accessories as part of its drive to provide aesthetically pleasing, top-end properties that are able to meet the lifestyle requirements of potential purchasers. To this end these apartments have also been pre-wired using Cat 5e and Coax to accommodate a compact residential infrastructure system which is able to facilitate the use of a fully integrated multi-room audio and entertainment system. To maintain continuity of design throughout the project, Hamilton Litestat has provided special Cheriton plates which are able to incorporate the grid frames and modules for the CHRIS system.

Barry Mepham, sales manager for the Grosvenor Quay properties at the Marina New Homes Partnership said, “Attention to detail has ensured that these high specification apartments are able to attract the more discerning buyer. The use of Hamilton’s Cheriton plates not only provides the all important quality edge to complement the interior styling, but also ensures continuity of design as the special accessory plates are an exact match to those that are used for the standard switches and sockets. This focus on aesthetics is important in this type of luxury accommodation as it adds value, helping to establish a product differential when compared with lower specification properties.”

According to the site’s electrical contractor Chris Bartholomew of Chris Bartholomew Electrical Contractors Ltd, “Most manufacturers don’t provide a complete range which makes it more complicated to provide the client’s required wiring solution. With Hamilton’s Cheriton Victorian range it offers a full range of products, in a wide range of finishes, and with the option of box or grid fix, it makes it extremely easy to get the job done in the most appropriate way without having to compromise.”

Hamilton’s wiring accessories have been supplied through the Eastbourne branch of Rexel Senate. The branch manager Paul Long said “. We found Hamilton Litestat most helpful as well as being extremely competitive in their pricing. We appreciated their ‘don’t say no’ attitude along with their ability to provide specials to suit the exact needs of the project, such as the media plates and those that have been modified for the CHRIS modules. By developing a good working relationship with this manufacturer, we have been able to support our client in winning their bid for this valuable contract”

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Cityroofs’ solutions transform living space on podiums, balconies and terraces. Using Aquadyne technology, green roofs and facades are created using panels manufactured entirely from recycled plastic. The Aquadyne sheet acts as wick, water store and diffuser, primarily to assist with storm attenuation drainage. Its properties enable plants to be grown, fed and irrigated, the soil-less structure creating herbaceous growth without the risk of soil slippage. Dense, evergreen, self-seeding, non-invasive varieties with creeping root structures such as birds’ foot trefoil or rupturewort require little more than annual inspection.

Whilst independent tests have shown that 22 sq m of Aquadyne will save approximately 1 tonne of CO2, it is also extremely lightweight when saturated Such lightweight green roof structures can remain green all year round with irrigation but if preferred, traditional sedums can be used without irrigation, retained water being taken from the roof deck to the roots by capillary action.

Non-irrigated modular systems can collect sufficient rainwater in their reservoir to support growth for 3 weeks or more. Used with the Dreen range of paving products, designs can be created for hard and soft landscaping and mixed use environments. Aquadyne’s high inherent strength enables it to be used for storm attenuation under Pardak slabs too. Designed for vehicular traffic, Pardak avoids need for visible surface drainage in shared pedestrian / car environments.

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Daikin Sky Air FVQ floor standing heat pump units are specially designed for quick and easy installation in high ceiling stores and offices. Extremely quiet in operation, the units include a built-in high efficiency, long life filter which reduces maintenance time and cost.

Sky Air FVQ heat pump units are ideal for use in applications where there is no false ceiling or where cassette, concealed ceiling or traditional ceiling units cannot be installed. The units also include several features that enhance comfort. They are quiet in operation, with sound levels as low as 36 dB(A), which is comparable to a quiet room. A choice of two fan speeds is also available – high or low — and the special Daikin dry programme reduces humidity in the room without variations in room temperature.

The horizontal auto swing feature moves the flaps slowly from left to right to distribute air effectively throughout the entire room whilst the vertical air flow pattern can be adjusted manually to match cooling or heating requirements in different sized or irregularly shaped rooms.

Easy usage is ensured via the remote controller mounted as standard on the front of the unit. Furthermore, the LCD control panel can be detached and used as a wired remote controller, enabling the indoor unit to be controlled from a remote location.

Innovative Daikin inverter technology enables the power to be modulated to suit actual requirements by monitoring and adjusting the ambient temperature. The inverter also shortens system start-up time, enabling the required room temperature to be reached more quickly. As soon as that temperature is reached, the inverter ensures that it is constantly maintained.

The indoor unit is equipped with a high efficiency, long life filter, the remote controller indicating the need for filter replacement, thereby ensuring optimum operation and reducing maintenance time and cost.

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With only three tools required to fit the consumer unit, this is our fastest fitting unit ever. The angled fixing points allow for easy adjustment when aligning. The flexible fixing points accommodate uneven walls, and the wide range of fixing points available offers a wide choice of mounting arrangements.

The meter tail kit accessory allows you to save time when installing 25mm2 and 35mm2 meter tails by simply connecting to the direct terminal block. This removes the need to bend incoming cables into the consumer unit and the flexible links provided with the kit reduce stress on the incomer.

A removable top wall allows easy cable entry, just lay the cables in place. Guides built into the wall and base ensure that the cables are kept away from sharp edges. The two foam strips provided ensure that the consumer unit seals to the IP4X standard.

Increased space between the terminal bars and devices and no restrictions under the din rail. Combined with the din-rail removable clip, featured on all Hager MCBs, which allows for device removal without releasing the bus bar, results in a

The terminal bars are top mounted allowing for easy wiring alignment with devices. The earth bar is centralised with outgoing circuits.

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Hambleside Danelaw Ltd, winner again this year of a Green Heroes award, says that commercial and public sector clients can save thousands of pounds in energy bills each year from the outset if they move into a building constructed with insulated materials and rooflights that cut the need for artificial lighting.

The British roofing products and rooflights manufacturer is urging specifiers and builders not to use current economic pressures as an excuse to source materials that deliver poor energy efficiency for the building occupier, purely on the basis that they may cost less.

Many in the industry already recognise that heating and air-conditioning costs can be cut by the installation of rooflights with low U-values, such as Hambleside’s own award-winning Insulator range. But now that it is becoming more common for rooflights to cover more than 10% of the roof area, more are also seeing a real difference in reducing artificial lighting bills as well as cutting carbon emissions.

Architects should therefore consider the benefits of rooflights in conjunction with the specification for artificial lighting and the reduced costs of using less artificial lighting when rooflight cover is increased. The Government’s ‘Switch it Off’ campaign has, for example, identified relatively small factories saving up to £20,000 per year in energy bills by keeping their rooflights clean and switching off the lights.

Academic research shows that increasing rooflight cover with the resultant inflow of daylight has a positive impact on those living or working in a building. It links natural daylighting to tangible work place benefits, improved retail sales, lower staff absenteeism, faster hospital recovery rates and improved school exam results.

Chris Avery, Hambleside Danelaw’s Managing Director, said: “The economic case for insulated building materials is just as strong as the environmental one, because investment in increased insulation performance has a relatively short pay-back period for the client. And don’t forget that the energy savings will accumulate year on year throughout the service life of the product.”

Green Heroes award recognises Hambleside’s adoption of environmental best practice

Chris Avery was speaking after Hambleside Danelaw’s environmental manager Ray Khan had been presented with the Green Heroes 2008 award by top botanist and TV personality Professor David Bellamy OBE in recognition of the company’s Planet Positive accreditation.

The Green Heroes judges commented: “As manufacturers of GRP structures, Hambleside Danelaw are aware of their environmental impact and have been actively reducing their impact for many years. They are now operating in a carbon positive manner by sustainable practice and carbon offsetting, supporting environmental projects across the world.”

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Leading pump and pumping system manufacturer Wilo UK has scooped another award – this time winning ‘Product of the Year 2008’ in the Building Services Awards for 2008, held recently at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane. The award was accepted by Wilo UK managing director Stuart Herritty and Sales Director Dan Wild.

The winning product was Wilo’s CC Booster, a water pressure boosting pump product that has found a wide range of uses and high acceptance levels providing fully automatic water supply and pressure boosting particularly in residential, and office buildings, hotels, hospitals and in industrial systems as well.

The Wilo CC pumps are used for the pumping of drinking water and process water, cooling water, fire-fighting and other process water supplies. Their primary usage has been to boost the pressure of drinking water to multi-storey residential accommodation and office buildings where drinking water supplied at normal supply pressures will not enable water to rise often above the second floor of a building. Wilo has been successful in installing a huge number of these pumps in high rise housing developments in London and the South East in particular.

Wilo UK Managing Director Stuart Herritty said: “It’s always nice to win awards of course but when they are in awards designed to acknowledge and reward excellence, innovation and professionalism, as these are, it’s a little bit special. We’ve taken some giant strides in the last few years at Wilo UK and the awards we are winning are testament to the quality of the team we have working in the company, as well as to the quality of the products Wilo manufactures. We’re delighted to add another award to our trophy cabinet!”

Full details of the impressive Wilo product range can be found at its comprehensive new web site at www.wilo.co.uk or you can call Wilo on 01283 523000.

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The Aquatic Centre in Atlanta; the Athletes’ Village in Sydney; the Velodrome in Athens; just a few of the many Olympic facilities and structures where, since the 1950s, Mapei’s products have been used. And this year is no exception; once again their high quality, top performance ranges have been chosen for the Beijing Olympics 2008.

Mapei’s flexible and durable adhesive, Adesilex G19, has been used to install the athletic track in the ‘Bird’s Nest’, Beijing’s National Stadium, as well as for the Indoor Stadium track. Developed specifically for the installation of floor coverings subject to heavy and intense traffic, the two-component polyurethane adhesive perfectly adheres to both the underlying substrate and to the synthetic rubber covering and can resist tangential stress when the tracks are in use. It is also resistant to humidity, heat and atmospheric aggression, vital attributes for the forthcoming Olympic Games.

Whether it be ceramic, porcelain or stone tiles, for covering floors or walls of hotels, stadia, airports or swimming pools, Mapei’s fixing and grouting products have also long been used; the Media Village in Athens and the Olympic Village in Turin are just some examples. This year, porcelain tiles in an indoor swimming pool have been fixed using Granirapid, an adhesive with extraordinary bonding and fast setting properties. The tile joints have been grouted with Keracolor GG in White, mixed with the liquid polymeric additive, Fugolastic, to improve flexibility and reduce porosity and water absorption and achieve the right resistance even under severe conditions of use.

The swimming pool, which has been built as a leisure facility for competitors, is part of Beijing’s ‘Shooting Range’ venue and it is here where 1,400 m2 of indoor tennis courts can also be found. Mapei Ultraplan an ultra-fast hardening self-levelling compound for 1-10 mm has been used to obtain a perfectly flat substrate, able to receive four coats of Deco Turf flooring.

With its comprehensive range of products, its technical assistance and commitment to research and development, it is no wonder that Mapei continues to give winning performances at the Olympic Games.

The new Mapei brochure ‘Mapei and Sports Facilities around the World’ is now available on request.

Mapei is the world’s largest manufacturer of adhesives, sealants and chemical products for building. With over 70 years experience, Mapei is a specialist in the production of quality products for the installation of all types of wall and floor coverings, and has a vast range of admixtures and repair products for concrete and building materials.

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A comprehensive and imaginative refurbishment programme has recently been completed by managing agents, LaSalle Investment Management on behalf of owners, Coal Pension Properties Ltd, to No 25 Victoria Street, London SW1. Property Consultants were Drivers Jonas. The ‘revitalised’ building, which includes over 47,000 ft² of grade ‘A’ office accommodation, has a good BREEAM rating and offers top of the range Daikin VRV heat recovery air conditioning as well as high quality finishes, new raised floors, suspended ceilings and reception area etc.

The complex comprises 8 open plan office plus 2 basement floors, which house services plant, storage rooms and car parking. A total of 15 VRV systems were installed by specialist air conditioning company RS Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Ltd, Cambridge, on behalf of mechanical and electrical services contractors, EMCOR Engineering Services Ltd, Hatfield, Herts.

The VRV systems have capacities from 40 to 101kW (cooling) and 45 to 113kW (heating) and supply both open plan and reception areas with conditioned air via 218 Daikin FXSQ ceiling concealed indoor fan coil units connected by low pressure ductwork to a combination of linear perimeter grille and multi cone ceiling diffusers. Each fan coil unit is able to operate independently, controlling local room temperature by means of a return air sensor located in the ceiling void. Fan coil unit installation layouts are configured such that each floor with the exception of the ground can be divided into 2 separate self contained tenant wings. All VRV outdoor condensing units are mounted on the roof of the building.

Fresh air for the fan coil units, tempered to 160 C (where necessary), is supplied from air handling plant fitted with run around cooling coils and heater batteries. Each floor is supplied at the rate of12lit/sec/person based on an occupancy level of 1 person/10m2 plus an allowance of 25% to cater for increased future tenant demand.

Internal temperature conditions are:
Summer 230 C +/- 2 deg C db
Winter 200 C +/- 2 deg C db
at an external ambient of:
Summer (max) 300 Cdb, 200 Cdb
Winter (min) -40 C, 100% RH

Five Daikin I-controllers, each allocated to the control of 3 floors, are linked to wall mounted remote room temperature controllers throughout the conditioned areas, the overall VRV installation being monitored and controlled by a Daikin I-manager located in the BMS office in the basement.

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