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Astraseal is strengthening its reputation as a specialist fabricator of the REHAU Polytec 50 composite curtain walling system. It has just completed an installation for the London Borough of Greenwich in 8m high stairwells at Maribor House.

The stairwells originally had concrete and timber framework in place to match the timber windows installed in the block of flats but this was all in need of replacement. Consultants on the project Baily Garner approached Astraseal to discuss durable and cost effective solutions and they recommended the REHAU Polytec 50 system.

It has similar aesthetics to an aluminium system and many of the strength and performance capabilities but, because it is a composite system, it is quicker and easier to install.

It also provides a much more contemporary look to the flats than the original screens and matches with the REHAU Tritec windows which Astraseal also installed throughout the block.

Wellingborough-based Astraseal is one of the UK's leading commercial PVC-U fabricators and is an approved supplier to the London Housing Consortium. Further details are available at: www.astraseal.com.

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ELGA Process Water is one of the latest group of successful companies to join a leading edge scheme, designed to help industry improve its safety record.

The Marlow-based firm recently received accreditation from SAFEcontractor, a programme which recognises very high standards of health and safety practice amongst UK contractors.

Employing 236 people, ELGA Process Water is principally involved in the provision of services and equipment to produce high purity water for industrial, healthcare, and life science markets.

ELGA Process Water’s most recent clients have included major players such as BAE Systems Submarines, BP, E.ON, International Power plc, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Pfizer, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Seabank Power, Scottish & Southern Energy, Scottish Power, University of London and Vanguard Healthcare.

The company’s application for SAFEcontractor accreditation was driven by the need for a uniform standard across the business.

ELGA Process Water’s Managing Director, Martyn Fisher, is delighted with the accreditation but is far from complacent. “Safety, Health, Environment and Quality are of paramount importance to our clients, and accreditation by SAFEcontractor is a measure of our competence within this field,” he says.

SAFEcontractor accreditation is expected to enhance the company’s ability to attract new contracts and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal.

SAFEcontractor is operated by international safety, health and environmental risk management specialists, the National Britannia Group. The system is applicable to most sectors although it is particularly relevant to food manufacture, property, facilities management, retail and leisure sectors, all of which are big users of contract services.

James Ostler, Managing Director of Information Service at National Britannia said, “Major organisations can no longer run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies”.

“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that ELGA Process Water has done. The firms’ high standard has set an example, which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.”

For further information on SAFEcontractor, please contact ELGA Process Water by email at sales.uk@veoliawater.com or call +44 (0) 01628 897000

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Heckmondwike FB, the UK’s leading manufacturer of fibre bonded carpets and carpet tiles has had a new installation of its own, with the launch of a new website.

The recently launched user friendly site has been designed to provide instant information that can be easily accessed by any user. With no registration details needed and technical specification downloads readily available, sourcing information about Heckmondwike FB products couldn’t be easier. Whether you’re looking for a specific product or just having a general browse the new layout will quickly help you find what you need.

Robert Mortimer, Sales Director of Heckmondwike FB said, “Our main focus for the new website was to provide easily accessible information at the touch of a button. The new design will allow everyone from architects and specifiers to contractors and end-users to find what they need as quickly as possible. Users also have the advantage of being able to order samples, request a call back or ask for further information, all in one place on the new website.”

Along with customary information on the company, products and technical specifications, the website also provides users’ with recent case studies, maintenance and installation advice and gives the opportunity to order samples online. The design has also incorporated a ‘What’s New’ section, which will keep people up to date with regular information from Heckmondwike FB, from new projects and people through to completed installations and product developments.

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WE ARE BACK!!!
BIGGER, BETTER & BOLDER

Action packed, lots to see and do

HYDRAQUIP are pleased to announce that they will be exhibiting at the Building show of the year,INTERBUILD 2007 at the NEC Birmingham

Register now and save the £20 entrance fee

www.interbuild.com/hydraquip

Visitors will be the first to see HYDRAQUIP launching a number of new innovative products & services, carefully designed to meet future needs whilst continuing to offer the highest level of quality. These exciting new developments will benefit and create interest for many of their customers, both new and old.

Free Prize Draws, must WIN prizes!

HYDRAQUIP are holding 2 free prize draws for all visitors to their stand.

WIN a H2&O Wet & Dry Pressure Test Kit

A must have for all plumbers and worth £150

Any visitors can enter this DRAW on our stand during the show by leaving their business card.

WIN 2 Tickets for the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Brands Hatch (2-4 May 2008)

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Daily flushing of internal drainage is unavoidable but silence is golden, especially in flats and apartments. With the move towards high-rise flats and tall soil stacks, Wavin Plastics understands that noise can transmit to adjacent room space and is launching a new system that provides for a quieter life.

OSMA SiTech – the new low noise push-fit soil system – now available from Wavin Plastics providing a cost-effective and time-saving solution for professional plumbers.

As well as being an easy-fix push-fit system, SiTech is made from a mineral-filled polypropylene, which has the effect of increasing pipe density. This means that it only needs to be encased in 25mm mineral wool wrap where contact between the pipe and the building structure cannot be avoided. Therefore it cuts down on installation time, wrapping and tooling costs and can be installed by professional plumbers rather than specialist fitters that are often required for cast iron and HDPE systems.

OSMA SiTech has been independently tested for sound reducing performance and helps to achieve the higher acoustic performance standards in buildings as required by the Building Regulations Part E 2003.

Wavin Plastics’ market manager, Steven Skeldon, explains why the SiTech system will be welcomed by end users: “The increase in housing density and demand for multi-storey apartment living has created a greater demand for low-noise pipe at a fast pace. This new piping innovation will make fitting and installation an easier and less time-consuming job, but it will still give you the high quality and noise reduction that is required by the market.”

The OSMA SiTech system that is available with acoustic fittings and pipe in the standard 110mm size.

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Space Airconditioning plc, the Guildford based Daikin Distributor, recently supplied the air cooled liquid chiller pictured, for a prestigious office building in St. Mary’s Axe, in the City of London.

The largest of 3 new Daikin chillers totalling 2.5 megawatts in cooling capacity, this 1,100kW, stepless single screw compressor machine, weighing in at 9,310kgs and some 10 metres in length, is the first megawatt plus chiller in the recently extended Daikin range, to be installed in the UK.

Two 725kW chillers were delivered and lifted into position some time earlier, but this model required a more substantial crane. Seen here being lifted against the backdrop of one of the most iconic buildings in the city, the Daikin chiller, manufactured in Rome, was successfully positioned at the first attempt, despite wind conditions being close to working limits in the confined space.

Daikin’s substantially extended range, manufactured in Belgium and Italy, means that Space Air can now offer air cooled chiller models ranging from 5 to 1,920kW and water cooled models ranging from 13 to 1893kW nom. cooling capacity.

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Despite constant media coverage highlighting the ongoing battle against the effects of climate change, sustainability is not as high up the agenda as it should be. This is the main conclusion of research published today by Wavin Plastics, the UK’s leading provider of water management solutions.

Almost nine out of ten (85 per cent) construction professionals believe that urban flooding will become a major problem if sustainable drainage is not prioritised. Three quarters of respondents have worked on developments in the last year that did not feature any special water management measures to deal with the effects of increased rain fall or flooding.

The research, commissioned by Wavin Plastics as part of its ongoing commitment to understanding more about attitudes towards sustainable development, highlights the growing need for sustainable drainage to be pushed up the construction agenda.

It further highlights the need for the industry to take a more collaborative approach to sharing best practice concerning water management. An overwhelming eight out of ten respondents believe not enough is being done across the industry to push water sustainability.

Wavin Plastics has built a significant reputation for helping to deliver safe, responsible and reliable water management solutions. It sees this research as a critical step in understanding how it can play a role in shifting behaviour and attitudes towards the implementation of sustainable water management applications.

Michelle Fleming, Wavin Plastics’ head of marketing: “This research does not make for happy reading. Awareness of sustainable water management is high but when it comes to taking action and making a difference at site level, it seems sustainability becomes a luxury not a necessity.

“The emphasis of the industry needs to change. The whole life cost of a building needs to be balanced against the initial build cost. We should be implementing solutions that not only address the commercial requirements but also deliver solutions that will ensure that in 50 years time, today’s developments are still seen as sustainable.”

She concludes: “As a major supplier to the construction industry Wavin will increase its efforts to educate the market about cost efficient solutions that meet the many and varied needs of the water management cycle. We want to help establish a significant shift in attitudes towards sustainable water management but we can only do this if profitable and carefully balanced solutions are made accessible to meet the broadest demographic and climatic conditions.”

Key findings

• Nearly 1 in 10 architects do not think sustainable water management is an important issue – leaving 10 per cent of new developments exposed to the risks of climate change.
• 60 per cent of respondents do not feel that sustainable water management has been prioritised as an issue in the construction industry.
• Over half of those questioned do not think that house builders and developers understand the impact of climate change and flooding.
• 85 per cent of respondents agree that urban flooding will become a major problem in the next ten years if sustainable urban drainage is not prioritised.
• Eight out of ten architects think that as industry they are not doing enough to push water sustainability.
• 76 per cent of architects have worked on developments in the last 12 months where the effects of increased rain fall were not considered.
• Almost nine out of ten respondents think that cost is still the number one deal maker, at the expense of optimum sustainability.

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Keraflo Ltd. has supplied stored water control valves to mechanical contractor MJN Colston for Emirates Stadium, the spectacular new home of Arsenal Football Club. These delayed action float valves ensure high water flow rates, ensuring that the 130,000 litre capacity water tank installed prior to the booster set is filled as quickly as possible.

Arsenal FC’s stadium, named for its sponsors Emirates Airlines, was opened in July 2006 and was fully operational in time for the start of the 2006/2007 football season. Located close to the old Highbury stadium, the new facility is a huge elliptical structure built on a triangular site in Islington and comprises five main levels of accommodation with four seating tiers.

The new 60,000 seat stadium regularly attracts capacity crowds on match days and the requirement for water on the site is therefore enormous. The anticipated demand has been met by the installation of a 132m3 sectional GRP storage tank by mechanical contractor, MJN Colston. The tank is of drinking water quality, manufactured by Balmoral Tanks. This serves all domestic cold water outlets on the site, including the extensive catering and toilet facilities, via a booster pumpset. The 11m x 3m x 4m deep tank is divided along its length by a partition which enables each half of the tank to be isolated for maintenance purposes.

Each side of the tank is fitted with a Keraflo Aylesbury KP Type valve kit, selected by consulting engineers Buro Happold. Their senior building services engineer, Peter Naylor commented: ‘We selected these valves, in consultation with Balmoral Tanks and Keraflo Ltd., both for their ability to fill each side of the tank quickly and to accurately match water storage levels to occupancy.’

The KP Type valve kits installed comprise KB Type float valves located in a valve chamber above each half of the tank, with two larger in-line valves mounted at high level on the supply pipework. The Aylesbury KB Type valve offers a fully variable differential between opening and closing water level settings. Changes in water levels and settings can be made quickly by the installer or maintenance engineer without the use of tools, making it particularly suitable for use in buildings with seasonal occupancy. Water discharge is via an ‘up and over’ pipe to facilitate air gap compliance and provide back siphonage protection in accordance with BS1212 Part 2.

The 8” incoming water main was split into two 4” supply pipes, each fitted with an Aylesbury KP Type 4” (100mm) in-line valve. These valves are opened and closed by the Aylesbury KB Type pilot valves due to pressure fluctuations in the pilot lines. These smaller valves are operated by transfer of weight in an actuator tube which causes the valve to open or close in a single delayed action, rather than giving the gradual opening and closing achieved with a conventional ball valve. Attached to the actuator is a 2m long chain with a float and buoy assembly which offers a fully variable differential between opening and closing water level settings by simple adjustment of the length of chain between the actuator and the floats.

Keraflo delayed action float valves avoid water hammer, valve bounce and pump hunting leading to improved pump performance and maximum energy efficiency. In addition, they reduce the risk of stagnation and water borne diseases which can occur when stored water is not used for long periods of time, particularly at high ambient temperatures in the summer months.

The water services, float valves and incoming mains, as well as the remainder of the mechanical services and public health works were installed by MJN Colston Ltd. The main contractor was Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd.

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Tensar Technology is playing its part in the award winning transformation of a Brownfield site in County Durham.

250 new Yuill homes will soon stand on the former Elddis Caravan manufacturing and colliery site outside of Consett.

Tensar’s rapid, cost-effective and environmentally sound technology has facilitated progress of the ongoing £3 million project. As an essential partner in the early stages of the development, its ground stabilising slope, retaining wall and geogrid solutions helped establish a sound foundation for the development and secure Sunderland-based contractor, The Hellens Group, The CECA’s (Civil Engineering Contractors’ Association) North East Project of the Year 2006.

To provide enough space for the planned new builds, the developer needed to raise the ground level by 4 – 5 metres. Although timber cribs had originally been proposed, the client wished to retain a natural look in the countryside, so adopted a Tensar Steel Mesh Panel (SMP) steep slope system.

This enabled a fully vegetated 70° face to be created with huge cost savings, thanks to the use of site won soils instead of imported fill. An attractive Tensartech retaining wall to hide drainage inspection chambers at the end of the slope completed the project, and house building started early due to the speed of installation.

The natural beauty and outstanding views over the Derwent valley had persuaded Yuill Homes of Hartlepool to take advantage of Tensar Technology to create a green solution for the slope. The Tensar design and supply solution, with a 120 year design life, used galvanised SMP facings secured to uni-axial geogrids and enabled the contractors to build a 70° slope without difficulty. Site-won granular material was processed for backfill to layer with the geogrid, and thus made considerable cost, transport and environmental savings over imported material.

“As a group we pride ourselves on `improving the environment' in everything we do,” says Mark Short, Managing Director of Hellens Contracts and manager of the contract at Delves Lane. “As well as the obvious time and cost savings from a commercial point of view, the environmental benefits were an important factor in the specification of Tensar Technology solutions and our ‘green’ stance was one of the key criteria which helped secure the prestigious CECA award win.”

To prevent the fill escaping through the panel apertures, the contractor installed a Tensar geosynthetic face liner. Its open porous structure allows effective hydro seeding, yet retains the topsoil veneer and allows vegetation to grow through.

At the South West end of the green slope, the design had to accommodate two drainage inspection chambers which extended beyond the slope line. Tensartech TW1, an attractive modular block wall system, was used to surround these chambers, with lateral thrust relief stability provided by vertical SMP structures placed locally behind the chambers and wall face.

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