Story

Urbis’ new Piano LED luminaire provides the highest levels of photometric performance and offers an excellent solution for street lighting, public spaces and parks. Its slender, attractive lines also make it ideally suited to urban settings.

Uniquely, the Piano is fitted with Urbis’ new Lensoflex® system. This system is based upon the addition principle of photometric distribution. Each LED associated with a specific lens generates the complete photometric distribution of the luminaire. It is the number of LEDs that determines the intensity level of the light distribution. Urbis has developed a range of such lenses. The Lensoflex® concept enables LEDs to be placed horizontally. This combination allows the user to create the perfect photometric distribution and ambiance for their scheme.

The Piano is also a low maintenance solution as Urbis’ new Thermix® and LEDSafe® systems keep the luminaire cool and tightly sealed respectively. Extra clear glass increases the photometric efficiency. The Piano can also be upgraded so the user can take advantage of new lighting technologies.

Find out more by calling our sales team on 01256 354446.

View Urbis's profile:

Story

Visitors to Ecobuild will have the opportunity to see a range of Wilo high efficiency pumps up front and personal! This will include the first opportunity to see some newcomers that will offer new opportunities for installers and specifiers to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Wilo offers the widest range of pumps and pumping systems from small circulating pumps for domestic central heating and air conditioning up to large commercial pumps for heating, air conditioning, pressure boosting, sewage and grey water pumping – the range is massive.

It’s inevitable that many visitors will be keen to see the Wilo small circulating pump range that includes the popular Wilo Stratos-PICO –which offers up to 90% energy savings over a standard uncontrolled pump.

The new EU rules on the use of high efficiency pumps has not come into force yet, but it’s been encouraging that specifiers and installers have recommended the use of a PICO to significantly reduce their customers electricity bills. All members of the Wilo-Stratos Eco pump family, of which PICO is the latest and the most efficient, are equipped with EC (electronic commutated) motor technology and this is the key to the very low power consumption which distinguishes the high-efficiency pumps from standard and other electronic pumps. The highly efficient EC motor combines the advantages of wet-running technology with unbeatable efficiency. In addition, the hydraulics of the PICO pump have also been optimised. The electronics – an extension of a completely new development for the Stratos family of pumps – provide integrated power regulation for variable differential pressures and can be regulated.

The new Wilo Stratos PICO uses just 6W of input – amazingly that’s less than a TV or DVD standby mechanism, that uses around 8W.

PICO is the latest evolution of Wilo’s energy saving small circulator pump family, but can lay claim to being the most energy efficient option available as we head into a pumping revolution, under the auspices of the EU ErP Directive that will transform the requirements of pumps of all shapes and sizes over the next ten years. It meets the requirements of the Directive already, which few others can claim.

Also on the stand, you can be one of the first people in the UK to meet the new Wilo-Stratos GIGA. This exceptional new pump offers building designers, specifiers and architects the chance to easily optimize the energy costs and environmental balance of a building or industrial complex. With its hydraulic output and specification, the new Wilo-Stratos GIGA is ideal for commercial, industrial and residential buildings.

These include universities and colleges, schools, office blocks, hotels, conference centres, factories, prisons, hospitals, primary care centres – in essence, any new building where energy consumption and emissions need to be reduced and any existing building where the current pumps are elderly, uncontrolled pumps, consuming far more electricity than they should in the current energy climate.

It’s the first pump from Wilo’s new high-efficiency series for heating, cold-water and cooling applications, and it’s targeted at projects where energy saving pumps will pay significant dividends over a typically fifteen year lifecycle.

The figures associated with the new Wilo-Stratos GIGA are quite staggering. Due to the combination of new hydraulics with a new highly efficient drive concept (HED – High Efficiency Drive) the Wilo-Stratos GIGA offers major energy saving benefits. Specifying the GIGA for your projects will result in a saving of emissions amounting to approximately 8,000 kg CO2 per year as well as saving up to £70,000 in electricity costs per pump installed over a 15 year lifecycle, compared to conventional uncontrolled pumps (based on the Blue Angel load profile). The new GIGA has a typical payback period of less than two years, which highlights the benefits and value of installing high efficiency Wilo pumps.

The new pump series that the GIGA leads is a completely new development. For the first time glanded pumps are driven by highly efficient energy-saving EC motors and the pumps' hydraulics are optimally adjusted to the motor technology. According to Wilo, GIGA pumps can claim particularly high total efficiency based on a motor efficiency of up to 94 per cent at a nominal motor power of 4.5 kW. The motor's energy efficiency is based on a new high-efficiency drive concept, the High Efficiency Drive (HED) from Wilo and even outclasses the limit of efficiency class IE4 (acc. to IEC TS 60034-31 Ed.1) outlined under the new and far reaching ErP Directive for energy related products. That’s impressive by any measure.

Thanks to the proven “red-button technology” and an easy to monitor display, the pump guarantees user-friendly operation. On the basis of optionally available IF-Modules that can be integrated, different interfaces for Bus communication can be utilized – including PLR, LON, Modbus, BACNet and CAN – making external devices redundant.

Drop by the Wilo stand to meet the knowledgeable Wilo team and discuss your pumping requirements or visit www.wilo.co.uk to get a feel for the range and to quest information.

View Wilo's profile:

Story

Laidlaw Solutions has supplied Orbis Timber doorsets, predominantly with crown-cut American White Oak veneer, Oak lippings and softwood frames to the £26.3 million Southern Justice Centre in Leamington Spa. The five-storey, 6,500 sq m facility, designed by HLM Architects for the Warwickshire Police Authority, is set to be the model for all new build justice centres in the UK. In addition to housing Police, Crown Prosecution, Probation, Youth Offending, Victim and Witness Support services, it has custodial facilities as well as four crown courts, three magistrates' courts and two county courts.

Orbis Commercial 850mm x 32mm pull handles on pillars with back-to-back fixings in Silk Anodised Aluminium were also chosen, while 1250 x 200mm Vision Panels were supplied as part of a package designed to meet FD60 fire and 35db acoustic performance.

Built by Galliford Try with Hurd Rolland Partnership as Architectural Consultants, the facility was formally opened by HM The Queen.

View Laidlaw's profile:

Story

Chaido Doulala-Rigby (Yuli), Chief Engineer Tensar International, and Mike Dobie, Tensar Regional Manager Asia Pacific, have both recently been admitted as Fellows of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the world’s oldest professional engineering society, and the pre-eminent international organisation for civil engineers of all disciplines.

“Recognition by one’s peers is extremely valuable and self-rewarding,” comments Yuli. “Since becoming Chief Engineer at Tensar, I am fortunate to have been responsible for the design of some of the largest reinforced soil structures ever built. Pushing the boundaries has helped me to make a mark in the industry.”

“My invitation to become a Fellow recognises the contribution that ICE has made to civil engineering here in Indonesia,” adds Mike. “In Tensar our professional standards in ground stabilisation and soil reinforcement systems are as high as, if not higher than, any in our industry.”

Chaido Doulala-Rigby (Yuli) FICE and Mike Dobie FICE are supported by a number of professionally qualified engineers at Tensar International, including eight Members of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Chaido Doulala-Rigby FICE; profile: B Eng. Technical Institution of Thessalonika, Greece; MSc Geotechnical Engineering, U of Newcastle-o-T; UK site and project experience incl. AMEC-Balfour Beatty (Jubilee Line extension); Hong Kong experience Geotechnical Engineer and Team Leader, Mouchel; Tensar International 2006 Senior Design Engineer, 2009 Chief Engineer; 2011 FICE.

Mike Dobie FICE; profile: BSc Civil eng. Univ. Bristol, MSc & DIC Soil Mech. Imp. College; Geotechnical engineering for CEng MICE; UK experience, Graduate engineer WS Atkins, Dames & Moore, Freeman Fox & Ptnrs. International experience: Delft Soil Mech. Lab. Netherlands and Singapore; Tensar, Area and Regional Manager Asia Pacific, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta; ICE Country Rep. for Indonesia and Jakarta Local Association ICE committee official; 2011, FICE and invited to Editorial Advisory Board of the ICE Proceedings, Geotechnical Engineering Journal.

View Tensar's profile:

Story

The installation of Ability Projects fan coil units has now been completed for phase 1B of the Masdar Institute complex in Abu Dhabi. The contract, involving more than 700 Matrix II EC horizontal and vertical fan coil units represents the second large order that Ability projects has fulfilled for this innovative six square kilometre development designed by Foster and Partners, which seeks to use 100% renewable energy, be carbon neutral and generate zero waste.

Phase 1B of the development involved the installation of 2-pipe, cooling only units (with capacities between 1.3 and 3kW) in mixed residential, laboratory, offices and classrooms for the Masdar University applications. Control of the units’ fresh air inlets and outlets was provided by Ability via damper actuators, which regulate supply and extract based on enthalpy, Vin card entry and occupancy levels within the rooms. This system acts in the manner of a room controller and also takes into account the effects of equipment such as cooker hood etc. In addition, each room is fitted with its own dedicated LCD touch display unit to interface with the complex BACnet building regulation system.

Seventeen further Ability Matrix II EC fan coil units are installed in a local field station, situated adjacent to bore holes, which bring hot water to the system and utilise it for cooling purposes via absorption chillers.

The unique feature of Matrix EC fan coil units is their capability to independently adjust the air volume delivered by each duct on the same unit. This gives Masdar designers the option of using a single unit to condition two spaces, where in the past two units might have been required. This feature, combined with the energy savings afforded by EC motors, makes Matrix fan coil units the natural choice for such an energy conscious project.

The units at Masdar employ both demand and occupancy dependent fan speed control — developments first marketed by Ability in 2005. Demand dependent fan speed allows the fan speed and therefore the air volume, to vary commensurate with thermal demand. The upper limit would (in the past) have been the design fan speed and the lower limit is a percentage reduction determined by the designer.

Occupancy dependent control is a feature whereby the fan coil set points are allowed to move apart and adopt a holding strategy while the space remains unoccupied. With both features operating in tandem, the fan coil is activated only when personnel enter the room, at which point the fan speed imperceptibly modulates to deal with the current cooling load and no more. On Phase 1B of the Masdar project many units also receive control signals from window switches, enthalpy sensors, time clocks and key cards.

Whist Masdar City exploits the best of modern technologies, surpassing the highest standards currently demanded by internationally recognised organisations, its design also incorporates many traditional design techniques to help reduce energy consumption still further. Shaded walkways and narrow streets reduce glare and solar gain while the diagonal orientation of the urban layout makes the best use of cooling night breezes and lessens the effects of hot daytime winds. Other traditional features such as wind towers and solar shades help further improve comfort levels.

The Masdar Institute offers Master’s and Doctoral level degree programs focusing on the science and engineering of advanced energy and sustainable technologies. It has set its sights on being the centre of high calibre renewable energy and sustainability research, capable of attracting researchers and scientists from around the world.

View Ability Projects's profile:

Story

Another new and unobtrusively styled lantern from Thorn, the Oracle S adopts eco-friendly technologies to meet the sustainable needs of today’s minor road and urban street lighting projects.

Beneath its compact aluminium exterior, the Oracle S conceals a double IP66 protected optic/gear enclosure, complete with superior ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM) gasket. The reflector, when combined with a choice of enclosures (flat or shallow) and lampholder adjustments (15 sets), optimizes light output and control for both E27/E40 and PGZ12 lamps up to 150W. The benefits are a LOR of 81%, an ULOR of 0% and little maintenance.

Three lighting control options are available: basic Nema / Minicell sockets, Step-Dim switching ballasts and “intelligent” remote monitoring (RMS).

Eco-design credentials are documented in a Product Environmental Profile (PEP), which lets customers check the environmental impact of the product through life.

View Thorn Lighting's profile:

Story

Detectomat will be exhibiting its unique wire-free Wireless detect – Fire Detection and Alarm system at the show, the SRC3000 wireless detect including the designer range of smoke detector/sounders.

The SRC 3000 is a unique wireless detect solution from detectomat –fast, easy to use and no wires, mess or disruption. Just quick, simple to use and stylish, from designer range detectors to control panel!

This unique Wire-Free, Radio Fire System is an ideal solution for retrofit and refurbishment applications in small to medium sized enterprises including office buildings, listed buildings, guest houses, restaurants, nursery schools, garages / workshops, large houses and houses in multiple, occupation.

View Detectomat's profile:

Story

The new 11-storey, 583-bedroom Mint Hotel Tower of London is the largest to be built in the City for 35 years. The highly sustainable design by Bennetts Associates included 2200m2 of VMZINC QUARTZ-ZINC® panels built up in 3 zones. Horizontal, interlocking and spandrel panels were installed with moveable, perforated zinc solar shading screens but due to the close proximity of adjacent buildings, fabrication had to be undertaken by Sotech Architectural FaÇade Systems offsite. The separate metallic element which forms the 'skylounge' sits above adjacent rooflines and in addition to affording stunning views of the Tower of London and other iconic landmarks is a prominent feature in its own right. The pre-weathered QUARTZ-ZINC colour integrates perfectly with the building’s natural stone facades and will retain its consistency for decades while developing the natural, self-protecting patina for which zinc is renowned. The project has been awarded the Future Design Award for sustainability.

View VM Zinc's profile:

Story

The latest additions to the popular Memera range of consumer units from Eaton’s Electrical Sector have integral energy monitoring facilities, making them a convenient and cost-effective solution for local authorities seeking to improve their performance against National Indicator 186, which targets their CO2 emissions. In properties where energy monitors with real time displays have been installed, it has been found that users are readily achieving sustained reductions in energy usage of between 5% and 20%, by simply changing the way they use electricity.

The Local Government Performance Framework has reduced the central government burden on local authorities, but has increased direct accountability. Underpinning the framework is a series of National Indicators (NIs) against which the performance of the local authorities is now measured. Among these is NI 186, which deals with the per-capita reduction in CO2 emissions in the local authority area, and effectively obliges local authorities to find ways of continually improving their emissions performance.

While CO2 emissions relating to energy used in domestic properties account for a significant proportion of the whole, reducing domestic energy use has, in the past, been difficult. Eaton’s new Memera consumer units with integrated efergy wireless energy monitors can now offer an effective and affordable way of addressing this crucial issue, by encouraging the behavioural changes required to effect these reductions.

Designed primarily for use in new installations and for incorporation during major refurbishment work when a new consumer unit is also being fitted, these new units feature a wireless energy-monitoring transmitter and sensor pre-installed by Eaton. This means that they take should take no longer on site to install than a standard unit and that the inconvenience and potential hazards associated with an unskilled person fitting current sensors around meter tails are also eliminated. In addition, with this arrangement the transmitter is powered internally direct from the consumer unit, and so needs no batteries.

The transmitter sends information wirelessly to an efergy remote display unit that can be mounted in any convenient location up to 40 metres away from the consumer unit. The display shows not only the amount of energy currently being used, but also the cost of that energy – a feature that has been found to provide a big incentive for homeowners to look for ways to economise.

The efergy energy monitoring system also stores historical data about energy costs, usage and CO2 emissions for up to 24 months. This not only makes it easy for homeowners to evaluate the success of their energy- and money-saving efforts over that period, but also could allow local authorities to check on the patterns and trends of energy use in specific properties.

Part of the well-proven and widely used family of Memera consumer units from Eaton, the new versions with integral efergy energy monitoring are available in both main switch isolator controlled and dual RCCB versions. When correctly installed, the consumer units comply fully with all applicable UK standards, and with the requirements of the 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations.

View Eaton Electrical's profile:

Story

 

 

 

Loop Systems’ design for the rejuvenation of the Pioneers’ Museum in Rochdale included installation of 8 bespoke roof windows supplied by FAKRO GB. Being within a conservation area, the specification required windows to have a double mullion bar in RAL7022 to match the existing stone slate roof. Fitting of the windows also had to be flush within the roof line. Although this would ordinarily have been a straightforward process using FAKRO’s EZJ flashing, variations in slate thickness also had to be overcome.

Fakro regularly manufactures roof windows to bespoke requirements in addition to selling most of its extensive range in conservation style. Commissions for special detailing are normally completed quickly, as Fakro Senior Specification Manager Adam James commented. “The growing demand to meet specific design requirements can vary from a non-standard size to a particular frame colour or, as in this case, an additional mullion bar. Fakro has considerable experience of meeting such needs and with our exceptional timber quality and window U-values we are benefitting from a high level of word of mouth recommendation”.

Restoration of the Grade II Listed building attracted Heritage Lottery funding and was undertaken by specialist contractor William Anelay Ltd. The existing stone slate roof was stripped off, the underlying membrane replaced and the roof reinstated together with an upper floor which had been removed in the 70s. The project’s completion will be celebrated with delegates visiting from all over the world during 2012, the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives.

View Fakro's profile: