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With a New Year comes an increasing focus on Sustainability and PAM are doing everything possible to ensure their products play their part in helping ensure your construction project achieves its sustainable targets in terms of recyclability, carbon reduction, reduced waste, reduced time spent on the install… The list goes on. Why not watch the video to learn more!

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SFA Group –Saniflo UK’s parent company – has been awarded a Bronze Medal for Corporate Social Responsibility from EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings. This result places the SFA Group among the top 50% of companies assessed by EcoVadis.

The EcoVadis assessment is built on international sustainability standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative, the United Nations Global Compact, and the ISO 26000, covering 200 spend categories and 160+ countries.

SFA Group was rated based on a sustainability scorecard which illustrates performance across 21 indicators in four main categories of environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.

Saniflo UK Head of Marketing and Product Management, Ann Boardman, says: “At Sanifo UK we uphold the same high standards set by our parent company, SFA Group in France. We pride ourselves on our ongoing commitment to being the best we can be in all ways, always. This Bronze medal is well deserved.”

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Saint-Gobain PAM aims to ease the burden on developers, specifiers and contractors in the early stages of construction by providing two levels of BIM library and supporting elements in Revit for our Ensign Range.  These files will make it easier for early stage specification in BIM and will speed up the whole planning process; this in turn will create measurable cost and time savings for our customers.

Watch the tutorial to see how to use the pre-assembled stack assemblies in Revit.

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Steel Windows – Sustainability meets Style – Edition 4 – ‘The sustainability plusses emphasised by Steel Windows’

Crittall ‘Sustainability’ focussed Podcast Series – Edition 4 – Transcript to support learning

‘Nobody can doubt the strength of steel as a construction material, but its qualities in the field of sustainability are rather less obvious, but no less impressive’ says Russell Ager, Managing Director of Crittall Windows.

And in this special edition series of bite-sized learning podcasts sponsored by Crittall, we discuss The Strength of Steel, The Life Cycle Assessment of Steel, How to protect Steel Building Materials from corrosion and why Windows are one particular building component that emphasises the plusses of sustainability for the material.

In this fourth edition we discuss ‘The sustainability plusses emphasised by Steel Windows’

So, one particular steel building component that emphasises the sustainability plusses of the material are windows. Manufactured under controlled conditions to reap the benefits already enumerated for steel as a material,

Crittall Windows operates within the constraints of ISO 14001:2004; a recognised international environmental management standard that sets targets for solids, liquids, gaseous emissions and waste generation.

But the finished product itself, which is galvanized for enhanced longevity, offers other benefits because of the nature of the material. Because of their inherent strength steel windows have much thinner frames than is possible with other window materials. This lets in more daylight thus reducing the use of artificial lighting in the buildings in which they are installed. Taken over the elevations of a large commercial building this could lead to impressive savings in both energy usage and cost.

Supreme strength and matchless elegance are unusual partners, but they sit side by side in the world’s most recyclable building material. And who said sustainability and good looks could not go hand in hand.

Thank you for listening to the fourth and final edition of this bite-sized learning podcast series. Make sure you listen to all 4 editions to fully understand how with Steel Windows – Sustainability meets Style!

For more information about Crittall steel windows, please go to www.crittall-windows.co.uk

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Steel Windows – Sustainability meets Style – Edition 3.  ‘How Steel Building Materials are Protected from Corrosion’

Crittall ‘Sustainability’ focussed Podcast Series – Edition 3 – Transcript to support learning

‘Nobody can doubt the strength of steel as a construction material, but its qualities in the field of sustainability are rather less obvious, but no less impressive’ says Russell Ager, Managing Director of Crittall Windows.

And in this special edition series of bite-sized learning podcasts sponsored by Crittall, we discuss The Strength of Steel, The Life Cycle Assessment of Steel, How to protect Steel Building Materials from corrosion and why Windows are one particular building component that emphasises the plusses of sustainability for the material.

In this third edition we discuss ‘How Steel Building Materials are Protected from Corrosion’

A key element in the use of steel as a building material is galvanizing providing protection against corrosion. In this process the steel is coated with zinc to prevent it from rusting. The cleaned steel is dipped into molten zinc at around 450 degrees C and a series of zinc-iron alloy layers are built up by a metallurgical reaction between the iron and zinc creating a strong bond between steel and the coating.

The galvanizing process is energy efficient taken as part of a whole life cycle which is the only meaningful way of calculating the impact on such a long-lasting material. It prolongs the life of an already long-life product, and it does not affect recyclability or re-use. Galvanized steel can be thrown into the scrap furnace and steel can easily be re-galvanized.

Thank you for listening to the third edition of this bite-sized learning podcast series. Make sure you listen to all 4 editions to fully understand how with Steel Windows – Sustainability meets Style!

In the next edition we discuss ”The sustainability plusses emphasised by Steel Windows’

For more information about Crittall steel windows, please go to www.crittall-windows.co.uk

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Steel Windows – Sustainability meets Style – Edition 2.  ‘The Life Cycle Assessment of Steel’ 

Crittall ‘Sustainability’ focussed Podcast Series – Edition 2 – Transcript to support learning

‘Nobody can doubt the strength of steel as a construction material, but its qualities in the field of sustainability are rather less obvious, but no less impressive’ says Russell Ager, Managing Director of Crittall Windows.

And in this special edition series of bite-sized learning podcasts sponsored by Crittall, we discuss The Strength of Steel, The Life Cycle Assessment of Steel, How to protect Steel Building Materials from corrosion and why Windows are one particular building component that emphasises the plusses of sustainability for the material.

In this second edition we explore ‘The Life Cycle Assessment of Steel’

Produced using iron, the most abundant element on the planet, steel manufacturing impact is calculated by the World Steel Association using what

is called the ‘system expansion’ method of life cycle assessment. This looks at steel to be part of a global system of supply and demand and takes account of co-products used in the manufacturing processes that save energy or reduce emissions. One example is waste gases from the process being re-used to generate electricity for the process.

The full life calculation, which also takes account of steel’s high strength-to-weight ratio (meaning less achieves more) means that overall CO2 emissions associated with a steel building – from component manufacture through its life in use – will be lower than for other materials.

Moving away from the mathematics the nature of steel and its construction also augments its sustainability tally. All the fabrication process, the testing and the certification takes place in a controlled and monitored factory environment. This ensures adherence to consistently high standards and quality. This in turn leads to quicker, safer and more predictable outcomes on-site. Construction processes can therefore be more efficient, not to mention more cost-effective.

Thank you for listening to the second edition of this bite-sized learning podcast series. Make sure you listen to all 4 editions to fully understand how with Steel Windows – Sustainability meets Style!

In the next edition we discuss ‘How Steel Building Materials are Protected from Corrosion’

For more information about Crittall steel windows, please go to www.crittall-windows.co.uk

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Steel Windows – Sustainability meets Style – Edition 1.  ‘The Strength of Steel’

Crittall ‘Sustainability’ focussed Podcast Series – Edition 1 – Transcript to support learning

‘Nobody can doubt the strength of steel as a construction material, but its qualities in the field of sustainability are rather less obvious, but no less impressive’ says Russell Ager, Managing Director of Crittall Windows.

And in this special edition series of bite-sized learning podcasts sponsored by Crittall, we discuss The Strength of Steel, The Life Cycle Assessment of Steel, How to protect Steel Building Materials from corrosion and why Windows are one particular building component that emphasises the plusses of sustainability for the material.

In this first edition we explore the ‘The Strength of Steel’

It is the strength of steel that contributes to its credentials as a sustainable, environmentally sound and cost-effective choice. Quite simply, it can be recycled or re-used continually without deterioration of its fundamental properties. This translates into a high value placed on the product throughout its long life.

Steel components have been recovered for many years and the process for recycling is therefore highly developed. Current rates of recovery from demolition sites in Great Britain are an astonishing 99% for structural steel and 94% for all types of steel construction. These percentages leave far behind all other types of building material.

Currently some 86% of steel gathered as scrap is returned to the furnace while 13% is dismantled for direct re-use. This leaves just 1% that is lost to rust or landfill.

On a worldwide basis some 40% of all steel produced is based on the use of recycled scrap, that’s 500 million tonnes per year or the equivalent of 180 Eiffel Towers per day. For the UK market, that could be translated into 25 Forth Rail Bridges!

Of course, sustainability is more than just re-use and recycling and other important considerations include the environmental cost of manufacture.

Thank you for listening to the first edition of this bite-sized learning podcast series. Make sure you listen to all 4 editions to fully understand how with Steel Windows – Sustainability meets Style!

In the next edition we explore ‘The Life Cycle Assessment of Steel’

For more information about Crittall steel windows, please go to www.crittall-windows.co.uk

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Housing the Glasgow Museum of Transport, one of the UK’s foremost transport and technology collections, the Riverside Museum reflects Glasgow’s historic role as a centre of shipbuilding, train manufacturing and engineering.

Previously located in a former tram depot on the Glasgow South Side, the Transport Museum’s exhibits have moved to The Riverside Museum, designed by renowned architect, Zaha Hadid.

The museum’s iconic and beautiful design dominates its riverside location, whilst paying homage to the heritage of its surroundings. Crucial to the museum’s flowing design is its roof, which curves and undulates and continues around the east and west sides of the building to constitute the majority of the external structure.

Silver-grey zinc panels complete the effect, placing the building firmly in the context of the River Clyde. As part of the roof construction, Bilco UK was commissioned to manufacture and supply a E-50TB Roof Access Hatch, in addition to two ESW-50REM Smoke Vents, to meet strict requirements for convenient access and building safety regulations.

Both the roof access hatch and smoke vents were custom-designed to unique specifications by Bilco UK’s in house team and clad in zinc to create a seamless, aesthetic finish with the museum’s distinctive roof.

Expertly engineered to meet the requirements of Manual Handling Regulations, the E-50TB Roof Access Hatch allows for regular and convenient maintenance by facilitating easy one-handed operation. The Access Hatch will enable engineers with small tools to safely access the roof to conduct essential maintenance, whilst its overlapping cover design, fully welded corners and insulated cover ensure both weather tightness and energy efficiency to deliver the highest standards of longevity for the museum.

Specified to ensure strict adherence with relevant fire safety regulations, the two ESW-50REM Smoke Vents open to 140 degrees in the event of a fire within 60 seconds, guaranteeing the highest standards in fire safety and allowing for the venting of smoke, heat and noxious gases in the event of a fire.

Mark Baird, Sales Operations Manager at Bilco UK, said: “Knowing that Bilco UK’s products are part of such a unique and ambitious project, especially one which is so architecturally significant, is incredibly rewarding. The Riverside Museum is a great example of how taking a bespoke approach to roof access solutions can achieve unparalleled aesthetics, without compromising on convenience or safety.

“Not only do our custom-made access hatches and smoke vents integrate seamlessly into the overall design, they also offer the highest possible standards of fire safety and efficiency.”

Open to Glasgow to the North and the Clyde to the South, the museum’s interior is complex, inviting visitors to snake their way around the various exhibits. The building “flows from city to waterfront, symbolising the dynamic relationship between Glasgow and the ship-building, seafaring and industrial legacy of the river Clyde.” (Zaha Hadid).

For further information on Bilco UK’s complete range of roof access solutions, visit www.bilcouk.co.uk or call 01284 701696.

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Humidity control specialist, Condair, is launching a new 8-hour rapid response service as an optional feature to its humidifier planned preventative maintenance contracts.

Condair has long offered planned preventative maintenance (PPM) contracts to ensure optimal operation of its clients’ humidifiers across the UK and Ireland, for any make and model. It also provides breakdown response for customers both with and without an existing PPM contract. However, the company is now providing an 8-hour call-out service, with engineers on call round-the-clock, to support clients with critical applications.

Tony Tullett, Service Director at Condair, commented, “It is great that we are able to add this rapid response service to our product offering. It enables us to provide additional reassurance to our clients who operate sites like data centres or pharmaceutical production facilities, and who cannot be without humidity control for extended periods. All of our PPM customers have access to our expert telephone support line, but with this additional feature activated, customers also get 24/7 telephone support and rapid response call-out options. Depending on the urgency of the issue, customers can choose to receive an engineer on site within 8, 24 or 48 hours.”

Condair has 18 service engineers strategically located across the UK and Ireland. Alongside system design and sales, the company offers installation, commissioning, service and spares supply.

The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.

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By combining 8 separate parts into one unit, Saint-Gobain PAM’s Rodding Branch massively reduces installation times for basement pipe systems, boosting productivity and reducing labour demands. Watch our time trial of the video to see just how much time you can save on your project!

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