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The increasingly demanding nature of roofing and cladding construction has led to Michael Kilbey Associates being appointed to design the cladding system for the new Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate Girls School in Tower Hamlets. In addition to producing the specification for a zinc flat lock diamond tile system, the roofing and cladding specialist undertook all structural and wind loading calculations and produced all CAD work.

The design extended to use of secondary steelwork, with a Rigidal 0.75mm THK RT 130-600 structural liner tray, horizontally laid on the main flat areas and vertically laid at tight radius internal and external curves. Timber battens were vertically screwed to the flanges of the liner trays with 18mm plywood fixed to the battens. 610x610mm flat lock diamond zinc tiles and breathable membrane completed the specification. The work was undertaken alongside All Metal Roofing Ltd, with whom MKA work on a regular basis.

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Laidlaw Solutions’ extensive experience of supplying doorset, handrail, architectural ironmongery and access control systems has led to the publication of eight specific sector guides. These include design solutions for Education, Retail, Healthcare, Hospitality, Leisure, Residential and Commercial environments in addition to information on requirements for Inclusive Design.

Whether for new build or refurbishment, Laidlaw has a proven record of scheduling fast track specifications of considerable size and complexity. This often entails meeting bespoke requirements or adapting standard products to meet specific aspects of performance. The huge selection of door ironmongery, handrail/balustrade options and factory laminated, veneered and painted doors provide scope to meet the most sophisticated interior design and security needs.

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Cast iron technology leader Saint-Gobain PAM UK’s Ensign EEZI-FIT push-fit cast iron drainage system has been further extended to include a new 150mm diameter range.

The addition of these new products to the existing 100mm line-up means the EEZI-FIT range can now cater for virtually all soil stacks, of which the overwhelming majority in the UK are either 100mm or 150mm in diameter.

The 150mm range consists of bends, branches and a coupling, while Saint-Gobain PAM UK has also introduced an 88 degree large radius bend to the 100mm range in response to customer demand.

Since its launch in late 2007, Ensign EEZI-FIT has been specified for a variety of high-profile projects based on its unique ability to combine the many advantages of cast iron – appearance, durability, strength, sustainability, fire resistance and acoustic performance – with rapid installation. It is the first cast iron range of this kind on the market.

Mike Rawlings of Saint-Gobain PAM UK said: “The addition of 150mm diameter products is a logical step forward for the Ensign EEZI-FIT range and means that Ensign EEZI-FIT can now meet the needs of all specifiers seeking reliable, high-quality fittings – whatever the size of the soil stack. The range is fully compatible with the standard Ensign range which extends the fittings available.”

Ensign is the only cast iron system kitemarked to BS EN 877, while Ensign EEZI-FIT is also kitemarked to the standard for gravity applications of 0.5 bar performance, although it has been successfully tested to higher pressures. The range is red epoxy coated internally and externally and its joints are made with EPDM rubber gasket seals.

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With growing demand for universal, low profile tile vents, roofing ventilation and accessory specialist Klober has added the Twin Plain Tile Vent to its Profile Line® range. The vent is the seventh Profile Line® product and is ideal for use with Redland Duo Plain, Forticrete Gemini and Marley Ashmore tiles. Available in four standard colours, the Twin Plain Tile Vent provides an effective ventilation area of 7,850 mm2 and, in keeping with the rest of the range comes with a 10-year guarantee against manufacturing defect.

Other products in the Profile-Line range include the Double Roman, Single and Double Pantile, Standard Pattern, Large format Flat Tile and the Limarech (used with the Sandtoft Lindum / Marley Ludlow Major, Redland Renown and Russell Cheviot). The in-line design is virtually invisible from the ground and the products have been designed for universal use. Built-in downpipes allow direct ventilation to roof space while adaptors are available for soil ventilation or mechanical extraction.

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Five historic arches in 600-year-old walls near Southampton waterfront will be ablaze in a sea of multi-coloured lights every night for at least the next two years. Computer controlled LED’s display more than 10,000 different colour combinations, installed by Hampshire based electrical contractors GES Digital, who specialise in smart control technology.

In the project, known as Halation, energy is saved by ensuring that the LED lights only turn on after dark, under the control of a Theben Solar Time Switch from Timeguard.

Once you select from the Solar Timers menu the required UK town or city the SEL170TOP can be left to calculate sunrise and sunset times automatically for years to come. Lights can be switched on at sunset and then either left on until sunrise or turned off at an earlier time chosen by the user, saving even more energy. The switching time can be off set by up to 120 minutes either side of sunset and sunrise, manual over-ride is also provided, as are holiday and weekend programming as well as PIN protection to prevent tampering. In Southampton the lights initially turned on at dusk and off again at 1am, but in the peak summer season they are being programmed to stay on longer. All this light control comes from one small, economic device.

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Fakro FTT and FPT 'Thermo' triple glazed roof windows have been chosen for use in four luxury eco homes being built by Marshall Robertson Associates’ at High Farm, Great Lumley. By providing the best U-value currently available in a standard product (0.94W/m2K), the windows will make a key contribution to the North East’s first ‘Code for Sustainable Homes’ Level 6 development. A combination of top hung and centre pivot windows will be fitted on the site which overlooks the Angel of the North, Lumley Castle and Durham Cathedral.

As well as achieving zero net carbon emissions, key aspects of the brief to architects Queensberry Design were provision of space and light and encouragement of a sustainable lifestyle. Other features include solar panels, rainwater harvesting and a wind turbine which will generate electricity to be fed back into the National Grid.

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Square detection zones provide 100% coverage grid with fewer detectors

The Sun Microsystems philosophy gets to the point: Sun solutions link up the world and demand integrated thinking, is the message in the multi-national computer group’s image brochure.

So it was clear to architects and planners that integrated thinking was called for in the design of the new Sun administrative building in Volketswil Hegnau, Switzerland – both visually and in terms of building technology. So it is that, over a floor area of 7000 m², a large number of Theben HTS presence detectors now ensure reliable and cost-effective operation of the lighting and ventilation system.

Theben HTS presence detectors from the ECO-IR C-Series, with their signature square detection zone and inrush current limitation for electronic ballasts, were used. The range is now available in the UK from Timeguard Ltd, a Theben company.

Sun has a flexible office philosophy which means that many of the staff no longer have fixed workstations: they simply log on wherever they happen to be. This means that the occupancy – and thus he lighting and ventilation requirements of different parts of the building are changing all the time and economic control involves responding to more than daylight levels and time of day. The use of sensitive presence detectors (instead of the rather blunt instruments that are traditional PIR detectors) enables the building managers to provide ideal combinations of lighting and ventilation levels for each building occupant at all times and with minimal energy consumption.

The specifier, Daniel Stadeli of Zurich-based Thomas Luem Partners realised that providing individual control of each room or area required the sophistication of HTS C-Series, which offer adaptive switching behaviour. In addition, their signature square detection area greatly simplifies planning. Using master-slave parallel circuit connections, he was able to design lighting for a large open plan office area with no gaps in presence detection. With more-traditional circular detection zones, almost twice as many detectors would have been needed to provide 100% coverage, he said.

Theben HTS C-Series presence detectors offer energy savings of up to 70% and are ideal for large areas such as Sun’s open plan office. They offer an 8m x 8m detection area with inrush current limitation to reduce peak currents and switching of up to 24 36-Watt electronic ballast.

Also particularly attractive in this range is the Quickfix system for flush mounting in hollow ceilings.

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Architects Mountford Pigott have specified VMZINC PLUS® in QUARTZ-ZINC® to create a highly unusual design for the new McDonalds in Eureka Park Ashford. The system was chosen to provide a visually continuous warm roof across the curved span without unsightly ventilation details. Mountford Pigott’s Trevor Scale commented, “We chose zinc as a natural material for its aesthetic qualities and to provide an innovative and sustainable solution which was ideally suited to the building design. The brief was to develop a factory engineered pod design solution for a production run of similar shops”. The result will enable landmark design buildings using the latest in engineering methods to be provided.

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