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For customers to whom price is the critical decision maker, Triton’s new T70Z electric shower ensures installers have an easy to install and value driven option, that they can confidently recommend for all new, replacement and problematic jobs.

Based on Triton’s best-selling T80Z collection, the new T70Z delivers the same core installation, innovation, problem-solving and quality values that have kept it at the heart of the bathroom for the past three decades. And, with electric showers currently representing 60% of the total shower market, and with almost 45% of this made up by electric models priced under the £99 mark, it is essential that installers know they have a model with a competitive price point they can trust.

Benefitting from the T80Z’s tried and tested technology, the latest T70Z has the unique ‘swivel‘ water inlet that quickly tackles the issue of water connections being on the wrong side, particularly for replacement jobs. Multiple water and electrical entry points additionally accommodate countless cable and pipe layouts, meaning it can retro fit Triton’s SI and XR blueprints as well as almost any other electric shower on the market, with speed and ease.

An installation template allows all water, electric and fixing points to be marked out before any work starts and there is generous ‘working’ room for installers to make the necessary connections and fixings whilst carrying out the installation. Removable inlet filters ensure easy access for future maintenance.

Z Uni-Fit Kit

As seen with the T80Z range, the addition of Triton’s innovative Z Uni-Fit kit ensures that the T70Z is the ideal solution for installations where existing wiring is too short. Making it simple to extend wiring without compromising the professional finish of the shower, the BEAB approved Z Uni-fit kit can save up to four hours on a difficult installation, widening the replacement scope of this shower range even further.

Value + Style

Not short on style, the T70Z features clean lines that will complement a wide range of bathroom styles. Available in white and chrome finish, the unit has two uncluttered, easy grip controls for start/stop and power selection and a rub-clean three spray shower head.

For the safety conscious, the unit will operate safely even when the water pressure fluctuates due to a built-in two-stage pressure switch.

Lorna Fellowes, managing director at Triton, comments:

“Showers are so essential to today’s busy lifestyles that, if it breaks, it will need to be replaced swiftly. However, in the current climate price has inevitably become more of an issue for many customers. The introduction of the T70Z means that installers know they can recommend a value-led shower that they can install easily but that can be relied on to perform day after day.”

Following Triton’s ‘Fit and Forget ethos, the T70Z also benefits from the involvement of Triton’s in-house research and development team as well as from the company’s expert technical advice, quality and customer service.

The T70Z is available in 7.5kW and 8.5kW models, simplifying the range, plus they also come with a two year guarantee. If ordered before 5pm, they also form part of the rapid replenishment service for delivery the following day.

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Open Box

Open Box, Fagerhults Red Dot Design winning luminaire has been installed within Phase 1 of a refurbishment of the headquarters for clothing company Diesel situated in London.

The high ceilings and open plan offices required architects Leckenby Associates to find a product that would be unobtrusive but distinctive, provide no glare and suit the contemporary style of the client.

If you would like any further information or images please contact Scott Allen, Marketing Manager fagerhult Lighting.

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The new Orbis Pocket Doorset Range from Laidlaw Solutions is a heavy duty sliding system in which the door is hidden neatly in a wall cavity. It has been designed for use in hospitals, care homes, schools and areas of similarly intensive use, in walls of 100mm, 125mm or 150mm thickness.

The 'Roomsaver' design combines optimum stability with maximum free passage, making it ideal for situations which require a wider opening or where space is limited. Doors are available in a choice of factory painted finish, high quality durable laminate or veneer, faced both sides and solid lipped all round. In addition to the standard white RAL9010, an extended range of RAL colours is available, while laminates from the Formica PSM Door Collection Range can be supplied in plain colours or wood grain effect. Ash, Beech, American White Oak and Maple veneers are crown cut and book matched to provide an attractive, carefully balanced pattern across the width of the door.

Orbis Pocket Doorset frames provide a clear opening width from 590mm – 1090mm in a single leaf, to accommodate door widths up to 1230mm. Made from 1.5mm steel with a highly resilient white, powder-coated finish, they are supplied with a double recess and reinforcement. The door mechanism requires no floor guides, while built-in brush seals and end buffers provide a perfectly smooth, stable action. The split-head frame construction allows a ceiling mounted hoist system to pass cleanly through the doorway without interrupting the door action.

Doors can be supplied with centrally positioned vision panels and factory-prepared mortice nightlatch, mortice bathroom lock or no lock at all. Doorsets with a lock have a stainless steel strike plate installed in the frame and lock forend in satin stainless steel. Traditional Orbis ironmongery, including lever and pull handles, bathroom lever turns and emergency release indicators can also be specified.

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Pupils at Little Acorns (Colleten) Pre-school now have an excellent reason to go to school, thanks to a brand new building which is their new home. Replacing an obsolete structure, the new timber log cabin building is built to the most exacting thermal standards, and for the underfloor heating, Polypipe supplied its Overlay Lite underfloor system.

Overlay Lite was specified by the builder, R J Akerman Builders, who in conjunction with Cabinco, were tasked to construct the building in a very short space of time as proprietor, John Akerman explains. “We were given a window of eight and a half weeks to construct the single story structure and fit it out completely,” he says. “Because it is timber frame, it has excellent insulation qualities and as the supplementary heating source, it made sense to install the Overlay Lite underfloor heating system from Polypipe. This works on two levels: it provides the required heating and it eliminates the need for radiators, a key issue as the building is to be used by pre-school children. It was essential that we kept the safety of the pupils as a priority.”

Overlay Lite is a high compressive strength, lightweight insulated panel used for lightweight floor coverings. Its ease of handling and cutting made the task of installing the product much faster than other systems, and helped Akerman to meet the tight deadline. “Because the Overlay system is so easy to install, we could continue with the rest of the build at the same time, without having to wait around,” continues Mr Akerman. “This was the first time we have used the product and we are hugely impressed.”

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Swish Building Products has launched a new low carbon rainwater system made from 84% recycled material, that brings tons of post consumer PVC back into use. These rainwater profiles are unique in the UK because the recycled material contains post consumer waste from old PVC window and gutter systems that have been removed from buildings when refurbished or demolished.

Greg Wilde, of Swish Building Products said: “Swish rainwater systems are ideal for designers who want to specify quality products that have a significantly reduced carbon footprint. Manufacturing a product that effectively marries a recycled core with a virgin skin saves 70% of the CO2 that would be produced by manufacturing with virgin material.”

These gutters and pipes have a two-tone appearance featuring a grey core and coextruded outer skin of virgin material to enhance the external appearance and aid colour matching. This technology gives it exactly the same weather resistance and longevity as products manufactured from virgin material.

The new gutter range comes in Round, Square and Ogee designs and each style is available in White, Black and Brown.

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Daikin Europe NV has introduced a new EWYD-BZ air cooled heat pump inverter chiller series – available in ‘standard’ and ‘low noise’ (6.5dBA reduction) models which provide ideal solutions for comfort cooling applications and are also an ideal replacement for conventional boilers.

The new Daikin heat pump series has an extensive capacity range (cooling capacity from 250 to 580 kW) and comes in 13 sizes, which can be combined to suit even the largest commercial office, retail and wholesale complexes and hotel cooling and/or heating applications. Furthermore, the innovative use of inverter driven and single screw compressors generates considerable savings in annual energy costs in both heating and cooling operations. The units also utilise R-134a refrigerant – the most efficient and environmentally conscious refrigerant currently available for screw compressors.

Inverter boost extends operating range

Unlike many contemporary chiller systems that lose heating capacity in colder temperatures – just when it is needed most – Daikin EWYD-BZ chillers can fully match a building’s thermal load, even in ambient temperatures down to -12 0C. The inverter boosts the compressor to match the required thermal load resulting in substantial energy and cost savings in heating mode compared to a traditional heat pump and gas boiler system. This advantage also applies in cooling mode where once again, inverter control allows a boost in capacity when it is needed most in higher outdoor temperatures. Thus, there is no need to oversize installations, adding to the significant cost savings offered by the new series.

Advantages

EWYD-BZ units are energy efficient, both in cooling and heating modes, with excellent EER, ESEER and COP values and are also designed for easy connection to building automation and management systems. Other major heat pump advantages include a partial heat recovery option, low current inrush on start up by virtue of the use of inverters, an optimum unit power factor and optimised defrost cycles.

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Tensar International’s newly developed RE500 series of uniaxial geogrids have been awarded British Board of Agrément Certification* for roads, bridge abutments, retaining walls, slopes and embankments in UK highway construction. RE500 uniaxial geogrids show significant long term strength improvements to create potentially lower cost structures for clients.

“Independent BBA endorsement of our RE500 uniaxial geogrid performance data provides important assurance to specifiers, contractors and clients in the UK, Europe and throughout Africa and Asia,” comments Peter Wills, Tensar Structural Solutions Group Manager.

“With the RE500, the long term design strength has been improved by up to 17% compared with our existing uniaxial geogrids, with more efficient use of polymer. There is now the potential to further reduce the cost of soil structures for our customers.

“Our investment in continuous geogrid development has again delivered improved benefits, and the validity of the performance data we use to make our design recommendations has been supported by an internationally recognised third party.”

The six new RE500 grades will now be offered to replace four existing grades of Tensar uniaxial grids (40RE, 55RE, 80RE and 120RE ), covering a greater range of performance specification requirements. Tensar International’s uniaxial geogrids are used within Tensartech earth retaining systems for retaining walls, bridge abutments, thick Geocell foundation mattresses and steep slopes. These systems are widely used on a range of construction applications including major road and rail infrastructure schemes.

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Marshall-Tufflex’s Supertube FR, formulated for applications where fire safety regulations are at their most stringent, is a key component in the upgrade of London Underground’s Victoria Line OPO CCTV camera system, where more than five miles (8,100m) of the high-performance conduit has been installed.

Manufactured from a special three-layer LSOH conduit, Supertube FR has provided system integration company KeTech with a superior design solution to protect cables that transmit images of the platforms to the train driver. Supertube FR is an addition to steel trunking and offers much faster fit times. It is supplied in coils of up to 100m and therefore produces little wastage from cut lengths.

KeTech, a leading systems integration contractor specialising in the railway industry, is working for Metronet on the line upgrade, which will accommodate a new fleet of trains. In developing a new and improved camera system, Chris Swainson, Project Manager for KeTech, was particularly impressed with Supertube’s EMC shielding capability when specifying the product for the first time.

“It’s gone extremely well, I’d certainly use it again,” he said. “ We chose Supertube for its ability to provide EMC shielding. It has proved a better way to segregate cables, which is greatly beneficial in London Underground applications where there are a lot of unknown cables to contend with.”

Supertube FR meets London Underground’s fire and materials specification, having undergone a series of tests conducted against the rigorous requirements set out by London Underground Ltd.

A Marshall-Tufflex spokesman said: “Having product specified for use in the London Underground system is of immense importance to us and a big rubber stamp for Supertube FR. The underground is a demanding environment that calls for products of the highest calibre and performance. We already had experience of supplying into this type of environment, having provided our Snakeway system into Angel Islington Tube Station, as well as for the subway in Chicago.”

For further information, tel 01424 856600, e-mail sales@marshall-tufflex.com or visit www.marshall-tufflex.com.

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Brick has long been a favourite building material. It’s not only beautiful to look at, it has excellent sustainability credentials and it’s hard to beat on price. This combination is especially valuable right now, given the pressure to meet CSH targets and the soaring costs and longer lead times from many rival cladding materials. An investigation by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) found that, against a line-up of popular finishes for the external skin, installed brickwork beats just about all of them on price.

The findings are especially valuable at the present time, given that contractors are experiencing soaring costs for many competing cladding materials. There is a popular misconception, fuelled by the off-site lobby that brickwork is an expensive external finish, but the RICS study clearly concludes that brick is a competitive option.

What the RICS investigation showed is that you can have such qualities, without paying over-the-top prices. It analysed a wide range of data, from major price books to bills of quantities for live projects submitted to them in 2007. The projects, which covered a selection from across the UK, ranged in value from £356,000 to £10.5 million.

The study compared the installed cost per square metre for brickwork against a string of rival external finishes. These included simple fibre cement sheets, different types of rendered blockwork, timber weatherboard, PVC cladding, plain tile cladding, ashlar stonework, and, at the top end of the price range, curtain walling and patent glazing.

Some of the highlights were:

• Facing brick came in at £59 m2 (less than some sheeting, pebbledash and proprietary render systems)
• Two thirds the price of timber weatherboarding.
• Barely one third the price of ashlar stonework.
• Curtain walling is nearly eight times more expensive, patent glazing nearly nine times

.

In its conclusion, the RICS notes: ‘Brick is a competitive option for the external skin. Most of the options that are less expensive in the study fall within the range of available facing bricks.’

With increasing pressure to reduce waste on site, it’s now possible to save even more money when using brick, by carefully calculating the correct quantities required.

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