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Saint-Gobain PAM UK has introduced an access pipe as part of its Cyclone steel rainwater systems range.

The access pipe is a 340mm long steel downpipe with large diameter access point that can be installed into any new or existing Saint Gobain PAM Cyclone steel system.

It enables homeowners to save maintenance time and costs by allowing easy access to the drainage system in order to clear blockages that might occur such as a build up of leaves over time. The access pipe is available in all of the colours in the Cyclone range.

The Cyclone steel rainwater system has a contemporary look and feel and is available in a variety of colours. It is cost competitive with higher value plastic systems, takes no longer to install and with its tough and hardwearing nature will last decades with minimal maintenance.

For more information on the Cyclone range, visit www.saint-gobain-pam.co.uk

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Saniflo UK – a leading name in the plumbing & drainage sector – is reporting a successful exhibition at Ecobuild, which took place earlier this month at the Excel Centre in London.

This was the company’s second time exhibiting at the show and this year the focus was on the prestigious Kinedo range of shower cubicles with a Kinedo Horizon shower cubicle, a Kinemagic Design shower cubicle and the Saniflo Sanifloor all on display.

Saniflo UK Customer Services and Marketing Manager, Ann Boardman, comments: “Ecobuild was a great success for us. Showcasing the Kinedo range comes at a time when we’re noticing more specifiers, house builders and installers switching to cubicles from enclosures.

“Ecobuild provides us with a great opportunity to reach a wide, live audience. It’s taken a while for the sector to latch onto cubicles and the benefits of them have often been misunderstood, but as soon as industry professionals experience them in the flesh they realise the potential and benefits.

“We spoke with a high number of industry professionals who are working on residential, hotel and leisure projects. They love the fact that the Kinedo range not only looks great, but as the cubicles don’t need silicone and grout for installation and the internal opaque panels eliminate the need for tiling, they can be up and running in just a few hours in a pre-prepared area, meaning projects can be turned around faster and with less hassle.”

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Heat pump manufacturer, Mitsubishi Electric has just released a short animation which explains the new approach to heating and hot water provision now available from the latest addition to the Ecodan range of air source heat pumps.

As the nation looks to build new homes to meet demand, the hot water requirements of these houses requires a different approach, to help reduce emissions whilst delivering warm and cosy places for people to live.

Buildings account for 44 per cent of all UK CO2emissions (more than industry or transport) and space heating and hot water account for almost 75 per cent of total energy consumed in homes.

Yet the balance between hot water and heating is different in new built properties is different from older homes because of a reduction in fabric U-values and thermal bridging, which reduces the energy requirements for heating and makes hot water the dominant load.

The animation explains how the new 4kW Ecodan QUHZ unit works to efficiently match the hot water requirements, whilst still meeting the lower heating demand of today’s well insulated properties.

To find out more about the Ecodan QUHZ visit http://ecodanerp.co.uk/180 and to view the animation, visit the company’s dedicated video channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/mitsubishielectric2 .

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Marflow Hydronics has further developed its website to now allow customers to download relevant technical information, including BIM Models, via a brand new Product Downloads section.

With BIM Level 2 being a new requirement from April 2016 and the move towards complete BIM compliance getting closer every day, Marflow Hydronics has introduced a brand new Product Downloads area on its website that allows people to download BIM Models as well as other technical documentation. Marflow Hydronics is dedicated to providing customers with the information that they require, and this is just another part of the company’s added value service. In addition, all product pages can now be captured in PDF format at the press of a button and can be used as a data sheet, another way the company is trying to make life easier for product users.

Chris Forbes, Managing Director, says, “We are continually seeking to add value for our customers and we are constantly looking at ways to develop our website further to provide people with access to the information they need. The Product Downloads area is very new and we will be working hard over the coming weeks to make sure all relevant documentation and BIM Models are included. We encourage our customers to let us know if there’s something they need that they can’t find.”

The new Product Downloads area can be accessed via the relevant button at the top of all product pages or in the Knowledgebase. Also on all product pages, there’s a new PDF Download button that will export the product information into a PDF at the click of a button.

Access to the new area is found on the Marflow Hydronics website: www.marflowhydronics.co.uk.

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Valerie Owen was appointed Chair of the BBA’s Governing Board in February 2016. On her appointment, Valerie said: ‘I am delighted to take on this worthwhile position. As the UK’s leading Certification body for innovative building materials and construction installation techniques, the BBA has a key role to play in helping drive forward the construction sector, which is such an important contributor to our economy.’

Valerie is a multi-disciplinary property professional – she is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), the Royal Society of the Arts (RSA) and the Chartered Society of Environmentalists (CEnv).

An expert in economic and sustainable development, Valerie is a co-founding director of Le Vaillant Owen Consultancy, an innovative company specialising in sustainable development and community regeneration. The business was established in 2004, with offices in London and Kent. In her earlier executive career, Valerie was a Director of international real estate Consultants Jones Lang LaSalle, after which she worked as Managing Director at London First, where she delivered economic development programmes in sustainable development, housing, regeneration and health in collaboration with local, national and regional Governments.

Valerie operates at the highest levels, and now has a portfolio career comprising a number of nonexecutive Directorships and Ministerial appointments. Valerie is Chair of Swan Housing Group which is currently regenerating 1,600 homes on the Blackwall Reach estate in Tower Hamlets, London; she is also Chair of Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for land-based and environmental industries.

In 2001 Valerie was made an OBE for service to ‘architecture, and the community in East London’. In December 2009 she was made a Cabinet Office Ambassador to champion equality and diversity in Ministerial/Public Appointments, and in 2015, she won the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in the National Women in Construction Awards.

Valerie is married to Bob Le Vaillant and has three daughters.

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Fläkt Woods are prepared for the EU-regulations Ecodesign ErO 1253/2014 and 1254/2014 regarding Air Handling Units and energy labelling for non-residential and residential buildings

With the Ecodesign directive 2009/125/EC, the European Parliament creates a framework which allows the EU commission to produce regulations for energy related products to achieve the 2020 goals;

• 20% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
• 20% share of renewable energy
• 20% better energy efficiency

Fläkt Woods welcome these initiatives as they are fully in line with their strategy to develop energy efficient and smart product and solutions which benefit occupants, property owners and our shared environment.

ECODESIGN – CARING FOR THE FUTURE IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

Under the Directive  (2009/125/EC) Ecodesign for Energy-related Products (often mentioned as ErP) the first 13 implementing measures are estimated to allow about 365 TWh yearly savings by 2020, equivalent to more than 12% of the final EU electricity consumption in 2009. Electric motors alone are estimated to contribute more than 35% of these savings.

Fläkt Woods as a supplier of Air Handling Units, fans and ventilation solutions are already prepared to adhere to these directives concerning Ecodesign for Energy-related Products (ErP) as this is important for us to take our corporate social responsibility, and to help our customers to minimize the climate footprint.

To read this section in full > http://www.flaktwoods.co.uk/support-centre/legislation/ecodesign-and-erp/

Link to Flakt Woods Legislation page >http://www.flaktwoods.co.uk/support-centre/legislation/

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Upmarket regional supermarket chain choose Armstrong’s metal and mineral ceilings for flagship store.

Metal and mineral ceiling tiles from Armstrong were specified for a flagship supermarket for a multitude of reasons.

The dark grey Mesh Board metal tiles with Axiom Profile and grid in RAL 9007 feature in plasterboard margins in the lower sales area of the new £4.5million Booths supermarket in Lytham St Anne’s while Ultima⁺, the world’s first mineral tile range certified to Cradle to Cradle status, was used on the first-floor back-of-house areas.

The 3,210ft² of Armstrong ceiling systems were specified to meet a tight timescale and to help with acoustics as well as to help the upmarket chain move away from more traditional ceiling designs and comply with new brand standards and guidance.

The 37,000ft² “Heyhouses” project on a brownfield site in the genteel seaside town of Lytham St Anne’s in Lancashire took 20 months to complete. Built traditionally, the store features oak cladding to the internal steel frame and includes a café, butcher’s and cheese counters.

Armstrong’s 1200mm x 600mm metal Mesh tiles were installed by GWN Contracts and sit as rafts within variously shaped plasterboard margins. These were all laid on the diagonal to lead customers’ eyes through the 23,000ft² main sales area to the state-of-the-art deli counter at the rear of the store.

Regular Armstrong specifiers Leach Rhodes Walker, who were the architects for the shell construction and internal fit-out, working alongside main contractor Interserve, have partnered with Booths supermarkets to develop café concepts for their stores.

LRW architectural technician Rebecca Kenny said: “The Ultima⁺ product was a standard product specified by Booths. The main sales area ceiling was in response to the new brand standards/guidance from Booths for a new approach to the ceilings. They wanted to move away from a lay-in ceiling and introduced a more industrial feel that also met the access requirement for the services above.

“As well as the access requirements the Ultima⁺ ceiling system help with the acoustic issues and the open mesh design also helped with the flexibility of the locations for the feature lighting.”

With regards to any special requirements or challenges, she added: “On the fit out, the time scale was an issue to meet the deadline to handover to Booths for their store fittings/merchandising works, also acoustics within the double-height spaces including the café, the ceiling design and approval to café interior design concept.”

The store opened in September 2015, creating 90 new jobs.

Rebecca added: “The client was very pleased with the overall appearance. It meets the original brief and as the mesh panels were combined with perimeter details, and plasterboard margins to help break up the large area, it created a really striking design feature.

“As Armstrong was already specified on the project it was really just looking through what they had available to meet the brief. It was always preferred to keep all the ceilings with one manufacturer. The ceiling is one of the most successful areas on the project, it was really well received. The fact that it was a proprietary product was particularly appealing.”

Armstrong area sales manager Claire Ombler said: “The finished product looks amazing and everyone is thrilled with the result.  Graham Booth (Mr Booth himself) was said to be more than happy with the ceilings. This particular store is the flagship store for all the Booths stores hence it is great to hear that Graham Booth is very pleased with the look.”

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Marflow Hydronics has scheduled in a new date for its CPD training course on Pressure Independent Control Valves.

The CPD course is being held in Birmingham on 4^th May and is free for anyone to attend. The half day session provides delegates with knowledge on how PICVs work, innovative pipe layouts and how to make systems more economical, including the introduction of electronic balancing. It’s aimed at consultants, designers, specifiers and key influencers who want to learn more about the products, improve their skills and specify, purchase or commission a PICV.

Nick Martin, Technical Manager at Marflow Hydronics, says, “PICVs are growing so much in popularity due to their numerous benefits, but to really get the best out of them then a user needs to fully understand them. Our course is set up to provide delegates with the knowledge they need to truly optimise the many advantages of the product.”

Places are limited, strictly on a first come first served basis, so immediate registration is recommended. To register or for more information visit www.marflowhydronics.co.uk/events, call 0121 358 2012 or email training@marflow.co.uk.

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Whether you are a plumber, contractor, specifier, facilities manager or builder working on a small and simple domestic project or a large and complex commercial installation, Saniflo can help you overcome any plumbing hurdle so you can confidently offer your customers the perfect solution for anywhere in a building. And this is the real beauty behind Saniflo; you literally can have a bathroom, kitchen or utility facility wherever you want providing a water supply can reach the installations.

Let us look at a fairly typical domestic scenario. A family wants to convert a garage into a bedroom with en-suite accommodation. The main water supply is easy to connect but the soil stack is on the other side of the property meaning direct access to mains drainage requires major civils work, which the family wants to avoid from a cost, time and hassle point of view.

A Saniflo macerating pump such, as the Saniplus, works well in such situations. It is a simple, quick solution that takes the waste from a WC, a wash basin and a power shower – and a bidet if required – and then pumps it through 22mm small-bore pipework, vertically up to 5 metres or horizontally up to 100 metres or a lesser combination of both, so it is no obstacle if the en-suite you need to install is located on the other side of the property or at the bottom of a long garden.

Waste from the WC is dealt with automatically when the WC is flushed. Waste water is drained by gravity from the shower, bidet or basin to the Saniplus through inlets on either side of the unit.

If you are creating an inclusively designed en-suite then you can literally place the WC and the Saniplus anywhere in the room, giving you great scope for flexibility of product selection and bathroom design.

If a domestic application simply requires the removal of grey water waste then the Sanivite pump can help you provide a kitchen or utility room with great ease. Sanivite removes waste water from a sink, dishwasher or washing machine, even when below or distant from a drain. With four inlets it can connect to multiple appliances to pump waste water away through 32mm small-bore pipework, vertically up to 5 metres or horizontally up to 50 metres or a lesser combination of both. The compact Sanivite is usually concealed in a kitchen unit but can also be concealed behind a demountable panel to give access if required.

In commercial settings, continuity of business is key; whether that is for a B&B, a hotel, a night club, a restaurant, a hospital, a shopping centre or some other public building. The Sanicubic range offers solutions for pretty much all settings.

The Sanicubic 2 Pro, for instance, contains 2 separate pumps for absolute reliability and power. Each is fitted with a high performance maceration system and the 2 pumps operate alternately, ensuring even wear of the motors. In the event of inflow overload, such as a busy Saturday night in a city night club or a Sunday morning in a B&B, both motors run at the same time. And, if on the rare occasion one pump should fail, the other pump takes over, guaranteeing continuity of business and happy punters. An audible and visible alarm system is supplied as standard with the unit to provide early warning of problems – such as blockages from incorrect use.

This hard working, high performance macerator can take up to 340 litres of water a minute which can be pumped up to 11 metres vertically through 50mm pipework and 100 metres horizontally, or a lesser combination of both. With an inlet diameter of 110mm for WC waste and 40mm for waste water, the Sanicubic can take waste water of up to 70°C.

The Sanicubic XL is the largest lifting station in Saniflo’s vast portfolio. It features a huge 120 litre tank and two integrated non-return valves and four inlets. IP68 rated, this unit has two pumps and two alarms and is ideal for large volume commercial situations such as temporary toilet, kitchen and showering facilities for workers – on or off-shore and for projects that have a large waste throughput. Easy to install – the unit can stand on the ground and does not need to be positioned below ground, it can be connected to a Building Management System and has IP68 rating.

The Saniflo website has a wide selection of downloadable brochures, which explain all product information clearly in plain English along with installation guides and e-learning modules for more in-depth installation knowledge. Saniflo is unique in that it has  a nationwide network of official Saniflo Engineers who are available to answer every query and provide the best aftercare on the market. So, rest assured, by selecting Saniflo, you are not only selecting some of the best plumbing solutions available in the world today, you are also partnering a manufacturer who takes care of you and your customers every step of the way, forever.

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Double winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, Ancon Building Products, continues to expand its range of high integrity structural fixings and will exhibit a number of new products at Ecobuild 2016 taking place at ExCeL, London from 8-10 March 2016.

On stand number E3080, Ancon will showcase its latest fixing innovations, suitable for new-build construction including low-energy residential developments. Products on show will include the lightweight Nexus® brick faced soffit system, a number of insulated balcony connectors and an exciting new development within the Teplo range of low thermal conductivity wall ties.

Developed in partnership with cut-brick specialist, Ibstock-Kevington, the new Nexus system is a lightweight simple-to-install solution to creating flawless brick soffits in any brick type. It combines brick-faced offsite-manufactured building modules with Ancon’s popular MDC brick support angle. Bringing together two industry experts in one product launch, Nexus provides quick and easy alignment on site without mechanical lifting.

Further reflecting the sustainability theme of the exhibition, Ancon will also be focusing on ways of helping building designers to meet their thermal performance aspirations.

A newly-extended range of Ancon insulated stainless steel connectors enable structural integrity to be maintained at steel and concrete balcony interfaces without compromising on thermal efficiency. Designed to create a thermal break in the construction, these connectors are proven through thermal modelling to help prevent condensation and mould growth.

For exhibition visitors involved in the super-insulated end of the market, including PassivHaus and Zero Carbon projects, EcoBuild 2016 will hold a special treat – the launch of an exciting extension to the award-winning Teplo range of ultra-low conductivity basalt fibre wall ties. By minimising insulation depth and wall footprint, these unique wall ties are already helping to shape low energy building design and this latest product development will see them become more user friendly for the installer, improving their all-round appeal.

Finally, visitors to the stand can get a taste of the company’s pro-active customer-focussed technical and sales support. Come and meet the Ancon team. If you would like to book an appointment with a member of staff to discuss your specific project or business requirements, please get in touch.

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