What's New in Building articles from March 2008

What's New in Building archives from March 2008

COMMENT: March 2008.
March 12, 2008... Data from the Chartered Management Institute suggests organisations in the construction sector have a misplaced confidence in their ability to cope with change. The findings also identify the key challenge currently facing employers, but...

NEWS: Partnering for low energy build.
March 12, 2008... Designed to demonstrate that it is possible to build an affordable low energy house, the BASF house was officially opened last month at the University of Nottingham. BASF has been working with partners in the UK to build the house as part...

NEWS: Museum design is childs' play.
March 12, 2008... From a distance the Children's Museum in Amman, Jordan, resembles an open toy chest whose toys are spilling out. This was the impression sought by architects Faris & Faris. Three large building components in red, green and blue leap out...

SPEAKOUT: Simon Storer.
March 12, 2008... Simon Storer external affairs director, construction products association Another reshuffle, another construction minister. So that makes seven in as many years. Now I have nothing against our latest incumbent; haven't met her and...

Ask the architects: March 2008.
March 12, 2008... WNIB finds out why architects choose certain products. This month WNIB spoke to John McRae of ORMS Architecture Design. What sector do you work in most? Commercial, Residential and Education What qualities do you look for in a...

NEWS: Buyout boosts Fendor fortunes.
March 12, 2008... Just one year on from becoming the focus for a successful management buy-out, Fendor can reflect on having enhanced its reputation for offering innovative solutions to demanding glazing specifications, whilst growing its business operations in...

NEWS: Special floor for Olympic pool bar.
March 12, 2008... Bolidt Topsynthetics of Hendrik Ido Ambacht has designed and fitted a special floor to the VIP bar in the Olympic swimming pool in Beijing. The Bolidtop Bubblebar floor was designed in collaboration with the Chinese architect Jiwei Li. ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Eco microsite.
March 12, 2008... Marley Eternit is the first manufacturer in the roofing industry to launch an environmental microsite helping specifiers gain clarity about mounting interest in companies' environmental credentials. Visit www.marleyeternit.co.uk/environment....

NEWS IN BRIEF: Redland is back.
March 12, 2008... When the Lafarge Group took the decision to sell its world-wide roofing business last year, it presented an opportunity to bring the Redland name back to the fore in the UK. Redland's head office is relocating to Crawley in March. ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Wise guidance.
March 12, 2008... Released this month, The Latest Book of Wise Decisions is the most recent in a series from Cavity Trays that continues to be the pocketbook information source used by architects, surveyors, builders and contractors. The book provides instant...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Text service.
March 12, 2008... Gotxt makes it easy to receive details of a product or service. All you have to do is register how you would like to receive literature at www.gotxt.biz. Registration is free. From then on, every time you see the gotxt symbol on...

NEWS: New student accommodation.
March 12, 2008... The University of Surrey's new student accommodation, designed with sustainability in mind, is the latest academic project to benefit from insulation from Kingspan Insulation. 18,000sq m of Kooltherm K3 Floorboard, K8 Cavity Board and K10...

NEWS: Peak performance.
March 12, 2008... When your visitor centre is perched 1,060m above sea level fire performance becomes key, meaning the total fire resistance offered by the Eurobond Firemaster internal wall panel system was of paramount importance for Hafod Eryri, the new...

MANCHESTER BIOSCIENCES BUILDING: The appliance of bioscience.
March 12, 2008... Key to the distinctive finish on the Manchester University Biosciences building is the design created by facade specialist James & Taylor Manchester University's new biosciences building displays a stunning, shimmering facade that reflects...

Flexible in all weathers.
March 12, 2008... With large panels of glass, strength and security, even in the most extreme weather conditions, was of paramount importance in the design of canopies at a recently opened superstore in Glasgow Things have developed a little for the family...

OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION: Educational experience.
March 12, 2008... Jonathan Jennings, divisional sustainability manager at Kingspan Off- Site, explains what lessons were learned through developing the Kingspan Lighthouse The Kingspan Lighthouse was deliberately designed and built as a stand- alone single...

OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION: Plane sailing.
March 12, 2008... Moving construction work into a factory environment at Yorkon has saved two months on the build programme for Anglesey's first civilian airport Construction of a new purpose-designed air terminal for the first civilian airport on Anglesey...

OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION: Best of both worlds.
March 12, 2008... A combination of onsite and offsite construction can offer both speed and flexibility argues Peter Watkins, Director of Metsec's Framing Division There's little doubt that off-site construction is bringing big advantages to the building...

DOORS & WINDOWS: On the right track.
March 12, 2008... Specified to withstand a harsh marine environment, Aldus Windows from Rationel also met the client's requirements for good environmental credentials and reduced maintenance Famous for its model railways, Hornby Hobbies has overcome the...

DOORS & WINDOWS: In the best of healthcare.
March 12, 2008... Europe's biggest centre for kidney disease patients, the West London Renal Centre, features VELFAC glazing throughout, installed as single units to create a 'traditional' facade, and as full height glazing, fronting public spaces and...

DOORS & WINDOWS: Steel retains appeal across the board.
March 12, 2008... The good looks and energy efficiency of steel windows make a powerful appeal in both contemporary architecture and conservation projects. Their slender lines give lightness to the frames and their elegance is difficult to match in the...

DOORS & WINDOWS: Visions of urban renaissance.
March 12, 2008... Recognising the need for creative and individual designs, Urban Front have launched the Sorrento V and the Rondo V for 2008. These doors incorporate stainless steel panels and strips but also offer flush vision panels. These allow for a...

DOORS & WINDOWS: Gone fishing with Spectus.
March 12, 2008... Hundreds of new build traditional holiday homes and apartments in the style of a fishing village have been fitted with Spectus vertical sliders, casements and patio doors. The #520,000 project with Wright Construction is the largest...

DOORS & WINDOWS: Made to measure sliding sash window.
March 12, 2008... The Woodwright made to measure sliding sash window from Andersen is now the company's top selling window in the UK and Ireland. Woodwright is the first of a new generation of wood based windows to incorporate Fibrex, a sustainable composite...

DOORS & WINDOWS: Inspired by classic styles.
March 12, 2008... Jeld-Wen has taken inspiration from classic styles and brought them up to date to suit contemporary homes in its 2008 catalogue. Highlights of the catalogue are a new external door range, new styles to the Kensington exterior door...

DOORS & WINDOWS: Bristol fashion for revolver.
March 12, 2008... Creating a contemporary architectural feature, a Tormax circular- sliding Rondor automatic door system has been installed to the main entrance of Kestrel Court, a new development of managed workspace at Portishead near Bristol. Copyright:...

DOORS & WINDOWS: Sashes fit the style.
March 12, 2008... Ford Windows, a Eurocell fabricator based in Sheffield, supplied vertical sliding sash windows for David Wilson Homes' Devessey Woodlands development in Greylees, near Sleaford. David Wilson Homes chose vertical sliding sash windows to...

DOORS & WINDOWS: Streets ahead.
March 12, 2008... Installer Apex Shop Fitting recently replaced 97 windows in six apartments with Mighton's Safe-T-Tilt timber sash, in a residential development in Bowden. `We choose Safe-T-Tilt because of its quality and its tilting action,' explains...

DOORS & WINDOWS: Contemporary looks.
March 12, 2008... The first UK installation of a new aluminium sliding window system from Schuco is at a contemporary property development centred around a Grade II listed, 18th century castle in Swansea. When designing the properties, Holder Mathias...

PAINTS & FINISHES: Every shade of green.
March 12, 2008... Neil May, managing director of NBT (Natural Building Technologies), explains how modern ecological paint formulations can provide a practical, high performance alternative to conventional paint There are three areas that must be considered...

PAINTS & FINISHES: The natural look.
March 12, 2008... Over the last two years Fort Dunlop has been undergoing a major redevelopment programme as a mixed use scheme comprising retail units at ground floor, offices on floors 1-6 and a 100 bed hotel. As a key element to the new look, the lower...

PAINTS & FINISHES: Whole life efficiency.
March 12, 2008... Crown Trade's Smart Maintenance Asset Management Programme has been designed to increase quality, efficiency and cost savings over the whole life of a building. To meet these objectives, the programme provides access to a wide range of market...

PAINTS & FINISHES: Graffiti beater.
March 12, 2008... Keim Concretal Lasur was chosen as an anti-graffiti coating to protect the low level exterior concrete surfaces of the Emirates stadium including the perimeter wall around the pitch. Keim Concretal Lasur is a low pigmentation colourwash...

PAINTS & FINISHES: Eco friendly finish.
March 12, 2008... Dulux Trade Weathershield Aquatech Opaque has been used to restore the historic timber features on a Grade II listed home in a picturesque village in Warwickshire, as the water-based woodstain is a more environmentally responsible means of...

FIRE PROTECTION: Whose job is it anyway?
March 12, 2008... David Spicer, specialist product manager at Crown Trade, explains how fire retardant coatings can help meet new requirements. October 2006 marked the start of one of the biggest overhauls of fire safety legislation to date. The Regulatory...

FIRE SAFETY: Don't fuel the flames.
March 12, 2008... Hans Schreuder, managing director of Rockwool, asks why there is so much misconception regarding the fire performance of different insulation materials The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 brought the issue of fire safety to the...

HEALTH AND SAFETY: The importance of installation.
March 12, 2008... Ian Page from Kee Safety looks at the steelwork fixing requirements for specifiers working with curtain walling systems The cost of wall cladding to steel framed buildings is significant, representing up to as much as a quarter of the total...

LIFT TECHNOLOGY: Software spots trouble early.
March 12, 2008... LiftStore has launched a remote access lift monitoring software that makes highlighting potential troublespots a great deal easier In any place of work, where the function of a building's lifts is crucial to everyday operation - and with...

STAIRS & LIFTS: Tight fit at mews.
March 12, 2008... For a mews property off Park Lane in London, Spiral Construction has installed a helical staircase with an unusually tight radius, necessitated by the space restrictions of the house. Traditionally a centre column spiral staircase would...

STAIRS & LIFTS: Bisca's latest project.
March 12, 2008... Bisca's latest project for boutique hotel chain Hotel Du Vin, has been unveiled with the recent opening of the new Cheltenham hotel - providing a main staircase to form a central feature within public areas. Bisca created a flowing helical...

STAIRS & LIFTS: Non-contact operating principle.
March 12, 2008... Schmersal's non-contact operating principle for positioning elevator cabins eliminates conventional switching technology and common encoder systems. The system, called USP, is described as a cost efficient solution for travel heights from...

STAIRS & LIFTS: Inspired spiral.
March 12, 2008... Always up for a challenge, Dutch company EeStairs has produced a truly compact spiral stair that fits within an area of just one metre square. In response to a request from one of its customers, EeStairs has developed a stair for 1sq m....

ECOBUILD: Solar power for air conditioning.
March 12, 2008... SANYO`s latest products include the Eco G Power, a new gas driven VRF air conditioning system which supplies heating and cooling while co- generating hot water and electricity - a first to the UK market. Other sustainable developments on...

ECOBUILD: Pump up the sustainable heat.
March 12, 2008... Renewable space and water heating solutions designed to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes, were presented by Dimplex. One straightforward way to deliver carbon savings is to incorporate a heat pump in the development, giving carbon...

ECOBUILD: Heat for three bed house.
March 12, 2008... Solarcentury C21e solar electric roof tile resembles a standard tile, and can be installed in the same way. Requiring only a south-facing pitched roof, C21e roof tiles generate 850kWh of electricity per year. This means a three bedroom family...

ECOBUILD: Tricks of the timber trade.
March 12, 2008... Energy efficient homes from BSW Alouette were showcased at Ecobuild in London last month. The company illustrated the benefits of the Super E timber engineering method, which has had a major impact on house-building in Canada. ...

ECOBUILD: Calculate your carbon profile.
March 12, 2008... Energy saving DC products in the Vent-Axia Lo-Carbon initiative show how much carbon is emitted over a year, allowing specifiers to work out a building's carbon footprint. Not only can power consumption be reduced by up to 90%, the carbon...

ECOBUILD: Vinyls catch the attention.
March 12, 2008... Tarkett`s vinyl recycling schemes and linoleum ranges generated a lot of interest at the 2007 Ecobuild. The company's latest innovation is a surface treatment called Extreme xf Finish, available in the Linoleum xf range. It reduces...