"concrete curers hardeners seals"

Heathrow is one of the busiest airports in the world, it is key to ensure continued support on their projects. FSi Ltd were approached to provide a product to seal new and existing service penetrations in walls and floors up to 120 minutes fire resistance. This has been achieved through the installation of FSi Ltd products by Mitie Fire providing full compartmentalization. Mitie, BAA and Firestopit have a long working relationship throughout the Heathrow Airport complex, which requires careful planning and installation decisions to ensure the correct products are used.

This project involved sealing a metal gutter in Glasgow. Leaks were present at most of the steel profile joints and rust was evident throughout. Heavy rust and soiling was first removed and then the entire length of the gutter was treated with Liquasil's corrosion primer, to prevent further rusting. Once cured, Liquasil Non Sag Sealer was applied to all joints. Non Sag Sealer has 1400% elasticity, to cope with extreme thermal movement. The whole gutter was then coated with Liquasil One to form a seamless and leak-free gutter lining.

Specified because of it's unique BBA Approval and Latent Defects Insurance Guarantee, Asbestoseal was applied to this asbestos cement roof in Warwickshire. The roof was first steam cleaned using 150°c steam, removing all moss and lichen. Metal fixings were treated with Liquasil's corrosion primer and then sealed using Non-Sag Sealer. The entire roof surface was then coated with Asbestoseal 20 to provide long term protection and add considerably to the life of the roof. The metal gutters were lined with Liquasil's seamless silicone gutter lining system

This asbestos roof is being cleaned using a closed box pressure wash, with all waste water being filtered and recovered for re-use. Once cleaned, the roof is coated with the BBA Approved Asbestoseal system which includes: SWT CORROSION PRIMER - fully rust and wet tolerant, the primer is applied to all metal fixing to stop further corrosion. NON-SAG SEALER - is applied to all fixings and small holes and cracks to permanently seal them. ASBESTOSEAL 20 is brush applied to the roof sheets to provide a new finish.

The new BBVA Headquarters is located in the northern outskirts of Madrid. The complex comprises an intricate network of buildings, patios and gardens. The buildings were designed to optimize the use of natural light and provide visualization of green areas within the work environment. The main building is easily recognizable by its geometrically shaped brise-soleil and its rounded silhouette central tower. The Effisus Ecofacade membranes were used to seal the connections of the glass elements to the facade, guaranteeing water and air tightness, optimizing the energy efficiency of the building.

A Howe Green 5000 Series Aluminium Access Cover was supplied to The Fish & Chip Shop in Islington. An unobtrusive access solution was required to cover the kitchen’s essential mains drainage services and provide fast access to them for easy maintenance. The access cover was fitted into quarry-tiled steps leading to the kitchen. It was designed to be virtually invisible to prevent any slips or trips – essential within a busy restaurant environment. The cover is double-sealed which means water or bacteria ingress is preventable ensuring that the highest hygiene standards can be maintained.

The days are getting shorter and the weather getting colder – winter is on its way. If considering a new loft access hatch and ladder it is important to choose one that offers good thermal insulation and an airtight seal. This will help to keep in the warmth and lower energy costs. We have produced a useful guide that is available for download. It is designed to help you understand the important features to look for when choosing an insulated loft ladder. The guide also includes a quick reference tool for our insulated loft ladder product range.

A development of 82 new build houses to the north of Glasgow benefit from Optima casement windows and French doors from Profile 22. Keepmoat positions itself as a value builder but is committed to smart design and attention to detail. The contract for the windows and French doors on the homes was awarded to Glasgow-based Profile 22 Approved Window Contractor Gold Seal Windows. The company is a highly experienced commercial contractor so had the expertise that was needed on a project that required a total of 900 casement window and French door units in Anthracite Grey.

Style was recently contracted to design and install a creative moveable wall system to divide the main space at the Kadampa Meditation Centre in London. Allowing different groups to enjoy this quiet haven in privacy, the DORMA Moveo glass partitioning wall delivers an incredible 50dB Rw acoustics, thanks to semi-automatic seals and toughened safety glass. DORMA’s products lead the way in sustainable solutions with environment product declaration (EPD) in accordance with ISO 14025 and EN 15804, meaning that this is not only a highly practical solution, but an ethical one too.

Our client was a major nursery stock grower in British Columbia with a very large sedum green roof project in Vancouver. The architect was concerned about future-proofing the green roof and wanted to ensure that, if ever they had issues with their waterproofing seal or any other aspect of the structure, the green roof could be taken up without too much disruption. It was decided that a modular solution would be the best route. M-Tray® was included in a worldwide competition to find the most suitable modular design and was judged as the best product available.

This project involved a penthouse with a huge roof terrace. The existing deck was dilapidated and needed complete replacement. The existing decking needed to be lifted, cut up and removed. The terrace was jet-washed and sealed. Using ipe tiles on top of adjustable pedestals keeps the tiles out of standing water and creates space underneath for cables, etc. Rooftop terraces are difficult to access. 500x500mm timber tiles are much easier to manually handle and transport than long plank decking. The tiles aren’t fixed to the pedestals, making them future-proofed.

Hannah Cecil-Harden is a director at de Gournay, a family business which was founded by her father, Claud Cecil Gurney. De Gournay makes the most beautiful hand-painted wallpapers and fabrics and the company’s work is found in some of the finest buildings around the world. As you would expect, every room of Hannah’s London home has been exquisitely decorated. The property has undergone many transformations in the time that Hannah has lived there, but the most recent changes were needed to accommodate her expanding family. Hannah and her husband wanted their house to work better for life with their four young children.All the floors of the house have been updated, but perhaps the biggest change was turning the existing basement into a playroom with adjoining utility and bathroom. Having worked with Hannah and the team at de Gournay on a previous project, Clement was delighted to be asked to manufacture the new steel doors that were included within the designs. We were excited that the new steel doors were to be painted in unique vibrant colours to match the stunning wallpapers that adorn the new space and we worked closely with Hannah and her team to find just the right match. We always say that our bespoke steel products can be painted in specialist hues from across the entire colour spectrum – these doors demonstrate what is possible!Hannah said: “I thoroughly enjoyed working with Clement Windows on this exciting project which was for a children’s playroom. I wanted to go with bold and bright colours and they were so accommodating about this, everything about the project was handled professionally and with utmost care from conception down to a flawless install. It was an absolute pleasure to work on such a personal project with a business I have collaborated with before and I look forward to hopefully crossing paths again in the future!”

“Good morning, I have two of your doors in a boatshed at South Georgia Island. They were installed 22 years ago and are in need of a set of bottom door seals” The correspondence originates from Paul Cousens, the facility engineer stationed at the British Antarctic Survey Station situated in King Edward Point, South Georgia Island – renowned as the smallest capital in the world. Positioned in the remote expanse of the South Atlantic Ocean, South Georgia lies at the equivalent latitude as the southern tip of South America, Cape Horn, approximately 1350km east of the Falkland Islands.The station's main edifice features two bi-folding industrial Q doors, serving as vital shields against hurricane-force winds and corrosive saltwater. Throughout the frigid winters, a team of twelve individuals resides and operates within this isolated outpost. However, during the summer months, the population surges to around twenty inhabitants. These Q Doors offer exceptional thermal insulation capabilities, resulting in long-term cost savings while simultaneously enhancing security and the architectural appeal of any structure. Serving as a versatile bi-folding solution, Q Doors can be seamlessly installed externally to address spatial limitations, thereby optimising space within equipment bays. With a variety of customization options available, you can tailor your Q Door to meet specific requirements, such as incorporating insulated double-glazed windows, choosing from a range of colours, and selecting between manual or electric operation. Paul Cousens remarks, "We contend with ferocious wind gusts reaching approximately 65 knots, where anything not securely fastened is swept away. Traditional rolling shutter doors are no match, folding Q doors have proven resilient against the elements. While we anticipate replacing the drive units in a few years, our current focus is on acquiring new seals to mitigate wind and water ingress." The enduring durability of these doors in such formidable conditions is truly remarkable and serves as a testament to the exceptional quality and resilience of the HAG Ltd. Q Door system. To be still fundamentally sound after over 20 years and just in need of replacement door seals was fantastic news to receive all the way from Antarctica!

Student Accommodation company Urbanest installed Flotex Concrete Planks in their new office for a contemporary and forward- thinking space that encourages flexibility and collaborative working.

Just a stone's throw from London, a private villa is coloured with traditional Mediterranean style thanks to Atlas Concorde's concrete-effect porcelain tiles. Explore the project.A white wall, a blue sky bursting with the sun's rays, the scent of wild flowers, and the gentle sound of unspoiled nature. It’s a view that immediately recalls the Mediterranean landscapes typical of the coastal countries of Italy, Spain, and Morocco. And that’s exactly the feeling inside a private villa in Bromley thanks to the creation of a space thatconveys the understated allure of maritime residences. In this setting suspended somewhere between Mediterranean charm and the calm of English city life, Atlas Concorde's concrete-effect porcelain tiles were selected to adorn the villa's outdoor spaces.Thanks to the outdoor tiles of Atlas Concorde, the patio and pool area blend the nature, elegance, and freshness typical of the architectural style of southern Europe. White, the tone used for the floors, is also a clear reference to traditional Mediterranean houses where the delicacy of the sea breeze can be enjoyed.The expressiveness of the concrete look clads the outdoor areas of the home with sophisticated elegance by combining technical performance and aesthetic sophistication. The concrete effect is stripped of its typically industrial look to decorate the space with a unique material capable of being the perfect extension of the indoor spaces.The versatility of the concrete-effect tiles, thanks in part to their 20 mm thickness specifically intended for outdoor use, guarantees a product that is safe, weather-resistant, and easy to clean. In some specific settings such as the outdoors, the tiles must not only be beautiful but they also must have technical and application characteristics that limit the risks of falls and slips. Precisely for this reason, non-slip Atlas Concorde floor tiles have proved critical and made it possible to create continuity between spaces that have different purposes and characteristics.The end result is a space marked by an understated, elegant, and bright style where an absolute sense of lightness prevails. An inspiration that offers relaxation and wellbeing for an extremely refined style in perfect harmony with nature.

Washroom delivered new washroom areas on all levels of this refurbished office building - drawing on a range of high-tech man-made materials including lightweight cast concrete to create a unique, contemporary space which hints at the industrial history of the building. Its full height Alto FENIX toilet cubicles were specified in a crisp white colour to contrast with the grey and stone coloured concrete vanities. FENIX is manufactured in Italy by Arpa Industriale using the latest nano-technology to create a highly durable, tough acrylic resin surface with a host of high-performance properties.

Chateau Denmark represents a new concept in hospitality venues, offering an eclectic place to stay in the home of British rock music- Denmark Street London.For the design team of Taylor Howes working with CAW Ventures, the challenge has been to create interiors that paid homage to the innovation, history and drama of the location- where the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and the Sex Pistols all hung out.The team had to bring cohesion across 55 rooms and apartments over 16 buildings, some of which are listed. Thus, four design narratives across 11 base build designs were conceived to reflect the heritage and rebellion of the properties and their surroundings.To achieve the industrial rawness that is the essence of the Loft build design, Armourcoat’s Concrete Effect panels were specified. The deconstructed look and tactile surface of the panels achieves the unfinished, textured appearance of shuttered concrete in an easy to install, lightweight format.The Concrete Effect panels bring a distinctive industrial style to the interior, with their inclusion of distressed effects and shutter markings. They form part of Armourcoat’s range of three-dimensional castings, alongside stone effect, hand-applied and sculptured artwork cast panels."Chateau Denmark is ultimately about being bold and fierce- and of course materials play an important role in conveying that sentiment. For a number of our rooms and apartments, the Armourcoat concrete effect panels have contributed to a rugged rawness, establishing a unique aesthetic that helps bring together an industrial and utilitarian feel." - Carrie Wicks, Director at Chateau Denmark

The Beckett, a new retirement village close to the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells, in Kent, comprises three luxury apartment buildings of three, four and six storeys. The contemporary design provides 89 quality appointed apartments with a landscaped garden, all arranged around full-height atriums, allowing natural light to reach the centre of the buildings. The upper floors are set back, providing generous terrace areas which include a ‘sky lounge‘. All three buildings are concrete frame and as with any reinforced concrete slab design, The Beckett is at risk of punching shear failure, which traditionally has been resolved by adding further concrete, such as downstand beams, or localised thickened column heads. However these require complex formwork and significantly reduce the benefits offered by the flat slab design. The Schöck Bole shear rail system counters any punching shear risk and is cost-effective and significantly faster than traditional loose links – as much as four times faster in fact. This is because when using traditional links it involves far more ties to the reinforcement matt than when using the Schöck Bole. The ready-to-install reinforcement element consists of double-headed studs with spacing bars to ensure correct positioning. Two spacer bars are welded to the vertical studs, which ensure the correct distance between uprights and the forged stud heads guarantee a perfect finishing bond with the concrete. The dramatically reduced fixing time far outweighs any additional material costs that may be involved with a prefabricated system.  

With the success of Media City, Manchester has now become the Media Centre of the UK and the best place to study for a job in TV, Film and Radio.Manchester Metropolitan University has built a brand new Media Facility with industry standard studios to allow them to teach students in the highest quality spaces.Our local branch was employed to design, supply and install the concrete floating floors for 12 studios.The 100 mm thick concrete floating floors supported the drylining walls and ceilings to create box-in-box constructions with very high standards of sound insulation.The 50 mm void beneath the 100 mm concrete floating floors was created using Stravifloor Channel isolation rails and the voids were vented to avoid the trapped air layer reducing the isolation performance.Most of the studios were supported off stiff structural slabs with a natural frequency of >10Hz and the specification for the bearings was given as <8Hz.One of the studios, however, was supported off a supporting slab with a natural frequency of 6Hz and the specification for the bearings was changed to 12Hz in this studio to avoid structural vibration amplification.

This site is within what was originally the estate of a large house, known as Longhurst, in south Belfast. It has now been divided into several large residential properties with views across Lagan Valley Regional Park.McGonigle McGarth Architects contacted KEIM Mineral Paints because they wanted to use a breathable mineral paint, applied onto bare concrete and render. On any new build project, McGonigle McGarth Architects use KEIM to allow the mineral paint to penetrate into the unpainted surface and creating a chemical bond that acts to both keeping water out but allows water vapour to pass through. Tony Carter, Senior Sales Executive of KEIM Mineral Paints, visited Longhurst and recommended using KEIM Granital onto the render to provide an opaque finish, along with KEIM Concretal Lasur, a low pigmentation colour wash that acts as a stain, onto the smooth surface to maintain the look and feel of concrete.This project has been shortlisted for the Royal Society of Ulster Architects Awards 2024. The winner will be announced on 9th May 2024.

The renovation of a vinyl sports floor represented a saving of around 50% against the cost of a new floor and was completed in just five days. Working through deep cleaning, wet sanding, removing the sanded slurry from the floor and then neutralising with clean water, the surface was ready for the first coat of Bona Pure Colour to the centre section. Two coats of each colour were applied, followed by sports lines and a final transparent coat to seal the surface. The Bona Floor Care Program renovates and totally transforms the floor with new colours and graphics.

The 80 Charlotte Street buildings were designed by Make Architects. 80 Charlotte Street is the largest building at 323,000 sq ft. The two other buildings total 12,000 sq ft of retail areas and 45,000 sq ft of residential space. The development, which began in 2011, is set to be completed in 2019. Arup is the anchor tenant for the new development and will take approx. 41% of the main building for new office spaces. Effisus Pre-Fab Profiles was used to seal connections on the façade system assuring watertight and airtight façade connections.

Howe Green designed and supplied made-to-measure tree pit covers for a new social dining experience - The Winter Garden at Bluewater. The bespoke panels and frames facilitate access to the root chamber and make maintenance of the highly valuable trees straightforward. The covers were made from 304-grade stainless steel. Each tree pit was manufactured to individual size requirements and to accommodate light fittings. They were supplied with a double-seal to prevent dirt ingress which also helps protect the tree and keep the soil free from contamination.

Aintree Racecourse is located in Sefton, Merseyside. The racecourse is best known for hosting the Grand National steeplechase. The grandstand was suffering badly from water ingress to the areas below due to the floor coatings and joint seals which had degraded over years of exposure to the elements. Koster flooring systems were specified to provide a long-term solution to the exposed areas, providing a decorative, slip-resistant finish suitable for UV exposure and the weather conditions faced in the UK. The completed area is the perfect spot to enjoy the worlds’ biggest horse race in 2021 and beyond.

The beautiful Longleat house is situated on a 1,000 acre area of land near the towns of Warminster, in Wiltshire, and Frome, in Somerset. The house today is widely regarded as one of the best examples of high Elizabethan architecture in Britain and one of the most beautiful stately homes open to the public. Substantially completed by 1580 and now occupied by the 7th Marquess of Bath this incredible house has been called home by 15 generations of the Thynne family. Lorient supplied Batwing® acoustic + smoke seals and BW502 intumescent fire, smoke and draft gaskets to this stately home.

The London Olympics Aquatics Centre has been given a watertight seal with the application of Preprufe® waterproofing membrane from GCP Applied Technologies. GCP was able to meet the architects’ full requirements combining the Preprufe® comprehensive waterproofing and gas protection with a range of fully compatible pre-applied and post-applied membrane systems. The specification of the Preprufe® waterproofing system has ensured that after the Olympic games, the facility will continue to benefit from long term waterproofing and gas protection performance befitting of the Olympics Legacy. Find out more.

The £27 million Art and Design Academy is the first phase of John Moores University campus masterplan. Rick Mather Architects specified 32 Stainless Steel Howe Green access covers, ranging from the 7500 Series to the 1050 Series, to enable easy and safe access to underfloor services in a number of locations. The panels were individually manufactured to match the size of the Charcon Appalachian stone floor slabs and to blend seamlessly with the surroundings. Featuring double seals, the access covers meet the highest standards of hygiene and security as well as being corrosion and maintenance-free.

Howe Green manufactured over 100 Visedge Floor Access Covers for Bristol’s £430million state-of-the-art Southmead Hospital. A heavy duty and tamper-resistant solution was required to provide access to underfloor drainage systems. Developed for use within flexible sheet flooring systems and supplied with a double seal Howe Green’s Visedge Covers offered the highest standards of hygiene and security, ideal for a hospital environment. A number of 7500 Series Stainless Steel Access Covers were also required for installation in the grounds, where a heavier loading was required.

The Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford underwent a £61 million renovation scheme to meet the needs of modern institutions. BAM Construction specified a number of Howe Green’s 7500 Series Medium Floor Access Covers to provide high performance and discrete access to data cabling concealed beneath flooring in the museum. Installed in internal areas, the covers are capable of tolerating heavy pedestrian traffic and were designed to be infilled with a floor finish to match the surrounding area. The covers were manufactured in stainless steel to resist rust and corrosion and double sealed for optimal hygiene.

London Wall Place is a new development, with more than 500.000m2, located in the heart of London, between Moorgate and Barbican. This development is comprised by two commercial buildings and will add a large green area to the city. The largest building has about 300.000m2 and rises to a height of 12 floors, and the remaining building, with about 12.000m2, has 16 floors. For this project’s façade weatherproofing, three Effisus solutions were used: Effisus VAP (vapour barrier), Effisus Breather+ (breathable membrane) and Effisus 2Bond DS (double-sided solution for sealing between two surfaces).

The Profiline F30/F30 Plus/F60 is a fire resistant 3-part folding wooden ladder. It’s a ready to fit unit with a trapdoor and hatch box with an all-round rubber seal. The F30 is fire resistant tested from the underside, the F30 Plus from above and below and the F60 from below. It is simple to use and when folded away sits on top of the trapdoor. Supplied complete with a handrail, rubber feet and white cover strips to fix onto the hatch box edges. It has a turn latch locking mechanism operated by a wooden pole.

Over 100,000 Ancon Rebar Couplers were used to support the concrete of one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world. Reinforcing bars which strengthen the concrete deck, towers and end piers had to be reliably, mechanically connected end to end throughout the structure. To perform this hidden, but vital structural task, Bartec Plus Parallel Threaded Couplers were selected from the comprehensive Ancon range. Various types and sizes, to match rebar diameters from 12-40mm, were supplied, with the three largest sizes being used to join reinforcement running the full height of the three 680ft support towers.

This project combines SuDS bound permeable paving with the most up to date methods of construction in BS 7533-101 and a variety of build-ups over varying substrates including structural concrete, permeable concrete, made up ground and attenuation crates.The Steintec tuffflow system of permeable bedding and jointing mortars was used to construct a SuDS permeable, bound/rigid pavement. The system allows the designer to capitlize on the low maintenance, high durability of a BS structurally compliant bound/rigid public realm pavement, while avoiding the disadvantages of loose bedding and jointing aggregates used in conventional SuDS pavement construction.

Christ Church URC in Chelmsford, Essex provides a hub for the whole community, hosting mother and toddler groups, social meetings and youth based events as well as traditional religious services. The church’s brick-clad structure includes exposed concrete columns which were showing signs of deterioration due to carbonation together with other factors causing the steel reinforcement to corrode and the surface to crack and spall, leaving the reinforcement bar exposed in areas.Sika supplied the long-term concrete repair and protection solution for a church façade which had displayed signs of deterioration due to long-term exposure to air pollutants.

Working together with in-house joinery division, Cre8 Joinery Solutions, Washroom created new washrooms using a mix of different materials including dark wood veneer, concrete and bronze. The long trough shaped and wall-mounted, floating Arpeggio cast concrete vanity units in a traditional dark grey shade, reflect the industrial inspiration of the design, with the addition of black power-coated taps and soap holders providing a contemporary twist. The Cre8 joinery team delivered the bespoke lift lobby panels faced in exactly the same dark oak dyed veneer used on the full height Alto toilet cubicles installed in the washrooms.

These contemporary new washrooms feature a mix of concrete and Fenix laminate which both add depth to the industrial chic deign. Our full height Alto FENIX toilet cubicles were specified in a deep blue colour with bespoke mouldings and brass effect hardware. As well as being ultra matt and soft to the touch, Fenix laminate also brings with it numerous high-performance benefits including being impact resistant, hydro repellent and thermally self-healing. Complementing the cubicles are the bespoke concrete vanities which we manufactured complete with circular ceramic countertop sinks matching the circular mirrors and pendant lighting above.