"parking"

Helo is delighted to announce the completion of two professional steam rooms at the Dorchester Hotel Spa, London. Helo was extremely proud to be chosen to design and build, these beautiful steam rooms at the recently refurbished, prestigious Dorchester Hotel in London’s Park Lane.

Versapanel®, Euroform’s cement particle board, has been specified for its acoustic properties as a roofing system component for what is set to be one of the UK’s largest film and TV studios, Shinfield Studios, at the Thames Valley Science Park.

The Bee House at Abingdon's Milton Park is Oxfordshire's largest multi-purpose collaborative workspace. With a large variety of private office suites, skype booths, nooks, and breakout areas the Bee House provides flexible space for businesses to spread their wings.

Coventry Station UpgradeStreet furniture | Railway seatingPlatform seatingLocation: CoventryCoventry Rail Station introduced some Townscape CT Block Seats as part of a multi million £ upgrade.The new railway station building and multi-storey car park is open, buses can now use the interchange on Warwick Road which is accessed via a tunnel under Warwick Road.As the existing railway station is Grade II listed, which means there is limited scope for creating additional capacity within the existing station building, the Coventry Station Masterplan project was developed to deliver new infrastructure to meet current and projected future passenger growth. Using funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal, £82million was used to improve accessibility and capacity.The new station building will house up to five retail units and has passenger facilities including new waiting rooms, toilets and ticket machines. The new multi-storey car park has been constructed above the new station building with integrated lift access from the car park to station level. The upgraded facilities include Townscape CT Block Seats with Hardwood Deck Seat Tops to provide additional seating to the busy Rail/Bus/Taxi interchange. The Contractor was Buckingham Group.

A highly sustainable Education & Visitor Centre is nearing completion alongside a historic landmark in a south London park, with the fit out including the installation of stainless steel sinks, work-surfaces and shelving units, supplied and installed by sector specialist, GEC Anderson. 

This £8.3m building is used by London’s Royal Opera House to build scenery for its elaborate ballet and operatic performances. Located at the £60m High House Production Park, in Purfleet, which opened at the end of 2010, the workshop boasts outstanding green credentials.

Almost four years on we look back at a distinctive Manchester tram stop within a landscaped park setting that boasts a ‘living wall’ of plants and wildflowers surrounded by extensive landscaping, offering a calm and peaceful environment for passengers who are waiting for the tram.

Project: South West Lands, Wembley Park 3ALocation: London WembleyProduct: Aluminium Copings System, Cassette Discrete Fix Panels, Colum Casings and various flashingsArchitect: White Ink ArchitectsContractor: McAleer & Rushe Ltd.

The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (Housing) commissioned landscape architects re-form of Leeds in 2013 to develop designs for an urban linear park which would ultimately form part of a multi-million-pound redevelopment of a rundown Bradford neighbourhood.

This month, Falco began a new roll-out of the UK’s leading smart bike hangar design with integrated mobile app access for Brighton & Hove City Council, adding a further 40 hangars across the city.The first 100 FalcoPod bike hangars have already been installed, providing 600 cyclists across the city with a secure dedicated cycle parking space, directly accessible from their own smartphone.The new roll-out of 40 hangars will increase capacity by a further 200 cyclists, providing a city wide network of 800 secure cycle parking spaces. Each futuristic bike hangar - the first of its kind in the UK, provides Brighton residents with quick and easy accessibility via the users smartphone. The user simply downloads the app, registers for a space, is granted accessibility via the back office and then can access their chosen hangar within seconds. For users without a smartphone, a physical key can be supplied instead.The images attached show the new smart residential bike hangar installations, supplied with bespoke Brighton & Hove City Council branding graphics, installed across Brighton at locations including Balfour Road, Ewhurst Road, Ewhurst Road, Palmeria Square and Waterloo Street.As well as manufacture and installation, Falco is also providing a fully managed service with both app and key rental management for the residents and bike hangar maintenance on behalf of the Brighton & Hove City Council Highways and Infrastructure team.The Falco Rentals website enables Brighton residents to look for free spaces in the bike hangar network, book an available space and pay online, all in one place. The Falco Rentals website also provides a useful video along with other ideas and tips on safely looking after a bike.In addition to the Bike Hangars for Brighton & Hove City Council shown here, Falco also provide a fully managed service of Bike Hangars for a number of other Council’s across the UK including; London Borough Southwark, London Borough of Camden, London Borough of Merton, Bath and North East Somerset Council and Sheffield City Council.The smart FalcoPod bike hangar as shown here in Brighton, is a simple and effective cycle parking facility designed to meet the needs of cyclists who don’t have access to private cycle parking facilities. Operating like a giant bread bin, each hangar is a secure and lockable unit capable of accommodating up to six bikes each.For more information about the FalcoPod Bike Hangar, the FalcoPod Bike Hangar service or your cycle parking scheme, please contact our helpful sales team on 01538 380080. 

Continuing with the roll-out of secure cycle parking facilities to the sites operated by Barts Health NHS Trust, Falco has recently installed a bespoke cycle hub at the Royal London Hospital, based on the UK’s leading FalcoHub cycle hub design.Boasting in excess of 160 cycle parking spaces using the FalcoLevel-Eco two-tier cycle parking rack, the new cycle hub provides patients, visitors and staff members with everything they need in order to visit the hospital by bike.In addition to the cycle racks, the new 18m x 6m cycle hub has also been clad with reinforced safety glass with bespoke St Barts Health Trust branding graphics, LED lighting and a secure access system.The attractive cycle hub has been installed on Newark Street, located to the west of the main building next to clinics two and three.Two key products of this scheme include the UK’s leading FalcoHub cycle hub coupled with the high density FalcoLevel-Premium-Eco two-tier cycle rack and when combined together create the ultimate secure cycle parking facility, providing cyclists with high levels of cycle safety in a spacious and contemporary hub design.The two-tier cycle racks are housed in a bespoke contemporary design of the classic Falco Cycle Hub shelter, which features clean lines through the glass cladding supported by stainless steel glass clamps. The whole shelter is hot dip galvanised to BS EN ISO 1461 but also meets UK structural design laws with EN 1090 accreditation. Rainwater is collected via innovative integral gutters as part of the roof system and a bespoke bund ensure that the cycle hub is weather proof!The Royal London Hospital is just one of numerous NHS hospitals Falco has provided cycle parking infrastructure to UK-wide this year alone. Other recent examples include cycle hubs for St Bartholomew's Hospital, Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital in Bradford, Basildon and Southend University Hospital, a bespoke cycle hub for Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee, a trio of cycle hubs for NHS Grampian hospitals in Aberdeen, FalcoCrea cycle lockers for NHS Forth Valley in Falkirk, two cycle stores for NHS Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, cycle racks for Royal Berkshire NHS hospital in Reading and a flagship FalcoHub for Newham University Hospital in London.For more information about the scheme here at Royal London Hospital or how Falco can assist your street furniture scheme, please contact our helpful sales team on 01538 380080.

This is the latest cycle hub designed, manufactured, supplied and installed at the new Salford Royal Greater Manchester Major Trauma Hospital, located at the heart of the Salford Royal Pendleton site.Based on the flagship FalcoLok design, the 5m x 4m glass clad cycle hub is coupled with the FalcoLevel-Eco two-tier cycle parking system, providing secure parking for up to twenty bikes.Back In 2020, Falco installed a large hub at Salford Royal to accommodate 20 cycles with FalcoLevel-Premium+ two-tier racks. In May 2022, Falco were asked to visit Turnpike House by the same client to look at installing a secure shelter that wasn’t too imposing in height and size. The shelter was for staff to replace an old tired flat roof structure. In September last year, the hospital required a further 3m x 3m cycle hub to cope with increasing demand for secure cycle parking. The cycle hub shown here is the fourth to be commissioned by the hospital and to keep the same theme as the previous three sites, Falco used the same mechanical code lock and 11.5mm toughened laminated heat soaked glass in glass clamps, then customized the graphics to match, providing a coherent series of cycle parking across the Salford Royal site. The steelwork of the cycle hub was powder coated in the same attractive NHS blue RAL colour.The whole shelter is a bespoke contemporary design of the classic FalcoHub shelter, which features clean lines through the glass cladding and supported by stainless steel glass clamps. The steelwork is hot dip galvanised to BS EN ISO 1461 and also meets UK structural design laws with EN 1090 accreditation. Rainwater is collected via innovative integral gutters as part of the roof system and a bespoke bund ensure that the cycle hub is weather proof!In addition to the cycle hub shown here for Royal Salford, Falco has also recently installed cycle hubs for many locations across the UK including Fairfield General Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, Stromness Travel Centre in the Orkney Islands, Crewe, Runcorn, Birmingham International, Warrington Bank Quay and Carlisle station for Avanti West Coast, Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation, The Royal Oldham Hospital for Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School in Dundee and a bespoke cycle hub for Leicester City Council.For more information about the project here at Salford Royal or how Falco can assist your cycle parking scheme, please contact our helpful sales team on 01538 380080.

Community play areas play a crucial role in promoting physical activity, creativity, and social interaction among children. Ensuring the safety and comfort of young adventurers is paramount, which is why the Balivanich Community Play Park took a significant step by choosing to install green rubber mulch around their play area. In this case study, we will explore the process and benefits of this innovative installation, highlighting the positive impact it has had on the community and its children.The Balivanich Community Play Park, located on the Isle of Benbecula, recognised the need for significant improvements to ensure user safety. The existing play area surface was outdated and required constant maintenance due to material migration. After careful consideration and consultation with the community, the decision was made to install rubber mulch as a safety-focused, sustainable, and low-maintenance solution.The community group chose PH Landscape Contracting Ltd, a trusted local landscaping company, to install the rubber mulch. The installation process began with the removal of the existing surface and meticulous groundwork preparation, including creating a sub-base and secure edge for the mulch. The rubber mulch was mixed with resin binder using a forced action mixer and then applied using a spazzle before the surface was hand-troweled to create a seamless finish, ensuring a safe and visually appealing play area.The installation of green rubber mulch brought numerous benefits to the Balivanich Community Play Park. Firstly, it significantly reduced the risk of fall-related injuries, providing a cushioned surface that absorbs impact. The accessibility of the play area was also improved, allowing anyone with mobility challenges to enjoy the space comfortably. The mulch's resistance to weather elements ensured year-round usage and reduced the need for frequent maintenance. Additionally, the non-slip surface provided stability for running, jumping, and playing, promoting a safe and enjoyable experience for children.The rejuvenation of the play area with rubber mulch received an overwhelmingly positive response from residents, parents, and children. The commitment to safety and the peace of mind it provided were highly appreciated. The transformed space became a hub of excitement and enjoyment, fostering community cohesion and providing a vibrant environment for children to thrive.Balivanich Community Play Park: "We are very happy with our new rubber mulch surfacing. Thank you to Peter Holland of P.H Landscape Contracting Ltd for the installation. Job well done."Peter Holland - P.H Landscape Contracting Ltd: "It is great to see the park back in use. I look forward to taking the little man there. We were very happy to get the opportunity to do the project and our experience with GGL Products was very positive and helpful."The installation of green rubber mulch at the Balivanich Community Play Park has successfully transformed an outdated and high-maintenance play area into a safe, inclusive, and visually appealing environment. This case study emphasises the importance of investing in sustainable and safety-focused solutions to enhance community spaces across the UK. The collaboration between the community group and PH Landscape Contracting showcases the positive impact of such projects, creating a lasting legacy for the benefit of local children and families.

Brighton and Sussex University approached us to provide cycle parking in the brand new Northfield student accommodation campus. The limited space required an innovative solution which had to suit the conservation area, provide security for bicycles and fit the ecological ethos of the University.

July saw us complete various projects, but the ones that stand out for us, are the preventative highways maintenance work for Leicester City Council and the hard landscaping of some communal gardens, a car park and a cycle lane for a new housing development in Ashford, Kent.

Brighton and Sussex University approached us to provide cycle parking in the brand new Northfield student accommodation campus. The limited space required an innovative solution which had to suit the conservation area, provide security for bicycles and fit the ecological ethos of the University.

Bespoke graphic working of the glazed partitions formed part of the interior conservation philosophy by acclaimed architects Page Park, who were awarded the project to breath new energy into St. Cecilia's Hall - part of University of Edinburgh's concert hall and music museum

The Old Brewery in Salisbury, which was historically known as ‘Milford Street Brewery’ has been restored.  The new residential development includes a selection of contemporary homes and retail units. The overall aim was to revive The Old Brewery, whilst maintaining respect for the listed and historical buildings which dated back to the 15th century.  The area includes a number of pedestrian walkways and parking bays for residents. Tobermore worked closely with the project architects, providing complimentary design visualisations for the scheme. The free design service was well received and assisted with the final product selection.   Tobermore’s vintage themed Tegula block paving in Charcoal was chosen as the primary hard landscaping material. The product’s antique appearance helped to maintain the historic nature of the location, offering an aged yet traditional style finish. Due to its durability, Tegula was suitable for both the walkways and parking bays. 

New Stratford Works is a collection of 154 homes featuring one, two and three-bedroom apartments and three and four-bedroom Garden and Sky Villas. Providing private, affordable rent and shared ownership properties, along with two commercial spaces and a linear park which forms the central spine of the development, fronting onto the new woodland designed Linear Park. This development forms part of the major post-Olympic regeneration masterplan for the London Borough of Newham, with Elizabeth Line that gives access to central London within 45 minutes.Cellecta’s ScreedBoard 20 was specified by PRP as it is the ideal overlay floorboard for acoustic application incorporating underfloor heating applications due to its low thermal resistance enables the system to run more efficiently, saving on running costs and improving reaction times.Higgins Homes was awarded this 14,000m² contract for this development in London.

THE BRIEFSecure bike parking facilitiesLangley Design worked with WeBlack Ltd on the William Morris Close housing project in Oxford to manufacture and install a number of our timber enclosed sedum cycle shelters.As a leading provider of timber enclosed units, we were pleased to be able to offer our services on this project to provide secure parking facilities for the residents. WHAT WE DIDCarbon footprint offsettingThe green roofs on the cycle shelters help the structure blend into the landscape and offsets some of the carbon footprint created by the site with the roofing system being supported by a robust structure made with structural grade Class 4 timber. THE RESULTCompliment the landscapeWe also provided our Langley benches manufactured in Hardwood Iroko timber with galvanised and powder coated flat legs. The combination of these premium materials were chosen to complement the newly landscaped areas.

This Hotel is a 73 bed seafront Travelodge Hotel that was developed as part of Denbighshire County Council’s Waterfront Regeneration programme for Rhyl. Constructed on the site of the East Parade car park near the former Sun Centre, the three-storey timber-framed hotel has a render finish. It includes four accessible rooms, a ground floor reception, a bar, a breakfast restaurant area, and an onsite car park. This is the first hotel at Rhyl Beach, the company’s 576th Travelodge, and the company’s 27th hotel in Wales.Cellecta DECKfon 26T was specified by Ion Developments due to it being the ideal acoustic overlay treatment to improve the performance of the original structural timber decked floor. The tongue and groove on the floorboard make it quick and easy to install, saving time and money.Wynne Construction was awarded this 1,400m² contract to construct this hotel in North Wales.

Location: LondonMain Contractor: Berkeley GroupLocated on the banks of the River Lea, Poplar Riverside by Berkeley Group is set to become one of East London’s most vibrant neighbourhoods.It will feature over 2,800 new homes, a new 2.5 acre park and world-class resident facilities, including a commercial gym, a relaxing spa, and a public piazza for community events.As part of the façade package, OCL Façades installed the OBEX Class B Interface Sealing Membrane system, as specified for this project.Landmark Brickwork Ltd also installed the same system, namely 0500FR Class B Interface Sealing Membrane, complete with 0771FR Class B Paste Adhesive, ensuring that this development has the ultimate fully compliant, fully tested, façade interface sealing system.New Apartments: 2700Riverside Park: 2.5 AcresResidents Facilities: 16,000 Square Feet

Automatic Barriers with LED strip Traffic Lights on boom. Frontier Pitts now manufacture automatic security car park barriers with LED strip traffic lights to signal when the barriers are lowered and traffic should stop and then green and barriers raised to indicate when to proceed

Aston Villa's current home venue is Villa Park, which is a UEFA 5-star rated stadium and the largest football stadium in the English Midlands, and the eighth largest stadium in England. Lorient supplied LVN20S intumescent air transfer grilles and talkback damper control systems.

This is the latest cycle hub designed, manufactured, supplied and installed by Falco, at Guernsey’s largest law firm, Carey Olsen, located in the small town of St Peter Port, on the east coast of the island.Based on the flagship FalcoLok design, the 8m x 4.5m glass clad cycle hub is coupled with the FalcoLevel-Eco two-tier cycle parking system, providing secure parking for up to forty bikes.In addition to the cycle racks, Falco installed four LED vandal proof lighting systems, complete with proximity sensor, along with a maglock featuring the FalcoSmart Bluetooth access system.The new cycle hub makes use of the FalcoSmart app-based locking system, which uses Bluetooth technology to activate the locking mechanism from the users smart phone or tablet, with the benefit that they no longer need to carry keys or fobs. Employees are able to apply for access to the hub via Carey Olsen and having downloaded the ‘App’ are given access rights to the cycle hub for a period of time depending on their requirement.The system has a fully automated back office enabling the administrator to register new locks for new locations as well as adding new users and creating groups and assigning rights. A huge benefit to the law firm is that they are able for the first time ever to assess usage of a cycle parking facility, directly from the back-office app information.The cycle hub was developed by Falco’s in house design team to ensure it met the client’s specification including structural calculations to meet the EN 1090 CPR requirements of UK law.In addition to the cycle hub shown here for Carey Olsen, all Falco cycle hubs can also incorporate a world of features including; smart LED lighting, green sedum roofs, CCTV and Help Point facilities as well as numerous other cost-effective features for the cyclist such as lock holders, helmet lockers, seating and bike repair facilities.For more information regarding the cycle hub scheme at Walkden Station or any other product from our cycle parking and shelter portfolio, please contact our helpful sales team on 01538 380080.

This is the new FalcoScandic cycle hub Falco designed, manufactured, supplied and installed at West Midlands Railway’s Wolverhampton Interchange Station, forming part of a city award winning £150million Interchange development, delivering improvements to bus, tram, train and cycle connectivity.The new state-of-the-art cycle hub design, featuring no internal support posts to maximise the yield of cycle parking spaces, provides secure, dedicated, spaces for up to 100 bikes using the FalcoLevel-Premium+ two-tier cycle parking system.Installed this winter, the new 14m x 6m cycle hub includes the following features and benefits:Supportless internal structureAutomatic sliding doorInternal cycle parking for 92 bikes using the FalcoLevel-Premium+ two-tier systemInternal cycle parking for up to five non standard / cargo bikesExternal glass roof cycle canopyEight external FalcoCam cycle stands to accommodate 16 bikesFob Reader access control systemEnergy efficient LED lightingBespoke branding vinyl graphicsFalcoFix cycle repair stationCCTV securityPowder coated steelworkSpeaking of the new cycle hub addition, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Economy, councillor Stephen Simkins, said: “The Interchange is a jewel in the crown of our city and part of the multi billion pound regeneration that is taking place.“The new cycle hub will give people more options and encourages this healthy, clean and green form of transport.“As a city we are committed to improving our infrastructure for more sustainable transport and this scheme complements our ongoing work to improve and grow our cycling network and support our climate change agenda.“The completed Interchange will connect train, tram, bus and cycles in one place and will provide a gateway to our city that we can all enjoy using - and be proud of.”The images attached show the new cycle hub installation, conveniently located next to the station entrance, near the pedestrian footbridge to the city centre.

Officially opened in September 2023, Allscott Meads Primary School is primed to become a community hub for the residents of the Telford area.Built on the former Sugar Beet factory site, the new school has capacity for 150 students aged 3-11 and comprises 6 classrooms, a sports hall, kitchen, staff room, storage rooms, offices for 1-1 teaching support and interviews. The grounds of the school also contain an impressive 1.1 acre sports field and hard-surfaced sports court, as well as 40 bike spaces and car parking for staff and visitors. Tegula and Tegula Duo Block Paving were used to create a warm, inviting feel to the external landscaping on this project.  The ChallengeAesthetically pleasing paving options were required to establish a welcoming entrance to the Telford community hub.Following the deterioration of the Sugar Beet Factory that once stood on the site, the vision for Allscott Meads was to create a modern school in a beautiful setting, that would become a hub at the heart of the community. To reach a wide demographic, creating an inviting space was imperative and the use of warm tones were requested for the paving. A retaining wall solution for a small area to one side of the building was necessary to optimise space for parking in a manner that would elevate aesthetic appeal.The SolutionHydropave Tegula Cedar and Bracken were used to compliment the modern building. To create a space where students could flourish and thrive, it was important for the area to feel modern but welcoming. Hydropave Tegula 240 and Hydropave Tegula Duo Block Paving in the homely colours of Cedar and Bracken were ideal products to realise a traditional, warm feel.To reduce flooding and remove harmful pollutants, a sustainable drainage system was implemented through use of Tobermore’s Hydropave products. All walkways and car parking areas were paved, with delineation added so that specific areas were clearly visible. Secura Grand facilitated a seamless, tiered retaining wall solution that enabled additional parking to be added to the grounds, simultaneously increasing aesthetic appeal.

Amstel Tower: 192 apartments, 168m2 retail space and a hotel with 186 rooms run by Meininger. With an underground parking garage with 171 spaces and on the ground floor two catering establishments, it is a spectacular building with a great view of the river Amstel and the city centre. It is described as an asset to the Amsterdam skyline.

The FA wanted only the best for its highest-profile ‘social pitch’ at St George’s Park, its new centre of excellence in Staffordshire, opened in October 2012 by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – FA President Prince William wife, Kate.The fence at Pitch No 2, the David Beckham Pitch, needed to take sponsorship and branding and keep rattle and noise to a minimum. The FA also wanted to fit in with the landscaping of the National Forest in which the centre sits.The SolutionThe system had to be in keeping with the environment – even down to surfacing the pitch surrounding the same golden colour as the car parks. In addition, it needed to limit noise impact on neighbours and cause minimal disruption to pitch use during installation as the fencing went in after the pitch.They chose a quality system that will last on this high-usage pitch at heights of 2m and 5m with EPDM inserts to insulate the fence panels from the posts to reduce noise during impacts to 72dB compared with the 93dB of wooden panels.Zaun designed its Super Rebound to take branding and sponsorship signs and fencing to remain robust even in brisk winds when the graphics can threaten to act as a ‘sail’.The installation, which is around a pitch that is primarily used by the public rather than for England training, carriesZaun’s industry-leading 12-year product guarantee.Zaun worked closely with East Staffs Borough Council on planning consent and with the St George’s Park groundsmen and facilities team to complete a tight programme of works on the £105m complex on budget and in time for the royal opening.

Marble Arch is a fascinating structure with an intriguing history. Not to mention its unique location and the fact that it is surrounded by some of the most sought-after and expensive properties in London.Originally designed in the 1820s by John Nash the arch was planned to be used as an entrance to Buckingham Palace. It served this purpose for seventeen years before being removed and rebuilt stone by stone in 1851. It then stood as an entrance to Hyde Park for fifty years before it was completely cut off due to a new road scheme.Not far from this historic monument stands two mixed-use buildings that make up Marble Arch Place. A seventeen-storey high-end residential building, The Bryanston and a seven-storey office building adjacent. Designed by Rafeal Vinoly Architects and constructed by Multiplex, this development cost £261 million and is certainly a sight to behold where Mayfair meets Hyde Park.We worked with the architect to fulfil their design aspirations and supplied them our concealed riser doors throughout the 83,000sq ft office building. They provide a sleek, flush finish in the main office spaces whilst next door, Enigma sliding pocket doors were supplied to the residential building.The 54 apartments have a modern interior with floor-to-ceiling windows to maximise the stunning panoramic views across Hyde Park, Oxford Street and beyond. The vision behind the redevelopment as stated by Almacantar ‘was to transform it into a place that not only re-establishes the majesty of its location – but makes a lasting contribution of its own.’

Helo UK is pleased to announce the completion of a professional Wellness facility for Marriott Hotel, Lingfield, Surrey. The Marriott Hotel and Country Club, situated in the stunning grounds of Lingfield Park,commissioned Helo to design, build and install a state of the art spa to include sauna, steam, rhassoul and treatment rooms.

The Trevor House remediation project in Knightsbridge, London, was completed in partnership with TetraClad as they successfully remediated several key areas of the building. Trevor House is located in Central London just a few minutes’ walk from Hyde Park, and immediately opposite the world’s leading luxury department store, Harrods.

Middlewood Locks is a prestigious 25-acre mixed-use regeneration scheme of Salford’s canal district. The first development phase included the construction of Quarry, an eight-storey building combining ground floor commercial space, luxury apartments and an undercroft car park for residents. It was the insulation for this car park that threw up a challenge for sub-contractor Horbury Building Systems. A complex underdrawing method had been specified, comprising the installation of timber battens, non-combustible mineral wool insulation and a separate soffit insulation over the top. Installation would be extremely labour-intensive, so Horbury Building Systems consulted Knauf Insulation about whether it could provide an alternative that would meet the thermal performance and fire safety requirements, but also be easy to install. Knauf Insulation’s Technical Support Team reviewed the specification and recommended 185mm Rocksilk® Soffit Linerboard Extra to achieve the required 0.18 W/m2K U-value.  Rocksilk® Soffit Linerboard Extra is a Rock Mineral Wool insulation slab bonded to a 6mm off-white weather resistant facing board which provides a two-in-one aesthetic and thermal solution. It has a low thermal conductivity of just 0.034 W/mK and is designed for use as an insulated underlining solution in semi-exposed environments. The off-white cementitious particle board reflects light which makes it ideally suited for use in car parks. As well as thermal performance, Rocksilk® Soffit Linerboard Extra is non-combustible. It has the best possible Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification, so it will not contribute to the development or spread of a fire should it occur. This is important because car parks can contain large quantities of a potential propellant – petrol. So the insulation will help to ensure the fire safety of the rest of the building.   Rocksilk® Soffit Linerboard Extra also has good sound absorption characteristics so it provides high levels of sound reduction. This reduces noise from the car park, minimising disruption for the people living and working in the premises above. As well as meeting the specification, Rocksilk® Soffit Linerboard Extra has been enhanced to add rigidity and is easy to install. The board is simply placed onto the concrete soffit and fixed into position with five drillscrews. This reduced the installation method from three separate phases to just one, saving Horbury Building Systems time and associated labour costs. Stephen Hampshire, Contracts Manager at Horbury Building Systems said: “We found the panels easy to install. Firstly, we marked and drilled the fixing points at bench level. Next, we held the panels in place to the underside of the concrete – although the panels are lightweight ‘this is a two-handed operation’ – then we drilled through and fixed.”  “We took care in lining the panels together when installing it against the soffit and with some minor tweaking up and down we got a nice flush finish.” Being able to align the panels exactly is not only important for ensuring a good finish. It also means that the slabs will butt tightly together, reducing unintended air gaps which can reduce thermal, fire safety and acoustic performance.  The insulation was supplied to the Middlewood Locks construction site by distributor Galaxy Insulation.  Thanks to Knauf Insulation’s Rocksilk® Soffit Linerboard Extra, the underlining of the car park at Middlewood Locks was easy to install, is aesthetically pleasing, and provides complete thermal, fire safety and acoustic performance.

City of London Freemens first opened in Brixton in 1854 for ‘the maintenance and the religious and virtuous education of orphans of Freemen of the City of London’. Paid for by the Corporation of London both boys and girls were enrolled from the outset making it the one of the oldest co-educational independent schools.In 1926 the school moved to Ashtead Park in Surrey. The Grade II* listed Main House at Ashtead Park had been the home of Sir Robert Howard, Chancellor of the Exchequer during the 17th century.In 2016 an ambitious development project was commenced, due to span the next decade. The modernisation of the Main House, now the Sixth Form Centre, involved a redesign of the building and the new layout required fire screens to ensure the building met with current Building Regulations. Clement Windows Group supplied the internal fire rated doors and screens at the top of the adjacent internal stairs which are access controlled and linked into the main fire control of the building.

City of London Freemens first opened in Brixton in 1854 for ‘the maintenance and the religious and virtuous education of orphans of Freemen of the City of London’. Paid for by the Corporation of London both boys and girls were enrolled from the outset making it one of the oldest co-educational independent schools.In 1926 the school moved to Ashtead Park in Surrey. The Grade II* listed Main House at Ashtead Park had been the home of Sir Robert Howard, Chancellor of the Exchequer during the 17th century.In 2016 an ambitious development project was commenced, due to span the next decade. The modernisation of the Main House, now the Sixth Form Centre, involved a redesign of the building and the new layout required fire screens to ensure the building met with current Building Regulations. Clement Windows Group supplied the internal fire rated doors and screens at the top of the adjacent internal stairs which are access controlled and linked into the main fire control of the building.

The project design included a car park solar shading system from Contrasol Ltd. The extruded aluminium profiles form feature solar shading ‘fins’ running vertically on the exterior of the multi-story car park, with galvanized steel plates behind the fins at each floor level to screen car headlights. By using Powdertech’s PWF 020 Wood Finish on the metal the large building could be brought into harmony with its environment, being less visible in the landscape. Unlike wood, PWF will not deteriorate or warp. It is also a benefit for the installer to be working with a homogenous material with good dimensional stability. The colour and gloss retention for Wood Finish is excellent and it will remain looking good for over 25 years with minimal maintenance required. The project in numbers: 9000 metres of 200 x 50mm extruded aluminium profiles 530 pre-galvanized plates, 1m x 1.5 m 7700 fixing brackets 5780 end caps