"mains gas fittings"

Bexley Park Sports and Social Club is home to a wide range of sporting facilities and teams, including bowling, squash, football and rugby. They also have a large function room that is available for hire. Read on to learn how Axter was able to help them with a complete roof refurbishment.Project overviewThe original roof had been on the building for over 40 years. It was coming to the end of its serviceable life and was starting to show signs of aging, such as leaks around the rooflights.Axter were brought in to carry out the roof refurbishment of the main building.Overall, this project ran very smoothly and we were incredibly happy with the result. The writing on the barrel roof was a lovely added touch by our Axtershield Installer partner, Henley’s Roofing Ltd.This case study will focus on the main roof. However, as we will touch on towards the end, the client was so pleased with the work that they decided to go on to refurbish the other three roof areas.ChallengesThis was a complex project for several reasons. Several different parts of the main building had been added over time, so there was a change of level details throughout the roof.Part of the building had a barrel roof section, which added an extra level of complexity to the job.As well as this, there were a few existing features, such as a water tank on the roof surrounded by rotten chipboard, which also had to be taken into consideration when it came to planning installation methods.SolutionsGiven the age of the roof and the defects observed, it was recommended that a full overlay be carried out.As well as the specific roofing considerations, Bexley Park Sports and Social Club were looking to keep within a tight budget. For this reason, the single layer overlay solution worked perfectly to provide a cost-effective option. Our Reinforced Bitumen Membranes (RBM) combine strength with longevity to provide a durable waterproofing system with a 20-year guarantee.The rotten chipboard was removed and replaced with timber cladding. Flame free Starcoat® PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) was used for the sections where it was necessary to eliminate fire risk. This cold-applied liquid system provided a great non-flammable solution.Systems in useExcel®Starcoat® PMMAAdditional works carried outThe client was very impressed with the quality of the work carried out on the main roof, and our ability to provide them with a cost-effective solution. The work came in under budget and they were so pleased with the job that they accelerated the project and decided to refurbish the other three club roofs – something that hadn’t been on the cards before. The initial work had provided them with the peace of mind that everything would go to plan and enhance the building, all with minimal disruption to the club. So we went on to refurbish the squash court, changing rooms and storage room roofs.Condition surveys were taken across all four of the roof areas. The additional roofing areas all needed re-decking as they were incredibly warn from ongoing water ingress.This meant we had to strip down to and remove the existing support structure, before installing a new ply deck, ready for the waterproofing works to go ahead. The changing room roof was pitched, adding an extra complexity to the job, as the shingle had to be replaced.

Cambridge University, Department of Civil EngineeringBauderBLUE STORMcell with BauderSOLAR G LightSynopsisThis new build project in the centre of Cambridge combines a Sustainable urban Drainage Solution (SuDS) with vegetation and renewable energy in a warm roof construction.The client for the Department of Civil Engineering at Cambridge University, R H Partnership, identified sustainability as being a key driver in the design of the roof, but also sought a single source supplier that could provide a guarantee for both workmanship and products. Bauder’s systems range encompasses products to meet all the sustainability objectives, and with our network of approved contractors carrying out the installation, we could offer the comprehensive guarantee that was required.Bauder Building BoardProject:Cambridge University Department of Engineering​Location:CambridgeRoof Area:1610m²Client:University of CambridgeSpecifier:RH Partnership ArchitectsMain Contractor:SDC LimitedApproved Contractor:Voland LimitedThe specificationTo meet the sustainability criteria set out by the client, the Bauder technical team designed a roof system combining an extensive blue roof, a green roof and a solar PV array. The first and most fundamental element of the roof system though is the waterproofing. Bauder Total Green Roof System (BTGRS) was selected as it provides robust and durable waterproofing with a life span in excess of 35 years, as validated by BBA Certificate 10/4744. The Plant E cap sheet has also been tested by the FLL to ensure long term root-resistance, making it ideal for use in conjunction with the BauderSOLAR G LIGHT system. The BauderSOLAR G LIGHT system is a unique way to combine rooftop vegetation with renewable solar energy. The PV panel mounting boards are held in position using the growing medium as ballast, meaning the waterproofing is not penetrated and therefore compromised. The mounting boards incorporate a water retention feature which allows a small amount of excess rainwater to be stored for short periods of time for the various plant species to feed from. The BauderSOLAR G LIGHT system’s unique mounting system lifts the panels above the vegetation allowing the plant life to grow freely and therefore qualify a greater area of the roof as biodiverse.In addition to the BauderSOLAR G LIGHT system, a blue roof was added to the build-up. Blue roofs are sustainable drainage solutions designed to manage stormwater on a flat roof to reduce water runoff rates and ease flash flooding and standing water in built up areas. The BauderBLUE Roof System attenuates water from a flat roof over a 24-hour period via a restrictive flow outlet. Calculations are carried out to determine the rate at which the water should egress the rooftop. This is determined by the local planning authority and is often set as low as 5-8 litres per second per hectare. With these calculations, Bauder can design each flow restrictorto meet the necessary runoff rate. For the Department of Civil Engineering, the main roof area of 1455.5m² required two flow restrictors, each with flow control holes to ensure the specified discharge rate of 0.77 litres per second was achieved. The maximum depth of water the roof is designed for is the H-max. When the water level reaches H-max, it will drain via the emergency overflow pipe. These overflow pipes are set at the same height as the H-max level. On this project the H-max was calculated to be 99mm. Although an unlikely scenario, this provision for a ‘once-in-a-hundred-years’ storm event will ensure that the structural integrity of the building is always preserved.Project challengesThe roof deck was constructed using a pretensioned concrete plank roof structure. Due to the large span of these planks, the dead load weight to the roof would be restricted. This being a blue roof with green landscaping and PV (a reasonably heavy build up), presented the issue of balancing the need of the roof design and the weight restriction of the supporting structure. To add to this challenging scenario, the pretensioned deck did not provide a completely flat finish. When installing a blue roof, a flat deck with no positive or negative falls is essential, as detailed in the 2018 update of BS 6229 – Flat roofs with continuously supported flexible waterproof coverings. To overcome this onsite challenge,the final deflection of the fully loaded roof was calculated and the concrete deck was screeded to give a flat finish.The resultBauder believes this project to be one of the first of its type in the UK to bring together so many rooftop systems in one space. Project management and clear communication was paramount in order to ensure a smooth installation. The Bauder project team consisted of green roof and solar PV product managers, area technical manager, technical design team, site technicians and approved installers for the waterproofing.With all the different elements being installed, green roof and solar PV product managers worked with our technical team to design the best possible PV array configuration for optimum energy generation whilst also qualifying for the maximum biodiverse area.Bauder site technicians worked closely with Bauder approved contractors, Voland Asphalte Ltd, to ensure works were kept to schedule and that a high quality of workmanship was maintained throughout.To ensure the landscaping is maintained, irrigation was installed by Access Irrigation Ltd. The system, Permadrip Pro, is a drip line irrigation system with anti-syphon design to resist clogging and pressure regulation. Due to the specialist nature of the irrigation system, Access Irrigation Ltd provided a bespoke design service.The result of this network of expertise was a multi-faceted support service for the client, specifier, main contractor and roofing and PV installers. System installedBauder Total Green Roof System (BTGRS)1 BauderPLANT E 42Green, 5mm torch-on root-resistant capping sheet.2 BauderTEC KSA DUOA self-adhesive, elastomeric, bitumen underlayer. This underlayer was used to ensure thorough sealing of lap joints in low temperatures when the roof was installed.3 BauderPIR FA-TETissue-faced flatboard insulation faced on both sides with aluminium foil to provide efficient thermal output.4 Bauder Super AL-ETorch-on air & vapour control layer. Once installed on the concrete pretensioned plank deck, it can act as a temporary waterproofing layer, allowing internal works to be carried out immediately which was a huge advantage on this new build project.BauderSOLAR G LIGHTThis BauderSOLAR G LIGHT system was a key factor in the specification of the project to meet the sustainability criteria specified by the client. 40 PV units were installed on the main roof area on the Departmentof Engineering. The forecasted energy generated for this arrayin its first year is 9.91MWh with a CO2 saving of 5.242 tonnes/a. BauderBLUE SR-B flow restrictorThe BauderBLUE SR-B flow restrictor is designed to be used in conjunction with a standard Bauder bitumen blue roof vertical outlet DN70. The flow restrictor is comprised of four parts; baseplate, overflow pipe, baseplate inner and baseplate outer seal. The polyamide baseplate fits within the 70mm vertical outlet, with the EPDM outer seal creating a watertight fit. The HDPE Overflow slots into the central hole of the baseplate with an inner EPDM seal preventing any leaks. The baseplate has a number (1-12) of 10mm restrictive flow holes bespoke to the project. The flow restrictor has no moving parts, hugely reducing the need for maintenance or risk of failure.

The Carnaby Street Living Wall, spearheaded by a collaboration between Shaftesbury Capital PLC, Brimelow McSweeney Architects and Terapia Urbana, Scotscape Urban Greening, seamlessly integrated Terapia Urbana's patented Fytotextile® living system into the historical and vibrant landscape. This innovative living wall system is uniquely manufactured to fit perfectly around architectural elements, such as windows, ensuring an aesthetic and functional blend with the building's facade.A key aspect of the project's success was the strategic selection of plants, informed by detailed microclimate and sunlight analyses conducted by Terapia Urbana. This approach ensured the chosen vegetation thrived, enhancing the wall's ecological value and sustainability. Furthermore, the use of large planting cells in the upper sections of the wall allowed for the inclusion of shrubs, increasing soil volume, and thereby supporting a richer biodiversity and healthier plant growth.One of the Fytotextile® system's main advantages is the enhanced aeration it provides to the plant roots. This crucial feature improves the plants' performance and health by ensuring that roots receive the necessary oxygen to support respiration, significantly boosting the plants' overall vitality and resilience. Enhanced root aeration leads to healthier plant growth, reducing the risk of root diseases and ensuring the living wall remains a vibrant and dynamic feature of Carnaby Street.The collaboration between the involved parties resulted in a landmark Living Wall that not only transformed Carnaby Street's visual landscape but also set new benchmarks for integrating green spaces into urban environments. This project exemplifies the potential of combining innovative green technology, such as Terapia Urbana's Fytotextile® system, with meticulous ecological planning to create sustainable, vibrant urban green spaces that harmonize nature with city living, inspiring future sustainable urban developments.Brimelow McSweeney’s quote: ‘Carnaby Street is one of the most iconic fashion streets of London and a desirable address for commercial offices. The project involved substantial extensions and a full refurbishment behind an existing, uninspiring façade. The Fytotextile system is an easy to apply system that allows over-cladding existing and extended structures without over-loading. The expertise on suitable planting provided by the Terapia Urbana/Scotscape team was a fantastic support for developing our artistic vision to include patterns of the fashion industry within the planting schedules.’Photos courtesy of Brimelow McSweeney Architects

High-performance products from the A. Proctor Group, experts at solving condensation, airtightness and energy efficiency problems in buildings have been selected for use in the construction of a British Antarctic Survey building.The BAS Signy Cummins Hut is designed to provide a fully fabricated, fit for purpose hut, which can be easily erected to provide short-term accommodation for two British Antarctic Survey operatives to carry out incredibly valuable research in extreme polar conditions.Main Contractor, Mike Robinson of Rothwell Robinson, Manchester explained. “Due to the extreme conditions, we wanted to ensure that only the highest performing products were used on the project. In light of the extreme temperatures involved, we approached the A. Proctor Group who carried out a full condensation risk analysis.“Following the risk analysis, the recommendations adopted included Roofshield® for the roof and Procheck® 500 as a VCL for the walls.”“Another key factor was that the chosen components needed to be lightweight to be carried from the shore to their final location on the island.”Roofshield is an air and vapour permeable, highly water-resistant roofing underlay that has been made to the same high specification for over 20 years. The products reliable performance has been demonstrated in the toughest locations around the world. Its characteristics allow even very complex pitched roofs to breathe, without the need for air gaps or secondary venting.Many vapour and air permeable underlays use an airtight VP film layer to achieve their performance, whilst Roofshield’s patented SMS (Spunbond Meltblown Spunbond) structure allows high levels of airflow, in addition to the transport of moisture vapour, making the formation of condensation in the roof space virtually impossible. It has an extremely high degree of vapour permeability, as well as air permeability, so will still perform in conditions in which air tight alternatives will not.Procheck 500 is a strong reinforced polyethylene vapour control layer, for use within roof and wall constructions to prevent warm, moist air escaping from inside the building and condensing within the insulation. The woven extruded polypropylene multifilament scrim reinforcement provides exceptional tear resistance and robustness to withstand the toughest conditions.

The conclusion of a far-reaching and detailed refurbishment contract within the country’s oldest purpose-built cultural entertainment venue has included the installation of custom designed stainless steel units and worktop, supplied and installed by G.E.C Anderson for the food preparation area.  The project at the historic Blackheath Halls in Lee Road, South-East London, has been carried out by the equally long established Sykes and Son on behalf of the operating company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. The scope of the work included the redevelopment of the Great Hall, bar and box office/foyer areas. With such construction work as electrical rewiring, plumbing and plastering completed, G.E.C Anderson’s project management team carried out a precise survey of the food preparation area, located to one at the North end of the main bar, in order for the design and fabrication process to commence. While many clients choose to make use of G.E.C Anderson’s standard ranges of sinks and other sanitaryware, the conservation considerations to the work within Blackheath Halls required a bespoke solution. The sector specialist manufacturer’s workshops duly produced a set of three base cabinets in stainless steel, and a single-piece L-shaped stainless steel work-surface with integral sink and splashbacks. Such custom made installations offer a pristine appearance that is ideal for such public facing applications, while helping establishments maintain an efficient cleaning regime essential in achieving the high standards of hygiene essential in commercial premises.   Hannah Benton, Operations Manager for Blackheath Halls whose responsibilities include the servery area, commented: “The refurbishment of the different areas of the venue – including the general building work, updating of plumbing and electrical services and installation of the new servery facilities, was completed to schedule for the reopening in November. All of the equipment matches the scope of the works effectively as well as hygiene requirements.”Since its formation in 1962, G.E.C Anderson has built its reputation for the supply of top end stainless steel sinks and sanitaryware on a combination of innovative design, top quality materials and expert craftsmanship. In addition to the company’s Decimetric system of cabinets, sinks, drainers and other equipment - widely specified for sectors including health and catering – it is able to create custom engineered solutions to exactly fit any space or specification.

A dynamic, highly flexible building at the University of Cambridge has been fitted with Junckers solid wood flooring as part of a light-filled interior scheme. The West Hub, designed by Jestico+Whiles, is a hybrid building designed to cater for students, commercial tenants, and members of the public. A focus on fostering connection and collaboration through thoughtfully designed interlinking spaces is evident in the interior, which is bright, open, and welcoming. The new building combines structured spaces with generous circulation areas for breakout and informal social and study use. The large, light-filled rooms make use of Junckers Nordic Oak Harmony flooring finished in ultra matt lacquer as an ideal backdrop. Using materials in paler shades helps maximise levels of natural light reflected into the space, supporting user wellbeing as well as minimising reliance on artificial lighting. A large plate-steel orange staircase, clad in Junckers Nordic Oak, zigzags its way through the main atrium, providing a visual and circulatory focal point as well as connecting the building vertically. Each of the floors in the building were designed with a different ambiance in mind, from a vibrant and lively ground floor housing a café and dining area, to a more relaxed, calmer first floor and a quiet upper floor intended for study. The building has achieved BREEAM Excellent and adopts many aspects of the WELL standard, including plenty of natural light and elements of biophilic design. On the lower ground floor hospitality areas, plants and trees have been integrated into the interior, which coupled with Junckers solid hardwood flooring provides an environment with a connection to nature, an element proved to support wellbeing as well as performance. An ideal choice for a busy, user-focused building, A pre-finished, solid hardwood floor from Junckers has a perfectly smooth surface and cannot harbour dust or mites. As an all-natural material, wood contributes to an even and balanced indoor climate as it helps maintain temperature in a room and reduces static from electrical equipment. All Junckers’ floors hold the Danish Indoor Climate label and have undergone extensive degassing and odour testing to ensure there are no chemical substances in the flooring. Junckers also complies with EU legislation REACH. The floor was installed by PICA Floorings Ltd. 

The £350m regeneration of Centre Point was one of the most significant developments in London in recent times. Built in the 1960s by R. Seifert and Partners, it was one the UK’s first skyscrapers and an icon of the capital’s skyline for half a century. In more recent times, the Grade II listed Modernist masterpiece had gone from vibrant commercial hub to a disused shell. In 2015, development firm Almacantar acquired Centrpoint and undertook a regeneration project developing a mixed-use space, featuring 82 luxurious apartments set neatly above the West End of London.Architect Conran and Partners was appointed to deliver the vision of a luxurious modern residence, while respecting the building’s iconic heritage and design. For such a high-profile project, every component had to be high quality, but also sensitively selected or designed from scratch to fit with the Modernist architectural theme.Allgood managed the specification, development and delivery of the near £1 million ironmongery and hardware requirements, with many bespoke elements and high specification finishes; the five-year project is among the largest ironmongery projects in the UK.Every element of the project’s architectural hardware, including handles for the main entrance and interior doors, escutcheons, thumb turns and releases, wardrobe pulls and shower door handles, was individually designed to construct a coherent and original aesthetic.Taking visual cues from the building’s 1960’s geometric patterning and monochromatic styling, the bespoke, high-specification ironmongery comprised: 800 handles, 1000 locks, 500 sets of levers, 900 wardrobe pulls and 180 shower-door pulls; all custom-made by Allgood at its manufacturing facility in Birmingham.Winner of the residential category at the 2019 AI Specification Awards, Centre Point remains a classic example of beauty in every detail and a case study in how to run a specification. Of the many bespoke pieces, Allgood designed and manufactured back-to-back pad handles for internal corridor doors. These were made from mirror polished nickel with an unusually high standard of polishing applied to all surfaces, even on the reverse.Allgood also collaborated with Samuel Heath to design and manufacture a bespoke door lever that was conceived to reflect the famous geometric architecture of the building. Allgood’s hidden fixings completed an elegant, sleek finish, perfectly complementing the apartments’ luxurious feel.

The second tallest building in the United Kingdom, and tenth largest building in the world is home to an impressive amount of BLÜCHER EuroPipe! All 62 floors are equipped with stainless steel drainage, from RWP, SVP and food vacuum systems to interceptor foul drainage and disconnecting traps for rainwater.The project spanned over two years, and it was a no brainer that our lightweight, adaptable and push fit system was chosen as the sole supplier.

A dated conservatory area is transformed by Breezefree with a retractable glass roof and polycarbonate curtain walling. Nagan Johnson Architects approached Breezefree to refurbish a dated conservatory area as part of the fit-out of the Cuban restaurant group’s second site in London’s Smithfield district. The brief required a modern retractable glass roof, to replace the old lean-to rooflight, and translucent curtain walling, to replace the dilapidated brick walls and windows...

A satisfied customer has returned to Union Industries for the fitting of a second high speed industrial door to enable it to keep production noise to a minimum, while transporting raw materials and products in and out as efficiently as possible.Arbor Forest Products, the UK’s leading independent timber importer and processor, which is based in Barrow Upon Humber, offers a bespoke milling service with the ability to process orders in 10 days.

DescriptionModel: Vimec Easy Move cabin liftStops: 2  Type of building: Private House  Country: South Africa  The customer’s desire was to have a lift that would allow him to move around comfortably and stylishly. After an on-site talk with our partner, in order to fit well into his home design, the customer sought a modern and robust solution like Vimec Easy Move homelift.

Extensive use of parapet capping from the Pendock Linea building linings range has helped improve weather resistance and aesthetics at a modern student accommodation building in Kingston-upon-Thames.Bespoke manufactured from high quality aluminium with a grey PPC finish, the flat PC-F style parapet capping's are fitted to the entire building to improve the integrity of the flat roof and stop the ingress of water.

Accoya selected for the renovation of the GeoSouthern Energy’s corporate headquarters. Distributed by Mason’s Mill & lumber, the Accoya cladding was milled into a Vanish Rain Screen profile with a walnut stain for the exterior of the building. Various sizes of Accoya were used ranging widths between 5”-8”. In total 80 m3 of Accoya was used for the project. Accoya was chosen due to its stability & durability making it the perfect fit for designers Kirksey.

Sophisticated and contemporary office designs means ensuring perfect and seamless integration to complement the space.The creative brief for this design focused on embracing the intricate architectural details of the space such as the natural shapes and overall industrial vibes.Vtec's SupaSlat System and MaxiBeam Systems were specified in this unique office fit out. With such large zones, the team achieved the precision that was required, with 3D modelling to ensure precise coordination, positioning and integration.

ASF's Building Protection Corner Bollard was used in the above project. The bollard is set up so that there is one quarter missing on the upright plane so that it fits perfectly on a 90 degree outside wall. The pattern can be adapted to other angles if necessary. Once in place the bollard acts as a wheel buffer for any vehicles getting too close to the corner - thus reducing the risk of damage to either the building or vehicle.

application area: commercial heatinguse type: industrial condensing boilersproject scope: preserve rectangular flue shape and maintain lined diameteradded value: quick and efficient installation with minimal downtime and disruption to the building structureBackgroundTwo new high efficiency condensing boilers fitted into the basement of a nine-story office block (Dublin Civic Offices, Ireland) using two separate brick lined chimneys that rose through the nine floors and exited on the rooftop.The brick chimneys posed a problem as the chambers measered 300mm x 450mm no standard 350mm flue liner would fit. Due to the pliability of Furnflex, the liner was able to take up an oval shape in the chamber giving it the full 350mm required. This building is an extremely busy high-profile office block therefore minimum disruption to day to day business was required.Statement of workFollowing an onsite survey, Furanflex was deemed the ideal solution to line both chimneys. The installations were carried out over two weekends, one for each chimney, with no disruption to the office operations. The project completed on time and within budget.

Project: Manufacture and installation of bespoke concrete cladding in a high-tech media room. The design comprised of floating 3D concrete seat wrapped around the fire place and individually sized concrete panels for chimney breast, wall, floor and ceiling. All panels were fitted using mechanical and chemical fixings.Client: Tigg & Coll Architects  Materials used: Large format Plain and GAP GRC panels in Rough Mist finish and sealed with hydrophobic agent and clear sealant.On this challenging project we worked closely with Tigg & Coll Architects to manufacture and supply bespoke concrete cladding for new multipurpose media room.The large format bespoke Plain and GAP concrete panels were cast to the client’s individual and unique specifications using our BTX Ultra High Performance Concrete mix with a hydrophobic agent to limit moisture absorption. The panels were cut to fit around the fireplace, floor, walls and ceiling and then treated and sealed to make them stain proof.The finished effect is a modern, industrial look that complements client’s design style and creates a truly unique and highly relaxing space.