"beverage making equipment"

The Lennox Building is a new office space located in the heart of the business district that features a premium and high-quality Whiteriver Floor called Oak Giovanni, from the Renaissance XL collection. This flooring solution has transformed the Lennox Building into an iconic office space, reflecting the latest trends in contemporary design while offering unparalleled durability, versatility, and style.Oak Giovanni flooring from the Renaissance XL collection boasts a rich, natural look that exudes warmth and sophistication. The Lennox Building's designers were drawn to Oak Giovanni's exceptional quality and aesthetic appeal, recognizing it as the perfect fit for their vision of a stylish, yet functional office space. The Whiteriver Floor's Oak Giovanni has become a hallmark of the Lennox Building's signature style, making it an ideal choice for businesses looking to enhance their brand image and create a lasting impression.

Global business management firm OC&C Strategy Consultants has been helping its clients world-wide navigate the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has presented. On-top of making an invaluable impact on its clients, OC&C Strategy Consultants has also been preparing its own London headquarters for the return of employees post-lockdown. With employees in the hundreds across three floors of a city high rise in Holborn, east central London, the office management team knew they had to tackle the potential issues around hygiene and essential shared communal facilities, and this included ensuring safe and easy access to drinking water. A Zip Water customer for over a decade, OC&C Strategy Consultants has a long term rental package, previously having five HydroTap Classic models installed across the office space.

A functional, child-friendly washroom design featuring Genesis toilet cubicles was created for Rainbow Nurser. The nursery opted for Venesta’s Genesis toilet cubicles, a popular choice for early education settings due to it's versatility and many customisable features including low-level doors and curved partitions. The toilet cubicles were specified in High Pressure Laminate (HPL) making them ideal for nursery usage, allowing for easy cleaning and simple maintenance, meaning they really will stand the test of time.For cost savings and reduced installation times, our Vepps pre-plumbed panelling system was specified. In addition, low level vanity units were installed featuring semi-recessed basins. A favourite for our youngest customers as they don’t get the water from the basin on their clothes when washing hands. Read the full case study for more details.

Great emphasis is placed on safety in Pasadena, a suburb of Houston, Texas. As America’s oil stronghold and home to NASA’s legendary Space Center, the region is famous for its particularly dangerous and hazardous working conditions. The Houston Area Safety Council (HASC) was therefore established back in 1990 on the initiative of local industrial operations as a non-profit institution to provide safety training. The objective here was to train workers in order to raise their safety awareness as a way of preventing workplace accidents. Some 25 years later, this idea has developed into a leading international training and occupational safety center that trains over 1,500 people every day. Construction of a dedicated occupational health clinic with emergency care represented another key step on the HASC’s holistic support program. The clinic design by Kirksey Architecture gets its distinctive face from the semicircular main entrance. GKD-USA used a new etching technique for the design of the 100 square meter roof parapet, which is made from semi-transparent Omega 1510 stainless steel mesh from GKD – GEBR. KUFFERATH AG. This led to a silhouette-like panoramic view that reflects the dynamic economic region and the everyday working life of the people that live in it.Oil and gas have been produced in Houston for more than 100 years. However, the region experienced a genuine boom from shale oil drilling and fracking. Today, around one third of all oil produced in the US comes from Texas. With its Mission Control Center, which has enjoyed worldwide fame since the Apollo flights to the moon, the Space Center Houston has been just as important for the development of the city. Space flights are still monitored here to this day and astronauts from across the globe are trained for future missions. The city’s skyline is characterized by massive production plants from the oil, gas, chemical and food industries, as well as research institutes and countless buildings of the supply industry, construction and service sectors. The huge influx of workers resulting from the oil boom led to enormous growth of the city. With 2.3 million residents, Houston is today the fourth largest city in the US – behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Starting in 2009, the new campus of the Houston Area Safety Council was created in three construction stages. It was constructed on a 34 hectare site in Pasadena, just 15 kilometers from Houston, that was acquired one year previously. Local architecture firm Kirksey, which specializes in green buildings for industrial operations, planned the entire project. It designed the campus as a one-stop shop for employee selection, training and development, background screening, workplace and site safety as well as company health and welfare services. The first phase of construction focused on the 6,300 square meter training center with twelve classrooms, a 220-capacity auditorium, computer laboratories with 650 workplaces, various convention and common rooms, as well as a car park for 1,000 vehicles. It was opened in 2013 as the new HQ of the HASC. Just one year later, the campus then opened two further large areas, boasting 2,700 square meters each. Providers of tool and workplace equipment, as well as a training center for practical training, complemented the location’s offer from then on. Construction of a 1,580 square meter occupational health clinic with emergency care marked the third and last major construction phase to date. This meant that within a period of just six years a state-of-the-art campus employing the latest training facilities was established, offering 1,500 practical and computer-based training sessions every day – which represents over a million units per year. To cater to these requirements all buildings were equipped to the latest technical standards. They also set standards in ecological and energy-usage terms and are all LEED-certified.Visualization of identityThe Occupational Health Center of the HASC was also planned with a keen eye for detail. Ceiling-high windows create friendly rooms in the clinic that are flooded with light and whose inviting ambience is underlined by a carefully coordinated interior color concept. The challenge for the planners was to make the atmosphere light and pleasant, yet robust enough to withstand the rough day-to-day operations with heavy footwear or soiled work clothing of the patients. A fully-glazed semicircular entrance area underlines the building’s welcoming effect. Its raised canopy bears the clinic’s name and also creates the stage for one of the rooftop parapets made of stainless steel mesh that follow the semicircular building form. The shimmering texture combines technical aesthetics with a large number of functional performance characteristics. The mesh thereby guarantees efficient solar protection for the recessed windows on the top floor, while granting unrestricted views of the beautifully sculpted green spaces on the campus. Despite its sophisticated appearance, it also offers reliable protection from the hurricanes regularly encountered in the region. Low-maintenance, durable and almost completely recyclable at the end of its useful life, the mesh supports the LEED-certified sustainability of the building. For the architects, however, the decisive impetus for selecting this material came from the specific mesh design, which facilitates imaging by etching. Their design included an illustrated balustrade as an identity-creating element of the clinic that visualizes working life in the region and thereby also the focus of the HASC. The image developed by Kirksey shows the skyline of Houston with skyscrapers, drilling rigs, chimneys and cranes together with the people that work there. This complex perspective was applied to the stainless steel mesh in a silhouette-like form using a special etching process developed in-house by GKD-USA. The smooth surface and relatively tight structure of the Omega mesh provided ideal prerequisites for this. Using blasting abrasives, GKD modified the metallic surface in such a way that the template, which was highly filigree in places, appeared finely contoured. When using etching, all surfaces that are to remain untouched are usually masked off carefully. However, the complexity of the motif specified by the architects at Kirksey presented the mesh specialists with the challenge of designing multiple levels to lend the image the desired spatial depth. Unlike a painting, with etching it is not possible to achieve dimensions, perspective and depth simply by using different colors. In comprehensive tests, GKD therefore developed a process with which the design template could be blasted with the desired level of detail and spatial effect. This led to a visually seamless panoramic view of the hustle and bustle in the region over a total area of 100 square meters, comprising seven panels – each measuring 3.4 x 4.3 meters. Without any further surface treatment, this imagery is both permanently weather-proof and UV-resistant. Depending on the incidence of light and the viewing angle, the images can appear either transparent or opaque. At night, spotlights lend the scenery the appearance of a shadow theater using targeted light accents.

Polytan: A broad spectrum at the Revierpark Vonderort, OberhausenIN THE MIDST OF TRANSFORMATIONThe Revierpark Vonderort in Oberhausen is designed as a family-friendly local attraction: in the middle of an expansive park landscape, various immersive worlds with sports, swimming and wellness facilities invite visitors and guests to experience leisure with all their senses – from sports and games to relaxation and action, all the way through to cultural experiences and nature – the park has it all. Activities and nature discovery are given equal emphasis under the slogan “Park in motion”.In the course of the renovation and revitalisation of what is known as the “exercise hill”, the concept of a multisports area was developed. It offers a wealth of different sports activities, including pump tracks for children and adults, a parkours and calisthenics area, a running circuit and a sprint track. A miniature playing field and various team sports fields invite guests to try out fun and trendy sports disciplines together. The goal of the project, which cost around 1.33 million euros, was to motivate as many target groups as possible to move more by expanding the existing, mostly monostructural sports facilities in the Oberhausen area with new, freely accessible leisure opportunities. Alongside the standard, traditional sports, the new facilities were to accommodate popular new trend sports as well. We installed suitable surfaces in several of these modern, innovative sports facilities.The sprint track, running circuit and one of the two miniature playing fields, which is designed for basketball and volleyball, feature our “classic” Rekortan M in the colour brick red. The poured in-situ surface is suitable for athletics stadiums, competitive running tracks and school sports facilities, and is loved by professionals and amateurs alike – not least, thanks to its exceptionally high, joint-friendly shock absorption. It is ideal for running disciplines in particular, as it is suitable for spikes and lends itself to speed.The second miniature playing field, which is intended for football and hockey, and the multipurpose arena are equipped with Poligras, complete with CoolPlus function. We developed this unfilled synthetic turf system to meet the requirements of a professional hockey turf. Its outstanding properties include high wear resistance, good water storage, and permanent crimping. Poligras stands out for its extraordinary volume and durability – and yet, despite this robustness, the surface is exceptionally soft and feels pleasant to the touch. The special Polytan CoolPlus function prevents the surface from heating up too quickly or intensely in strong sunlight. This reduces water consumption, helping ensure environmentally friendly use.In future, the multipurpose field will be used as a Yalp arena, appealing to the youngest athletes. Yalp is “play” backwards and refers to the integration of technology in games, sport and outdoor education. In the compact, interactive arena, children and young people get to move with lots of opportunities for ball contact. Since the game takes place within a small space, every player is involved at all times. The slanted corners and four goals on each side of the arena keep the game and all its players in motion.The fitness area and calisthenics facility are secured with our PolyPlay FS GT fall protection surface, which has a cushioning effect for maximum protection against injuries underneath the sports and gym equipment. The sky blue surface on the exercise hill is bulk-coated and water-permeable, as well as exceptionally low-maintenance. Optimum resistance to weathering and decay are the basis for its long service life and low maintenance costs. Fall protection surfaces are known to be the more hygienic, lower-maintenance and, above all, safer option, compared with sandpits.With the renovation of the exercise hill, the project orchestrators from the Ruhr Regional Association (RVR) have not only provided a wide variety of sports and exercise opportunities for young and old, but responded to increasingly apparent general trends in sports behaviour. Many sports clubs and municipalities have observed increasing disinterest in traditional organised club sports, and in its place, the growing popularity of self-organised sports in the public sphere. The facility at the Revierpark Vonderort was completed in summer 2022 and is now open free-of-charge to young and old sports fans alike.📐 Dipl.-Ing. Wolfgang R. Mueller (Landschaftsarchitekten BDLA); Dipl.-Ing Norbert Seeger (Seeger Landschaftsarchitektur)

Artform Urban Furniture was appointed by Sager House (Almeida) to provide seating and cycle parking to a mixed-use community space in Islington, North London.Hidden behind an Edwardian façade of a former postal sorting office, Islington Square has been over a decade and a half in the making after the plot was initially bought in 2003 by Developers Cain International. After years of careful planning and construction, the site is now complete and comprises of independent retail units, restaurants, galleries, event spaces, a cinema, and 263 new flats.The intention of the project was to bring variety back to the high street and as well as the boutique shops, unique retailers and events spaces this consideration was echoed in the choice of street furniture. A selection of our stone seating and planter elements have been supplied to the site that feature distinctive designs to stand out. The Up Bench is a sculptural and modular bench, manufactured from a binding compound of granite that has been bush hammered and treated against deterioration. Inslington Square features combined runs of Up benches that create snaking blocks of social seating.The Arrowhead range of benches and planters are dotted around the space bringing natural colour as well as further social seating opportunities. These curvaceous monolith-shaped units offer a low-maintenance and resilient alternative to traditional street furniture. Their weight and mass also allow their placement to be considered in terms of building pedestrian protection from vehicles.Finally, considerations for cycling visitors and residents have been met with a selection of our premium cycle stands. The Ride Cycle Stand features concealed connections and discreet leveling glides to make the stand appear balanced in air. The cast aluminium flat ribbon frame marks it as a member of the Metro40 family of street furniture. 25 Units were supplied which provide great bicycle support with the capability for attachment at two points and holds two bicycles creating parking space for up to 50 bikes. Islington Square is an inclusive, pedestrian-friendly hub that sits at the heart of the surrounding community and brings something different to both residents and visitors.

We’ve had a long-standing relationship with Birmingham University, having installed many doors and operators in the past. The University has a large campus, and we have a few projects under our belts where improved sustainable access has been achieved.Below is a fine selection of some of our more recent installations.Project Year: 2023Product: ASSA ABLOY SW200 Operator (Main entrance)Product: ASSA ABLOY SW200 Operator (Harding Building)Product: ASSA ABLOY SL500 F (Arts & Law Building)Project Background: The University’s goal is to make every door and every entrance accessible for everyone so it’s inclusive, reflecting their commitment to diversity and equality. By prioritizing accessibility, they aim to ensure that all members of the university community, regardless of their physical abilities, can navigate the campus with ease. Through these efforts, Birmingham University continues to set a standard for higher education institutions striving to provide equitable access to education and resources for all.With this in mind, the facilities management team required robust, reliable and energy saving elements to their entrances.Solution: Two of the buildings required strong operators to withstand the daily use of their current swing doors. Our elegant heavy duty SW200 swing door operators were incorporated into one of the University’s main entrances and The Harding building, which both required reliability and ease of entrance, as students are often carrying heavy bags full of books and electronics. The SL500 Framesliding door was installed in the Arts & Law building, allowing for a seamless and responsive entrance as you enter the bright lobby. This helped to reduce the amount of energy required in this building, making it more efficient at heating and cooling.We have more projects in the pipeline with Birmingham University as they continue to enhance their facilities. Our commitment to providing first-rate door solutions and operators aligns perfectly with the university’s mission to create a welcoming and accessible environment for students, staff, and visitors.Check out more Education solutions.For more information or assistance with any project, please contact enquiries.esuk@faactechnologies.com where we can provide expert guidance and detailed documentation.Pictures by NickCaville.com

ObjectiveHill Partnerships Ltd are Homebuilder of the Year along with 5 Star Home Builder. Their vision when investing in seventy-two homes was to create high-end luxury kitchens that would also be affordable.‘Zenith attracted our clients purely based on the fabulous look and it worked for us because it was great to install.’With Zenith there is no expensive fabrication work off-site because the material can be shaped and tailored by an installer whilst on the project.ObservationBushboard’s Zenith range offers stunning decor choices which can make an elegant statement in any kitchen with Zenith you can be assured you will create the very latest on-trend looks.The uninterrupted flow of material is visually enhanced by the creation of inconspicuous seams which gives the feeling of sheer luxury.As an impressive solid surface product, Encore gives you style and quality whilst making the project budget go so much further. Which made it a very straightforward decision for Hill Partnership to partner with Bushboard.‘We had the freedom to create the desired kitchens for our clients.’Encore offers flexibility for radius corners, bringing style and movement to your kitchen project.OutcomeHill Partnerships Ltd specified Zenith, Ice (Discontinued Decor)‘The end product looks great and the clients are happy’Ice is a distinctive design with large-scale natural figuring that mirrors the state of granite and marble. Whilst incorporating the functional qualities of solid surfaces such as unrivaled heat resistance, outstanding impact resistance, renewable, repairable, the list goes on.‘Zenith has met our expectations and has so many more advantages compared to stone. We would specify the Zenith product again, we had great support from Bushboard. We had a meeting with Steve Ball, National Training Manager before we started on site, he explained and demonstrated all fitting techniques.’Bushboard are honest, they do what is right, not convenient and they deliver what they say they are going to deliver.Created by Jessica HortonFor more information about the Bushboard products, request a RIBA CPD, download an NBS specification or order samples

Riverside Ice and Leisure, ChelmsfordClient: Chelmsford City CouncilArchitect: Pick EverardInstaller: Geschwender GmbhProduct: Bespoke Locker and Cubicle solutions from GeschwenderAs part of a major renovations project for the leisure centre in 2019, LSA and Geschwender supplied and installed lockers and cubicles to the changing rooms and studio areas.The complete facility refurbishment includes a new 25m swimming pool and learning pool with a spectator area and flume, as well as modern studio spaces and 130 station state-of-the-art gym. Other new additions to the leisure centre include a new café and creche as well as improvements to general access and the main sports hall and ice rink.The improvements achieved by Chelmsford City Council and Pick Everard architects aimed to make the space more accessible for disabled guests. The new swimming pool facility has a submersible entry platform and pool pod for wheelchair users as well as an access hoist for the learner pool. With the introduction of new changing places units and additional accessible wet and dry changing rooms the site is geared towards making the experience of their disabled guests as easy as possible with the support of Chelmsford Access Group.LSA are proud to have worked with Riverside Ice and Leisure since 2006 when we first supplied some lockers and cubicles to changing rooms. Over the next 12 years we kept in touch with the leisure centre, adding more Geschwender cubicles and lockers to the site as well as completing minor repairs and supplying a few replacement keys and locks.In 2018 we were thrilled when Riverside and the architects at Pick Everard contacted us to be part of the new major refit project. In addition to restyling the space with a more modern colour scheme and accessories we were able to design the changing room from the ground up. Optimising space for our premium lockers and changing cubicles to best suit the needs of all of the users.In addition to the great still shots of our products at Riverside we are delighted to share on our website the virtual tour walkthrough showing our lockers and changing rooms across the facility.

Cygnet Hospital, a new state of the art medical campus based in Maidstone required a waterproofing membrane for the newly installed concrete and metal decks. Proteus Waterproofing applied their Cold Melt® membrane, to provide a seamless leak protection to the inverted roof, that was then finished with Proteus Waterproofing’s Pro-Living® Green Roof. High Performance WaterproofingFirstly, the metal deck for the main roof was prepared and overlaid with Pro-Vapour Control SA, a self-adhesive bituminous waterproofing membrane that forms a barrier against vapour and gases, ready for the Proteus Pro-Therm PIR Insulation and Cold Melt® waterproofing installations.Proteus Pro-Therm PIR is stable, rot proof and will remain effective as an insulation system for the lifetime of the waterproofing covering, making it suitable for new builds. Cold Melt® waterproofing was then overlaid to the main roof and upstands. The exposed areas were covered with Cold Melt® UV Top Coat, making the waterproofing UV stable. Cold Melt® provides a seamless leak protection and is cold applied, therefore removing the risk of fire. The roof was completed with a Pro-Living® Green Roof providing ecological benefits for the building. Health and SafetyWhen working on occupied buildings, safety is of utmost importance. Proteus Waterproofing’s Cold Melt® system is cold applied and low odour, therefore meeting all necessary health and safety requirements. Cold Melt® is quick, simple and safe to apply allowing the Proteus Approved Contractor to successfully complete the project to a high standard within a short time frame, whilst ensuring the planned building works continued to run on schedule.Long Term PerformanceIncorporating recycled rubber crumb and organically grown products, Cold Melt® creates an elastomeric, seamless, cold applied waterproofing membrane. Cold Melt® system can include inverted roof insulation and, with or without insulation, can be designed as a paved, ballasted, green or brown roof. The membrane is made in the UK, does not become brittle with age and is BBA Certified to last the life of the structure.

Twin Rundum Original ‘round the corner’ side sliding doors have been manufactured and installed by bespoke garage door specialist Rundum Meir UK as part of the North Quay development in Hayle, Cornwall.Their vision for North Quay is to transform a former industrial area into an exciting new coastal quarter for people to live, work, shop, eat, stay and enjoy the stunning waterside location. Key to this is high quality design by which has already been independently recognised through the project winning in the 2020 Housing Design Awards.Within the first phase of the transformational project, which includes around 140 dwellings and public realm development by FCBStudios, as well as office space and waterside commercial buildings, are two residential units with garages. Rundum Meir was approached to explore the potential for twin bespoke doors with radiused corners at their adjacent edge which would make a statement feature of the garage doors. This design was perfectly suited to the Rundum Original, which slides along a track as it opens sideways before turning a corner to run along an inner side wall of the garage. Equally important, however, was the ability to manufacture the garage door in materials that would enable aesthetic goals to be achieved whilst being suitable for the harsh coastal conditions, dominated by an aggressive saline atmosphere.Rundum Meir was able to use Accoya for the timber slats that make up each of the doors. Accoya is ideal for conditions of this kind, and for meeting the project’s sustainability aims, given its superior durability and FSC accreditation.Marine grade stainless steel was used to create the U-channels which guide the Rundum Original as it slides, along with the PPC tracks and binding. This will ensure the key mechanical elements of the two doors have maximum resistance to corrosion for a long design life.In line with the high specification of all the dwellings under construction, the Rundum Meir garage doors are also automated. A door-mounted motor is activated via a remote control device and it is HomeLink compatible for safe and secure operation from inside a vehicle.

For the construction of a large villa of soft and natural colours in the countryside near Bologna, various Atlas Concorde floor and wall-tiles collections were used. Stone and wood effect porcelain stoneware tiles highlight the volumes and geometries in interior design by coordinating with outdoor floors that surround the home. Atlas Concorde floor and wall tiles offer interesting cues and ideas for home furnishing.The private dwelling, divided into two separate blocks, is at the heart of a lusciously green and bright garden rich in walkways made from the Trust stone effect outdoor floor collection. Indoor floors alternate the Axi wood effect porcelain stoneware and stone effect Advance collections. For the bathroom was used wall tiles, a cladding that combines expressive power with practicality, the Ewall collection, inspired by the look of spatula spread cement. Prestigious materials throughout the kitchen. The kitchen of the villa is enriched with style thanks to the Atlas Concorde porcelain stoneware and wall tiles. The tiles distinguish themselves for impeccable aesthetics and decorative character, guaranteeing numerous advantages, such as easy cleaning and maintenance. The low porosity makes the kitchen wall tiles resistant to humidity, stains, mildew and bacteria, and make them perfect for creating the kitchen backsplash, which needs to have other specific requirements, such as ease of cleaning, resistance to stain and resistance to heat. Bathroom tiles in a hose of great aesthetical impact. The bathroom wall tiles of the villa are covered in tiles from the Ewall collection by Atlas Concorde. Inspired to spatula-worked cement, the surface is enhanced by a delicate structuring and reflections of light, for a tremendous aesthetic and visual impact. Atlas Concorde ceramic tiles also guarantee easy cleaning and maintenance when used as a wall tile in showers, where they carefully highlight the elegance of every detail.Safe living outdoor. The surfaces immediately surrounding the villa created using the Trust porcelain stoneware collection give life to outdoor floors that combine the naturalness of stone with resistance to heavy footfall and adverse weather conditions, durability and safety. Outdoor floors in 2 cm thickness are also perfect as patio or terrazzo tiles, to experience the outdoor living of the house in total freedom.

8300 SQM of Optima FC+, Optima FC+ perforated panels and Optima IPC (soffits) have been used in the completion of the 23-storey New Bailey building in Salford Quays.Optima FC+ was selected for a number of reasons on this project.Predominantly, it is an incredibly user friendly system – panels can be quickly and easily adjusted on site and the system can be fixed top down, or bottom up with individual panel removal and replacement. This makes Optima FC+ a highly desirable choice for designers and installers.However, the panels were specifically adapted for this project to enable a completely secret fix system, as per the architects vision. Therefore the top return fold was increased to 50mm instead of 38mm. This allowed for the security fixings to be completely concealed by the panel above, allowing the customer to easily fit the panels from ground up.Optima FC+ perforated panels were chosen as an additional aesthetic feature and Optima IPC was selected for the soffit areas as the architect requested a secret fix system.A bespoke window reveal and bracket was included in the panel design. This allowed for an extended side return which was used to hook on the panels and enable a secret fix. The Optima IPC system was perfect for this part of the design as it enables hidden mechanical fixings and is a cost-effective solution using 2.0mm aluminium.Black PPC aluminium was used as backing trays to enhance the appearance of the perforations, prevent views through the perforations and close off the cavity.Optima FC+ has been independently tested and certified to meet CWCT rigorous specification for rainscreen cladding and has been fire tested to BS8414-2 and classified to BR135 for high rise buildings. This makes it the perfect solution for Plot C1, now the tallest residential building in the New Bailey plot.Plot C1, which features a six-storey podium with an exclusive rooftop garden terrace for the wellbeing of residents, incorporates a number of sustainability measures including surface water drainage attenuation, minimising off site spoil disposal, reduced water consumption.The project has been shortlisted in the 2022 Facade Awards UK for ‘Best use of a rainscreen system using aluminium’.

With a steadily expanding workforce of 200+ highly skilled software engineers, space is at a premium at Amazon’s development centre in Edinburgh. Working with architect, Hassell, and contractor, Clark Contracts, Style was specified to deliver a partitioning solution that would enable the open-plan conference and training room to be segregated into smaller rooms, as required.Installing two Dorma Hüppe Variflex moveable walls either side of a central column, the large area can now be quickly split into two individual rooms.With an incredible 59db Acoustic rating, this is almost an entirely sound-proofed solution, which means there is no disturbance from events taking place either side of the wall. The fabric wrapped Kvadrat Lloyd finish is the perfect complement to the contemporary interior décor.“This easy to manoeuvre, manual moveable wall is the ideal solution when you want to quickly sub-divide space and turn one room into two,” said David Louden, Style’s director for Scotland.“The Variflex panels are manufactured separately to the frame, making it cost-effective to replace a single panel lining if damage occurs, or to update all the panels when the room is re-decorated in the future.“Further contributing to a low carbon footprint, the Variflex moveable wall has an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in accordance with ISO 14025 and EN 15804, making it a highly sustainable system.”Style has also been commissioned to provide the Amazon development centre with a programme of planned servicing and maintenance, helping ensure an extended working life for the moveable walls.“A regular check-up ensures continued smooth operation, compliance with Health and Safety Legislation, and for acoustic moveable walls, it also ensures its acoustic integrity remains intact,” said Louden.“Regular servicing also minimises the chance of any minor issue escalating into a more expensive repair later down the line. We have examples of well-serviced moveable walls lasting up to 25 years.”Amazon’s development centre in Edinburgh is responsible for devising and growing innovations for Amazon around the world with teams of developers, designers and leaders running major parts of Amazon’s business, technology and operations.

THE LOCATIONThis brand-new build to rent development is situated along the Canning Dock in the centre of Liverpool. It’s the perfect location as it has loads of amenities close by with the shopping centre a couple of minutes down the road. The award-winning building has an unmissable appearance and a modern feel throughout the building.THE PROJECTDesigned by award-winning architect Leach Roach Walker, The Copper House spans 16 floors and is home to 383 one, two and three bedroom apartments, all available for rent. The apartments are designed to the highest specifications of modern city living to provide comfort and stunning views, with an abundance of natural light. The Safety Letterbox Company and the copper house have a long-running partnership and were the perfect choice to build a mail and parcel solution for their residents. Whilst working in the build to rent industry copper house realised the importance of having a parcel solution in their building.THE PRODUCTThe Safety Letterbox Company worked alongside the interior designer to create a new corner system that maximized the efficiency of the building. The copper house also wanted a mail and parcel solution that could be extended if needed in the future, making the solution perfect for future-proofing the building.The team went for 400 steel 2 letterboxes in multiple sizes in order to fill their mail needs. The steel 2 boxes were banked on a hidden table supports and were engraved with gravel gold infill which gave the combination system and direct contrast which gave it a high-end look. This product is future-proofed with the option to add on in the future if needed.Copper House also added myRENZbox to make sure they could manage their Parcel deliveries. The myRENZbox modular had seven extensions with different size doors in order to maintain their parcel deliveries. The Safety Letterbox Company has an algorithm to work out how many parcel boxes a building requires. myRENZbox was polyester powder coated with the colour RAL 7026 Granite Grey with a finished Gloss. Copper House also opted for a barcode scanner to help deliveries become more efficient. MyRENZboxes has also futureproofed Copper House with the option to extend the myRENZbox in the future.

Reducing pavement clutter in Hackney.Dockless hire bikes are a great way to get around, but they can lead to inconsiderate parking and increased pavement clutter.To encourage responsible parking, Hackney opted to create designated parking areas for both the end-user and the scheme operator. They selected 71 locations and Cyclehoop installed their newly launched Mobility Corral, which offers clear advantages over simple road-marked boundaries and built-out parking options. When installed on the carriageway, it creates a physical barrier to separate dockless bikes from other road users, helping prevent damage from falls or vehicle strikes. The enclosure encourages neat, ordered parking for a tidy streetscape. High level signage makes the corrals visible to users from a distance. Signage can also be customised with branding and instructions. The modular construction and minimal ground fixings allow corrals to be relocated, expanded or reconfigured to meet changes in demand.

78 St James Street, a very special office refurbishment in the heart of London’s Mayfair, has involved a slew of skilled and experienced contractors to make the Grade II* Victorian building a commercial space fit for 21st century working while retaining the building’s magnificent fabric. Halifax Glass has used Hodgson Sealants’ U9 silicone for sealing the building’s impressive timber window units.  The windows, which are the full height of the storeys on the front façade, required a specialist glazing company to meet the demands of the project. Halifax Glass has many years’ experience in creating architectural glazing solutions and was called in to produce and install the windows at St James Street using Hodgson Silfix U9 Silicone Sealant for the job.  Halifax Glass also used quantities of Hodgson’s Flexistrip, the market-leading load-bearing security glazing strip for installing double glazed units, laminated glass and single glass into windows and doors.

Laindon Place is a mixed-use regeneration project of a shopping centre, supermarket, retail spaces, commercial units, cafes, and 224 residential homes. This centre is set out to rejuvenate the Laindon High Street by providing an expanded NHS health centre building and improved landscaping around Laindon’s historic war memorial.Cellecta HiDECK Overlay 18 was specified by C.F. Møller Architects in collaboration with Pollard Thomas Edwards in this project as the overlay flooring solution. It’s ideal for flooring applications incorporating an underflooring heating system due to its high thermal conductivity which provides rapid reaction times, saving on running costs. In addition, its high density makes it perfect for a variety of acoustic applications. Our involvement in this project has been providing the underfloor heating solution for a number of these homes.Swan Housing Association and Sanctuary were awarded this 2,000m² contract to construct this development in Essex.

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home was established in 1860 by Mary Tealby as the Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs. Since it opened, the charity has cared for more than 3.1 million dogs and cats. To increase capacity at their old Windsor site BDCH are adding a new wing.The animal charity required specialist doors for a new intake building which includes 27 kennels and 4 maternity kennels.Dortek supplied hygienic hinged doors with Stainless Steel frames throughout the new building. Some doors also had automations and access control locks for ease of access and increased security. Fire doors with 30 minutes certification were also supplied for the protection of animals and staff throughout the facility.The GRP construction of Dortek doors makes them easy to clean, waterproof and extremely robust. They are ideally suited to animal care facilities requiring a low maintenance design.

Regency Apartments is a redevelopment of a car park into 61 affordable one and two bedroom flats for rent and shared ownership. These apartments combine classic and modern features; these include secured video entry and a key fob system, with a Communal Courtyard providing outdoor space for residents. Situated near Chelmsford Centre, Regency Apartments offer affordable, modern living with open-plan spaces, with Bond Street's amenities, high street shops, and the Riverside Leisure Centre nearby. Quick commuting to Central London, Colchester, and Romford in 30 minutes; Stansted and Southend airports within 35 minutes.Cellecta’s YELOfon HD10+ was specified by Arcady Architects due to its unrivalled acoustic performance in isolating a floating screed from a structural concrete floor. This product is lightweight, making it easy to install. YELOfon HD10+ is also delivered in rolls to ensure it’s easy to handle.Stonebond and Home Group were supplied 300m² of Cellecta products to develop these apartments in Chelmsford.

Widely referred to as the ‘Home of Cricket’, Lord’s Cricket Ground is the home of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Middlesex County Cricket Club and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).Taking care over every detail of the ground, MCC are dedicated to growing its reputation as the most celebrated and admired venue in cricket, from working with local communities to growing cricket’s global influence.As part of their ‘Masterplan’ for the redevelopment of Lord’s, including installing wheelchair positions and amenity seats at all levels of the stands, MCC wanted to make improvements to enhance accessibility for all supporters by including a Changing Place toilet.To achieve this goal, they contacted Changing Place supplier, Innova Care Concepts, for their expertise in design and installation, to ensure supporters with complex care needs had accessible toileting and changing facilities.Watch our case study video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCO0_iekKEgClick below to read our full case study ...

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.

True Potential celebrate a contemporary new look for their headquarters in Newcastle upon Tyne. Created by Ward Robinson Design, the smart and agile workspace provides mixed work settings including desks, quiet areas and collaboration zones. EGGER woodgrain reproduction H3430 ST22 White Aland Pine was used throughout the project in matching laminate, door size laminate, MFC and ABS edging. The hard-wearing properties of EGGER laminate make it the ideal choice for collaboration zone bench seating, reception counters and internal doors. The versatile material allows for creative elements such as the curved features and logo routering.EGGER's matching material offer means that desks, case goods and decorative slats could be fabricated in cost effective MFC, removing the additional labour of bonding laminate without altering the design concept. Matching ABS edging gives a uniform finish to all of the furniture elements.

Since its inception in the late eighties, the urban extension of Poundbury has captured the public imagination. Built on Duchy of Cornwall land, the entire town has been developed in accordance with the architectural and urban planning principals contained within HRH The Prince of Wales’ book ‘A Vision of Britain’. Affordable housing makes up one third of the properties within the walkable community and the overall population is expected to rise to 5,000 by 2025.The Queen Mother Square forms the civic centre for the town and, in reflection of this, the buildings directly surrounding it have been designed in a grand style. The Royal Pavilion sits to the north of the Queen Mother Square. Its ornate design references Greek Revival architecture and includes an iconic lantern, which forms the focal point for Leon Krier’s original masterplan. Its construction has been overseen by C G Fry and Son Ltd. in partnership with the Duchy of Cornwall.

application area: commercial gas heatinguse type: condensing gas boilersproject scope: line commercial freestanding chimney for condensing operationadded value: corrosion-resistant, air-tight and waterproof finishBackgroundThe combustion gases from the school's boiler room are exhausted through a freestanding 28-metre brick chimney. The structure was not suitable for the wet operation of condensing boilers. FuranFlex-25 Black was the chosen lining material.The new boiler plant required a 500mm diameter flue liner but the chimney could not accommodate a rigid liner this size. A FuranFlex25 Black liner was therefore specified as it expands into the rectangular flue shape when inflated with steam.Statement of workFuranFlex25 comes as a folded and soft tube. Inflating with steam irreversably hardens the liner fixing it in place. Within a few hours of steaming the liner was ready for connecting to the boilers. The appropriate adaptors/terminals were fitted making the chimney ready for operation.

The Driftwood Spars is a 17th century Grade II Listed building of an immense character. It is a historic building and an essential part of the St Agnes Community, as well as a World Heritage site within an area of an outstanding natural beauty.The Pub is built of the local stone and the huge ship’s timbers and spares, from which it got its name. The building offers a wealth of history, having been converted from a tin mining warehouse, chandlery, sail making loft and fish cellar over the years to a hotel with a public bar.The original roof was made of Cornish Delabole and Trevillet slates, which due to harsh weather conditions and extensive service life have fallen into disrepair.The priority of the free hold pub’s owners and the Architect was to replicate the traditional roofing method, “wet laid” with diminishing slates from 18” to 12” inches, using modern slating method, that would be acceptable by the Cornwall Planning stakeholders.

A lot of walking is done throughout a hospital, and when Region Zealand was to build Copenhagen's new psychiatric hospital, Denmarks most modern of its kind, it opted to supply 30,000m2 of the hospital's total area of 44,000m2 with the most modern and long-lasting flooring available. The flooring is environmentally friendly and provides outstanding durable floors made up of a 6-7 mm thick polyurethane. The total 30,000m2 area included patient rooms, walking and living areas, kitchens and canteens and more than 5,000m2 of walking areas. The floor systems used as finishes on this project were SofTop SLR and SofTop Comfort SL. Both were hard wearing self smoothing polyurethane systems which can be installed quickly to a very high standard. The SofTop Comfort SL involves an initial flexible membrane prior to the self smoothing topping being applied. This provides the bounce in the finish which make for comfortable walking and sound reducing properties.

This New Forest family home features an impressive double-height landing space. A small hatch positioned 2.65m above the floor-level provides access to the loft space, which offers useful storage and contains the boiler. The homeowners wanted easy access to the loft. The easy-to-use 'Supreme Vertical' wall access loft ladder from Premier Loft Ladders provided the perfect solution.Despite being manually operated, it is very easy to use due to counter-balance springs and gas-strut mechanism. Furthermore, the Supreme Vertical is offered with a made-to-measure insulated hatch, which avoids having to have a separate (independently operated) door. In addition, the heavy-duty construction makes it ideal for regular use and long-term durability.Visit our website to read the full case study and view the picture gallery. You can also find the 'Supreme Vertical' in NBS Source.

Nestled in the heart of London's prestigious Mayfair district.80 New Bond Street stands as a beacon of elegance and luxury. This iconic address is renowned for its exclusive boutiques, high-end galleries, and renowned auction houses, making it a coveted destination for discerning shoppers and art enthusiasts alike. With its historic architecture and contemporary allure, 80 New Bond Street encapsulates the essence of sophistication, offering a unique blend of heritage and modernity.Completed in 2024, it has created new office spaces and has incorporated a sophisticated, spacious reception area.Throughout the development, our flagship product Quadra + was used. It is perfect for concealing fire-rated riser doors, access panels, and internal doors in corridors, landings, and other access areas; Quadra+ is supplied as an integral, four-sided frame and door system, pre-constructed to form a single robust unit. Ideal for hidden commercial access solutions, Quadra+ is designed and manufactured to the highest standards.

Sika supplied a fully-comprehensive solution to provide the ultimate watertight protection for a basement within a commercial superstructure that is destined to earn ‘landmark’ status in London’s Canary Wharf.Located within the capital’s thriving dockside district, 1 Bank Street will occupies a 5,000m2 footprint. The stunning 28-storey building, which is 145 metres above ground, is designed to include cutting-edge trading floors on three levels. A large slip form core forms a significant part of the fully fitted-out building which has achieved an ‘Outstanding’ BREEAM rating, making it one of the most sustainable and desirable buildings of its type in London. Designed by globally-renowned architects, Kohn Pederson Fox Associates (KPF) in conjunction with structural engineers, Arup, 1 Bank Street provides capacity for 6,000 full-time equivalent jobs, enhancing the role of Canary Wharf as a prime London office and employment location.

Project detailsParadise Wildlife Park, situated in Hertfordshire originally contacted Watco for advice on a floor paint suitable for their lion enclosure. "The product needs to be ultra hard-wearing to withstand the wear and tear of the area, whilst also having the ability to tolerate lion urine."Our solution Our Expert Advisor's recommended Chemi-Coat Acid Strength as it is extremely tolerant to chemicals and strong enough to withstand 95% sulphuric acid. An ordinary floor paint would fail, but the chemical resistant properties of Chemi-Coat make it ideal for this type of environment. Chemi-Coat Acid Strength is a virtually solvent free, 100% solids epoxy formula, which means it's extremely heavy duty and will last for years. Due to the porosity of the surface our Advisors also recommended they prime the surface using our 4 Hour Epoxy Primer.Click here to see a short timelapse video of Paradise Wildlife Park applying the products.

Blinds for Skylights and Velux WindowsBicester Village is an expansive shopping village located in Oxfordshire. As hub of shopping activity, it is a prominent part of any London tourist’s itinerary.Bicester Village can also boast a selection of KuroLok RL and KuroLok Twin RL blinds, specially designed to provide a blind solution for ceiling light, giving much more flexibility and an added layer of utility when it comes to overhead lighting.The KuroLok RL blind is a specialised roof blind, fitted with a constant tension spring mechanism that ensures that there is no unwanted sagging of fabric despite the challenging angle.The KuroLok Twin RL blinds are much the same, but with the added feature of having two blinds that meet in the middle of the framework. This means that the blind itself can cover more space than the single KuroLok RL, also making it infinitely easier to work around obstructions such as chandeliers or other ceiling décor that may get in the way of a traditional roof blind.

Our client wanted to renovate their family farm and transform it into a more contemporary style, bringing an essence of the Mediterranean to the English countryside. Stoneworld talked through each phase of the project with the client, making sure their dream result was achieved. For this project, our White Mint honed Sandstone was perfect for creating the contemporary feel that the client wanted. Stoneworld worked very closely with the client, in order to meticulously produce bespoke copings and features to the stone design. We drew out every element of the project to ensure that the client was satisfied and we provided expert advice to help them decide which products were best suited to the results they wanted to achieve.One of the most prominent features of this project is the Roman End of the swimming pool, giving a beautiful, modern and sophisticated feel to the pool. This bespoke Roman End was digitally templated and produced to measure specifically for this client, in the workshop at Stoneworld, using White Mint Honed Sandstone.

The new building and the renovation project impress with generous outdoor spaces and appealing architecture. The Lindner Group played a major role in the interior fit-out.For a modern look, a combination of glass and wood was chosen – the Lindner Life Stereo 125 Glass Partitiontherefore meets wooden doors and wooden partitions.These were complemented by wall claddings and partitions made of metal: Thanks to their magnetic properties, these can be easily used to organise documents and design elements, what makes them highly functional.Furthermore, Lindner installed a custom-made counter cladding as a special solution for the sliding window as well as a raised floor for the technical rooms in the basement.Completed WorksPartitionsPartition Systems GlassLindner Life Stereo 125Partition Systems Full PanelLindner Logic 100 TimberLindner Logic 100 MetalWall and ceiling panelsLindner Free MetalFloorsChipboard panels LIGNA

Making an Entrance at London's leading net zero CAT A ProjectWithin London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Holbein Gardens is a remarkable building just off Sloane Square that seeks to lead the way for companies seeking to achieving net-zero goals. Blenheim House Construction (BHC) helped realise Grosvenor’s vision to turn a tired old 1980s building into a net zero exemplar.A bare bones CAT A project, the site boasts quadruple environmental certification, including BREEAM Outstanding and WELL gold accreditation. Naturally, market-leading sustainable Entrance Matting was required to echo the space’s green ethos.INTRAsystems was the obvious choice thanks to our extensive range of sustainable products that help meet WELL and BREEAM standards.A sustainable successAcross the entire scheme, suppliers were challenged to use the industry’s most innovative, sustainable products, aiming at the highest levels of recycled content and recyclability.INTRAform DM Low Profile was chosen in the unique wood effect finish, which ticks all the boxes including validated data on embodied carbon and packing a double punch of sustainability and performance. Cool black Elite fibre inserts are made from 100% post-consumer waste with extremely low whole-life carbon emissions.Specified in 2020 but delayed through COVID, installation was completed in 2023. INTRA liaised with contractors to reschedule site surveys once pre-works were completed sufficiently for the entrance area to be assessed accurately. This was particularly crucial since the Entrance Mat sits in a lower position surrounded by steps and a raised floor level.Beauty and Brawn - Wood-effect Recycled Aluminium for Sustainable Entrance MattingThis smart wood-effect finish was new to the market back in 2020 but the client was confident it would meet their quality demands based on the many successful projects we’ve collaborated with them on across a variety of settings.Today the faux wood variant is a market-leading product that beats similar looking products made of real bamboo in terms of strength, longevity and good looks. Real wood systems don’t handle excessive moisture well, so the wrapped aluminium is ideal and more sustainable too. Read our bamboo vs aluminium blog to learn why.Fir for purposeNext door to London’s Sloane Square tube station, the 25,000 square feet office building is designed to house 2,500 office workers plus service staff and visitors. The entrance is immediately off the street with a small canopy and no draft lobby, so the matting will be exposed to direct and prevailing rain.Technically, INTRAform DM Low Profile was an ideal choice for a Cat A project like this as it can cope with high footfall and provides more flexibility than other systems. This 12mm profile variant can be surface mounted or shallow recessed for easier integration with whatever finishes the future tenants choose. And the interlocking plank system makes installation and onward retrofitting easy, if required.Entrance Matting Triumphs in Durability and Moisture AbsorptionINTRAform DM, with the Elite inserts will cope with rain with ease thanks to being happy in external (zone 1) and internal (zone 2) locations. It is typically found in shopping centres and office complexes as it’s hard-working and hard-wearing with excellent moisture absorption and dirt removal.The closed construction format and extra wide inserts make cleaning and maintaining INTRAform DM a breeze too. This will be essential to protect any materials chosen for the expansive lobby of this high-spec building.

Based in London, Mulroy Architects is an award-winning, RIBA-Chartered Practice. They are a small team of nine staff that works mostly on residential projects and projects such as Radley College's rowing centre and a hostel for backpackers in Tower Bridge.When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Mulroy Architects acted early and started working from home within 24 hours. With respect to writing project specifications, Director Andrew Mulroy said that the transition was ‘“seamless’” thanks to NBS Chorus. 12 months on, the team is still working from home, and all specification writing now takes place collaboratively using Chorus.  MOVING TO CHORUSThe practice had been using NBS Scheduler since 2009, but with the move to home-working and most of their other software becoming cloud-based, it made sense to move to NBS Chorus. ‘We had a demonstration of Chorus when the pandemic hit, and we were impressed with its feature set and how intuitive it was compared to NBS Scheduler. We also knew that Scheduler would be retiring later in 2021, so we wanted to make sure we were well prepared. With the help of our account manager and the NBS support and training, we were able to switch over Chorus quickly’, Andrew said. 'We realised that by moving to Chorus, we could reduce our hardware costs and switch to writing specifications on Apple Macs rather than on PC – this was not possible with the older NBS software. With the software being cloud-based, we can now work anywhere with it – another key benefit.'One of the other advantages of using a cloud-based specification platform is that it allows greater collaboration. Chorus enables internal and external collaboration by allowing specifiers to invite other team members into the project environment. This is one of the main features that Mulroy Architects has been utilizing. ‘Even though we’re a small practice, the way we run the office is by having teams of four working on a project; that way, everybody works on everything’, Andrew said. 'We’ve recently started on a project where we’re all collaborating on the same specification as a team. It’s great to be able to see changes that the team are making in real-time and be able to leave notes directly on the spec – it speeds up decision making and how long it takes to complete a project.'  A RANGE OF BENEFITS Greater collaboration also means a greater level of risk management – something that Andrew says the practice has ‘without a doubt’ benefitted from with NBS Chorus due to the latest industry standards always being up-to-date and available at the user’s fingertips. As well as the overall impact on the business, Chorus has also helped to build the business’ level of specification knowledge and skills internally. ‘The guidance and notes on Chorus are brilliant for updates’, he said. 'Standards are automatically updated within Chorus, and reading what's changed helps to improve your knowledge. The product information from NBS Source, that’s available in Chorus, is also useful - knowing which products have third party certification is essential to us when creating a specification, so having that information available saves everybody a lot of time at the design stage.'Andrew also believes that Chorus is helping the practice to specify sustainably.'If you’re working on a project which is BREEAM rated, some of the clauses start to address that. Throughout the guidance notes and product literature, the sustainability information is embedded, which is good.'‘The industry’s shift to digital is a mammoth task and what NBS is doing is great. Cloud-based systems are the way forward’.