"general engineering services"

As one of the leading off-site blasting and painting applicators, specialising in intumescent coatings, Vale Protective Coatings strive to stay at the forefront of technological advancements. Using the latest coatings and techniques is integral to support their offer of ‘unrivalled service’ to their customers in the steel construction industry.With a history of supporting trials for new products, Vale were the ideal partner to test our new Hempafire Pro 315 Fast Dry.The purpose of the trial was to prove that Hempafire Pro 315 Fast Dry applies more efficiently, significantly increasing productivity, without compromising coating quality.

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

The UK’s first Palm Restaurant opened in Belgravia, London. Specialists in interior refurbishment, Fileturn Contractors fitted 5 of Howe Green’s 5000 Series floor access covers and one of its Visedge covers. The covers were selected to provide easy access to essential building services including plumbing and electrics. The 5000 Series covers were used in the restaurant’s signature hardwood floor of the lower level private dining area while the Visedge was perfect for the flexible flooring in the basement. Excelling in cleanliness, hygiene and durability, the covers are perfect for commercial applications.

The largest library in the whole of the UK was designed with the community in mind. The fashionable design was quickly accepted and turned into fruition. The building won the RIBA West Midlands Award and named the best overall building of the year in 2014 as well as being named “Building of the Year 2013” in The Architects Journal. Over 30,000, Grainger’s H Range, raised access flooring pedestals were installed here, by Carillion and Capita Symonds to provide a highly durable and decorative floor, under which cabling could be routed. Tucking all important services safely out of harms reach.

Award winning developer Hill required a seamless solution to accessing concealed bathroom services at The Scene, Walthamstow and their Park View development in Sidcup. Howe Green supplied the Tile-a-Door+ Wall Access Panels manufactured in a bespoke size to fit Hill’s specific tile grids. The panels can be custom made to the millimetre and are supplied ready to tile with up to a 10mm thick finish, making the installation process quick and straightforward Howe Green’s Tile-a-Door+ panels ensure that access for any future repairs or maintenance will be faster, easier and cost-efficient.

A Grade II listed Royal George building in Knutsford was sympathetically restored to create a stunning dining venue for the Loch Fyne brand. During the restoration project, contractor A&J Interiors specified 4 of Howe Green’s 5000 Series floor access covers. The covers were required to provide an unobtrusive access solution to cover the kitchen’s essential mains services whilst maintaining fast and easy access for maintenance or emergency repairs. Blending seamlessly with the flooring the covers avoid distortion and prevent the risk of slips and trips – essential within a busy kitchen environment.

Howe Green’s 7500 Series Medium Duty Aluminium Floor Access Covers were supplied for the Nationalmuseum of Art in Stockholm, which is currently undergoing an extensive restoration programme. The premier tourist attraction required an access solution that was visually appealing, secure and of superior quality. The 7500 Series Floor Access Covers were fitted as duct runs in the museum. The majority of covers were infilled with limestone floor tiles while the remaining units have a visible concrete finish. The covers offer safe and easy access to cabling and other services located beneath the flooring.

Western Power Distribution (WPD) provides service for Midlands, South West and South Wales, United Kingdom, with a network that spans the country’s width. WPD delivers electricity to more than 21,000 square miles (55,500 square kilometers) via 136,000 miles (220,000 km) of overhead lines and underground cables and 185,000 substations. WPD has committed to provide safer access to their 15,000 towers across the network. The company had used a double lanyard for working at heights, but wanted an alternative system that was faster, safer and reduced physical demands of climbing for their line operators.

Access flooring once again was selected for this major £12 million building in Cheltenham. Bathgate Flooring manufactured and installed over 5600m2 of Panels to ensure that this Grade A office space offered the maximum flexibility. Products Used BGM 600 Steel Encapsulated Panels Constructing this Office Development is well recorded with a time lapse video of the entire project available through the Gloucestershire Live news story. Access Flooring is used in buildings like this to ensure that there is easy access to the services if needed. Simply lift up the floor panels and all the cabling is visible beneath.

The original waterproofing on the Maternity Hospital roof had exceeded its serviceable life and begun experiencing water ingress, requiring urgent remedial work. Bristol City Council wanted to optimise the roof area by installing a high quality, long lasting PV array that would contribute to its Solar City scheme that aims to provide one gigawatt of solar power to Bristol by 2020. The installation needed to cause minimal disruption to ongoing work at the hospital and insulation upgrades were necessary to ensure the roof achieved the required 0.25 U-Value.

Siberian Larch with NORclad Lite Presevative Treatment All of the external cladding, and fins for the state-of-the-art facility, along with balustrade and handrail components, the same Siberian Larch then runs into the main reception of the building Utilising an certified NORclad® Siberian Larch, the specification includes our NORclad Lite Preservative treatment applied to the timber. The preservative treatment provides a formal warranty on the product for 30 years against rot and fungal decay (out of ground contact). Products specified, Treatment Services applied under ISO 9001 factory controlled conditions.

To complement the opening of their new, state-of-the-art Changing Places facility, Derriford Hospital realised the need to improve the reception foyer washrooms. "We chose the System M cubicle to aid with manual handling and to provide quick access if needed. Of the products supplied, we are most pleased with the System M emergency door release system. The reaction from users has been that they are delighted with the new facilities, commenting on the extra space, increased number of cubicles, useful accessories such as bag hooks, and the colour of the cubicles." - Peter Caton, Site Services, Derriford Hospital.

Five new towers at the University of Brighton’s Moulsecoomb Campus are now protected by a fault-tolerant network of MxPro 5 fire panels from Advanced.The 13 networked MxPro 5 panels have been installed to protect the five student accommodation towers varying between eight and 18 storeys, which will provide more than 800 student bedrooms as well as ground-floor fitness facilities and amenities for the students’ union. Responsible for the fire system design, supply and commissioning were West Sussex-based Southern Fire Alarms (SFA) Ltd, who installed the equipment alongside mechanical and electrical engineers J&B Hopkins.The fire system is integrated with multiple third-party interfaces, including automatic opening vents (AOVs), sprinklers and access control. Careful consideration was given to the complex cause and effect programming that needed to be applied across the site. Each building is configured with a six-minute investigation period, with sounders on the floor of origin initiated after a single device activation. A single subsequent device activation will escalate into full evacuation of the specific tower. A master key switch has also been introduced, to allow for full evacuation of all towers if required.

Wireworks London approached us looking for a modern industrialised Oak to clad onto a winding staircase in a beautiful London home. Amongst the options we presented was our CH-E780. This a White Oak with a brushed and band sawn surface giving it a clean yet worn texture. The rusticgrade Oak allows for some knotting to appear without it overpowering carefully detailed floorboards.These boards are finished with a commercial grade UV cured oil that makes it hard wearing and easy to maintain. This particular product has also been fitted throughout the busy, modern offices at 3 Shortlands, Hammersmith. It is easily one of our most popular surfaces and finishes.Wireworks didn’t want a separate stair nose component, instead opting for mitring the length of the boards to a 45-degree angle and jointing them together with a biscuit and high quality PVA glue. The effect is a stunning cascade of band sawn Oak which looks like it was purpose built in a specialist workshop or factory. This an excellent example of the ingenuity of the team at Wireworks and the adaptability of wood flooring.Would you like to see this type of cladding in using a herringbone parquet? Then please see our case study: Cladding Stairs in Engineered Herringbone Parquet

In the heart of London's dynamic Kings Cross area, Google's first purpose-built office in Europe stands as a testament to innovative design and environmental sustainability. Covering an impressive 1,000m², this project required a flooring solution that matched Google's ethos of innovation, quality, and sustainability.  Snowdonia Essential Plus Terrazzo tiles, chosen for this project, feature a subtle off-white base with varying sizes of grey and white chips. This modern engineered marble is not just about aesthetics it boasts exceptional quality and sustainability credentials, being LEED-certified. This certification underscores the tiles contribution to energy efficiency and environmental design in buildings. Google's new London HQ, envisioned by renowned architects Heatherwick Studio and Bjarke Ingels Group and brought to life by BDP, reimagines the traditional office space. The design prioritizes a low-rise structure that harmonizes with the urban landscape of King's Cross, emphasizing subtlety and consideration in every aspect. Being part of the creation of Google's groundbreaking London headquarters was an opportunity to showcase our commitment to quality, sustainability, and design excellence. The Snowdonia Essential Plus Terrazzo tiles not only complement the aesthetic vision of the architects but also contribute to the building's overall sustainability goals. 

The development district now known as London Docklands is an area alongside the River Thames to the East and South East of London. The Harbour Central project involves the construction of a large single storey reinforced concrete basement, high-rise reinforced concrete cores and frames varying in height from 24 to 41 storeys, plus two low-rise reinforced concrete cores and frames.The product used to prevent punching failure throughout the Harbour Central development is the Schöck Bole® reinforcement system. This widely used and trusted Schöck Bole® solution consists of double-headed studs and anchors, with spacing bars, which enable installation after the bottom reinforcement and before the top layer. The two-spacer rods, which are welded to the vertical studs, ensure the correct distance between uprights and the size of the stud heads guarantee a perfect finishing bond with the concrete. As result, when compared with a typical stirrup reinforcement system, an increased shear force resistance of around 70% is achieved. It is cost-effective and timesaving solution and as the Modebest Senior Engineer on site, Sean Togher commented: “The Schöck Bole® product was easy to understand from a reference point of view and we found it really straightforward to install”.

Tower Supplies is an industry leader in PPE and workwear.They desperately needed to bring their office up to date to be in line with their operation.There was a need to have a functional office whilst maintaining a hardworking culture. Tower spent time and money with three other office design specialists, on all accounts the designs and solutions blew their budget putting the project out of reach.How we helpedThrough workshops and consultancy we were able to provide a 3 phase project that would provide Tower with the facility they required whilst still operating.We are able to provide a large multi-purpose workspace with kitchen, lunch area, directors offices, presentation area with moving partition, washrooms, shower rooms, reception and meeting spaces.By value engineering the project we were able to provide, within budget, an office with a modern and professional design that reflected the companies industrial roots. We ProvidedOffice DesignSpace Planning / 3D VisualsElectrics and LightingFlooringMoving PartitionsGlass PartitionsCeilingsBespoke JoineryWashroomsFitted FurnitureAudio VisualReception AreasKitchen & Breakout SpaceAgile WorkspaceDecorationAcoustic BafflesAir-ConditioningBlinds

FOAMGLAS® Tapered T4+ (Slab)Design Architects: Amanda Levete ArchitectsStructural Engineer: ArupMain Contractor: WatesRoofing Contractor: Knight AsphaltApplication: Podium Roof - FOAMGLAS® Tapered T4+ (Slab )Finish: Porcelain TilesThe Victoria and Albert Museum is one of the world’s greatest museums of art and design. It provides unparalleled knowledge and understanding of the designed world to the public.The newly refurbished entrance is the first porcelain tiled public courtyard in the UK. It consists of a total area of 1200 m2 distributed in different levels.For this application, FOAMGLAS® Tapered T4+ (Slab) was specified and installed on a concrete deck with two high performance bitumen waterproofing membranes.The bedding and porcelain tiles provide the final finish and they will support the large volumes of visitors expected every day.The podium roof at Exhibition Road Quarter will showcase the best of contemporary design, as well as celebrating the beauty of the V&A’s existing building.At the heart of the Architects brief the newly created space is to accommodate the V&A’s headline exhibitions, it will also act as a public area.The Foamglas strength and time tested thermal performance will offer a long term solution to this very important entrance and courtyard.