"construction plant equipment"

GRAHAM construction specified a number of Howe Green’s 5000 Series Floor Access Covers for the £19 million refurbishment of Lews Castle. The light duty aluminium covers were specified to provide access to underfloor services, located within the corridors on the first floor of the castle. The covers were specified with a brass edge, giving a high level of aesthetic appeal, and then infilled with carpet or ceramic tiles depending on their location. The brass show edge is continuously secured which means there are no fasteners to rust or break.

As with all balcony constructions, the issue of cold-bridging (also known as thermal-bridging) must be addressed and minimised to meet the required building standards - Part L of the Building regulations being of particular relevance. The H-BAU ISOPRO® thermal insulation element from J&P solved this problem by providing structural connection between the internal concrete floor slab, and the external concrete (insitu, or precast) balcony, whilst creating a thermal break to minimise cold-bridging.

Kingsmead Business Park in High Wycombe provides an ideal environment for today’s businesses, with some 150,000ft2 of flexible office space and excellent transport links. This purpose built business park, designed around a central courtyard, was due for a refurbishment, involving significant investment in its amenity offer and environment, incorporating the construction of a new café, entrance, lighting and associated hard landscaping. The owners were seeking to improve facilities for tenants and visitors and create a focal point in the heart of the complex.

A new £13.5million sports and swimming complex in Blackburn town centre has been constructed to replace the ageing Waves Water Fun Centre. The joint project between Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackburn College will provide for students and residents swimming pools but also a larger fitness suite, a dance/ aerobics studio, sauna and steam room and two sports halls. The scheme, partly-based on Darwen Leisure Centre, will reduce the running costs of the existing Waves complex and reduce the subsidy.

A fascinating contrast between authentic stone constructions and modern stainless steel. This apartment development is located in the middle of a leafy area and now features state-of-the-art Q-railing balustrades that empower the its natural looks. The all-glass Juliet balconies are nearly invisible, leaving the attractive stonework on full display. The Easy Glass Pro frameless balcony railings allow for beautiful views of the surroundings. In the interior, Q-railing’s Q-line baluster railing system was installed on the internal staircases.

Neaco supplied a bespoke specification combining a railed Juliet balcony design with its contemporary glass balustrade to meet the aesthetic requirements of The Pembroke, a prestigious development of luxury apartments in Sevenoaks, Kent. Designed by BHD Architects, the project formed part of an extensive redevelopment of a site at the junction with London Road and Pembroke Road, and included the construction of a new apartment complex comprising 22 properties with parking at basement level. The scheme was designed to fit into the established pattern of development of the surrounding area, in terms of scale and appearance.

SAS International bespoke metalwork comprising of a striking waveform shaped ceiling was designed by architects Arup Associates to feature in the construction of Ropemaker Place, London EC2 for British Land. Specialist bespoke wave ceilings were installed in the atrium, main reception area, lift lobbies and main external canopy. The waveform panel, although elegant in appearance, had to have the required strength to support the light fitting. Place, is a state of the art commercial development with impressive sustainability credentials.

The Opera of Oslo in Norway was designed by Snohetta architects and won the European prize of contemporary architecture 2009. This wonderful building was built at the edge of the Fjord where it appears from the ground such an iceberg. For its construction, noble materials were used like the Barrisol Acoustics® sheets on a surface of 4000 m². Barrisol Acoustic® sheets absorb noise and improve sound comfort in this building of 32 meters height. This modern and original cultural center promises to attract a large public. A prestigious project !

This study aimed to compare levels of bacterial contamination isolated from surfaces in a busy kitchen situated in a UK care home. The study’s main objective was to compare bacterial contamination on the antimicrobial wall cladding with other surfaces in the kitchen. The care home kitchen had been fitted with BioClad PVC wall cladding at the time of construction in 2011. All walls in the rectangular-shaped room were fitted with BioClad from ceiling to floor. The antimicrobial performance of the wall cladding was to be appraised according to the findings of the study.

Devenish College,EnniskillenMain Contractor Glasgiven ContractsScreed Installed by Alpha Flow ScreedSector EducationCirca 9,500m2Devenish College is a new Post Primary School, includingSchool Meals Accommodation, Play Grounds and ssociatedPlaying Fields, constructed to cater for a long-term enrolment of 800 pupils on a green field site, circa 11.5H accessed off the Tempo Road on the outskirts of Enniskillen.The Educational and Ancillary Accommodation is circa10,600M2. School Meals Accommodation is 600M2.

The Niittysilta bridge was originally designed with a larch decorative outer layer by the famous Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa. The bridge was constructed by the Helsinki city technical department in 2002 to enable the public to easily cross over a small creek but after 14 years the Larch had decayed and had to be replaced. In need of a virtually rot free, durable and stable wood, Accoya was selected to replace the Larch. Thanks to Accoya’s stability and durability benefits it posed as the ideal material to restore the bridge.

Mezaparks is one of the most beautiful, greenest, and also one of the most prestigious neighbourhoods in Riga, Latvia. The neighbourhood of Mežaparks is desired by people who require the highest level of quality in their lifestyles. It has everything, peace and quiet, harmony with nature, sports and culture activities – and the nearby bustle of the city makes this truly a dream location. Mežaparka birojs, located at Kelnes iela 1 in Riga, was built on the principles of sustainable construction by Citrus Solutions. The building has a Class A energy performance certificate.

Accoya wood has been used to create cladding, windows, doors, decking and guttering in family home in Sweden. Over 20 m3 of Accoya was ordered for the project and was used to create cladding, windows, external doors, decking and even the guttering. The joinery firm and construction company were very impressed with the performance of Accoya on this project. The build time was faster than expected with other wood species, it was easy to use and work with and it allowed to use wider planks of Accoya for the cladding.

This historic property is being converted into luxury apartments and in the grounds of the palace some twenty six new houses are being constructed to be architecturally in keeping with the historic main building. Taking cues from the complex roof layout of the original palace, the new houses have numerous hips, valleys, box gutters, monoridges and even turrets. The increased levels of thermal insulation required within the roof space meant that the risk of condensation occurring out of sight in the loft voids increased dramatically.

Bilco UK's CS-50TB Roof Access Hatch provides the perfect solution for roof-top access at Blair Castle, Scotland. The Category A listed building is said to have been constructed in 1269 and has been extensively added to over the years. Maintaining such a historic monument is a massive task. The Atholl Estate employ an army of staff to ensure this iconic property is preserved for future generations. One of the many problems in looking after such a building is the fact that it was not designed with ease of access to the roof in mind.

In 2017 Sherborne Girls mapped out their strategic direction for the following 5 years, which included a space audit and improvement plan to ensure that all buildings and facilities would be brought up to a consistently high level. Since 2006 the school has seen significant investment in buildings and major refurbishment work, with one of the most recent and largest developments undertaken in decades being the construction of the new Arts Centre, which included the instalment of Classic XL from the Nordform Collection.

Vaults are a common feature of 18th and 19th century buildings in Bath. Originally built to support the cobbled streets above and were a constructional response to the precipitous topography that surrounds Bath, in order to provide a level site. Many of the vaults within historic Bath suffer with water ingress and damp related problems. Incorporating best practice guidance - Type C Waterproofing Systems (BS 8102: 2009) a Type C System was used to keep this historic vault watertight and dry.

This blockwork construction with sips panel warm roof connections and fabric made completely airtight using Passive Purple. This Passive build with sips panel roof in the heart of Cambridge was a great job from start to finish, with Passive purple brush sealing all the connections of various substrates such as steelwork, blockwork and timber and then given a final send of with a spray application of Passive Purple, with intricate detail, multi-level rooms and grand design in general, achieving under 0.6ach was no problem.

Wakefield has had a sporting boost with the construction of its new Minsthorpe Leisure Centre which was opened February 2018, after the 14-month project was completed on schedule. Facilities at the centre include a 25m, six-lane swimming pool, a 60-station health and fitness club and a group exercise studio.The project cladding design underwent a value engineering programme and the originally specified product was changed to include our Trimapanel® smooth faced insulated panels for the external building envelope.

Helo is delighted to announce the completion of an outdoor sauna in the delightful grounds of this North London mansion. Helo’s TIMO sauna was the obvious choice for the space in question. Constructed from 44mm solid spruce logs it uses precision tongue and groove joining to ensure a quick heating cabin, whilst cedar shingle roofing not only looks the part but guarantees a water tight structure. At just under 2m square with a sociable L shaped bench layout it provided ample space for the client’s family and friends.

When construction and development group Bowmer & Kirkland needed to ensure a £19million project for the YMCA stayed in budget, they asked Eurocell for advice. Making short work of value engineering analysis for the project, Eurocell engineers identified the tight budget could be made to work even harder. By changing the window spec from aluminium to PVC-U in the shape of their Modus Tilt & Turn profile, they could lower costs by up to 37% and increase thermal performance, without altering the design.

Able Canopies were commissioned by Bouygues (UK) Ltd to produce five bespoke canopies at Oaklands School in Tower Hamlets, London. These canopy installations were part of a major Building Schools for Future (BSF) project managed by Bouygues (UK) Ltd to refurbish parts of the school and construct a new building at the site. The canopies were crucial to bringing the whole look and feel of the refurbished site together and so communication, teamwork and painstaking attention to detail were vitally important to ensure a successful installation.

The design in this project was to have a Green Roof and warm roof system The aim was to place standard green roofs which retains water but allows most of the rainfall to run into buried SuDS tanks. Following consultation with ABG the design was changed to the ABG Blueroof system. The primary advantage of the system is that utilising the roof construction for water storage reduced the need for underground attenuation tanks. The simplicity of the design allowed for attenuation capacity and green roof installation at the same time saving the client time and money.

This £7.88 million Student Accommodation project started in 2014 and is a Timber Frame construction specifically designed as a Student Accommodation Residential Development and Halls of Residence for Liverpool University.The specification for this project consisted of 231 studio apartments fitted with acoustic flooring. The project which is located close to the busy Lime Street Train Station in Liverpool City Centre, was extremely complex.The acoustic flooring of choice was a 23mm T&G profile dry screed pre bonded with 18mm wood fibre.

A top end housing development in the heart of the West Country features the conservation of a listed mill property as well as elegant new roof designs: all articulated using CUPA PIZARRAS, specified for their quality and long lifetime guarantee, as well as their highly aesthetic appearance. Tail Mill in Merriott, close to Crewkerne in Somerset, is being refurbished and converted along with the construction of new residential properties, built by developer Zero C - with the three and four bedroom executive homes commanding asking prices of £4-500,000.

As the first of its kind in Wales and costing £48 million, Penarth Learning Community has been described as a ‘super school,’ bringing mainstream and specialised educational needs together under one roof. A variety of Tobermore paving products were used to create a hard-wearing, vibrant hard landscape for both the pedestrian and trafficked areas on site. Penarth Learning Community won ‘Project of the Year’ at the 2015 Constructing Excellence in Wales Awards and was also crowned winner in the ‘Integration and Collaborative Working’ category.

In January 2008, the Devon Partnership NHS Foundation Trust approved plans for a major redevelopment of the Langdon Hospital site based in Dawlish. RCM were appointed by the NHS to provide the Renderflex building board – a high performance cellulose fibre cement render carrier board and Y-Wall – a calcium silicate board on the inner leaf of the wall construction. The client specified robust walls in all areas, especially within the patient wards, which made RCM’s boards ideal for the project.

Tried and tested by an independent surveyor, the RendaClad solution has demonstrated to be more cost effective than traditional methods of masonry construction with a rendered finish when looking at a holistic house approach. Further additional benefits of the system include lightweight, durability, strength, fully tested and accredited, low maintenance, guaranteed, and availability of materials. These benefits aided delivery of the entire contract ahead of programme and provided early tenancy for those in need and advanced income to Devon and Cornwall Housing to that initially proposed.

The ProjectsThe Northern Health and Social Care Trust and The Southern Health and Social Care Trust are two of the largest healthcare associations in Northern Ireland. Between them, they provide services to over 850,000 people. Among the facilities under the Northern Trust’s control is Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. The Southern Trust has Craigavon Area Hospital as one of its major healthcare sites.H&J Martin was established in 1840. For well over a century and a half it has been delivering the highest level of quality work in every aspect of construction and fit outs. For this reason, the company was chosen to oversee and facilitate the work on these prestigious hospitals.The hospitals needed new flooring to be installed throughout the buildings. The floorcovering would need to be made from a resilient material such as vinyl, making it easy to maintain high standards of hygiene using industrial cleaning machinery. The flooring would also need to be supported at the floor-to-wall junctions and around corners, to prevent flooring failure or collapse and to protect against the heavy-duty cleaning equipment.The ApproachH&J Martin decided to use Quantum Flooring’s CCFM1 internal and CCFM2 external floormitres to help protect the flooring around corners in the hospitals. Vinyl or other resilient floorcoverings can be particularly vulnerable where the flooring meets the wall at corners, as it can be difficult to mitre the angles correctly. These floormitres help to create a uniform finish every time, leading to greater structural integrity along with improved aesthetic results.Quantum’s QCF35 cove former was utilised to complement the CCFM1 and CCFM2. This profile fits perfectly with the curve of the floormitres, helping to create a flush and hygienic finish every time, at each floor-to-wall junction and around corners. The coving and the floormitres protect the floorcovering from damage at the join, and make the flooring easier to clean. For wet rooms, the vinyl can be fitted all the way up the wall where the floormitres can also be used in the wall-to-roof corners.The UCS3 slimline flexible capping strip was used to create neat finishes to the floorcovering up the walls of the hospitals. The UCS3 profile is specifically designed for healthcare environments. It has a slimline cap, reducing the accumulation of dirt and dust over time, and providing a smaller surface area to be cleaned than traditional capping strips. UCS3 is available in 25 metre coils making the packaging compact and the product easy to fit.The OutcomesCauseway Hospital and Craigavon Area Hospital were fitted with over 2,000 metres of floormitres, cove formers, and capping strips between July 2022 and July 2023. Sean O’Reilly, the Flooring Supervisor for H&J Martin, says: “As you can see from the finish, high quality work was made easier with floormitres.”The profiles used have been expertly fitted by H&J Martin employees, resulting in great looking and hygienic installations for both hospitals. The floormitres, coving, and capping strips will be protecting the floorcovering for many years to come, and helping to keep the facilities safe and clean for both patients and healthcare professionals.The Northern Trust and the Southern Trust can rest assured that H&J Martin’s professional work with Quantum Flooring’s excellent product range will help them to continue providing their vital services to the people of Northern Ireland. Cutting Corners cove solutions are perfect for healthcare and pharmaceutical projects, improving the quality and standards of cap and cove, cleanroom, as well as wetroom installations.The CCFM1 Internal and CCFM2 External Floormitres are specified and fitted in countries worldwide.www.cuttingcorners.org.uk

False fire alarm numbers continue to rise post-pandemic causing major issues for the economy by wasting vital time and resources.The latest Home Office figures from year ending September 2022 reveal fire and rescue services attended 238,885 fire false alarms, the largest total of false fire alarms in over a decade, an increase of 10% compared with the previous year.With an 18% increase from the previous year for malicious false fire alarms, 6,473 false alarms were determined, the number still rising post-COVID.False fire alarms continue to be the largest proportion of incidents attended at 38% and so it is increasingly important to minimise false alarms to ensure both the safety of individuals and the efficient use of emergency services.A teenager was arrested in Aberdeen after setting off fire alarms more than a dozen times, which police investigated as ‘deliberate and malicious’. Firefighters attended calls and wasted time and resources, meaning they could not respond to real emergency calls.False alarms are costly and disruptive, amounting to around £1 billion a year for the UK they often require emergency responders to mobilise and respond to a non-existent emergency, wasting resources and time.False fire alarms can be costly for building owners with fines introduced for repeated false alarms from emergency services, as they may have to attend multiple times, causing a drain on resources that could be better used elsewhere.They can also cause panic and confusion, particularly if they occur frequently, making it harder for people to take the necessary steps to evacuate safely in the event of a real fire. Frequent false alarms can lead to complacency among building occupants, who may not take real fire alarms seriously, potentially putting themselves and others at risk.Firefighters attended false alarms a considerable number of times at Basset Lodge, an independent living facility for many elderly and disabled people. False fire alarms are not only disruptive for staff and residents, but also pose a risk to their safety, and place additional strain on fire and rescue services. These repeated false alarms can lead to complacency in the public, lowering the sense of urgency in real evacuations.Protective covers can help to control the number of accidental and malicious fire alarms, but there are many ways in which you can reduce false alarms, for example regularly checking and testing equipment to ensure it is not faulty is one approach to preventing unnecessary risk for the fire department and public from false alarms.As the original call point cover manufacturer, Safety Technology International manufacture tough covers have been specifically designed to help deter false fire alarms and to prevent malicious or accidental activation of manual call points. The strong, durable construction of our polycarbonate call point protectors means they can withstand the toughest knocks, whilst offering lasting protection against false fire alarms. With various models available in a range of sizes and colours, and multi-language or custom text options, we have covers suitable for most applications or devices. Sounder models help to deter malicious activations with an audible alarm that draws immediate attention to the area. Waterproof models also allow for outside application, protecting devices and manual call points against the ingress of dust or water.

A bespoke new home complimented by curved bespoke glazing and moreThe ChallengeOur client wanted to create a truly unique environment to enjoy wide open views of their ample garden, the countryside and stunning sky views for a spacious room that linked two parts of their new build’s dwellings together. The homeowner wanted to both emphasise and compliment unique features of the construction to let the outside in with an abundance of natural light and controlled natural air ventilation. The SolutionCollaborating closely with the client we create a bespoke curved multi-panel rooflights which followed the unique structure of this spacious room. These bespoke curved multi-panel rooflights had low-profile rafter supports so that from the ridge of the curved roof to the eaves the pitched glass roof gave the maximum feeling of height and space. This gave an abundance of natural light to flood in and with the addition of electric opening vent rooflights that allowed the homeowner to control the natural air ventilation in this stunning example of modern living in rural Hertfordshire. Whether you’re at planning or construction stage why not see how we could help you add natural light and space to your home; you can call us on  01223 792244 or pop us an email via info@nextgenrooflights.co.uk outlining what help you need.

The design brief Our brief from Heatherwick Studios was to design, supply & install a free spanning self-supporting 3D triangular rooflight, to replace a more traditional rooflight that was supported by secondary steel.The ChallengeA rooflight of this type would normally be fully fabricated and welded as a single frame off-site. The challenge was in the installation of the rooflight as stick construction to align the connection correctly so the glass lines would be true against the framework and the engagement correct. There was only a +/-2mm tolerance.The SolutionThe rooflight is 9m x 4m and is fully self-supporting, modelled with in our SOLIDWORKS 3D design software. The supporting members are a combination of 50mm x 120mm and 50mm x 80mm steel sections. The scope of the overall project was to provide offices for Heatherwick Studios. British designer Thomas Heatherwick founded Heatherwick Studio in 1994 to bring craft, design, architecture and urban planning together in a single workspaceGet in touchWhether you’re at planning or construction stage why not see how we could help you add natural light and space to your commercial office space; you can call us on 01223 792244 or pop us an email via info@nextgenrooflights.co.uk outlining what help you need.

This project consisted of many Helmsman products, with lockers, cubicles, vanity units and IPS panels being supplied. Alongside the team at Mixbrow Construction and Ipswich Town FC, we designed, manufactured and installed 8 bespoke 1 compartment laminate lockers, 1775mm high x 400mm wide x 500mm deep on a cantilevered seat stand. The theme of the changing rooms was kept slick and professional, with See Group’s Biocarbon Laminate used in colour Gabbro. This fantastic carbon neutral laminate is strong, moisture resistant, easy to clean and has antibacterial protection, perfect for a changing room project. The locks chosen for the lockers were Lowe and Fletcher 2800 combination locks, also a great choice for the coaches’ changing rooms.Whilst we offer a wide range of cubicle options, we worked with the team at Mixbrow Construction to design a bespoke floor to ceiling cubicle to fit their needs. The changing room design featured 2 Bespoke Floor to Ceiling shower cubicles and 1 Bespoke Floor to Ceiling Toilet Cubicle. Also included in the project were 4 sets of IPS (Integrated Plumbing System) Panels and a Solid Grade Laminate Vanity unit, all in matching Solid Grade BioCarbon Laminate in colour Gabbro.

'The Portal' is a new £16 million public services hub in Ellesmere Port, delivered by Vinci Construction UK for Cheshire West and Chester Council. The new facility will be home to more than 500 council and public sector staff, a Job Centre Plus and a Citizen’s Advice Bureau.The building has been constructed with many environmentally friendly elements including solar panels, air source heat pump and electric vehicle charging points. The Portal’s envelope is wrapped at the top and bottom with an attractive, copper coloured metal cladding and a newly formed public realm area will surround the exterior, with bench seating and green landscaped sections.Internally, 'The Portal' consists of large open plan working areas with smaller subsection meeting rooms, break out and kitchen spaces which are present on each level and a main central staircase for circulation.Metal Technology Ltd supplied its 10-35Hi+ commercial entrance doors and System 17 capped curtain walling for the large, glazed sections of the build to approved fabricator and installer RED Systems Limited.Due to open its doors in Spring, it’s fantastic to have been involved in this state-of-the-art, commercial project, which is a catalyst for the wider Ellesmere Port Town Centre regeneration master plan.

Hush Acoustics was tasked with providing an acoustic separating floor solution in an extensive material change of use project in Southall. Phoenix House was being converted by Vascroft Construction from an office building to residential flats, in a project which involved building into the basement, adding two floors and expanding at the rear.The development of 149 flats, each of which comprises 2 bedrooms, 1 ensuite, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen/living area, required an effective design for the separating floors to ensure they would be effectively soundproofed throughout across multiple different floor finishes.After assessing a number of floor construction materials, Hush Panel 28 floating floor panels were selected to meet the acoustic performance targets. Using this panel meant that throughout the bedrooms and living areas a simple underlay could be laid before the finished carpets or engineered timber floor were installed. Hush Panel 28 was also suitable for the floors in the wet rooms and entrance hallways by applying Detromat on top of the panel to form an anti cracking surface.A team of more than 100 operatives worked on site, with every 1000 sq. m of floor completed per week, which Hush Acoustics supported to ensure Vascroft could meet the project’s strict delivery schedule.

Gent Sint-Pieters railway stationCHALLENGE Gent Sint-Pieters, the main railway station in Ghent, is undergoing a spectacular metamorphosis today. The listed main building, constructed for the 1913 World Exhibition, has to remain untouched. Behind the old building however the platforms, waiting rooms and the central passengers corridor are being entirely refurbished. Architect Voncke’s objective was to create a pleasant atmospheric site with a 35,000 sqm open and attractive central hall, broadened and completely covered platforms and renovated rails. Functional, well-designed and above all spacious! As the 12 rail tracks had to stay on ground level, the passengers alley was excavated to a lower level under the railroad tracks. This necessitated permitting considerable daylight to enter the underlying levels.SOLUTION Transparent canopies, featuring large glass sections and translucent floors were all designed with this purpose in mind. To gain even more light the architect chose RENOLIT ALKORBRIGHT for waterproofing the platform canopies. The six long rectangular platform blocks, differing in height, are interconnected and make one large roof. The white highly reflective RENOLIT ALKORBRIGHT membrane on top of the construction reflects the daylight through the high side windows. A clever way to add extra day-light to the underlying areas.