"fountains ponds lakes"

An historic landmark in the Lake District has been given a new lease of life with the installation of StoTherm Mineral K external wall insulation and StoSilco finishing render. Built in 1937, the building in Keswick originally housed the UK’s first pencil factory, and now provides new headquarters and site for the Keswick Convention for the Keswick Ministries organization. After being used by the Cumberland Pencil Company the building had fallen into disrepair. Set at the entrance to Keswick, this important local landmark has now embarked on a £10.5m redevelopment project, split into four phases. The Sto materials have been used on the first phase which has seen the building’s front elevation fully restored, and they have also been specified for the remaining three stages of the work.The BBA-certified StoTherm Mineral K system combines impressive insulation with unrivalled fire protection characteristics. It features Sto-Mineral Fibre thermal insulation boards, which in this case were fixed to the substrate using StoLevell Duo Plus mineral bonding and reinforcing mortar.  “This allows any unevenness in the surface of the substrate to be accommodated and makes installation a fast and easy process,” comments Alan Rees of Eco Rend North East who installed the Sto system. This efficient single-leaf construction allows for excellent thermal performance without reducing the interior space, and as it requires no additional expansion joints, a smooth and unbroken exterior surface can be created.  An additional mineralic reinforcing coat was applied and the exterior surface was finished with StoSilco silicone resin render.  With high CO2 and water-vapour permeability, StoSilco render allows a weather- and water-repellant outer surface to be created in any of the 1,000+ colours available in the StoColor System.  

HLM Architects were asked by Wokingham Borough Council to create a community centred and modern building to replace the old and dated Activity Centre. HLM’s design is inspired by the centre’s beautiful and natural setting and supported the Council’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030.Celebrating the natural lakeside surroundings, the modern £2.4million scheme provides educational and leisure facilities for the local community in Dinton Pastures County Park for adventures on water and land. The new centre includes an activity hall, adults and children’s changing areas, dual-use teaching and conference spaces, and a coffee shop opening on to a spectator terrace overlooking the lake and park to cater for all the needs of the users and visitors.HLM worked with Reds10 to complete the structure offsite, with the facade applied later on-site. The designed is noted as it doesn’t look like the often maligned rectangular ‘shipping’ container shape which comes to mind when off-site production is mentioned. The size and presence of the two-storey building is specifically designed to be in harmony with the surrounding landscape and sits like a hidden oasis nestled between the treeline and shoreline. 75 per cent of the building was completed offsite; 16 modular frames were built and then transported to Dinton Pastures Country Park and then lifted into place. The facades were then added to the substructure on site. The modular approach significantly reduces the carbon emissions in the construction process.EQUITONE was used on the ground-level of the building. The high-density characteristic of EQUITONE worked well for the high footfall areas that will be getting a lot of contact, and where durability is crucial.The colour was considered a sympathetic complement to the FSC-certified Siberian larch chosen for the upper building, which is designed to weather overtime and blend in further with setting. Another important consideration was that EQUITONE is naturally resistant to many living organisms (fungi, bacteria, insects, vermin, etc.) and requires no harsh chemicals to clean.

We were delighted to have succeeded in a competitive tender to carry out the playground refurbishment works at Decoy Park, Newton Abbot, Devon, in the summer of 2021. Decoy Park is a beloved recreational space in the town, with a large lake, woodland trails, and adjacent football pitches complimenting the play equipment at the park. Our design reflected the semi rural nature of the landscape, with a huge Treehouse structure sitting as the centrepiece of the area, standing almost 6m tall with a tube slide coming off the top level.A dynamic area aimed at older children featured two aerial runways, a beautiful glue laminated hardwood robinia climbing frame, and an overhead rotator. A spinning machine, a unique play piece that spins the seated user vertically 360 degrees, added a unique twist to the zone, something not seen in your everyday playground!The toddler zone is a heaven for the smallest children, with tastefully designed animal graphics, a variety of spinning, balancing and rocking activities, and a fun play ship featuring telescopes, play panels and steering wheels.A variety of different safety surfaces were laid at the area, to suit the various requirements of each zone. Wet pour rubber was used for the Toddler area, as its array of colours made designing and creating the animal graphics a possibility. TigerMulch was chosen for the adventure zone, with its natural looks and hard wearing properties ideal for the dynamic activities taking place here.Decoy Park was one of those special, unique projects that don’t come around very often, and we had so much fun designing and building the new playground. Thanks to Teignbridge District Council for commissioning us to do the works, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it!

Having purchased the lands from the Golf Club, Cosgrave Developments wanted to ensure the natural contours of the existing grounds were maintained when building the public amenity park – Honeypark – which is the centrepiece of their development.As a focal meeting point the area contained mature parklands with a man-made lake and childrens play area as the main attraction. With this area being lower in the development a safe, durable and visually pleasing design was needed, Mick Cosgrave chose AG’s Ground TerraPave® natural aggregate flags to meet the specification, with its durable finish and low slip resistance it met all the safety criteria for this major walkway.When laid it’s visually impressive surface draws you to the central focal point of the scheme. To improve safety for the visually impaired AG’s smooth bullnose kerbs setts were used to form the numerous step details complimenting the smooth crisp clean appearance of the paving and flags.The main green space areas also had sloping contours where soil retention was needed to aid structural integrity and drainage, AG’s Vertica Retaining Wall system was selected. The low rise walls meet the engineering specification whilst the choice of colour was in line with the design choice for the scheme. The unique split level design also provided a natural amphitheatre and seating area for the residents, the low level of the walling kept in mind the safety aspects for younger children in the area.In the main residential areas Cosgrave Developments choose AG’s River Stone Blackwater paving for the parking bay areas. Unique in its design due to its undulating face finish this new product has the key benefits of smooth paving, tight joints and an extra sparkle due to the addition of natural granite chippings. Technically its ideal for the durability and hard wearing required to take parked vehicular traffic over long periods of time

No less than eight different solid wood floors from Junckers were used as part of the spectacular design for US company Slack’s new headquarters in San Francisco. Installed as both flooring and wall panelling, various timbers, colours and finishes were used to tell the interior story. A floor-by-floor tour takes you on a nature trail. Taking inspiration from the company CEO’s passion for the outdoors, architects Studio O+A used the Pacific Crest Trail as the basis for their design. All ten floors convey a different terrain found on the wilderness trail, from desert landscapes to mountain peaks. For a design centred around nature itself, the architects specified Junckers’ wooden floors for their natural beauty and functionality. The beauty of the grain pattern found in real wood can never be replicated, and a solid wood floor is a durable, sustainable choice for a busy office space. The project has received numerous design accolades and awards, including a place on the “2019 World’s 10 Most Beautiful Offices’ list. A floor by floor guide to Slack HQ:1st floor – Basecamp featuring Junckers Nordic Oak Classic + Black Oak on walls and seating pods2nd floor – Rocky desert featuring Junckers Oak Harmony plank flooring4th floor – Mountains featuring Junckers Oak Harmony plank flooring5th floor – Mountain lakes featuring Junckers Nordic Oak Harmony + Oak Harmony Driftwood Grey plank flooring6th floor – Waterfalls & streams featuring Junckers Nordic Oak Harmony plank flooring7th floor – Forest featuring Junckers Oak Variation Wild Hazel two-strip flooring8th floor – Volcano crater featuring Junckers Black Oak Harmony plank flooring + Textured Black Oak Variation as wall panelling9th floor – Glacier featuring Junckers Nordic Oak + Nordic Oak Harmony White Plus plank flooring10th floor – Summit featuring Junckers Oak Harmony Golden Pearl plank flooring

This year, the playgrounds in Kazincbarcika are being beautified again. The refurbishment across the city's 22 playgrounds began this spring with the replacement of rubber coatings and the refurbishment of sandboxes, followed by the necessary repairs to equipment and structural elements. The work is expected to be completed by autumn.With the arrival of spring weather, many are eager to spend time outdoors, and families with young children enjoy spending time on playgrounds. Among the city residents we surveyed, many consider the area around the Boating Lake a prime destination due to its proximity to nature and the presence of a playground nearby.It is important that children can play in the safest, well-maintained environment possible. Barcika Park Nonprofit Ltd. is responsible for the operation of 22 playgrounds, which include 220 play equipment. The company's staff continuously repair any detected faults and deficiencies, and they annually review the condition of the playground equipment. Some of the equipment is repaired on-site, while others are taken to their workshop for repairs after transportation.Parents can also assist the professionals with their observations through the city's official mobile app, KolorApp. Thanks to these reports, it was discovered that the rubber coatings on the playgrounds were worn and damaged, prompting the company to replace all of them for the safety of the children. Additionally, they regularly rake the sand surfaces, disinfect and refill the sandboxes, and refurbish or install new playground equipment, as communicated by Márton Rosza, the construction group leader at Barcika Park Nonprofit Ltd."The major replacements and repairs, for example, are taking place at the Barátság Square playground, the Völgy Street playground, the Instrument Technician Street playground, and in the Völgy Park. Currently, the replacement of spring toys, balance swings, and swinging swings is underway. We strive to show the residents potential innovations," stated the expert.Márton Rosza added: His colleagues also take care of emptying waste containers, managing green areas, caring for vegetation, and cleaning sandboxes, shock absorbers, and coatings. Safety is also ensured by a regulation that mandates a triennial review of the playgrounds, which is always performed by an expert company. Thus, everything necessary for uninterrupted and high-quality relaxation is available in Kazincbarcika. However, during the maintenance work, they ask for the patience and cooperation of the children and their parents.