"natural insulation products"

FORBO’S PORTFOLIO COMBINES QUALITY WITH AFFORDABILITY   Alumno, a specialist student accommodation developer, conceived and delivered a sophisticated and welcoming space for Element Bermondsey, a new student accommodation overlooking Bermondsey Spa Gardens. To do this, Forbo Flooring Systems’ Sarlon and Safestep floor coverings were specified, for their technical and aesthetic qualities.   Operated by CRM Students, the UK’s leading independent student accommodation management brand, Element Bermondsey provides 143 students living in Southwark with high-quality, fully serviced and sustainable accommodation. Greenaway Architecture and Tatham Studios worked with Alumno, to create contemporary spaces for the increasing number of students coming into London to study.   Greenaway Architecture and Alumno took the reins when designing Element Bermondsey, as Ron Plunz, Development Director at Alumno explained: “We had agreed a palette with our funding partner during our initial design meetings, which we had presented to them in a CGI format. We then took this vision and fine-tuned it to get a much clearer idea of the direction we wanted to go in.   “When designing student accommodation, we usually opt for a neutral theme as there is a mix of cultures, ages and people living under one roof. By choosing a contemporary yet neutral palette, it provides students with the freedom to make the spaces their own.”  Not only was it important that Alumno created a space that allowed the residents to express themselves, but it was also key that the building met sustainability requirements. Ron explained further: “We really wanted and needed to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Excellent’ with this building. As such, one of the factors we wanted to address was noise levels, to create healthy and comfortable spaces for the students. It was for this reason that we specified Forbo’s Sarlon acoustic floor covering; with a 19 dB impact sound reduction it exceeded the requirements needed for this accreditation.”  Forbo’s Sarlon 19 dB was specified in two different colours for this project. Ron explained: “We used Sarlon in Silver Concrete for the hallways and kitchen areas and Anthracite Nairobi in the bedrooms; both are deep greys, which offer an attractive, neutral baseline for the rooms, whilst providing some warmth to the spaces. I like to use products with some natural patterns like stone, concrete or textile weaves as it can serve a dual purpose of forming a pattern, whilst also helping to hide marks, which keeps the room looking smart.  “Forbo’s Sarlon offering fits this perfectly as it is available in a range of natural patterns and a versatile range of colours. We always use Forbo as its product range is just so varied, full of aesthetically pleasing designs that fit the technical requirements we’re looking for.”  Not only this, but the XtremePUR finish ensures Sarlon delivers improved scratch resistance, which is important for student accommodation as it endures heavy use across an academic year. Additionally, Sarlon is phthalate free, minimising the impact it has on the residents’ wellbeing.  Furthermore, Forbo’s Safestep product was used in the ensuite bathrooms, offering a good level of slip resistance. Ron continued: “Obviously resident safety is extremely important for these types of projects. So, for this reason, we needed a floor covering that could satisfy our health and safety requirements, but one that didn’t look industrial. Forbo’s Safestep was the perfect solution, with the contemporary Lava colour, which is a dark grey shade with hints of green running throughout it. It suits the neutral palette of the room, but also provides a good level of slip resistance.  “Forbo has a wide range of options available. In fact, there’s a solution for all applications, which makes our job easier, as we don’t have to use multiple manufacturers. Instead, we can purchase all the floor coverings we need from one company.”  CRM Students welcomed students into this latest scheme at the start of the 2022 academic year and has received positive feedback from the residents and press.  For more information about Forbo’s product range for student accommodation, visit: www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/studentaccommodation  

Family houses renovated... CHALLENGE 134 single family houses needed to be renovated to liveable conditions. The main problem for the architect and building contractors was the fact these houses had to remain occupied during the works. SOLUTION For the roof two prefabricated timber roof elements covered with the RENOLIT ALKORDESIGN roofing system were installed to replace the existing roof structure. The roofing elements consisted of a layer of OSB, a layer of 350 mm cellulose fibre insulation, another OSB plate and a 2 mm thick RENOLIT ALKORPLAN roofing membrane. The prefabricated roof element has a U-Value of 0.11 W/m². On top of the prefab roof elements hot water panels were installed. 

5 Everyman cinemas have been built in a new building in the centre of Harrogate which houses several other retail and leisure facilities.The cinema directly above the ground floor retail units required a concrete floating floor whilst the 4 other cinemas required heavy dry floating floors with large floor voids.Our local branch supplied and installed the floating floors which consisted of Stravifloor Channel isolation rails supporting timber/cement board sandwich constructions or Stravifloor Deck solution supporting a concrete slab.The wall isolation and ceiling hangers completed the box-in-box construction delivering the required sound insulation between cinemas and to the retail units beneath.

Nestled between parklands, at a mere stone’s throw from Lea Valley and Hackney Marshes, and in the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with its world-class sporting facilities, an incredible new neighbourhood is arising. Chobham Manor is the first of five new developments to be built in this history-rich area in Stratford, east London. 6,800 new homes will be constructed in total over the next 20 years, along with health centres and multi-purpose community spaces. SOPREMA provided the waterproofing solution and insulation materials for Chobham Manor, as well as collaborating closely from the design stage onwards with Taylor Wimpey, one of the top-five housebuilders in the UK, and SOPREMA-approved contractor Skyler Contracting.

Heathside and Lethbridge is one of London’s biggest estate regeneration programmes, and is planned to be carried out over six phases. The regeneration works being undertaken by Family Mosaic and the London Borough of Lewisham are transforming the estates into an attractive mixed tenure development, with over 1200 high-quality private and affordable homes.Phase three saw 218 homes built including 102 homes for social rent, the rest being for sale and shared ownership. Phase 4a and 4b saw 236 new homes built.Shield Membranes supplied the waterproofing, insulation & external finishes to all external areas with great efficiency, making sure everything was on site as and when it was required in order to keep each phase on track.

The prestigious EIB HQ in Luxembourg City never fails to impress visitors with its expansive paved setting. Laid nearly 15 years ago the condition of the natural granite sett paving is testimony to the performance and quality of Steintec high performance mortars and the longevity they bring to bound construction pavements.

The new energy efficient Agrivaal building in Pretoria’s Tshwane Central Business District is using advanced natural ventilation and smoke control solutions from SE Controls Africa to maintain a comfortable indoor environment while improving safety by ensuring escape routes are smoke free in the event of a fire.

Built on the outskirts of Cambridge, Ninewells comprises 270 family homes and apartments built to a deliberately high specification. VELFAC composite windows and doors feature throughout the development, maximising natural light, enhancing countryside views, and providing a window-walling solution to match the aesthetics of VELFAC windows and doors.

An architectural gem clad in a CorTen steel façade, this tiny chapel above the Ziller Valley intentionally contrasts with its natural surroundings. To provide weather protection, Rhepanol fk PIB membrane was installed behind the steel sheets, chosen for its outstanding stability and durability highly favourable for such a location

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, a charity which cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families, needed an urgent refurbishment within one of their hospices. The communal area at Shooting Star House, their hospice in Hampton, was tired and dated, and didn’t reflect the vibrant nature of the charity.

Arstiderne architects, a division of architectural and engineering consultancy Sweco, has transformed a large industrial building into a stunning open plan office to house the 180 Sweco employees at a location near Aarhus in Denmark.  The clever design retains much of the heritage of the old building, including its curved sawtooth roof and skylights, while insulating it to high standards and transforming the interior to meet the key objective of fulfilling UN Sustainable Development goals. The architects are particularly proud of the way the old building has responded to conversion into an employee and client-friendly showplace with a unique energising ambiance. While the majority of staff work in large open plan spaces they benefit from several smaller self-contained rooms in the centre of the building. These box-like structures, bathed in daylight from the skylights and facade windows, are used for a variety of purposes from a quiet workspace to meetings and socialising. Their design on the original concrete floor contrasts well with the precise finish on their walls. These are clad with Troldtekt acoustic panels in an ultrafine finish creating a high performance and aesthetically pleasing appearance. The ceilings and some walls are clad with standard acoustic panels, while specific areas have been decorated with Troldtekt® line which forms part of the award-winning design solutions collection. The lengthwise surface grooves form a continuous pattern across the partitions and reception areas adding interesting texture and depth. Troldtekt was specified across the scheme for its sustainable characteristics coupled with superior acoustics to provide a comfortable working environment. Thus the overall redesign of the interior strikes an impressive balance been the original industrial construction on one hand and human scale on the other, with the textured surfaces creating a sense of companionship.  Founded on the Cradle-to-Cradle design concept, Troldtekt’s natural and inherently sustainable panels are available in a variety of different surfaces and colours and contribute positively to a building’s BREEAM, DGNB and LEED ratings. In addition to their high sound absorption and tactile surface, they offer high durability and low cost lifecycle performance. Available in various sizes and in four grades from extreme fine to coarse, the panels can be left untreated or painted in virtually any RAL colour. Samples, case studies and technical guidance are available from tel 01978 664255 or Troldtekt.co.uk

Swansea University’s £32m Computational Foundry is a world-class academic facility at the University’s Bay Campus. The Computational Foundry will be home to the Computer Science and Mathematics departments, to enable and encourage cross discipline research. It has been also been designed to increase collaboration between industry and academia and will transform Swansea and the nation as a global destination for computational scientists. Architects, AHR, designed the building so that the entrance leads into a central atrium which houses lecture theatres and specialist laboratories. Over a further four floors, there are a further three atriums with interconnecting bridges which allow natural light to flow through creating impressive visual connections across the building.  With natural break out areas within the building, this inviting space allows for collaborative gatherings or spontaneous moments for students, staff and visitors to meet.Lusso worked in collaboration with the design team and Willmott Dixon to create this fantastic space. The Lusso Atria Glazing System was used to make the most of the natural light and to maintain a high level of connectivity through the different levels of the building. The Lusso 25 Single Glazed Frameless System was used for its minimalistic profile. These were installed throughout the building to create laboratories, teaching laboratories and to create individual offices which complements the overall design.The Computational Foundary is an inspiring place in which students, staff, industry partners and academics from all disciplines can now collaborate and work on new ideas. It is an excellent addition to Swansea University’s waterfront campus and builds upon the university’s existing achievements. 

The charming Kong Arthur Hotel in Copenhagen’s Nansensgade Quarter has undergone a complete renovation with 64 new rooms and a new breakfast restaurant featuring Junckers’ Herringbone floors. The hotel has a relaxed atmosphere with elegant interiors, housed in a beautiful, late 19th Century building near Copenhagen’s historic lakes. The interior design compliments the period building with its many original features, in a style inspired by grand, turn of the century Danish apartments. Junckers’ Herringbone floors in solid oak complete the look, adding a warm, elegant backdrop.  Breakfast restaurantJunckers installed Oak Herringbone in the hotel’s light and airy new breakfast restaurant. The large rooms are flooded with natural light and have an industrial feel with fixtures, fittings and furniture in natural colours and materials. Junckers’ Oak Herringbone grounds the space perfectly with its warm tones and natural grain pattern of the timber. New hotel roomsThe 64 new hotel rooms were inspired by the classical style of a city centre Copenhagen apartment, all of them fitted with Junckers’ new Twin Herringbone flooring on solid oak. Pre-finished with a hard wearing ultra matt lacquer, Twin Herringbone is ready to walk on as soon as it is installed without the need for sanding or on-site finishing treatments. The quick and straightforward installation process saved the Hotel both time and money – installing a Twin Herringbone floor costs less than half of the installation cost of an unfinished parquet floor.

Fully compatible products from the range of TBA FIREFLY™ have been chosen to compartmentalise roof voids between apartments and communal lobbies of a large apartment building in the London Borough of Lewisham, providing 120 minutes fire integrity protection as part of a wide ranging refurbishment programme carried out earlier this year.The contract on Lewisham Homes’ Commodore Court in Albyn Road has been led by the sector specialist construction company, Mulalley & Co. with London/Sevenoaks based CLM Fireproofing carrying out the installation of the TITAN Lite™ 120:60 barrier system, in combination with Collaroll and the use of ancillary products from the FIREFLY™ range.CLM Fireproofing was founded 30 years ago by Clive Miles and has established a reputation as a leader in the fields of both passive fire protection and fire-stopping; working in a variety of sectors on projects right across the UK. A regular user of the FIREFLY™ range, many of its operatives have attended courses at the company’s premises in Rochdale to become trained FIREFLY™ installers.The Site Agent for CLM, Virginijus Pasvenskas, commented: “There was initially an intention to use a mineral wool flexible fire barrier, but the product was not tested for the scenario installed around the services such as a downpipe and it was upgraded to the use of the FIREFLY™ system by the client/project team. The installation of the TITAN Lite™ and the Collaroll to wrap the trusses and the services went very well and, as well as supplying specific details for the work, FIREFLY's technical team came to site to inspect the works. We completed our contract on schedule back in the summer.”TITAN Lite™ 120:60 has been developed for use in vertical separation or compartmentation situations, offering 120 minutes integrity and 60 minutes insulation and is able to be sealed around penetrations. It is widely specified to form fire barriers within roof voids and floor voids in many different property types, including tower blocks and other HMOs.The flexible woven material is easy to cut and fix, and is chemically treated to improve its cooling properties and therefore prevent temperatures rising in adjoining areas. The system has been fully tested to BS 476 Parts 20 & 22 and is third party certified by IFC. The six metre long rolls of TITAN Lite™ 120:60 have a minimum thickness of 6mm and are installed using special staples as well as high temperature adhesive.Employed as part of the FIREFLY™ System and also to wrap the services which penetrate barriers such as PHOENIX, ZEUS Lite™ and APOLLO Lite™, Collaroll comes in a roll which unwraps to 10m long x 300mm wide with a sewn in concertinaed skirt. The skirt can be moulded to shape to seal it neatly to the upright barrier, which is usually at 90 degrees to the Collaroll and fixed into place using the FIREFLY™ high temperature adhesive. The R31 Staple Gun and Staples are used to staple the Collaroll to itself tightly around the penetration.

Installed throughout the common room and seating areas on the ground floor, Times Square carpet tiles in colourways Grey and Natural complement the modern, contemporary design ofthe building and its interior. Furthermore, Skyline carpet tiles in colourways Trinity (beige) and Empire (grey) were installed throughout the corridors to the bedrooms.

Berkeley Homes’ flagship Woodberry Park apartment development in North London is using an advanced smoke and natural ventilation system from SE Controls to not only provide protection for residents in the event of a fire, but to also create a better environment by actively managing any excessive heat build up in corridors.

The pupils at Bleasdale School were lucky enough to go to school every day in an area of outstanding natural beauty. This made outdoor play one of the best parts of the day, unless it rained or it was too hot! The staff decided the best way to tackle this was to look at adding some protection to their outdoor areas.

The first phase of Allies and Morrison‘s “Hale Wharf” development consists of 249 new homes across two buildings, and a pedestrian bridge that sits on a slender island overlooking the River Lee at Tottenham Hale. The venture also includes external spaces for communities to enjoy and easy access to public transport and nearby nature spot. Commercial areas are also included on the ground floor to further improve the area.Freshfield Lane First Quality and Selected Darks are used to striking effect as a homage to the characteristics of London’s historic canals. The hues embodied within the bricks allow for the structure to complement the modernisation of the area while also complimenting the waterfront green areas and the development of nearby nature parks.Hale Wharf represents an exciting opportunity for an area of London that needed a number of new properties to fulfil local needs, as such, a number of units in the development have been built to be affordable. Further developments are planned along the island with Phase 2 starting construction in 2022.

Sugar House Island‘s Cooperage Yard is part of a transformative project just south of Olympic Park intending to create a distinctive urban environment that has been carefully designed to create a balance between work, life and leisure. Designed by Waugh Thistleton Architects it offers a stunning riverside view to its users.Set next to the Islands creative quarter, Cooperage Yard covers 8000ft2 over of the area. Its immediately recognisable sawtooth-shaped roof overlooks the river and courtyard. Natural light floods both floors of the building and a south-facing roof terrace offers further space for its inhabitants.Freshfield Lane’s Danehill Yellow bricks are immediately recognisable and offer a positive contrast to the tones of other nearby brick buildings. The tones are further complimented by shafts of natural light that penetrate the pathways between buildings. When combined, the colour language and open space create a sense of optimism between the structures.

The brand-new Skills and Innovation Centre at South Staffordshire College takes pride of place on the college’s town centre site. The architects envisaged a facade of long vertical fins giving the appearance of timber. Maple supplied the extensive vertical fin façade and Powdertech Wood Finish (PWF ™) was selected as the most appropriate powder coating. Wood Finish is formulated to match the natural variations in colour, grain density and grain pattern of wood. Importantly, Wood Finish meets fire reaction classification A2-s1, d0. We coated 4000 metres of aluminium, comprising mainly rectangular sections of extruded aluminium, of sizes 200mm and 100mm x 50mm. The stunning facade combines the strength and longevity of metal with the warm, natural appeal of a wood finish.Powder coating satisfies green credentials as it contains no solvents, no VOCs and produces no hazardous waste. Maintenance is simple – just a wash down with water every 6-12 months.

Holland Park is one of the UK"s first and most famous comprehensive schools. At a cost of £81m it was financed by selling off part of the original school site to finance the building of the new six-storey school for 1,500 pupils.Situated within a Conservation Area and adjacent to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s largest park, the balustrade fencing was chosen to reflect the prestigious nature of the new school's striking façade of copper, brass and bronze that adds character to the building and was designed to integrate with the heavily wooded nature of the site.The balustrade was designed as a modified version of Lang+Fulton's Novara-34 anti-climb fencing. The grating panels feature a narrow 34mm aperture which is particularly suitable for schools. The installation included a stepped area and an elevated walkway which required face plate fixings engineered to cope with a parapet application.Fencing and posts were supplied in a hot-dip galvanized and polyester powder coated finish.

he Expo Group Interior Architecture team decided to utilise the wonderful wood laminates available in Polyrey's Origine collection, particularly those decors with strong personalities such as ‘Teck Massif’ . The finish selected was FA as they felt this would best compliment the teak design and highlight its natural characteristics such as the grain and texture.