"people"

The school opened in September 2016. As part of the build, Julian James, Managing Director at Julian James Cladding Ltd., recommended the Altro Fortis wall protection system. Doors and plaster board walls can easily be damaged, be it scrapes and knocks as people pass, or more serious dents and holes caused by wheeled traffic. Altro Fortis Titanium has been specifically designed to protect these surfaces. Altro Fortis Titanium is dense, impervious and resistant to bumps. It features a lightly textured surface, which camouflages scuffs, keeping the wall area looking better for longer.

Fern House Extra Care, built on the site of the former Bingley Hospital in West Yorkshire was designed to complement the existing streetscape and provide a wonderful living environment. The 49 extra care apartments, plus 30 residential bedrooms to support people living with dementia feature Senior’s timber and aluminium composite Hybrid range, to give the scheme a domestic and homely feel. The development also benefits from Senior’s thermally efficient SF52 aluminium curtain wall and SPW 600 windows to help reduce heating costs and maintain a pleasant ambient temperature for residents.

Solaire Resort & Casino is the first integrated destination resort in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Solaire boasts 800 luxurious resort-style accommodations in two distinctive towers; extensive dining options, impressive gaming facilities and state-of the art lyric theatre that has changed the way people view resort casinos in Manila. Solaire offers unique experience of comfort, elegance and luxury, all underlined by the staff’s unparalleled warm Filipino hospitality. Lorient supplied the luxury resort with the popular LAS8001 si drop seals, Batwing® perimeter seals and fire seals.

Making the most of outdoor space in an urban environment is very important. With land at a premium, more people are converting their flat roof space to a garden retreat. How do you get to it though? A full size staircase takes up a lot of room and can be quite expensive, especially for occasional use. A Premier Loft Ladders customer had exactly that problem at her Hammersmith, London apartment. Learn how the Elite loft ladder saved both space and money, while still providing safe and convenient access to the flat roof...

AstraZeneca, an innovative bio-pharmaceutical company, set out to expand their Warsaw office. In addition to creating jobs for another 500 people, the investor wanted to create the real heart of the office - a space different to the existing office, the true Astrazeneca community centre. In addition to Agora, many conference rooms have been designed throughout the office, focus rooms, design work zones and other corners adapted to different types of work. A range of Forbo products were installed in the Astra Zeneca office which was designed by The Massive Design Studio.

Few people realise that it is possible to clad old stairs with our engineered herringbone parquet floors. It is a specialist skill and you should only employ trusted professionals who have the specialist equipment. The parquet blocks used here are unfinished so that you get perfect square edges. They are then oiled after all other works are completed so that you get your perfect floor. There is no separate stair nose piece as the top layer of solid Oak is a good 4mm thick and this allows the fitters to create an accurate mitre join.

The frontage of the Ocean Terminal shopping centre in Edinburgh has received a radical makeover as part of a major investment to increase footfall by enhancing the visitor experience. The extension has been covered with STEREO-KINETIC cladding; hundreds of freely-moving stainless steel sheets suspended from grating panels. Gusts of wind, traffic, even people walking by cause the metal rectangles to ripple in an ever-changing display. The kinetic artwork has been designed in such a way as to allow the passage of natural daylight through the underlying window openings on the second floor level.

Anchor is England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for people  in later life, committed to providing homes where people love living in later life. This not-for-profit organisation serves more than 65,000 residents in 54,000 homes across almost 1,700 locations and operates in more than 85% of local councils in England.Deep rooted within the company values are robust initiatives aimed at providing the highest level of nutritional standards to the residents to support overall health & wellbeing. Comprehensive water hygiene inspection regimes are put in place to minimise risks and they continually seek new opportunities to reduce their environmental impact through reuse and recycling schemes.Committed to fulfilling their sustainability initiatives, Anchor partnered with BRITA VIVREAU and invested in premium drinking water solutions across multiple locations, bringing filtered, refreshing, clean drinking water for both it’s residents and staff. Based on business and residents’ needs, Anchor opted for different BRITA water dispensers across their care home sites – the versatile Top Pro is situated in waiting rooms and corridors and the powerhouse Fill model in the kitchen canteen, allowing for bottle-filling for residents in room, and keeping guests and staff hydrated. Additionally, BRITA’s signature Extra C-tap installed in the kitchen caters to hot & cold water requirements for their staff and residents.By being plumbed-in water dispensers, the care home could not only save money and use space more efficiently, without having to compromise on patient care, but this also encouraged round the clock access to fresh and hygienic purified drinking water, thanks to the powerful BRITA ThermalGateTM solution.Noel Finnegan,National Catering & Hospitality ManagerAnchor Hanover Group"To us, being sustainable means providing residences that people love living in. Sometimes maintaining an environmental policy in a healthcare setting can come with certain challenges and uncertainties, but our recommendation would be to start by taking small steps. Investing in a water dispenser program has been an easy way for us to reduce our carbon emissions, as we no longer have to worry about the logistics involved with handling, storing or recycling bottled water. We knew we needed to move away from our unreliable and expensive pre-bottled water process and the BRITA water dispensers helped us achieve that."

Office Principles North designs London office for ArcadisLeading built environment consultancy Arcadis has moved from its Kings Cross HQ to 80 Fenchurch Street (80Fen), in the heart of the City of LondonThe move reflects an evolution in ways of working, in which choice and flexibility are key; an approach that has led to Arcadis being named Best Big Company to work for in LondonOver 20 different types of workspace will be available, enabled by Arcadis’s own Building Intelligence technology to manage capacity and support ‘activity-based’ workingOn 8 June 2021 Arcadis announced the opening of its new London office at 80 Fenchurch Street, in the heart of the City of London. From 14 June 2021, the business has been operating out of new premises, with over 40,800 sq ft of new office space across two floors, purpose-built around the needs and preferences of its people.The move signals a fundamental change in Arcadis’s approach to its office estate, with the emphasis on ways of working increasingly shifting from ‘where’ to ‘how’. It comes as part of a global review and ongoing commitment to embrace remote and fully flexible ways of working, which began in 2020 and has since been both reinforced and accelerated by changes resulting from the pandemic. As such, 80Fen will provide a blueprint for future offices both in the UK and worldwide.According to a series of internal engagement surveys, Arcadis found that 70% of its people would like to visit the office between 1-3 days per week, post-pandemic. The office clearly still has an important role to play, but the data shows the extent to which people value sustainability, flexibility and choice. Nearly half of respondents reported that they would want to visit the office to work on specific tasks or projects with colleagues, and nearly 40% to socialise and be part of a work community.Arcadis’s approach at 80Fen has therefore been about enabling people to make choices that satisfy both personal and work commitments – and recognising that these are not set in stone and may continue to change over time. Employees will have complete autonomy to manage where they work, in a way that best suits their needs. This flexible ‘no one-size-fits-all’ approach to the workplace has contributed to Arcadis being named Best Big Company to work for in London, and among the top 3 Best Big Companies to work for nationally.At 80Fen the concept of ‘activity-based working’ will be key, with the office providing far greater diversity of work settings. There will be more than 20 different types of workspace - ranging from open plan desks to collaborative and private workspaces, project areas, touchdown areas, call rooms and informal meeting areas, in addition to a purpose-built innovation area and a flexible event space, all of which enable people to work as flexibly as possible.Technology sits at the core, with ‘smart’ features embedded as a key design principle. The space is equipped with Arcadis’s own Building Intelligence software, provided in partnership with ICONICS. This incorporates a unified suite of apps, including environment and utilisation sensors, digital access, a branded Visitor Management System, and apps for mobile and digital signage, along with touch-free desk booking systems and the ability to control individual temperature and light settings in enclosed spaces.Not only does this help people find the right spaces for their tasks, but the resulting data also gives a rich picture of how the building is operating and how people are engaging within it. It means the space can be flexed in different ways. For example, monitoring energy and water consumption can help to manage and reduce use; air quality and thermal comfort sensors will better regulate the environment and ensure people are comfortable; and desk booking systems can be used to help manage capacity requirements, with available spaces being turned ‘on’ and ‘off’ as required. This can help to reduce space requirements by over 30%. Meanwhile, improving the performance of a building can reduce the energy needed for heating, ventilation and air conditioning by as much as 75%, with a further 25% reduction in lighting energy. This will make a significant difference not only in terms of lowering costs, but also reducing carbon consumption and mitigating environmental impact.80Fen has been designed as a place for collaboration, shared ideas and social interaction, but crucially also in a way that supports the health of employees. It features a range of social and wellbeing environments including quiet libraries, coffee lounges, a winter garden and contemplation and wellness rooms.As one of a new breed of sustainable office buildings, 80Fen has a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, and reflects best practice in sustainable design and health and wellbeing by maximising natural and atmospheric light and incorporating biophilic design and planting.Mark Cowlard, CEO of Arcadis UK and Ireland said:“The move to 80Fen represents an exciting new chapter for Arcadis. Over the last 12 months, we have been helping our clients chart a path to recovery, and are now practising what we preach through a flexible, inclusive, sustainable, and digitally-enabled new London base. We firmly believe that we still need offices and office space, but it must be a different type of space that reflects the changing nature of the work-day and our workforce.“The continued strength of the City office market demonstrates the importance of having a place for collaboration, shared ideas and social interaction, and the impact this has not only on productivity, but crucially the health and wellbeing of employees.“For us, 80Fen isn’t just a one-time fit-out, it’s a step change in how we use and curate space. It’s about people working in a very different, more mobile, flexible and even healthier way; which they can do at 80Fen. This approach has been reinforced by changes to the way we work during the pandemic, but for Arcadis, the shift started long before, and we can’t wait to call the City of London our home.”Speaking on behalf of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, Deputy Chairman Oliver Sells QC, added:“We are pleased to welcome Arcadis to their new home in the City of London. Big business moves such as this show that the Square Mile continues to be an attractive location from which to trade.“Arcadis relocating to the fantastic space at 80Fen shows that demand to return to the office is now being realised by business owners. We know that many workers are fatigued with remote working and employers are also keen to get back to a central office as Government restrictions ease.“We are confident that the City will remain a magnet for world-class talent, as we embark on our exciting plans to boost attractiveness even further through additional culture, leisure and great spaces.”John Dickie, Chief Executive at London First, said:“This move is a huge vote of confidence in the capital as one of the greatest places in the world to do business.“Arcadis was recently recognised as one of the best companies to work for in London, and its commitment to building a great environment for its staff shows that they are firmly at the heart of its plans for the future.”Soundtect was approached to supply the ceiling acoustic treatments throughout the building, and as a manufacturer of sustainable and recyclable products these worked perfectly with the company’s sustainable beliefs and design, which heavily focused on BREEAM. The Freestyle baffles, which were supplied in a number of lengths and colours for the different zones, worked perfectly with the overall design theme for the project and slotted in nicely with the planned layout and overall feel of the building, to handle the spread of noise and retain a calm atmosphere once the client’s many employees had moved in.

Häfele’s high performance sliding systems – Hawa Junior 80 and 120 which are designed to give silent finger touch operation even with heavy wooden doors up to 120 kgs each. The systems are tested up to and far beyond the EN1527 for sliding door systems guaranteeing years of trouble free use. This was the first Maggie’s Centre in England which are designed as a non institutional home from home to provide care and advice to people affected by cancer. Founder Maggie Keswick Jencks had a profound belief that architecture and environment can deeply affect how you feel

Living room and kitchen form a single area in many modern homes and often feature open-plan design. People cook where they eat and eat where they live. The owners of the 150 m2 period apartment in Paris had a clear concept: Kitchen should be located close to the living room or, better still, be an integral part of it. To fulfil this wish, Dutch firm i29 interior architects designed a kitchen island that's really a piece of furniture. Unusually high MDF panels pivot easily and slide into the recess thanks to pivot/slide-in hardware HAWA Concepta 50.

Howe Green’s Visedge Series Flexible Floor Access Covers were specified for a refurbishment project in the refectory at the University of Surrey by main contractor, Roberts Building Services Ltd and installed by Progressive Floor Surfaces . The Visedge covers replaced frames which were so heavy and cumbersome that they had previously taken four people to remove whenever maintenance of the services concealed beneath the flooring was required. The new covers offer a tough, lightweight, non-rusting access solution. In the event of any maintenance to underfloor services, the covers can be removed safely and easily with the lifting keys

Stocks Hall Nursing & Care Group have homes all over the UK, and they were opening a new one in Mawdesley, Lancashire. This home was designed specifically for people living with complex physical disabilities and plus size patients. Our designers worked closely with the owners to design a flexible, thorough hoist systems that would deliver for patients throughout the building, no matter how much their needs vary. We installed a total of 20 X-Y inset overhead hoist systems connecting private rooms to en-suites and assisted bathrooms. Take a closer look on our website!

Westquay is an 800,000 square feet shopping centre spread over four levels and containing 150 retail units and restaurants. Furnitubes’ RailRoad range suited this site perfectly, allowing seating and planter modules to be joined and therefore be sufficiently heavy and stable to be used freestanding (so avoiding the need for intrusive foundations). Seating has been provided for up to 20 people, and 12 new planters introduce greenery to this previously somewhat austere building facade, creating an attractive setting for Westquay visitors to stop, rest for a moment and enjoy the outdoors on their walk between the car park and shopping centre.

Two Milliken carbon neutral modular carpet designs provide the perfect neutral floorscape for Leeds law firm Womble Bond Dickinson new agile, collaborative work environment. Northward Bound's Ice and Snow designs provide deep, saturated colour and organic patterning flow seamlessly through this open, contemporary office, while Isotherm, from the Arctic Survey collection, highlight the collaboration zones. The Milliken carpet tiles’ WellBAC® Comfort backing helps enhance employees’ well-being by reducing much of the distracting noise of people moving around the space.

ArcelorMittal is the world’s leading steel and mining company with annual production capacity of approximately 262 million tons (119 million tonnes). ArcelorMittal employs 232,000 people across 60 countries with steelmaking operations in more than 20 countries on four continents. One of its corporate goals is to be the world’s safest steel company. As a key steel industry player, ArcelorMittal wanted to lead by example and ensure that the most advanced safety technology was in place for their workers. ArcelorMittal approached MSA for further understanding of the MSA Latchways Personal Rescue Device (PRD) and its compatibility with their operations.

Both the changing rooms and staff areas contain over 100 Prospec supply and installed Marathon wet use laminate lockers. Prospec Marathon lockers are designed specifically to withstand the rigours of a busy leisure centre. The installation also included other products from Prospec’s versatile Marathon range such as Marathon Conform fully framed cubicles, bespoke solid surface vanities, Cabrillant shower cubicles and both wall mounted and double island bench seating. Prospec worked closely with the specifying architects Roberts Limbrick, main contractor Pellikaan Construction, and leisure operator Places for People Leisure.

The lightwell lift includes caged, enclosed sides to secure the load and prevent the risk of anything falling from the platform onto people below. Interlocked doors were fitted to prevent any accidents whilst the goods lift is in use. Interlocks ensure that the lift will only operate whilst the doors are locked shut, opening again once the lift has travelled to the level required. This provided the team with a safe and efficient lifting solution when moving their big commercial bins from below ground to pavement level. The 500kg capacity allows deliveries to be taken from kerbside to the basement.

Crown Paints has launched three core colour trends to shape interior design schemes for the first half of 2019 and beyond. Crown’s aim is to give people the confidence to experiment with colour which is why it invests in developing its new colour trends. The panel creates a distinct identity for each trend as well as highlighting the hero shades and complementing tones within the three colour schemes, which this year have been identified as ‘Redefined’, ‘Movement’ and ‘Immersed’. Crown Paints’ Colour Services team is on hand to offer expert assistance and advice on all aspects of colour specification.

The new Centre for Immersive Storytelling at the Royal Holloway University of London has been designed to provide education in virtual and augmented reality technologies. This modern building stands adjacent to the University’s signature gothic Founder’s Building, providing a conflicting mixture of architectural design styles. The external social areas were brought to life with 14 Plateau Picnic Tables, creating a vibrant space suitable for studying and socialising, with the connected benches seating up to 12 people. The High-Pressure Laminate (HPL) picnic tables are both attractive and durable for outdoor use, ideal for busy and energetic students.

Aquatics centre of Stratford, London, designed by architect Zaha Hadid Its original architectural wave made this place one of the most visible for tourists in London. The aquatics center will be used for swimming, diving and synchronized swimming and for the Water-polo competitions. The center can host more than 17500 people. It will replace the swimming pools of Crystal Palace National Sport Centre located in the south-east of London, and will become swimming-center of London. The Aquatic center ceiling is composed of 138 petals of Barrisol acoustic Lighting, using the Barrisol Star rail system. Architect : Zaha Hadid

The Advent Calendar event offers the chance for registered entries to win. These include an iPhone 11 Pro, Fitbit Versa 2, Beats Headphones, and even a Hot Air Balloon Ride for 2 people. To enter you need to enter your details daily https://epwinwindowsystems.co.uk/christmas-advent-calendar/. At the end of each day, a winner will be selected at random and notified direct by either telephone / email. Follow us on Twitter @EpwinWSystems to get involved. The prize draw entry hours run from 12:00am to 11.59pm each day. Full terms and conditions are available on the website.

With over 2,000 m2 of floor space and seating for up to 1,655 people, the £12million Essex Sport Arena is another innovative facility where DYNAMIK Sport has installed their world class sports flooring. Home to the netball super league with 3 netball courts, 8 badminton courts, 3 basketball courts, 5 volleyball courts and 2 futsal courts, all available for hire to sports groups. The arena boasts DYNAMIK’s A4 area elastic sprung floor which we hope will play some part in supporting elite sport and the future successes of the teams.

Working closely together, Sto and MICAM design and manufacture wall lining and facade cladding solutions to meet the demands of today's public space built environments.When designing and constructing new transportation hubs, leisure complexes, shopping malls, entertainment venues and other public spaces, it is vital to do all we can to protect the lives of the people who use them.Today's advances in technology and engineering have led to the development and validation of structural glass and cladding systems that can ultimately mitigate the risk from the impact of blasts, as well as offering many other benefits

A Stannah Midilift SL has brought access for all in Air Extreme, the South West’s premier indoor trampoline park in Barnstaple, proving once again what a good sport this platform lift is. Essential for people who can’t use the stairs, this hydraulic lift enables access for all to two storeys of high-octane facilities, designed to push fitness levels to the max. The Midilift SL can fit where standard passenger lifts can’t – next to the turned metal staircase in this case, with both freestanding structures sharing the same ceiling aperture to the first floor.

A flagship bird hide that provides panoramic views over London has been given a new lease of life with Sadolin Classic. Providing an urban oasis for wildlife and people the London Wetland Centre - located just 10 minutes from Hammersmith - is managed by conservation charity the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT). A landmark building on the site is the Peacock Hide, a three storey structure which is frequented by a range of visitors from experienced birders through to those new to wildlife watching. The hide also offers a great resource to provide visitors with memorable sightings of key species.

This was not actually a quayside application, instead the quayside profile was chosen as the curved profile doesn't create a 'natural ladder' and better discourages people climbing over from a pedestrian area into traffic.The curved profile was set up to have 2 solid rails and 4 tension cables which were used to bridge the gaps between the main rails equidistantly.Laser profiled steel posts with knuckles for rails and flanges to host the cables were manufactured as bespoke solutions. The outcome is a successful balance between a utilitarian piece of street furniture and a product with a decent amount of design and architectural integrity.

Roché are proud to be a specified supplier for Transport for London (TfL).Our shutters are installed throughout the TfL underground and overground network, including the much-anticipated, state-of-the-art Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) project.By collaborating with Walker Construction, amongst others, on various TfL projects, we are playing our part in keeping the capital moving and improving the vital transport infrastructure.Roché’s aluminium and steel shutters are installed on station entrances, ticket offices and kiosks (including Krispy Kreme and Lola’s Cupcakes). Our fire-rated shutters are keeping people safe, whilst security-rated shutters are protecting property.

Eurobond designed & manufactured a range of steel fire doors and steel acoustic doors for a leading tech giant.The Gemini Data Centre in Dublin, Ireland, is a fort of protected data; over 10,400 sq.m of space is utilised for cloud connectivity and leading technology providers, comprising of 6 individual data halls and ancillary services.All this data needs protection - that's where we helped. We provided fire-rated doors, acoustic security doors, and radar-operated automation doors.Protection of data and people was key, along with minimal noise and easy yet secure access throughout the complex.

Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) comprises a development of 82 homes in the London Borough of Sutton and is the UK’s largest mixed use sustainable community. It was designed to create a thriving community in which ordinary people could enjoy a high quality of life, while living within their fair share of the Earth’s resources. The sustainable features of this ‘carbon-neutral’ development include excellent insulation, south facing terraces to maximise heat gain from the sun (passive solar gain) and structures built from natural, recycled and reclaimed materials, all sourced from within a 50 mile radius.

The Aquatic Centre in the Northern Rockies Regional Recreation Centre has installed a ceiling lift system that enables wheelchair users to be independent when using the changing rooms.During the downtime in the COVID-19 lockdown, the people working at the Aquatic Centre decided to upgrade the changing room with a Guldmann GH3 ceiling lift solution. They knew that several of their visitors would benefit from this upgrade and they also knew of customers that were not able to use the facilities because they needed more assistance.Their vision was to make the Aquatic Centre accessible for a wider group of people, and they succeeded: When the Aquatic Centre re-opened to the public, the result was life-changing.On the first day, the crew had tipped a regular customer whom they thought would benefit from the ceiling lift to come swimming.The customer brought her support worker but ended up being able to do everything herself because she was able to use the new lift in the changing room.As she worked through getting ready to go for a swim, she used the lift to get herself out of her wheelchair and into the sling, changed herself, lowered herself into one of the aquatic chairs and got into the pool all on her own.She was then able to do it all over again when she was finished.Previously, a wheelchair user who wished to swim in the pool would have to hire helpers or ask family members to come with them and help transfer them from the wheelchair to the aquatic chair.Now, wheelchair users can come to the Aquatic Centre and be just as independent as the majority of the visitors.

For us, creativity and sustainability in design and architecture are of great importance. We believe more and more people should be aware of the opportunities that new technologies can provide them, so we asked our partners to share more on the role of innovation in the pursuit of sustainable development, and guess what? Our carbon-neutral functional paints make it to the list. A smart home can also help reduce our carbon footprint. This can be done technologically - by integrating a variety of sensors (for indoor air quality, carbon monoxide and dioxide, proper lighting, temperature, etc.), as well as by integrating more innovative interior solutions - the use of carbon-neutral writable whiteboard paints, such with magnetic properties or interior paints that purify the air. One of the last such examples are our carbon neutral functional paints. ESCREO whiteboard paint gives people the chance to optimise unusable surfaces - which are otherwise so attractive, especially for the little ones! The creation of writable whiteboard surfaces frees us from the need to invest in other tools for organisation, planning and drawing, so we reduce our consumption of hard-to-renew resources and those that often cannot even be recycled. Soon we will be taking it to a new level by launching an air purifying paint - ESCREO Clean Air - a non-toxic environmentally friendly interior paint that purifies the air in any room. The ingredient in the paint is an enriched natural mineral that attracts and neutralises harmful air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odours, airborne chemicals and CO2.

TK-Team were asked to help with reverberation issues in a room used for VC. Below are comments made by Kevin Close of Hull University.With more and more meetings being scheduled online since the pandemic, we had a request to enable a meeting room with video conference facilities. One thing that was immediately noticed, post install, was that people at the far end we’re having issues hearing people in the meeting room due to the acoustics in the room. The configuration of the room with flat solid walls, ceiling and whiteboards meant this space had a lot of reverb/echo. After some thought, it was obvious acoustic treatment was required in the space, we consulted with GVAV who offered us some solutions, we then spoke in depth with Lee from TK-Team who visited us and surveyed the room. Lee identified the main issue being reflection from the ceiling and explained that is where we should start. TK-Team worked with us and designed us a tailor-made solution for the room using Hush Acoustic ceiling tiles, all in our choice of colours and shapes, the solution was procured via GVAV and installation was very smooth and finished in a timely manner.The acoustic quality of the room, not just for local meetings but for remote participants was vastly improved. The difference in the room has been described as ‘staggering’. As such, this is now a heavily used meeting space and has highlighted the advantages of looking at and dealing with acoustic issues within meeting spaces on campus going forward.Kev Close

“A great achievement by all involved”– Neil Turvey, UCL Estates Assistant Director Capital ProjectsOverviewUCL is one of the world’s leading universities, as well as being London’s number one university for Research Strength, where they have consistently led the way with not only their academic excellence but also their global impact.UCL PEARL (Person-Environment-Activity Research Lab) was completed in Autumn of 2021 and is a unique facility, designed to explore how people interact with their environment in a groundbreaking 4,000m² building. Sophisticated systems are used to gather a rich array of information which will help to understand these reactions and how they can be used to create a better urban environment for the future.PartnershipHAG Ltd. were tasked with protecting the building both through the supply & installation of essential fire protection systems, such as fire shutters & fire curtains and high security steel door sets throughout the building, located in Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham.As a UK wide company with nearly 40 years’ experience in dealing with large scale contracts of this size, we were able to assist the main contractor by ensuring reliability, professionalism, safety and ensuring that the project was completed on time.All our fire protection products are fully compliant with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and certified to UKCA.All of HAG’s fire curtains have been independently tested and certified by the international fire testing experts at Warrington Fire, are tested to the latest standard BS EN 1634:2014 and marked to BS EN 13241-1:2003.HAG Ltd.’s steel doors offer an exceptional level of security, whilst not compromising on aesthetics. Our doors were made to the specification of UCL PEARL, to seamlessly sit in their surroundings and ensured not only security, but they are suitable for high levels of use and offer thermal insulation. The ProjectThe original UCL PEARL site consisted of various buildings, one of which was Grade II listed 1940’s. The new building is the first zero-carbon in-use building for UCL, and one it hopes will set the bar for future developments.Within the 10m high building, you will find life sized environments, such as a train station, village square, high street, even a pop-up theatre, all of which have fully controlled conditions and the ability to change materials, such as the flooring or wall cladding. UCL can adjust lighting, sounds and experiment with smells and the other senses to see the impact that these changes have on people. “A building that will be able to house the world”– Nick Tyler, Chadwick Professor of Engineering and Director of UCL Centre for Transport StudiesUp until now, assumptions have been made about how people react to environments, but this has been based on outdated data. UCL PEARL can now pave the way, with the use of sophisticated systems, such as eye trackers, brain scanners & accelerometers, to ensure a more informed suite of ground-breaking data going forward.UCL PEARL are already working in partnership with the London Underground and are researching the design of the built environment for people with dementia.Not only are there legal requirements and obligations for fire safety and protection within this building, but fire shutters & fire curtains should be regularly maintained to ensure they are suitable for intended use, they are safe to use, in good repair and subject to a program of monitoring & reviewing.This is another reason that HAG Ltd. were chosen to assist with this unique facility, as we can offer a full & comprehensive maintenance & repair service, to ensure that their fire shutters & curtains continue to work efficiently and with ease.

Norstone UK is the leading provider of natural stacked stone and stone veneers in the UK. When used for interior applications such as around enclosed fire places and feature walls, Norstone recommends Hardie® Backer cement backerboard for tile and stone. Jack Jago, Director of Norstone UK, explains how the relationship with Hardie® Backer board came about: ‘we were having problems with many projects that have existing plasterboard where people wanted to tile stone on the plasterboard. But this won’t work as it will pull away half of the time as Norstone is a natural stone; it weighs 65kg per square metre.’

To provide optimum weather and thermal performance and to maximise the building’s energy efficiency, ADP Architecture specified a range of aluminium products from Kawneer, installed by approved specialist subcontractor Norman & Underwood. The building’s façade features Kawneer’s AA®100 curtain wall system while AA®190 TB severe-duty doors were specified to handle the high volume of people entering and leaving the building. These were complemented by Kawneer’s AA®720 casement windows with louvreshields which provide both ventilation and fall protection. As the construction is a gateway to the city’s commercial area, the aesthetics were also paramount.