There’s a myriad of facade finishes which change and evolve with fashion. The sector has had to cope with reduced funding, but technological developments are breathing new life into this colourful exterior category, with new products, improved performance and longer life. Adrian JG Marsh reports.
“It does seem that designers are moving away from EWI render systems, towards rainscreen cladding,” said Kevin Naughton, managing director at Hatfield-based specialist contractor RPN, who’s seen more of a mix in the type of materials used in facade finishes. “We’ve seen this in the number of tenders we’ve received in recent years. This is due to the large range of aesthetic options with rainscreen cladding compared to render.”
Peter Baker, commercial director at Stanmore, the specialist drylining, facades, metal work and glazing contractor, has seen that the interpretation of building regulations when working above 18 metres has had an impact on the competitiveness of EWI against rainscreen as system designs change. He commented: “There are more fire breaks and more fixings which means there’s more to do, so traditional rates per metre don’t work anymore. There’s also been a trend away from EPS (expanded polystyrene insulation) to mineral wool (insulation) with greater use of rainscreen and glass.
“Render is less popular with designers [on high rise] who are using a mixture of finishes such as rainscreens and glass. Even a brickwork finish has become fashionable again, but using traditional brickwork at high level is generally not an option because of the loads and weight, so clients are looking for lightweight solutions such as brick slip wall panels.”
Greg Astell at Sto sees thermal transmission of the substructure being important and said: “We’ve found stainless steel brackets have a better performance for thermal transmission and they’re stronger. They’re not conducting as much heat as aluminium and often you do not require as much insulation, which reduces the thickness of insulation required.”
Innovation is driving productivity
The onus is definitely on manufacturers to innovate and help their customers to work smarter and so develop products that take into account the impact of climate change from both an installation and user point of view.
Saint-Gobain Weber has recently developed and introduced webermineral TF, a through-coloured render that can be applied in temperatures as low as 1°C, which is ideal for winter working and allows installers to keep going when they would normally be forced to postpone works. And as the UK climate does have a reputation for rainfall, the system has also been designed to be rain-resistant to prevent wash off in as little as one hour (at 20°C).
Another issue to contend with is that of algae growth, a global problem. Algae growth on external surfaces is not a new phenomenon but its increase is due to warmer winter climates and prolonged damp weather conditions. In conditions that do not fall below zero temperatures, algae spores continue to grow and can affect many exposed surfaces. Although algae does not affect the performance of render, it can sometimes become unsightly.
Tracey Dempster, head of marketing at Saint-Gobain Weber, said: “Over time, weathering and condensation build-up can erode the fabric of a building and ruin the appearance, meaning thermal insulation requirements fail to be met and the value of the property can seriously decline.”
Weber has worked closely with French microbiologists to understand the effect of the composition of render and also the effect that external factors have to play, such as dew point, surface condensation, temperature and rainfall.
Technology for system designers and manufacturers brings a blend of performance in terms of impact and crack resistance and water repellence. Gary Bundy from Sto explained: “You want high performance to please the specifier and owner but you also have to have something that is easy to use. We work hard at that to get material characteristics that are user friendly for applicators.
“We’re looking at biomimicry to emulate nature and the way plants shed water. If a facade sheds water easily it gets dry quicker and is less prone to getting dirty or allowing algae to grow.
“Different materials mean surfaces can react in different ways: they could be self-cleaning or quick drying, and some actually mimic a desert beetle! These new materials can help to double the life of a building.”
There is still a strong market for render, as the move into the UK by Baumit, an Austrian-based manufacturer, has shown. They offer a full range of traditional and synthetic materials.
Ben Warren, managing director at Baumit, said: “Fashions are changing and this goes along with the technology. Our main focus in the UK is EWI and render. Visual effects are quite phenomenal; for example, we can create a wood effect or a sculptured finish.”
One of Baumit’s first projects has been a private passivhaus scheme in Norfolk. FPP Facades installed Baumit’s ‘Open system’ which is a fully breathable EWI system finished with Baumit NanoporTop render finish and a lime render internally.
The materials that now feature on facade finishes are much more sophisticated: there is a mixture, ranging from render through to glass, terracotta and lightweight brick slip and there’s more. Facade finishes are a key component in bringing a building – new or refurbished, large or small – to life.
Delegates at the annual FIS Conference experienced a series of insightful presentations and interactive discussions on post-Brexit-themed topics, including outline forecasts for construction markets, recruitment and labour challenges in the finishes and interiors sector, and future implications on BSI standards.
Brexit dominated the 2016 FIS Conference as speakers tried to reassure members, while admitting there were still so many unknowns that nobody could be sure what would happen. A live poll recorded that 74 per cent of the audience had voted to remain in the EU.
The packed conference at the St Pierre Marriott hotel near Chepstow heard from Professor Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association. The normally bullish Professor Francis blasted other economists for their inaccurate doom-laden predictions of immediate recession and stock market collapses.
He said Goldman Sachs had come out within days of the leave vote predicting the economy would fall. “It was rubbish,” said Professor Francis, admitting there was early instability but many of the losses were quickly recovered.
He said the lesson was that “it’s unrealistic to forecast accurately five years ahead”. Until the Brexit decision is actually enacted – by the government triggering Article 50 – nobody could know what was going to happen. Professor Francis said his own forecasts would now only run until 2018.
He said immediately post-Brexit nothing changed. Consumer spending continued as nobody had lost their job or had their pay cut. But investment would fall in the future due to the uncertainty, so economic growth would fall from the current 1.7 per cent – the highest among G7 countries – to just 1 per cent next year.
“Brexit doesn’t mean investment falling off a cliff,” he said. He warned that contract awards had fallen 9 per cent in July and August and that large contracts may not be signed. But he predicted that smaller and medium-sized contracts would continue.
Questioned later in the conference, Professor Francis did admit that he believed the economy would go through two quarters of decline – the technical definition of a recession – but that it would be marginal and the impact would not be catastrophic.
Fears that product, business and management standards used across the industry might be sacrificed in the bonfire of EU regulation demanded by Brexiteers were also quashed. Kieran Parkinson, market development manager at the British Standards Institute (BSI), put the record straight, dispelling two main myths.
The UK is a leading light in setting many of the European and international standards – the standards are not “imposed” from Europe, Mr Parkinson said.
And the European standards bodies CEN and CENELEC are not part of the EU but are private bodies.
CEN, for example, already includes 33 countries, including five non-EU countries – Norway, Switzerland and Iceland, which are members of the European Free Trade Association, plus Macedonia and Turkey. And 75 per cent of CE standards have nothing to do with EU directives or legislation.
Mr Parkinson made clear that this could well continue post-Brexit as BSI is itself not an arm of the UK government but an independent private company established under Royal Charter.
He said: “It is our ambition to remain a member of CEN and CENELEC.” But he warned that excessively hard Brexiteers could ruin that. “The UK government must not take any action to prejudice BSI’s full membership or necessitate a change to the statutes of CEN or CENELEC,” he warned.
Pressed by FIS chief executive David Frise to be explicit about what the government might do in the worst-case scenario, Mr Parkinson clarified that the UK government might insist that UK standards be different from European standards to prevent European firms competing in the UK market. That would be a game changer. The UK would become isolationist.
Recruitment expert Trevor Rees, of Rees Worx, told delegates that whatever happened they could still make the most of the UK market, UK workers and UK opportunities. He flagged up the business opportunities open to construction firms and explained how to get the best from a well-run recruitment strategy. He warned against “talking ourselves into a recession”.
But, when delegates were asked at the end of the conference if they felt more confident about the future by the end of the day, only 40 per cent said they did.
Forecast performance across the sectors
The Construction Products Association’s economics director, Professor Noble Francis, outlined how key sectors of the economy were expected to perform.
He said the housing market remained under-supplied and with government subsidy on 27 per cent of new house sales, there would be continued growth. But he warned that if growth slowed and wages failed to keep up with inflation, then that would knock the market.
Uncertainty has hit the commercial sector hardest. The three big retail areas in London – Canary Wharf-Docklands, the City and the West End – account for a staggering one quarter of the UK offices market, he said. They are already at peak, with no room for growth. There is a similar level of activity in Birmingham and Manchester.
Professor Francis warned that he expected commercial office work to fall away in the second half of next year.
Problems in the retail sector are nothing to do with Brexit, he said. Big supermarkets, which have driven construction business, have been losing out to smaller rivals.
Retail sales are up 6 per cent but online sales have risen 18 per cent, switching the focus to warehouses that do not need the interior finishes of retail units.
Infrastructure was the only area of continuing growth, put at 6 per cent next year and 10 per cent in 2018, with possible interiors work on stations and adjoining commercial towers along the new transport routes. Education is expected to grow and Professor Francis said there would continue to be work in health, but only small to medium-sized projects and not major works.
There may be an opportunity for refurbishment, rather than fit-out, he suggested. There may also be more openings in the regions as companies move work out of London.
He warned that commodity prices would rise. Nearly all soft wood in the UK comes from Sweden and that has already seen a 17 per cent rise in prices, he said. Costs for HVAC and wiring were all going up too.
One other fear expressed was that with overseas workers returning home – that is already happening as they are made to feel unwelcome before any scrapping of free-movement rules – there would be increasing skills shortages and a rise in union militancy.
The future of European standards
A staggering 95 per cent of the work of the BSI is European or international, market development manager Kieran Parkinson told the Conference.
The BSI has “a seat at the table to influence decision-making” on the European and international standards bodies, and it plans to keep that after Brexit. The European bodies are independent of the EU, so that should be possible, he said.
BSI employs 3,525 people in 76 offices in 30 countries. Many of the world’s standards originated in Britain – none are imposed on Britain by Europe.
Under the rules of the European and international bodies, if a particular country’s standard is chosen to be the base for a new agreed overarching standard, all other countries cease working on their own standards and concentrate on agreeing the international version.
Post-Brexit, BSI’s positon on the international standards bodies is safe, as is its role on the European technical standards body ETSI. “We have had strong support from other members of CEN and CENELEC,” Mr Parkinson said.
Maximising sector opportunities
Recruitment guru Trevor Rees, of Rees Worx, wanted delegates to be positive and to seize opportunities. He flagged up framework projects where construction money was available:
- Scape national construction mega framework – £7 billion
- EFA new schools construction framework – £6 billion
- Public sector framework – £5 billion
- P22 healthcare framework – £5 billion
Mr Rees said the industry needed to advertise how good it was to make it more attractive to school leavers – he praised the Institution of Civil Engineers for its work in this area. He also said apprenticeships were an opportunity and firms should try to have apprentices making up 5 per cent of their workforce.
He suggested firms have a recruitment plan and work with professionals. They should publicise and communicate what they do and keep records of potential recruits, even when jobs were not yet available.
He warned that skilled labour from Poland was already returning home as the Polish economy recovered and the UK made them feel unwelcome.
Taking responsibility for skills development
Helen Yeulet, the new FIS skills delivery director, said FIS needed to tackle the sector’s training and skill shortage. Her rallying cry came as 72 per cent of delegates said they were struggling to recruit skilled staff.
“We need to step up and take responsibility for training and skills in our sector,” she said. “So the FIS board has decided to spend some of its reserves doing just that. FIS is determined to have the entire industry fully and accurately CSCS carded by 2020, to attract 1,500 new entrants to the sector and to increase the CITB grant claimed by member firms from the current 35 per cent to 50 per cent.”
The FIS CourseSight portal of approved training providers, which automatically updates CSCS cards once training is completed and automates the claiming of CITB grants, has already established FIS as a leader in the field.
But FIS is not relaxing. Ms Yeulet said she wanted to “sheep dip” all approved trainers – immersing them every year in the sector’s latest technology and skills so they were always at the forefront of best practice.
She said members should be approached for a training needs analysis to confirm what was required. Help would be given to firms with trainees and FIS would handhold firms wanting to share apprentices. FIS also wanted to develop a recognised continuing professional development (CPD) programme.
FIS is to take on two project managers under Ms Yeulet’s lead, and at least one other project support worker. Chief executive David Frise said this was about FIS giving its members a better service.
Delegates were also told that FIS had agreed a deal with major construction law firm Bond Dickinson to provide members with a free legal helpline. Solicitor Kara Price said members could make four queries a month, including sending documents. They would get an hour of free advice covering payment terms, contracts, disputes and problems with bonds and warranties.
Find out more: www.thefis.org
Four successful ceiling installers have won a thrilling Supercar driving experience for two thanks to Rockfon’s hugely successful online summer promotion. During June, July, August and September, UK installers were invited to watch a different online racing competition each month and answer a simple question, to be in with a chance of winning.
Paul Durber (Davroy Contracts) won the first race in June; Joshua Sewell (Richard Kemble) won race two in July; Ken Benham (Surrey Ceilings) won the third race in August; and James Blain (Intek Ceilings) won the fourth race in September.
Everyone that entered correctly over the four-month promotion were put into the top draw. Rockfon were overjoyed to present Ian Horton of Roskel Contracts (pictured. right. above) with a fantastic weekend for two in Monte Carlo.
Ian Horton said: “I’m absolutely delighted to win the trip to Monte Carlo. I was a little bit shocked when I first heard – it’s the first time I’ve ever won anything like this. I thought I may be on a winning streak, so I even had a lucky dip on the EuroMillions that Friday!”
www.rockfon.co.uk
Construction Products Association (CPA) economist Amandeep Bahra outlines the latest construction industry scenarios for 2016 with a focus on offices and retail.
The UK’s decision to leave the European Union has left analysts wandering in an economic and political maze without a map. Attempts to navigate through this have seen a range of speculations and theories brought to the table. However, these rough estimates still do not provide a clear path of growth for commercial – the largest construction industry sector in the UK. This doesn’t come as a surprise, given the level of uncertainty and lack of hard data in the post-referendum period that makes forecasting incredibly tricky. In light of this, the CPA has taken a ‘scenarios’ approach, outlining three possible cases for the next three years that will very much depend on how the macroeconomic backdrop unfolds.
Offices and, to a lesser extent, retail are seen as the most vulnerable sub-sectors within commercial to the uncertainty created in the aftermath of the referendum. Five months on, and questions regarding the impact of the Brexit vote on these sectors only seem to grow more insistent, and this is likely to remain the case until a new relationship is established with the EU – something that could take many years. In the meantime, like many, we are left to ponder over the near-term prospects for offices and retail. So, what should we expect?
The central view
In the first case – CPA’s central scenario – we anticipate growth in commercial offices to remain in positive territory in 2016 and increase 6 per cent as major projects underway in London and UK regional cities are unlikely to pause for a breath, especially those that have confirmed demand through pre-lets. Investor confidence was certainly impacted ahead of the referendum and dipped even further following the Brexit vote, but this is likely to weigh on new contract awards that will eventually filter into lower activity 12 months later. If you recall, two high-profile speculative office developments in the City of London were paused for re-evaluation following the Brexit vote. Keeping all this in mind, we anticipate offices construction activity to contract 5 per cent in both 2017 and 2018.
Consumer confidence was similarly affected in the immediate aftermath of the referendum, with GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index recording its sharpest fall in 21 years in July before recovering somewhat in August. However, like with any other economic indicator, we shouldn’t read too much into this variation as yet. Consumer sentiment is likely to remain unsettled in the near-term and as this translates into lower spending, prospects for the retail sector are far from bright. Our central scenario envisages three years of contracting retail construction activity, although this is largely attributed to the ongoing shift from bricks and mortar to online retail.
It would be incredibly naive to place all your bets on the central scenario given the dark clouds of uncertainty that give rise to two other scenarios.
A lower case scenario…
Our central scenario anticipates UK economic growth to slow down in the second half of 2016 amid uncertainty, with the economy narrowly avoiding recession. But, what if there was a prolonged period of uncertainty and economic contraction? The subsequent impact on business and consumer confidence and, in turn, business investment and consumer spending is likely to be more pronounced than under the central scenario.
Consumer spending will additionally bear the brunt of higher import prices due to the exchange rate weakness and although this would also be the case in the central and upper scenarios, the risk is given more credence in the lower scenario. Another consequence
of the sterling depreciation is a fall in commercial property prices and foreign investors would effectively trade-off this against uncertainty over returns. As a result, a lower appetite in the higher risk environment wins. This, alongside a drop in investor demand, will particularly dent speculative developments. Based on this, a lower growth rate of 4 per cent is estimated for offices this year followed by double-digit contractions in 2017 and 2018. In terms of retail, construction activity is expected to contract in the three years of our forecast period.
…and an upper scenario
Of course, optimistic developments cannot be overlooked. In this case – the upper scenario – we assume the economic and political situation stabilises, providing some degree of certainty that would inevitably boost confidence. As consumers respond to this, via higher spending, retailers are expected to continue with their expansion plans. But, as we have seen in recent years, the trend towards e-commerce spending is still expected to continue. Consequently, expansion plans are likely to be focused around warehousing, suggesting that retail construction activity is still expected to contract in this case, in 2016 and 2017, albeit at a lower rate than under the lower and central scenarios.
Meanwhile, offices activity is estimated to expand at 7 per cent in 2016 under the upper scenario, with smaller declines pencilled in for 2017 and 2018. This assumes the security of long-term leases will underpin demand for office space, whilst the recent sterling depreciation will attract higher investments from overseas that will cushion any sharp falls in activity.
But where do we stand?
In all these scenarios, it is clear that post-referendum uncertainty will somewhat hinder offices and retail construction in the short-term but it will surely not fall off a cliff. As far as the medium-term is concerned, whether the sectors fit in the lower, central or upper scenario, this will only be clearer once more data emerges that will allow us to better gauge the ramifications of Brexit in 2017 and 2018. But even so, uncertainty will still hover in the background and the true direction of growth for these sectors will only be revealed once a new bridge is established between the UK and EU.
The Construction Products Association’s (CPA) latest forecast highlights a mixed picture for the construction industry over the next two years due to the impact of the uncertainty following the EU referendum. Overall, construction activity is expected to remain broadly flat in 2017 and 2018. Commercial offices output, however, is expected to decline 3.0% in 2017 and a further 10.0% in 2018. The CPA expects growth in infrastructure and education, with housing investment holding up.
Noble Francis, economics director, said: “Surveys across the industry highlight that activity in the construction sector has been sustained post-referendum, primarily based upon work on projects that were signed in the 12-18 months before the referendum. Looking forward, projects in the pipeline mean that construction activity is likely to continue throughout the rest of 2016 and the first half of 2017.
“From the second half of 2017, however, there is likely to be a clear division between the fortunes of privately-funded construction sectors – such as commercial offices and industrial factories – where the current uncertainty is likely to have a major impact, and those that are largely unaffected by post-referendum uncertainty – such as infrastructure and education – which are either publicly-funded or in regulated sectors.
“In construction sectors that are likely to be affected by the uncertainty, new investment has already fallen sharply but the lag between new contract awards and activity on the ground means that the weakening in sector output is likely to occur from the second half of next year. Commercial offices output is expected to decline 3.0% in 2017 and a further 10.0% in 2018. In the industrial factories sector, construction is expected to fall 11.6% between 2015 and 2018 as renewal and refurbishment of existing factories continues but large manufacturers make fewer new major investments.
“Within sectors that are expected to be largely unaffected by uncertainty, infrastructure will be a key driver of construction activity. Major projects such as HS2, Hinkley Point C nuclear power station and the Thames Tideway Tunnel are anticipated to provide growth of 6.2% in 2017 and 10.2% in 2018. Within education construction, activity is expected to rise 5.8% by 2018 due to public sector capital investment in the Priority School Building Programme and private sector investment in universities, including £1 billion programmes at Manchester, Cambridge and Glasgow.
“Outside of these sectors, private house building has not been affected by the uncertainty so far and is expected to rise by 2.0% in 2016. It is anticipated to remain flat in 2017 before a 2.0% fall in 2018 due to slower demand as UK economic growth and real wage growth both weaken considerably next year. However, private house building could be boosted by new measures in the government’s Autumn Statement on 23 November. The slower real wage growth in 2017, driven by higher inflation due to the recent falls in Sterling, is also expected to lead to a decline in retail construction of 4.0% in 2017 and 2.0% in 2018. This in a sector already hit by the shift away from traditional retail towards online shopping.
“With an upcoming Autumn Statement, it is vital that the Chancellor focuses on reducing uncertainty for the private sector, sustaining the housing sector and ensuring delivery of education construction and major infrastructure projects already in the pipeline.”
Key results from the latest CPA construction forecasts include:
- Construction output to rise 0.6% in 2016, 0.3% in 2017 & 0.2% in 2018
- Offices construction to increase 8.0% in 2016 before a decline of 3.0% in 2017 and 10.0% in 2018
- Factories construction to fall 5.0% in 2016 and 2.0% in 2017
- Infrastructure work to rise by 6.2% in 2017 and 10.2% in 2018
- Private housing starts to rise 2.0% but remain flat in 2017 and fall 2.0% in 2018
- Retail construction to fall 8.0% in 2016 before falls of 4.0% in 2017 and 2.0% in 2018
The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has been trying to bring in a harmonised standard that allows doorsets to be sold with a fire safety CE mark since 2013.
From November 2016, doorsets can be sold with a CE marking, but that process is not totally complete.
The fire safety standard EN 16034 can only be used with external pedestrian doors (EN 14351-1), internal pedestrian doors (prEN 14351-2), industrial, garage and commercial doors (EN 13241) and power-operated pedestrian doors (EN 16361).
However, most fire-rated doors are internal pedestrian doors and the CEN certification process for prEN 14351-2 is unlikely to be completed until June 2017.
Also, while power-operated pedestrian doors have been ratified, the standard will not be published until early next year.
The result: most fire-rated doors cannot yet be CE marked. The wait goes on…
Specifying and installing doors remains a complex area. Steve Menary reports on the areas of caution and highlights best practice from industry specialists.
As standards over doors and ironmongery edge towards harmonisation, the lessons of the Lakanal House fire in 2009 must not be forgotten. A fire at the tower block in Camberwell, south London, killed six people and injured 20 more because, an inquest ruled, of failures in fire safety measures. Seven years on and attempts to harmonise standards for fire doors, partly in response to the tragedy, are edging towards a conclusion.
“Three million fire doors go into the market, so the [European Union] is trying to track them by ensuring they are all CE marked,” explained Paul Smith, sales director at Allgood, which supplies ironmongery and doorsets.
In Germany, there is an established industry that manufactures and sells doorsets, which, from November 2016, should have the mechanism to be CE marked. But the situation remains complicated (see box), and will still not cover doors where the parts are bought separately and assembled.
“People can still buy components separately and there is a huge risk,” highlighted Joe Cilia, FIS technical manager. “The danger from a contractor’s point of view is they buy a fire door, a frame, a closer and an intumescent strip and think they have a fire door. But they might not have the appropriate parts; they might not have a strong enough closer, or the components may not have been tested together.”
In an industry where profit margins are constantly under pressure, buying separate parts is common.
Laura Glazier, sales executive at architectural ironmongers Harbrine, said: “There’s nothing to say once we’ve put a specification out to market that a contractor won’t decide that it’s too expensive. A lot of projects are cost driven and are not getting the right product.
“There’s the threat of prosecution nowadays if the wrong product has been used, but a lot of it comes down to education. It might cost more, but further down the line it will work.”
Breaking down established practices can be hard in the construction industry, says Niall Rowan, the new chief operating officer at the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), which, he argues, reflects the “cottage nature of UK industry”. He explained: “A joiner would buy a door blank from a distributor that has a certificate and he would follow the instructions. But if he didn’t, the customer would have a door that might not work. Due to the nature of the construction industry, that happens. Building control should pick this up, but often they don’t.”
The ASFP advises contractors in the first instance to buy a doorset, or, if they buy a door assembly with separate parts, to ensure these parts have been tested together. The association advises contractors to get doors tested, which is also advocated by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF).
BWF’s schemes and technical manager, Hannah Mansell, explained: “We come from a scenario of managing risk for our members and their customers. Fire doors take an intricate route through the supply chain and performance can be diluted.”
To help members counter those problems, the BWF’s testing scheme is carried out by a third party certifier.
Ms Mansell added: “If I’m fitting a fire door that’s been tested by a third party, I’d have confidence that when the building inspectors come round with third party certification, I’d have traceability through the supply chain.”
CE markings will also offer that, but with third party certification, there is an assurance that a fire door, whether bought as a set or assembled, will work and successfully prevent a repetition of Lakanal House.
For what is one of the world’s most spectacular and busiest entertainment venues, the £125 million SSE Hydro in Glasgow required an acoustic solution that could deliver consistent high-quality sound for music and sport events within the arena bowl. Fire, acoustic and thermal insulation products manufacturer Siderise met the challenge.
Forming part of the redevelopment of Glasgow’s former docks and located adjacent to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, the Fosters + Partners’ designed SSE Hydro is a 25,000m2, 12,500 seat arena with an exterior façade which morphs into a massive multi-coloured screen displaying stunning light shows. Internally, this ambitious concrete framed structure benefits from innovative acoustic engineering which heightens the arena experience and provides a world class experience for guests.
To create a sonically pleasing environment, an acoustic performance upgrade was required to suit the complex geometry of the arena’s bespoke British Gypsum sloping fire-rated boarded plenum ceilings. As the ceilings’ design offered restricted access, an exclusively boarded solution would prove unsuitable. Siderise was approached by specialist contractor Roskel Contracts for its technical expertise in acoustics to find a bespoke solution that would meet the acoustic performance criteria requirements.
Siderise used its acoustic barrier/damping mat solution Siderise BM/P5/BOAK and BM/P10/BOAK. Overlapping sheets were fitted from below through the structural framework. The Siderise BM/P5/BOAK and BM/P10/BOAK sheets were fixed and sealed to provide a continuous membrane which could be shaped and installed to suit the services and structural elements. The result was a fully compliant system.
Mike McLaughlin, joint managing director of Roskel Contracts commented: “We came to Siderise on the Hydro Arena as we had concerns that a buildable solution, which met the acoustic performance criteria, could not practically be achieved with an exclusively boarded solution. Having worked with them previously we were confident that they had the range of products and the technical expertise to assist us in developing a practical solution and liaising with both the Architect and Acoustic Consultant. From concept, through mock-ups and the final site installation they provided us with good advice and back up on this extremely complex and challenging project.”
www.siderise.com
Leading drywall products manufacturer Siniat has launched a new acoustic stud product, Resilient Acoustic Stud (RAS), to help specifiers and installers construct thinner high-performance acoustic partitions, in significantly less time than regularly used systems.
The only product of its type in the world, the stud helps specifiers and installers to quickly and efficiently meet acoustic performance requirements while maximising floor space. Providing a 17mm thinner partition than Siniat’s previous Resilient Bar System, RAS is a simple ‘stud and track’ system which also offers easy solutions for installing M&E fixtures such as light and plug sockets.
The stud features two steel profile sections held together by an acoustic tape to prevent airborne and impact sounds from passing through. Unlike traditional metal C studs which actively transmit airborne and impact sounds from one face of a partition to another, RAS reduces the connection between the two sides of the partition within the stud itself, removing the need for designers to specify a traditional single frame with multiple boards or a resilient bar to overcome this.
Part of the company’s commitment to driving innovation in the dry construction sector, the Resilient Acoustic Stud was developed by Siniat’s own acoustic engineers. It is designed specifically for use on hotel, student accommodation, care homes and change of use projects, and meets both the performance requirements of English Building Regulations Part E: Rooms for Residential Purposes and Part E: Change of Use.
Lee Hamilton, product manager for Resilient Acoustic Stud at Siniat, commented: “Siniat is committed to finding new ways to help our customers overcome installation challenges and deliver the best results for their projects. The simpler design of Resilient Acoustic Stud means installation of the frame can be up to 50 per cent faster, lowering the installation time of the overall partition and helping specifiers and installers to quickly and efficiently meet project requirements without compromising on acoustic performance.”
The former government construction advisor Paul Morrell is to conduct a review about the future shape of industrial training boards, including CITB.
The announcement follows the publication of a report by Mark Farmer for the Construction Leadership Council (published 17 Oct 2016) ‘Modernise or Die’which posed a number of questions about the ability of the UK construction sector to maintain and expand capacity, and the effectiveness and future role for the CITB.
Paul Morrell OBE is the former senior partner of Davis Langdon, and from November 2009 to November 2012 he was the UK government’s first Chief Construction Adviser. He led the UK Government, Innovation and Growth Team that produced ‘Low Carbon Construction’ (published in November 2010) and was also the instigator of the ‘Government Construction Strategy’ (published in May 2011) which championed collaboration and the use of information technology – notably building information modelling.
Robert Halfon, Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills said: “I am delighted Paul has agreed to lend his experience and advice to this important review. Paul is a highly respected figure both in the industry and in government and is known as a strong force for change and modernisation.
“The government’s ambitious infrastructure and housing plans require a step up in capability and capacity in the construction sector. Training boards can help deliver the skills we desperately need and I look forward to seeing some real recommendations from this review.”
Prev
