Manufacturer’s systems now feature on all five Cardiff office buildings by JR Smart. Ultra-green ceiling tiles from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions feature again on the fifth and latest office building to rise in Cardiff’s Capital Quarter redevelopment. Specified by M2M Architects, they feature throughout the office areas at No 4 Capital
CIVIL ENGINEERING and surfacing firm Thomas Bow City Asphalt has successfully secured a multi-million pound Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council framework contract to deliver road repair works across the county. The four-year patching contract – worth a total of £36 million – will see Thomas Bow act as
Nuki, the market-leader in smart locks is proud to announce the launch of the Nuki Opener, a product designed for apartment buildings. The Nuki Opener enables the operation of the front door to apartment buildings simply via the Nuki app, as well as remotely. This retrofit solution is connected to
Two five metre-tall interactive sculptures, designed by multi-award winning British designer, Steuart Padwick will be erected in King’s Cross shortly for this year’s Designjunction event (19-22 Sept) as part of London Design Festival. The giant cuboid figures have been created in support of mental health anti-stigma initiative, Time To Change, and have been skilfully formed using Douglas Fir to
Manufacturer’s systems now feature on all five Cardiff office buildings by JR Smart. Ultra-green ceiling tiles from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions feature again on the fifth and latest office building to rise in Cardiff’s Capital Quarter redevelopment. Specified by M2M Architects, they feature throughout the office areas at No 4 Capital Quarter, the eight-storey canal-side landmark office building designed to BREEAM “Excellent, in the heart of the city’s Enterprise Zone. The Dune eVo MicroLook mineral tiles had already been used by main contractor JR Smart on the five previous office projects and were specified, with their approval, for this latest, 96,870ft2 Grade A building which is now home to Sky UK, legal firm Geldards and financial services company Optimum Credit. The building incorporates the occupational density of open floor plates to suit the current and future needs of modern office occupiers as well as a central atrium, high-quality reception, sixth-floor roof terrace and ground-floor retail and leisure units. Some 11,000m2 of the 1200mm x 300mm Dune eVo panels were supplied to No 4 by the Cardiff branch of distributor Nevill Long and installed on the 2.7m floor-to-ceiling heights by specialist sub-contractor 2nd Generation Facades. Fully recyclable, Dune eVo is the next evolution in ceiling tiles. The tiles provide a balanced acoustic performance of up to 0.65 aw, Class C sound absorption, and a sound attenuating performance of up to 39 dB. The perforation design of Dune eVo is unique to standard tiles, creating a smooth, contemporary finish. Dune eVo has been highly engineered to have a reinforced edge that provides maximum durability and resilience, both in storage and application. It is the first ceiling system in the industry to gain Cradle to Cradle accreditation. Rhodri Morgan of M2M Architects said: “We specified Armstrong Ceilings’ Dune eVo system in the knowledge the client was happy with it on office buildings we had carried out for them.” Armstrong’s area sales manager for the UK’s south-west, Mark Turner, added: “This project showcases what a great visual can be achieved using Dune eVo MicroLook.” JR Smart has continued to bring prestigious new office space to market in the centre of the Welsh capital regardless of the wider economic climate. Since acquiring the seven-acre brownfield site, its Capital Quarter scheme is now home to some of the area’s leading companies and organisations, with all of its office schemes now fully let. Over the past decade, Capital Quarter, which began with the relatively modest (at 37,000ft2) Driscoll Buildings scheme, has provided more than 370,000ft2 of new office space and will eventually accommodate more than 3,000 staff. The wider Capital Quarter scheme is well on track to delivering over 1,000,000ft2 of development including residential, café and student accommodation. Number Four joins the existing office space at Capital Quarter that is already home to Finance Wales, Alert Logic, WSP-Parsons Brinckerhoff, Network Rail, Home Office, Public Health Wales and Opus Energy. The four-storey Driscoll Buildings completed in 2012. Capital Quarter’s first major office building – the nine-storey, 77,992ft2 Grade A No 1 Capital Quarter – followed soon after, with completion in 2014 and subsequent sale to the Welsh Government. The 85,077ft2 No 2 Capital Quarter was completed in March 2016 and in summer 2018 the seven-storey, 77,931ft2 No 3 was completed and part-let to consumer champion Which? JR Smart construction director Gareth Smart said: “It has been a great 12 months at Capital Quarter which is testament to the commitment and hard work of the whole Capital Quarter development team, including our professional advisers and sub-contractors who I would personally like to thank.” More information is accessible via the Armstrong Ceilings website https://www.armstrongceilings.com/commercial/en-gb/
CIVIL ENGINEERING and surfacing firm Thomas Bow City Asphalt has successfully secured a multi-million pound Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council framework contract to deliver road repair works across the county. The four-year patching contract – worth a total of £36 million – will see Thomas Bow act as the principal contractor for the project. The firm will be responsible for more than 3,000 miles of road and deliver everything from traffic management, road marking, road planning and surfacing for the scheme. Alistair Bow, sixth generation managing director at Thomas Bow, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed by Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council as it’s not only a really significant contract but the work really complements our stronghold across the East Midlands. “The framework win has also allowed us to take on a further two surfacing teams – a total of 19 full time roles – as well as invest in new equipment such as pavers and vehicles. As a firm, we have extensive experience working across the Midlands and Yorkshire, so this appointment will help boost the work we’re already doing in the region. “We’ve had an excellent few years here at Thomas Bow – from our 150th anniversary in 2017 to securing Highway England framework win via a joint venture with Breedon Southern Limited in 2018, this contract provides a great support to 2019.” A spokesperson for Leicestershire County Council said: “The maintenance and upkeep of our roads is a vitally important aspect of the work delivered by the county council. From pothole repairs to resurfacing, we’re responsible for more than 2,500 miles of roads. Ensuring the extensive road network runs smoothly is no mean feat and requires a large degree of co-ordination and flexibility. Carriageway repairs require quick solutions to make sure the impact on the travelling public is minimal. We’re pleased to be working in partnership with Thomas Bow City Asphalt to provide carriageway patching and repairs across the county, while, at the same time, ensuring that we’re delivering value for money for the council taxpayer.” Thomas Bow is based in Nottingham and has worked on some of most distinguished landmarks and transport systems across the Midlands and Yorkshire. Recent projects include the £10m contract to surface the second phase of the Nottingham tram system, the new car park 7 at Birmingham Airport and the Lincoln Transport Hub. To find out more about Thomas Bow City Asphalt, visit www.thomasbow.com or join the conversation on Twitter @thomas_bow.
Nuki, the market-leader in smart locks is proud to announce the launch of the Nuki Opener, a product designed for apartment buildings. The Nuki Opener enables the operation of the front door to apartment buildings simply via the Nuki app, as well as remotely. This retrofit solution is connected to the intercom system inside the apartment, allowing it to trigger the entrance buzzer when activated. In combination with the Nuki Smart Lock, the revolutionary Nuki Opener gives residents completely keyless access from the street to their flat! “The Opener is a huge step for us since about 50% of the European population live in apartment buildings”, says Nuki CEO Martin Pansy. “With the addition of the Nuki Opener to our portfolio we can now enable completely keyless access from the road to the living room for renters and owners of flats.” Just like the Nuki Smart Lock, the Opener can simply be retrofitted with the app tutorial and turns intercoms into smart entry systems. The Nuki Opener is connected to the intercom, allowing it to trigger the door buzzer when activated. Users can open the front door directly or remotely through the app – in combination with the Nuki Bridge. There are several features available that make the solution even more handy. When activating the “Ring to Open” feature authorised users don’t even need to get their smartphone out of their pocket, they just open their front door by ringing the bell to their apartment. Experience the Nuki Smart Lock and the new Nuki Opener as well as a wide range of accessories for yourself at IFA this year – Hall 25 Booth 352. Presentation of the ‘Works with Nuki’ programme Up until now Nuki has focused on the retrofit market, but the Austrian-based Smart Home pioneer is introducing its first solution for new builds so that door manufacturers can integrate Nuki technology directly into their products. The “Works with Nuki” system, which will be introduced at IFA 2019 in Berlin, shows that the company is tapping into the new-build market from 2020 and closely collaborating with door and lock manufacturers. By directly integrating the Nuki module into their products, door and lock manufacturers can offer customers the benefits of the Nuki platform as an out-of-the-box solution. To date, Nuki has delivered over 70,000 Nuki Smart Locks to customers, by the end of 2019 the company expects to surpass 100,000 installed locks. “We are incredibly proud of how positively our system has been received by customers and that we are experiencing fast and healthy growth”, says Martin Pansy. “With over 70 million detached houses and 50 million apartment buildings in Europe, our core market, there’s still plenty of room to grow.”
Two five metre-tall interactive sculptures, designed by multi-award winning British designer, Steuart Padwick will be erected in King’s Cross shortly for this year’s Designjunction event (19-22 Sept) as part of London Design Festival. The giant cuboid figures have been created in support of mental health anti-stigma initiative, Time To Change, and have been skilfully formed using Douglas Fir to convey warmth and humanity, using off-site construction technologies. However, it is the imposing, interactive ‘concrete’ blocks – representing their ‘emotional burdens’ – that truly bring these dramatic, public art spectacles to life. These cubes have been manufactured from HI-MACS® natural acrylic stone (in colour G555 Steel Concrete), supplied by main UK distributor, James Latham and fabricated by Preston based, We Are Limitless Limited (WALL). When a visitor approaches one of the figures, a proximity sensor is triggered and the ‘burden’ will appear to crack, releasing a glow of light. Then, because the sculpture’s burden has been reduced by engaging with the visitor approaching them, it begins to talk, emitting poignant, uplifting phrases, which have been written and recorded by an eclectic group of poets, writers and mental health ambassadors – all reminding us that, through communication, the weight so many of us carry can be lessened. As a key sponsor and supporter of the project, James Latham is encouraging people to post images of themselves interacting with the figures across its various social media platforms using (#makeitlathams), with a prize of an exclusive, bespoke HI-MACS® seat, designed by Steuart Padwick, for the best one. Extensively used in architectural projects of all kinds, HI-MACS® solid surfaces offer a robust, smooth, non-porous and visually seamless surface which can be backlit and thermoformed to give a striking appearance. Commenting on his material selection, Steuart Padwick said, “I wanted a quality material that was easy to work with, looked like concrete, could be machined to let light through and was outdoor friendly, and James Latham recommended HI-MACS® which has proved to be the perfect solution.” Stuart Devoil, Group Head of Marketing at James Latham commented, “This has been a unique project to be involved with and one with such a positive message. I can’t wait to see people interacting with these monumental figures. As one of the UK’s most recognised suppliers of cutting-edge materials to designers and architects, this was an ideal platform to showcase this innovative and versatile product.” Mariana Fredes, LG Hausys, commented, “With a long track record of working closely together as distributor and manufacturer, James Latham and LG Hausys are regularly involved in design events across Europe. We are delighted to work together again, this time providing the signature ‘concrete’ blocks, made from our natural acrylic stone HI-MACS®, for Steuart Padwick’s thought provoking installation” For all visitors to the London Design Festival and Designjunction, James Latham is holding a one-day HI-MACS® walk-in workshop on 19th September at their Design Showroom in the Business Design Centre, Islington, just one tube stop away from Kings Cross. Here, visitors can learn more about the product and witness inspirational demonstrations of thermoforming, sublimation and more. For details on HI-MACS®, James Latham’s full product portfolio or the walk-in workshop contact your local James Latham branch or showroom at: www.lathamtimber.co.uk or email info@lathamtimber.co.uk Designjunction, which runs from 19 – 22 September and is part of the annual London Design Festival, which connects the world’s most renowned design brands, with the world’s leading architects, interior designers, specifiers and buyers.
