Manufacturer’s aluminium glazing systems used again at Bournemouth University. Frequent Kawneer specifiers Atkins has used the manufacturer’s architectural aluminium glazing systems again, on a unique building which forms a new £27 million gateway to a leading UK university. Kawneer’s AA®100 zone-drained and capped curtain walling forms triangular screens some 25m
If you’re taking your DIY game to the next level and have your sights set on cementing the base for your own shed, read these tips before you start. Once you know how to pour concrete, you’ll find that you can quickly increase the value of your home, should you
Modern businesses need access to reliable internet if they’re to function. If a substantial portion of the workforce are self-isolating thanks to COVID-19, then this need becomes especially pressing. But for decision-makers weighing the cost of investing in new broadband technology, the breadth of options can be a little bit
When it comes to getting older, the milestones that we all associate with ageing aren’t as set-in stone as they used to be. The time we decide to sell the family home and “right size” varies dramatically, there is no longer a set approach and it seems as though people are
Manufacturer’s aluminium glazing systems used again at Bournemouth University. Frequent Kawneer specifiers Atkins has used the manufacturer’s architectural aluminium glazing systems again, on a unique building which forms a new £27 million gateway to a leading UK university. Kawneer’s AA®100 zone-drained and capped curtain walling forms triangular screens some 25m wide and 15m high for the main atrium at Bournemouth University’s 5,000m2 Poole Gateway Building, while Kawneer’s thermally-superior AA®720 entrance doors were used throughout the building and its AA®190 TB automatic sliding door was used at the campus side entrance lobby. In addition, Kawneer’s AA®541 fixed-light windows were used to create openings within both the rainscreen and masonry facades while thermally-broken AA®543 tilturn windows were used alongside aluminium spandrel panels as insertions to the curtain walling. Kirsty Pesticcio, senior architect at Atkins, said: “The glazed elements have a significant impact on the building and the Kawneer products interfaced really well with the masonry and rainscreen façade. “The triangulated gateway form was very complex in nature so we had to ensure fixings were angled with precision to tie into the structural members. Kawneer-approved installer Leay were engaged early within the design process to ensure the developing design met both our design concept and technical constraints of the products chosen.” The building was targeting a BREEAM “Excellent” score so upper BRE Green Guide ratings for material specification, aligned with budgets, was important. The Poole Gateway building is a state-of-the-art combined technical facility for the university’s faculties of Science and Technology and Media and Communication, the latter of which houses the UK’s only recognised Centre for Excellence in Media Practice. The two-year build by main contractor Willmott Dixon comprises a steel frame, SFS infill and composite concrete decked floors. Although the building is primarily divided by internal stud partitions, there are many technical studio spaces which had to be designed and installed as a ‘room in room’ construction using timber frames. Specialist sub-contractor Leay had a team of up to six on site for three winter months. Leay’s business development manager Mike Watts said: “The main curtain wall screens are essentially large triangles. The transom locations were staggered in design in an attempt to prevent hard lines being established in the overall design. “The transoms were set out by us to keep glass specification the same thickness on the project and also to optimise the material on the project efficiently to keep wastage down and therefore cost. “The project was also designed to limit the amount of intermediate steelwork to make the atrium feel as open plan as possible as well as to dead load the full screen down onto the ground-floor slab. “We proposed the use of Kawneer products on this scheme from the outset as we knew they would represent the best value for money and also achieve the structural requirements of the scheme. Working alongside the architect from an early stage, we were able to quickly assist with mullion sizings to allow setting out to be established and avoid potential clashes at a very early stage.” Atkins’ brief was to deliver a new gateway building on the eastern edge of the university’s Talbot Campus which sits just inside the border between Bournemouth and Poole and would be predominantly used by students from the two faculties, providing a range of high-quality technical facilities to support undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as research. Kirsty Pesticcio said: “We believe the client is delighted with the overall design and how it meets the original brief of a gateway building to their campus.” NESTA (National Endowment for Science Technology and Art) said: “Almost half of all graduates from specialist VFX [visual effects] courses who gained employment in the industry had graduated from Bournemouth University”. Graduates have worked on Hollywood blockbusters such as Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Gravity, Star Wars, Madagascar and Interstellar, which won an Oscar in 2015. The Poole Gateway building is one of three at Bournemouth University which feature Kawneer systems. They have also been used on a £40 million new home for the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. Again designed by Atkins, the Bournemouth Gateway Building features Kawneer’s AA®100 curtain walling with feature face caps on tall atrium screens along with AA®720 window vents and entrance doors and AA®190 TB doors. The Kawneer systems here were installed by fellow Kawneer-approved dealer Aluminium Sashes for main contractor Kier. The Bournemouth Gateway Building is due to open in September 2020. Kawneer systems were also used on the original £22 million BREEAM “Excellent” Fusion building which features Kawneer’s AA®100 zone-drained curtain walling, AA®541 top-hung casement windows, AA®545 low/medium duty swing doors and series 190 doors. These were installed by approved dealer AB Glass for Willmott Dixon to a BDP design.
If you’re taking your DIY game to the next level and have your sights set on cementing the base for your own shed, read these tips before you start. Once you know how to pour concrete, you’ll find that you can quickly increase the value of your home, should you wish to sell. Or simply improve your curb appeal. Who wouldn’t prefer a sleek new driveway vs an old cracked weed infested entrance? The Risks Involved With substantially more risks involved with cement pouring vs your average DIY project, there are even more if you decided to do this in winter. Be aware of these hazards before you decide if laying a cement foundation is something you want to do. Let’s look at the potential risks involved: – Slips and falls – Eye irritation – Breathing difficulty – Chemical burns – Severe skin dryness – Improper lifting Injuries Most of these risks are easily managed with the right safety gear and basic awareness. Slips Trips and Falls The most common hazard in everyday life. But concrete takes it a step further. Now it is your responsibility to create a surface that is safe to walk on. Finishing the concrete slab with a too smooth surface is very dangerous particularly if outside and could get wet. A smooth wet surface is just asking for slips and falls. You can easily achieve a safe surface texture with a broom. Use a contractor’s broom to achieve consistent lines by using overlapping parallel strokes. You can determine the smooth-rough texture by wetting the broom during this process. Wear appropriate concrete boots when pouring cement. If you’ll be standing in wet concrete, wear long rubber boots and be sure to have a safety toe for foot protection. The most suitable footwear is easy to clean and has a non slip outsole. Eye Irritation & Breathing Difficulty Dry concrete is a light powder that can get into eyes, nose or mouth of anyone nearby. This powdery mixture can cause respiratory irritation. It can even lead to infection or illness. Wear suitable HEPA-filter respirator protective equipment as specified by OSHA standards and minimize dust as much as possible. If you can avoid sanding or cutting cement then don’t do it and avoid the dust it creates. Are you working on a larger area surface? It might be sensible to have a cement company mix the concrete off site and deliver it in a cement mixing truck. Chemical Burns & Severe Skin Dryness Wet cement is dangerous. If you experience direct contact with it, severe skin reactions can be expected. Some reactions can include chemical burns, dermatitis, blistering amongst other unwanted and painful side effects. Your skin is damaged not only by the chemicals but by the intense moisture extraction that leaves your skin damaged and vulnerable. “So just use a bit of moisturising lotion” you might think? Lotion is no match for this type of damage. There have been cases where cement contact has caused amputations. Rather safe than sorry and protect yourself. When working with wet cement, cover as much of your skin as possible with tall boots, long pants tucked into your waterproof boots, long shirts, jackets or overalls, alkali-resistant gloves and goggles to protect your eyes. You will also have access to an emergency washing area should you come into skin contact with wet cement. OSHA reports that cement workers suffer 4x more work absence days vs construction workers. Improper lifting Injuries This is a constant risk from gardening to office workers to the construction site, but cement workers suffer the most again, with these types of injuries. Cement bags are heavy even if they are “only powder”. Make sure to lift bags with a friend and use your legs. After lifting with your back, one of the most common issues is twisting whilst carrying heavy items. Ideally you would use a forklift on anything over 50 lbs. Another option is to roll a heavy item or half the load. Divide and conquer by simply 1) buying smaller concrete bags or 2) scooping it safely into a seperate container and make 2 or more trips to the oversized bag. You can review safe lfting techniques on the OSHA website here. Conclusion I hope you are more prepared when approaching your new DIY task and can plan accordingly. Take a few basic precautions as discussed and you are good to go. There is no better feeling than coming home every day and admiring that new driveway you constructed. Enjoy your new project and above all be safe out there! If you have questions, leave them below! Author Bio Maya Fleischer is an enthusiastic DIY-er, writer and editor at TheFootFacts. She has a passion for researching & building projects in a new (possibly improved!) method and enjoys sharing useful safety ideas she’s gathered on her journey.
Modern businesses need access to reliable internet if they’re to function. If a substantial portion of the workforce are self-isolating thanks to COVID-19, then this need becomes especially pressing. But for decision-makers weighing the cost of investing in new broadband technology, the breadth of options can be a little bit on the confusing side. Just what are all of these types of internet connection, and what do they mean? Let’s take a look. Fibre Broadband The gold standard for broadband speed is fibre-optic. This relies on pulses of light being transmitted along optical fibres. There’s no resistance to worry about, and the signal does not degrade in the same way that an electrical one would. Traditionally, the signal from the telephone company will arrive at your local cabinet via a fibre-optic connection, and then be distributed locally over copper wire. This is known as a fibre-to-the-cabinet, or FTTC, connection. FTTP Fibre-to-the-Premises, or FTTP, is a much rarer technology. It eliminates all of the copper from the signal chain, resulting in blazing-fast speeds. By making the switch to ‘full-fibre’, where the entire signal chain takes place over a fibre-optic connection, you’re effectively bringing the telephone exchange closer to your place of work. Unfortunately, this is impracticable in many cases. One solution posited by Openreach is the introduction of a compromise called G.fast, which effectively speeds up existing fibre lines. ADSL Broadband Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line has been around for decades. It isn’t anywhere near as fast as fibre broadband, but it still accounts for more than half of the UK’s broadband connections at present. This proportion is likely to decrease as fibre-optic infrastructure is rolled out. Those in more remote and rural locations may find that they’re unable to get access to full-fibre, despite government pledges of £5 billion to get the infrastructure expanded. In most cases, ADSL represents the inferior option. With that said, this is often reflected in the pricing, and many businesses will not have a choice but to go with it. By investing in the right hardware and connectors from RS Components, you’ll be able to eliminate performance bottlenecks within the premises, and ensure that you’re squeezing maximum utility from the older tech. 5G One option that mobile workers might be interested in is 5G, which promises to allow for rapid-streaming video from just about anywhere where the signal allows. One of the biggest advantages of 5G is its ability to tolerate large gatherings without any dip in service – though given recent events, it’s unlikely that this virtue will be leveraged in the near future.
When it comes to getting older, the milestones that we all associate with ageing aren’t as set-in stone as they used to be. The time we decide to sell the family home and “right size” varies dramatically, there is no longer a set approach and it seems as though people are re-writing the rule book and for many different reasons. Many of us find it hard to accept change, especially as we age. When it comes to our beloved family home that has seen precious memories, it can be one the hardest things to come to terms with. Often, people wait until they reach a critical point to make such a significant move, perhaps following a bereavement, a stroke, a heart attack or another serious health condition. This can leave you with an urgent need to find suitable accommodation at a point when you are most vulnerable. For those who do leave it to a critical point, it is usually an extremely stressful period trying to find a home that meets the needs of people with reduced mobility or more specialist health and social care needs. With limited choice it is often difficult to find a home that meets aspirations as well as needs. Alongside the challenges of diminished options, there is a huge amount of admin that comes with buying and selling houses, for those in the position of care giver, it can add more stress to an already difficult situation. Having a family home to sell, often means that there is little, if any, Local Authority support. The stretched social care budget is prioritised for those on the lowest income and with no property assets. This may mean that following a health crisis, a large section of society has extremely limited options. From research that we have undertaken and observations, home buyers looking for the special home in later years, tend to fall in to three main categories: Crisis movers who need to find alternative housing as soon as possible due to an emergency. Lifestyle movers who are looking to right-size rather than down-size. In this scenario individuals may look to enhance their LIFEstyle, enabling a home that is easy to secure whilst they spend time abroad. Or simply want to live in a stunning location with lots of exciting options to enhance their LIFEstyle. Planners find themselves struggling with the stairs in their current house due to arthritis or one of the many other chronic illnesses that are becoming more prolific as people are living longer. Planners tend to feel that their family home is too much to keep on top of, which results in them looking for a new property. Planners have time on their side, meaning they can look around for the home of their dreams. It is evident from our experience with customers that crisis movers, selling a family home at speed, often means accepting below market value. Finding a home suitable that meets aspirations as well as needs, can be a real compromise – especially in a hurry. For those who have more time to plan, look around to find the right location, the outcomes are usually far more favourable as they have the time to sell their old home at full market price and decide on the right style of home. The circumstances for those who don’t have the luxury of this are usually far more controlled by the drivers of “need” rather than “want”. Whilst a holistic approach to housing does provide assistance for those needing extra support in the comfort of their own home, it also creates an aspirational LIFEstyle for our ageing society. With residents from 55 to 100, there doesn’t have to be a correct time to retire or right-size. On a LIFEstyle by ENGIE development there is a community hub which will often include a coffee shop, library and weekly clubs, activities and events. LIFEstyle by ENGIE is all about providing choice and meeting both need and aspiration – even in crisis scenarios. One of the first schemes is set in the delightful rural village of Walton in West Yorkshire and is a brilliant example of an innovative approach to providing homes for our older generation. A further development on the outskirts of Scarborough is planned to launch this year.
