Puma Property Finance (Puma) is sponsoring the launch of UCL’s new world-class research centre focused on developing sustainable practices in the construction industry and the built environment. It’s the first centre of its kind in the UK. It is estimated that 39% of global energy related carbon emissions come from
Polypipe Building Services has released Revit families for its Terrain PVC Soil and Waste and Terrain FUZE Stax drainage systems. The content has received BSI Kitemark accreditation to BIM Level 2, underscoring the company’s commitment to construction best practice. Terrain PVC, now manufactured with up to 65% recycled materials, combines
M&Y Maintenance and Construction have completed an extensive Fire Safety Project on two five storey apartment blocks on Cheapside in Liverpool City Centre. M&Y were appointed by Redwing in October 2021, to complete works to improve the fire safety of the buildings, including works to the façade, roof, courtyard decking
Esri UK today announced the results of three pilot projects at Nottingham City Council, Dacorum Borough Council and South Ayrshire Council, which have been exploring new ways of digitising the planning process using geospatial technology. Projects have focused on solving common challenges within planning, including the improvement of community engagement,
North East contractor Tolent has launched a new service to help support registered providers of social housing improve the energy efficiency of homes across the region. In line with the Governments Clean Growth Strategy, all social housing must attain the minimum rating of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C by 2035,
AN initiative which recently won £40m backing to help create more than 700 jobs across West Cumbria has made its second appointment to its own team. Hannah Pears, who is passionate about working with partner organisations to give young people the best possible life chances, has joined iSH (the Industrial
Neville Trust, one of the region’s longest-established family-owned group of businesses, has held its first Long Service Awards, post pandemic, and celebrated a record-breaking total of 475 years of exemplary service from 37 very special team members. Neville Trust, which includes Neville Funerals, Neville Special Projects, and Neville Joinery has
Firethorn Trust, a leading commercial real estate investor and developer, has broken ground at Barnsley340 – a 24-acre logistics development in South Yorkshire. The 340,300 sq ft logistics unit is being delivered by Glencar, a construction company specialising in industrial, logistics, distribution and manufacturing, and will be ready for occupation
One of the UK’s leading interior fitout and joinery specialists, Northern Ireland-based Mivan, has announced a record order intake in excess of £100m following an increase in demand for its services, particularly in the 5* hotel and premium residential sectors in London. Turnover for 2023 is now set to be
Considerations for facility owners and operators… While it may seem counterintuitive that fire is even a risk in spaces designed to maintain cold temperatures, cold storage in fact presents a huge fire hazard for warehouse designers and builders, life safety installation companies and facility owners. In this article we cover
Puma Property Finance (Puma) is sponsoring the launch of UCL’s new world-class research centre focused on developing sustainable practices in the construction industry and the built environment. It’s the first centre of its kind in the UK. It is estimated that 39% of global energy related carbon emissions come from the built environment. But despite its obvious centrality, the construction industry has historically been slow in developing sustainability initiatives. The new ‘Centre of Sustainable Governance and Law in the Built Environment’ seeks to address the challenge of building more with less emissions as the demand for more and better-quality housing increases. The two-year partnership will see the development of pioneering research designed to improve understanding of sustainability practices in the built environment and drive forward solutions. This includes research to identify the best measurement tools to accurately measure the environmental emissions and the social impact of construction projects and buildings; develop innovative financing models for construction projects; improve knowledge transfer; and decarbonise building stock. The centre will sit within the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction: the first built environment faculty in the UK, and one of the global leaders in this field. The ten-person research team will be led by Dr Armando Castro, an Associate Professor at UCL, who has been researching and writing about ESG related themes since 2014. Other team members’ expertise spans economics, finance, civil engineering, surveying, geography, management and law, in order to tackle and solve the wide-ranging issues across the industry. Puma has been a longstanding supporter of the drive towards greater sustainability in the construction industry. With this new partnership, Puma hopes to further inform the conversation and help the property finance industry to arrive at solutions that promote the next generation of the built environment. Paul Frost, managing director of Puma Property Finance, and member of the Centre’s Advisory Board comments: “We’re incredibly proud to sponsor UCL’s new research centre and play our part in significantly reducing the carbon impact of the construction industry. Delivering net zero buildings and retrofitting existing ones is a huge challenge, especially as we try to meet the demand for more and better quality housing, education facilities and suitable accommodation for our ageing population. “Progress can’t be achieved through policy and regulation alone; it requires collaboration across industry and academia, innovation, creativity and ambition if we’re to drive truly impactful change. “This new Centre offers an exciting opportunity to put that into practice, and we are delighted to be supporting its important work. The finance sector has enormous influence over the real estate that we build in this country and around the world. We can and must use that influence for the benefit of both current and future generations.” Dr Armando Castro, UCL adds: “This Centre has been launched in a critical time and has the purpose of sharing academic insights and knowledge, while connecting and fostering the dialogue between academics and practitioners of the built environment. This is greatly needed now since the construction industry and its players need to do more to address current societal concerns regarding their social and environmental impact. Further, universities’ research can be used for the greater good and should be shared more widely.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Polypipe Building Services has released Revit families for its Terrain PVC Soil and Waste and Terrain FUZE Stax drainage systems. The content has received BSI Kitemark accreditation to BIM Level 2, underscoring the company’s commitment to construction best practice. Terrain PVC, now manufactured with up to 65% recycled materials, combines exceptional performance with enhanced sustainability standards, while the Terrain FUZE Stax HDPE drainage system offers two-part fabricated stack configurations designed to make high-rise installations simpler and quicker saving time spent on sizing, cutting and welding loose components. The award of the BSI Kitemark means that data-rich Revit files are now available to designers – making it easier to produce accurate plans as part of a project’s golden thread and to ensure these are followed right through to quotation and ordering. Providing data to BIM Level 2 standards means that Polypipe Building Services offers product performance and specification information that has been validated to meet strict requirements, and that it is presented using standardised templates. This means it’s simple to use, store and share – ultimately making it easier to create accurate project designs. Carl Brunger- Building Services BIM Manager at Polypipe Building Services commented: “Ensuring the availability of accurate, transparent data for our products is extremely important to us, and we see BIM as a key route in achieving this. We have been accredited to BIM Level 2 for two years and in that time we have been working hard to increase the volume of content we have available to drainage system designers. “The Revit assets for Terrain PVC Soil and Waste and Terrain FUZE Stax systems will open up access to a wealth of product information to support best practice within the design of drainage systems. It will help with faster building design, greater traceability and accuracy right through to ordering. “With this high level of BIM data available across a key product range, project specifiers and designers can be confident that working with Polypipe Building Services allows for maximum flexibility and product choice at their fingertips, within the convenience of the Revit platform.” For more information about Revit files available from Polypipe Building Services go to: https://www.polypipe.com/bim-revit-files Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
M&Y Maintenance and Construction have completed an extensive Fire Safety Project on two five storey apartment blocks on Cheapside in Liverpool City Centre. M&Y were appointed by Redwing in October 2021, to complete works to improve the fire safety of the buildings, including works to the façade, roof, courtyard decking and balconies. The original timber cladding on both blocks was removed and replaced with new rendering. Remedial render coatings were also applied to the gable elevations to extend the life of the material. Decking on the courtyard, balconies and roof top garden terrace was removed and replaced with a mix of paving slabs and aluminium decking, further reducing fire risks and improving slip resistance. One roof was completely replaced, improving the thermal efficiency of the building, with new edge protection also installed. Together, these improvements should last for a minimum of 15-20 years with correct maintenance. To complete the project, the steel framed balconies, gable end elevations and an external wall were repainted. Internally, the lobbies of both blocks were also painted to give the building a fresh finish for its residents. Kevin Moses, M&Y Director of Operations said: “We’re so proud of M&Y’s growth into Fire Safety works. With the support of our experienced staff, we’ve been able to ensure the works at Cable Yard have been completed to the highest standards, leading to safe homes now and into the future. With another fire safety project already underway, we’re excited to continue to develop this workstream and offer fire risk assessment and follow up work to housing associations and local authorities across the North West.” Alex Andani, Executive Director of Property Asset Management at The Regenda Group said: “We’re pleased to have completed improvements to Cable Yard, leading to higher standards of fire safety throughout. We’d like to thank all of the residents for their patience and support while these works were carried out. We’re especially pleased with the work delivered by M&Y which is to an excellent standard.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Esri UK today announced the results of three pilot projects at Nottingham City Council, Dacorum Borough Council and South Ayrshire Council, which have been exploring new ways of digitising the planning process using geospatial technology. Projects have focused on solving common challenges within planning, including the improvement of community engagement, maximising the use of 3D visualisations and managing developer contributions more efficiently. Having won a competition in Spring 2022 to find innovative ideas to improve planning, the councils have been working with Esri UK to make the projects a reality, receiving free consultancy and access to GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software. Nottingham City Council’s pilot has proven the value of using 3D visualisations integrated with other existing data, to allow constraints and impact assessments to be carried out simultaneously. Dacorum Borough Council’s project has built a prototype tool which visualises infrastructure and developer contributions secured through Planning Obligations on a map, replacing traditional static spreadsheet data. While South Ayrshire Council’s outcome has been the creation of a community consultation platform, with interactive methods of engagement to improve community and other stakeholder involvement in Local Development Plans. “The pilots have explored modern digital approaches to some common challenges faced by local planning authorities, all designed to help make the planning process more efficient and easier for everyone,” explained Stephen Croney, Head of Sector for Land, Property and Planning, Esri UK. “Combining each council’s domain expertise with our team of geospatial experts, the pilots have revealed how geospatial technology available today can help shape the future of the planning process by delivering significant cost and time savings.” Results of the pilots in more detail: Nottingham City Council Nottingham City Council’s project has explored how geospatial technology can help increase the use of 3D visualisations, both internally and with the public. A prototype site assessment tool has been built that brings together all relevant spatial data into one 3D environment, including the proposed scheme itself, plus conservation areas, site allocations, flood risk and tree cover. This has allowed planning teams to conduct 3D assessments of various constraints on a site, at the same time as a visual impact assessment, which speeds up the decision-making process. The project overcame the usual challenges of working with LOD3 (Level of Detail 3) performance in a browser to create a smooth user experience. “The pilot has significantly advanced our 3D development skills, created new 3D data generation and manipulation techniques and shown how it’s possible to have a 3D environment which can easily integrate with our existing datasets,” explained Mick Dunn, GIS Service Manager, Nottingham City Council. “Overall, the project has proved that 3D planning is possible from any browser at the right performance levels.” “The benefits are varied, from understanding what a building will look like in situ and trying different view corridors to assess its visual impact, to examining master planning issues, flood risk assessments or potential solar energy sites. The 3D visualisations can also be used to gain public feedback or other parties using images and fly-throughs.” Next steps include advancing the prototype site assessment tool to make it fully operational and creating some 3D showcase demonstrators to engage with internal business areas. “The long-term goal is to provide a versatile 3D environment that we are able to easily deploy and operationalise to support the needs of our business and customers, improving operational performance and enhancing customer service delivery,” concluded Dunn. Dacorum Borough Council Dacorum Borough Council’s pilot has converted existing text and spreadsheet information into a modern digital mapping environment, improving how infrastructure and developer contributions secured through Planning Obligations are managed and communicated. An interactive map was built that plots the sources of developer contributions S106 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) received and shows where the contributions have been spent. “The pilot has shown the value of using digital maps to visualise and monitor contributions spatially and understand where and how the money is being spent,” commented Councillor Alan Anderson, Portfolio Holder, Planning and Infrastructure at Dacorum Borough Council. “The tool can give a clearer understanding of infrastructure funding received and how it links to infrastructure planned and delivered, by presenting the data visually and spatially, using an interactive web experience. Providing this information in a spatial way gives Council officers a powerful asset which can be used for planning, decision making and monitoring.” Work is continuing on the tool to integrate regular, automated data feeds to make the application more streamlined and current. Once this work is completed the intention is to make the tool available online to allow the public to understand the process and engage in infrastructure funding and planning. Future plans might also include adding more layers of data, such as growth scenarios and strategic sites, to help with planning financial and non-financial developer contributions that will be needed to fund and deliver infrastructure required. “One of the most obvious findings of the pilot has been how GIS can create interactive experiences with this financial data – particularly the ability to change dull, static spreadsheets into more meaningful, visual data that can be used for multiple purposes,” continued Councillor Anderson. “The value of partnership working has also been demonstrated – Dacorum providing the data and planning process knowledge and Esri UK providing the technical expertise.” South Ayrshire Council South Ayrshire Council’s pilot project examined how a consultation platform using interactive engagement methods can help improve community and stakeholder engagement in Local Development Plans, in order to reach better planning outcomes. The collaboration between the council and Esri UK has created a platform designed to keep the public and other parties engaged and informed, to strengthen the local planning authority’s relationship with its communities and reach better planning outcomes. Built using Esri UK’s community engagement platform ArcGIS Hub, it keeps citizens informed via social media and asks their opinion on what they feel are the main planning issues within their community. The system plots these comments on an interactive map to highlight any issues and reveal policy engagement hotspots. From an
North East contractor Tolent has launched a new service to help support registered providers of social housing improve the energy efficiency of homes across the region. In line with the Governments Clean Growth Strategy, all social housing must attain the minimum rating of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C by 2035, or 2030 for ‘fuel poor’ households. Launching its new retrofit and decarbonisation service, Tolent is already underway with a number of retrofitting projects, which also support the longer term target of making all homes ‘net-zero-carbon’ by 2050. Adrian Veitch, retrofit and decarbonisation manager, said: “We’ve set up our business to act as a one-stop-shop for clients to engage us at any part of this process from acquiring funding, developing tailored designs to retrofit measures, to installation and aftercare. “From fitting external wall insulation, PV panels, air source heat pumps and loft insulation, we have experience of delivering refurbishment and energy retrofit projects to over 50,000 properties. We see how much the end result of these works positively impacts residents and wider communities and it’s something we want to continue to play a part in.” All registered providers of social housing across the UK are able to secure funding through a number routes, set to enhance the energy efficiency of socially rented homes across the country. The net-zero-carbon targets also extend to private sector rents to attain EPC C ratings on new tenancies by December 2025, and on all rented properties by December 2028. Paul Webster, CEO for Tolent, said: “This is a long term strategy for our business as we look to support the entire housing sector in this area of work. “The net-zero-carbon 2050 target is an ambitious and challenging aspiration, but with the current cost of living crisis and rising energy bills, we understand the true value of what this work can do to provide some relief to those suffering the most in our communities. “As a responsible contractor, we’re also taking necessary steps to look at our own impact on the environment and setting our own targets to reduce carbon emissions.” Tolent is now a TrustMark accredited contractor, as is required by Government to be able to carry out this work, and has secured a place on a number of national frameworks including The North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) and Prosper Retrofit and Decarbonisation Works frameworks. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
AN initiative which recently won £40m backing to help create more than 700 jobs across West Cumbria has made its second appointment to its own team. Hannah Pears, who is passionate about working with partner organisations to give young people the best possible life chances, has joined iSH (the Industrial Solutions Hub) as Education Liaison Officer. Hannah, from Whitehaven, has spent the last 11 years working to give young people opportunities in education and employment having worked with Northumbria University, University of Cumbria, Lakes College, The University of Law, and Hello Future, a partnership of universities, colleges and employers working to improve access for young people to higher education in Cumbria. “I am really excited to start with iSH,” said Hannah. “iSH is such an important programme for the people of West Cumbria. It’s great to be involved from the beginning. “Having worked with many young people through education and outreach, I am passionate that every young person should have the support they need to access opportunities. “I think in many ways life is getting harder for young people wherever they live. “Social media comes with its negatives. Youth clubs and youth experiences have been cut to almost non-existent over the last ten years. “Young people have also had to experience education turbulence and social disruption during the pandemic. “Then when you look at West Cumbria where young people can be so isolated because of the infrastructure, you realise that it can be even harder here. “That’s why I am so determined that young people here should be able to access opportunities and cultural experiences to benefit themselves and the communities around them for the future. “When I first talked to John Maddison (iSH Managing Director) and Steve Wilkinson (iSH Operations Director) we were talking about robotics and AI and it inspired me. “I think it’s brilliant that iSH will be helping give young people access to big city opportunities and bringing that to their doorstep and showcasing what the future can hold for them. “I also love that iSH is all about collaboration. It’s not about doing all of this ourselves. It’s about working with local partnerships and employers to fill in the gaps. “My role is to make sure that, through collaboration, young people who might otherwise not have had opportunities, will have clear pathways and the support they need to access training and employment that iSH will help create across the region. “That’s what I will be focusing on and working with other organisations and groups to help make that happen.” Brought up in Caldbeck, and having attended Caldew School, Dalston, near Carlisle, Hannah has lived in Cumbria and Newcastle. John Maddison, iSH Managing Director said: “We are delighted to welcome Hannah to the team. She has lots of expertise and experience of helping young people, who might otherwise get overlooked, access opportunities, which is such a vital part of our programme. “Hannah also brings that energy, enthusiasm and ability to collaborate with other organisations, businesses and individuals, which is the way we work at iSH, mapping the gaps and then working with others to enhance the region’s capability. “It is an approach which is enabling us to press ahead with initiatives which are bringing opportunities to businesses, organisations and people of all ages in the region.” Hannah is the second of ten initial appointments iSH is making as it builds its team to deliver a programme to create more than 700 jobs, enabling industry, businesses, academia, and community to come together and collaborate to enhance skills, increase capabilities, and regenerate communities across West Cumbria. Latest job opportunities with iSH include: Regional Representative, Operations Director, Investment Lead and Senior Project Manager. There will also be roles for a Project Controls Officer, Business Liaison Officer, Community Liaison Officer and a Project Management Apprentice. These latest positions come on the back of iSH opening its office in Cleator Moor town centre where it has appointed Lynn Huddart as its Office Manager. John Maddison said: “As we build our team we will further accelerate our work to bring a range of economic and social benefits to the community through projects which will create training and employment opportunities and have a positive impact on people, the economy, and the environment. “As with our first two appointments we are looking for people in these latest eight roles who share our passion and ethos for making this happen.” Last month £20m of Levelling Up Fund investment was awarded by government to Copeland Borough Council for the iSH Enterprise Campus, to fund phase two of redevelopment at Leconfield, Cleator Moor. iSH is also supported in its activity by funding from Cleator Moor Town Deal Board which, working with Copeland Borough Council, secured a provisional offer of £22.5 million from the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund initiative last year. As well as being supported by Copeland Borough Council, iSH is also backed by Sellafield Ltd, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership. For further information visit ishco.co.uk or email info@ishco.co.uk Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Neville Trust, one of the region’s longest-established family-owned group of businesses, has held its first Long Service Awards, post pandemic, and celebrated a record-breaking total of 475 years of exemplary service from 37 very special team members. Neville Trust, which includes Neville Funerals, Neville Special Projects, and Neville Joinery has a long tradition of employing locally and a reputation for a focus on staff welfare, training and career development for those that join. Those recognised with a Long Service Award this year represent a significant 20 per cent of the overall workforce. Vicky Trumper, Director of Neville Funerals: “We really could not be more proud of everyone who was awarded a Long Service Award this year, and we thank them for all the hard work and dedication they bring to their roles every day. We hope that these extraordinary numbers are reflective of the environment of personal and career development that we take so seriously across all our Neville businesses. “It’s important to celebrate these milestones and acknowledge what they make possible for both the business and its customers. In times when people are quick to change their jobs or careers, it’s heart-warming to see that our employees want to stay and grow with us. “In return, we fully appreciate the enormous skill, enthusiasm and dedication that all our employees bring to work daily. They are all remarkable every day.” The continued cost-of-living crisis is causing more employees to change their jobs in an attempt to increase their earnings. It was recently reported that 26 per cent (7.7 million) of the UK workforce is planning to change jobs and 68 per cent of these people are looking to do so within the next six months. Despite this, Neville Trust is bucking the trend by keeping its staff happy through continuous career development and opportunities, mental health support for those who need it, and a work culture that truly brings the best out of people. Steve Tott, at Neville Special Projects, who just received his 40-year-long service award, added: “I’m very proud to say that I have been working alongside Neville Trust for the past 40 years, having seen the company grow and prosper each year makes me feel like I’m having a real impact. “The long service awards were a fantastic way to show appreciation, with many members from Neville Funerals, Neville Special Projects and Neville Joinery coming together to highlight our work. “I truly believe that working for Neville’s is like working with your family, our ideas are listened to and our opinions matter, something that can’t be said about every workplace.” The Neville Trust is an independent family run group of companies that has been operating successfully across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and the surrounding areas for more than 140 years. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Firethorn Trust, a leading commercial real estate investor and developer, has broken ground at Barnsley340 – a 24-acre logistics development in South Yorkshire. The 340,300 sq ft logistics unit is being delivered by Glencar, a construction company specialising in industrial, logistics, distribution and manufacturing, and will be ready for occupation in Q3 2023. Sitting within the established Gateway 36 development, Barnsley340 will offer increased connectivity across the Yorkshire region, located just a two minute drive from Junction 36 of the M1. With a net-zero carbon construction, Barnsley340 will also boast BREEAM “Excellent” and EPC “A” ratings, with 15% rooflight coverage, 32 EV parking points and LED lighting featured throughout. A Photovoltaic ‘ready’ roof structure will also provide capabilities for 100% PV coverage. Paul Martin, Development Director at Firethorn Trust, said: “Barnsley has become a highly sought after area for growing logistics businesses, and we are proud to be delivering another modern, market-leading scheme that will support economic growth, whilst improving connectivity across the region. “Having formally marked the beginning of works on site with Glencar, we are now looking forward to unlocking the site’s full potential and swiftly bringing the project to completion.” Also commenting on the project appointment, Pete Goodman, Glencar Managing Director Midlands and North, added: “Barnsley340 is the third high profile project appointment Glencar has received from Firethorn Trust in the last 12 months and we are absolutely delighted to once again be working in partnership. “Observing at the breaking ground event, you can see the high quality nature in terms of how the site is being developed, with steels to rise out of the ground very soon. We very much look forward to working with the project team and delivering an outstanding result.” With a best-in-class specification, BREEAM excellent target rating and delivered as net-zero in construction the development will deliver a prime logistics site that is built for the future and the varying needs of a broad range of occupiers. Less than one mile from J36 of the M1, Barnsley340 fronts the Dearne Valley Parkway, providing direct motorway access to Leeds, Doncaster and Sheffield. For more information, contact the scheme’s agents, Gent Visick and Knight Frank, or visit www.barnsley340.co.uk. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
One of the UK’s leading interior fitout and joinery specialists, Northern Ireland-based Mivan, has announced a record order intake in excess of £100m following an increase in demand for its services, particularly in the 5* hotel and premium residential sectors in London. Turnover for 2023 is now set to be over £70m. The business is also on target with its strategic growth plan to increase turnover to £100m by 2025. 100 new jobs have just been announced to support Mivan’s continued expansion and the next phase of a multi-million-pound capital investment programme is also underway. John Cunningham, Chief Executive of Mivan, said, “This strong performance is down to our clear strategy and a really exceptional team across the business and at every level. This has resulted in a high level of repeat business from the UK’s leading developers and contractors. We have a healthy balance sheet, have diversified into a wide range of sectors, and have developed an international reputation for our specialist fitout services.” “It is great to see so many world-class developments being fitted out with bespoke joinery manufactured in Northern Ireland. As a result, we remain on target with our ambitious growth strategy and will continue to invest to the benefit of our customers and stakeholders.” The record order intake includes: Mivan has recently completed its latest contract on The World – the largest, private residential ship on the planet – to fitout its luxury apartments and public areas. Over the past 12 years, it has delivered around £20m of contracts on this vessel. Mivan’s commitment to investing in state-of-the-art technology for bespoke joinery manufacture at its 110,000sqft factory in Antrim continues. Its latest investment totals around £1m and includes the addition of new on line dryer for its automatic spraying equipment and a 6m five axis CNC machine, which will be installed by Spring 2023 to further improve capacity and efficiency. Mivan has also invested heavily in digital construction technology and 3D modelling to enhance client engagement and collaboration in the design process, streamline manufacturing, and facilitate site installation. Established in 1975, Mivan specialises in the creation of luxury interior spaces – from historically significant buildings to high specification residential, 5* hotels and cruise ships, as well as museums, stadia, and offices. It employs nearly 200 people and offers a range of services to developers, major contractors and in the marine sector – in-house design development, bespoke joinery manufacture, project management and installation. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Considerations for facility owners and operators… While it may seem counterintuitive that fire is even a risk in spaces designed to maintain cold temperatures, cold storage in fact presents a huge fire hazard for warehouse designers and builders, life safety installation companies and facility owners. In this article we cover the risks, considerations and best detection products when thinking about life safety for cold storage warehouses. In the last year, the UK’s cold storage industry capacity has topped 40 million cubic meters, for the football fans amongst you that is the equivalent to the bowl volume of 35 Wembley Stadiums. This is being driven by consumer demand and big business for perishable goods and pharmaceutics, making cold storage an essential cog in the UK economy. From a feasibility point of view however, cold storage is substantially more complicated and more expensive than dry storage because of the regulations around refrigerated freight. Plus, the very nature of the materials used in cold storage, means it presents a higher risk factor when it comes to fire. So as the demand for refrigerated products grows, so does the need for better fire safety. Why no two cold storage units are the same Cold storage areas vary in size, usage, and ambient temperature, meaning that any fire detection equipment or system must be specifically designed to each warehouse. You may be surprised at some of the products that may need cold storage. There are the obvious ones like perishable food (vegetables, fruits, meat and seafood, dairy products), but what about flowers and plants, biopharmaceutical products and did you know, even some artwork needs to be kept at low temperatures. Understanding the unique circumstances of the product is essential for cold storage fire safety. A bespoke fire risk assessment will determine the life safety system needed to maintain optimum fire security 24/7, protecting the goods, equipment and most importantly staff operating within the building, but this can be a complicated task to map out and assess for the responsible person. So, where to start? What are the fire risks in cold storage warehousing? Besides arson attacks and carelessness from people on site (think discarded cigarette butts), fire risks within cold storage mostly arise from electrical or mechanical faults in the conveyor systems which transport the goods around the building, wiring that is housed in the roof or faulty lighting systems. The fuels which power the evaporative condensers used to sustain the low temperatures in cold storage warehouses is highly flammable so must be stored safely, and the machines themselves can also be a major contributor to fire risk. These machines remove air moisture to extremely low levels of humidity to keep the warehouse cool, which can create an increased risk of static electricity and in the case of a fire could accelerate the spread of flames. Cold storage fires have the potential to be devasting, posing a threat to life, destroying business operations and be detrimental to the supply chain. Even small fires can cause huge damage to a refrigeration business – a rise in temperature due to cooling plant down-time following a fire, can lead to stock being damaged. The strict laws around downtime requirements make it even more important to choose the right method of fire protection. There are also considerations to be made around smoke damage, as any stock exposed to low levels of smoke over an extended period can quickly become contaminated and therefore not fit for human consumption. Of course, the issues are further compounded by the fact that modern technology now means that an increased number of warehouses are automated almost 24 hours a day, meaning very few or no personnel are on site. This makes visual identification of a fire incident unlikely, so the safety of the building is completely dependent on automatic fire detection systems – making it imperative that the system in place is up to date and well maintained. What can be done to prevent a cold storage warehouse fire? Dangerous scenarios are preventable when fire safety experts have been consulted, the correct life safety equipment is installed, the electrics and mechanical devices in use within the building are well serviced and the correct health and safety regulations are followed. Essential action when you consider preventable fires in the UK warehouse industry costs our economy upwards of £230 billion each year. A risk assessment, when carried out properly and thoroughly according to law (The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005), is the first place to start. It is also advisable to get an independent audit by a consultant or insurer as this will help ensure any fire strategy for your cold storage facility is robust. Many modern warehouses now include firewalls which are a cost-effective solution to manage the risk of fire. Smart warehouse managers should also consider the safe storage of waste and other flammable materials to stop the spread of fire if it were to break out. Keeping these materials in a designated safe storage area will reduce the risk of them causing a fire. The best way to save lives of course, is to ensure automatic fire detection is in place, across your entire cold storage facility. With special attention paid to vulnerable areas. Fire specialists can advise on multiple fire detection solutions that are ideal for warehouses, but it is important to ensure that the right one for your scenario is installed. Why air sampling fire detection is a good option for cold storage warehouses There are multiple fire detection systems that can be used to protect warehouse storage, but when it comes to cold storage, you need to plan and design appropriately. Beam detectors which are commonly used in large warehouses can frost over in a cold storage situation, there are options in the market now which include heated optical elements to negate this however they might not be a device to solely rely on. Point detectors would also frost over and wouldn’t necessarily provide the appropriate cover. Flame