McLaren Construction has been appointed to Pagabo’s National Framework for Medium Works, as part of a select collaboration of contractors working towards improving the future of the UK construction industry. Valued at a total of £1billion, the new iteration of the framework, which is the second instalment of the original
This week is National Apprenticeship Week (NAR) and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) is supporting the annual week-long celebration of that most enduring route into work, the apprenticeship. With the UK facing a skills shortage the popularity of apprenticeships is on the rise, particularly in sectors like construction, and that’s
Residents and workers in the North of Tyne are being urged to take part in a survey on the future of construction and opportunities related to housing retrofit in our region so that our workforce has the relevant skills to deliver housing decarbonisation to address the climate crisis. The Energy
Construction has now been completed at the landmark mixed-tenure development on Luton Street near Edgware Road, delivered by Westminster Builds and Linkcity. This pioneering project is the first step in Westminster City Council’s long-term regeneration of the established Church Street neighbourhood; it is revitalising the area with 171 modern new
ANDY Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, has been welcomed on site to view the progress of the highly anticipated Cookley Works scheme, which we are developing alongside Lovell Partnerships in collaboration with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). It’s one of many projects in the region helping to regenerate
Modular specialist Integra Buildings has been appointed onto a £10bn Government framework to drive investment in the offsite construction sector. Integra has been named as a supplier on the newly-launched Offsite Construction Solutions framework, which spans a variety of sectors including health, housing, education and defence. The framework, delivered by
2022 has been a year of major achievements for Deepki, the market-leading ESG data intelligence firm, in terms of commercial success, new hires and significant corporate announcements, beginning with its €150 million Series C round of funding in March. Deepki is the only company in the world offering a fully
A2E, one of the country’s leading product design companies, has taken additional space at its Livingston headquarters to cope with increasing demand for its services. The company which has 18 employees has taken an extra 600 sq ft of floor at the Alba Innovation Centre. The 50% increase in office
Glazpart is pleased to announce that Dean Bradley has joined the Board of Glazpart Group of Companies as Sales Director. Dean joined Glazpart in 2012 as Sales and Marketing Manager and has been instrumental in developing the business over the last decade, with continuous unprecedented sales growth. In addition to
General Air Products has partnered with Cortec® Corporation to develop a Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitor delivery system for corrosion mitigation of fire sprinkler systems. General Air Products calls this new Vapor Pipe Shield “A game-changing innovation in corrosion prevention technology for dry [and] pre-action fire sprinkler systems.” Cortec® is excited
McLaren Construction has been appointed to Pagabo’s National Framework for Medium Works, as part of a select collaboration of contractors working towards improving the future of the UK construction industry. Valued at a total of £1billion, the new iteration of the framework, which is the second instalment of the original framework launched by Pagabo in 2019, will run from January 2023 until January 2027 – bringing together 94 contractors across the country. The Medium Works Framework is a compliant and collaborative route to market for the public sector, which has seen over 160 projects procured through it to date. Aligned with all of the gold standard principles of procurement, the framework ensures suppliers work to the highest standard of industry practice for all built environment projects. As part of the partnership, McLaren Construction will deliver works ranging from £5million to £10million as part of Lot 4, in the regions of the Midlands, North East and Yorkshire, North West, East Anglia, London and the South East. Using the latest measurement software created by the UK’s leading social value business – Loop, for every project procured through the Pagabo framework, McLaren Construction will be able to demonstrate and report back on the social value generated through its activity. In order to be successful, McLaren needed to demonstrate the firm’s commitment to social value, providing evidence of value for money and delivering quality builds on time and to budget, alongside the digitalisation of its practices with the adoption of new technologies. Gary Cramp, managing director of McLaren Construction Midlands and North, said: “While nationally, we have delivered many public sector works, our appointment to such an industry-leading framework is a prestigious win for McLaren, and a testament to our expertise and commitment to delivering high-quality works that maximise social value within the communities in which we operate. “The next generation framework is at the forefront of the construction sector, in terms of collaborative procurement and as a provider of innovative industry technologies, we are looking forward to playing a pivotal role in supporting the significant regeneration of communities, not just in the Midlands, but across the rest of the UK too.” Public sector schemes recently completed by the McLaren Group include the West Midlands Ambulance Service site – home of the UK’s first electric ambulance fleet in Brierley Hill, Castle Quay Waterfront CQ2 development in Banbury – a mixed-use leisure, entertainment and retail development, delivered on behalf of Cherwill District Council, and Crown House – an affordable housing scheme in Barking, delivered through the Be First London Development Framework. Other public sector projects which are currently in the construction phase include Industria – a multi-storey industrial development in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, also being delivered through the Be First framework, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich – where McLaren will be delivering vital mechanical and engineering upgrades on behalf of the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. Matt Cova, managing director at McLaren Construction South, said: “This is a great achievement and will allow the business to focus on a reliable pipeline, with certainty of workload in the region that complement the existing frameworks that we work on, key target sectors and the relationships that we have.” Tom Retallick, framework manager at Pagabo, said: “We’re delighted to welcome McLaren Construction and a further 93 suppliers to the newest iteration of our Medium Works Framework. It will provide a compliant and collaborative route to market for public sector clients on all of their medium-sized construction projects and we’re glad that McLaren Construction could be a part of this.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
This week is National Apprenticeship Week (NAR) and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) is supporting the annual week-long celebration of that most enduring route into work, the apprenticeship. With the UK facing a skills shortage the popularity of apprenticeships is on the rise, particularly in sectors like construction, and that’s hardly surprising given the advantages a modern apprenticeship offers for both jobseekers and employers. Though many apprenticeships are taken up by young people places are available to anyone over the age of 16 and there’s no upper age limit. Christian Atkinson is 36 and he’s been an apprentice with WCHG for more than a year, having left his job as a support worker to pursue a career in joinery. In October last year Christian was nominated for the Apprentice of the Year award at the Construction Apprenticeship Awards 2022. Christian said: “I was incredibly proud when I found out I’d been nominated. I’m following in the footsteps of my grandad, who was a joiner for Manchester Council, and I hope taking up an apprenticeship at 36 will show others it’s never too late to follow your dream. “I think to succeed in an apprenticeship you have to have confidence in your abilities, and know what it you want to achieve from your time as an apprentice. For me no two days are the same in my job, and I love learning new skills each day and having a laugh with my colleagues at the same time. I’ve even told my son, if he wants a skill for life, get an apprenticeship.” Paul Butterworth, Executive Director of Assets at WCHG, said: “In terms of building a career and furthering your education an apprenticeship very much offers the best of both worlds. “An apprenticeship is a real job where you’re a paid employee with a contract of employment, just like any other employee. But as an apprentice you also attend college part-time and work towards nationally recognised trade qualifications, and your employer will support you throughout the whole process. “So, as an apprentice, you’re both earning and learning and gaining valuable, hands-on experience right from day one. “As an employer we also benefit by recruiting apprentices. Not only are we able to recruit bright, dedicated people into our business, it also helps us develop a talented workforce that’s equipped with skills for life. At WCHG we have a business head and a social heat, and it’s fantastic to see apprentices coming into our company and succeeding, not just in their chosen carer, but in life too.” Apprenticeships at WCHG In the last 10 years more than 100 people joined WCHG through our apprentice/trainee programs. In 2021/2022 there were 14 apprentices working at WCHG, all fully supported by our employment team. This included: WCHG now recruits apprentices from six different trades (up from three last year) and so far in this financial year we’ve already enrolled a further nine new apprentices, with more to follow. Recruitment for WCHG apprenticeship positions usually takes place during the summer months and places are advertised on the WCHG website, as well as through local schools and colleges. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Residents and workers in the North of Tyne are being urged to take part in a survey on the future of construction and opportunities related to housing retrofit in our region so that our workforce has the relevant skills to deliver housing decarbonisation to address the climate crisis. The Energy Democracy Project in conjunction with the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) want to hear the views from people across the region about the future of the construction sector in the North of Tyne. While newly constructed buildings are more energy-efficient, it is estimated that 80% of the homes we will live in by 2050 have already been built, so a major priority is decarbonising our current building stock. Retrofitting homes has the potential to create multiple benefits – linking action on climate change with improving current homes and addressing health inequalities as well as creating jobs and supporting local economic regeneration. The Future of Construction in the North of Tyne Region survey can help inform the NTCA’s work on the potential of the construction sector in our region to generate new, good-quality ‘green’ jobs and the opportunities related to retrofit for our transition to net zero. Leading the project is Dr Helen Coulson, Just Transition Project Coordinator at the Energy Democracy Project. She said: “We know from our Just Transition stakeholder interviews that retrofit has the potential to create new local ‘green’ jobs across our region – but we need to ensure that our workforce has the relevant skills to deliver housing decarbonisation. At the moment, there is a shortage of retrofitters, in both professional and trade roles. “We need homes that keep us warm and help lower emissions. One of the biggest challenges that we face over the next decade is making sure that our homes are fit for the future – and this will entail upgrades to the majority of homes to reach required energy efficiency standards. That is why it is more important than ever to open a space up for citizens to tell us what obstacles they experience when considering retrofitting their home, find out if they are interested in learning new skills or upskilling to work in building retrofit, and what they would like to see the NTCA do to support the retrofitting agenda and help achieve a zero-carbon built environment. “Getting a comprehensive view of people in the North of Tyne about the opportunities and challenges related to housing retrofit will help to ensure our work will be evidence-based and decision makers locally are aware of what support and actions are needed to address climate change and improve the quality of life of residents.” The survey is open to everyone who lives in the region, not just those working in the construction industry, so we encourage anyone with an interest in making properties more energy efficient to fill out the survey, have their say, and ensure their voice is heard. The survey can be found at https://bit.ly/3Y5p6iZ The information we collect from the surveys will directly inform the North of Tyne Just Transition project and report (to be published later this year). For more information about the project, please contact the team at helen.coulson@northoftyne-ca.gov.uk and ben@energydemocracyproject.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Construction has now been completed at the landmark mixed-tenure development on Luton Street near Edgware Road, delivered by Westminster Builds and Linkcity. This pioneering project is the first step in Westminster City Council’s long-term regeneration of the established Church Street neighbourhood; it is revitalising the area with 171 modern new homes, state-of-the-art community facilities, over £5m of community contributions and transformative public realm enhancements. The Luton Street regeneration has been delivered by joint venture partners Westminster Builds – Westminster City Council’s wholly owned development arm – and Linkcity, a division of Bouygues UK and a trusted partner that has delivered many projects with the Council. The partners have jointly funded the project and are jointly responsible for delivery, finances, marketing and sales; Linkcity is leading the construction with Bouygues UK as the main contractor. Providing huge economic benefit, income generated by the sale of homes will unlock funding to deliver new and refurbished homes, amenities and public space across Westminster’s ten development sites in and around Church Street. Of the 171 modern new homes at Luton Street, 109 are for sale and 62 designated affordable, including 12 townhouses; with three additional affordable townhouses that were completed further up Fisherton Street, by the delivery partners earlier in 2022. These popular homes are now occupied by local families. Local people have been prioritised as part of the sales strategy, giving those living in the city first call on purchasing a home here. With recent changes to the Council’s Administration, the project team have reviewed the number of affordable social rent homes that are part of this scheme and are now making further changes to maximise the number of social rent by a further 15 homes, which includes 3 x 3 bedrooms and 12 x 2 bedrooms, with the remainder 4 x 1-bedroom homes offered as intermediate rent. The scheme has community at its heart; the partners have also delivered a 490m2, triple-height, three-court new sports hall and community space for the wider neighbourhood to benefit from. The new centre, run by Everyone Active in partnership with Westminster City Council, will feature a three-court sports hall suitable for football 5 a-side, basketball, futsal, netball, volleyball, badminton, and table tennis. The new Church Street Community Sports Centre will offer affordable access for community groups and residents, and there is a community studio which can be used for group exercise classes ranging from yoga to events, community meetings, children’s parties and soft play. A £3m contribution is being used to improve local infrastructure and public realm, while a further £2.4m contribution is being used to improve surrounding residential buildings. Development also includes the first section of a new green spine, a landscaped pedestrian route that will better link Church Street with Marylebone and re-establish connectivity within the neighbourhood. Designed with pedestrian and cycle paths, gardens and play areas, this is a space predominantly for people away from cars. It will encourage healthy living through opportunities for walking, cycling, play and exercise, while biodiverse green spaces will be wonderful places to relax and will attract birds and wildlife. Many local people have been employed to the project as part of the partners’ commitment to social impact. By March 2022, the partners had exceeded their percentage contractual targets for local employment by 140% for work experience placements, 267% for local support activities, 103% for new apprentices and local jobs and an impressive 576% for volunteering hours. Cllr Matt Noble, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Regeneration and Renters at Westminster City Council, said: “Building genuinely affordable and social homes for local people is at the top of the list of priorities for the council and so I’m delighted to be able to offer more social homes than originally planned as part of this development. The Luton Street development, and the wider Church Street regeneration programme, is delivering changes that will revitalise the area and provide numerous benefits to local people and communities.” Phillipa Prongué, Managing Director, Linkcity, comments: “This partnership between council and private developer has resulted in a ‘best of both’ project; Linkcity’s placemaking, construction and development credentials are creating a development that can compete internationally in a crowded marketplace while Westminster’s involvement as a partner means that the delivery of the scheme is always underpinned by a community-first approach. “This is a scheme that is not only bringing new homes, community facilities and green space within its own red line but also unlocking the transformational regeneration of an entire neighbourhood as a result. This would not have been possible without the equal contribution of either partner.” Rob Bradley, CEO, Bouygues UK, said “We’re proud to have delivered this exemplar project to the residents of Westminster. The quality of this landmark mixed-tenure development is testament to the strength of the Bouygues UK, Linkcity and Westminster Builds partnership. As one of the first contractors to work with the council’s newly launched development arm, Westminster Builds, the relationship has been a huge success and we look forward to seeing where it will take us in the future. Congratulations to all those who played a part in this incredible scheme.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
ANDY Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, has been welcomed on site to view the progress of the highly anticipated Cookley Works scheme, which we are developing alongside Lovell Partnerships in collaboration with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). It’s one of many projects in the region helping to regenerate acres of derelict industrial land for affordable new homes, supporting the region to meet its housing needs. When complete, Cookley Works will become a thriving community offering a mix of affordable rent and low-cost home ownership. Platform will look after 71 of the homes, providing affordable rent and shared ownership opportunities. Marion Duffy, chief operations officer at Platform Housing Group, said: “We are really pleased to deliver much needed affordable housing for the community. It’s especially pleasing that this site uses remediated land as a solution, protecting vital green space in the area. I’d like to thank our partners, notably Lovell and the WMCA for their work towards bringing this project to fruition.” The Mayor said: “Cookley Works is another great example of the commitment of the WMCA, alongside partners Dudley Council, Lovell and Platform Housing Group to continue delivering good quality, affordable homes for our communities. “Despite the challenges of the last couple of years, we’ve continued to make significant investments into the regeneration of brownfield land, unlocking previously difficult to develop sites for new homes, helping to protect our precious green belt in the process. “This is also helping to drive our economic recovery by creating vital new jobs and apprenticeships and I look forward to seeing local people move into these new homes and create a thriving, attractive new community.” Stuart Penn, regional managing director for Lovell Partnerships, said: “Having begun work to prepare the site for building, it was a great opportunity to welcome Andy Street and show him around this area where this fantastic project will come to fruition. Partnerships such as the one between Lovell and WMCA are vital to help meeting the housing demand for communities and aligns with our mission to create a lasting legacy.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Modular specialist Integra Buildings has been appointed onto a £10bn Government framework to drive investment in the offsite construction sector. Integra has been named as a supplier on the newly-launched Offsite Construction Solutions framework, which spans a variety of sectors including health, housing, education and defence. The framework, delivered by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), will replace the existing £500m Modular Buildings Solutions framework in April. A total of 29 suppliers have been named on the new framework, which runs for four years, with the possibility of a three-year extension. It means Integra will be able to tender for major contracts with public sector clients across the UK. Gary Parker, Managing Director at Integra Buildings, said: “To be named on the new Offsite Construction Solutions framework is a huge vote of confidence in Integra and our proven capability to deliver major public sector projects to the very highest standards. “Since being appointed onto the old framework four years ago, we’ve delivered some of the biggest projects in our 25-year history. Integra continues to grow and evolve, with clients right across the UK. “The offsite and modular construction sector continues to expand at pace and being named on this framework ensures we’ll remain right at the forefront of that exciting journey.” The new Offsite Construction Solutions framework has an estimated total value of £10bn over at least the next four years. It is split up into six lots, each representing a different sector. Integra has been named in three lots – Built Estate Including Education, Justice and Defence – enabling the company to tender for major projects in these fields nationwide. Since joining the Modular Buildings Solutions framework in 2019, Integra has delivered a series of key projects for clients including Network Rail, the Environment Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions. Contracts completed under the previous framework include the construction of temporary housing for Reading Borough Council, a new job centre in Birmingham and modular units which were shipped to Cyprus for use by the Ministry of Defence. Integra designs and constructs buildings off-site in controlled conditions at its purpose-built factories in Paull, East Yorkshire, before delivering and installing them in situ, a process that reduces project timescales and minimises disruption to customers, with no compromise on quality. Integra is joined on the new framework by major suppliers including Portakabin, Wernick and Reds10. The Offsite Construction Solutions framework is delivered by the CCS, which supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring technology solutions. In 2021/22, the CCS helped the public sector achieve commercial benefits equal to £2.8 billion – supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers. John Welch, Deputy Director for Construction at the CCS, said: “This new framework will support the public sector in the design, delivery and commissioning of a whole range of offsite construction projects in the coming years, including social housing, new schools and hospital extensions. “These projects, and the many more which will come, have the potential to improve services and the lives of millions of people.” Integra has built a strong reputation over more than 25 years for its innovative, bespoke approach to modular construction, meaning it can match the design of a building to each client’s specific needs. Integra enjoyed a busy 2022 which saw it complete significant contracts including the delivery of new offices for Triumph Motorcycles at its site in Coventry, providing school buildings across the country, from Merseyside to Surrey, and forge an exciting new partnership with More Housing to supply modular accommodation units to combat homelessness across the UK. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
2022 has been a year of major achievements for Deepki, the market-leading ESG data intelligence firm, in terms of commercial success, new hires and significant corporate announcements, beginning with its €150 million Series C round of funding in March. Deepki is the only company in the world offering a fully populated ESG data intelligence platform to help commercial real estate investors, owners and managers improve the ESG performance of their real estate assets. Over the past 12 months, Deepki has seen revenues grow by over 90% and has won a succession of high-profile clients, including Stellantis, Real I.S., Merlin Properties Sagitta SGR, Fidal and Maisons de Famille. “Our collaboration with Deepki enables us to improve and automate data collection for a fast-growing number of assets in Europe, allowing us to measure energy consumption and environmental impact, and to take action based on robust data analytics. Access to an extensive, reliable and comparable data set proved key in defining our sustainability strategy”, says Olivier Terrenoire, Head of Asset & Property Management and Sustainable Investing at Generali Real Estate. “Deepki Ready represents an essential building block in Real I.S.’s digitization strategy. It provides a transparent overview of portfolio consumption, thereby enabling the comparison of consumption data from individual tenants.” says Stephan Mühlbauer, Managing Director at Real I.S. “Thanks to the Deepki Ready platform, we are able to understand our portfolio’s environmental performance, compare it with the market average and identify areas for improvement, as well as exposure to physical climate risk. Deepki’s team supports us in monitoring our assets on an ongoing basis, and taking measures to improve our ESG performance.” says Claudio Nardone, CEO at Sagitta SGR. With offices in key markets such as France, the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, Deepki continues to strengthen its leadership position in Europe. Its €150 million round of funding, announced in March, represented the largest of its kind in ClimaTech SaaS for the real estate sector, with the objective of accelerating internal and external growth, international expansion and innovation. In June, Deepki acquired its main UK-based competitor, Fabriq, adding more customers to its rapidly growing customer base, as well as a platform with complementary features to Deepki’s “Deepki Ready”. The business has also been on a major recruitment drive at all levels to support its growing client base in all regions. Since January 2022, it has made 250 hires, including strategic appointments to its Executive Committee, with the appointment of Fréderic Chabrol (CFO) and Phill Oliver (Chief Commercial Officer), as well as its Leadership Committee, with Elise Jacques joining as VP Transformation and M&A, Anastasia Petrova as Global Head of Partnerships and Christophe Temple taking on the role of VP Experience & Design. A further 300 hires are planned for 2023. The company adheres to a strict policy of equality and diversity, with 51% of senior positions being held by women, a score of 99/100 in the Professional Equality Index and the recent implementation of a diversity charter. Deepki also renewed its EcoVadis assessment, increasing its previous score from 56 to 63. Innovation and product development In November, Deepki launched its “ESG Index” in partnership with the IEIF, in an effort to help real estate players understand the performance of their assets in relation to that of the market and meet the challenges of the EU Taxonomy. This represents the first European benchmark measuring real estate’s ESG performance. Freely accessible online, it provides values for the average, top 15% and top 30% of building stock in terms of performance in primary energy consumption for each asset class, by country. Deepki continues to innovate, develop and enhance its scalable SaaS platform with the addition of new capabilities such as heatmaps assessing individual assets’ resilience in the face of physical climate risk, advanced scenarios within its Carbon Pathways feature, and new benchmarks for measuring and comparing CO₂ emissions and energy consumption. The platform is supported by a growing team of carbon and ESG experts who partner with clients across data collection and analysis, through to ESG strategy definition and implementation. Outlook for 2023 Looking ahead to 2023, Deepki is predicting revenues to continue doubling as commercial real estate owners invest in improving ESG performance and energy efficiency, to ensure their assets meet their net zero targets by 2030 through the implementation of carbon pathways, while tackling soaring costs as a result of the energy crisis. It has also begun entering new markets such as North America, where it sees a huge opportunity for its capabilities, with US commercial real estate lagging behind Europe when it comes to ESG performance. Deepki will also continue to expand its footprint in Europe, setting its sights on the Netherlands and the Nordics, as well as pursuing its M&A strategy with further acquisitions to be announced over the course of 2023. Commenting on Deepki’s 2022 achievements, Vincent Bryant, CEO and co-founder of Deepki, said “Last year saw a number of exciting developments for Deepki, including securing significant new investment and the launch of our ESG Index. In 2023, we will continue to focus on growing our client base, which now includes market-leading financial institutions and expanding our global footprint, as we help businesses around the world tackle the climate change challenge.” Deepki is the only company in the world offering a fully populated ESG data intelligence platform to help commercial real estate investors, owners and managers to get a comprehensive overview of their portfolio’s ESG performance, while maximizing the value of their assets. Users can establish investment plans to reach net zero, assess results and report to key stakeholders. The platform is supported by carbon and ESG experts who partner with clients across data collection and analysis, through to ESG strategy definition and implementation. Now with over 350 employees, five offices across Europe and operating in over 41 countries, Deepki has become the global leader in ESG and data intelligence solutions for environmental transition in the commercial real estate sector. For further information about Deepki’s end-to-end ESG solutions, visit: www.deepki.com Building,
A2E, one of the country’s leading product design companies, has taken additional space at its Livingston headquarters to cope with increasing demand for its services. The company which has 18 employees has taken an extra 600 sq ft of floor at the Alba Innovation Centre. The 50% increase in office space has come about as a result of a strong pipeline of new business and recruitment of more personnel. Managing director, David Ross said: “A number of major new projects have come in over the past few months and we have had to ramp up recruitment including the appointment of several new engineers. We have acquired additional office space at Alba to ensure we have ample room to grow as we recruit more engineers and project managers.” A2E celebrates 20 years in business this year. To date the company has worked on 400 projects for 120 customers. The company works across a number of industry sectors but has specialist expertise in the oil and gas sector; in particular developing devices which are intrinsically safe. In 2019 the company became part of Kansas-based Pivot International offering access to an additional 105 development engineers worldwide as well as Pivot’s global manufacturing capabilities. This means the company can provide a complete end-to-end product development solution from concept and prototyping to full commercialisation and manufacture. Glasgow-based product design company Wideblue is also part of the Pivot group. Together with A2E they represent Scotland’s largest independent product design group. For further information A2E www.a2etech.com Wideblue www.wide-blue.com Pivot International www.pivotint.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Glazpart is pleased to announce that Dean Bradley has joined the Board of Glazpart Group of Companies as Sales Director. Dean joined Glazpart in 2012 as Sales and Marketing Manager and has been instrumental in developing the business over the last decade, with continuous unprecedented sales growth. In addition to growing sales, Dean has worked closely with Glazpart’s Technical and Design Team implementing a strong product development strategy that has introduced many new products to the glass, glazing, construction, industrial and automotive sectors. On his appointment, Dean commented, “Being part of Glazpart’s successful journey for over ten years has been a joy. With continuous investment in innovation and state of the art machinery to meet the increasing demand for our products, it’s an exciting time for Glazpart. I look forward to being part of a strong and talented Board, to help steer the company to even greater success in the future.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
General Air Products has partnered with Cortec® Corporation to develop a Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitor delivery system for corrosion mitigation of fire sprinkler systems. General Air Products calls this new Vapor Pipe Shield “A game-changing innovation in corrosion prevention technology for dry [and] pre-action fire sprinkler systems.” Cortec® is excited about the opportunity it opens for facility engineers and consulting engineers to apply the benefits of VpCI® Technology to critical fire suppression systems. A More Dependable Alternative to Nitrogen Purge The Vapor Pipe Shield is a convenient, more dependable alternative to nitrogen blanketing or dried air for protection of fire sprinklers against corrosion. It relies on Cortec® VpCI® Technology—Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors that create a protective molecular shield on the inside of the sprinkler piping system. No special equipment is required; the cartridge is compatible with standard sprinkler setups and is easy to install between the air compressor and the piping. Compressed air initially helps the Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors diffuse throughout all branches of the piping system to form an active layer of protection on metal surfaces. Since these Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors continue to protect as long as the system remains closed, corrosion mitigation does not depend on a constant source of electricity. That means a failed air compressor, nitrogen generator, or power source does not equal failed protection or require complete reapplication. Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors also protect in the presence of residual moisture and oxygen. Patenting, Testing, and Certification By drawing on its expertise in compressed air and nitrogen purge systems for fire sprinklers, General Air Products was able to bring to life the technology envisioned in one of Cortec’s latest patents. Vapor Pipe Shield technology follows one of the patent’s two recommendations for distributing Cortec® Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors throughout the system. General Air Products reported that preliminary testing of the Cortec® inhibitor treated sample showed better protection than samples treated with (1) nitrogen and (2) compressed ambient air. General Air Products also evaluated the speed of VpCI® vapor migration throughout a dry sprinkler piping system test rig and determined that full distribution and protection could be achieved within one week of installation. Further validation testing continues. Most recently, the product received UL certification for use in dry fire sprinkler systems, overcoming the last major hurdle to bring Cortec’s patented technology to market. A New Era for Fire Suppression Cortec’s collaboration with General Air Products culminates years of visionary R&D to bring time-tested technology to a market that stands to benefit in terms of cost, convenience, and effective protection. It is yet another step forward in what may become the next best trend in fire sprinkler protection. Contact Cortec® to learn more about this corrosion mitigation system, or to discuss other possible Cortec® Technology collaborations: https://www.cortecvci.com/contact-us/