The Ministry of Housing’s 2016-17 English Housing Survey, released in 2018, has revealed that millions of private renters live in homes that do not meet the Government’s minimum standards for human habitation. Almost a third (27%) of them fall below the Decent Homes Standards, a set of criteria that aims
The Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), an explorative preview program, has been launched by SimScale, the provider of the world’s first cloud-based engineering simulation solution. The program is a solver developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the United States Department of Commerce, in cooperation with VTT
Story Homes, the award-winning housebuilder, has revealed its ‘Home of the Year’, which is a house type that reflects current buying trends and insights. The chosen house type is the four-bedroom detached ‘Taunton’, which features across Story Homes’ developments in Cumbria, the North East and the North West. The reasons
A Scottish Government consultation paper on Landlord Registration has received a response from SELECT, the campaigning body for the electrotechnical trade in Scotland. The association has called for more stringent controls over the vital electrical inspection and testing performed by private landlords prior to registration. “Private landlord registration has been
A £15 million mixed use local centre has been designed and delivered by the leading architectural practice Stephen George + Partners LLP (SGP). The centre will be located in the heart if the 3,300 homes residential extension of Didcot Great Western Park in Oxfordshire. The client, Henry Davidson Developments, was
The £2.6 million contract with Redrow Homes for the design and build of the energy solution for the Padcroft development in West Drayton has been awarded to Vital Energy. Following the submission of a variant design proposal, Vital Energi joined the energy infrastructure design team and were able to add
SIDERISE Nexus Fusion has been designed for use with glass spandrel panels in curtain walling and bespoke glazing systems, providing specifiers with a high strength, robust insulation core that offers an unequalled combination of fire, thermal and acoustic performance. It is a robust European Fire Class A1 lamella board that
Rex Nye, who works at the independent builders’ merchant D.W.Nye, has decided to offer a few tips for creating beautiful borders and eye-catching edging in your garden. A complete garden makeover is essential for the summer months and borders and edging are great ways to add definition and style to
Site tours at the Akaal Primary School in Derby, led by local contractor G F Tomlinson, allowed its pupils to have an exclusive look at their brand new school building. In total, 98 children were welcomed on the site over two days as construction work progresses and were given a
Luxury Welsh housebuilder Waterstone Homes has been inspired by the picturesque coastline of Pembrokeshire to create Wales its very own Sandbanks, the renowned millionaires’ playground in Dorset. The Sandbanks peninsula has some of the most exclusive and expensive postcodes in the UK, taking the prize for Britain’s priciest seaside town.
The Ministry of Housing’s 2016-17 English Housing Survey, released in 2018, has revealed that millions of private renters live in homes that do not meet the Government’s minimum standards for human habitation. Almost a third (27%) of them fall below the Decent Homes Standards, a set of criteria that aims to regulate the condition of all council and housing association homes. Moreover, another report released in April 2018 by Hometrack UK found that house price inflation is running at the moment at 4.9% year on year, meaning that many Britons have little choice but to live in rental accommodation often found to be under the standard. “Landlords have a responsibility to their tenants to ensure that the rental property is safe, secure and well maintained. Unfortunately, many landlords are taking advantage of the current property market and providing the bare minimum at vastly inflated prices. The shortage of available housing is causing tenants to ‘put up and shut up’ as many live in fear of being unfairly evicted if they demand improvements to the property,” said Richard Taube, director of design and construction at South Coast Estates. The increased demand for rental properties and the shortage of new private rented accommodation suggests that there will continue to be a ‘sustained demand for good quality rented accommodation’ and increased opportunities for investors who can offer professionally managed modern homes to prospective renters, according to Alan Collett, fund manager at Hearthstone Investments. The landlords who want to improve their tenants’ living conditions often take the following measures: upgrade fire ratings, regularly maintain alarms and security systems, tackle pest control and renovate communal areas. Increasingly, landlords are looking at launching projects that can help to pay for such improvements. One such strategy is the use of air space development – in which additional storeys are built on to existing properties. Such projects often have the benefit of guaranteeing improvement work on all communal areas, along with the exterior of the building and the grounds. Making these changes will not only improve living conditions for tenants, it will also help to preserve the condition of the property itself.
The Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), an explorative preview program, has been launched by SimScale, the provider of the world’s first cloud-based engineering simulation solution. The program is a solver developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the United States Department of Commerce, in cooperation with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. The aim of FDS is to solve practical fire problems in fire protection engineering, while at the same time providing a tool to study fundamental fire dynamics and combustion. FDS has been created as a response to many customers requesting a program that combines the maturity and reliability of FDS for modelling fire and smoke with the convenience and scalability of SimScale’s cloud-based simulation infrastructure. Most of these customers include AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) companies that work on projects that require performance-based design, fire reconstruction, test planning, compliance with fire-related codes and standards, dispersion, calculation of smoke venting systems or indoor air quality. “SimScale’s CFD capabilities that are in production today, along with its seamless deployment, collaboration functionality, and scalability, have made it the tool of choice for many AEC companies. SimScale already helps these companies—including ARUP, WSP, Aqseptence Group among others—tackle engineering projects in the space of thermal comfort, industrial ventilation, building wind loads and pedestrian comfort. The request from these customers to extend SimScale’s feature set to also cover fire and smoke scenarios seems like a natural next step for our development,” said David Heiny, CEO and co-founder of SimScale. The FDS preview program will explore and validate an offering of a simple workflow-driven interface for quick and robust modeling and visualization of complex fire scenarios in buildings, particularly parking garages and tunnels. Interested engineers and companies can apply for the program giving them a chance to shape the future workflow and user interface of the FDS integration, while in the meantime having their fire management-related simulation projects solved by SimScale’s engineers.
Story Homes, the award-winning housebuilder, has revealed its ‘Home of the Year’, which is a house type that reflects current buying trends and insights. The chosen house type is the four-bedroom detached ‘Taunton’, which features across Story Homes’ developments in Cumbria, the North East and the North West. The reasons behind the property’s popularity with buyers include its external appearance and open, spacious layout. The ‘Taunton’ features four bedrooms, lounge with bay window, hallway with skylight, and open plan kitchen/dining area spanning the width of the house. Bi-fold doors lead to a paved patio and fully turfed rear garden. “All of the homes we design and build are carefully thought out and regularly reviewed to ensure that they are fit for purpose and meet the needs of today’s buyers, yet are still attractive and stylish in their look and feel,” said Andrew Hewson, Head of Group Design at Story Homes. The ‘Taunton’ measures nearly 1,600 sq ft, providing spacious accommodation that has been designed to offer flexibility for all families. By designing a property with four bedrooms, open plan kitchen/dining area rather than a formal dining room, and a traditional exterior appearance combined with contemporary interiors, Story Homes’ team of designers have ensured that this house type meets the requirements of a wide variety of buyers. Recent research from ZPG has shown that ease of maintenance is a key consideration among time-poor buyers, who cited this as the top advantage of new homes, while choosing your own colours and finishes was voted as the third main advantage. Aspects such as the turfed gardens and integrated kitchens in the ‘Taunton’ allow residents to move in without having to carry out any work, and options such as choosing the colour and finish of kitchen cupboards and worktops mean that the interior can be personalised upfront. “The ‘Taunton’ is a great example of how our experts have worked together to create a home that ticks all the boxes. It is consistently a best-seller across our developments and we have a number of ‘Taunton’ show homes, as we know that it is a house type that many people want to look around,” said Andrew. “We are delighted to announce our Home of the Year 2018 and we look forward to sharing ideas and images to show how the space can be used, interior inspiration and real examples of how our customers have made their ‘Taunton’ their own,” he concluded.
A Scottish Government consultation paper on Landlord Registration has received a response from SELECT, the campaigning body for the electrotechnical trade in Scotland. The association has called for more stringent controls over the vital electrical inspection and testing performed by private landlords prior to registration. “Private landlord registration has been mandatory since 2004 and a robust application process is critical to keep the people of Scotland safe in privately rented accommodation,” said Darrell Matthews, Managing Director of SELECT. “Our members operate to the highest standards of electrical installation and testing and firmly believe that the government should hold private landlords to the same exacting standards.” The consultation proposes to expand the “prescribed information” that landlords have to provide when letting a property. The proposal, as worded in the consultation, is that landlords provide information that “a property meets the specific requirements relating to gas, electrical, and carbon monoxide safety.” SELECT’s response is that landlords should be required to submit written evidence that they have has electrical inspection and testing undertaken and that fire, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are fitted and operational. “The current Prescribed Information makes no requirement on the landlord to declare the safety of the property being rented, so any change to this is a welcome improvement,” said Darrell Matthews. “We believe that this is an excellent opportunity for the Scottish Government to put the safety of renters foremost, and ensure that properties being rented by private landlords have electrical installations of the highest standard.” SELECT, Scotland’s largest trade association, has over 1250 member companies who collective turnover is around £1 billion and provide employment for 15,000 people. Its member companies also account for over 90% of all electrical installation work carried out in Scotland.
A £15 million mixed use local centre has been designed and delivered by the leading architectural practice Stephen George + Partners LLP (SGP). The centre will be located in the heart if the 3,300 homes residential extension of Didcot Great Western Park in Oxfordshire. The client, Henry Davidson Developments, was keen to balance commercial aspirations and community aspirations. SGP’s local centre consists of an 11,000 sq ft Asda anchor and 9,400 sq ft of ancillary retail, with 20 apartments and engaging public realm, providing high quality facilities and a focus on the local community. “The design centred around providing a first class local centre with first class facilities. We’ve taken on board the views of the local community to create an attractive, inclusive scheme, integrated into its surroundings, which people will want to visit and enjoy. With a strong sense of identity, the development will feed and sustain a growing local economy now and in the future,” said Stuart Hancox, Director at SGP. Taking inspiration from the surrounding area, the design incorporated material elements from vernacular and landmark buildings, while retaining a modern feel to reflect the youthful population and the scientific technologies prevalent in local workplaces. The balconied apartments are spacious and offer high levels of natural light via the generous glazing. Traditional red brick signifies the residential entrance, whilst the crisp white render gives a modern feel. Lightly coloured glass balconies enrich the facade and form a vibrant focus and backdrop to the newly created public square. In order to provide maximum flexibility for the developer, the design concept accommodated a variety of construction methodologies, including the eventual use of a timber frame for the apartment buildings. The apartment and retail elements form part of a wider SGP Master Plan delivered by Henry Davidson Developments, including a care home, public house, and nursery.
The £2.6 million contract with Redrow Homes for the design and build of the energy solution for the Padcroft development in West Drayton has been awarded to Vital Energy. Following the submission of a variant design proposal, Vital Energi joined the energy infrastructure design team and were able to add value from an early stage in the project development. Vital Energi will build the energy centre that will consist of two 750 kW gas boilers, a 90 kW CHP engine, a 5000L thermal store and boosted cold water services, as well as over 150m of district heating pipework, risers and laterals in the apartment blocks, and 330 hydraulic interface units. “We’re delighted to be working with Redrow Homes again following the successful delivery of the energy solution at Chiswick High Road. Being involved in the early stages of the project with the infrastructure design team has helped to identify cost savings which will now be incorporated into the construction phase,” said Rob Callaghan, Vital Energi’s Regional Director for London. A new residential development in West Drayton, Padcroft will be a mixture of one, two and three bedroom luxury apartments. By 2019, residents will benefit from the completion of the West Drayton Crossrail station, enabling them to reach the centre of London within 30 minutes. Work is expected to be completed by November 2018. Vital Energi provides sustainable and renewable energy solutions in the public and private sectors and is responsible for many of the UK’s most prestigious energy projects. Vital Energi can deliver all aspects of a project from energy management, generation and distribution along with metering and billing and long-term asset management or ESCo partnership. With projects throughout the UK and offices in Blackburn, London and Scotland we specialise in helping clients lower their energy spend and carbon footprint through sustainable and viable solutions.
SIDERISE Nexus Fusion has been designed for use with glass spandrel panels in curtain walling and bespoke glazing systems, providing specifiers with a high strength, robust insulation core that offers an unequalled combination of fire, thermal and acoustic performance. It is a robust European Fire Class A1 lamella board that meets the performance requirements of curtain walling systems replacing the use of compressible or combustible insulating materials. Through precision manufacturing and tight tolerances, Nexus Fusion comprises high strength stonewall lamella with a uniform vertical fibre structure. This unique feature means that Nexus Fusion boards can be fitted avoiding the risk of slippage due to building movement, and without gaps or slumping of the insulation. Moreover, due to it being inherently non-combustible, mechanically strong and dimensionally stable, the insulation provides the best possible consideration for maintaining the systems fire integrity at the junction between the building structure and the curtain wall, with the fire resistance remaining primarily dependent on the curtain wall or frame specification. “Nexus Fusion will ensure the integrity of the interface between the insulation and the firestop is not compromised and effective compartmentation is maintained. Our firesafe solution eliminates the costly option of creating a bespoke metal tray lining system,” said William McDowell Business Development and Product Manager of SIDERISE. Tested as part of a curtain wall assembly to EN 1364-3 in Fire Rated Façades for 30 minutes without failure, Fusion boards tested in their end use application have been rated as European Fire Class A1. Available in a range of standard thicknesses between 20mm and 200mm, the product is foil faced on one side with an open filament net on the other side to facilitate bonding to glass. This negates the need for pins and washers, simplifying installation and reducing costs. SIDERISE Nexus products use a unique patented process to produce a true structural lamella board with optimal fire, thermal and acoustic performance. Specifiers and building owners can then be certain these products will continue to perform after insulation, offering the best environmental conditions for those living and working in buildings, and to reliably protect in the event of fire.
Rex Nye, who works at the independent builders’ merchant D.W.Nye, has decided to offer a few tips for creating beautiful borders and eye-catching edging in your garden. A complete garden makeover is essential for the summer months and borders and edging are great ways to add definition and style to any outdoor space. The first step towards achieving your dream garden is planning and deciding where to position the new borders. Take into consideration the amount of sun and shade available throughout the day as this factor impacts plant growth. Borders in a seated position should be no more than 70cms high and 50cms deep, while the materials used can vary from bricks, reclaimed stone and concrete slabs to timber posts and railway sleepers. Once decided, mark the chosen area with a line of spray paint to guide you when creating the border edge. Once the border is ready, start digging out the ground in the bedding area, clearing all clumps and stones! If you are using concrete slabs, stones or bricks to build a raised bed, dig a foundation trench along your border line up to 15cms deep – this will help to add strength and stability. If you are creating a non-timber wall, the foundation should sit on concrete (except where there are vertical posts being installed). Wooden walls won’t require a concrete foundation, but you will need to place stakes at regular intervals, with 50% of them buried below the ground. The most durable material is pressure-treated timber, which will ensure your wooden wall stays looking smart for years to come. Before starting to build the borders, make sure that if you’re working with horizontal timber board the stakes are fixed in each corner at 100cm gaps to support the panels. Place your first panel into position against the stakes – one third should sit below the ground. Use non-corrosive nails to fix the timber to the posts and check with a spirit level along the entire length to ensure it’s not sloping. Railway sleepers should be fixed to stakes with long bolts and they also require interlocking dowels to keep them seamlessly sitting on top of each other. Once the sides have been constructed it is advisable to line the inside with a polythene sheet to protect the material from the damp soil. Follow it with a layer of stones or hardcore inside the raised bed, up to 8cms in depth. This will aid drainage and help plants to flourish. Cover with a permeable membrane and replace any topsoil that was previously removed, adding fertiliser and compost to improve soil quality. Lastly, make sure you leave the soil to settle and enrich for up to two weeks before planting. The soil in your beds will lose moisture more quickly which means the ground will dry out if you forget to water it. Start by planting hardy annuals at first and take time to monitor the soil condition so you can select the right foliage.
Site tours at the Akaal Primary School in Derby, led by local contractor G F Tomlinson, allowed its pupils to have an exclusive look at their brand new school building. In total, 98 children were welcomed on the site over two days as construction work progresses and were given a ‘behind the scenes’ tour to see the classrooms, library and main hall as they take shape. The new school will have enough space for 420 pupils aged four to 11 to meet the educational needs for children in Normanton and surrounding areas. They will have access to 14 classrooms, SEN provision and a new library area, as well as to more than 7,000 m2 of outdoor playing and learning space and 2,200 m2 of habitat areas. “Moving into our new school is an important milestone in our journey. Children make the best progress when they are inspired to learn and the school that G F Tomlinson has built for us provides that,” said Julie Fellowes, head teacher at Akaal Primary School. “After our first visit in March, the children were able to see the shape of their new school for the first time and I was inundated with ideas from them about the amazing learning opportunities we could provide. Our whole community feels truly blessed to have been given this opportunity and we give thanks to all those who have supported us this far,” she added. Akaal Primary School is Derby’s first Sikh school that opened in September 2015. Currently enrolling pupils from Reception to Year 3, the new facilities will allow the school to almost quadruple its student intake. “Work on site at Akaal Primary is progressing well with both the external and internal works now at an advanced stage,” said Andy Sewards, Managing Director at G F Tomlinson. “Delivering projects that have a lasting and positive impact on the local community is at the heart of our ethos at G F Tomlinson. This new building will allow the school to flourish and provide more school places in the coming years.” The building is located on Grange Avenue and it will be ready later this summer, in order to open its doors to pupils in September 2018.
Luxury Welsh housebuilder Waterstone Homes has been inspired by the picturesque coastline of Pembrokeshire to create Wales its very own Sandbanks, the renowned millionaires’ playground in Dorset. The Sandbanks peninsula has some of the most exclusive and expensive postcodes in the UK, taking the prize for Britain’s priciest seaside town. Broad Haven is now ready to welcome its very own multi-million-pound luxury property development, called ‘Sand Banks’. Sharing similar waterfront views and an abundance of natural beauty as its English namesake, the new Waterstone Homes development, which is just a five-minute walk away from the sea, will offer stunning shore-side homes at a fraction of the cost of its multi-million-pound English counterpart. The Sand Banks developments consists of 17 three-storey, four and five-bedroom family homes, each featuring large open-plan spaces, private garages and driveways, and bright rooms due to a focus on glass within the design. The site is located close to Wales’ famous coastal path, including the stunning beaches of Newgale and Little Haven, and just a 30-minute drive away from the UK’s smallest cathedral city, St Davids. With prices ranging between £460k and £560k, prospective buyers will be able to snap up a luxury home for a tenth of the cost of an average property in Dorset’s Sandbanks. Often cited as one of the most desirable place to live in Wales, Broad Haven shares many similarities with the English gem, from a spotless blue flag beach and clean sea, to spectacular views and rich wildlife. Plus, with a harbour nearby in Little Haven, residents could even sail between the two destinations. “Broad Haven is an absolutely beautiful area and was the perfect spot for our latest seaside location. With its award-winning sandy beach, breathtaking views and tranquil setting, Broad Haven shares many similarities with Sandbanks in Dorset and definitely deserves to receive the same level of recognition and prestige,” said Andrea Gardner, Sales & Marketing Director at Waterstone Homes. Properties at the site are currently on sale with the development due to be completed in March of 2019.