Armstrong Ceilings has further simplified its ground-breaking TechZone™ system, which was the industry’s first easy-to-specify-and-install ceiling solution with integrated technical services, to be offered as a standard solution. TechZone™, which was pioneering when it was launched in 2009, is now available as four standard layouts which easily organise lighting, air diffusers and returns into 100mm and 150mm wide technical zones. A range of compatible fixtures from Armstrong’s partner companies for the building services elements (Trox for air diffusers and XAL and Zumtobel for lighting) have also been prequalified for fit and finish to give a clean, monolithic look using standard ceiling panels and suspension systems. All specifiers have to do is design the layout from either Armstrong’s CAD/Revit library or their own imagination, then choose the field panels, technical panels, suspension systems and perimeter treatments. Field panels are Armstrong’s Ultima+ and Ultima+ OP, Perla and Perla OP 0.95 and Optima mineral tiles and planks with Microlook 90 or SL2 edge profiles. These tiles and planks deliver environmentally and acoustically as Perla OP 0.95 was the first mineral tile in the world to be Cradle to Cradle certified, the Ultima+ range was the first mineral ceiling tile range in the world to be Cradle to Cradle certified, and the suspension system – the Prelude 15 XL2 grid – is now also Cradle to Cradle certified, making the complete system (tiles and grid) the ultimate green ceiling system. In addition, Perla OP 0.95, Ultima+ OP and Optima all deliver to sound absorption Class A. The improved TechZone™ system has enabled Armstrong to meet the growing trend for linear lighting. At the same time, Armstrong has teamed up with XAL Lighting to launch the On Centre linear lighting solution. It makes it even easier for architects and specifiers to create inspiring ceiling designs with higher ceiling heights, zero plenum interference and on-centre continuous or non-continuous layouts. The unique solution is designed to be installed as a full new system but it can also be retrofitted to existing 600mm by 600mm ceiling modules to bring an even cleaner monolithic visual to open and closed-plan spaces in buildings such as offices, schools, hospitals and retail outlets. The integrated system allows the high-performance XAL Leno Grid Led luminaire to be installed from below to eliminate the requirement for ceiling re-work when it is specified with factory-finished Armstrong ceilings panels (Ultima+, Ultima+ OP and Perla OP 0.95) and the Prelude 15 XL2 suspension system. It also integrates with Axiom pre-engineered perimeter systems and transitions and can be incorporated into canopies. Architects and designers simply follow the TechZone™ specification phases of choosing a standard layout or creating their own, then choosing their panels, suspension systems, perimeter treatment and accessories. Armstrong’s 600mm by 600mm mineral tiles are typically used throughout, with the 600mm by 550mm brought in when there is a linear light to fit. Lighting strips can be as long as 2,400mm. The new premium system gives an ultra-contemporary visual with the narrow 100mm linear lighting centred on the grid using standard ceilings and suspension systems to create custom looks.  The lighting goes between and parallel to the grid main runners so only requires an additional hanger for installation, making it as quick and easy to install as standard systems. TechZone™ incorporating linear lighting has its own dedicated CAD drawings available from Armstrong’s Architectural Specialities office and is covered by Armstrong’s 30-year system warranty*. ENDS *For the Armstrong components, not XAL’s. Source link

Bristol Water has said it is investigating renewable energy projects throughout its supply area, including the potential for floating solar panels on its water storage reservoirs. The company said it hopes that renewable energy will supply a “significant proportion” of the 80GWh the business uses every year to provide water to its 1.2 million customers. To help achieve this, one potential project the company is considering is to install a floating solar farm on a water storage reservoir, with the most promising site at Barrow Gurney. “Floating solar panel farms are a cutting-edge technology, with only a handful installed in the world so far, but water company reservoirs represent one of the best opportunities for this innovative approach to renewables,” the firm said. “This is such an exciting project for Bristol Water, we are a major energy user in the area and we want to get as much of that as we can from renewable sources,” Bristol Water head of environment strategy Patric Bulmer added. “Our reservoirs are a big asset in many ways, and now the technology for these floating solar panel farms is out there we want to look at this fully. It not only makes business and environmental sense but it makes sense for our customers as it will hopefully help keep water bills down.” The company has appointed three contractors – HBS, ASC and Eneco – to investigate possible renewable energy projects, which also include wind turbines and solar panels, at sites such as the company’s head office in Bedminster Down. Source link

Browser does not support script. Contact us In response to today’s government announcement on Starter Homes and the use of design templates, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Landscape Institute issued the following statement: RIBA President Stephen Hodder and Landscape Institute President Noel Farrer said: ‘Design quality needs to be at the top of the agenda for starter homes. It is vital that the pressure to tackle the housing crisis doesn’t lead to sub-standard and unsuitable homes that families only move to out of a lack of alternatives. As members of the Design Advisory Panel we will be urging the government to carefully balance the desire for fast and low-cost delivery with the need for sustainable development and high quality contextual design. It is important that in building new homes we ensure that they form successful places. People want homes that are attractive, functional and sustainable, however the use of national ‘design templates’ for starter homes could result in generic properties that don’t fit into the area in which they are being built. This will make it much harder to gain the support of existing and future residents. It is also important not to just focus on appearance. Well-designed homes are ones that function well and are set distinct appropriate places that can adapt to changes in the circumstances of their occupants. The design templates outlined do not address this.’ ENDS Notes to editors: 1. For further press information contact the RIBA Press Office: 020 7580 5533 pressoffice@riba.org2. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture and our members www.architecture.com 3. Follow us on Twitter for regular RIBA updates www.twitter.com/RIBA   Posted on Tuesday 3rd March 2015 Source link

Transport for London has now formally opened bidding for the 4.5 km rail line, which will serve London’s largest planned housing development. TfL is seeking expressions of interest from contractors, with a formal invitation to tender expected to be launched in 2017. Construction is planned to begin in late 2017, with the line and a new Barking Riverside station to be fully operational by 2021. The bidding opens nearly six months after TfL approved £172m of funding for the line, paving the way for construction to begin on the residential project. Original developer Bellway Homes had planned to build 10,800 homes on the site in 1994 but these proposals were shelved because of the lack of transport links. TfL submitted a Transport and Works Act Order to the transport secretary in March, with a decision expected later this year. The Barking Riverside development will see more than 10,800 homes built along with a new school, retail outlets and leisure facilities. It will now be developed by L&Q after the company bought a 51 per cent stake in the project from Bellway Homes. Bellway will remain a development partner on the project. L&Q also agreed to commit £70m to the construction of the Overground extension and new station as part of the deal. A section 106 agreement meant up to 1,500 homes could be built ahead of construction of the Overground extension, but only 800 homes have been delivered so far, according to Barking & Dagenham Council. Deputy mayor of London for transport Val Shawcross said: “The extension of the Overground will be key to the success of the exciting new developments at Barking Riverside, with a new station built alongside 10,800 new homes, shops and restaurants, and new school and health services. “As we have seen in other parts of London, the extended Overground line will be an integral part of ensuring regeneration benefits everyone in the community, with excellent transport links to the rest of London and the creation of new homes and jobs.” Source link

©Reuters Sinopec has suffered operating losses of $550m during the past three years on Argentine assets bought in 2011 Chinese oil group Sinopec stands to lose about $2.5bn on ageing oilfields in Argentina purchased at the peak of the oil market in a vivid illustration of the costs of Beijing’s pricey attempt to secure natural resources overseas. At the peak of the oil boom, Chinese state-owned companies’ willingness to pay far more than other bidders for oil deposits and mines was legendary, as executives responded to Beijing’s political goal of guaranteeing energy security with direct investments in natural resources. Since then, the steady slide in oil prices to below $50 a barrel has left many of those Chinese purchases deep in the red. Sinopec has suffered operating losses of $550m during the past three years on Argentine assets purchased from Occidental Petroleum in 2011 for $2.45bn, according to an internal company audit. At oil prices of $60 a barrel or less, Sinopec stands to lose $2.5bn over the life of the project, the audit found. As of the end of 2015, with prices hovering below $40, projected losses reached $2.9bn, it was first reported by the respected Chinese magazine Caixin this week. Sinopec said on Friday that rather than being “a slap in the face”, the audit served the function of a “woodpecker” in identifying problems. “A the moment, the Argentine project has met some difficulties in its operation. However, overseas oil and gas mergers and acquisitions are very complicated and high-risk deals,” the statement said. No one would have thought that the oil price could drop from more than $100 a barrel to $40.” The company disputed the $2.5bn loss projection, saying: “What if the oil price picks up again soon?” Sinopec’s Hong Kong-listed arm reported an operating loss of Rmb21.9bn ($3.3bn) on its upstream oil and gas business in the first half of this year, although better returns from refining and marketing kept it profitable overall. It reduced crude production 11 per cent in the first half because of lower prices. About two years ago Sinopec began an internal review of its overseas acquisitions to figure out which were profitable at lower prices. The process has revealed that it spent billions on underproducing fields in Angola, among other issues. Its rivals have also run into difficulty with expensive assets, including Cnooc’s oil sands in Canada, and very low production for China National Petroleum Corp’s controversial investments in South Sudan amid renewed conflict there. Additional reporting by Luna Lin and Benedict Mander Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link

©Bloomberg India’s oil minister has spent the last week in the US courting the world’s biggest energy companies for investment, touting the country’s expanding economy and future resource needs. For Dharmendra Pradhan, it has been an easy sell. “India is on a high growth trajectory,” he told the FT in Houston, where he was on an investor roadshow. More On this topic IN Emerging Markets “But not only are we seeking partnerships with these foreign companies, they want to come to India,” Mr Pradhan adds. India’s fast-expanding economy is expected to grow by 7.5 per cent this year and it is forecast to overtake Japan as the world’s third-largest oil consumer, behind the US and China. Its demand growth — key for companies looking to invest — will this year outstrip China’s for the first time since Beijing embarked on more than a decade of resource-devouring expansion. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s industrialisation programme has piqued the interest of international energy companies which are keen to invest in refineries, petrol stations and even exploration and production, says Mr Pradhan, despite the oil price languishing below $50 a barrel. India’s 1.3bn population still lags behind other emerging market powerhouses in oil consumption per capita, giving it room for rapid growth. There are only 25 cars for every 1000 people, data from energy consultancy FGE shows, compared with 110 in China. Plastic consumption is only 12kg per capita a year, compared to more than 10 times that amount in Europe. “India is coming from a very low base,” says Cuneyt Kazokoglu at FGE. “It is getting richer and it has a growing middle class which is spending more on things such as cars to airline tickets — this is pushing up oil demand.” There are, however, doubts among analysts that India will follow the same growth and energy demand trajectory as China, with a less heavy-handed state guiding the economy. Two-thirds of the population live in rural areas and some question whether the country is truly on the cusp of a car buying binge that has driven consumption in major developing countries. Car purchases have increased by 12 per cent since 2011, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers data shows, but that is dwarfed by the growth of two-wheelers such as scooters which are far less thirsty and cheaper to run. Sales of scooters, mopeds and motorbikes have jumped by 40 per cent in the past five years and comprise four out of every five vehicle purchases. The most popular brand of scooter sells for less than £600 (Rs50,000) compared with more than £4,300 for the most frequently bought car. Nevertheless consumption is on the rise and has been propelled by lower oil prices, although New Delhi has cut fuel subsidies. India spent $60bn less on crude oil imports last year than 2014, even as it bought more foreign barrels. Demand for 2016 is expected to reach almost 4.3m barrels a day, up 300,000 b/d from the prior year, according to the IEA. By 2040 it is seen at 10m b/d. “Lower oil prices have acted as a giant subsidy for the domestic market,” says Saad Rahim, chief economist at Swiss oil trader Trafigura. “There has been a huge boost for consumer countries.” India’s emergence as the centre of oil demand growth is bolstered by a drive to raise manufacturing’s share of the economy to 25 per cent from 18 in 2014. At the same time, China is shifting towards a more services-led economy that is less energy intensive after a period of rapid industrialisation. Just like China a decade ago, India is now trying to secure its future demand for crude oil and refined products such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Mr Pradhan says India is seeking stronger relationships with global oil exporters, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela and Nigeria, and producer companies to guarantee crude supplies. India is offering both national oil companies and energy majors greater access to its domestic market, while also pushing to develop its own oilfields. Saudi Aramco, Shell and Total are among companies looking to start or expand petrol station networks, says Mr Pradhan. Other companies are also looking at India’s refineries, which processed a record 5m b/d of crude earlier this year. Russia’s Rosneft and independent oil traders have been eyeing stakes in Essar Oil, which supplies 12 per cent of India’s petroleum products. “Access to the Indian market is an attraction,” says Prashant Ruia, chief executive of Essar Group. “From our refineries to retail outlets.” Seth Kleinman, oil analyst at Citigroup says India will need to work hard to meet its ambitious targets, but the country is still a bright spot for the oil industry. “It’s the best looking emerging market out there.” Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link