Tishman Speyer is preparing a major refurbishment of 50 Pall Mall following its acquisition of the prime office building in the heart of St James’s, underlining its continued investment in central London. The nine-storey property, which offers 33,888 sq ft of Grade A office space, was acquired off-market from Lazari
Consent enables both office and educational /conference use on the two lower floors widening the building’s appeal Addington, the property investor and asset manager, and its US joint venture partner Strategic Value Partners LLC and its affiliates (“SVP”), have successfully obtained a multi-use planning consent from the City of London
When refurbishment works began at the Waterside Shopping Centre in Lincoln, the objective was straightforward but ambitious: restore confidence in a tired retail destination by completely transforming its external appearance. Years of exposure had taken their toll on the rendered facades, which were suffering from widespread crazing, cracking and chipping.
Catriona Simons, Group Chief Executive at The Guinness Partnership, one of England’s largest housing associations, welcomed Kerry McCarthy MP for Bristol East, Stephen Peacock, CEO of West England Combined Authority and Bristol City Council Leader Cllr Tony Dyer, for a tour of an important new development on Trinity Road, that
BW: Workplace Experts (BW) delivers high-quality office fit-outs and refurbishments across London and beyond. With a portfolio spanning projects for London Business School, Skyscanner and Virgin O2, the company has built its reputation on its “Defect Free” standard; projects delivered on time, with no snags and best-in-class customer experience. As BW
Council extends use of Field First Platform to support frontline operations South Tyneside Council has expanded its partnership with Totalmobile to strengthen digital support across its housing services, extending its use of Totalmobile’s award-winning Field First Platform across services. The expansion reflects tighter regulatory requirements and increasing expectations around service
AkzoNobel Powder Coatings is helping customers stay competitive and keep production moving by expanding My Interpon Portal with a powerful range of professional services that can now be purchased directly online. Available to customers with a My Interpon Portal account in the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain, the services give powder coaters fast, direct access
Civil engineering, infrastructure and tunnelling specialist Barhale has announced its expansion into Canada with the opening of its first business unit in Toronto, Ontario. Barhale Canada Inc will lead the company’s planned growth nationwide, with a particular focus on clean and wastewater resilience, stormwater management and advancing the company’s Low
Updated certification positions Sertus smoke control damper among the few solutions able to meet the full performance intent of the latest residential fire safety standard. The updated certification for the SLD smoke control damper, aligns the product with the performance expectations set out in the newly revised BS 9991:2024 standard. When
Due to increasing power density, data centres today require liquid-based cooling systems that meet the highest standards of efficiency and reliability. A key element here is the piping system used. At Data Centre World 2026 on 6–7 May at Messe Frankfurt (Germany), aquatherm GmbH will showcase its aquatherm blue piping
Tishman Speyer is preparing a major refurbishment of 50 Pall Mall following its acquisition of the prime office building in the heart of St James’s, underlining its continued investment in central London. The nine-storey property, which offers 33,888 sq ft of Grade A office space, was acquired off-market from Lazari Investments, which had owned the asset since 2019. Currently around 87 per cent let, the building occupies a highly sought-after location close to Mayfair, Green Park and Piccadilly, with strong connectivity across multiple Underground lines. Originally constructed in 1913, the building has undergone several transformations, including a redevelopment in 1997 that retained its distinctive carved Portland stone façade, and a further upgrade in 2006 to bring it in line with Grade A office standards. Tishman Speyer now plans a comprehensive refurbishment to modernise the building and enhance its long-term appeal to occupiers. The proposals include a significant uplift in environmental performance, alongside improvements to internal amenities. Planned upgrades range from a redesigned entrance lobby to the introduction of a new roof terrace, reflecting growing demand for high-quality, experience-led workplaces in central London. The scheme will focus on repositioning the asset to meet modern ESG expectations, while maintaining the character of the historic structure. Efficient floorplates of around 4,000 sq ft are expected to be retained, offering flexible workspace suited to a range of occupiers. Martin Simonneau, managing director and regional director for Tishman Speyer UK, said the acquisition presents a rare opportunity to enhance a prime office building in one of the capital’s most prestigious locations. He added that the company intends to draw on its placemaking and development expertise to deliver best-in-class workspace, aligning with evolving occupier requirements around sustainability, amenity and design quality. The purchase of 50 Pall Mall further strengthens Tishman Speyer’s London portfolio and follows the completion of Angel Square in Islington in 2025. The developer is also progressing the large-scale redevelopment of Belvedere SW1, a 550,000 sq ft mixed-use campus in Victoria. The latest acquisition highlights ongoing confidence in prime London offices, particularly assets that can be repositioned through retrofit-led strategies to meet the next generation of workplace standards. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Consent enables both office and educational /conference use on the two lower floors widening the building’s appeal Addington, the property investor and asset manager, and its US joint venture partner Strategic Value Partners LLC and its affiliates (“SVP”), have successfully obtained a multi-use planning consent from the City of London Corporation. The consent grants dual use under Class E and F1 for 29,000 sq. ft. of space across the two lower levels of Senator, their 150,802 sq. ft. Grade A office building at 85 Queen Victoria Street, Such consents are unusual to obtain in the City. This consent allows the levels to be utilized for either traditional offices or for conference and educational purposes. They also benefit from a new dedicated entrance and reception in a self-contained space. Major Refurbishment Commences This planning milestone triggers Addington’s major 69,000 sq. ft. refurbishment program at Senator covering the Atrium, Levels 0, 1, and 2. Addington has awarded the building contract to specialists OD Interiors Ltd to deliver an enhanced workspace focused on sustainability, well-being, and premium amenities. The comprehensive works include a reconfigured and refurbished main reception; a refurbishment of the seventh-level communal roof terrace; the creation of a new private amenity courtyard garden for the occupier of level 0 and new end of trip facilities in the building – with new changing rooms and parking for 190 bikes. The building will also benefit from two new dedicated x13 people lifts within the central atrium accessed by the new self-contained second entrance and five new lifts in the existing core The on-floor office specification features exposed services ceilings on levels 2, 1 & 0 with new central plant and on-floor M&E, and newly refurbished WCs throughout. Prime City Location Senator was acquired by the joint venture last year and consists of 150,802 sq. ft. Grade A office and ancillary accommodation arranged over the atrium level, ground and seven upper levels in the building. While the lower levels undergo transformation, levels 3 to 6 remain let to wealth manager Quilter, which leases 84,000 sq.ft. of space, as well as a private terrace of 1,615 sq. ft. on the seventh floor. The building occupies a prominent island site with a 50-metre frontage onto Queen Victoria Street. It is located within a five-minute walk of four key transport nodes: Mansion House, Cannon Street, Bank, and Blackfriars. David Dalrymple, Principal at Addington, said: “We acquired Senator with the belief that with refurbishment we would create an outstanding opportunity for flexible, high-value space, and we are delighted the City of London Corporation shares our vision. We can now offer 69,000 sq. ft of exceptional workspace in a landmark City location, or the rare opportunity for multi-use space with a dedicated own branded entrance for those seeking 29,000 sq. ft. of self-contained space. We believe this flexibility will be a major draw for both educational operators and traditional office tenants.” Letting agents for the scheme are Allsop and Knight Frank. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
When refurbishment works began at the Waterside Shopping Centre in Lincoln, the objective was straightforward but ambitious: restore confidence in a tired retail destination by completely transforming its external appearance. Years of exposure had taken their toll on the rendered facades, which were suffering from widespread crazing, cracking and chipping. Large areas were beyond repair, leaving the building looking dated and uninviting. For a city-centre scheme intended to attract new visitors, tenants and hospitality operators, the condition of the exterior simply did not reflect its potential. In 2019 a comprehensive programme of works commenced to revitalise the elevations. The majority of the failed render, measuring approximately 1,100 square metres, was removed and replaced with weberpral M monocouche render, selected for its durability and consistent through-colour finish, complemented by PVCu render beads from Renderplas. High-quality finish Principal contractor Barwin, a specialist in facade restoration and refurbishment with more than three decades of experience, understood that achieving a high-quality render finish depends on more than just the render itself. The detailing defines the result. Over 2,500 linear metres of beads were required across the scheme, including bellcast beads, stop beads, corner beads and movement joint beads. These components would determine the straightness of lines, the sharpness of corners and the long-term durability of vulnerable edges. Although Renderplas PVCu beads were not included in the original specification, Barwin made the deliberate decision to use them. The choice was based on prior experience and confidence in their performance. Inferior beads can distort during installation, corrode over time or compromise the crispness of architectural detailing. On a prominent retail scheme undergoing complete rejuvenation, those risks were not acceptable. Martin Hill, Senior Estimator at Barwin, explains the reasoning clearly: “Renderplas beads complement the quality finish of the render really well. It was a no-brainer to use them. They are readily available and don’t distort or fall apart. They also remain dead straight and give a perfect, crisp finish.” Avoiding rectification work His comments reflect a common challenge within facade refurbishment projects. Contractors are often asked to rectify problems caused by substandard beads that have warped, cracked or rusted, leading to uneven lines and premature failure of the render system. In contrast, Renderplas PVCu beads are engineered to remain straight and dimensionally stable while offering enough flexibility for efficient installation. Their corrosion-proof composition eliminates the risk of rust staining, and their structural integrity supports clean movement detailing and long-term facade performance. Importantly, Renderplas external render beads are fully BBA certified and guaranteed for 25-years or the lifetime of the render system. This assurance provides specifiers, contractors and building owners with long-term confidence that the detailing will perform as intended without costly maintenance interventions. Long-term quality The completed facades at Waterside now present a bright, contemporary backdrop to a revitalised retail and leisure environment. Crisp corners, sharp edges and consistent lines enhance the monocouche finish and contribute to a cohesive architectural appearance. The transformation has helped reposition the centre as an attractive, modern destination, alive with new bars, shops and restaurants. The project demonstrates a fundamental principle of facade construction: long-term quality is achieved through informed material choices. By insisting on Renderplas PVCu beads, even where they were not specified, Barwin ensured that the renewed render system would not only look impressive on completion but remain reliable and resilient for decades to come. The scale of the refurbishment required careful planning and was delivered across five phases. Although scheduled for completion within six months, the works were finished in just five, demonstrating effective coordination and experienced site management. In external rendering, details matter. When corners are executed correctly and movement is properly managed, the entire facade benefits. Renderplas continues to provide the construction industry with durable, BBA-certified PVCu render beads that deliver crisp architectural detailing and lasting performance, ensuring that on projects like Waterside, corners are finished precisely and never cut. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Catriona Simons, Group Chief Executive at The Guinness Partnership, one of England’s largest housing associations, welcomed Kerry McCarthy MP for Bristol East, Stephen Peacock, CEO of West England Combined Authority and Bristol City Council Leader Cllr Tony Dyer, for a tour of an important new development on Trinity Road, that will provide more than 100 much needed affordable homes for Bristol. The visit also included senior colleagues from the Guinness development team, other attendees from the West of England Combined Authority, and Bristol City Council as well as Allan O’Brien, Regional Director from award winning housebuilder, The Hill Group. Hill is constructing the 104 high-quality one, two and three-bedroom social rent apartments for Guinness on the old Trinity Road Police Station site. These social rent homes will help meet the strong need for affordable housing within Bristol. Trinity Road is being delivered with financial help and partnership working from both Bristol City Council and Homes England. Bristol City Council awarded £1.5m of capital funding from its Strategic Community Infrastructure budget, towards the cost of redelivering a police station on the site. A further £1.6m was granted through the council’s Affordable Housing Funding policy, to support the delivery of the scheme as social rent. Catriona Simons, Group Chief Executive at The Guinness Partnership said: “It was a pleasure to welcome our guests to Trinity Road, which is an important affordable housing development for Bristol. We are grateful for the significant investment by Bristol City Council and Homes England and would also like to thank all our partners, who have worked with us on the project.” Kerry McCarthy MP for Bristol East said: “It was very good to join The Guinness Partnership and local representatives to tour the Trinity Road development. The housing crisis is one of the biggest challenges we face as a city, and adding 104 new, high quality, socially rented homes to our housing stock is a major step forward. Thank you to Guinness and everyone else involved in making this development possible – I look forward to seeing my new constituents move in shortly!” Stephen Peacock, CEO of West England Combined Authority Said: “Our regional Growth Strategy recognises the importance of housing to our continued economic growth, particularly those developments that help people get onto the housing ladder or benefit from the security of stable tenancies. The site at Trinity Road is a great step forward in ensuring people in Bristol have access to long-term affordable housing.” Councillor Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council, said: “Delivering genuinely affordable homes in Bristol depends on strong, long‑term partnership working, and the Trinity Road project is an important example of what can be achieved when organisations come together with a shared purpose. “Bristol is a challenging city to bring forward new homes and we welcome the tenacity and commitment of The Guinness Partnership and Hill Group. This 100% social rent development shows how imaginative funding solutions and close joint working can unlock complex brownfield sites and bring forward new homes for the people who need them most. “By providing enabling support to committed housing delivery partners, we can ensure developments like this don’t just provide high‑quality homes but also strengthen neighbourhoods and help meet the city’s wider ambitions for inclusive, sustainable growth. I look forward to celebrating the completion of this development in a few months’ time and seeing the life changing opportunities these homes offer to our residents.” Allan O’Brien, Regional Director at The Hill Group, said: “We are proud to be working in partnership with The Guinness Partnership to deliver Trinity Road and help provide much-needed affordable homes for the Bristol community. Developments like this demonstrate what can be achieved through strong collaboration, and we’re pleased to play our part in creating high-quality homes that will make a real difference to people’s lives.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals Bristol City Council: The Homes for Bristol: Interim Affordable Housing Delivery Plan 2025–27 sets out Bristol City Council’s plans to accelerate the delivery of affordable homes across the city. Developed in collaboration with registered providers, specialist housing partners and internal teams, the plan responds to significant national and local policy changes and aims to meet a wide range of housing needs, with a strong emphasis on delivering more social rent homes. It highlights the importance of partnership working, effective use of council resources—including land, staff time and funding—and a focus on homes that support health, wellbeing, community resilience and climate goals.
BW: Workplace Experts (BW) delivers high-quality office fit-outs and refurbishments across London and beyond. With a portfolio spanning projects for London Business School, Skyscanner and Virgin O2, the company has built its reputation on its “Defect Free” standard; projects delivered on time, with no snags and best-in-class customer experience. As BW grew from a £70 million to a £325 million business, the team faced a critical operational challenge. Manual processes for tracking deliveries and materials were creating a significant margin for error, consuming valuable time and limiting the company’s ability to scale without expanding headcount. The challenge BW’s rapid growth highlighted the need for more accurate, scalable data management. Manual processes that had served the company well were holding the team back as project numbers and complexity increased. As BW’s Tomas Hollingsworth explains, “There’s so much margin for error when you’re relying on multiple people retrospectively talking about hundreds of product deliveries in Central London.” The operational impact was multifaceted. Quality verification for key materials like FSC timber relied on trust rather than systematic checks. Delivery cost visibility was limited, making it difficult to identify opportunities for consolidation. Site teams lacked real-time data to monitor installation progress or prevent overcrowding in logistically tight, Central London environments. Skilled team members spent their time chasing data, rather than analysing it to identify cost savings and process improvements. Why Qflow? BW chose Qflow approximately two years ago for its ability to replace manual verification with automated, real-time data capture that would improve accuracy, reduce costs and enable scalable growth. The BW team led a comprehensive rollout, which included a roadshow supported by Qflow to demonstrate the system’s simplicity to logistics managers on site. The focus on reducing the paperwork burden made deployment straightforward. BW emphasised real-time adoption from day one, with teams scanning delivery notes as they arrived for immediate data capture and live notifications. The partnership also established an iterative feedback loop, enabling Qflow to refine usability based on real-world insights from the BW team. The solution Qflow’s mobile platform transformed BW’s operations from reactive to proactive, delivering improvements across quality, cost control and operational efficiency: 1. Single-scan verification: Every delivery note is captured and verified with one photograph, replacing thousands of manual conversations and dramatically reducing margin for error. 2. Real-time material alerts: Material specifications, such as FSC timber certification are now verified on arrival, ensuring quality and preventing non-compliant materials from entering sites. 3. Time-restricted delivery monitoring: The platform tracks deliveries against loading bay time restrictions, helping BW avoid financial penalties in Central London. 4. Long-term trend analysis: Historical data identifies patterns, enabling BW to consolidate unnecessary deliveries and reduce both delivery costs and carbon impact. 5. Automated compliance checks: The system verifies waste licensing against proper authorities, providing systematic tracking without manual effort. Results that scale The impact has been transformational. By digitising 14,579 tickets, BW now manages 37 major projects with the same team that previously handled 20, an 85% increase in capacity with no additional headcount. This achievement is even more impressive, given that project complexity increased significantly during this period. The margin for error has fallen dramatically. Real-time verification replaced trust-based processes with systematic checks, flagging issues as they happen, rather than weeks later. The team has reclaimed an estimated 30 days of time for strategic work, allowing them to focus on identifying cost savings and process improvements rather than spending valuable time chasing spreadsheet data. Visibility into delivery patterns has delivered unexpected financial benefits. BW can now identify suppliers making multiple daily or weekly deliveries, consolidating these to reduce delivery charges per project. The platform also helps avoid financial penalties by monitoring time-restricted loading bays in Central London. With potential compliance costs of £46,083 now successfully avoided. The data serves the wider organisation beyond the original use case. Finance teams use it to manage supplier costs and reduce delivery charges. Quality teams get real-time material verification. Site teams can mitigate health and safety risks. While commercial teams can monitor installation progress to de-risk project timelines. As an added benefit, the platform delivers strong sustainability credentials. Verified, real-time tracking provides demonstrable proof of environmental performance, achieving a 99.75% diversion from landfill rate and preventing 171,028 tonnes of material from ending up in landfill. Put another way, that’s equivalent to 1,140 blue whales, or 28,505 elephants or 950 jumbo jets. (Pick your favourite metric.) This helps combat ‘greenwashing’ concerns during tender processes. Moving ahead BW views the delivery and materials data as a competitive advantage for project delivery and quality. The ability to demonstrate accuracy, reduce errors, save significant sums and manage complex projects efficiently all combine to strengthen its market position. While the verified and impressive sustainability savings provides an additional edge. Hollingsworth concludes, “We’re not constantly paying that delivery charge any more, because Qflow replaced thousands of conversations with one scan of a delivery note. That is, in essence, the reason we looked at Qflow. We’ve gone from having thousands of conversations that Qflow now does automatically with one scan of a delivery note and can now see when suppliers are making multiple deliveries and consolidate them. That’s been a real step-change for us.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Council extends use of Field First Platform to support frontline operations South Tyneside Council has expanded its partnership with Totalmobile to strengthen digital support across its housing services, extending its use of Totalmobile’s award-winning Field First Platform across services. The expansion reflects tighter regulatory requirements and increasing expectations around service performance and transparency. The expanded deployment will support frontline operatives and is planned to go live in September 2026. The council will use the platform’s job management capability to improve visibility across day-to-day activity, strengthen compliance reporting, and support a wider range of frontline and specialist housing teams. As part of the latest expansion, enhanced reporting and operational dashboards will give managers clearer oversight of performance, workload, and emerging risks across housing operations. Real-time field access to tasks and records will also be extended to operatives covering Healthy Homes, compliance, and specialist services, supporting activity across gas servicing, electrical testing, repairs, and voids, while removing the Council’s reliance on manual processes and improving coordination between teams. “Housing teams across the UK are being asked to evidence more, respond faster and still deliver consistent frontline services,” said David Webb, Managing Director of Housing at Totalmobile. “This expansion centres on the practical realities many councils face, giving managers clearer visibility, supporting compliance, and helping teams stay on top of work as it changes day to day.” For Totalmobile, the expansion of this partnership with South Tyneside reflects a growing trend across housing for unified workforce platforms that support complex, frontline operations. The Field First Platform is used across housing, health, social care, infrastructure, utilities, and facilities management globally to help organisations manage all aspects of workforce operations in environments where services must adapt quickly without losing control. For more information about Totalmobile and the Field First Platform, visit totalmobile.com. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
AkzoNobel Powder Coatings is helping customers stay competitive and keep production moving by expanding My Interpon Portal with a powerful range of professional services that can now be purchased directly online. Available to customers with a My Interpon Portal account in the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain, the services give powder coaters fast, direct access to expert support aligned to operational needs. The expanded offer brings together technical, laboratory and sustainability services that support faster decisions, smoother production and high-confidence results on the coating line. From bespoke color development and lab powder samples to performance testing, technical audits, training and advanced application optimization, each service is built to help customers perform at their best, even under the most demanding conditions. Sustainability analysis tools further enable coaters to understand, measure and reduce environmental impact, while also unlocking productivity gains. Available services include tailored color development, reliable color references and samples such as the Interpon RAL swatch deck, as well as lab powder samples in solid or metallic finishes for pre-production evaluation. These tools give customers confidence at specification stage and help keep projects moving without delay. Corrosion and weatherability laboratory testing can also be ordered online, providing robust performance data to support product qualification and specification decisions. Technical audits, oven curing recording and advanced analysis of reciprocator and application-gun setup, using coatingAI’s exclusive, AI-powered Flightpath Pro software to help improve efficiency, optimize product usage and reduce quality issues across the coating process. The sustainability portfolio includes product-specific carbon footprint data covering raw material sourcing, transportation and manufacturing stages, supporting reporting and compliance requirements. The Eco+ Cure energy calculator further assesses curing-line performance, identifying opportunities to help customers reduce energy consumption, lower carbon footprint and increase throughput. Jorrit van Rijn, Marketing Director at AkzoNobel Powder Coatings, explains how the expanded services reinforce Interpon’s commitment to customer performance: “Our customers operate in a fast-moving, high-pressure environment where performance and reliability are everything. By bringing these services together in one place, My Interpon Portal simplifies access to expert support, helps customers make confident decisions, and keeps production lines running smoothly.” “Designed with convenience and speed in mind, customers can now order Interpon services whenever they need them, giving them the control, flexibility and credibility to stay ahead of the curve.” To explore Interpon’s expert services available to order online, visit My Interpon Portal. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Civil engineering, infrastructure and tunnelling specialist Barhale has announced its expansion into Canada with the opening of its first business unit in Toronto, Ontario. Barhale Canada Inc will lead the company’s planned growth nationwide, with a particular focus on clean and wastewater resilience, stormwater management and advancing the company’s Low Carbon Solutions offering. The Canadian team is already engaged in advanced discussions on a number of schemes to deliver heat recovery systems and various water industry projects. Barhale Group Chief Executive Martin Brown said: “Establishing a permanent base in Toronto is a landmark step for Barhale and a clear signal of our intent to expand our specialist civil engineering and tunnelling capabilities and our Low Carbon Solutions business. Both the UK and Canada are making significant investments within the water sector and have made legally binding commitments to achieving net zero by 2050. We see a tremendous opportunity to support those ambitions with our Canadian workforce. “I have been leading the delivery of high-profile projects in Canada for a decade. In that time, I have been able to build a team of highly experienced specialists with a proven track record delivering complex design and build water projects and low carbon solutions. “We incorporated Barhale Canada Inc in February 2025 and I am very excited to now be able to formally launch the business. Barhale Canada will offer our new clients cost and programme efficiencies through our innovative approach to project delivery. “Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area provide a strong platform for this work, with a clear policy focus on decarbonisation and resilient infrastructure. Establishing a local presence allows us to work more closely with both local and Indigenous communities to grow our business organically through training and developing Canadian talent”. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Updated certification positions Sertus smoke control damper among the few solutions able to meet the full performance intent of the latest residential fire safety standard. The updated certification for the SLD smoke control damper, aligns the product with the performance expectations set out in the newly revised BS 9991:2024 standard. When the changes to BS 9991:2024 were introduced, the SLD product underwent additional fire and performance testing, without making any design modifications. The result: the SLD successfully met the enhanced performance requirements demanded by the updated standard. This is critical for both new and existing projects. For customers, consultants and contractors who have already specified or installed the Sertus SLD, this updated certification provides reassurance that those installations remain compliant with BS 9991:2024. In short, no redesign, no replacement, no uncertainty – just verified performance aligned with current guidance. Richard White, Commercial Director at Sertus, said: “The update to BS 9991 is a significant moment for the smoke control sector. For the first time the standard clearly sets out how smoke control dampers should perform within a system. Our updated certification shows that the Sertus SLD fully aligns with these requirements, giving consultants and contractors confidence they are specifying a solution that meets the intent of the new guidance.” What’s changed and why it matters BS 9991:2024 reinforces and clarifies the requirements set out in Section F.5.5, removing ambiguity around how smoke control dampers should be tested, classified and specified within a system. While the principles have always existed, the updated standard is more explicit, closing potential loopholes and reducing the risk of non-compliant interpretations. Dampers are no longer treated as simple components – they are now expected to perform to the same standard as the fire-resisting elements they sit within, including compartment walls and smoke control ductwork. To meet the intent of the standard, dampers must now demonstrate: All verified against recognised European standards including BS EN 12101-8, BS EN 1366-10 and EN 13501-4. Steve Knight, Technical Director at Sertus, said: “The key change is that dampers must now demonstrate performance across several classifications, including fire resistance, leakage and operational durability.” “Achieving EI120, S1000 and C10,000 – while also proving performance from both fire directions – is technically demanding. Our updated certification confirms that the SLD has been tested and classified to meet these expectations.” Fire resistance – What it actually means Fire resistance is not a vague “fire rated” label – it is a measured, classified performance. In line with guidance from the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) and industry bodies such as ADB (Approved Document B), fire resistance is defined using three key criteria: Meeting all three of these criteria is critical for any passive fire safety product – including smoke control dampers. BS 9991 reinforces the importance of maintaining the fire performance of the compartmentation into which products are installed. Dampers must not weaken this barrier – they must preserve it. In reality, fire is an unpredictable, dynamic event. While modelling plays a role in system design, relying solely on theoretical scenarios to justify reduced performance introduces risk. The updated BS 9991 guidance helps remove this ambiguity, making expectations around product classification clearer and more robust. Put simply, if a damper does not achieve an appropriate EI classification, it risks compromising the fire-resisting performance of the compartment it is installed within. A clear message to the industry: Know what to look for It’s important to recognise that not all dampers on the market are currently able to demonstrate compliance with these requirements. If you are reviewing products for Gateway submissions, technical documentation or compliance checks, these are the classifications you should be actively looking for: If a manufacturer cannot clearly demonstrate all of the above with test evidence and classification reports, then the product is unlikely to meet the intent of BS 9991:2024. For installers and contractors, the benefit is straightforward: a clearly tested, fully classified solution that simplifies compliance. For building owners and asset managers, it delivers something even more important – confidence that both new and existing installations are aligned with current fire safety expectations. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Due to increasing power density, data centres today require liquid-based cooling systems that meet the highest standards of efficiency and reliability. A key element here is the piping system used. At Data Centre World 2026 on 6–7 May at Messe Frankfurt (Germany), aquatherm GmbH will showcase its aquatherm blue piping system at Stand H110, demonstrating in a practical setting the advantages it offers in various cooling concepts in high-density environments. Additionally, aquatherm energy, a pre-insulated piping system that facilitates the economical use of waste heat, will be introduced. aquatherm is the world’s leading manufacturer of polypropylene piping systems for plant engineering and building services. High-performance cooling for AI and HPC environments aquatherm blue is a highly developed, flexible piping system that enables cooling media to be transported safely in both traditional chilled water systems and in direct-to-chip and hybrid cooling concepts. Thanks to the corrosion-resistant material polypropylene (PP-R) and a homogeneous welding technique, leak-proof connections are created that withstand the high demands of operational safety and continuous load. The flow-optimised inner surfaces of the pipes contribute directly to improving overall efficiency. Waste heat utilisation as an economic factor Feeding waste heat from data centres into local heating networks not only increases acceptance among local authorities and residents but also opens up additional economic potential for operators. aquatherm energy, a pre-insulated piping system optimised for the low-energy-loss transport of hot and cold fluids, creates ideal conditions for efficient waste heat utilisation. The product is available as both a single-pipe and a double-pipe system. In the double-pipe solution, the supply and return lines are pre-assembled in a single pipe, saving space and reducing construction costs and time. Both the single- and double-pipe variants are also available with integrated leak detection. Piping systems for modern cooling concepts Future-proof data centres require a liquid-based cooling infrastructure that ensures consistently stable hydraulic conditions, high operational reliability, and economical energy use. aquatherm piping systems form the stable backbone of modern cooling concepts – from classic chilled water supply to highly dynamic liquid cooling systems for AI applications. Application examples and new design logic Trade visitors to Data Centre World 2026 will gain practical insights into system solutions, application examples, and integration concepts for high-performance data centre infrastructures at the aquatherm stand. On the trade fair’s Green Innovation stage, they can also learn on 6 May at 15:40 why high-performance data centres may require a new design logic that does not start with the IT infrastructure, but with the cooling architecture. The presentation, entitled “We are cooling the wrong thing: Why data centre architecture must change”, will be given by Dimitri Wolf, Area Sales & Account Manager at aquatherm. aquatherm is the world’s leading manufacturer of plastic piping systems made from polypropylene for use in plant engineering and building services. Areas of application include district heating networks, drinking water applications, heating system construction, fire protection sprinkler systems, air conditioning and refrigeration technology, as well as surface heating and cooling systems. aquatherm products can be found in a wide variety of buildings and even on ships around the world. Notable examples include the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Kö-Bogen I and II in Düsseldorf, various Olympic venues, and numerous top hotels and resorts. Whether in heating and cooling networks, for cooling data centres or as surface heating and cooling, aquatherm products have a wide range of applications. The company employs around 500 people in Germany, Italy, and England. All production takes place exclusively at its German sites in Attendorn (headquarters) and Ennest. The family business is managed by Maik Rosenberg and Jan Kriedel. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals