PwC’s new Merchant Square offices will ‘transform city into a global centre of innovation’ Leading construction and fit-out company, Gilbert-Ash, has handed over one of the most ground-breaking projects to be completed in Northern Ireland in recent years. The award-winning company was the fit-out contractor for PwC at Merchant Square,
James Jones & Sons Timber Systems Division has recently announced its latest release of its JJI Design Software. The new software is the most advanced release to date with a number of significant improvements and enhanced design features. General Manager, Angus Macfarlane, said “Our software department has developed this new
Civil engineering specialist GRAHAM has reached a major milestone on the new M11 Junction 7a project at Harlow, Essex, following the installation of the structural steel beams to create a new overbridge at the junction. The new Mores Overbridge will form an integral part of the infrastructure project, which has
When two parties begin talking about a contract, the general assumption is that the client has already found the right contractor for their project or vice versa. But depending on the details exchanged during the preceding meetings, it may not always be the case. Sometimes, both parties don’t get a
Innovation is the main driver of modern progress. The world does not stand still every year. Many companies offer new technological gadgets or options that can improve the lives of many people. Innovation parks are intermediary platforms that help universities and institutes to promote new technologies. Here companies can find
Prologis, the UK’s leading developer of industrial logistics parks, today announced plans to expand Prologis Park Midpoint, Birmingham, to provide more urban logistics facilities for customers in the Midlands. The company, which is headquartered in Solihull, recently acquired around nine acres of land adjacent to Prologis Park Midpoint and plans
A landmark regeneration project on the outskirts of Llanelli has been given the go ahead by the UK and Welsh Governments, securing £40m in City Deal funding. Arup has worked closely with Carmarthenshire County Council and project stakeholders to develop a brief, explore design options and submit RIBA Stage 3
Accelerating urbanization is a worldwide phenomenon. Cities produce more than 70% of global CO2 emissions. This means that the choices that cities make have huge implications for the people and for the planet. The citizens are usually not involved in making decisions about construction materials in the cities, one reason
A £17.7m contract to deliver 113 new homes for Yorkshire Housing has been awarded to contractor Tolent. The development in Menston includes a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes and will be available for a mix of tenures including shared ownership, right to buy and affordable rent. The
New packaging design simplifies product choice Industry-leading 10:1 compression ratio upgrade makes transport, storage and handling even more efficient, and cuts products’ carbon footprint Packaging will use recycled content, less ink and is even easier to recycle Introduction of Rocksilk® as the brand for its Rock Mineral Wool range Knauf
PwC’s new Merchant Square offices will ‘transform city into a global centre of innovation’ Leading construction and fit-out company, Gilbert-Ash, has handed over one of the most ground-breaking projects to be completed in Northern Ireland in recent years. The award-winning company was the fit-out contractor for PwC at Merchant Square, a £14million project which has created 200,000 sq ft of Grade A office space over nine floors in Belfast city centre. The offices will accommodate up to 3,000 employees at the former Oyster and Royston buildings, in the heart of the business district and adjacent to the City Hall. Gilbert-Ash Managing Director, Ray Hutchinson said the new offices are one of the most digitally advanced spaces in the city and will cement Belfast’s position as a global centre of innovation. He said: “We are always very proud to work on landmark buildings, but this project in our home city is one we are particularly proud of as Merchant Square has the power to be truly transformative for Belfast. “While the building boasts an array of technology, the design features include elements of the industries which Belfast has been built upon. It is a celebration of our past while looking to the future with great confidence. “The interiors within PwC’s offices incorporates the city’s industrial and linen heritage as well as a number of Northern Ireland’s high-profile landmarks, such as the internationally iconic Harland & Wolff cranes. Themes running throughout the building have also been inspired by the city’s ship building and aviation industries. “The building also reflects the geography of Belfast with the River Lagan and Botanic Gardens incorporated into intricately crafted bespoke interiors.” The landmark building incorporates technology-enabled client collaboration and event spaces. It also includes a state-of-the-art digital hub that will provide the infrastructure and environment to inspire and support innovation. Ray Hutchinson said: “We have worked with excellent local partners to bring this fit-out project to life, with advanced logistical planning and management during what has been a challenging year for many industries, including construction. “This is a building which will help foster an excellent working environment and help inspire and attract the best people to work in Belfast. We are very proud to be handing it over to PwC now.” PwC in Northern Ireland is PwC UK’s fastest-growing UK region and Merchant Square represents its largest regional office outside London. Kevin MacAllister, PwC’s Regional Market Leader, Northern Ireland said: “This is an exciting time for PwC, and we are very proud to be moving into our stand-out new home at Merchant Square delivered by the excellent team at Gilbert-Ash. “Belfast is PwC’s recognised global centre for technology, digital advisory services and research and is a major exporter of technology and regulatory advisory services. “This move underlines the PwC Executive Board’s confidence in Northern Ireland, and we have already begun a major recruitment drive with 771 jobs being created over the next five years. “Merchant Square will enable PwC to continue to grow in local, national and international markets from Belfast.” Gilbert-Ash attributes its continued success to its ‘As One’ approach and its unique working culture and family environment as an employee-owned company. It continues to complete a broad portfolio of successful construction projects across sectors including arts and culture, workplace, hotels and leisure, science and technology, retail and residential. To find out more about Gilbert-Ash visit www.gilbert-ash.com.
James Jones & Sons Timber Systems Division has recently announced its latest release of its JJI Design Software. The new software is the most advanced release to date with a number of significant improvements and enhanced design features. General Manager, Angus Macfarlane, said “Our software department has developed this new release over the past six months to reflect customer and industry feedback. The new features include a number of design efficiencies in addition to a 3D model export. The continual investment in the JJI Design software has been part of our Group innovation strategy and the latest release is one of several innovations to be developed recently”. James Jones & Sons Timber Systems Division has a dedicated technical support team and will be conducting training sessions with key users of the software over the summer.
Civil engineering specialist GRAHAM has reached a major milestone on the new M11 Junction 7a project at Harlow, Essex, following the installation of the structural steel beams to create a new overbridge at the junction. The new Mores Overbridge will form an integral part of the infrastructure project, which has been funded through Highways England and Essex County Council to create a new junction between the existing junctions 7 at Harlow and 8 at Stansted on the M11, providing a new east-west link through the Essex town. Along with a new link road and upgrade to Gilden Way in Harlow, the junction will improve access to the area’s busy road network, helping facilitate growth and creating better connectivity for residents, businesses and visitors. The new Mores Overbridge links the eastern and western sides of the new M11 Junction 7a which, via a ‘dumbbell roundabout’ arrangement, will provide full connectivity with new northbound and southbound on-slips and off-slips. GRAHAM’s project team completed the beam installation over a two-week period to include offline rigging and de-rigging of the main lifting crane. Four overnight closures of the M11 were utilised to allow the safe lifting and installation of the beams. The closures also allowed for the installation of all the permanent formwork panels to the deck and the installation of the permanent bracing between the pairs of beams. Working in collaboration with Highways England the closures were further used for other maintenance works on the M11 preventing the need for numerous other closures and therefore minimising the impact on the road users. David Slevin, Project Manager for GRAHAM, said: “We are really pleased to have completed this significant milestone of the M11 Junction 7a scheme. The scale of the overall operation to complete these works was huge. With a 600t capacity crawler crane being deployed for the main lifts the establishment of the crane platforms, crane assembly area and beam assembly and delivery areas proved highly challenging tasks. “Thankfully, we were able to call on the vast engineering experience of our team and the teams of our supply chain partners to complete the delivery, lifting and installations without any issues arising. We now shift our focus onto the next phase of works in this important infrastructure project which will provide major benefits for Harlow and its surrounding areas.” The major earthworks operations and drainage installation works on the scheme are also underway on the junction and link road into Harlow. With these due for completion in autumn 2021 the surfacing, fencing, landscaping and other finishing works will then continue into 2022. Significant surfacing works to the widened existing Gilden Way carriageway are also due to commence in June with a strategic series of planned weekend closures being utilised to allow the works to be completed safely and efficiently. The £39.5m M11 Junction 7a scheme has been funded through Highways England, the Department for Transport, Essex County Council and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and is scheduled for opening next year.
When two parties begin talking about a contract, the general assumption is that the client has already found the right contractor for their project or vice versa. But depending on the details exchanged during the preceding meetings, it may not always be the case. Sometimes, both parties don’t get a full grasp of what they’re getting into until they’re presented with a detailed contract. But if a contract appears to be too simple, there may be something lacking. Contracts should serve as legal protection for both parties in case something unexpected happens such as disputes or disagreements. But more importantly, it should make the terms of services crystal clear for both parties. If you’re working with a construction service provider for a project, your contract should have the following vital provisions to make sure it will serve its purpose well when issues arise. 1. The Scope Of Work Aside from the job description, the construction contract should also indicate in detail the service provider’s job responsibilities and their extent. Because of the amount of detail it usually entails, the scope of work sometimes has an entire page on its own, attached as a part of the contract. It should include Work stages Task descriptions Timeframes Periodic deliverables A detailed scope of work will reduce future discrepancies especially when it comes to what the service provider should or shouldn’t do. It should be error-free, accurate, and complete. Otherwise, a time-consuming amendment will have to be done later. To be more precise, it may also include an exclusions clause, which will specify in detail the tasks that are not part of the service provider’s responsibilities. 2. The Contract Duration Often called the ‘time is of the essence’ or TOE clause, this emphasizes the importance of the timeframe both parties agreed to in a project. This usually contains an enforceable commencement date and completion date, which is the best solution to prevent project delays and added costs. This also means that delays, in case they occur, may be used by clients as grounds to cancel the service or the contract. 3. Terms of Payment Another provision in a construction contract that requires as many details as possible is the terms of payment. It should include the total amount payable once the services are completed, including the breakdown and schedule of payments. This clause should also indicate the actions that both parties may take when payment issues occur such as delays, incomplete payments, or failure to pay. These terms should be clear in the contract, including any percentage that the client can hold until the successful completion of the contracted work. 4. Limitation Of Liability When issues that can cause disagreement between the contracting parties arise, the limitation of liability (LOL) clause will help avoid further disputes. It acts as a waiver in the event of consequential damages and losses, helps avoid litigations, and puts a cap on the extent of compensation that either party may be liable to in such events. However, both parties will usually have to negotiate this part of the contract, especially for larger scale projects. If you’re not certain about what’s reasonable and what’s not, it’s best to contact a business law attorney Miami to make sure you won’t be getting the short end of the stick. 5. The Indemnity Clause Similar to the limitation of liability, an indemnity clause or hold harmless clause addresses the issue of losses and damages throughout the contract period. However, unlike the LOL clause that protects the service provider more, the indemnity clause protects both parties. Essentially, indemnity clauses are a form of risk management that transfers liabilities. When one party commits an action that poses risks to the other party, the party that committed the act cannot involve the other party in their legal responsibilities. This clause may be written with the limitation of liability and should include the trigger events, the responsible parties, and the extent or limit of coverage. 6. Dispute Resolution Clause It’s essential for a contract to stipulate how parties will resolve disputes if and when they arise. It reduces the chances of the project stalling when parties can’t seem to agree on how to go about an issue or conflict. The standard dispute resolution methods include arbitration, mediation, litigation, and adjudication. Even though the contracting parties aren’t anticipating anything to go wrong during the contract period, it’s always best to be prepared. A dispute may arise years after the project is complete, especially if the contract failed to include a vital provision. With the dispute resolution clause in place, when issues arise, both parties will be able to resolve them faster. It may also help salvage work relationships that may have been affected by disputes. 7. Termination Clause Having to terminate a service provided for a project is often complex, especially when a contract lacks this clause. The termination clause indicates the situations under which either party may end the contract, including their obligations. This allows the contracting parties to terminate their agreement mutually when the other party is in breach. It should briefly discuss the process that leads to termination, such as issuing a notice, a warning, and even a short period that provides an opportunity for the other party to rectify their violation. This section of the contract must be specific to ensure that each party understands the circumstances that may warrant the contract to end. Takeaway A construction contract should be as detailed as possible and should have provisions that are fair for both parties. When drafted properly, this contract is what will help you facilitate a smooth project with realistic and enforceable timeframes. It will minimise disputes, help resolve issues promptly, and create a better sense of responsibility from both parties when it comes to their obligations. More importantly, it will help protect you against potential legal entanglements in the future. To make sure your construction contract is legally binding, you can seek the assistance of a legal professional in your jurisdiction.
Innovation is the main driver of modern progress. The world does not stand still every year. Many companies offer new technological gadgets or options that can improve the lives of many people. Innovation parks are intermediary platforms that help universities and institutes to promote new technologies. Here companies can find interesting technological solutions or receive funding from large investors. Why are innovation parks so special, and who Is attracted to them? Let’s find this out. High Concentration of Technology and Genius People Any innovation park is a place where you can see new technologies in their infancy or at the stage of prototyping. Many scientists, engineers, and designers are genius enough to create something special, but it all comes down to insufficient funding. Innovation parks allow you to find funding and continue the development of the project. Many people got a second chance just because they decided to make their designs and future goals public. It is worth noting that even students can take part in events held in innovation parks. You need to delegate some of the papers to prepare for the presentation of your project. Open the scamfighter.net website and find out which writing services are trusted. Then you will not take risks and can become part of the innovation by presenting your developments. A Large Number of Potentially Beneficial Ideas Let’s say you are looking for a specific technology to automate your business processes or reduce costs. Sometimes independent research can take decades, especially if you don’t have your research team. But what if you visit an innovation park and see a prototype that can fundamentally change the way you do business or organize certain processes? This will be the beginning of a new stage in your life. Typically, innovation parks are a key foothold for your business to find new ways to grow and improve your products. Moreover, new technologies are a modern trend. What seems unobvious today may become an international trend in a year. That is why many companies visit such parks to see a potentially profitable area for investment. Why Are Innovation Parks So Special? To answer this question, let’s take a look at Silicon Valley. This is a Stanford University project that appeared to be stillborn in its early stages. However, now this innovation park is where famous companies create and present unique technologies and products. Imagine 32 square kilometers where the offices of innovative companies are located. Business investors can look forward to a steady flow of highly qualified graduates. Thanks to this, companies get the opportunity to grow and generate new ideas constantly. In addition to annual exhibitions and innovation forums, Silicon Valley has become one of the first innovation parks where a full-fledged infrastructure has been created to implement all ideas and concepts. Any student can get a chance to become famous here, provided they showcase a worthwhile technology or product. Read an honest 99papers review to delegate some papers. Then you will have more time to prepare your project and presentation. The Symbiosis of Knowledge and Investment It would be illogical to deny that innovation parks are an opportunity to bring something new to this world. Many university graduates have an unclouded mind and a real ambition to achieve success in the shortest possible time. They are the best employees or partners for business people. That is why many business structures are concentrated in innovation parks, and more and more investment projects are being implemented. Many companies are becoming part of innovation parks as new technologies and advances in the semiconductor industry allow the development of innovative products to meet the population’s growing needs. An excellent symbiosis of knowledge and investment allows everyone to implement many daring projects. Many students dream of becoming part of Silicon Valley and other parks. Why Are Innovation Parks Our Future? Any business needs new ideas, technologies, and a fresh look at old problems. That is why innovative parks are so relevant in our time. This is the easiest way to bring knowledge and money together in one place to create something truly great. Many companies like Google, Facebook, or Adobe have offices in Silicon Valley and other innovation parks. This is the best way to get a stream of graduates and develop new products. Final Words Innovation parks will remain relevant for many decades to come, as this model is the perfect symbiosis of funding and the search for new ideas. Humanity needs a foothold where business structures gather the most talented people to create new products and improve existing technologies. Every year the number of companies in such parks is growing steadily. It is an indicator of unrelenting progress and technology race. The world needs new ideas and developments, and it is innovative parks that can fully meet existing needs.
Prologis, the UK’s leading developer of industrial logistics parks, today announced plans to expand Prologis Park Midpoint, Birmingham, to provide more urban logistics facilities for customers in the Midlands. The company, which is headquartered in Solihull, recently acquired around nine acres of land adjacent to Prologis Park Midpoint and plans to develop a new warehouse facility of up to, 165,000 sq. ft on the site of the former fulfillment centre. The acquisition was facilitated by Coltham Developments who worked with Prologis to secure the land. Speaking about the expansion, Ian Romano, from the Capital Deployment & Leasing Team at Prologis UK, said: “This acquisition presents a rare opportunity to acquire a prime site in a well-established and highly sought-after logistics location in Birmingham. We’re very pleased to have worked closely with Coltham to secure this and look forward to delivering a further phase and expanding Prologis Park Midpoint, which already holds over 1.4m sq ft in five fully-leased buildings. “The Birmingham conurbation, is the second most populated region in the UK (behind London) and has a dwindling supply of land for industrial use, largely due to a loss of space to residential development and the constraints of the greenbelt. As a result, we could soon be facing the same problem as the capital, where there is limited space available for warehouses and distribution centres close to the businesses and homes that rely on their services. “Situated close to the M6, M6 toll and M42 motorways, and benefiting from excellent transport links for rail and air freight too, the planned new building at Prologis Park Midpoint will enable us to meet growing demand for urban logistics facilities within the UK’s logistics Golden Triangle.” Stuart Franks, Development Director at Coltham Developments Ltd, said: “Great to have completed the acquisition of this prime site for Prologis. It was a pleasure to work with Ian and his team, together with Simon Norton at Colliers CRE, who acted for the vendor, Asda. I wish Prologis every success with their proposals for the site moving forward to provide much needed logistics space within Birmingham.” Prologis Park Midpoint is one of 22 industrial parks owned and run by Prologis across the UK. Find more information about Prologis Park Midpoint here.
A landmark regeneration project on the outskirts of Llanelli has been given the go ahead by the UK and Welsh Governments, securing £40m in City Deal funding. Arup has worked closely with Carmarthenshire County Council and project stakeholders to develop a brief, explore design options and submit RIBA Stage 3 proposals for the Pentre Awel scheme which is due to start on site later this year. This innovative provision of social infrastructure will transform the post-industrial site to create a vibrant new amenity for the whole community. The Delta Lakes site, once home to a range of industries that made Llanelli prosperous in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, has remained undeveloped since the late twentieth century. Historic uses have left a legacy of contamination which this development will address as part of a site-wide regeneration to create a generous public landscape themed around health and wellbeing, while setting the context for future phases of development. The initial phase will bring together higher education and employment in life sciences businesses, community healthcare and modern leisure facilities – within a single building. The ‘one building’ solution brings together diverse user groups with the aim of improving outcomes for the Llanelli community, from health and wellbeing throughout the five life stages set out in the Welsh Government’s Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and addressing the UK Government’s post-covid ‘levelling up’ agenda in a community challenged by high levels of unemployment and chronic health conditions. This pioneering development is arranged as a series of five two and three-storey buildings connected by an enclosed street, its scale paying homage to the proportions of Llanelli’s historic core. A major driver of the design was a desire to maximise daylight throughout. Meanwhile, the landscaping seeks to bring the outside in, encouraging people to explore and remain active. It permeates into the courtyard entrances that erode the building form, and key spaces within enjoy spectacular views across the adjacent lake and west to the Loughor Estuary. A simple and robust palette of external materials have been selected to create a timeless, welcoming and low-maintenance building which responds to its context. The elevations of brick and profiled metal reflect the site’s industrial heritage, whilst the fractured massing avoids the scale of the building overwhelming its context. Roofs are profiled metal and green/brown roofs, with photovoltaic panels generating electricity which contributes to the renewable energy strategy. Sustainability is a central consideration, with a requirement to achieve BREEAM Excellent as a minimum, reducing embodied and operational energy where feasible within the budget constraints, thus minimising whole life impact. Jo Wright, Architecture Practice Leader, Arup, said: “Throughout the design process, we have adopted a holistic approach to sustainability, striving to maximise social, environmental and economic benefits in the long term. This scheme is a perfect exemplar for the post-Covid levelling up agenda, placing health and wellbeing at the heart of regeneration in one of the UK’s most deprived communities.” Carmarthenshire County Council Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole said: “Pentre Awel will be the first development of its scope and size in Wales delivering business, research, health, education and state-of-the-art leisure facilities all on one location along the Llanelli coastline. “It will generate a wide range of employment and training opportunities for local people while considerably boosting the local economy to further accelerate our economic recovery from Covid-19. “The designs showcase the council’s ambition to create a development that is landscape-led, connected to local communities and amenities and is sustainable and we are very excited that we will soon be in a position to start delivering this truly original development.” Pentre Awel is being delivered by Carmarthenshire County Council in partnership with Hywel Dda University Health Board, Universities and Colleges including Coleg Sir Gar, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea University and Cardiff University. The development will also include assisted living accommodation, along with a nursing home, a hotel, and elements of both open market and social and affordable housing.
Accelerating urbanization is a worldwide phenomenon. Cities produce more than 70% of global CO2 emissions. This means that the choices that cities make have huge implications for the people and for the planet. The citizens are usually not involved in making decisions about construction materials in the cities, one reason why concrete and steel predominate. To help both citizens and decision-makers push for more sustainable urban construction Architectural Democracy, Metsä Wood, and Accenture Interactive came together to explore how to turn todays’ rigid and exclusive urban construction process to a more inclusive and sustainable one – in a digital tool called Decisions.city. “The idea behind the movement of Architectural Democracy is to move away from opaque urban planning into a more open decision making process. There is no perfect mix of construction materials, but without including the voice of citizens we will continue to use traditional emissions-intensive materials”, Pedro Aibéo, architect and civil engineer, and the founder of the Architectural Democracy organization notes. Decisions.city is a showcase of a playful, yet informative online interaction platform that allows anyone to adjust the mix between different building materials; wood, concrete and steel – and to see the differences over time. “Decisions.city is an interactive experience that allows people to learn and understand how their city can develop in the future”, says Elliot White, Service Design Lead & Resident Architect at FJORD part of Accenture Interactive. “City structures are 90% concrete and steel, two of the single biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. Engineered wood products, like Kerto® LVL, store carbon and enable sustainable construction. We hope to increase citizens’ awareness of sustainable urban construction through participation and thereby contribute to finding new ways to make our cities sustainable, inclusive, resilient and safe”, says Jussi Björman, Director, Business Development, Construction, at Metsä Wood. Initial version of Decisions.city will be launched in conjunction with the 2021 Venice Biennale of Architecture to promote building a more sustainably, resilient and inclusive urban future. Try it out and see what the future of cities could look like: Decisions.city
A £17.7m contract to deliver 113 new homes for Yorkshire Housing has been awarded to contractor Tolent. The development in Menston includes a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes and will be available for a mix of tenures including shared ownership, right to buy and affordable rent. The development will be delivered on behalf of Yorkshire Housing who manages more than 18,000 affordable and social rent homes, and is supported with Homes England funding. Sian Grindley, director of development at Yorkshire Housing, said: “At Yorkshire Housing we’re passionate about building homes and communities that our customers are proud to live in and call home. Menston is a desirable location for many people and we’re proud to be able to offer a choice of homes at this site. “We’re excited about what we’re doing with smart technology here, which will benefit both the customer and the environment. We’re looking at how we can use innovative products at every stage, from the construction method itself through to the technology that our customers will use and benefit from. This is the first site that we’re looking to use structurally insulated panels for the build and we’re also considering a number of different smart tech options for the finished homes. This will mean greater resident control and it’ll also make it easier for us to monitor the energy performance of our rental homes. “Our progress means we can deliver more, much needed homes to the region and continue working towards our strategic priority of delivering 8,000 homes by 2030. We’re delighted that our hard work will give hundreds of people an opportunity to move into a high quality new home.” Tolent, who has regional bases across the North East and Yorkshire, will be using a mix of modern methods of construction (MMC) on a number of units, which would see the structure of some homes go from foundations to roof level in just one week. Other benefits of MMC ensure homes are more environmentally friendly, more energy efficient and reduces the carbon footprint of the development. Mike Brown, commercial director for Tolent said: “This is a fantastic win for us and we’re delighted to be working with the team at Yorkshire Housing to deliver this flagship scheme. “It’s a privilege to be involved in creating new, inclusive communities and we’ll also be delivering on our commitment to create employment and apprenticeship opportunities as well as engaging with local schools, colleges and universities.” Work is expected to start on site later this summer and is expected to complete in spring 2024. Tolent announced its intentions to expand its housing division further into Yorkshire in 2020 and has recently won a string of new contracts in the area. Contracts include a £2.6m project to create 14 affordable homes in Batley and a £4.1m job that will see 32 new homes delivered in Kirkbymoorside. Including work completed in 2020 and secured work into 2023, Tolent is set to deliver around 3,000 new homes covering both the private and public sector across the North East and Yorkshire.
New packaging design simplifies product choice Industry-leading 10:1 compression ratio upgrade makes transport, storage and handling even more efficient, and cuts products’ carbon footprint Packaging will use recycled content, less ink and is even easier to recycle Introduction of Rocksilk® as the brand for its Rock Mineral Wool range Knauf Insulation has launched new packaging to make it easier to choose, use, transport and handle its high-performance, non-combustible insulation products, and to further reduce their carbon footprint. The changes include new designs across the whole range, an upgrade taking its industry-leading compression technology to a 10:1 ratio, and new, more environmentally-friendly packaging. “We’ve listened to our customers, but we have also been proactive, trying to pre-empt future needs,” said Vanessa Rae, Marketing Director at Knauf Insulation Northern Europe. “We know how important it is to choose the right product for the application quickly, and move and store it efficiently, whether in-branch or on-site. We also know that sustainability matters more than ever, so we’ve taken these steps to reduce our products’ carbon footprint further so customers can rely on us to help them tick the green boxes for their projects.” The new packaging designs feature bigger and clearer product names. Products are colour-coded into thermal conductivity groups consistent across the whole Glass Mineral Wool range, and essential features such as the Euroclass A1 reaction to fire classification and ECOSE® Technology, Knauf Insulation’s unique bio-based binder, are more easily identifiable. The Earthwool® brand has been phased out to simplify the branding structure, and a new brand, Rocksilk®, has been introduced for its Rock Mineral Wool product range. The further upgrade of the compression technology on the Glass Mineral Wool range enables, on average, 15% more insulation per roll and 25% more packs on each pallet for slabs. Rae continued: “Space is always at a premium, whether in-branch, in a vehicle or on site, so we’ve pushed our industry-leading compression technology even further. It means less handling and transport, and more efficient storage for all our customers across the supply chain. It’s another example of how you always get more with Knauf Insulation.” These changes further reduce the company’s carbon footprint. Enhanced compression means more product per truck, fewer vehicles on the roads and less packaging is used per m2 of insulation. Knauf Insulation is also introducing a new packaging film made from a minimum of 30% recycled plastic, and the new designs use less ink, which makes the packaging even easier to recycle. This helps fulfil the commitments made in Knauf Insulation’s ‘For A Better World’ sustainability strategy. “By simplifying product choice and making our high-performance insulation more environmentally friendly, we’re ensuring our customers can focus on delivering better buildings” said Rae. To find out more, visit www.knaufinsulation.co.uk/the-best-keeps-getting-better.