The updated Part L regulations, due to be usurped by the incoming Future Homes Standard, provide official consensus on the need to build energy-efficient homes that are less impactful to the environment. This has instigated a rethink in building design and the type of materials that comprise key elements such as cavity walls to not only ensure homes comply with current energy standards, but are also suitably equipped to meet future legislation without the need for significant renovation. Part L regulations, which require new homes to produce 31% less CO2 than previous legislation, highlight a fabric-first approach to building design – along with renewable technologies such as heat pumps – as being integral to attaining the standard. Appropriate insulation is integral to the fabric first principle. A product’s thermal performance, thickness and usability being foremost considerations when compliant building performance and buildability is the target. The introduction of The Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) will help the specification process. How the Golden Thread Led to CCPI CCPI was initiated by the Construction Products Association’s Marketing Integrity Group in response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s post-Grenfell report: ‘Building a safer future – Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety’. Dame Judith’s report called for the creation of a “Golden Thread” of easily accessible information that blueprints a building’s DNA to safeguard its ongoing management. CCPI aligns with this report’s proposal by providing product information that is clear, accurate, current, accessible and unambiguous. In terms of insulation, this will help specifiers make more informed choices based on a product’s designed thermal performance, and how it is used safely and most effectively. As a manufacturer committed to best practice principles and improving building standards throughout the supply chain, Recticel recognises the value of CCPI in helping to create better-built homes that perform as-designed.   A Board that Fits with Housebuilding’s New Era With Recticel’s rigid full-fill insulation board, Eurowall® +, specifiers have a PIR product that embodies the drive for products that engender smarter working practices. A 90mm Eurowall® + board helps achieve a 0.18W/m2K U-value in 100mm masonry cavity walls. The resulting 10mm air gap makes the installation an easier, less labour-intensive process for bricklayers, which is also a benefit when budget constraints are in place.  Significant to Eurowall® + board’s design is a tongue and groove joint which appears on its four edges. This interlocking feature creates an airtight fit that reduces thermal bridging and moisture ingress. As a board that maximises thermal performance from minimal thickness, Eurowall® + also presents an opportunity for building designers to increase interior space whilst achieving compliance. Available in 90mm, 115mm, 140mm thicknesses, Eurowall® + brings an element of certainty to the building process; specifiers can be assured of its consistent thermal performance and long-term structural stability. Unlike fibrous insulation, which sags and degrades over time when damp sets in, Eurowall® + retains its strength to provide increased protection against moisture ingress and safeguard against thermal bridging. Eurowall® +, is the insulation board for housebuilding’s new era in which occupier comfort and well-being is matched by a focus on designing homes that are suitable for the cleaner, safer world we desire for generations to come. With that in mind, why wouldn’t you use Eurowall® +? Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Adaptavate has just released the testing done to date on Breathaboard, its pioneering low-carbon alternative to plasterboard, confirming that it hits, and in some cases exceeds, the wallboard industry standards. Developed over the last ten years with Adaptavate’s patented technology, Breathaboard is a drop-in solution to reduce CO2 emissions and waste in the wallboard market and the built environment. Adaptavate’s technology intends to make low-carbon, carbon storing and carbon-negative building products available to all. The company’s first solution, Breathaboard, focuses on the wallboard category and the news today confirms its potential to go mainstream. In fact, Adaptavate is already trialling the product across UK building sites and is in talks with global and regional plasterboard manufacturers about deploying its low-carbon technology and plasterboard alternative across the globe. Tom Robinson, founder and CEO at Adaptavate said: “This milestone is a result of the team’s hard work, and the backing we have had over the last two years in building our pilot production facility and labs from the Government and our investors. Our pilot line, commissioned successfully last year, is producing Breathaboard to the incumbent standard, with Adaptavate’s patented low-carbon technology. The announcement today confirms that Breathaboard is a validated drop-in solution for the wallboard market. It gives manufacturers and potential licensees of our technology the reassurance that Breathaboard can enter their markets really soon and is a critical step to realising our vision of bringing low-carbon building materials to walls all over the world.” Breathaboard has been tested by independent UKAS accredited laboratories and can be fully compliant with incumbent standard EN 520 in all applicable performance criteria -exceeding them in some cases. More information about the tests and the results, can be found on Adaptavate’s website. The product is a natural, scalable, carbon sequestering alternative to one of the most widely used construction products, plasterboard. Breathaboard has half the embodied carbon than that of its competitors. It can save up to 4kg of CO2/m2[1] in a market of around 13bn m2 capacity. What is more, this product is installed in the same way as plasterboard but is lighter weight. Adaptavate’s innovation can help the construction industry rapidly decarbonise without changing the way buildings are renovated or constructed.  Adaptavate is now putting plans to build an industrial demonstrator into action to speed up the scalability and adoption of its climate positive technology across the globe. [1] Breathaboard has a saving of approx. 4 Kg CO2 equiv. of GWP per m2 (compared with a standard board from one of the main players in the UK plasterboard market), when measured using the standard defined by EN 15804 +A2 and counting the biogenic storage of our bio aggregate (3 Kg/m2). All calculations are developed through an Adaptavate proprietary tool which has been independently verified by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Group. This tool not only calculates GWP but also environmental, energy and resource use parameters for in use impacts. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

An epoxy repair mortar was used to repair the damaged concrete substrate in a clarifier tank at a Wastewater Plant in the UK. The system achieved a complete cure despite being completely submerged in water due to a rainstorm during the curing period. In this way, the concrete resurfacing epoxy, Belzona 4131 (Magma-Screed), was an excellent alternative to concrete. It enabled the Customer to bypass the serious problems that would otherwise have arisen had poured concrete been used in the application instead of the epoxy mortar. Severely Damaged Concrete in Need of Repair The clarifier tank, 18 metres (59 ft) in diameter, was suffering from severe deterioration on the concrete base. This had been caused by the combined effects of corrosion and abrasion from the scrapers that run around the clarifier, moving sludge to the centre of the tank. The damaged concrete in the tank had led to a loss of efficiency of the scrapers and premature wear of the rubber scraper pads. In addition, this had caused the pumps operating downstream to become damaged by the pieces of the broken concrete which had been sucked downstream with the sludge. Repouring concrete onto the base of the tank was considered as a repair solution. However, this was deemed inappropriate as the bond to the original concrete would be insufficient. Specification of Epoxy Repair Mortar, Belzona 4131 (Magma-Screed) Following an inspection by Douglas Potts, Senior Fields Solutions Engineer at Belzona UK, the epoxy repair mortar, Belzona 4131 (Magma-Screed), along with Belzona 4911 (Magma TX Conditioner), were specified. Belzona 4131 (Magma-Screed) was selected due to its excellent mechanical properties as well as its abrasion resistance capabilities. In addition, as this system can be fully cured in just three days in temperatures of 15°C (59°F), this makes it an excellent alternative to concrete which concrete typically takes around 28 days to achieve a full cure.   To accompany this specification, case studies and test data were supplied demonstrating the strength and adhesion capabilities of Belzona 4131 (Magma-Screed) to concrete. This, along with the fact that the Customer had used Belzona technology in successful applications before, further cemented their decision to opt for the polymeric technology. Application of Concrete Resurfacing Epoxy Firstly, the surface was power washed, and mechanically prepared using grinders and scabblers. Next, the clarifier was marked into sections and each section was then conditioned with Belzona 4911 (Magma TX Conditioner), using a stiff bristled brush. Screed rails were then used to set the level of the Belzona 4131 (Magma-Screed). 4,500 kg (9920.8 lbs) of Belzona 4131 (Magma-Screed) was then applied using metal floats to a thickness of 6mm (0.24 in).   During the curing process, a rainstorm hit the site and the tank was submerged in water. After the storm, the tank was drained and destructive testing was conducted, with support from Belzona Limited’s Research and Development team, on the patch most recently laid. Other than slight cosmetic damage of surface whitening, the system was found to be fully cured and unaffected. A very different outcome would have been observed had the Customer chosen to use poured concrete for the repair and such flooding occurred. An Alternative to ConcreteThe application and cure was completed in eight days. Had the Customer chosen to use the poured concrete method to repair the substrate, the application and cure would have taken weeks to be completed, rather than days. Thus, by opting for the epoxy repair mortar, this ensured that minimal disruption was incurred to the Plant’s operations.     For more information, please visit: www.belzona.co.uk    Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Tobermore, one of the UK & Ireland’s leading construction manufacturers, has announced that it will be investing £12 million to expand its operations to meet growing demand driven by current and anticipated growing demand for new residential homes. To kick start the expansion, the company will invest £4 million in new jobs across Great Britain and Ireland, including the creation of a dedicated technical design team to support its commercial customers. This will be followed by the construction of a new £8 million state-of-the-art production facility at its manufacturing site in Tobermore. “We know the industry is preparing for considerable growth in the construction of new homes and infrastructure, and this investment shows that Tobermore is ready to support our customers across the supply chain as they design, build, and supply the materials for their projects,” explained Kathryn Robinson, Head of Sales at Tobermore. “These plans will ensure that we have the right people, facilities, and equipment in place to produce the products they need at scale, so we can meet both the immediate need and an anticipated upsurge in customer demand.” To address immediate capacity requirements driven by an increase in customer demand, Tobermore has also introduced additional night shifts in its manufacturing facilities. Over the next few months, the company will also recruit 34 people to increase the technical and specification support available for customers. This includes a technical support service to help with permeable paving, retaining walls and landscape visualisations. They will also be recruiting 10 new roles within the commercial / Business-to-Business team, including two national housebuilder managers, as well as 11 new specification managers to support its continually growing customer base in Great Britain. “By extending our design, technical, specification, and account teams, we will be able to provide groundworkers with the dedicated support they need for every stage of the build process,” added Kathryn. “We can provide everything from a complete design and visualisation service to the technical information needed to deliver everything from permeable paving to structural walls on site.” As well as recruiting new staff, the company has made 11 internal promotions.  Anna McAleer, currently Head of Specification (National) & Commercial Sales (Ireland), and Lee Blackburn, Head of Commercial Sales (GB), will be promoted to Joint Heads of Strategic Growth in Britain. “We value our people and always look to reward their hard work and dedication by promoting internally,” added Laura McGlade, Head of People at Tobermore. “We do everything we can to equip our teams with the right resources, expertise, skills and training to empower them to progress and develop their careers with us.” In addition, Tobermore will make a £8m investment in the construction of a new 3,000m2 factory. This will be able to produce over 1,000,000m2 paving blocks a year, increasing the company’s block paving production by 25%. The facility will be equipped with industry leading manufacturing equipment that will deliver high quality paving products at speed. “Our customers are facing an incredible challenge to build more homes and commercial projects, including public realm and healthcare, and to do this quickly to very high standards,” explained Kathryn. “This investment demonstrates our commitment to supporting our customers. Increasing our production capacity means we will be able to not just meet but exceed anticipated demand, so they can keep on building.” This is just the latest investment in a series of expansion projects by Tobermore to support its ambitious growth plans. The company opened its £10 million production facility in 2020, expanding block paving production capacity, and its £8.6 million manufacturing unit in 2022 to increase production of paving slabs. These two investments have enabled the company to scale up overall block paving production by approximately 25% and slab production by approximately 40% compared to this time 5 years ago. To register and find out about jobs at Tobermore, visit our current career opportunities page.   Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Leading building products supplier, Aggregate Industries, has today reached an important milestone with the inflation of its dome silo airform in Tilbury. This structure will form an integral part of the new state-of-the-art cement import, manufacturing and distribution facility at Tilbury docks which is currently under construction. Once operational in 2026, this facility will allow Aggregate Industries to serve its customers 24/7 with conventional, low carbon and circular cementitious materials from 5 loading heads. The innovative dome structure is one of only a handful of its kind in the UK and offers a compelling alternative to traditional large-scale industrial storage facilities. Due to its large storage capacity, the dome silo provides a viable long-term solution to manage supply and demand fluctuations across the construction sector. Contractor Dome Technology LLC inflated the airform and will now commence placing nearly 4,500m3 of sprayed and wet mix concrete to form the 45m tall, 32m diameter dome silo, which will eventually store 30,000 tonnes of cement. “This new facility is a strategic investment in both the infrastructure of Tilbury and in Aggregate Industries’ mission to lead in supplying low-carbon, sustainable construction solutions,” said Project Manager, Tim Fry. “The dome silo maximises storage capacity with minimum footprint, and reflects Aggregate Industries’ proactive commitment to embrace new innovative technologies.” CEO of Dome Technology, Bradley Bateman, says, “Dome Technology and Aggregate Industries worked closely together to develop the most efficient and economical solution for this project, relying on the many decades of industry experience and innovation from both teams.  When completed this facility will be state of the art and the result of the teams’ collaborative dynamic ability to innovate and find solutions.” Tilbury’s strategic location amplifies the facility’s impact by enhancing supply chain resilience across the region. This landmark project marks a significant investment in the local economy, creating job opportunities and providing new business for suppliers and trades involved in its construction and operation. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Knauf Insulation has completed a major upgrade of its glass mineral wool manufacturing plant in St Helens which features UK-first forming technology to enable new product capability. The upgrade has increased roll, slab and blowing wool capacity by up to 25,000 tonnes, added new product capability and further reduced the embodied carbon of products made at the site, the largest glass mineral wool plant in the UK. The upgraded plant was officially reopened yesterday by Knauf Group General Partner Alexander Knauf and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, alongside representatives from St Helens Borough Council and senior personnel from the Knauf Insulation Group. “Glass mineral wool insulation is central to meeting the UK’s housebuilding and energy efficiency needs,” said Neil Hargreaves, Managing Director, Knauf Insulation Northern Europe. “This upgrade means we can deliver increased volumes and enhanced products for our customers to meet rising demand for warmer, safer and sustainable homes with lower energy bills.” The plant now features UK-first forming technology that will enable Knauf Insulation to create the next generation of low thermal conductivity, non-combustible glass mineral wool products and add thicker options to its existing ranges. The extensive programme of work involved over 1,100 contractors over a six-month period. It included installation of a larger plant furnace which is used to melt the main raw material of glass cullet, collected via local household recycling. Touring the plant, Steve Rotheram said “I’ve really enjoyed the visit and the tour of the new facilities. What it shows is a real demonstration of confidence, not only in the product or even in the process, but in the people of this area. St Helens is famous for glass. With a facility like this we’re going to be right at the forefront of investment and the economic growth that stems from it. It’s great for the City Region.” Knauf Group General Partner Alexander Knauf commented “Our people make things happen. What I saw here today makes me feel extremely proud. It’s incredible what the team has achieved over the last months. To make such a project happen has taken a true team effort from everyone.  They have done an amazing job to help make tomorrow a home for all of us.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

XPO, a leading provider of innovative and sustainable end-to-end logistics solutions across Europe, has opened a new warehouse site in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, with its long-term partner Saint-Gobain UK. The Wakefield Northern Distribution Centre is a dedicated operation for Saint-Gobain UK (SGUK) in the north of England and designed to operate as a multi-functional site with the customer at its heart. The centre supports multiple manufacturing operations in the North and the Midlands, providing new distribution capability for Saint-Gobain UK brands and enabling Saint-Gobain to accelerate its plans for multi-brand site deliveries for customers. Dual-branded with XPO Logistics and Saint-Gobain livery, the site operates as a multi-brand one-stop shop for warehousing, backhaul and distribution to end customers. In addition, by focusing on backhaul activity, both partners can significantly reduce carbon emissions from their logistics operations and benefit from a positive Health and Safety impact. Anika Sharma, Customer Service & Supply Chain Director, Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions UK, said: “This new site is strategically vital for us, and we are delighted to have created it in collaboration with one of our key partners, XPO Logistics. The centre strengthens our existing logistics offering and allows us to expand and explore exciting new opportunities to benefit our customers.” The site has been leased long-term and provides a strategic stock-holding location for Saint-Gobain’s manufacturing facilities, including where XPO Logistics will offer several value-added services such as accelerating consolidated product delivery across multiple Saint-Gobain brands. This will result in multiple Saint-Gobain brand products being delivered to the customer on one vehicle, as opposed to orders being received on multiple delivery vehicles, which was the case in the past. The warehouse can store 2.5m square metres of plasterboard and has 1,500 racking locations for palletised goods. The forklift trucks on site are all electric, further reducing CO2e emissions. Other warehouse innovations in the pipeline include use of ATVs, robot sweepers, a proprietary warehouse management system, and stock–taking drones. The latter development significantly impacts health and safety, thanks to the reduced need for colleagues to work at height. Dan Myers, managing director—UK and Ireland, XPO Logistics, said: “It’s great to see what our teams collectively have achieved with this new distribution centre. Working together, this facility is a significant step for Saint-Gobain’s supply chain, helping to support our partner’s sustainability agenda whilst enhancing its customer service. I want to thank the team for the seamless delivery of this project against ambitious timelines.” The eventual aim is for the site to become a fulfilment centre stocking products from across the Saint-Gobain UK brand family that can be dispatched directly to the consumer. XPO Logistics is a leading innovative supply chain company in Europe, offering end-to-end logistics solutions that combine full-truckload, less-than-truckload, pallet distribution, last-mile delivery, global freight forwarding, and warehousing services. The company tailors its solutions to the specific needs of its customers in a wide range of industrial and consumer sectors. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Denmark-based ROCKWOOL Group is pleased to announce it is acquiring Wetherby Building Systems Ltd. The acquisition marks an important milestone in ROCKWOOL’s quest to expand its façade expertise in the UK. Wetherby Building Systems Ltd, headquartered in Golborne, Greater Manchester, is a leading UK supplier for external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS). Wetherby will become part of the ROCKWOOL Wall Systems organisation under the new designation Wetherby Wall Systems, joining counterpart organisations that include ETICS specialists HECK Wall Systems in Germany and FAST Wall Systems in Poland. Importance of the acquisition The energy efficiency of buildings plays an important role in meeting the UK’s commitment to reaching net zero by 2050. ROCKWOOL Group CEO Jes Munk Hansen states, “This acquisition underlines ROCKWOOL’s commitment to further expanding our presence in the UK market and to continuing to transform the construction sector towards sustainable and non-combustible façade solutions. The share of stone wool insulation in the Wetherby business has been growing steadily, and we will be completing this transition to a fully stone wool-based portfolio, as we have done in other markets in the past.” For Wetherby Building Systems Ltd, this acquisition is a significant step in its long-term development. The company will continue its existing partnerships with developers, customers, and suppliers. Wetherby Managing Director Bob Deane comments: “There is a long-standing relationship between Wetherby and ROCKWOOL, and the match is strong on all significant drivers, from business model and technology to company culture and values. I am convinced that inside the ROCKWOOL organisation, Wetherby will meet its full potential for wall system solutions.” The transaction does not affect ROCKWOOL’s financial expectations for 2024. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals