B&Q opens its new Colchester store at Stane Park Colchester is B&Q’s first purpose-built digital store as the brand commits to e-commerce growth The Mayor declares the store officially open with ribbon cutting ceremony B&Q’s new Colchester store was declared officially open today with a formal cutting of the ribbon
High security composite panels specialist Modular Security Solutions is providing the building sector with additional protection for people and assets, following the successful fire testing of its brand-new ULTRA composite panel system. The Newcastle upon Tyne-based firm’s high security ULTRA composite panel system has now been tested to BS476- Resistance
With its high-quality wellTEC®, colTEC® and planTEC® design sheets, MN Metall has always stood for individual facade design. Now the company has further expanded its portfolio with the wellTEC® vario product line. Under this name, MN Metall offers facade profiles that combine 2, 3 or even more different corrugated, trapezoidal,
Europe’s leading provider of low carbon cement solutions, Ecocem, has opened a world-class innovation centre in Paris to accelerate the development of new technology and products that will help the cement and construction industries decarbonise more quickly. The dedicated centre, known as the Centre of Excellence, will enable Ecocem’s innovation
Plymouth University is piloting the use of an ancient building material called cob to construct a new generation of energy-efficient homes. They have started building a single storey 32-square-metre lab and classroom next to the university’s sustainability hub out of the material which is a mix of soil, water, straw
Stewart Milne Group is selling its market leading timber systems business to focus on investing in the growth of Stewart Milne Homes across Scotland and North-west England. The independent housebuilder and manufacturer of timberframe for offsite construction is capitalising on Stewart Milne Timber Systems’ (SMTS) position as the recognised UK
A Welsh company that has worked on many of Wales’ most iconic buildings is celebrating a key anniversary by giving to and helping charities – rather than holding a physical celebration. AB Glass, an award-winning architectural aluminium and access control specialist, marks its 30th anniversary – and will celebrate by
Leading ceiling systems manufacturer Zentia announces brand relaunch. Zentia, the UK’s market leader in complete ceiling solutions, is putting customers at the heart of its brand and marketing strategy. Following Zentia’s rebrand, which evolved from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions last year, the ‘Above all, you’ campaign will communicate what that means
New research released during Gas Safety Week finds that over half of Brits are open to owning a hydrogen boiler – but despite 90% knowing they are more sustainable than existing natural gas units, most would rather someone else try one first… Sustainability is a huge topic, and we are
Brett Martin’s underground drainage systems including StormCrate55, an engineered Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS), have been specified for a new assisted living facility in Derbyshire. Located in the Brampton area of Chesterfield, the Catherine Street facility features six self-contained apartments and six new build specialist bungalows. Built by contractor Horsman Construction
B&Q opens its new Colchester store at Stane Park Colchester is B&Q’s first purpose-built digital store as the brand commits to e-commerce growth The Mayor declares the store officially open with ribbon cutting ceremony B&Q’s new Colchester store was declared officially open today with a formal cutting of the ribbon by the Mayor of Colchester, Councillor Robert Davidson. Relocated from B&Q Lightship Way to Stane Park’s brand-new retail park, B&Q is the first to open at the new development. This latest opening is one of the largest B&Q stores to open in the last decade. It combines instore shopping missions with digital fulfilment, fully representing B&Q’s commitment to grow e-commerce with stores at the centre. Caroline Voutsinas, B&Q Stane Park, Store Manager, said: “DIY has really captured the imagination of the nation over the past 18-months, so our new and improved B&Q in Colchester is very timely, giving Colchester DIY-ers and tradespeople a much improved store experience with plenty of exciting new features to make home improvement easier than ever. I cannot wait to welcome the local community into the store.” The new store offers a huge range of products for all home improvement needs, as well as: A purpose-built garden centre with a dedicated garden showroom A convenient and expert led tool hire option from Speedy Services, the UK’s leading tool & equipment hire company A brand-new showroom featuring the latest kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms in interactive, inspirational displays A dedicated load and go area for TradePoint customers to support bulk orders and easy access A brand new ‘shop in a shop’ for workwear, a first for B&Q A digital hub to support store to home delivery Services including paint mixing and Click + Collect via diy.com The new store is open 7 days a week: Monday-Saturday 7am-8pm, and on Sunday 11am-4pm. B&Q Lightship Way closed its doors on 21 October. B&Q is continuing to encourage customers to wear face coverings and has maintained social distancing measures to help customers shop safely. For more information, including inspirational ideas and practical advice on home improvement, visit DIY.com
High security composite panels specialist Modular Security Solutions is providing the building sector with additional protection for people and assets, following the successful fire testing of its brand-new ULTRA composite panel system. The Newcastle upon Tyne-based firm’s high security ULTRA composite panel system has now been tested to BS476- Resistance to fire at a UKAS (the United Kingdom Accreditation Service) approved fire testing facility and achieves 120 minutes on both integrity and insulation. Testing on the new product line will give Modular Security Solutions’ customers additional peace of mind. It will also broaden the company’s ability to support building contractors, security contractors, facilities managers, and end users with fire-tested panel systems in areas of high vulnerability, where defence against enhanced professional criminal attempts to access high value assets is required. To gain the BSEN 476 certification, the panels were tested for 120 minutes for integrity and insulation. Integrity measures the system’s ability to stop flames or hot gases from passing from the ‘fire side’ to the non-fire side through openings such as panel joints and interfaces within the testing culvert, while insulation relates to the system’s ability to limit the surface temperature rise on the non-fire side. During the UKAS-accredited testing procedure, the company’s ULTRA security composite panels were installed into a concrete testing rig and subjected to resistance testing from a furnace, which reaches temperatures of up to 1200°C. Modular Security Solutions’ ULTRA composite panel system has been designed and tested to resist enhanced professional criminal attacks from a wide range of tooling, including not only mechanical and electrical power tools but also petrol driven disc grinders and chainsaw tooling elements. Modular Security Solutions designs and supplies high security walling systems and enclosures which can be used to create new buildings and superstructures. They can also be retro-fit into existing buildings to security harden and fire-proof specifically identified areas. Modular Security Solutions’ high security composite panels are manufactured with a fire retardant rockwool insulative core, to support fire resistance, and steel anti-cutting layers which ensure they have high levels of resistance to mechanical, electrical and petrol-driven tooling. The high security composite panelling systems are fully modular and versatile. They can be rapidly installed and offer a significant reduction in labour costs, site down time and on-site trades, due to their convenient male/female slip joint and pre-finished appearance, which comes in a wide range of standard colours and finishes. Mark Sutherland, Projects Director of Modular Security Solutions, said: “We’re very proud to have achieved this two-hour fire testing pass for the ULTRA composite panel system, as the testing process is extremely rigorous. “The excellent performance of our panels during testing demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that fire safety and physical security are built into the sensitive environments and projects our systems are part of. “Our panels’ combination of high security capabilities, fire resistance and build flexibility gives contractors a cost-effective solution for protecting high-risk areas, such as data centres, server rooms, laboratories and vaults.” Modular Security Solutions offers a complimentary Security Design Package with every project, which details secure installation methods and ensures the interfaces between its systems and doors, windows, ventilation louvres and service penetrations are inbuilt and secure. For more information on Modular Security Solutions, visit https://www.modularsecurity.co.uk
With its high-quality wellTEC®, colTEC® and planTEC® design sheets, MN Metall has always stood for individual facade design. Now the company has further expanded its portfolio with the wellTEC® vario product line. Under this name, MN Metall offers facade profiles that combine 2, 3 or even more different corrugated, trapezoidal, square or zigzag profiles. The fact that very different shapes can thus be combined with each other means that deliberate contrasts can be set within the facade sheet. There are hardly any limits to the design ideas of architects and facade planners, and the question to MN should not be “What products do you have to offer?” but rather “What vision can you make come true for us?”. Wave, zigzag, square, trapezoid…in this order or completely different? With an individual hole pattern or an offset round perforation? With a regular or irregular grid? Made of aluminum, stainless steel or copper? No matter how the more than 60 different profile types from MN Metall are combined with each other, whether perforations or grids are applied or which material is chosen – a facade clad with wellTEC® vario will be unique in this form, because it is manufactured individually for the customer. The company manufactures the wellTEC® vario facade sheets in a process-safe manner from pre-material up to 2,000 mm wide in various thicknesses and construction widths. How the profiles look in practice is already shown by some projects that MN Metall has executed. These include the IPF-Treff Bopfingen and the Fächerbad Karlsruhe. The facade of the IPF-Treff shopping center, which covers a total of 1,635 m², was clad with wellTEC® vario SQ-40/20-20/20, made of gold-colored coated 55HX® aluminum in 1 mm. Part of the facade has offset round perforations. The special highlight: the facade cladding contains a Morse code – so for the insiders, the name of the shopping center can be read in it. The wellTEC® vario facade profile used for the Fächerbad Karlsruhe is a combination of the W-45/60 and W-45/150 profiles. Coated in the color Onyx White Blue, it gives the building an exclusive outer skin that appears in two shades depending on the angle of view and is reminiscent of reflective, moving waves.
Europe’s leading provider of low carbon cement solutions, Ecocem, has opened a world-class innovation centre in Paris to accelerate the development of new technology and products that will help the cement and construction industries decarbonise more quickly. The dedicated centre, known as the Centre of Excellence, will enable Ecocem’s innovation team to focus on testing, evaluating, and improving its new ultra-low carbon solutions which reduce the carbon footprint of the traditional cement manufacturing process by half. Ecocem has always been a first mover. For more than 20 years, the company has led the development of cement which emits just 200kg of CO2 per tonne, compared to the more than 600kg of traditional cement. It currently provides the lowest carbon cement ever used in Europe at scale, reducing the CO2 footprint by over a factor of eight. At the new Centre of Excellence, the Ecocem innovation team will run industrial-sized trials in collaboration with trusted industry partners and universities including Paris-Saclay University and The University of Toulouse. Located in France’s largest research cluster, the Centre’s opening follows recent backing of Ecocem from Breakthrough Energy Ventures – a coalition of private investors led by Bill Gates, supporting innovations that will lead the world to net zero emissions. Laurent Frouin, Ecocem’s Innovation Director, said: “Ecocem is committed to the deep and rapid decarbonisation of the global cement industry. It is essential for the planet and future generations, and it can be achieved through innovation and technology. “The cement and construction industries are developing and deploying a range of emission reduction technologies – Ecocem and our new Centre of Excellence will add a further dimension to these efforts.”
Plymouth University is piloting the use of an ancient building material called cob to construct a new generation of energy-efficient homes. They have started building a single storey 32-square-metre lab and classroom next to the university’s sustainability hub out of the material which is a mix of soil, water, straw and hemp. Principal investigator and professor of environmental building at the art, design and architecture school Steve Goodhew said: “We will create a living lab and demonstration site that will become the centre of attention for a wide range of people – from construction professionals to built environment students.” Contractor Chris Noakes and the university’s estates team are expected to complete the building in eight months. Researchers will monitor the performance of the new walling material using sensors to measure energy use, its life cycle and indoor air quality. The results will be shared with future building designers, contractors and interested stakeholders. Research set to influence industry The University’s Sustainable Earth Institute director Professor Will Blake said: “Students and visitors to the site will be able to engage with this potentially industry-influencing ongoing research project.” Interreg V France (Channel) England and the European Regional Development Fund have invested more than £3.5m in the second phase of the CobBauge project where a full-sized building will also be constructed in France. The first phase developed a new method of using cob that reduced the need for heating and mitigated overheating during warmer weather. Researchers studied a range of different soil and fibre mixes creating a double-layered composite wall combining a denser mix with a lighter weight version for strength and insulation. Brokers Hank Zarihs Associates said lenders were interested in the science of greener materials and were keen to offer construction loans to developers using low carbon emission products. Tokyo University researchers announced recently that they had developed a new form of concrete that can reduce emissions from the construction industry. Calcium carbonate concrete is made from waste concrete and carbon dioxide from the air or industrial exhaust gases. It shows promise as a future construction material, especially in places where natural resources are limited.
Stewart Milne Group is selling its market leading timber systems business to focus on investing in the growth of Stewart Milne Homes across Scotland and North-west England. The independent housebuilder and manufacturer of timberframe for offsite construction is capitalising on Stewart Milne Timber Systems’ (SMTS) position as the recognised UK market leader by putting the business up for sale at a time when the market is set to grow exponentially. Demand for timberframe has been rising rapidly and its use is anticipated to double in the next five years to meet government housing targets. As housebuilders tackle the dual challenge of achieving net-zero carbon targets and dealing with acute skills shortages, they are increasingly turning to modern methods of construction using renewable sources. Stewart Milne Timber Systems has experienced “stellar” growth in the last five years with a current order book of close to £300million. This growth is attributed to a combination of technical and manufacturing excellence with strong customer relationships with the UK’s leading housebuilders, including Barratt, Taylor Wimpey and CALA. The £100m turnover business, which employs 400 people, has become the undisputed market leader with around 20% of market share. Alex Goodfellow, Stewart Milne Group Managing Director – Strategic Development, who is leading the sale process, said: “With the scale of the opportunity in the growing timber frame market, SMTS presents a highly compelling investment proposition. We anticipate attracting a high level of interest from potential buyers who will invest in order to capitalise on that opportunity.” Stewart Milne Group has been investing in SMTS’ product and manufacturing innovation and capacity at its factories in Aberdeen and Witney to keep up with the extremely strong demand. Increased volumes have led to the creation of a third production facility in central Scotland. Stewart Milne Group’s CEO, Stuart MacGregor, added: “To keep pace with demand, it’s clear that further investment in production capacity in both Scotland and England will be required. As a privately run, independent company, we need to prioritise where we invest in the future. “Since reopening last summer, after the initial COVID lockdown, we’ve seen record levels of activity in the UK housing sector. The strength of our business with its award-winning developments, new homes range and record sales has enabled us to capitalise on these favourable market conditions and positioned us superbly for future growth.” The buoyancy of the current homes market, however, does mean that land prices in Scotland and North West England are increasing rapidly says Mr MacGregor. “We have therefore chosen to divest our successful timber systems business to increase investment in additional sites for Stewart Milne Homes. Using our considerable land buying experience to take advantage of the development opportunities, we will invest in land in the short term and concentrate on growing our homes business in the longer term.” Once a sale has completed, Stewart Milne Group will be primarily focused on investing in the growth of its homes business in Scotland and North West England, reinforcing its reputation as one of the country’s leading independent housebuilders.
A Welsh company that has worked on many of Wales’ most iconic buildings is celebrating a key anniversary by giving to and helping charities – rather than holding a physical celebration. AB Glass, an award-winning architectural aluminium and access control specialist, marks its 30th anniversary – and will celebrate by renewing its commitment to charities associated with the armed forces. AB Glass was founded by managing director Alan Brayley in 1991 after he cut his teeth as an apprentice in the glass and glazing industry. He started by going door-to-door seeking work in the Swansea area and it was four years before the business moved into its first premises. Today, from its state-of-the-art, purpose built, headquarters in Swansea West Business Park, the company employs more than 40 people and supports a 20+-strong team of sub-contracted installation specialists. It has won numerous awards for its quality and environment standards as well as commitment to a number of charities. The business has worked on a host of landmark buildings in Wales including the Royal Mint Visitor Centre, the Royal College of Music and Drama, the Newport city centre campus of the University of South Wales, The Institute for Innovative Materials, Processing and Numerical Technologies (IMPACT), and HMS Cambria in Cardiff Bay, which is now the Royal Navy’s sole reservist base in Wales. It has also worked on a number of important education institutions including the £40 million ‘super school’ in Baglan, Port Talbot, Croesyceiliog School in Cwmbran, Ysgol Carreg Hir in Briton Ferry, Dylan Thomas School in Swansea, Cefn Saeson Comprehensive School in the Afan Valley, Aberystwyth University, Swansea University’s Bay Campus and many phases of student accommodation including a landmark scheme for Fusion Student in Swansea. As it turns 30 this year, it had planned a summer barbeque. Instead, driven by the many challenges that charities have faced in the past 18 months because of COVID-19, it will donate what it would have spent on a party to a number of charities. The company has a strong affinity with the armed forces and the veterans community in this part of Wales. Alan Brayley served in the Royal Regiment of Wales and Royal Welsh for 20 years, finishing his military career as a Sergeant Major. AB Glass has also employed many ex-service personnel and helped many more in other ways. He is a big supporter of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity – the national charity of the British Army – and recently judged the Welsh Veterans Awards. In addition, he will support The Queen’s Green Canopy, a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. As Deputy Lieutenant for West Glamorgan, supporting Louise Fleet, JP, HM Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan, Brayley will also play a wider role in helping organise the Platinum Jubilee celebrations locally. Alan Brayley, managing director, AB Glass, said: “We have been debating how to celebrate this landmark for some time. It has been a tough period for everyone in the past 18 months due to COVID but many charities have really felt it. As such, we decided that rather than spend the money on ourselves, it would mean a lot more to help others – something that has always been central to our ethos as a company. “We will still raise a glass to what we have achieved internally. I am very proud of everything we have achieved. My colleagues and clients have always been incredibly supportive, and I would like to thank them for everything they have helped us achieve – here’s to the next 30!”
Leading ceiling systems manufacturer Zentia announces brand relaunch. Zentia, the UK’s market leader in complete ceiling solutions, is putting customers at the heart of its brand and marketing strategy. Following Zentia’s rebrand, which evolved from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions last year, the ‘Above all, you’ campaign will communicate what that means to customers. Driven by extensive stakeholder research, it focuses on Zentia’s specifier, contractor and distributor partners and their key future challenges and opportunities. The ‘Above all, you’ message derives from the brand’s ethos to work collaboratively with customers and create real value in every project delivered. This, teamed with the company’s reputation for anticipating customer needs, highlights their innovative mentality, and has become one of the four brand pillars underpinning the strategy. The rebrand is only the start for Zentia, with exciting plans for the future including innovative NPD, and investments in both training and customer support, as well as a multi-million-pound investment in manufacturing capabilities. Graham Taylor, director, sales and marketing at Zentia, explained: “Quality, control and endless predictability were just some of the key themes identified – any one of which may be our partners’ key concern at any one time. Our campaign recognises this reality of multiple priorities, but at the same time signs off with a constant – that for Zentia, it’s ‘above all, you’, our partners, who are our priority.” He added: “In this uncertain and ever-changing world, having everything from manufacture to customer support right here in the UK means we are more agile and in control. Together with our forward-thinking culture, this allows us to successfully solve problems for our end user clients.” The multi-channel campaign launches this month (September) across web, trade media, social channels, and direct communications. Visit www.zentia.com for more.
New research released during Gas Safety Week finds that over half of Brits are open to owning a hydrogen boiler – but despite 90% knowing they are more sustainable than existing natural gas units, most would rather someone else try one first… Sustainability is a huge topic, and we are all aware of the need to be more sustainable in our own lives to help protect the future. However, new research launched to coincide with Gas Safety Week has found that many consumers in the UK are wary of welcoming hydrogen gas fired boilers in their home, while over half of Brits quite accepting of this technology and its environmental benefits. Our findings also revealed that almost 9 out of 10 homeowners are influenced by the sustainable credentials of a hydrogen boiler to have one installed in their home. However, over half (51%) stated they would rather someone else tried one out before getting one themselves. As well as their greener environmental credentials, another advantage of a hydrogen boiler is the cost vs other energy efficient technologies. Saving £6,400 versus an electric heat pump was enough to sway over half of Brits (51%) to opting for hydrogen as their future home heating solution. However, whilst the intentions are good, more education is needed still as a significant 59% of Brits do not feel they know enough about the emerging green technology to make a decision about buying one. Martyn Bridges, Director of Technical Communication & Product Management commented; “With around 24mhomes on the gas grid, hydrogen boilers will be a key player in the technology mix for decarbonising our homes. “However, if Government targets are going to be reached and we as a nation are to ‘go green’ in our homes, it is clear from these stats that more education and reassurance around hydrogen gas is needed. “Knowing that over 50% are accepting of hydrogen, it is a big wake-up call that we all need to debunk concerns for the remaining 42% who have doubts– which comes from further education – and move forward to a greener future. There have been several really successful trials in the UK confirming the safe application of hydrogen gas, so it’s now on all of us as a nation to open our minds and homes to the concept of a hydrogen future.” For more information on hydrogen boilers and the future of home heating visit: https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/future-of-heating.
Brett Martin’s underground drainage systems including StormCrate55, an engineered Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS), have been specified for a new assisted living facility in Derbyshire. Located in the Brampton area of Chesterfield, the Catherine Street facility features six self-contained apartments and six new build specialist bungalows. Built by contractor Horsman Construction for developer SSL Partnership, the housing’s underground drainage requirements were met by a range of high performance, robust and easy-to-install solutions from Brett Martin. As part of the drainage requirements for this small residential development, a storm water management system was required to cope with any potential storm water during inclement weather conditions and working in partnership with Brett Martin’s technical team, Horsman Construction specified the StormCrate55 attenuation system which proved to be the ideal solution to control excessive surface water run-off. Manufactured from 100% recycled plastic, 84m ² of StormCrate55 modular units were clipped together in a brick bond pattern to create two underground attenuation tanks installed beneath the car park. The lightweight, high strength crates weigh only 15.5kg each and come fully assembled which was good news for the installation team, meaning minimal time was spent installing them on site. For this project, Brett Martin provided the Horsman team with a pre-fabricated geotextile liner which was pre-cut to fit the size of each tank. The one-piece liners done away with the need to cut and join the liner during the install and speeded up the process of sealing both tanks. The outlet from this tank is then controlled through a Hydro-Brake chamber to facilitate a slow release of the stored water back into the drainage system over a longer period. “This was the first time we have used StormCrate but with the excellent technical support from Brett Martin, it was the perfect underground drainage solution for our requirements. Easy to lift and install by hand, and exceptionally strong, the crates were quickly joined using the supplied connectors and met our drainage requirements for this small site in Chesterfield,” said Steve Robinson, Site Manager at Horsman Construction. For infiltration applications, StormCrate55 can also be wrapped in a permeable geotextile, material which allows stored water to slowly seep into the surrounding ground and back into the water table over a period of time. Suitable for installation in landscaped areas, pedestrianised spaces, playgrounds, parking areas, driveways and access zones, StormCrate55 is seen as one way of addressing the problem of flooding and avoiding using an overloaded sewer system.