A new upmarket commercial build in Edinburgh city centre benefited from Aggregate Industries’ innovative Lytag, when it came to helping to lighten its load. Located in the heart of the city’s Exchange District, the £24 million 2 Semple Street development has been designed to help alleviate the Scottish Capital’s chronic
Building materials supplier Aggregate Industries has unveiled its Pro Pitch Elite, which is a new, infill sand that claims to have the best drainage rates of any other on the UK market. This solution would help ensure sporting action isn’t interrupted when adverse weather hits. “Extreme weather conditions are a
The Concrete Network (TCN), the UK’s largest independent concrete supply network, operates a national service which aims to make ordering and pouring concrete as easy as possible. For small projects, they offer a quick, easy and reliable solution – but it’s large commercial projects where they truly excel. Here, we’re taking a
When an innovative new access solution was required for a major office accommodation development in Cambridge, construction access specialists SGB was quick to answer the call and provide a solution which combined mastclimber units with a special monorail system. The resulting access solution provided maximum flexibility for the site construction
At Snows, our promise to customers is a simple one. We aim to give the trade exactly what they need and inspire trust in our ability to deliver on the promises made. To make this promise a reality, we are making substantial investments to refine and modernise our operations and
Versatile Equipment, a Kent-based sales and rental specialist, and Knights Brown have completed a major supply agreement, which saw Versatile provide the full-service construction business with give TA10P heavy-duty Mecalac forward-tip site dumper units. Each dumper was fitted with green flashing seatbelt beacons and road light kits for legal highway
Supreme Concrete, the leading manufacturer of high performance precast and prestressed concrete, said that more builders and homeowners are turning to concrete as a long-life and sustainable alternative, particularly for fencing, as timber prices continue to increase and news reveal that the industry could be hit by a £1 billion
In response to housing challenges and environmental issues in urban areas, extending buildings upwards is a logical solution. As part of an urban development project in Poissy, near Paris, 33 new apartments were constructed on top of existing residential buildings. The apartments were built with prefabricated wooden modules made from
The new Prelude 24 Max grid optimises load carrying and minimises air leakage. A suspension system specifically designed to meet the exacting requirements of data centres has been launched by Armstrong Ceiling Solutions. The new Prelude® 24 Max™ grid provides excellent load carrying capability and adaptability, with an extremely efficient method
Rudridge hosted their ninth annual seven-a-side sports event at Southampton FC’s St Mary’s stadium, where they swapped high-vis jackets for football kits. Playing alongside the staff at Rudridge were a number of former football legends, including Franny Benali, who spent most of his playing career at Saints, Paul Walsh, Michael
A new upmarket commercial build in Edinburgh city centre benefited from Aggregate Industries’ innovative Lytag, when it came to helping to lighten its load. Located in the heart of the city’s Exchange District, the £24 million 2 Semple Street development has been designed to help alleviate the Scottish Capital’s chronic shortage of Grade A office accommodation. The newly-opened building boasts 45,000 sq ft of cutting-edge office and retail space, over five storeys. In terms of the flooring specification the challenge for awarded concrete and screed specialists, Advance Flooring Solutions was to procure a concrete solution which would enable minimal size slabs and help reduce the overall dead load of the building. The specialist then chose Lytag from Aggregate, which is a highly innovative lightweight concrete that can effectively reduce the dead load of approximately 25% over normal weight control, while offering the same level of structural performance. “Lytag is a fantastic product which was well-matched to this high calibre project for the Scottish capital. Supported with a meticulous delivery plan, the concrete supply was first-class from Aggregate Industries – we’d like to pass on our thanks to all involved,” said Stephen McKenna, Commercial Manager at Advance Flooring Solutions. In total, 744 m3 of Lytag was supplied for the completion of the five floors over the course of eight months. This was supported with a robust delivery framework ensuring that all batches arrived on time and to the exact specification – thus negating the risk of cold joints. In production for more than 50 years, Lytag secondary aggregate is made using innovative technology which transforms fly ash into small pellets which are then heated to 1,100°C. The pellets formed are rounded in shape and range in size from 14 mm down to fines and can be used as a superior, consistent, lightweight aggregate. Aggregate Industries is a leading company in the construction and infrastructure industries. It produces and supplies a wide range of construction materials including aggregates, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and precast concrete products. It also produces, imports and supplies cementitious materials and offers a national road surfacing and contracting service.
Building materials supplier Aggregate Industries has unveiled its Pro Pitch Elite, which is a new, infill sand that claims to have the best drainage rates of any other on the UK market. This solution would help ensure sporting action isn’t interrupted when adverse weather hits. “Extreme weather conditions are a growing concern when it comes to the construction and maintenance of synthetic sports pitches,” said Tom Wise, general manager at Garside Sands, Aggregate Industries. “As such, this has spurred us into our laboratory to design and rigorously test our biggest product innovation in more than 20 years. As a result we can launch Pro Pitch Elite, the ideal solution for enhancing and sustaining sport facilities by ensuring playability all year round, even in areas of extreme rainfall.” Specifically developed to include larger rounded particles, the Pro Pitch Elite infill sand provides greater void space through the playing surface of synthetic sport pitches. During recent laboratory testing, it was also claimed that the product is able to drain 116% better than the most popular competitor of sand available, all due to its absorbent characteristics. “Due to its technical grading, ProPitch Elite has been proven to aid with effective drainage, even outperforming our market-leading Pro Pitch 2EW infill sand, as demonstrated during robust lab testing. For sports clubs looking to provide first-class playing surfaces, even in extreme weather conditions, this revolutionary solution will not disappoint,” added Tom Wise. Aggregate Industries is a leading player in the construction and infrastructure industries. It produces and supplies a wide range of construction materials including aggregates, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and precast concrete products. It also produces, imports and supplies cementitious materials and offers a national road surfacing and contracting service. It prides itself on best practice in sustainability having become the first company to be certificated to BES 6001, The Framework Standard for the Responsible Sourcing of Construction Products, developed by the BRE (Building Research Establishment) and a founding member of the UK Green Building Council.
The Concrete Network (TCN), the UK’s largest independent concrete supply network, operates a national service which aims to make ordering and pouring concrete as easy as possible. For small projects, they offer a quick, easy and reliable solution – but it’s large commercial projects where they truly excel. Here, we’re taking a look at how The Concrete Network operates to provide smooth, efficient and coordinated concrete delivery to meet even the most demanding project orders. Multiple site coordination For site managers and procurement managers, coordinating the necessary equipment for a project – while meeting strict budgetary and time requirements – is a demanding task. Say a project requires various concrete mixes delivered over multiple worksites across the country. The Concrete Network specialises in aiding this kind of delivery, ensuring each site receives the right concrete at the right time. The network This level of convenience is achieved thanks to TCN’s growing group of partners. With such close ties to concrete suppliers throughout the UK, The Concrete Network can: source the ideal concrete mix no matter the application, find a reputable partner local to any worksite, and organise delivery of specific concrete mixes to meet strict deadlines anywhere across the country. TCN operates in such a way that anyone needing batch orders of concrete for numerous worksites can feel completely confident when arranging delivery. TCN handles the logistics on a client’s behalf, matching specific requirements in the most cost-effective and convenient way possible. This proves to be a vital time-saver during complex construction projects. How it works Working with TCN is straightforward; a site manager won’t be wasting undue time contacting individual local concrete companies for quotes, instead, they contact an advisor at The Concrete Network to get the ball rolling. During the initial phone call, an experienced TCN team member will discuss all of your concrete requirements with you. They’ll require various details, including: Location of worksite(s) Type of concrete mix(es) required Quantity required for each worksite Delivery date Payment details They’ll also need to know whether or not you require pumping services to make the pour itself easier – this can then be factored in when the order is handed off to one of the TCN’s partners. You’ll receive a quote for your job, and once you agree to book your order will be sent the to one of the TCN’s independent network partners – who will then call to confirm the date and time of delivery. If you require high quality concrete for any construction project – even for numerous concrete deliveries across the country – The Concrete Network has you covered.
When an innovative new access solution was required for a major office accommodation development in Cambridge, construction access specialists SGB was quick to answer the call and provide a solution which combined mastclimber units with a special monorail system. The resulting access solution provided maximum flexibility for the site construction personnel, while helping reduce both costs and installation times. “The Station Road development comprises two 8-storey blocks which now offer luxury office accommodation,” explains SGB site manager, Mark Newton. “We were approached to become involved by façade installation specialists Dane Architectural. Their teams were going to be installing glass reinforced concrete columns and large areas of external glazing, and so would require an access solution that combined maximum flexibility with maximum safety.” Responding to the challenge, the SGB team worked closely with Dane Architectural to develop a bespoke solution that would satisfy Dane’s specific requirements. The result was a system based on a series of mastclimber base units surrounding each building, which were then connected together at the top to create a unique monorail system. This allowed the Dane teams to use hoists positioned on the working platforms to raise materials up. The individual platforms were then able to move horizontally along the monorail, thus providing the teams with far better access to the building’s facades than would have been the case with alternative solutions. “The flexibility and enhanced level of access made the installation process far easier and faster than it might otherwise have been,” adds Mark. “By providing simultaneous access to different parts of the buildings the system shortened the installation schedule and so helped reduce costs. Having hoists positioned on the platforms also meant that façade materials could be lifted into position without needing to tie up any the main site cranes.” “The SGB solution proved to be both innovative and very effective,” adds Gary Redhead of Dane Architectural. “One of the main attractions was that it offered access to multiple areas of the facades at the same time. That degree of access speeded up the proceedings and it certainly made life easier for our installation teams.” For more details, visit www.sgb.co.uk, call 01372 381 300, follow ‘SGB a BrandSafway Company’ on Linkedin, or @SGB_Brand_UK on Twitter.
At Snows, our promise to customers is a simple one. We aim to give the trade exactly what they need and inspire trust in our ability to deliver on the promises made. To make this promise a reality, we are making substantial investments to refine and modernise our operations and ultimately, better cater for the customers of tomorrow. One of our biggest investments takes place at our Mansfield Distribution Centre, where a regeneration programme of circa. £0.5million is taking place until the end of July 2018. The site will be reconfigured, which will include demolition of existing offices, erection of 900m2 of warehousing and installation of 1200m2 of hardstanding ground adjacent to the existing site – alongside this, an additional high-speed line will be installed in the mill. The result of these changes will improve efficiencies and productivity across the picking and milling of product and enlarge our geographical area for delivery. Double shift capabilities will be introduced into the Mansfield and Glastonbury Distribution Centres to improve overall capacity of the organisation and improve our already-considerable level of flexibility. These operational changes will result in Snows ability to offer competitive prices and deliver on our original promise to give the trade exactly what they need, due to improving cost efficiencies throughout the business. Have you heard about our new National Sales Office? Our Regional Sales Offices have recently been consolidated into a central location in Towcester, Northamptonshire. Its aim is to provide high quality customer service, which promotes two-way communication between us and our customers. Although customers can (and will) still receive support from our regional locations, the change to one central office will allow us to properly structure and manage every aspect of the customer journey – from enquiry, to quotation, order processing and relationship development. The new office is made up of individuals who have a proven track record in customer service, and have a fresh, forward-thinking attitude that align with the new vision of Snows Timber. Customers can be assured that “communication” is set to be the word of the year at Snows.
Versatile Equipment, a Kent-based sales and rental specialist, and Knights Brown have completed a major supply agreement, which saw Versatile provide the full-service construction business with give TA10P heavy-duty Mecalac forward-tip site dumper units. Each dumper was fitted with green flashing seatbelt beacons and road light kits for legal highway travel. “With the Knights Brown agreement, a one-size-fits-all solution simply wouldn’t cut it. With projects spanning highly diverse sectors including energy, aerospace, defence and utilities, equipment flexibility was key,” said Richard Young, Area Sales Manager at Versatile Equipment. “Thanks to Mecalac’s extensive range, we could offer a solution for every application. What’s more, thanks to rental-tough design and heavy-duty fabrication, each model offered dependability for the future,” he added. Manufactured and liveried at the Mecalac Construction UK headquarters in Coventry, the units were delivered ahead of schedule and ready for immediate operation. “When it came to updating our fleet, three things were essential – performance, efficiency and safety. Mecalac offered the complete package and, through Versatile Equipment, delivered above and beyond our expectations,” said Scott Best, Plant Manager at Knights Brown. “Now operational nationwide, the Mecalac units are already improving job site efficiencies and setting the standard for operator safety. A few innovative technologies, such as start stop and Capture telematics make fleet management easy – low fuel costs, simple servicing,” he continued. Knights Brown is a privately owned, full service, regional construction business with specialist energy sector capability delivered nationwide and in the ROI. The company operates in the following sectors: airports, buildings, coasts, rivers & ports, defence, energy, infra & public realm, waste and water. Versatile Equipment sell, hire, support and service a comprehensive range of Caterpillar Compact Equipment, Mecalac Products (formerly Terex) and Avant Loaders. A core aspect of Versatile Equipment’s business ethic is that the client gets the best – the best advice, the best service and the best machine for the job whether it is a CAT compact, a Mecalac Site Dumper or an Avant Loader.
Supreme Concrete, the leading manufacturer of high performance precast and prestressed concrete, said that more builders and homeowners are turning to concrete as a long-life and sustainable alternative, particularly for fencing, as timber prices continue to increase and news reveal that the industry could be hit by a £1 billion bill if Britain leaves the EU Customs Union. The post-Brexit concerns are combined with the rise in timber prices that has been happening for the last 12 months. Industry commentators are agreed that this trajectory looks set to continue on its path. However, this can be allayed by opting for concrete alternatives. Concrete fencing posts manufactured in the UK provide a more economically viable option as they can be delivered with shorter lead times and are not subjected to changing EU tariffs. “This is a cost-sensitive industry. The latest increases in price are clearly the result of a global demand for timber from emerging economies and of course as the fuel-source for biomass energy plants. These factors, coupled with the news that EU timber imports will cease being VAT free if we leave the EU Customs Union, mean the rising tide of people choosing concrete over timber is set to continue,” said Tim Wright, Sales Director for Supreme Concrete. “As well as concretes cost effectiveness and vastly increased durability of over timber alternatives, products manufactured here in the UK offer shorter lead times and guaranteed availability – the net result is a much more reliable and sustainable solution,” he continued. Supreme Concrete, part of Ibstock plc, is a UK manufacturer of high performance concrete fencing and building products. Founded in 1979 on the basis of innovatively designed products that are precision manufacture and supported by exceptional customer service, the company faced rapid growth. Today, Supreme Concrete offers a comprehensive range of precast building components, fencing products and lintels.
In response to housing challenges and environmental issues in urban areas, extending buildings upwards is a logical solution. As part of an urban development project in Poissy, near Paris, 33 new apartments were constructed on top of existing residential buildings. The apartments were built with prefabricated wooden modules made from fast, light and green Kerto® LVL products. Thanks to the prefabrication and light wooden structures, the construction took only six months to complete. Prefabrication and use of wooden structures make building extensions fast and economical. Metsä Wood’s Kerto® LVL (laminated veneer lumber) is an ideal material for designing and constructing additional floors in urban environments. Wooden modules are light to transport and lift. Prefabrication ensures quick installation. The construction work for the wooden extensions in the Beauregard neighbourhood of Poissy began in September 2016. The building renovation project was managed by the property owner Vilogia and the Parisian architectural agency Virtuel Architecture. The 33 new apartments, each with 2–3 bedrooms, were constructed on the rooftops of three buildings, with a reinforced structural design. The modular housing units were installed at a rate of roughly one to three apartments per day. The construction project also included installation of three elevators and extension to the staircases. “What’s interesting about the solution for vertical urban development is the prefabrication”, declares Laurent Pillaud, architect at Virtuel Architecture. “Each house is made up of three or four modules and one roof; the production of the modules took one month. Then the modules were delivered and each was installed directly on the rooftop in one day.” The joints between the modules were carefully planned. The wooden modules could be lifted directly to the right place and quickly connected to other modules and to roof structures. Well-thought of design minimised the amount of work and hassle at the construction site. A company CMB assembled the wooden modules at their production hall in Mauléon. CMB is renowned for its exceptional expertise in modular construction. Prefabrication guaranteed the quality at all levels: interior paintwork, toilet facilities, flooring, internal and external woodwork, etc. Building upwards with wooden modules Today, the hyper-urbanisation of cities is a multifaceted problem, posing social issues as well as issues concerning respect for the environment and health. Building vertical extensions using wooden modules is a logical and appropriate solution to the housing crisis in urban areas. Between 1990 and 2011, over 1,200 vertical developments were authorised in the city of Paris alone, whilst over 31,000 planning permission files were submitted, along with over 65,000 planning permission requests. These figures stand as proof of the growing interest in vertical urban development. Open Source Wood initiative Metsä Wood believes that construction using wood and modular building extensions are the most practical and environmentally sound solutions to addressing rapid global urbanisation and climate change. However, not nearly enough knowledge about modular wood design and building is shared, so wood construction remains a limited sector of the construction industry. That’s why Metsä Wood launched Open Source Wood – a pioneering open innovation project aimed at facilitating knowledge sharing and growth in modular wood construction. Read more and join the initiative at opensourcewood.com
The new Prelude 24 Max grid optimises load carrying and minimises air leakage. A suspension system specifically designed to meet the exacting requirements of data centres has been launched by Armstrong Ceiling Solutions. The new Prelude® 24 Max™ grid provides excellent load carrying capability and adaptability, with an extremely efficient method of suspending cable trays, bus bars and other mechanical elements to avoid air leakage through the ceiling tiles. In an environment where a constant, carefully calibrated temperature is a non-negotiable factor, the engineered system components provide the optimum conditions to avoid air leakage that could lead to overheating or spiralling cooling costs. Traditional methods suspend loads via slotted strut locations or drill holes through ceiling tiles where threaded rods are needed and in doing so increase air leakage and the mix of warm and cold air. However, designing out these details means the hot return air is retained in the plenum space and the cool air below the ceiling. The new suspension system is also capable of carrying single-point loads up to 110kgs and can be easily reconfigured to meet changing requirements. Using M10 threaded rod connections and integrated hanging clips, the Prelude 24 Max provides flexible support for cable trays and electrical distribution without the need for a separate strut channel system being suspended through the ceiling tiles. Patented load connector clips attach at any point to the face of the suspension system, eliminating unsightly threaded rod connections through the ceiling plane, improving access and aesthetics as well as minimising air infiltration. The traditional-faced 24mm profile grid minimises materials costs and labour while still being compatible with numerous Armstrong board ceiling panels including Ultima+, Clean Room FL acoustic tiles as well as standard lighting elements. The pre-engineered suspension system comes with a 30-year system warranty. More information is accessible via the Armstrong Ceilings website https://www.armstrongceilings.com/commercial/en-gb/.
Rudridge hosted their ninth annual seven-a-side sports event at Southampton FC’s St Mary’s stadium, where they swapped high-vis jackets for football kits. Playing alongside the staff at Rudridge were a number of former football legends, including Franny Benali, who spent most of his playing career at Saints, Paul Walsh, Michael Thomas, John Salako and Matt Le Tissier. Rudridge’s annual event is supported by former England player Tony Cottee. For the event, the company was joined by a number of its customers and suppliers from across the country. In total, there were 10 teams, each of which included one of the ex-pros, competed in a series of matches throughout the afternoon, testing their skills and prowess alongside the legends. The winning team, which included Tony Cottee, was announced as Stanton Strikers who narrowly beat last year’s victors Wavin Wanderers 2-1. The wooden spoon award went to The Aco Avalanche. “Our annual seven-a-side football event is always a hugely enjoyable and competitive event. It is great to see everyone getting into the spirit of things and taking on the former football pros with such enthusiasm and determination. Congratulations to Stanton Strikers, who really gave the rest of the teams a run for their money,” said Clive Summerfield, Regional Director at Rudridge. Rudridge is a civil engineering groundwork material specialist that has four branches across the South East in Farnham, Horsham, Brentford and Gravesend.
