Staff at pioneering roofing manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles have pulled out all the stops and raised an amazing £32,500 to help local vital services – close to its factories. Staff from Burton on Trent and Lochmaben have danced, hiked, run and quizzed their way to raising the cash. Russell’s monies
Modular construction, using timber as a key element, is a credible solution to fast and sustainable house building. However, Metsä Wood believes that more needs to be done in terms of sharing knowledge and innovation in wood construction to further advance the use of this material in mainstream construction. In
The Glass and Glazing Federation, or GGF, has relaunched two updated security glazing leaflets that have been created in order to inform members and those in the industry about the importance of selecting the correct glazing solutions. The revised “Laminated Glass: Safety and Security” and “Toughened Glass: Safety and Strength”
RGB Building Supplies has thanked all of their generous customers who have donated to their 2017 Christmas Present Appeal. All of the presents that were kindly donated as a part of this Charity Appeal have already been donated to Children’s Hospice South West where they will be put to great
Six months ago, Howarth Timber and Building Supplies officially launched the Local Music Live competition. This new contest is a 7UK-wide search with the support of the builders’ merchants to find the next big thing when it comes to live music. The Local Music Live judge’s favourite Felicia Eliza has
Leading manufacturer Furness Brick has won a prestigious award, winning the Best Public Buildings category of the recent Building Awards 2017 for its work on the Chester Storyhouse, an entertainment centre offering cinema and theatre. The award is the culmination of what has been a major project for the Cumbria-based
Since the dawn of steam, Santa has relied on the Polar Express for essential logistics around his festive distribution centre at the North Pole. It performs a vital role moving presents, wrapping paper etc. for next-day delivery. Like a lot of ageing infrastructure, the Polar Express line was starting to
Energy company Eon UK PLC has been hosting a week of health and safety briefings for their team members in Coventry. As a part of this week-long event, the company also had display a new generation of welfare units, ideal for industrial use, on construction sites and landscaping sites or
The leading supplier of high performance innovative waterproofing and insulation systems for UK and Ireland, Moy Materials won Trainer of the Year at the 2017 Liquid Roof Waterproofing Association Awards, or LRWA. As one of the UK and Ireland’s leading suppliers of flat waterproofing systems for the roofing industry, Moy
Armstrong CPD has explained the advantages of using metal ceilings in buildings. Armstrong offers RIBA-approved CPD and has released their own insight into the benefits behind using metal ceiling solutions. The RIBA-approved CPD covers a range of different aspects to this ceiling solution and specifying metal systems now available from
Staff at pioneering roofing manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles have pulled out all the stops and raised an amazing £32,500 to help local vital services – close to its factories. Staff from Burton on Trent and Lochmaben have danced, hiked, run and quizzed their way to raising the cash. Russell’s monies raised is being split equally between Shropshire.Staffordshire.Cheshire Blood Bikes and Dumfries and Galloway Blood Bikes. Both are volunteer-led, providing lifesaving medical supplies to NHS foundations, by transporting vital blood products, bone marrow, breast milk for premature babies and other life-critical supplies to local hospitals via motorbike, where every minute counts in helping seriously ill and injured patients. This takes Russell’s total fundraising efforts for the blood bikes to £56,000 across 2016 and 2017. Last year generous Russell Roof Tiles 170 staff at its three sites and suppliers raised an impressive £24,000 – smashing the original £20,000 target and enabling both charities to buy a much-needed new motorbike each. The money was raised by a wide range of fun and challenging fundraising activities. Most of the company’s 100 staff at its two Burton sites, on Wetmore Lane and Nicolson Way and its sister site in Lochmaben participated in some form or other. This included a gruelling 72-mile hike across Hadrian’s Wall, a ballroom dancing competition at Brewhouse Arts Centre “Dancing on the Tiles”, golfing activities and football matches. For the first time a Big Quiz evening, hosted at the Pirelli Stadium in Burton raised a remarkable £8,550. The event was a triumph, and included 48 teams included members from Russell’s parent company Crown Global Equity travelling from Texas, Mexico and Florida who joined local staff, customers and suppliers. Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles added: “I have been amazed and delighted to see the lengths that the staff have gone across all our three sites. I want to recognise the support of the families of our staff who have been a huge support, also so many of our suppliers and friends who have gone above and beyond this year. All to help these two amazing charities and their dedicated teams who work incredibly hard to provide a vital and lifesaving service.” Both charities operate 24/7 on a totally voluntarily basis and does not receive any government or local authority finance. Jeremy Cartwright, Chair of SSBB explained “We are totally dependent on donations and the goodwill of our volunteers to enable us to provide this important service to the NHS. We undertake over 5000 jobs a year covering over 200,000 miles which of course takes its toll on the bikes we use. This fantastic donation from Russell Roof Tiles will buy us a new bike and go a long way to help keep the service running. We are all extremely grateful to the staff of RRT for their tremendous and very creative efforts to raise this money for the charity.”
Modular construction, using timber as a key element, is a credible solution to fast and sustainable house building. However, Metsä Wood believes that more needs to be done in terms of sharing knowledge and innovation in wood construction to further advance the use of this material in mainstream construction. In order to help facilitate this process, Metsä Wood has launched its Open Source Wood initiative at www.opensourcewood.com. Metsä Wood’s Executive Vice President, Esa Kaikkonen, explains: “Not enough knowledge about modular wood design and building is shared, so wood construction remains niche. There is plenty of innovation but it is difficult to find, so Open Source Wood is our solution. We believe that with open collaboration the industry can achieve significant growth.” The potential of wood is undeniable and today, offsite construction has major aspirations. Prefabricated wood elements enable fast, efficient and environmentally sound design without reducing quality. Reports on the benefits of such a lean approach are compelling: In a study of companies that have applied lean construction methods, 84% report higher quality in construction and 80% experienced greater customer satisfaction.(1) The report also highlights that almost 70% of projects that used prefabricated elements had shorter schedules and 65% had decreased budgets. Timber prefab construction also reduces other inconveniences such as the constant unloading of building materials, as well as the amount of on-site waste and the need to transport it. Innovation in the house building sector is key, and offsite timber construction could be key in achieving the high volume of housing required in the UK. Using new and innovative products like Metsä Wood’s Kerto®LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber), homes constructed offsite can be turned around in a matter of weeks. Modern engineered wood products can be used for a variety of housing projects ranging from terraced and detached homes through to apartment blocks several stories high. Across Europe, timber prefab construction is already mainstream, yet here in the UK we seem to be slow on the uptake. However, the tide is slowly turning with a greater need to provide affordable, adaptable and ecological homes. Despite signs of progress, more needs to be done to help house builders, developers and planners better realise the potential that modern wood products can offer. It is hoped that the Open Source Wood project will help to highlight some of the innovative projects taking place across the globe and, through a collaborative approach, bring timber construction methods to the forefront of new house building in the UK.
The Glass and Glazing Federation, or GGF, has relaunched two updated security glazing leaflets that have been created in order to inform members and those in the industry about the importance of selecting the correct glazing solutions. The revised “Laminated Glass: Safety and Security” and “Toughened Glass: Safety and Strength” leaflets are available to be downloaded from the Federation’s website. These free to download leaflets are available on the website, and printed copies can be purchased from the GGF shop. The new and refreshed consumer leaflets are designed in order to give homeowners the basic knowledge that is required in order to know what type of glass is installed in their home and what types of glass would be more suitable. Each of the revised brochures include details of why and where, respectively, toughened and laminated glass should be installed. The GGF have said that they are consistently receiving queries from homeowners requesting information about how best to ascertain the type of glass that has been installed in their home. The publishing of these revised leaflets now give examples of markings to look for as well as what kind of information that the glazing markings should contain. The information. The collection of all of this useful information in to a free to download leaflet by the GGF is incredibly helpful and will allow homeowners to check any new and existing glazing in order to ensure compliance to Building Regulations and EN Product Standards for thermally Treated Glasses. The most recent amendments to the new leaflets included simplifying the information that is already provided in order to make the wording less technical as well as the provision of example markings and updating references for the newest versions of glazing solutions when needed. The new leaflet will be equally useful to GGF Members, who will be able to distribute them to their customers, which can help to promote their products and services as well as the importance of security glazing.
RGB Building Supplies has thanked all of their generous customers who have donated to their 2017 Christmas Present Appeal. All of the presents that were kindly donated as a part of this Charity Appeal have already been donated to Children’s Hospice South West where they will be put to great use and handed out to the children and families that are supported by the centre. The Building Supplies company put a call out inviting customers and the communities that are located near to RGB’s branches in order to donate any gifts that were suitable for a child of any age, and their parents. As a part of RGB’s Christmas Presents Appeal, the managed to collect more than 300 presents were placed under the Christmas trees at the different RGB branches. The Corporate Partnerships Fundraiser at the Children’s Hospice South West, Naomi Dymond has said that they are overwhelmed by the number of gifts that have been donated by RGB staff and customers. It is great that the hospice has seen such a show of support from the building supplies provider and their customers. For all of the families and children that use the services on offer at the Hospice, Christmas is a special time of year. The Hospice is able to offer the help that they do only with the support of the community, helping them to make a difference to families across the South West. The Human Resources Director for RGB, Jenny Naylor has said that this is the second year that they have run their Christmas Appeal and they have been amazed again at how generous their customers and businesses operating in the local community have been. RGB Building Supplies would like to thank all of those who donated, with all of the presents going towards helping families at the Hospice during the Christmas period have a magical time.
Six months ago, Howarth Timber and Building Supplies officially launched the Local Music Live competition. This new contest is a 7UK-wide search with the support of the builders’ merchants to find the next big thing when it comes to live music. The Local Music Live judge’s favourite Felicia Eliza has officially released her new single, called ‘Head Over Heels’. This track is being played across all Local Music Live radio stations. Felicia was selected as the next big thing by the Local Music Live and Howarth Timber panel of judges, which then allowed her the opportunity to record her new track at Redwell Studios which can be found in Greater Manchester. The Leeds-based creative agency Harris has also support this competition by helping to produce the video for the track. The music video for Head Over Heels was filmed on location against the dramatic backdrop of nearby Flamborough Head. Local Music Live has also worked to bring together commercial and community radio stations including Rock FM in Lancashire, the Lincs FM group, Fix Radio in London and Revolution 96.2 in Greater Manchester. These radio stations have come together in order to encourage and support local singers and bands. Howarth Timber, the building supplies company is the major sponsor for the initiative. Local Music Live is brainchild of John Dash and Dave Stankler. The intention behind this contest is to find new talent and put them on the radio, helping to create a hub where singer/songwriters and bands will be able to submit their songs for a chance to be played by local radio DJs operating across the UK. The marketing and product development manager at Howarth Timber, Neale Brewster feels that Felicia was a standout act amongst her competition and it is great to see Local Music Live searching for and helping to promote new talent. The initiative that has been supported by the Builders’ Merchants and supplies providers has allowed Felicia to record and release her song and will hopefully act as a springboard for her career while also helping to get radio stations playing local music.
Leading manufacturer Furness Brick has won a prestigious award, winning the Best Public Buildings category of the recent Building Awards 2017 for its work on the Chester Storyhouse, an entertainment centre offering cinema and theatre. The award is the culmination of what has been a major project for the Cumbria-based brick company, which worked with the building’s architects to create a bespoke brick for the new structure. Housed in a formerly redundant shell of a 1930s Odeon cinema in the centre of Chester, the Storyhouse was designed so as not to compromise the significant street presence of the former building, while being a substantial addition to the area. “To achieve this the brick for the new building was chosen to match the colour and texture of the original ones – a challenge as the old Jacobean bricks were originally made in North Wales and no longer available,” explains Stephen Blagbrough, Furness Brick Regional Manager. “Following a long brick matching process, a bespoke blend, created by Furness Brick Constructed using a very unusual bond pattern, was chosen as the best compliment to the original cinema building.” The new structure comprises approx. 123,800 ‘Theatre Blend’ Furness bricks, all of which are standard bricks rather than feature bricks, creating a flow between the original building and the extension externally. Recognising the building’s merits, the Brick Awards judging panel remarked on how the new brickwork alongside the old ‘fundamentally creates an iconic building which complements not only the surrounding architecture but also the city of Chester itself’. Simon Erridge, Director at architects Bennetts Associates, concludes: “The brickwork plays an integral part of the exterior of the new building, just as it has always done. The bespoke option supplied by Furness brings the whole project together from the street view, enabling the new art and entertainment venue to settle straight into its surroundings.” For more details on Furness Brick telephone 01229 462411 or visit www.furnessbrick.co.uk
Since the dawn of steam, Santa has relied on the Polar Express for essential logistics around his festive distribution centre at the North Pole. It performs a vital role moving presents, wrapping paper etc. for next-day delivery. Like a lot of ageing infrastructure, the Polar Express line was starting to show its age and this year Santa sent elf envoys to Barnshaws Section Benders for some support. Ash Pan, Chief Stoker Elf aboard the Polar Express, explains: “We only travel in winter, so the Polar Express isn’t immune to some wear and tear. Usually this only amounts to chocolate stains on the seats, but after decades of service it was clear this Christmas that the rails needed some attention. For that we needed section bending, so we contacted Barnshaws to help ensure the Polar Express doesn’t become stationary.” Barnshaws, one of the world’s largest metal bending companies, has a proven track record in providing high quality steel curving to Santa’s operation. Last year, the business helped to avert a candy crisis by bending candy canes, and the year before, rolled new skis for Santa’s sleigh. This year it was subsidiary company Barnshaws Polska that was best able to help deliver the project, due to his North Polish location, and because the business had recently helped to design a new tram system in Poland. In the UK, Barnshaws has also been producing railway wiring gantries to aid with the electrification of older railway lines. Train Driver on the Polar Express, Rayul Way, added: “The Polar Express can hit speeds of over 100 presents per hour (pph), so it was really important to have perfectly curved rails. Barnshaws Polska was able to service this substantial order very quickly, and trust me we know about global logistics. “Thanks to this work, we’ve been able to ensure children from around the world get their presents from Santa, and the new lines which are millimetric perfect, form a solid platform for future success.” Santa was delighted with the work and said… “Ho Ho Ho!” A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at Barnshaws!
Energy company Eon UK PLC has been hosting a week of health and safety briefings for their team members in Coventry. As a part of this week-long event, the company also had display a new generation of welfare units, ideal for industrial use, on construction sites and landscaping sites or projects. This new unit differs from the more traditional welfare units as they are solar powered as opposed to running on fossil fuels. Blue Castle Group’s solar powered welfare units offer modern, efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to the standard fossil fuel powered units. The unit has been ergonomically designed in order to offer a space for resting and eating, drying and changing clothes, offering access to drinking water, sanitary conveniences and access to washing facilities. These new anti-vandal mobile units also make the most of solar technology, telemetry and enhanced interiors to offer a superior on site solution. The facilities offer the most up to date use of technology to deliver a good economic use of space and deliver a cost effective, environmentally efficient alternative to the standard fossil fuel welfare units. The solar powered welfare units also offer the potential annual savings of up to 60% for generators, a saving of CO2 emissions of more than 40,000kg. Because of the solar power, and lack or requirement for generators above occasional use means that there is a saving for the service cost of the generators of £1,750 and a potential breakdown cost saving of as much as £1,200. Blue Castle also offers their customers full training at the company premises, this is so that the units can be installed on site with the minimum level of disruption caused. The training includes standard Health and Safety information, operating instructions for the deployment of the unit, under gear maintenance, fault finding training, wheel replacement, pre-hire checks, generator engine maintenance and towing checks and legislations.
The leading supplier of high performance innovative waterproofing and insulation systems for UK and Ireland, Moy Materials won Trainer of the Year at the 2017 Liquid Roof Waterproofing Association Awards, or LRWA. As one of the UK and Ireland’s leading suppliers of flat waterproofing systems for the roofing industry, Moy Materials were shortlisted in two different categories at this year’s awards ceremony. The prestigious LWRA Awards saw Paul Sutherland of Moy Materials take home Trainer of the Year. The awards have been created to celebrate those who contribute to one of the fastest growing sectors of the roofing industry, showcasing the highest quality, professionalism and workmanship at the Awards ceremony, which took place in Hotel Football, Old Trafford. Moy Materials were also nominated for Liquid Roofing Project of the Year >1000㎡, for the work that they had carried out with Plan Construction Ltd. However, it was the company’s highly skilled technical representative, Paul who managed to go home with a trophy. The award nominated by the LWRA seeks to celebrate those who have been seen to make an outstanding contribution to the training of liquid installation in the UK. Moy Materials first entered the Northern UK market in 2011 and, as a result of this has seen their UK sales quadruple while their technical team work to answer the demands of the booming UK construction market. Moy Materials have also predicted a good year next year, with expectations that their share of the UK specification market will increase significantly in 2018. The company is proud to deliver such high quality technical service, and the awards are a great way of coming together with other industry professionals in order to acknowledge the achievements of the industry and serve as a benchmark for high standards in the roofing industry going forward. With Moy predicting more business success next year, hopefully they will see more recognition at next year’s LWRA Awards.
Armstrong CPD has explained the advantages of using metal ceilings in buildings. Armstrong offers RIBA-approved CPD and has released their own insight into the benefits behind using metal ceiling solutions. The RIBA-approved CPD covers a range of different aspects to this ceiling solution and specifying metal systems now available from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions. Armstrong first started to market these ceiling solutions in the US more than 70 years ago, and in Europe more than 20 years ago. The company has also been manufactured from a UK site for over 20 years, meaning the company has a wealth of experience in delivering metal ceiling solutions and is in a strong position to offer advice and encourage more people to utilise the solutions on offer at Armstrong. The presentation that has been given by the company, gives architects a one-hour CPD credit and seeks to showcase the extent to which metal systems are now able to play an essential role in Armstrong’s portfolio, which is at the moment without peers. During this presentation, the reasons that have been given for the specifying metal ceiling and wall systems which are wide and varied. Armstrong’s portfolio includes aesthetics such as a crisp, clean, hi-tech visual in flat, curved or sculptured forms and linear or modular layouts. The solution delivered by Armstrong are also durable and able to withstand a rigorous amount of handling with panel edges that do not chip or flake. The ceiling solutions that are offered by Armstrong are easy to clean without surface damage and humidity resistant up to 90%. The products advertised by the company are even suitable for external use with the addition of a simple back-coat. The variety of coatings that are available as part of Armstrong’s portfolio means that the metal solutions can be made dirt resistant and antimicrobial, making them perfect for most applications from the education sector to healthcare, leisure, commercial and transport. The Armstrong engineered metal portfolio is comprehensive and offers tiles that will suit any building module and also offers a range of colour options which can offer limitless configurability.