An innovative modular building system which has the potential to plug the massive shortfall in low-cost housing and schools, not just in Britain but across the world, is using expanded polystyrene (now known across Europe as airpop™) at the centre of its unique patented design. In its most recent project,
Jumpstart, the UK’s leading facilitator of research and development (R&D) tax credits for businesses, is set to launch a marketing campaign to tell the UK’s construction industry about the substantial sums of R&D tax credits they are missing out on from HMRC. Jumpstart’s MD, Brian Williamson, said: “Construction businesses and
An innovative modular building system which has the potential to plug the massive shortfall in low-cost housing and schools, not just in Britain but across the world, is using expanded polystyrene (now known across Europe as airpop™) at the centre of its unique patented design. In its most recent project, the Acermetric building system has just slashed costs and build-time at a London primary school where a two-storey multi-purpose 466m2 “Centre of Excellence” was assembled in around 13 weeks on site by just four builders lifting panels by hand and installing the elements with a single tool! Coppice Primary School in Chigwell, which provided independent funding for the project, said “the new Centre of Excellence is a unique and bespoke provision that houses two additional classrooms, a computing suite, art studio and science laboratory to accommodate our subject specialisms. This has been a huge success with our pupils, being able to educate them in a purpose built provision. The wider community also benefits from using the art studio in our Centre of Excellence”. The Acermetric system is patent-protected in twenty countries worldwide with another forty countries recognising patent conformance. It comprises a range of interlocking panels each of which is effectively a sandwich of grey eps with the option of the outer board material specified according to the building needs. Together with window and door cassettes, the full range of elements extends to around forty shape options which, when locked together and linked to patented roof support beams and columns, allow more than a million combinations of high-strength, three-dimensionally stable structures – a ‘lego-like’ system capable of creating a building of virtually any shape, size or design. According to the company’s calculations, the system could easily accommodate buildings up to ten storeys high, is suited to areas prone to ground movement and even to earthquake risk, and has undergone stringent UKAS testing covering strength, fire resistance, acoustic protection, thermal insulation and longevity. The whole idea was the brainchild of UK engineering design and R&D veteran David Appleford who cut his teeth in the deep sea oil exploration sector. According to David, his system owes a great deal to the eps foam which forms the core of the panels. “The grey eps at the heart of our Acermetric panels gives us many advantages – light weight, rigidity, excellent insulation, high acoustic performance and good fire protection. In fact thermal insulation is so effective that in the primary school project – the combination of the heat generated by the occupants and high solar gain meant we had to install additional cooling measures.” Appleford is convinced the Acermetric system could bring major benefits across the globe, “Our success so far allows us to be confident that if we could move to large-scale precision mass production of the panels we would have no problem in plugging the gap of 150,000 low-cost homes desperately needed across the UK. Then when we look at the potential in developing countries – this could represent a massive solution to a global problem in which eps could play a significant part.” The thermal performance for grey EPS/Airpop is 0.03 W/mK and, according to David Appleford, this helps his Acermetric buildings to achieve 0.1 u-values or better. The British Plastics Federation also points out that Airpop™ is non-toxic, chemically inert, non-irritant and rot-proof. Fungi and bacteria cannot grow on Airpop™, it is insoluble and non-hygroscopic – and moisture contact will not lead to product or performance deterioration. Other advantages of the Acermetric system include the fact that no expansion joints are needed as the entire construction is post-tensioned through the locking mechanism. All internal walls are pre-finished – avoiding the need for plasterboard – and external walls can be finished to any specification including architectural cladding, weatherboard, slate, tile or brick slips. Chairman of the BPF EPS Group David Emes said: “There are many building systems which take advantage of airpop™ but this is one of the most innovative we have come across. It’s an ideal building material for modular or elemental systems because it can easily be cut or moulded to shape during the manufacturing of the elements and has built-in BBA Approval, BRE Certification, BRE Green Guide A+ rating and many wider industry accreditations. It also comes closest of any modern building material to fulfilling the 60-year performance life target set by the UK Building Regulations”. A new residential build project for Acermetric is in the pipeline and will further prove the system’s integrity. The next step for Acermetric will then be to commission a state-of-the-art factory for the mass production of the panels and to license the innovative yet extremely simple technology to manufacturers, builders and construction companies in the UK and beyond.
Jumpstart, the UK’s leading facilitator of research and development (R&D) tax credits for businesses, is set to launch a marketing campaign to tell the UK’s construction industry about the substantial sums of R&D tax credits they are missing out on from HMRC. Jumpstart’s MD, Brian Williamson, said: “Construction businesses and their suppliers are often unsure about their eligibility for R&D tax credits and, historically, have shied away from pursuing them. “This is a pity. Very substantial sums in R&D tax credits are available to the huge range of innovative engineering and materials companies which support the construction industry in the UK, including manufacturers of concrete, damp proof coursing, tanking, steelwork, render systems, insulation systems, cladding panels, glazing, fixings, glues and paints and more. “All of these products have to meet specific technical performance requirements and also comply with constantly changing legislation. Other areas of possible eligibility are in the construction and trialling of prototype homes that are more energy efficient and produce less CO2, especially to meet ever-stricter standards. “Other activities that make companies eligible for R&D tax credits include increasing the durability and/or the lifespan of materials that protect the exterior of a building, enhancing the stability of products, for example, to reduce sun bleaching,improving the energy efficiency of systems used within a building, and developing alternative production or construction techniques to reduce the environmental impact of construction projects. “Developing more effective techniques for removing contaminants from land, or finding ways to remove new combinations of waste chemicals, as well as new construction techniques to create buildings that are more resistant to earthquakes, storms, and other acts of nature, are all activities which meet the eligibility criteria for R&D tax credits.” Jumpstart was founded in 2008 to engage with UK businesses by informing and guiding them through HMRC’s R&D tax relief claim process. In its relatively short history, the business has grown its client base to more than 500 companies across all regions of the UK and has an annual business pipeline in excess of £10m. The total amount of money recovered to date by Jumpstart for its clients is over £55 million; the average claim size is £29k. Unlike most financial services firms, Jumpstart’s technical analysts, comprising scientists, technologists, chemists, biologists, engineers, physicists and software engineers, are qualified to drill down into the most complex business and scientific systems and present information in a uniquely compliant form. Working with a range of companies it has won them significant tax advantages by highlighting to HMRC the innovative aspects of their business practices. Mr Williamson said: “More than 13,010 SMEs and 2,920 large companies across the UK are already claiming £1.4 billion in tax relief from HMRC. Each year it is estimated that a potential £2 billion can be claimed by UK companies but some £600 million of that went unclaimed in the last financial year.” Within the construction sector Jumpstart has so far recovered some £940k for clients, though its most successful construction sector application for R&D tax credits resulted in a refund of £434k over four claim years.