There are roughly 1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK with two-thirds of these being regular users, but many of these wheelchair users struggle to get around their own home. The home is somewhere that you should always easily be able to navigate and feel relaxed and safe in, but
While considering installing/remodelling a kitchen, the most important question that arises is, “how much would it cost?” A new kitchen will indeed be the most expensive project task you’re going to perform. However, when choosing a traditional kitchen style, it won’t cost you a lot. Many things can help you
Considering the environmental impact of a new building Inspired by the Italian novel The Baron in the Trees, Bosco Verticale — or Vertical Forrest in English — are two tower blocks situated in Milan, Italy. What makes these structures significant is the abundance of greenery that encapsulates them. To be
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), the leading trade association for UK landscaping professionals, has teamed up with BALI Registered Affiliate Vectorworks UK to offer garden designer members an exclusive membership benefit package worth over £2,500 per year, aptly named BALI Blueprint. BALI is delighted to be working closely
Building hoardings are a non-permanent form of signage commonly seen around construction sites. These panels are typically made of metal or wood and are put into place to keep the public and site workers safe. This façade also shields unsightly construction work from sight, with pleasant graphics available to keep
Lee Marley Brickwork Ltd (LMB) has appointed Mike Hampton as Commercial Director to head up their new regional office based in Thorpe Park, Leeds. Mike is a seasoned industry executive who brings 20 years of masonry experience in the north and midlands to the business. Mike comments: “The opportunity to
The new partnership will see Paint360 installed as the sole provider of paint to Amey’s Clean, Rehabilitative, Enabling and Decent (CRED) programme. Paint360 is a social enterprise that turns waste paint back into new paint. Each litre contains a minimum 65% recycled content, while competing on quality and price with
Following the announcement of a £15m capital grant from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the Transforming Foundation Industries Challenge to bring globally leading capacity to the Glass Futures’ Centre of Excellence in St Helens, Glass Futures’ Chief Executive Richard Katz, said: “This £15m funding is an essential catalyst to
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) has opened registrations for the 44th BALI National Landscape Awards 2020, to be held virtually for the first time on Friday 4th December 2020. Join from 12.30pm for a sponsor’s introduction with the ceremony commencing from 1pm. BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills commented, “While our
Indeglas, recognised as a leading supplier of interior glass screen solutions, has completed a £1.04m contract for Do & Co, a global gourmet entertainment and airline catering company based at Heathrow’s Segro Park. Fitting out the building to the clients extremely high specifications involved Indeglas designing, supplying, and installing specialist
There are roughly 1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK with two-thirds of these being regular users, but many of these wheelchair users struggle to get around their own home. The home is somewhere that you should always easily be able to navigate and feel relaxed and safe in, but this is hard for a wheelchair user when it can be challenging to get around. So, how can you make a home more wheelchair friendly? Read on for a few ideas. Installation of Ramps The installation of ramps outside and inside the home can make life much easier for a wheelchair user. Stairs and changes in surface height are problematic for wheelchair users but this can be avoided by installing ramps which will make it much easier and safer for people to navigate their homes. Automatic Doors Doors can also be a challenge for wheelchair users but is a feature sometimes overlooked. Reaching to open a door can be challenging as well as unsafe whereas an automatic door will make it both easy and safe for a wheelchair user to get around their home without the worry about falling from their chair. In terms of security, doors can be installed with a lock controlled by a remote control or possibly even a smartphone. Wider Doorways Following this, you will also find that making wider doorways can also make a big difference, especially in smaller homes. It can be frustrating when it is difficult to get from room-to-room but made much easier simply by widening the doorways. Walk-In Shower The bathroom is an area that can be difficult to navigate for a wheelchair user. A walk-in shower complete with a fitted chair will make the bathing experience much easier, safe and more enjoyable for a wheelchair user and allow them to carry out basic personal care. Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles It is also important to think beyond the home and ways in which you can make life easier for a wheelchair user. Transport can be another major issue with public transport not being the best option as well as being unreliable and expensive. A wheelchair accessible vehicle from somewhere like Allied Mobility can be a life-changing investment that will take all of the stress and hassle out of travel and allow you to easily and safely get from A to B. These are a few of the best ways that you can make a home more wheelchair-friendly and improve the life of a wheelchair user. It can be hard to navigate the home without adaptations and the home needs to be somewhere that people can feel relaxed and safe which is why it is important to make changes to the home.
While considering installing/remodelling a kitchen, the most important question that arises is, “how much would it cost?” A new kitchen will indeed be the most expensive project task you’re going to perform. However, when choosing a traditional kitchen style, it won’t cost you a lot. Many things can help you keep the cost down while achieving your desired kitchen look. Modern kitchens are dependent on the range of materials and finishes; however, shaker kitchens are designed for those who have a tight budget. You will be surprised to look at the prices that come with Shaker style kitchens. Though Shaker doors and cabinets are clean and simple in design with a traditional centre panel, costs are much lower than what you think. And, of course, that does not mean you have to compromise on quality. How Choices Affect the Price of Traditional Shaker Kitchens There are so many choices available that may affect the total cost of a new traditional kitchen. Here are some of the variations that typically affect it: Size and layout Handles Finish choices Appliances Worktop (which includes laminate’s cost) Tap Additional work such as electrical, tiling, polishing, etc.) Cost of Shaker Cabinets The cost of shaker cabinets in Europe may range between £76 and £900 per linear foot. This is as similar to any other style available. The cost includes style choice for doors and drawer faces and does not cover material expenses. Whether you choose a custom or stock type of material will dictate the actual estimation. Pricing Cabinets by Size 10×10 Kitchen Cabinets A 10×10 kitchen ranges between £1,500-£18,000 depending upon the materials and type you determine. Furthermore, this sort of size typically has 20 to 25 linear feet of cabinets. 12×12 Kitchen Cabinets A standard 12 by 12-foot kitchen cabinet costs around £1,900 to £22,000. It is considered as the average kitchen size in European homes. This size of traditional kitchens is beneficial as it accommodates open concepts, larger and more numerous appliances, and increases storage needs. Cupboards for Small Kitchens You will require nearly £1,300 to £15,000 for cupboards. A kitchen is considered to be small when it has typically 70 square feet or less space. However, you will not need to sacrifice style when choosing a shaker style for your small kitchen. You can find a wide range of materials and styles available for all kitchen sizes, and it gives plenty of options for storage solutions. What to Do Next Choosing a shaker style for your kitchen is ideally the best option to go for. It is undoubtedly a timeless classic style. The style is clean and simple and offers you a range of choices, designs, and styles in your budget without compromising the quality. Furthermore, a real style never goes out of trend. From luxury shaker to smooth, traditional, and classic shaker, you can give any direction to your kitchen and make it stand out with the affordable range. You can’t go wrong with Shaker-style even when choosing a traditional country kitchen or ultra-modern, contemporary design. If you’ve already set your heart for a shaker style kitchen, however, do not want to go for a new kitchen completely, you can still have options. Reface your existing kitchen cabinets with Shaker door replacements, and you have your new kitchen ready! Start planning your budget to get a clean, minimalist kitchen style at an affordable price using Shaker style!
Considering the environmental impact of a new building Inspired by the Italian novel The Baron in the Trees, Bosco Verticale — or Vertical Forrest in English — are two tower blocks situated in Milan, Italy. What makes these structures significant is the abundance of greenery that encapsulates them. To be specific, the towers hold 900 trees, 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 perennial plants. The aim — to eliminate city smog and improve air quality. So, what can the UK’s construction industry learn from these environmental structures? Nick Cowley, managing director at windows and doors manufacturer, Euramax explores. Towns and cities across the globe constantly require new buildings. The UK alone needs to build 340,000 new homes every year until 2031 if its housing supply is to meet demand. While we cannot fail to fulfil this need for more buildings, it’s equally important that the building and construction industry acknowledges the environmental impact of building more. Bosco Verticale Considered the European capital of fashion and football, Milan is also one of the most polluted cities in Europe. In fact, the city was named Europe’s most polluted city in 2008. The industrial region is surrounded by mountainous terrain that gathers heavy smog. To help reduce the health and environmental impact of Milan’s atmospheric pollutants, Italian architect Stefano Boeri conjured up the concept of Bosco Verticale. Constructed in 2014, the towers are designed to combat air pollution by using the trees and plants to produce more oxygen. It’s predicted that the trees and plants in the towers convert approximately 44,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year. The greenery also helps to moderate temperatures in the buildings during winter and summer, by shading the interiors from the sun and blocking harsh winds. This use of vegetation is an effective way to reduce the towers’ energy emissions as there is less need for thermostat heating and air conditioning. Furthermore, the towers’ variety of plant species attracts different birds and insects to the city, improving wildlife conservation. This is important because building and construction often causes irreversible damage to the natural habitats of wildlife and plants. While Milan is proactively reducing pollution and emissions, what’s happening in the UK? Natural England Natural England is the government’s statutory adviser for the natural environment. The group supports the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, its ambitions for agriculture, fisheries and the natural environment and commitment to becoming a net zero country by 2050. Natural England is dedicated to rebuilding sustainable ecosystems and protecting habitats, species and landscapes to help nature thrive. The Chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper, has called for the government to change its thinking towards housing and ensure that environmental considerations are incorporated into the design of new housing estates. He believes that politicians and developers must incorporate green thinking into the design of new infrastructure. According to Juniper, “we need healthy nature to catch carbon, to clean up rivers, to reduce flood risk, to improve public health and wellbeing. All of these have economic upsides, which I fear have been invisible in the development planning process.” Much like the concept of Bosco Verticale, using vegetation to reduce emissions and pollution is something that Natural England wants the government to recognise. Green Homes Grant As well as Natural England’s support, the government announced its Green Homes Grant in July 2020. As part of the scheme, the government will provide vouchers up to £10,000 to make homes more energy efficient. The scheme will run from September 2020 to March 2021 in an attempt to reduce energy emissions and costs. Homeowners and landlords must apply for the vouchers that will fund around 66 per cent of the cost of hiring tradespeople to upgrade the energy performance of their properties. The renovations that qualify for vouchers are categorised by primary and secondary measures. Primary includes a range of insulation and low carbon heating such as biomass boilers and solar thermal. Secondary measures involve draught proofing, double glazing and replacing and updating thermostats. For new buildings and those that need updating, it’s important to minimise their environmental impact where possible, and maximise the energy benefits of the buildings. Updating windows and doors is one action that can offer major energy saving benefits. Using double glazed low emissivity glass units, Euramax’s windows and doors have been rated A for their energy efficiency by The British Fenestration Ratings Council (BFRC). The council rates fenestration products from A to G, with A the most energy efficient, helping to cut emissions and costs to run the building. The Energy Savings Trust UK states that a detached home could save up to £160 on energy bills each year with A rated double glazed windows. While meeting housing demand is vital, so is minimising the environmental impact of construction projects. The UK has already made efforts to improve the sustainability of its buildings with the Green Homes Grant, but it must also demonstrate environmental support from the very start of a construction project. In addition to investing in sustainable materials and energy efficient windows and doors, the UK could take a physical leaf out of Bosco Verticale’s book and rely on natural sources to make construction greener.
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), the leading trade association for UK landscaping professionals, has teamed up with BALI Registered Affiliate Vectorworks UK to offer garden designer members an exclusive membership benefit package worth over £2,500 per year, aptly named BALI Blueprint. BALI is delighted to be working closely with one of the world’s leading Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) software providers, Vectorworks UK. The partnership sees BALI Associate Designer and Registered Designer members gain access to an exclusive range of dedicated services, sophisticated learning & development tools and training opportunities. If fully utilised, the BALI Blueprint package can save thousands off the bottom line for businesses and individuals who are looking for support from their trade association. BALI’s Chief Executive Wayne Grills commented: “Improving the membership benefit provision for designer members was one of our priorities. Many of our designers commented in this year’s membership survey that they wanted more design-specific support from BALI. By partnering with Vectorworks UK, our members now have access to a complete range of support services, from free training sessions with a landscape specialist to 5% off the price of a perpetual licence* to their leading Landmark software. Garden designers are an integral part of the landscaping industry and play a vital part in supporting our association. I am delighted to be able to provide them with an exclusive membership benefit that also provides a flexible learning environment, and I look forward to strengthening our relationship with Vectorworks UK in the months and years ahead.” The new membership benefit package is available in two stages. For Associate Designer members, BALI Blueprint offers an introduction to the world of Vectorworks UK. The perfect entry-point for any garden designer looking for an all-in-one program designed specifically for landscape professionals. This unique package is tailored towards assisting learning and development of key design skills and knowledge of sketching, modelling, and documenting any size project using their world-class and award-winning Landmark software. For Registered Designer members, there is BALI Blueprint+, a significantly upgraded package providing the perfect solution for any garden designer looking to hone their skillsets with this complete Vectorworks UK experience. The BALI Blueprint package for Associate Designer members, in full: 30-day free trial of Vectorworks software. This includes any of its software packages, including its popular Landmark, developed specifically for garden designers looking for a simple all-in-one CAD, BIM, sketch, draw and illustrate solution Free watermarked version of Vectorworks software for students for the duration of their studies, worth £2,445 per year if choosing the Landmark perpetual licence 40% off a perpetual licence of Landmark for graduates, if purchased within 12 months of their graduation date. That’s a saving of £978 off the annual fee *Exclusive 5% discount off the price of a perpetual licence of the Landmark software for any garden designer who hires an apprentice. This is a saving of £122.75 Exclusive opportunity to attend Vectorworks UK user groups. User groups are VIP sessions that are not available to all Vectorworks customers. The groups provide specialist insider knowledge of the software which you can pass on to your client Introducing BALI Blueprint+, exclusively for Registered Designer members Access to all of the above, plus; Four exclusive complimentary training sessions, held quarterly, with a landscape industry specialist, worth £495 per session with members voting on topics they want to cover Exclusive complimentary BALI Blueprint+ Bitesize lunchtime sessions, held on the last Friday of every month, with an industry specialist lasting 30 minutes. This is the equivalent of £450 in support time Commenting on the partnership, Vectorworks UK’s Landscape Specialist Katarina Ollikainen said, “We are very excited about this opportunity to work together with BALI – the emphasis on further education is something we strongly believe in and want to support. To create the framework for a continuous dialogue with members will set the base for a deeper understanding on how to manage projects of all sizes. It will also help with the promotion of sustainable design and push the value of Biodiversity Net Gain and wildlife friendly decisions to the forefront of the design process. We will concentrate on best practices and workflows, as well as dive deeper into the understanding of how to produce precise drawings and 3D models, both for clients and for use on site.” BALI designer members can now access BALI Blueprint or BALI Blueprint+ in their member’s area on the BALI website by logging in at bali.org.uk. This will include details of how to access the perpetual licence discount or how to book onto the free training where this is available. Garden designers are encouraged to speak to the BALI team during FutureScape Virtual 2020 on the 17th-19th November, where BALI will be exhibiting and Vectorworks UK are headline sponsors.
Building hoardings are a non-permanent form of signage commonly seen around construction sites. These panels are typically made of metal or wood and are put into place to keep the public and site workers safe. This façade also shields unsightly construction work from sight, with pleasant graphics available to keep disruption of the local ambience to a minimum. As well as being a mandatory feature to meet health and safety regulations, there are an array of benefits of using building hoardings. There’s a ton of creative ways to take this compulsory site feature and use it to your advantage. However you choose to implement building wraps, they come with an equally high amount of positive features. Here, we’ll take a look at the top 5 benefits of using building hoardings. Project Security Construction sites are a common target for opportunistic thieves. Packed with expensive tools and equipment, unsecure sites are sitting ducks to burglary. In fact, a survey has found that 92% of sites have been affected by petty crime in one way or another, with 21% of construction sites falling victim to theft on a weekly basis. Correctly implemented building hoardings are known to lower the likelihood of your site joining the statistics. For contractors, deterring intruders is a necessity. Installing site hoardings around the perimeter of your works keeps it hidden away and adds an extra layer of security. Regulations state that you must secure the outside of your construction site prior to works commencing. Building hoardings are arguable the most effective way of creating a solid barrier to keep unauthorised persons out of the site, creating a checkpoint where ID’s can be checked, and site managers can keep tabs on who is on site. Safety First Not only do hoardings help to protect your equipment, they also protect the public. Construction sites can be dangerous places, particularly if you’re not wearing protective gear. From falling objects to on-site vehicles, there are a number of safety hazards which could pose a risk to the general public. Building hoardings create a protective barrier which separates the site from the street. Acting as a visible barrier, these durable panels can be made as tall as necessary. While the minimum height is around 2 metres, in places of heavy public footfall, higher panels may be favoured. Similarly, the magnitude and design of hoardings make it very clear that public access is prohibited. This ensures that nobody can just stumble upon the building site as the area is very clearly defined. Advertisement And Marketing Not only great for protection and safety, building site hoarding opens up a whole world of advertising opportunities. Simply put, they provide a blank canvas to broadcast your message to a captive audience. Particularly if the site is located in a busy central area, adding marketing messages to your hoarding can capture more eyes on a daily basis than other forms of advertising. Leaving your hoardings blank is a real missed opportunity. This is prime advertising space located perfectly to embed your brand identity into the public’s minds. What’s more, hoardings are legally obliged to be there. This is a superb way to increase your customer base and revenue all while your building is being built. It’s a no brainer. Graphics can typically be made to bespoke specifications, allowing you to get as creative as you like. This puts the power in your hands when it comes to how your brand is perceived by the public. Site hoardings are an effective way of reinforcing your brand identity and visual marketing strategy, with the ability to utilise company colours, typeface etc in your design. Drumming Up Public Interest And Engagement It’s not uncommon that building projects in highly populated areas come under some scrutiny. For many locals, having building works on their doorstep is nothing more than an eye sore. Gathering intrigue and utilising this space to promote local interest is a sure-fire way of extending an olive branch. There are many ways to achieve this desired result with graphic building hoardings. A concern of many locals may be that the project will be detrimental to the area. While you may want to keep the finer points of your new building under wraps, giving a sneak peak with a graphic depiction of what they can expect the space to look like on completion can set minds at ease and create a talking point for locals. Similarly, engagement can be promoted by encouraging local figures to get involved with the hoarding design. Whether that’s through broadcasting some symbols and logos of familiarity, or getting local contributors involved in the design, creating a non-homogenised, inclusive solution is sure to stoke the flames of public interest. This is easily achieved with building hoardings. Keeps Your Design Under Wraps Site hoarding is also incredibly beneficial as it keeps a bit of mystique around your project prior to completion. You may not want your design to be revealed until it’s ready or prefer that the public didn’t see a half-finished version of your vision. Building hoarding is a cost-effective way to prevent your design becoming exposed while heightening the overall privacy of the works as they go on. And who doesn’t love a grand reveal? With quality site hoarding in place, the design won’t be seen until it’s been perfected. This also limits outside pressures and prying eyes, allowing the work to go on uninterrupted. As hoardings are a temporary measure, they’re easy to remove once the project is complete. There are many reasons that you may only want to send your project out into the world when it’s in all its glory, and site hoarding allows you to work incognito until it’s ready for reveal. Also, by choosing a quality hoarding graphic, your work can seamlessly blend in with its surroundings, allowing the construction stage to be as unassuming as possible. In summary, building hoardings are the best way to improve the safety, security, and overall aesthetics of your temporary works. These
Lee Marley Brickwork Ltd (LMB) has appointed Mike Hampton as Commercial Director to head up their new regional office based in Thorpe Park, Leeds. Mike is a seasoned industry executive who brings 20 years of masonry experience in the north and midlands to the business. Mike comments: “The opportunity to join one of the leading masonry companies in the UK was too good an opportunity to miss. There is huge potential in the north as masonry packages grow bigger and bigger and it shows great confidence in the region that LMB wants to become part of the Northern Power House story” LMB Director Dan Clarkson comments: “Mike is a great addition to our team. Many of our clients have been asking us to work in the region for some time but we have been waiting to recruit individuals that share our drive, commitment to quality and customer focus” LMB Managing Director Lee Marley commented “We have worked all over the country on major projects but it has always been an ambition of mine to have a permanent base in the region to create a bridge between our work in Scotland and the South and offer a comprehensive national masonry solution to our customers” LMB’s team includes operational and commercial management and will be focussing on large scale schemes that have become the company’s hallmark in Southern England and Scotland. The company has chosen Leeds as its base in the North of England because of its good transport links and highly skilled labour pool. With offices already in London, Reading and Glasgow, Leeds is the next step in their national expansion plan. Future business plans include working in partnership with local colleges and universities in the North of England to further develop LMB’s apprenticeship and graduate programmes. For more information about Lee Marley Brickwork Ltd, please visit: www.leemarley.com
The new partnership will see Paint360 installed as the sole provider of paint to Amey’s Clean, Rehabilitative, Enabling and Decent (CRED) programme. Paint360 is a social enterprise that turns waste paint back into new paint. Each litre contains a minimum 65% recycled content, while competing on quality and price with premium brands. It collects waste paint from waste management companies, councils and contractors and recycles it. Amey’s CRED programme seeks to give offenders a fresh start after they are released, providing workplace training within its prison facilities management operations. The Paint360 partnership follows a trial at HMP Holm House, where the quality of paint provided by Paint360 was confirmed as matching that of leading industry providers. Amey estimates that the paint provided by Paint360 will help save 26 tonnes of CO2 in the 14 prisons where the CRED programme operates, with further plans to roll this out to 19 prisons maintained by Amey once CRED is active in those. Amey is also providing advice via its Consulting business to help Paint360 expand its operations to support a future pipeline of work which would see Paint360 providing paint materials for use on Amey’s defence, schools, local authority and central government building FM contracts across the UK. Craig McGilvray, managing director of Amey Secure Infrastructure & Utilities, said: “By working with Paint360 across our CRED programme we are helping to tackle economic inequality, including creating new jobs and skills, as well as increasing supply chain resilience and reducing wastage across our contracts. Our ongoing commitment to social enterprise organisations will be integral to the long-term sustainability of our business, and the wider industry, and I encourage our teams to take advantage of these services where possible.” Paint360 managing director Lee Cole said: “Amey has supported Paint360 from the beginning and was one of our first customers to buy our re-engineered finished paints. Seven years on, it’s been an incredible journey and we look forward to supporting the CRED scheme in its’ roll out while being able to help more young people with barriers into employment.”
Following the announcement of a £15m capital grant from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the Transforming Foundation Industries Challenge to bring globally leading capacity to the Glass Futures’ Centre of Excellence in St Helens, Glass Futures’ Chief Executive Richard Katz, said: “This £15m funding is an essential catalyst to kickstart the delivery of Glass Futures’ £54m Global Centre of Excellence in St Helens, an area rich in glass history. The state-of-the-art R&D facility will enable Glass Futures and its members to work collaboratively to research and develop innovative solutions enhancing resource efficiency, moving the industry closer to sustainable low-carbon glass production and increasing productivity.” “With this grant, UKRI recognises the importance glass has to play in a future to be built on sustainable, fully recyclable, low-carbon products manufactured with highly efficient processes.” The £15m UKRI grant will be used to install a collaboratively designed, globally unique, experimental furnace and state of the art infrastructure capable of producing 30 tonnes of glass per day. This line will enable Glass Futures’ members and researchers to work together with academia to test alternative fuels, new raw materials, Industry 4.0 concepts, demonstrate new products and develop new processes, enabling the Glass Industry to implement change in a safe experimental space. Developments at the facility will also have profound implications for other Industries such as Chemicals, Ceramics, Paper, Steel and Cement. Together with Glass, these industries known as Foundation Industries provide the foundations for civilisation. They share common challenges and require similar developments and, although Glass Futures’ primary focus is the glass sector, it is hoped many of the industry efficiency projects can be directly implemented in other Foundation Industries. Richard added: “The world as a whole needs to move to low carbon and highly efficient processes, but this change does not come without investment, both in time and money. Our Government is supporting the Foundation Industries to enable innovation and help create shared prosperity. No single organisation can enable a global shift in industrial practice, but Glass Futures has begun to show a new path to collaboratively pooling knowledge, resources, and effort. We sincerely thank all our members and supporters who are helping realise an ambitious and game changing facility.” Glass Futures is a not-for-profit membership organisation with a Board comprising leading individuals from the global glass industry, its supply chain and academia. The facility will also enable highly diverse apprenticeships and a unique centre to up-skill workers across the total glass supply chain, tapping into existing and potential talent within the St Helens’ community, across the Northern Powerhouse and internationally. The facility will attract inward investment to the north-west of England as leading players across the glass supply chain and academia begin to use the facility for R&D, training, conferences and even as a new base for parts of their business. Global glass manufacturers, large and small, and their supply chains are invited to join with Glass Futures to be at the forefront of these essential new technologies, promoting collaboration and change. Equally, the sister Foundation Industries are welcome to join and share knowledge. Further Background on Glass Futures: The 158,000 sq. ft facility is being built on a 14-acre site adjacent to St Helens’ Rugby League ‘Totally Wicked’ stadium. The facility will be centred around a 30 tonne per day low carbon demonstration furnace creating the world’s first openly accessible, commercially available, multi-disciplinary glass melting facility with provision for research and development trials to establish new manufacturing techniques, raw materials, improved efficiencies whilst decarbonising the glass industry. The site in St Helens is expected to create around 50 highly skilled jobs directly, along with hundreds of indirect employment opportunities. Earlier in 2020, Glass Futures was awarded a £7.1m contract by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to investigate alternative low carbon energy sources to replace high carbon natural gas in the production of glass. Glass Futures is already lauded as a game changer leading to substantial improvements in manufacturing methodology, enhanced automation and increased efficiencies whilst targeting the removal of CO2 from the manufacturing process, significantly enhancing sustainable growth in the Liverpool City Region.
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) has opened registrations for the 44th BALI National Landscape Awards 2020, to be held virtually for the first time on Friday 4th December 2020. Join from 12.30pm for a sponsor’s introduction with the ceremony commencing from 1pm. BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills commented, “While our Awards event may have lost its physicality, I can assure you it won’t lose its quality, integrity, professionalism and grandeur.” This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the outstanding work carried out by BALI members and we invite you to join us in celebration by registering to attend the virtual ceremony where this year’s Principals, Specials and Grand Award will be announced. Unsure how you will celebrate on the day? Here are some ideas sent in by BALI members to help you get the most from our online event… Host a socially distanced watch party using Microsoft Teams or similar (John O’Connor Grounds Maintenance) Our management team, along with our office-based staff, will be celebrating this year’s virtual ceremony together, here at our head office (Landscape Associates) Restrictions permitting…we’re considering meeting up in a hotel bar with a laptop and table service! (PWP Landscape Design) For further information on this year’s virtual ceremony contact Events Project Manager Emily Feeney or visit baliawards.co.uk.
Indeglas, recognised as a leading supplier of interior glass screen solutions, has completed a £1.04m contract for Do & Co, a global gourmet entertainment and airline catering company based at Heathrow’s Segro Park. Fitting out the building to the clients extremely high specifications involved Indeglas designing, supplying, and installing specialist glass screens to meet the demands of hot kitchens, food prep, packaging, cold storage and menu demonstration areas. Jeanette MacIntyre, Managing Director of Indeglas, said: “Before Covid 19 struck, Indeglas had invested in training and equipment to facilitate robotic glass lifting processes for this project due to the scale of the operation and the weight of individual glass panes. “The investment paid off, driving efficiency and ensuring safety whilst also enabling a speedy return from lockdown with one person/one robot squads operating effectively without the need for social distancing. “The scale of the building also assisted various trades to keep significant distance from each other. The main contractor, McLaughlin and Harvey, was pro-active and well-organised in implementing Covid 19 safety measures throughout. “Although the project was completely closed down for a number of weeks, and we were forced to work remotely without accessing our own office and storage facility, the entire management team worked tirelessly to interpret the new, emerging safety procedures required and partnered with the main contractor to ensure a safe, effective and economically viable return to work.” Indeglas is a member of the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) trade association and has benefited from the work it has done in interpreting and simplifying the evolving legislative and economic impact of COVID 19 for SMEs within the interiors sector. It has also remained engaged with the initiatives of the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CCIV) Forum through both FIS and the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) and intends to continue its engagement with CICV. Established 20 years ago, Indeglas is a specialist contractor and sole distributor in the UK and Ireland for the products of award-winning glazed screen system, DEKO of Denmark. The company is a trusted partner to some of the UK’s leading construction companies with relationships built over many years. As the production of specialist and complex glass types for architectural application increases Indeglas bring a trusted collaboration of knowledge, supply partners, engineers and logistics specialists to the table, bringing sound advice to design, procurement, logistics and installation stages of a project. A dedicated maintenance service for completed installations is also provided throughout the UK.
