It is not just the actual fitness equipment that is vital for fitness and the comfort of your clients when they are working towards their fitness goals. Just as important is ensuring the flooring for each area is right for specific training areas, getting the right specialist flooring will help
Saint-Gobain Weber has introduced weberpral MF to join its widely established and popular range of high quality, monocouche renders. This fine texture, through-coloured render achieves a smoother, finer and more contemporary, modern aesthetic while providing an excellent weather and algae resistant decorative finish. weberpral MF is a one-coat, ready mixed
It is fair to say that if you are thinking about renovating your garden you feel like you have a job on your hands. It is not just a question of moving plants from one part of the garden to another. A full-on renovation may see you have trees and
Horbury Facades, part of the Horbury Group based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, has secured a contract with Sir Robert McAlpine worth £4 million to deliver a ‘through-wall’ solution on a new multi-occupancy residential development in Manchester. Forming part of the £80m regeneration of Salford’s Chapel Street area, the scheme on
Why the autumn is the best time of year to install artificial grass; it offers the best of all worlds in terms of weather, softness of ground for digging and more. The best season to fit your new grass is neither too hot or too cold Having decided to have
TODD Architects has announced a number of internal team promotions that have created seven new Associates with specialisms across a range of sectors, including office, residential, healthcare, education, retail and aviation. “These well-deserved promotions are part of our continued succession and business development plan, rewarding talent and experience and creating
Leading UK manufacturer Kawneer had its full range of architectural glazing systems specified for a stunning residential development at Cardiff marina. The Kawneer systems were selected for Phase One of Bayscape Ltd’s £40 million mixed-use development, which has been shortlisted for an award. “We specified Kawneer because of the need
The construction of the 3750 ft² Lake House, a contemporary new build private residence situated on a man-made island in a flooded quarry in the Cotswolds, will be overseen by Boon Brown Architects. Having been Lead Consultant and Architect from design inception through to planning and full technical design, Boon
Staticus has been appointed as the façade contractor for Royal Mint Gardens, one of the most prestigious new luxury residential developments in London, located next to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. It incorporates 263 high-specification apartments and facilities including a concierge lounge, pool, cinema and gym. Staticus is
For the refurbishment of a popular visitor attraction, the client required a single flooring solution that helped maintain the highest health and safety standards, and enhanced the aesthetics of its exotic exhibits. The seamless, non-slip Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24 system proved ideal for the project. Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port,
It is not just the actual fitness equipment that is vital for fitness and the comfort of your clients when they are working towards their fitness goals. Just as important is ensuring the flooring for each area is right for specific training areas, getting the right specialist flooring will help clients and customers get even more from their work out, and encourage them to keep coming back. Gyms are expected these days to offer a huge range of activities to suit all their clients’ needs and workout styles. In fact being able to offer more services to clients will keep your gym ahead of the game in a very competitive market. And the same type of flooring is not appropriate for each exercise. Strategize each dedicated workout zone and then select the appropriate flooring Different workouts have very different flooring requirements, and so you will need to divide the gym into dedicated zones for the activity. As an example, you might pick flooring for your cardio and cycling area that can support the machinery, such as rowing machines, exercise bikes and treadmills, and will need high resistance and anti-slip functionality. Whereas the heavyweight’s area will have to be highly durable and resistant to damage, especially as this area is very often subject to many dropped weights as clients push themselves towards their goals. In addition, you will want to diffuse the noise and vibrations to not disturb the yoga class, this becomes even more significant if the heavy weights area is on the upper floor. Then there is the areas of high traffic, corridors, reception areas and so on. The high volume of footfall needs to be durable and easy to clean. And for the wet areas, shower rooms, changing areas, pool and saunas, for example, you need to have the most hygienic and anti-slip which is very major but not necessary for the acoustic reduction properties. Specialise the equipment free zones as well for the best use For the area reserved typically for group-x classes are usually highly active classes which need ease of movement across the floor but also be, Non-slip and durable. However, rubber flooring you would use in other areas wouldn’t work. On the other hand for martial arts, where participants are often falling and exercise barefoot, you would then want to consider a different type of flooring, perhaps even changeable flooring for areas that require dual use. Something such as tatami flooring you can ensure reduced impact and excellent grip for the feet. This is vital for the safety of the participants to avoiding injury while practising karate, judo or kung fu. For some exercises, you may even want to consider some kind of thermal insulation. This would be ideal for exercises for balance, meditation, yoga and tai chi – but almost certainly would not be welcome in some of the other gym areas! Not just a floor, Prama makes the floor part of the fun of exercise Gamifying exercise is one of the hottest trends to work out, especially for those wanting to get the whole family involved in a healthier way of life – and one of the best new ways to do this is through the Prama system. It makes exercise interactive, becoming a cross between a disco, a playground and a gym. The touch-sensitive floor, the lighting and the music are all timed to be truly immersive, it can be set to different patterns to suit every fitness levels of all ages and fitness. This is vital for reaching new audiences and members for your gym. And it is exclusively available from Pavigym, the sole manufacturer of floors particularly dedicated to the fitness industry. Pavigym Gym Flooring has the knowledge and experience to design and create floors for gyms across the world. So it comes to you for designing your gym, by making sure you speak to the experts.
Saint-Gobain Weber has introduced weberpral MF to join its widely established and popular range of high quality, monocouche renders. This fine texture, through-coloured render achieves a smoother, finer and more contemporary, modern aesthetic while providing an excellent weather and algae resistant decorative finish. weberpral MF is a one-coat, ready mixed cementitious render suitable for most types of brick or blockwork. It’s through-colour, one coat characteristics allow fast and efficient application with shorter programme periods, contributing widely to site efficiencies and earlier completion of ground works. weberpral MF requires little maintenance and decoration is not required. This decorative and functional render is manufactured from fine grade aggregates with a grain size of 0.15mm compared to around 2.2mm grain sizes in standard renders. The finer texture makes it especially suitable for the creation of fine ashlar cuts and quoin detail. “weberpral MF is filling a gap in our range,” says Tracey Dempster, Marketing Director, Saint-Gobain Weber. “It is a best-selling render product in France and we feel confident there is a strong and committed market here in the UK.” Formulated for spray application by render pump for faster application, weberpral MF can be applied up to 28mm thick in two passes. It can also be applied manually. Supplied in a 25kg bag coverage of 25kg/m² can be achieved when applied at a finished thickness of 15mm. weberpral MF is available in four key colours – Chalk, Ivory, Silver Pearl and Cream. Colour samples are available on request. For more information about this product, or for technical support including award winning training courses, please contact Saint-Gobain Weber on 08703 330 070, or visit www.uk.weber A free download of the Weber App for iPhone and iPad users is also available from iTunes and from Google Play for Android smartphones and tablet users. Follow Saint-Gobain Weber on Twitter @SGWeberUK for the latest company news and updates.
It is fair to say that if you are thinking about renovating your garden you feel like you have a job on your hands. It is not just a question of moving plants from one part of the garden to another. A full-on renovation may see you have trees and bushes to remove. You may want to get rid of or reposition paving slabs or pathways. You may be considering laying new paving. Garden renovation is difficult work but it can be made easy with the right tools. If you are an avid DIY enthusiast or you own a small home improvement business, using tool hire will save you money and do the lion’s share of the work. A true win–win scenario. Before you start Renovating your Garden Before you start renovating your garden, make a plan. This will give you ideas and help you pinpoint exactly what you want to do in your garden renovation. From here you can prioritise the list of jobs. If you are working for a client and not undertaking a DIY project you may have your client’s plan to work to. If you do not, It is essential that you and your client agree exactly what you are going to do before you unleash a mini digger on their favourite flower bed. Once you have your plan play around with ideas. You probably have a broad idea at how you want things to look, but you will probably find that your project takes a new life as new ideas bed down into your plan. Decide how much maintenance you are prepared to do when deciding what plants to use in your garden, and take a few visits to garden centres so you can see what’s possible. Make a List of Priorities Once you have a plan decide what to do in order of when you need to do it. This will help you schedule when to arrange tool hire and this gives you a broad idea of how long your project will take. It is good practise to build in a little extra time as problems always arise. Excavation Unless your project is small in scope, you will probably need to clear away a large part of your garden if not all of it. You have big DIY ideas and this needs to be done. This is where mini digger hire saves you money and allows you to excavate your garden effectively giving you a blank canvass to work with. Mini diggers are an invaluable tool when renovating your garden. If you are a home improvement business they not only provide a cost effective way of taking on bigger work, they also avoid a range of headaches such as planned maintenance and servicing, and paying for repairs should your mini digger develop a fault. Once you have the digger you should be able to clear away as much of the garden as you need to quickly. This is just the beginning, however, as the next phase may involve laying pathways and patios, planting, building and possibly plumbing and electrical work. As an enthusiastic DIY person or home improvement business owner, you have your work cut out! Garden Renovation Equipment Tool Hire Other tools you may need to hire to handle the heavy loads include: Skip – You need to put the rubbish somewhere and skips are the best option. This makes rubbish removal easy and you don’t have to keep doing dump runs to get rid of your rubbish, delaying the project and adding on costs. Cement Mixers – If you’re laying patios or paths you want to be able to mix large volumes of concrete. Cement mixers are perfect for this task and speed up the laying process considerably. Rollers – Rollers compact soil, asphalt, and gravel and as such give the perfect foundation to make your garden renovation come to life. Some you push by hand. For bigger projects ride on rollers are available. Chainsaw – If you want to fell a tree you will need a chainsaw to do this job. Unless you’ll need a chainsaw for a considerable amount of work, it makes sense to hire one from a good tool hire shop. Wood Cutting Equipment – If you are planning to build wooden structures in your garden, being able to cut wood accurately and easily is necessary. There are plenty of options to choose from so finding the right saw for what you need to accomplish should be straightforward and help you complete your tasks faster and more accurately. Once the heavy work is out the way you can start developing your garden renovation. For this, a different set of tools is needed. As a minimum you will need: Wheelbarrow Garden Trowels Garden Gloves Hand Pruners And Loppers Plant Dividing Tools Garden Hose Reel Cart Garden Forks Shovel Wide Brimmed Hat On a final note, many hands make light work. If you are doing a DIY project recruit as many friends and family to help.
Horbury Facades, part of the Horbury Group based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, has secured a contract with Sir Robert McAlpine worth £4 million to deliver a ‘through-wall’ solution on a new multi-occupancy residential development in Manchester. Forming part of the £80m regeneration of Salford’s Chapel Street area, the scheme on Gore Street, Manchester, consists of 375 private rent homes, including 364 apartments and 11 townhouses, split across three blocks that range between 22 and 13 storeys in height. Working in collaboration with OMI Architects and SRM project delivery team, Horbury Facades is installing a complex horizontal plank rainscreen cladding system, featuring multi-coloured aluminium panels, and balcony details on the three residential blocks. Horbury Facades is also installing a SFS (Steel Framing System) from EOS and non-combustible Siniat weather defence boards. The scheme is set to be completed by 2020. Adrian Storey, General Manager at Horbury Facades, comments: “We are very excited to have secured the contract to work on the innovative redevelopment of Gore Street, we have extensive experience in delivering external envelope schemes and look forward to working with the team to bring their ideas to life to create vibrant new buildings.” The Gore Street development, funded by Grainger, includes 9,400 sq. ft. of commercial space at ground and second floor level and a public square. The residential blocks will also feature a café, gym and communal area within. Horbury Facades is a specialist rainscreen cladding contractor offering full specification, installation and maintenance services. As a division of Horbury Group, the company has experience of working with a range of materials including composite panels, high pressure laminates, terracotta tiles, steel and aluminium cassette systems. For more information on Horbury Façade’s installation services, visit the website www.horburygroup.com.
Why the autumn is the best time of year to install artificial grass; it offers the best of all worlds in terms of weather, softness of ground for digging and more. The best season to fit your new grass is neither too hot or too cold Having decided to have an artificial grass surface, the next decision is when should it be installed? There are pros and cons as to what time of year is preferable with all four seasons making a case for themselves, but autumn may well be the best of all. Autumnal benefits for installing artificial grass Soft ground – while the summer months could prove difficult for installation due to hard ground if it’s been hot and dry, the winter by contrast could be too wet and the surface could quickly become a quagmire when digging up the existing grass or top layer starts. The autumn could be ideal in that the ground should have a degree of moisture but hopefully not too much if excessive rain hasn’t fallen. It could be argued spring might also offer a good trade off between dry and hard ground, but the possible disadvantage compared to autumn is the growth of plants, shrubs and trees. Carrying out a major task such as artificial grass installation could damage them in their early growth phases; in the autumn growth more or less stops, plants have been cut back, and things go ‘quieter’ in the garden. Remember to order your artificial grass in good time; preferably a reasonable interval before the dates you wish to install it or have it installed professionally. Weather – the autumn can often be the best weather of all for working outdoors; winter is naturally likely to be cold while summer can be a bit too hot to be undertaking intensive work in the garden. The spring may also be a pleasant season to be working outdoors, but autumn may just edge it. In any event, the spring can be an ‘outdoors’ time of year so perhaps better to be out enjoying the garden than working on a major installation project. Timing – if you install your new surface on the autumn, then you’re all ready to enjoy it when the milder weather and longer days start the following spring. Settling – artificial grass requires a certain length of time to settle, and the less it’s in use during this period the better. It’s certainly possible to use artificial grass as soon as it’s installed, but some ‘settling time’ will pay dividends in the long run. If you install the grass in the autumn, by then gardens are generally used less often as the weather turns colder, so the surface has the rest of the autumn and the whole of winter to settle before seeing more use once spring arrives. Autumn colours – it’s not all about waiting to see the benefits by installing your new grass in the autumn; you’ll benefit at least from an aesthetics point of view by having your new, lush green surface laid as the attractive golds and deep reds of autumn colours take hold in the garden. Planning ahead Artificial grass is one of a number of ways to create a low maintenance garden and more people are turning to it as the production techniques have improved considerably in recent years. It pays to contact your grass installers if you’re not going to do it yourself in plenty of time so they can schedule an autumn installation slot with you.
TODD Architects has announced a number of internal team promotions that have created seven new Associates with specialisms across a range of sectors, including office, residential, healthcare, education, retail and aviation. “These well-deserved promotions are part of our continued succession and business development plan, rewarding talent and experience and creating career opportunities to keep those skills within the practice. These promotions will help us deliver our collective aim to empower future leadership by investing in our team,” said MD Paul Crowe. Michael Burns has over 20 years’ experience and has completed some of TODD’s most acclaimed buildings, including INI Belfast HQ and Queens University’s library tower. He is currently leading the delivery of major office developments in Belfast and Brighton. Martin Wylie has been working at TODD since 2015, with extensive experience in the design and construction of offices, apartments, educational, and healthcare buildings. He is currently engaged in a number of high profile schemes including the Gate, a 20 storey student residential development in Sheffield. John Palmer is based at TODD’s Dublin office, and is responsible for all aspects of project delivery spanning a range of sectors including residential, healthcare, education and commercial and custodial. John has a specialist interest in Passivhaus standards, energy conservation and green building technologies. Brona Marshall has over 20 years’ experience working on projects in sectors including commercial, aviation, media, sports and particularly education. Brona has recently been involved in a master planning development project for Bristol Airport that will facilitate the anticipated capacity increase in passenger numbers initially to 12 million passengers per annum. With over 13 years’ experience across multiple sectors including healthcare, education, commercial and residential, Jonathan Thompson has a wide experience working with clients, contractors, sub-contractors and regulating authorities across the UK, Ireland and the Middle East. Jonathon is leading the design of Queens University’s prestigious new School of Management building. Having joined TODD’s in 2012, Bobby Moore has become an integral part of the practice’s education team, regularly working on feasibility studies, competitions and tender submissions. Currently Bobby is working on Holy Family Special needs school in Cootehill, County Cavan where the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar has just cut the first sod. Heading the residential housing team, Shaun Hegarty has more than 17 years of experience in the area and has completed a multiplicity of schemes for both private sector and Housing Association clients. Shaun also fronts TODD’s involvement in the RNLI framework, supporting RPS on the delivery of works to the RNLI’s coastal and inland lifeboat stations throughout Ireland and Scotland.
Leading UK manufacturer Kawneer had its full range of architectural glazing systems specified for a stunning residential development at Cardiff marina. The Kawneer systems were selected for Phase One of Bayscape Ltd’s £40 million mixed-use development, which has been shortlisted for an award. “We specified Kawneer because of the need for a high-quality and trusted product. Crisp detailing was important in the overall design concept and aluminium was essential for the marine environment,” said Andrew Baker, Director of Rio, award-winning architects who have used Kawneer systems on numerous projects. The two blocks of luxury apartments – Whitewater House and Waterford House – both used Kawneer’s AA®100 mullion-drained curtain walling with 50mm sightlines, thermally superior AA®720 tilturn and side-hung casement windows, and AA®545 open-out swing doors. Whitewater House, so named because it also overlooks Cardiff International White Water Centre, was first to complete, offering 56 generously-proportioned one, two and three- bedroom apartments including two penthouses. Meanwhile, Bayscape offers a total of 115 apartments, with optional private moorings, across seven and eight-storeys of apartments which are joined by an elevated garden podium. The ground floors feature a coffee shop, waterside bar and restaurant, commercial/retail units and marina management facility. The luxury apartments, which all feature private balconies or terraces, start at £175,000 and range from up to 624 ft2 for a one-bed, 990 ft2 for two bedrooms and 1,119 ft2 for a typical three-bedroom. Residents also benefit from undercroft parking, a concierge service and lift access to all floors. The impressive floor to ceiling double glazing in every apartment ensures they are light and airy and residents can enjoy the stunning views. The Kawneer systems were installed over five months by a team of up to eight operatives from approved dealer Dudley’s Aluminium for main contractor BECT Building Contractors. Dudley’s, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, also worked with Kawneer and BECT on another Cardiff project – One Canal Parade. Bayscape was shortlisted for residential development of the year in the 2018 Wales Insider Property Awards.
The construction of the 3750 ft² Lake House, a contemporary new build private residence situated on a man-made island in a flooded quarry in the Cotswolds, will be overseen by Boon Brown Architects. Having been Lead Consultant and Architect from design inception through to planning and full technical design, Boon Brown will continue to work with the client to administer the build contract and ensure every detail of Lake House is delivered to specification. “Right from the outset, our client demanded a bold, high specification design with a strong visual connection with the lake. We applied our experience in bespoke residential design with commercial scale architecture to explore original solutions and create the architecture and language the client sought. The form, layout and technical detailing will deliver expansive views of the lake unhindered by the distraction of structural elements, window framing or railings,” explained Craig Jones, Architectural Director at Boon Brown. The new build’s reinforced concrete frame will enable large column-free spans whilst maintaining a slim flat-slab floor construction and low storey height. Exposed concrete is largely left fair faced internally in an honest expression of the structure. The elevational design expresses a light, modular clad ground floor with a high percentage of energy performance glazing and black glass spandrel cladding, allowing the first floor to visually float above a reflective base. The upper floor directs views over the lake, with the master bedroom having a stunning 6m by 3m frameless corner-glazed floor to ceiling picture window. The upper floor cladding incorporates larch vertical strips to the main form, matching surrounding buildings and being sensitive to the woodland setting, whilst the expressive parts are sheathed in black render. Meanwhile, the minimalist interior required exceptional design coordination with building services to ensure systems are discreet and complement the interior. A VRF refrigerant comfort cooling system serves fan coil units unobtrusively built into each habitable room and coordinated with fit-out furniture. The building fabric is highly insulated, and the underfloor heating is via water source heat pump, taking advantage of the lake setting. The central ventilation system incorporates heat recovery and tempered fresh air supply. Lake House is a family home at The Lakes by Yoo, a disused quarry site that has been flooded to create sculptured island plots for individual dwellings. The accommodation is divided over three floors, with all the principal rooms enjoying the south-westerly view over the lake. In addition to five bedrooms, living, dining and media rooms, there is a roof level reading room that connects to a terrace and hydropool.
Staticus has been appointed as the façade contractor for Royal Mint Gardens, one of the most prestigious new luxury residential developments in London, located next to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. It incorporates 263 high-specification apartments and facilities including a concierge lounge, pool, cinema and gym. Staticus is one of the largest façade contractors in Northern Europe and responsible for the iconic look of several new builds in London, Manchester and Liverpool. Over the next six months, the company will install more than 13,000 square metres of unitised façade Panels across the building. Unitised façade comprises pre-fabricated panels, designed and manufactured to order and delivered direct to site for faster installation; a cost-efficient method, and factory quality control, makes it increasingly popular in the UK. Established 20 years ago in Lithuania, Staticus owns a 14,000 square metre factory that can operate up to 12 production lines at the same time. The company is therefore ideally positioned to deliver the Royal Mint Gardens contract as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for façade engineering from initial concept and design to manufacture and installation. “We are both excited and deeply proud to be part of the development of this historic area in London, which is close to The Royal Mint, the origin of British coin production,” said Staticus’ UK MD Paulius Gurksnys. “We love to innovate and will realise this project with a number of unique solutions including frameless façade elements hanging on tension rods with horizontal glass fins and a spider glass fixing system. It is going to look very special indeed.” With offices in Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and now London, Staticus is growing its presence in the UK, with recent projects including the X1 Media City towers in Manchester and the Aspire Point Tower in Stratford, East London. Paulius continued: “We utilise advanced research, methods and technology to help create visually stunning smart buildings, where people can live and work in harmony with the environment. This latest project at Royal Mint Gardens is a real coup for Staticus and strengthens our position in the UK façade market.” For more information, please visit www.staticus.com.
For the refurbishment of a popular visitor attraction, the client required a single flooring solution that helped maintain the highest health and safety standards, and enhanced the aesthetics of its exotic exhibits. The seamless, non-slip Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24 system proved ideal for the project. Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire is home to Europe’s largest collection of sharks, as well as a host of stunning sea-life such as rays, otters and tortoises. Due to the differing floor finishes throughout the attraction’s ‘Venom’ display area, the client required a single flooring solution that made for a clearer, lessconfusing viewing experience for visitors. The new floor had to offer high levels of slip resistance on account of over-spray from a nearby cascading waterfall feature creating wet surface areas, hence the specification of Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24, a tough, solvent-free, polyurethane, seamless system. Contractor, Mike Thelwell Flooring, was selected to install the new surface, which had to be built-up in places to correct the removed floor’s differing heights. As well as its robust resistance to heavy footfall and slippage – even when flooring becomes wet – Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24’s decorative properties were crucial to its specification. It is available in a wide range of bespoke colours to suit all environments, with the client choosing a two-tone effect to create an ‘earthy’ feel in the aquarium’s Venom area. The system’s seamless aspect provided another appealing feature, as it makes the flooring simple to clean and hygiene standards easier to uphold in busy, commercial spaces. Mike Thelwell, Director at Mike Thelwell Flooring, said: “The project was complex and specific to the client’s requirements, but Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24 ensured challenges were easily overcome. We worked closely with Sika and the client to ensure the surface was fitted within the agreed timeframe. We are extremely proud of the floor we’ve provided for this popular attraction. Our team’s installation skills, in conjunction with Sika’s superb floor system, made for a very successful project.” With the Sika ComfortFloor® PS-24 system, which comprises Sikafloor®-3000 and Sikafloor®-300, two-part elastic, aliphatic, low-VOC, self-smoothing polyurethane resins, the aquarium has been furnished with a surface that looks as good as it performs. Non-slip, smooth and stylish, the new floor succeeds on many levels, helping enhance the visitor experience for the many thousands of people who cross the attraction’s threshold throughout the year.
