A timber frame specialist which has never looked back after its first experience with Actis insulation products has just completed a seven-home development in East Sussex whose U-values far outstrip building regulation requirements, thanks to using its Hybrid range. The timber frame development in Crowborough is well on the way
Nuggets from a RIBA-approved CPD on changes to Part L will be shared with West Midlands builders, specifiers, building control officers and architects attending LABC’s virtual regional roadshow next week. A mini version of the RIBA-approved Tomorrow’s Insulation Solutions for Future Homes Standards CPD, which covers part L, will be
Actis regional sales director and Women in Construction ambassador Jemma Harris has been inspiring young women to reject stereotypes and follow their dreams of a career in a male-dominated profession. Jemma, who is responsible for sales growth in the UK Northern region, was speaking to year 11 students at a
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
A timber frame specialist which has never looked back after its first experience with Actis insulation products has just completed a seven-home development in East Sussex whose U-values far outstrip building regulation requirements, thanks to using its Hybrid range. The timber frame development in Crowborough is well on the way to being completed and Berkshire-based Vision Development, whose construction methods are super speedy, is about to start work on a second scheme in the area for the same developer. Vision installs Actis 105mm honeycomb-style insulation Hybris on all its open panel timber frames at its Reading factory, with insulating multifoil vapour control layer HControl Hybrid installed on site. The walls in the Sussex scheme, in line with the majority of Vision’s projects, achieved a U-value of 0.16w/m2k – far exceeding the building regulations requirement of 0.26, with the H Control element of the build-up playing a key role in ensuring thermal efficiency by acting as an airtightness layer. Walls in other Vision properties can offer between 0.14 and 0.18, depending on the external façade. Vision ditched its former go-to insulation choice, PIR board, back in 2018 after discovering how quick, clean and easy Actis products are to install. It has since completed more than 150 new timber frame homes using the system, with one, a luxury lakeside holiday development in the Cotswolds, The Lakes by Yoo, receiving an architectural award. And it is currently working on a top-secret project with roof U-values of 0.11, using Actis Boost R Hybrid, 155mm Hybris and H Control Hybrid to the internal face, which is destined to be featured on TV’s Grand Designs. Vision Development directors Lucy Karpinski and Luke McAuley have both expressed their satisfaction with the Actis Hybrid insulation system. “We and our workshop teams much prefer the Hybris for cutting and installing in the panels at our factory as it is far less messy and they don’t need to wear masks as it does not kick off dust like the PIR insulation we previously used and is a much safer product from a health and safety point of view.” “The ease of installation is attractive to us, as the main USP for timber frame is the speed of construction. There is also minimal waste, which again works well with our timber frame ethic of being environmentally friendly and the insulation being non-toxic. It is much quicker to use than PIR board and takes around half the labour time to install. “We undertake a wide range of projects and Hybris insulation has offered a cost effective and convenient solution for them all.” “The technical support from Actis has always been extremely efficient and informative. We even had a team from Actis HQ in France coming over to visit us to see how we use their products with our timber frame systems to achieve varying U-values.” The products are supplied by Minster. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Nuggets from a RIBA-approved CPD on changes to Part L will be shared with West Midlands builders, specifiers, building control officers and architects attending LABC’s virtual regional roadshow next week. A mini version of the RIBA-approved Tomorrow’s Insulation Solutions for Future Homes Standards CPD, which covers part L, will be presented by one of the Actis regional specification team at the monthly LABC technical seminar on Wednesday April 19. The event, aimed at LABC members in the West Midlands, is the latest of LABC’s monthly informative sessions, which are a mixture of face-to-face and virtual activities. This is the fifth year in a row in which Actis is working with LABC as a CPD partner. Delegates drawn from building, specification, building control and architecture backgrounds will be treated to a selection of modules which between them will offer two hours of CPD training. The face-to-face options equate to three and a half hours of CPD training. Actis, along with LABC’s other CPD partners, will each offer 20 minutes of insight into a specific technical issue and a proposed solution designed to educate and inform delegates. Actis’ contribution will focus on insulation to meet the new tighter Building Regulations Part L requirements, while other experts will talk on issues such as warranty defects. The free seminar will also see LABC looking at the latest building regulations news. The roadshows are aimed at helping other industry members gain greater insight into issues affecting the construction sector, with the Actis component focusing on thermal efficiency. The Zoom doors open at 11am and close at 1pm. Reserve your place here. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Actis regional sales director and Women in Construction ambassador Jemma Harris has been inspiring young women to reject stereotypes and follow their dreams of a career in a male-dominated profession. Jemma, who is responsible for sales growth in the UK Northern region, was speaking to year 11 students at a school in Hull, and shared her own career path working in two very traditionally ‘macho’ environments – the Royal Navy, where she worked as a weapons engineer, and construction. She talked about the additional obstacles she, along with many women, faced to get to the top of the career tree – with advice on how to overcome them. She added that a depressing Gender Gap Index report report stated that it would take 108 years for society to close the global gender gap. She told them: “It sounds pretty boring selling insulation, but there’s actually a lot more to it than that. You get involved with the whole design and build process in construction and the eco side of things – saving the planet. “However, I have had to put the hard work in and overcome many obstacles, particularly as a woman in the industry that I currently work in and during my service in the Royal Navy. “I had to work that bit harder than the boys, particularly on board a ship. I was promoted later than others because I was a girl. I was overlooked for certain positions. These obstacles didn’t deter me from my goals. They made me more determined to succeed and prove myself to be just as good.” Her naval career also saw her receiving a medal for her role in the Gulf War, play football and win a physical fitness award. The talk inspired the young women to rethink their pre-conceived notions of the world of work, with 87.5% of them interested in pursuing a career in sales or business, as a result of what Jemma told them. Responses included: “Jemma’s talk gave us a chance to show young women that they can do anything that they actually want to do and that they don’t have to do the stereotypical ‘girl jobs’ and that girls are just as good as boys and that everything should be equal.” Another attendee said: “It helped open young minds that they shouldn’t listen to people who tell them that they can’t so something because they are a girl and that this is a ‘guy job.’”Jemma added: “Diversity and inclusion are always something industries should strive for. I’d like to think that, along with other women in the industry, we are making an impact and difference in inspiring the next female generation to get involved in construction.”
