2006 March

What other industry has been faced with the challenge to improve the performance of its product by 40% in just four years? We refer, of course, to the new Building Regulations that come into force on 6 April. The construction industry faces a sea change in the way it must think and operate.

BAA has announced the team for the Heathrow East proposal. Foster & Partners is the architect, with Hoare Lea & Partners as building-services engineer and Arup as structural engineer. Mace and Laing O’Rourke have been appointed to provide early-stage construction advice, and Doug & Smith has been selected to provide early-stage commercial advice.

Two organisations representing H&V contractors and facilities managers have signed a formal agreement to stimulate excellence in facilities management. They are the services and facilities group of the Heating & Ventilating Contractors’ Association and the British Institute of Facilities Management.

Chalmor has been awarded a £40 000 grant by Shell Springboard towards the development of an innovative programmable electronic thermostatic radiator valve (eTRV). This device will be low-cost and easy to install and offer the potential to achieve a 25% reduction in heating bills for many homes and small businesses.

Building-services contractor Worthington Nicholls Group is looking to raise up to £15 million to fund the organic and acquisitive growth of the business in the UK and Europe by seeking permission to seek admission to trade on the Alternative Investment Market. The company claims to be the UK’s largest independent installer of air-conditioning, heating, ventilation and chilled-water systems.

White Young Green’s Manchester office is acting as mechanical-and-electrical representative for the client on a new £24 million medical project in Liverpool. The project involves new laboratory facilities for the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

The Government has tightened the time for the construction industry to comply with new climate-change regulations. Transitional arrangements have been slashed from the usual maximum of three years to just 12 months to speed up the take up of new regulations and maximise their impact on climate change. The announcement was made by Housing & Planning Minister Yvette Cooper.

HELEN ELIAS explains how to get more from the customer-satisfaction surveys that are required as part of a quality-management system.

A planned ventilation hygiene strategy carried out by specialists will not only improve indoor air quality and comfort conditions; it should also keep you safe, according to the HVCA’s Richard Norman .

Copper’s traditional benefits combined with modern innovations keep it competitive in today’s market, explains PETER MARSH

Seamless data exchange along the design supply chain of building projects is bringing a range of benefits. CHRISTOPHER GRPOOME reports on what is happening worldwide.

CIBSE and ASHRAE (the American Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers) have jointly called for continued reductions in carbon-dioxide emissions, guidelines relating to reduced energy consumption and responsible refrigerant use. The statement was signed at the ASHRAE 2006 Winter Meeting in Chicago recently.

Fujitsu has strengthened the distribution of its air-conditioning products with the appointment of Wave Air Conditioning. Martin Richards, managing director of Fujitsu UK, says, ‘The appointment of Wave reflects a long association with managing director Andy Stanford, whose past knowledge and experience of selling Fujitsu products will add another positive element to our channel strategy.’

Among over £30 million-worth of new contracts marking a successful start to 2006 for Robertson Construction in Scotland is a new £6.5 million preparatory school for Glasgow Academy (pictured). The company has also begun work on the £19 million mental-health facility at Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow. West Lothian Council has appointed Robertson to build the new £6.5 million Simpson Primary School, the first school in Scotland to be built under Section 75 of the Town & Country Planning (Scotland) Act.

A SKILLcard for humidification engineers has been developed by the HEVAC humidity group and the HVCA in response to increasing demand from clients and main contractors for evidence of competence in this highly specialised field.

ACE, the Association for consultancy & Engineering, has launched a new professional-indemnity insurance scheme. It was developed after listening to members’ concerns about the increasing use of PI insurance and conducting a major review of the current market and providers.

Works for M&E contractor SES take a step closer to completion with the delivery of plant equipment, including a 5 t chiller and three air-handling units, for the 8-storey St James Gate development in the heart of Newcastle. The company’s £2.3 million contract includes the installation and commissioning of all M&E services to the development and utilises large-scale modularisation methods to the risers, floors and core services.

Despite growing business in the private commercial, industrial and housing sectors, the total volume of construction output in 2005 fell by 1% compared to the previous year. Total output in the fourth quarter of 2005 was unchanged compared with the third quarter, both in volume terms and in current prices, according to figures from the National Statistics Office.

Toshiba Air Conditioning has opened its first-hands-on customer-training centre for VRF air conditioning outside of Japan. It is on the Belliver Industrial Estate in Plymouth, where the warehousing distribution and parts stock management for Toshiba Carrier UK are now co-located.

The role of containment and handling to control the emissions of F-gases (CFCs) from air-conditioning equipment has been supported by the Conciliation Committee of the European Union. The committee has rejected the European Parliament’s attempt to give Member States a carte blanche to introduce or maintain stricter national legislation. The compromise achieved prohibits the introduction of new measures from 2005, and existing national measures will cease to apply after 2012.

Clean air is good for people, furnishings, fittings and expensive equipment. MARTYN STANTON discusses the role of air cleaners in delivering good indoor air quality.

Against the background of today’s environmental concerns, good indoor air quality and energy efficiency must go hand in hand. STEVE BATCHELOR explores the issues.

Overheads cannot be controlled at the expense of indoor air quality, and good indoor air quality is more than just ventilation. JIM KILCOYNE weighs up the various issues.

RIK PROWEN examines the effects of indoor dry air, its causes and how to eradicate the problem.

Good indoor air quality and the efficient use of energy cannot be separated with the arrival of new Building Regulations.COLIN JUDD and DAVID BLEICHER have the details.

To meet guidelines and requirements for ventilation, Matravers School in Westbury has installed five Passivent Airscoop terminals.

Bitzer has developed an on-line spares catalogue, eP@rts, on its web site. It is updated every time a spare for any Bitzer product is introduced or amended. There is a simple navigation system, and product drawings can be explored. Parts can then be ordered by telephone

A Vapac electrode boiler has replaced an aging steam generator in Harrogate’s famous Turkish Baths. It provides a continuous supply of steam for the steam rooms, where temperatures top 45°C.

Following training from Cablofil in the installation of welded-steel-wire cable tray, Skanska completed a complex project for the new data centre of Cisco Systems in Reading on time, within budget and with no time lost through accidents.

Control of the heating and ventilating systems for the new state-of-the-art fire station in St Albans is provided by a Coster system based on its DTE 611 modular BMS concept. The services installation was designed by Mace, and the controls were installed by Palace Tech of Rochester, a premier partner in Coster’s national distribution network.

Lighting costs have been reduced by 65% at the bottling facility of The Irn-Bru Company following the installation of long-life, maintenance-free Endurance light fittings from Chalmor. They were installed following an electrical inspection that led to a rewiring.

Cooling and heating for the latest conference and hospitality facilities at the new Liberty Stadium in Swansea are provided by Toshiba Super Digital Inverter split-system air conditioners. The quiet operation of the indoor units was a prerequisite because of the relatively low ceiling. Another benefit of the SDI system is its ability to operate with long pipe runs, enabling the outdoor units to be located in a discreet location inside a small service compound on the external wall a floor below the suite.

Up to 40 people can take showers at the same time at Marley Activities & Coaching Centre in Keighley, with instantaneous hot water provided by 36 wall-mounted water heaters from Andrews. Such is the capability of these continuous-flow water heaters, that a continuous throughput of 130 people can use the 72 showers within 10 minutes.

The upgrading of data-networking systems in the Town Hall of Royal Tunbridge Wells has been achieved using Rehau’s Profila Data PVC trunking system. The work was carried out while staff were still occupying the building, so ease and speed of installation were important.

Sanyo gas-fire and electric VRF air-conditioning system shave been selected for the stores of ScS Upholstery nationwide. Gas-fired GHP systems have been used at many sites to overcome a shortage in available power.

Part of the specification for eco-friendly holiday homes near the historic market town of Richmond in North Yorkshire is the use of Ferroli condensing combi boilers with a SEDBUK A rating.

Over a hundred Aquamaster fan-convector heaters from Powrmatic have been installed in a large secondary school in Wolverhampton to replace a heating system that was over 25 years old and prone to frequent failure. Reasons for selecting Aquamaster heaters for St Edmunds Catholic School include ultra-safe design, low maintenance requirements and excellent heating performance.

Boilers in the club house of Bath Rugby Club have been replaced with three Broag Quinta 85 wall-hung, high-efficiency condensing boilers to provide heating and hot water for players and members.

A passive heating and cooling ventilation system using earth ducts will reduce energy consumption by up to 75% at Butterfield Business Village in Luton. Developer Easter Group is striving to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standard for the buildings in this development and a ‘A’ rating under the new European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The earth ducts will regulate temperature and guarantee excellent air quality.

Independent health-club operator Bannatyne has installed Lochinvar water-heating equipment for its health club in Banbury. Peculiarly important for such an application is the fast recovery of these direct-fired, balanced-flue water heaters to cope with high demand for hot water from showers.

Among London projects using Crane Z3000 Dominator compact flow-management systems to control hydronic systems is the new stadium of Arsenal Football Club. Heating and air conditioning in the office building and the players’ changing rooms will be controlled by fan-coil units fitted with these valve. Crane is also supplying all control valves for the various plant rooms around the new Emirates Stadium.

Cooling, heating and lighting are provided by 44 special multi-service chilled beams supplied by Trox for the London Centre for Nanotechnology, a department of University College, London. The contract was worth over £100 000, and Trox worked closely with architect Fielden Clegg Bradley, main contractor Bluestone, consultant Buro Happold and M&E contractor RTT.

The ice system for the new Curl Aberdeen was designed by Star Refrigeration and based on ammonia refrigeration plant.

Energy consumption in the Avon Building at the University of Warwick has been reduced by 39% during the first six months of the current heating season following the installation of three Hamworthy ModuMax 120 high-efficiency condensing boilers. During the first year of operation, they are expected to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 27 t.

Air distribution in this spectacular new medical building at the Institute of Cell and Molecular Science (ICMS) at Barts and The London, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry is provided using Kingspan’s pre-insulated Koolduct system.

Replacing old and inefficient heating and hot-water systems in a privately owned block of flats with high-performance boilers and other equipment from Stokvis has significantly improved fuel efficiency and comfort for occupants.

SAV’s commissioning modules are playing a key role in the installation of an air-conditioning system comprising over 400 fan-coil units in the City of London. Bridge House comprises seven floors of prime office space and is a development by Credit Suisse.

HRS Hevac has supplied 27 Aquasave Bios units to generate domestic hot water for a variety of applications in Morpeth Hospital. These semi-instantaneous units combine the instant generation of DHW with a buffer capacity.

Mita’s aluminium dado perimeter trunking is used throughout a new primary school in Northern Ireland to provide the cable-management systems.

The installation-time savings of Cablofil steel-wire cable tray compared with traditional sheet-steel tray are being exploited in a 20 km installation in the new £200 million Drake Circus shopping centre in Plymouth.

Mita’s aluminium dado perimeter trunking is used throughout a new primary school in Northern Ireland to provide the cable-management systems.