2010 September

Briggs & Forrester was responsible for the design, development, installation and commissioning of the MEPH building services for this high-quality office development of over 7300 m2 in the City of London. 1 Bartholomew Lane is set out over 13 floors. It is based on a retained listed external facade over the lower six floors with a new facade for the higher floors.

15 student engineers from Balfour Beatty Engineering Services recently celebrated graduating with BSc Honours degrees in building-services engineering from Liverpool College and Liverpool John Moores University. Their course programme focused on work-related learning and skills development. It consisted of a 4-year block-release sandwich course combining up to 48 weeks of full-time study with training at work. All 15 graduates are now employed within BBES on sites, projects or office based.

The first prison to be procured under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for several years has reached financial close, with Faithful+Gould providing project-management services to the Ministry of Justice National Offender Management. The £415 million Belmarsh West PFI New Prison in south London will be operated by Serco and designed and built under a £100 million construction contract by its construction partner Skanska. The new prison, built to category B standard, is designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

Designing VRV air-conditioning systems in balanced mode to exploit heat recovery can achieve an overall COP greater than 10, according to John Durbin of Daikin UK. He explains, ‘An intelligent approach to heat recovery can deliver COPs of up to 9 or even 10. Yet while heat recovery is already being embraced in other areas of the world, it is will not widely realised in the UK market that a heat-recovery system operating in a balanced mode can increase energy-efficiency levels massively.’

Creda Heating provides a free design service for electric heating covering a wide range of projects — form a large residential development to a single holiday home. All designs are prepared on the basis of correct sizing, what is right for the end user and the national direction as regards energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

The Halltherm compressor remanufacturing division of J&E Hall has been moved from Derby to Doncaster. It is now in the same premises at sister company Coulstock & Place, which specialises in motor rewinds — a key part of remanufacturing compressors.

Danlers manufactures a range of indoor and outdoor electronic time-lag switches for lighting or heating loads, which are ideal for simply saving energy in stairwells, store rooms, student accommodation, smoking shelters etc.

The UK Copper Board has prepared an introduction to the design and installation of copper solar-thermal systems. Copper can readily withstand the high temperatures that the operating fluid can reach — sometimes over 200°C. Jointing is by capillary brazing or flame-free solar press fittings. The copper tube used is the same specification as for many other pipework applications.

Big Foot Systems, the UK’s leading supplier of support systems for equipment on flat roofs, is offering a unique, independent 15-year warranty to customers. The warranty is offered through AWM, one of the country’s largest independent auditing companies.

The moving of Lindab’s facility for producing circular ductwork fittings to a new unit in Manchester’s Trafford Park enables bends in the popular 250 mm size to be produced in the UK for the first time. They will be available in 90°, 45°, 60° and 15° variants. These products were previously imported.

Solid Air, which makes air-conditioning and air-distribution products, is expanding its manufacturing and support operations with the opening of a new headquarters at Dunkeswell near Honiton in Devon. The new premises add 260 m2 of production space to the existing manufacturing operations in Exeter and doubles the office space.

The latest pump-selection tool from Grundfos, WinCAPS 2010, comes on a DVD and is UK specific. It covers pumps for HVAC, water and sewage, industrial and process applications.

Trend Control Systems has prepared a short guide to the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme — the mandatory carbon-emissions trading scheme that came into effect from April 2010. It affects around 5000 large energy-using organisations consuming more than 6000 MWh of half-hourly metered electricity in a year, representing an annual electricity bill of about £500 000.

Red Group, which specialises in the design and installation of facades, has launched a new company to provide complete turnkey solutions for photo-voltaics.

indab has opened a new 2000 m2 superstore for ventilation and air-movement products in Manchester. Located on Trafford Park, it is said to be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the UK.

Ackermann has redesigned its web site, which features a host of new products and a range of highly useful content that can be accessed more simply and quickly. It also enables specifiers to order product literature online or download and print it.

Flir has made thermal imaging more affordable by reducing the price of its i5 compact infra-red camera to £1595, nearly a third less than when it was introduced in 2008. This camera is extremely easy to use — just point, shoot and detect. It can be used for a broad range of predictive maintenance and building applications, enabling problem areas to be clearly seen on a crisp thermal image.

Cooper Lighting’s latest version of its renowned ‘Lighting solutions’ catalogue provides comprehensive technical information on the company’s entire range of lighting products. The catalogue runs to over 600 A4 pages and is divided into colour-coded sections covering recessed and surface fluorescent luminaires, decorative wall and ceiling luminaires, downlights and spotlights, display lighting, emergency lighting, industrial and hazardous-area lighting, exterior lighting, central-battery systems and lighting controls.

CIBSE has published a practical guide to the subject of overheating for building owners, managers and users. The guidance is aimed primarily at office buildings without air conditioning, but it could also be applied to air-conditioned offices.

Venture Lighting Europe, which specialises in metal-halide lamps and control gear has launched a new web site to highlight the benefits of upgrading to a metal-halide lighting system. A simple change to upgrade a system can be achieved using lower-wattage lamps and Venture’s control gear, which can achieve a saving of up to 50% on overall costs.

Ideal Commercial Heating has launched a new web site as part of its rebranding strategy. The site boasts a new look and vastly improved navigation and functionality.

Durapipe’s pre-insulated pipework system Duracool was been specified for the refurbishment of the computer hub in Woking Civic Centre. Renovation was needed as the existing system could not provide the required cooling capacity. Xergi Services was given the task of developing a solution that could be installed quickly with minimal disruption to staff, who could not be relocated during the renovation.

The integration of the fire detection and alarm system with control of smoke dampers at the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham is estimated to have reduced the overall project cost by around £100 000. The Protec Algo-Tec system uses smoke damper interfaces to control 1500 dampers in the acute wind and a further 135 in the mental health unit. The smoke damper interfaces allow the control of these devices to utilise the fire detection and alarm loop and avoid the need for separate power supplies, distribution boards and additional circuit protection.

Luton’s new £56 million Sixth Form College, due to open as part of the Building Schools for the Future initiative, features a 1.5 MW ground-source heat-pump installation. Part of the brief for the new buildings on the site of the original facility, was a commitment to sustainability. The design comprises 28 heat pumps with outputs from 11 to 75 kW to provide space and water heating. Some of the heat pumps can be used to provide a total of 712 kW of cooling in summer.

What is believed to be Europe’s first integrated hotel heliport solution makes extensive use of Waterloo air diffusers. The 5-star Hotel Verta is the first hotel in London for the luxury von Essen hotels group and is part of the award-winning Weston Homes development at Bridges Wharf in Battersea. The development on the south bank of the River Thames also includes luxury apartments and penthouses in three towers and adjoins the London Heliport.

Oventrop valves have been used throughout the first two stages of the refurbishment of wards in Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, with a third phase about to begin. They were specified by consulting engineers DSSR based in Harrogate.

WindowMaster is supplying natural-ventilation and control systems for the £12 million Pool Innovation Centre, a business incubation centre, in Cornwall. The 3-storey development provides 3500 m2 of space for 45 offices of varying sizes, six shared meeting rooms and conference facilities. Plymouth University is responsible for managing the centre on behalf of Cornwall County Council and is backed by £9 million of ERDF Convergence investment and nearly £3 million from the South West RDA.

Thermo-Floor has installed 1300 m2 of underfloor heating in two communal areas of the £170 million redevelopment of Manor Hospital in Walsall. They are the atrium and the cafe area and streets. These areas would have been more difficult to heat with a traditional heating system. In contract, floor heating delivers radiant heat evenly from the entire floor, providing warmth at a lower temperature and with a positive effect on relative humidity.

The speed with which Nobel Fire Systems could deliver and install a complete fire-suppression system at Penbryn catering residence, part of Aberystwyth University was a key factor in the choice of supplier for this project. The Nobel K-Series system was commissioned by Prospect Catering Equipment. Not only was the installation completed extremely quickly, but the K-Series system has helped achieve an aesthetically pleasing kitchen environment with no pipework or protruding nozzles visible.

Midtherm Engineering has installed eight of its recently launched X-Stream natural-ventilation terminals at Kings School in Witney. They provide natural ventilation and daylight to corridor areas.

Sanyo’s Eco carbon-dioxide heat pumps have been installed to provide space heating in a former medieval priory that is now holiday accommodation owned an managed by the Landmark Trust. The Grade 1 listed Woodspring Priory was previously heating by an LPG system, which was proving very expensive to run.

As part of a fast-track refurbishment and modernisation scheme at Fore Street Swimming Pool in Ipswich, Flakt Woods was awarded a contract by ISG Jackson via Ipswich Borough Council to install a new HVAC system. It is one of the oldest operational pools in the country and first opened in 1894 and was closed for 12 weeks during the project.

Not only has the installation of fan convector heaters from Smith’s Environmental Products improved the effectiveness of heating for a manufacturer of power tools in Yorkshire, but it has also reduced heating costs by 24%. Heating was previously provided by panel radiators and a cast-iron one-pipe system, which left offices too cold and the factory too hot.

Six secondary schools built on a £130 million PPP for East Dunbartonshire Council are naturally ventilated using Passivent systems to help them achieve a minimum ‘Very good’ BREEAM rating. Project architect Aedas & Archial designed each school to be naturally ventilated using Passivent Airstract terminals.

Over 50 air curtains have been installed by high-street retailer Mothercare to help improve comfort and energy efficiency in many of its UK stores. Supplied by JS Air Curtains, they were installed by Adcrest. Most installations use the stylish Comtesse to protect shop fronts, Standesse for staff entrances and Finesse for stores with suspended ceilings.

Samsung’s DVM Plus III (VRF) air-conditioning system has been installed to deliver over 200 kW of cooling for a refurbished 6-storey office building in Brighton. The requirement of main contractor Tangent Projects was for independent control and metering of each floor, and the air-conditioning work for over 900 m2 of floor space was awarded to Semco Building Services.

Annual energy savings of around £514 000 are expected at Manchester Airport following the replacement of 1500 air filters on 180 air-handling units with Vokes-Air Synsafe Revo pocket filters and carbon filters to remove odours. The decision followed a trial of Vokes-Air products alongside other products and was made on the basis of projected performance and energy savings, according to Andrew Sheridan, services facilities manager at the airport.

The complete home automation system for a private house in Leicestershire has been completed by Design Innovation, a member of KNX UK. The company was contracted to undertake a complete turnkey solution, including electrical installation.

Ingleton Wood’s 10-unit residential scheme at Mendip Road in Chelmsford has been certified to Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes — but at a cost. The total cost of the scheme was £1.5 million, about 40% more than a standard Level 3 scheme. The scheme is said to be the first affordable housing scheme nationally to achieve Level 6, as well as being the first Level 6 scheme in the eastern region and the largest Level 6 scheme completed to date.

A tool to facilitate carbon assessment is being developed by a collaborative industry project team lead by AEC3 UK. This interoperable carbon assessment tool, dubbed iCAT, for embedded-carbon calculations will enhance the design and life-cycle management of zero-carbon and low-impact buildings.

Osram’s LEDvance range of LED downlight luminaires for interior lighting has an efficacy of at least 50 lm/W and a life of up to 50 000 h. Payback over other lighting sources is 1.5 years.

The Adaptacut tool for cutting rigid PVC and flexible nylon conduit can be used in confined spaces and pro­duces a clean, square cut in just one or two rotations. It can also cut MDPE, PE, PP, HEP2O and P-EX.

High-performance insulation for rectangular ductwork from YBS Insulation works by trapping air within its structure to create low-emissivity air pockets. Called HVAC-Wrap, this insulation has a reflective aluminium foil bonded to both sides and coated to resist corrosion. It is made in the UK and meets the requirements of BS EN ISO 9002 and has an Agrément certificate.

Transpired solar collectors, such as CA Group’s SolarWall, are now recognised as a renewable-energy technology and have been incorporated into SBEM. SolarWall can be installed on southerly elevations of buildings to make use of solar irradiation to reduce heating costs by up to 50%. It has been installed on a number of buildings in the UK (put SolarWall into the search field on the MBS web site).

CTC’s EcoZenith intelligent multi-energy tank is designed for commercial and domestic properties with wet heating systems. Its built-in intelligent control unit selects the most economical heat source. The controls use specially adapted software for the integration of heat pumps, solar panels, biomass boilers and other heat sources. The controls can operate up to three heating zones with different flow temperatures. Weather compensation is also incorporated.

Flakt Woods’ scrappage scheme for fans offers a 10% discount to customers replacing old fans with the environmentally friendly Twist Wing fan. The company also guarantees to completely recycle the old fan. The scrappage scheme is particularly suited to kitchen ventilation, as restaurant owners are responsible for energy consumption.

The Fabbri wood-burning heater can burn all types of dry wood and secondary waste wood such as broken pallets. These heaters can be used by companies whose business generates a large quantity of pallets and other waste wood, using the heat to heat their small warehouse and avoiding have to send the waste wood to landfill.

Monodraught has added a new generation of natural-ventilation systems to its Windcatcher range. Windcatcher X-Air embodies over 35 years of experience and four years of intensive research and development and value engineering.

Extract volumes for kitchen ventilation are reduced by 10 to 40% by Britannia’s Econex kitchen ventilation canopy. This intrinsic efficiency and it being less complicated than induction-style canopies reduce both capital and running costs.

Sound Advice Acoustics describes its Chameleon enclosure for outdoor plant as an attractive solution for noise attenuation. They can be built in virtually any size to suit the plant enclosed and to meet any external noise criteria.

A.O. Smith solar thermal systems for producing domestic hot water have a patented system to overcome the problem of stagnation in the panels. Mounted directly below the solar collector, the drain-back system avoids stagnation, when the heat-transfer fluid can overheat and start to break down. There is also no need to start the pump to get rid of excess heat when the demand for hot water is low, and no need to build in an oversized storage system to cope with excess heat.