An emerging form of ground source heat pump system (GSHP) known as ‘shared ground loop arrays’ is making a big impact on climate change and air pollution at the same time as providing low-cost heat for households and a return for investors in the technology. Here Dr Matthew Trewhella, Contracts Director at the Kensa Group, explores the GSHP industry’s latest newcomer.
John Dunnington, Head of Marketing at architectural cladding specialist Booth Muirie, provides insight into the fire performance of rainscreen cladding systems on buildings over 18m, following the most extensive fire testing the cladding industry has witnessed.
The draft London Environment Strategy, published by the Greater London Authority last year, sets out the authority’s plan to tackle environmental and energy challenges in the capital. It makes clear that if the target of making London zero carbon by 2050 is to be achieved, big changes need to be made to the way in which heating and cooling systems are designed. Mark Deeney, Business Development Director for Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation, considers how heat pumps can contribute thanks to an innovative new approach to heating and cooling city centre apartments.
Leading roofing and cladding fastener systems and door hinge manufacturer, SFS, has launched a new RIBA-approved CPD seminar programme for building specification professionals, providing the latest technical insights into creating high quality and safe building envelopes.
Recently refurbished, Vodafone’s Manchester office is the first building in the UK to combine two electric moveable walls, delivering an entirely automated system for dividing room space quickly and efficiently.
A new pilot branch of Santander on Tottenham Court Road, cleverly utilises a fully automatic, DORMA Varitrans glass moveable wall system from Style to create a safe and secure out-of-hours ATM lobby. This unique design significantly improves the functionality of the high-street bank, increasing floor space during the day and welcoming customers inside to access the ATM, whilst at night they can enjoy the use of an attractive glass lobby to complete their banking transactions in safety.
Style has helped transform the London offices of worldwide financial derivatives trading company, IG Group, by designing and installing numerous wall panels that slide and spin across an open space to create informal, collaborative meeting spaces for groups of anything from two to twenty people. Further increasing functionality, both sides of the panels act as magnetic writeable white-boards which can be swivelled round to share ideas with other groups, effectively bringing them into the discussion.
Style has successfully completed the installation of London’s first ever, stepped-dividing wall system. Using the only viable solution, Style recommended the revolutionary Skyfold automatic moveable partitioning wall to divide the 450-seat auditorium of the prestigious Francis Crick Institute. Installed within a cavity in the ceiling, the Skyfold wall descends effortlessly into place, at the press of a button. With the bottom edge customised to form a firm seal with the staircase rising through the auditorium, the wall delivers a phenomenal 49dB acoustic performance on site, comfortably allowing two events to take place simultaneously, in complete privacy.
Faced with the challenge of sub-dividing a multi-purpose school hall at the new Clyde campus, Style was required to address potential health and safety risks associated with manoeuvring moveable wall panels that would need to be over seven metres high and weighing in excess of half a metric tonne.
Redlands Parish Church in Bristol has recently undertaken a £1.9m redevelopment, providing the community with a suite of three modern, interconnecting halls. Partitioning specialist Style, was tasked with future-proofing the facility by installing a combination of moveable walls that would allow the space to be opened out to seat up to 280 people, or divided to accommodate the needs of different groups and events.
