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Nearly the entire range of architectural aluminium systems from Kawneer is being installed on the landmark mixed-use Islington wharf in Manchester to meet essential requirements. These are - good thermal and acoustic performance and the movement inherent in the 21-storey tower.

Details for Kawneer UK Ltd

The owner of a Derbyshire-based roofing company is aiming to set up the UK's first dedicated PVC single ply roofing membrane recycling scheme having successfully trialled it with the help of a Recovinyl recycler. Gordon Harris of Advanced Roofing, Ilkeston estimates that between one and 1.5% of PVC roofing materials up to a metre in size end up in landfill. An effective recycling scheme could divert much of this material from landfill to be reused.

Details for Recovinyl (UK)co axion recycling ltd

Stonewool insulation from Rockwool is being used in the upgrade of Wessex Water's Avonmouth Waste Water Treatment Works. Rockwool RWA45 insulation can be cut to shape and flexed to fit the curved tanks. It will also help maintain an optimum temperature in sludge digester tanks, boosting the site's methane production, which will power a nearby gas plant, used for electricity generation.

Details for Rockwool Ltd

Entrance matting specialist, Emco, has provided a solution for the foyer of Yorkshire's tallest building, Bridgewater Place. Emco, the only company able to provide the curved matting, used 49m² of its own Marschall and Radial brand. A rigid aluminium frame was used, and the coarse fibre inserts fitted inside it.

Details for EMCO

Retaining wall specialists, Maccaferri have enabled the construction of apartment blocks on an undulating site in Monaghan town centre, Northern Ireland. Instead of making an 18 metre deep cut into a hillside, Maccaferri proposed an alternative solution in which the bottom part of the wall would be built to a height of nine metres using segmental retaining walling. This would then be capped with a nine metre tall Maccaferri Terramesh reinforced earth system. This solution greatly reduces build time, enabling construction of the apartments to begin much sooner.

Details for Maccaferri

Almost 40,000m² of Ziplok standing seam from Rigidal Systems is being used in the Park Central regeneration projects in Birmingham. Almost the whole of the roof area for the project will consist of Rigidal Ziplok in plain milln stucco embossed in aluminium, and many of the apartment blocks feature the Ziplok in a 'roof to wall' application. In order to preserve the clean lines of these roofs, the Ziplok was in many cases smooth curved down to radii as tight as 4m. Most of the Ziplok for the various buildings is supported on structural decking which offers simplified construction by dispensing with the need for purlins. Built up standing seam roofs, with other metal roofing systems, are said to offer durability, cost-effectiveness and speed of installation, and the ability to curve and taper sheets offers several design possibilities. It is available in a wide selection of colours and finishes, and with perimeter

Details for Rigidal Systems

A school art block in Harrow has been transformed by the Sheerframe System from LB Plastics. The project at Weldon Park School, completed by fenestration contractor Radway, involved the replacement of single glazed windows that meant the art block was susceptible to seasonal temperature variations. The PVC window and curtain walling for the building offers thermal efficiency, as the double glazed units are created using the Sheerframe 7000 system which is said to deliver a continuous indoor temperature. The Sheerframe grid system also features its own drainage, and thermal break elements.

Details for LB Plastics Ltd

Young pirates have recently been enjoying an inland beach at the Eureka! Museum for Children in Halifax. The 80 tonnes of sand for the beach was supplied by Marshalls from Tarmac's Eaton Hall quarry in Cheshire and was in place until the beginning of this month.

Details for Tarmac Ltd

Polish-free, low maintenance sheet vinyl coverings from commercial flooring specialist Polyflor's 2000 PUR range has been laid in a classroom - but with a twist. A hopscotch motif and random letters of the alphabet were inset into the floor, using the Polyflor Expressions Design Service which uses computerised water jet cutting techniques to create precise shapes and styles for inlaid decoration. The product is available in sheet and tile in two gauges, 2mm and 2.5mm, and can be welded at the seams and to covered skirtings to create continuous impervious surfaces which offer no sanctuary to dirt and bacteria. Independent tests reveal it to inhibit the growth of MRSA, when used with an effective cleaning regime. The 2000 PUR features homogenous monolayer construction, plus a high quality polyurethane reinforcement which, combined with a closed surface finish, can cut maintenance costs by up to 48%, facilitating a low-cost, polish-free upkeep regime for the lifetime of the floor covering.

Details for Polyflor Ltd

Polish-free, low maintenance sheet vinyl coverings from commercial flooring specialist Polyflor's 2000 PUR range has been laid in a classroom - but with a twist. A hopscotch motif and random letters of the alphabet were inset into the floor, using the Polyflor Expressions Design Service which uses computerised water jet cutting techniques to create precise shapes and styles for inlaid decoration. The product is available in sheet and tile in two gauges, 2mm and 2.5mm, and can be welded at the seams and to covered skirtings to create continuous impervious surfaces which offer no sanctuary to dirt and bacteria. Independent tests reveal it to inhibit the growth of MRSA, when used with an effective cleaning regime. The 2000 PUR features homogenous monolayer construction, plus a high quality polyurethane reinforcement which, combined with a closed surface finish, can cut maintenance costs by up to 48%, facilitating a low-cost, polish-free upkeep regime for the lifetime of the floor covering.

Details for Polyflor Ltd