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Technal Façade concept wins international award for design
Architectural aluminium glazing specialist, Technal, has won an international award for a double skin façade concept that ‘folds’ to help accommodate a building in its environment – it is ‘pleated’ vertically for east or west orientations and horizontally for southern aspects.
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Technal launches new website for architects and specifiers
Architectural aluminium glazing specialist, Technal, has launched a new website for architects and specifiers in Ireland. The site, www.technal.ie, provides a fast and efficient specifiers’ guide to the technical features, architectural flexibility and wide-ranging applications for Technal’s aluminium curtain walling, low rise glazing, window and door systems.
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New software generation showcased at Autodesk events
Autodesk’s authorised resellers in Ireland are promoting Autodesk’s new software generation at a series of events titled “STAY AHEAD”, being held across the country for the building design, construction, infrastructure and manufacturing industries and for those involved in digital entertainment creation, be it for film, TV, games or web-based.
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Technal supplies 1,500 windows for new Pinderfields Hospital
Architectural aluminium glazing specialist, Technal, in partnership with fabricators Quest Solutions, has supplied around 1,500 windows for the new £250m Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield – the UK’s fastest-built large acute inpatient hospital.
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Wicona façade concept wins major award for innovation at BAU 2011
Wicona has won a major award for innovation for its aluminium façade concept, TEmotion, at BAU 2011 – the world’s leading event for architecture, materials and systems which takes place in Munich every two years. The Award for Product Innovation recognises the very best products and designs used in the refurbishment, renovation and modernisation of existing buildings.
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Technal glazing installed at University of Leeds
Façade systems from architectural aluminium glazing specialist, Technal, have helped the University of Leeds to set a new benchmark for student accommodation in the city. More than 3,000 sq m of Technal’s glazing systems for the new Charles Morris Hall were fabricated and installed by Dortech Architectural in a £1 million contract and fast-track programme for design and build contractors Morgan Sindall.
Read more>>>
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First application of Technal’s new low rise façade system now under construction
The new MODAL low rise façade system has been specified for the Sirius Academy and Ganton Special School in Hull. Designed by Aedas and under construction by Balfour Beatty Construction, the project will replace Pickering High School and provide a new site for Ganton Special School.
Scheduled for completion in Summer 2011, construction of this l learning campus is well advanced and the glazing is now being installed. The scheme will provide a new 1,650-place academy, specialist support for 40 pupils with visual and hearing impairments and Ganton Special School, which will accommodate a further 88 pupils.
Glazing fabricator Hurricane Architectural is installing around 4,000sqm of Technal’s MODAL low rise façade system across the campus building as part of a £1m contract. Finished in grey with grey glass, MODAL is being used on every elevation, both as fixed lights and with an integral opening vent to minimise sight lines. Vertical aerofoil caps will provide solar shading and the GXi balcony door, which is fully integrated with MODAL, has also been specified.
Commenting on the use of MODAL, Phillip Jackson, Associate Director at Aedas said, “Our specification criteria was for a glazing system that would maximise light, and accommodate large floor-to-ceiling spans of glass without large frames. It also had to co-ordinate with the rainscreen cladding. MODAL will give us a good overall appearance and is sufficiently robust for a demanding secondary school environment. It has effective thermal performance to minimise heat loss and gain, and will help us achieve high levels of acoustic protection, which are important as the site is located near a busy road.”
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MODAL is a rapid-build low rise façade system – and the first in Ireland to offer integral opening vents. It has an innovative modular design, which will reduce work on site, installation time, and gives specifiers a wider choice of configuration options.
www.technal.ie/MODALfacade
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New HHI Castlereagh Branch promotes Fortex Cladding
HHI’s new Castlereagh branch has installed a Fortex cladding display to promote this innovative product to its customers. Fortex, manufactured by Freefoam Plastics, has an attractive textured wood effect and comes in a range of standard and bespoke colours. The range includes exterior cladding systems available in single, weatherboard and double plank formats. The double plank product makes installation even easier and quicker than normal. Fortex requires little maintenance once installed which is a major benefit for the owners of residential and mobile homes, and commercial buildings. Fortex also comes with significant environmental credentials with the Building Research Establishment’s (BRE) ‘Green Guide To Specification’ giving PVC cladding an A+ rating when installed with standard components.
Noel Johnston, HHI Castlereagh Branch Manager, comments: “As I was already aware of the benefits of this innovative product from the positive feedback I received from customers and our other branches, I had little hesitation in stocking the product and installing a Fortex display outside the branch to promote it to our customers. Fortex is a great alternative to timber for a wide range of exterior cladding applications due to its textured wood effect surface and the fact that it is very low maintenance. In addition, the wide range of colours to choose from adds significantly to the attractiveness of the product. We’re delighted with the interest shown in the product to date and confident that sales will continue to increase as awareness of this innovative product continues to grow.”
HHI Building Products is a leading stockist and installer of roofline and related building products. It is headquartered in Newtownabbey and has four retail outlets located throughout Northern Ireland in Castlereagh, Bangor, Coleraine and Lisburn. Freefoam Plastics is a leading manufacturer of high quality building products including Fortex for the Irish, UK and continental European markets. Freefoam has manufacturing plants located in Cork and Northampton, and distribution depots located strategically in Ireland, the UK and France.
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Brooks reports strong interest in Fortex Cladding Range
The Cork branch of Brooks has reported strong interest in Fortex textured wood effect cladding systems. The manufacturer of Fortex cladding, Freefoam Plastics, recently clad the exterior of Brooks’ display house in Fortex for promotional purposes. Brooks is the largest timber distributor and the third largest builders’ merchant in Ireland. Freefoam is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of innovative products for the building industry in Ireland, the UK and Mainland Europe.
Fortex has an attractive textured wood effect and comes in a range of standard and bespoke colours. The range includes exterior cladding systems available in single, weatherboard and double plank formats. The double plank product makes installation even easier and quicker than normal. Fortex requires little maintenance once installed which is a major benefit for the owners of residential and mobile homes, and commercial buildings. Finally, Fortex comes with significant environmental credentials with the Building Research Establishment’s (BRE) ‘Green Guide To Specification’ giving PVC cladding an A+ rating when installed with standard components.
Pat Walsh, Brooks Cork Branch Manager, comments: “We’re delighted with the level of interest shown in Fortex. The product is a perfect alternative to timber for a wide range of exterior cladding applications due to its textured wood effect surface and the fact that it is very low maintenance. In addition, the wide range of colours to choose from adds significantly to the attractiveness of the product. We’re delighted with the popularity of the product to date and confident that sales will continue to increase as awareness of this innovative product continues to grow throughout Ireland.”
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Gypsum
The Grand Canal Theatre and Criminal Courts of Justice, both in Dublin and the “Your Highness” film set in Belfast have been selected to represent Ireland in the Saint Gobain Gyproc International Trophy, which will be held in Amsterdam in June 2010. The Grand Canal Theatre has been selected for the innovative use of Gyproc products to ensure even sound distribution in the auditorium and absorption in other areas. The Criminal Courts of Justice won for its use of plasterboard systems to create an innovative solution that meets the sustainable and functional requirements of modern court houses and “Your Highness” film set at Universal studios was selected for its use of plaster to create over 70 sets. Brian Dolan, managing director of Gypsum Industries said, “The aim of the Saint Gobain Gyproc International Trophy is to promote craftsmanship skills in the areas of traditional plastering and modern plasterboard systems and to reward work which shows originality and an optimal level of performance.”
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Technal
Architectural aluminium systems specialist, Technal, has launched a new rapid-build façade system for low rise building applications – and the first to offer integral opening vents. MODAL has an innovative modular design, developed to reduce work on site and give specifiers the widest choice of configuration options currently available for façades up to two storeys. The modular frame uses a unique airtight clip system which is faster to install and allows greater quality control because the frames are fabricated off site. MODAL is designed to provide robust, stylish and high performance glazing for low rise applications such as schools and colleges, healthcare facilities and leisure projects. MODAL is fully compatible with Technal’s FXi casement windows and CD and PXi commercial doors. The system has its own exclusive handles and MODAL façades are available in a wide choice of finishes – single and dual colours, polyester powder coated, natural self-colour, anodised, and Cendré – Technal’s palette of exclusive flecked gloss colours.
T: 0044 1 4105766 W: www.technal.ie
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Autodesk
Autodesk has announced the results of a new study that found productivity gains of up to 63% when engineers and designers use AutoCAD 2010 software for common design and documentation tasks. The study, conducted by Cambashi Limited, an independent consulting and analyst firm, compares the time it takes to complete specific tasks using AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD 2007 software. The report concludes that “using AutoCAD 2010 can bring considerable performance improvements to the average user. As well as reducing the time to undertake different tasks, the new features of AutoCAD 2010 ¾ particularly the enhanced PDF handling ¾ extend the reach of the AutoCAD user and make collaboration simpler.” Guri Stark, Autodesk vice president, AutoCAD and Platform Products said: “Economic conditions have reinforced the need for businesses to do more with less. Today, more than 27 years after Autodesk first released AutoCAD, we continue to add innovative new features to the product so designers and engineers can design and document their projects more quickly without compromising their high standards of quality and accuracy.”
W: www@autodesk.com
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Schiedel Air
Schiedel has now introduced Schiedel Air – the Chimney System that will enable you to have a real fire in an air-tight energy efficient house. Research has shown that most people want a real fire at the heart of their home. With the drive towards energy efficiency the dilemma has been how to achieve this goal in an airtight house.
The answer lies in the installation of an energy efficient appliance, like a stove and an advanced chimney system. Schiedel Air is a sealed system – delivering the combustion air directly to the appliance form outside the house and safely transporting the flue gases to the atmosphere. No air is taken from inside the house and most importantly heated air is not lost up the chimney.
The superior insulation in the chimney allows flue gases to escape freely to the atmosphere even at low temperatures. Schiedel air is suitable for stoves, inserts and pellet boilers.
W: www.schiedel.ie
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AMS
AMS pivot window system has been specified for replacement windows on St Bernard’s primary school, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Architects for the project, Gregory Architects, said: “The deciding factor for the selection of the AMS pivot window was the exceptional thermal performance of the system (U-values as low as 1.7 W/m2K, with DGU’s). This, coupled with the ease of fabrication and excellent weathering performance, further enhances AMS’ reputation as one of the leading suppliers of high performance, energy efficient systems.” The TS pivot window system successfully achieved some of the highest ratings for a pivot window system and attained 600 Pa on air and water and 2400 Pa on wind resistance. AMS approved fabricators, Bowman window systems, Banbridge, County Down are now in production and completion is due in early May 2010.
W: www.ams.ie
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Barleystone
Barleystone Paving’s new Kingspave Cobbled Permeable Paving has been selected by Tailored Homes for their successful housing project at Cois Glaisin, Johnstown, Navan, Co Meath. Phase one had a successful launch and bookings are now being taken for phase two. According to Seamus McBride of Tailored Homes: “Planning guidelines insisted on the use of more environmental friendly products on the project. Barleystone’s Kingspave Permeable paving allowed us to offer our potential customers the aged appearance of traditional cobble whilst still satisfying the technical specification requirements of the planning application. Going forward we have the choice to select different styles and colours from the Barleystone Permeable range which gives us versatility in design”. Barleystone Paving manufactures a full range of paving products; if required the firm can offer design advice and a complete supply and fit service.
T: 00353 42 9765992 W: www.barleystone.ie
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Forbo
Forbo Flooring recently introduced the worldwide Flotex collection, which contains both the Flotex Classic and the digitally printed Flotex HD ranges. A new sample book has been produced to explain the differences between the available ranges. Flotex is not a carpet, but it looks like one, and while not a resilient, it behaves like one. In fact, Flotex floor covering makes unusual combinations that are normally found to be specific to just one particular kind of floor covering. Flotex is made up from a solid vinyl re-enforced base, with a densely flocked surface of nylon 6.6 fibres that are anchored firmly into the base layer. The vinyl base is impermeable to water and offers an anchor for straight nylon fibres, over 70 million per square metre, making it the densest textile product available. The anti microbial Sanitized treatment of the Flotex base ensures consistent protection against bacteria or moulds.
T: 00353 1 2898898 W: www.forbo-flooring.ie
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RENSON
RENSON, trendsetter in natural ventilation and sun protection, has a long standing proven reputation for developing innovative solutions. The firm’s product range includes window ventilators, louvre panels, continuous louvre systems and solar shading products. The RENSON project team works with architects, consultants and contractors to offer solutions designed to the specific requirements of the application. Examples are Harris Academy South Norwood (aesthetical solutions), St. Edmunds School Dover (solar shading), Madejski Academy Reading (acoustic ventilation) and Motherwell College (thermal solution). For the Madejski Academy (Reading) project, for instance, it was vital that a high performing sound reduction was coupled with large areas of light. Broadway & Maylan Architects were looking for an acoustic ventilation solution that would interface with a curtain walling façade including facetted elevations. The RENSON SONOVENT was chosen and adapted to interface with the curtain walling, continuing the horizontal banding theme required by the architect.
W: www.renson.eu
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Photograph: Chris Hill |
Junckers
Ashfield Girls High School, one of seven new schools that are part of a modernisation programme by the Belfast Schools Strategic Partnership, is already being enjoyed by its students and staff who are benefiting from a user-friendly, contemporary design by Todd Architects and fabulous solid hardwood floors from Junckers. The design is based around the idea of an “internal street” whereby classrooms flow into each other from each side of a vast communal space. Key to this is a light and airy atrium impressively finished with Junckers Oak flooring, a practical and durable surface ideal for the multipurpose area that will prove easy to maintain. The flooring contractor is Oakvale Flooring.
T: 00353 1462 2580 W: www.junckers.com
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Altro
Altro has appointed Laurence Cox as business development manager for the Republic of Ireland. Laurence has worked in the construction industry in Ireland for over 15 years and has worked across a diverse range of building products and at every level of the specification chain. At Altro, he will oversee the sale, distribution and technical support for the company’s extensive range of safety flooring, resins and hygienic wall cladding products. Laurence commented: “Altro is a company committed to leading the flooring industry, whether it is taking a stand on key issues such as health and safety, investing in bringing out innovative new products, or actively pursuing sustainable manufacturing methods. I’m looking forward to helping contractors, architects, specifiers and end users understand the unique benefits Altro can offer – the best products on the market combined with the highest level of technical expertise and aftercare.”
T: 0044 1462 707 600 W: www.altro.com.
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Autodesk
Autodesk has announced that its online Education Community has grown to one million student and educator members representing over 28,000 educational institutions in 147 countries since its launch in 2006. As one of Autodesk’s many education offerings, the Autodesk Education Community represents an ongoing commitment to helping students and educators get access to Autodesk technology and resources. On the Community, students and educators can download – for free – the 2010 releases of 25 full-feature Autodesk titles; access high-quality training resources, including instructor guides, student workbooks, data sets and videos that reinforce key concepts; search for internships and jobs; and share designs among peers with 13-month licenses. Free, six-month trials of Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk 3ds Max Design and Autodesk Maya software are also now available for download from the Autodesk Education Community, where students can explore both design ideas and careers in architecture, engineering and the digital arts.
W: www.autodesk.com
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Polyflor
Polyflor, in conjunction with Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd (PFL), has now set up the first vinyl “take back” waste scheme in Ireland. Through the scheme, waste flooring off cuts are returned to Polyflor’s recycling plant and turned back into new flooring via PFL’s three distribution depots. Initially trialed to 10 key contractors in the Dublin area, the scheme has received positive feedback. Sean Haugh Managing Director of PFL said: “Everyone recognised the environmental, economic and compliance needs to recycle. Recycling waste flooring not only benefits our customers but also the community as a whole by stopping waste being burned or buried. It’s a further step towards Ireland becoming a recycling society.”
W: www.polyflor.com
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