A solar energy collector to turn next year's heatwave into hot water, sanitaryware to handle tough environments and a speedy plastering technique feature in this week's round-up of products, news and websites
Solar energy collector
Specialist glassmaker Schott has launched a solar thermal energy collector. Each roof-mounted panel consists of a series of glass tubes enclosing a solar absorber, and is connected to the plumbing system. The tubes are internally coated with silver to reflect solar energy onto the absorber, and there is a vacuum inside the tubes to increase efficiency and prevent the reflective coating from degrading. The 1.29 m2 panel is 1640 mm long, 750 mm wide and 100 mm deep and weighs 20 kg. Several panels can be connected together to provide a greater output of hot water.
Schott
www.schott.com/uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 301

Heavy duty sanitaryware
Sanitaryware manufacturer W&G Sissons has introduced a heavy-duty range of washbasins, WCs and urinals for secure accommodation, prisons and public conveniences. The sanitaryware is manufactured from 2 mm thick stainless steel. The range also includes a toilet roll holder, mirror, soap, paper towel dispenser and waste bin.
Sissons
www.sissons.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 302

High-efficiency chillers
York International has added six high-efficiency models to its Sonata range of low-sound air-cooled screw chillers. The firm says the high-efficiency chillers are as quiet as the standard range; noise levels on the highest fan setting are said to be equivalent to a normal conversation heard at a distance of 10 m. There are six units in the range with cooling capacities ranging from 447 kW to 614 kW.
York International
www.yorksonata.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 303

Anti-vandalism bathroom fittings
Armitage Shanks has developed an anti-vandalism range of bathroom fittings called Sentry. The firm says the products are suitable for use in prisons, young offenders institutions and public toilets. The range consists of a back-to-wall vitreous china WC and a basin made from an attack-resistant composite material. Both products are supplied with fixings and a liquid fixing material is available for bonding the products to the wall and floor.
Armitage Shanks
www.armitage-shanks.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 304

Machine-applied plaster
Knauf Drywall has replaced its Knauf Projection plaster with the machine-applied MP75. It is sprayed onto walls to a thickness of 10 mm then smoothed flat by hand. The firm says a three-person team can work at a rate of 15 m2 an hour. The plaster, which is available in 25 kg bags, can be applied to a range of surfaces including masonry, primed surfaces and metal lathing.
Knauf Drywall
www.knauf.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 305

Dywall beam facade system
The Avon Drywall beam facade system has been developed by Alumet Systems. The system comprises a structural steel frame within a Kingspan urethane core, both of which are bonded to an inner and outer skins of Eternit Pyroc board. The standard construction is claimed to have a U-value of 0.34w/m2°K, but greater insulation values can be achieved by increasing the frame depth. The system is available with a variety of cladding options including aluminium and terracotta rainscreen systems.
Alumet Systems
www.alumet.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 306

Low surface-temperature radiator
Myson has unveiled its low surface-temperature radiator, which it says is safer, sleeker and more hygienic than previous models. The unit consists of a convector radiator in a steel enclosure, shielding it from the public and concealing the pipework. The enclosure has a rounded top to prevent items being stacked on top of it and is finished in white.
Myson
www.myson.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 307

Flexible conduits
Electrical conduit manufacturer Kopex has produced a range of non-metallic flexible conduits called PEEK. The conduits are said to be suitable for use in extreme applications including in the off-shore, nuclear, petrochemical and aerospace sectors.
Kopex International
www.kopex.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 308

Movers and makers

  • The UKAS-accredited certification company BuildCert is now managing the Thermostatic Mixing Valves Scheme, known as TMV3. The scheme only gives approval to valves that comply with the requirements of the NHS Estates Model Engineering Specification D 08. This ensures that water is properly mixed so that users cannot be accidentally scalded.

  • Ex-Or, supplier of lighting control systems based on presence detection, is continuing its expansion in the Middle East, India and Australia. The company has recently landed contracts to install its managed lighting system in the Japanese embassy in Canberra, the 64-storey Emirates Airlines’ apartment block in Dubai and sites in India.

  • Irish light steel-frame maker Fusion has gained technical approval from BRE Certification for its steel-frame housing system after a successful test programme, structural reviews and inspections of the manufacturing process and facilities.

  • Building materials supplier Jewson is now supplying ready-mixed concrete in its stores. The concrete is supplied in polythene bags to maintain its freshness. The minimum order is quarter of a cubic tonne.

  • The Netherlands-based Poppers Group has acquired Irish firm Senco Fastening Systems. The new firm will be called Poppers Senco Ireland. It will continue to distribute Senco’s tools and fasteners and Poppers products, including screws fasteners and compressors.

Webwatch

BRE has launched a web-based information system to identify the best ways of dealing with waste materials for companies or individual construction sites. The system is made up of two complementary elements. BREMAP, found at www.smartwaste.co.uk, is a geographical information package, locating businesses involved in collection, storage, reuse and reclamation of waste. SalvoMIE, www.salvomie.co.uk, is a materials information exchange.

The UK Timber Frame Association has updated its website www.timber-frame.org. The site now includes areas devoted to self-build, builders and developers, as well as a secure members’ area. The site includes a search facility, where users specify the location, size and building type that they want to construct, and the site automatically searches for the contact details of appropriate timber-frame manufacturers.

www.itcbp.org.uk IT Construction Best Practice has updated its website to help construction professionals harness the power of IT. The site allows access to a microsite called TechnologyWatch, designed to provide an insight into how up-and-coming technologies, such as wearable computers, could be used in construction.

Excel Industries’ website www.excelfibre.com, includes information on the firm’s range of sustainable building products and construction concepts. Users can find out about the firm’s TRADIS timber construction system and its fibre range, which includes Viscocel SMA fibre modifiers used in the manufacture of asphalt road surfaces and Phytofibre grass seeding mulch.