MK’s new Masterseal Plus™ is an open and shut case
MK Electric – the UK’s leading manufacturer of wiring devices and accessories – is replacing its award- winning Masterseal range with a collection of enhanced IP-rated products called Masterseal Plus™.
Scientifically sealed and tested by MK well in excess of British Standards, new Masterseal Plus™ protects the electrical supply in the harshest of environments. As with its predecessor, Masterseal Plus™ is specifically developed for use in both outdoor and indoor environments, and where wiring devices and accessories would be at risk from penetration by dust or water.
With a superb IP rating of IP66, Masterseal Plus™ is dust-tight to any ingress, offers complete protection against contact, and high pressure water jets directed against the enclosure from any direction won’t have any harmful effects. Masterseal Plus™ sockets are unique in that they can be used with virtually any standard 13A plug, allowing a safe power connection for any appliance. Added features to the new range also include a seating spout to house moulded on plugs,
an improved lid catch for easy opening, as well as a fixed gasket and rear drill holes to ensure faster and easier installation. The range comes in grey, white or black. The new Masterseal Plus™ enclosures have been specifically designed to house Logic Plus switch and socket variants, thus conferring all the features and benefits from this industry-leading range. For example, terminal screws are backed out and captive, and terminals are upwards facing to make installation easier; as do printed terminal markings. For safety, there is the IEC 3mm minimum gap across the switch break; while all standard sockets feature MK’s pioneering three-pin operated ‘child resistant shutter system’, designed to inhibit access to the electricity supply unless all 3 pins of a standard British 13A plug are in position. The Masterseal Plus™ range is guaranteed for an industry-leading 20 years (10 for electronic products). Indoor and outdoor applications to which new Masterseal Plus™ is perfectly suited include factories, laboratories, swimming pools and changing rooms, commercial kitchens, industrial units, warehousing and clean rooms.
For less demanding applications, where a good degree of ingress protection is required, but not to the high specification of an IP66 rated product; the company has introduced MK Shield™. MK Shield™ is rated to IP56, and available in grey, white or with a clear lid. The range is suitable for use in stadia, small to medium-sized commercial premises, arcades, parks and for operating appliances such as vending machines and larger gardening equipment. MK Shield™ is guaranteed for 10 years. Finally, MK Splashguard™ – rated IP55 – completes the company’s portfolio of IP solutions, and is designed for occasional domestic use such as with garden equipment, providing protection to power supplied in damp or dusty environments.
www.mkelectric.co.uk
New benchmark in student accommodation
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 3,000sqm of Technal’s glazing systems for the new Charles Morris Hall were fabricated and installed by Dortech Architectural in a £1m contract and fast-track programme for design and build contractors Morgan Sindall. Designed by concept architects Sheppard Robson and delivered by DLA Architecture, the £21m student hall of residence comprises two half-hexagon buildings sited around a central landscaped courtyard, providing 457 hotel-style study bedrooms.
The challenging glazing specification
involved the construction of large oriel glazing bays which project 300mm in front of the cladding, and contrasting angular projecting bays to the corners of the two buildings. The oriel bays provide a different architectural feature and an alternative to more conventional recessed panels of glazing.
The floor-to-ceiling glazed units, which maximise natural light, were constructed from Technal’s MX grid curtain walling inset with FXi65 top hung casement windows. Dortech fabricated and installed the bays in more than 30 different sizes to create a less regimented appearance for the building envelope.
Laminated glass made with Vanceva coloured interlayers adds further interest to each façade – in panels of green where the glazing is set into red brickwork on the external elevations, and orange for the courtyard elevations to complement the cream-coloured brick cladding.
The glazing had to provide good thermal performance to contribute to the scheme’s BREEAM ‘very good’ rating, slim sight lines, and be sufficiently robust to achieve the required spans and sharp corners that project beyond the structural supports.
24 feature :: building & refurbishment
Long runs of MX grid curtain walling using 1500mm modules enclose the common room and the link bridge between the two accommodation blocks. The window units in the common room are linked to the air conditioning system, which allows them to open automatically according to CO2
levels. All the other
opening units on the scheme are operated by low-level levers to allow anyone, regardless of any disability, to open the windows.
Set in landscaped courtyard gardens, the new Charles Morris Hall was constructed to replace a 1960s building as part of a major drive to upgrade the University’s student accommodation. The scheme features contemporary décor and high specification ensuite bathroom pods, which reduced time on site. The new hall will also provide hotel-quality accommodation for delegates attending out-of-term conferences at the University. Technal’s FXi65 casement window system features curved profiles and delivers superior thermal efficiency using a 19mm flush polyamide thermal break and innovative gasket detailing to meet or exceed the revised Building Regulations. Tel: 01924 232323, Email:
info@technal.co.uk www.technal.co.uk
Building & Facilities Management – March 2011
Building & Refurbishment
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64