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Inside products insight
Architect Christopher Sykes examines this month’s crop of product news and cherry-picks some of the more interesting developments
COPPER IS EXCITING BECAUSE IT WEATHERS TO A DELICIOUS GREEN BUT HERE’S NEWS OF A NEW COPPER ALLOY, WHICH INCLUDES ALUMINIUM AND ZINC ELEMENTS AND IS EQUALLY AESTHETICALLY PLEASING. NORDIC ROYAL FROM LUVATA HAS A THIN PROTECTIVE OXIDE LAYER AND RETAINS ITS RICH GOLDEN COLOUR AS ACCELERATED WEATHERING TESTS CONFIRM.
This month, as you will discover, there’re some interesting snippets about private houses and in particular their roofs. Poacher’s Retreat, for example, is a self-builder’s grand property which has been roofed with Marley Eternit grey sandfaced plain clay tiles. Thousands of miles away in Nashville Tennessee, Keymer has supplied 90,000 traditional restoration handmade tiles to give an aged English look to an otherwise new mansion. Different again is one of ‘Grand Designs’ more unusual eco projects which is roofed with Flag Soprema’s single ply membrane which carries a BREEAM A+ rating. The so-called Brittany Groundhouse also has walls made from tyres and glass bottles to provide passive solar mass.
And while on the subject of tyres it’s worth noting the Regupal screed acoustic isolation system from CMS Acoustic Solutions. This is a highly sustainable acoustic floor product which incorporates recycled tyre crumbs and exceeds the maximum Part E requirement of 62dB Crumbs!
We all know vandalism is a problem and that the sound of breaking glass provides a thrill for some. So it has to be welcome news in Dover that the Secom system is providing a great solution to this agonizing problem experienced by one local church. This is a tough physical barrier which unobtrusively protects against missiles, even rocks and airgun pellets. Of course, it can be used on any building, cost effective and helping to reduce insurance premiums.
The visitors’ centre on top of Snowdon is the highest building in England and Wales and
also one of the most exposed – subjected to winds of over 150mph, an annual rainfall of 5m and temperatures as low as -20degC. Coping with all this is Technal’s wall of windows. Some are angled to reduce glare and to provide a degree of solar shading to reduce heat gain and you get stunning views.
The reverse of trying to prevent heat gain is to recover the stuff, which is exactly what the Rotex second generation of solar panels seeks to achieve. They are 5% more efficient than previous ones and can convert 96% of the sun’s energy into heating and hot water. Combined with the company’s heating system and new innovative heat pump, apparently energy bills can be reduced by up to 50% in commercial or domestic applications.
And, of course, all that cheaper hot water can now be used in some new ways. You have the option of enjoying Kermi’s new Diga shower enclosure which has earned ‘Gold’ at this year’s Design Awards, Alternatively, you could use it with sanitary products from Kaldewei, the first manufacturer in this sector to achieve green certification ISO 14025.
News of metal should include the Richard Burbridge fine new range of stainless steel products for in and outdoor applications, such as super looking staircases and balconies. Also Howe Green's popular 7500 Series of aluminium floor access panels, aesthetically pleasing and sturdy underfoot in yet another great application - Sainburys. And what about that gold Anglo- Saxon hoard........?
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