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Pendock casings for education – Smart solutions


By Gavin Byram, Technical Projects Manager at Pendock


and parents being affected significantly, as everyone dealt with the uncertainty, disruption and enforced changes due to the pandemic and the impact of lockdown. With schools returning in early March this


H


year, educational life has already started to return to some level of normality, although there is still some way to go. One thing that has become even more visible during the past three to four months, however, is the renewed and broader focus on health and safety, beyond the obvious issues of dealing with the effects of Covid. Some of this has been stimulated by the recognition that regular maintenance and refurbishment projects has taken a back seat during the lockdown, which are now becoming essential, if not urgent, considerations for many schools, as well as nurseries and colleges. Additionally, we have seen strong


indications that educational facilities are keen to upgrade existing washrooms, radiator guards and interior casings, for reasons of practicality, durability and decoration, as well as improving hygiene and safety. In 2020, Pendock took the opportunity to restructure its entire product range by combining similar products into six individual groups, each with its own clear brand to make specification easier and more logical. Of these, there are four that are most regularly specified for education refurbishment projects: The ‘Washroom’ range, as its name indicates, provides a comprehensive range of cubicle and washroom systems, whilst ‘SafeHeat’ includes our anti-bacterial low surface temperature (LST) radiator guards. Alongside these, the ‘Radius’ brand


combines our six decorative column casings products into a single range while ‘Profiles’ includes all pipe boxing and services casings.


Clean, safe & hygienic Washrooms are a common upgrade or refurbishment area for schools and although durability is a key consideration, design and aesthetics also feature highly.


ealth and safety have been constant features during the past 12 months, with the education sector, students


The Washroom range


Our ‘Washroom’ range includes an array of cubicle and washroom systems that suits different visual and performance requirements, as well as budgets. Matching vanity units, back panels and


accessories are also available for each system, which allows easy integration with the washroom design, while vanity unit tops can be manufactured in one piece, providing added strength and durability. DDA and Approved Document M compliant solutions are also included. High-pressure laminate (HPL) or compact laminate (CL) materials are generally preferred when specifying educational cubicles and washrooms, as they are very strong and the surface finishes have a high resistance to scuffs and damage. The HPL and CL products from the Classic


Plus, Robust and Education ranges also provide a wide range of finish options, which can help make washrooms a less intimidating environment than they have been in years gone by. For nurseries and pre-school it’s relatively common practice for bright colours and specially shaped doors to be specified and we have also prepared some systems with unique finishes for individual schools. Although melamine-faced chipboard


(MFC) units are included in our range, they are not generally suited to pupil-facing school


The SafeHeat range


environments, as they are less resilient and likely to need replacing at shorter intervals than HPL or CL cubicles.


On guard Safety and hygiene are also important facets behind the growing use of our SafeHeat LST radiator guards in schools. Although originally developed for use in hospitals, care homes and other healthcare applications, their ability to reduce burn risk and their antibacterial coating has increased their popularity in education over the past few years. The principle is a simple one. Where exposed radiators of almost any size or type are present, often operating with a


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ADF JUNE 2021


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