NEWS Reuse programme showing its merits


The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust has ‘smashed targets’, saving £242,681 in 19 months, and triumphed in the Reuse category of the NHS Sustainability Awards, with the help of the Warp It system that helps staff to reuse and recycle.


Unwanted items have been donated to other Trust departments, and assets worth almost £5,000 claimed from other organisations on the network.


The system’s use has also diverted over 50 tonnes of waste from landfill, and led


to a reduction of over 100 tonnes of CO2. In the Trust’s Procurement Department, a drop in the need for purchase orders is freeing up staff to provide support elsewhere, while porters have gained more time – and suffered fewer injuries – as they no longer need to dismantle furniture for recycling.


The initiative started when Support


Services manager, Sumal Karunaratne, became concerned about the scale of waste that saw surplus assets disposed of in skips. He assembled a cross- departmental ‘action team’, and engaged senior management to drive the case for reuse. The Warp It system is available from the home screen of computers, and takes


‘New style’ quarter dome mirror


Creative Ironmongery has launched ‘a replacement’ quarter dome mirror for the health and custodial market in response to what it says are issues of ‘lack of stock’ and high prices for existing such stainless steel mirrors. MD and owner, Alan Rees, said:


“We have designed a new way for the mirrors to be fixed to the wall/ceilings, by integrating the fixing flanges into the actual dome, so that the unit is all polished stainless, and not a painted frame with a polished mirror. Aesthetically it looks better, and is also easier to fix. We have used a 1.5 mm thick stainless steel in place of the ‘more usual’ 0.9 or 1.2 mm material; the mirror


doesn’t require the foam that the polycarbonate equivalents do, and we are looking at marketing it to be competitive against polycarbonate versions. It is stronger, cheaper and – in contrast to stainless steel quarter dome mirrors from other suppliers – will be available from stock.”


A cost-effective way to boost fire safety


GEZE UK has launched a system which links control units for smoke and heat extraction, ‘providing a cost-effective and easy-to-install solution that boosts fire safety’.


The THZ Link connects control units for vents or zones around a building, providing a modular solution that can be extended to link further control units, which can be added when required. Fully tested to VdS 2581 and VdS 2593, it also complies with EN 12101 Part 9 and Part 10, ‘providing complete flexibility for use in both new developments and older buildings’. GEZE UK explained: “The THZ Link doesn’t interfere with the building’s fire strategy; it makes it possible to have windows that can be used for fire management, and still be opened for natural ventilation. Cabling, and thus installation time, can be minimised, as each control panel is linked, rather than wired,


THE NETWORK | OCTOBER 2019


just minutes to register. Items such as furniture and stationery are placed onto the online platform, and are then available for others. Warp It explained: “The network reaches beyond the individual Trust, council, or business, to other organisations in the area. Procurement staff directed staff requesting new items to the platform, and reuse was incentivised. Communications played a strong role, with the production of an informative video.”


Sumal Karunaratne added: “Warp it has already rolled the system out across 20 per cent of the NHS, and their help and guidance throughout the process was instrumental. This project has demonstrated to many that recycling and reusing is possible, and we are now refurbishing chairs and exploring other items for refurbishment. We are also exploring the business case for external or internal repair.”


Non-combustible spandrel panels


Architectural facade specialist, Metalline, has introduced a new non- combustible A1-rated spandrel panel designed to fit into most curtain walling, structural glazing, and unitised systems, which it says ‘allows architects and designers to specify with confidence a tested panel’. Constructed from an A1 non-


combustible material, the panels have been independently tested at Efectis, where they achieved a ‘60/60’ rating. Metalline’s range of Ultima spandrel panels are produced in a wide variety of colours and finishes. These include a full range of anodised colours, as well as specialist polyester powder-coated finishes that, for example, mimic Portland stone and Corten (weathered steel).


Metalline added: “These highly


direct to a central control panel. THZ Link can either be used as a standalone control unit with GEZE smoke detectors local to each fire and smoke zone, or interfaced within a fire alarm panel.”


Thoroughly tested to comply with British Standards 9999 and 9991, the THZ Link is fitted with a ‘lock-out’ feature, meaning that once a fire alarm is triggered, no subsequent activations can be applied, allowing efforts to be concentrated on where the fire started.


7


versatile panels can be adapted for a wide range of buildings, are produced from environmentally friendly and sustainable materials, and can help a building conform to the highest level of BREEAM certification. Acoustic and thermal performance can all be enhanced using a variety of cores tested at both sound and UKAS- approved laboratories.”


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