Posted by Nicola Perrins

16 of the country’s ‘most sustainable’ buildings were recognised at the 2010 BREEAM Awards at this year’s Ecobuild exhibition in London.  ‘These buildings have comprehensively demonstrated their remarkable environmental credentials’ comments BRE Global Chief Executive Carol Atkinson.

The award-winning schemes achieved Excellent BREEAM ratings earning the most performance credits available in the areas of energy, materials, waste, water, ecology, pollution, transport, management and health and well-being.  Each development has been independently assessed and certified.

Alumasc are proud to announce that 4 of the award winning schemes had Alumasc high performance Roofing and/or Facades systems installed on them.  These were:

Bespoke Project – Bletchley Leisure Centre, Milton Keynes – using Swistherm External Wall Insulation (EWI).

Law Courts Project – Salisbury Law Courts – using Swistherm EWI  and Armaseam standing seam metal roofing.

Industrial Project – VLA Stores, Surrey – using Derbigum Flat Roofing System.

Retail Project – White River Place, St Austell – using Swistherm & Swisrail EWI.

For more details on how Alumasc’s sustainable building products can assist with your BREEAM ratings, please call 01744 648400.

Posted by Nicola Perrins

Rt Hon Joan Ruddock MP

One of the many visitors to the Alumasc stand at this year’s Ecobuild, was Rt Honourable Joan Ruddock MP, Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Speaking with our Technical Development Manager Chris Lister, Ms Ruddock experienced the wide range of sustainable building products being showcased on Alumasc’s Stand, including natural cork insulation and ZinCo green roofs and she chatted with Chris about the use of Alumasc’s External Wall Insulation systems within the new government funding scheme for low carbon refurbishment in the housing sector. Known as ‘Pay As You Save’ (PAYS), the concept is based on spreading the cost of refurbishment for an existing property over a substantial period of time, across a number of different owners.

Ms Ruddock also took the opportunity to take advice from Chris about the advantages of installing a green roof, and revealed that it’s something she is considering for her own home.

Posted by Nicola Perrins

Alumasc's ZinCo Green Roof system and Hydrotech MM6125 Waterproofing in use on the internal courtyard at Ormeau Bakery

Following the unfortunate demise of Interbuild last year, the government’s first Chief Construction Advisor, Paul Morrell, has been speaking at a launch meeting for the new show BEST (Built Environment Solutions and Technologies) which premiers at Birmingham NEC in October.

 In his speech, Mr Morrell was keen to tackle the subject of retrofit, reminding us that existing structures consume around 40% of the nation’s energy.

Retrofit requires close co-operation between suppliers and specifiers, and at Alumasc we are more than familiar with the processes involved. We work alongside architects and designers on hundreds of projects every year, to encourage the specification of sustainable products and systems to create healthy, efficient buildings that benefit not only the wider environment, but those living and working inside them.

The recent refurbishment of the beautiful Ormeau Bakery in Belfast into high quality apartments, is the perfect example of how new technologies are being used to improve existing structures. Alumasc’s ZinCo green roof and Hydrotech waterproofing systems created a peaceful haven on the podium roof of the late 19^th century building, which will offer recreation access to residents and a rich habitat for local wildlife.

For details on ZinCo green roof systems click here

For details of Hydrotech  click here

For Alumasc’s full range of waterproofing solutions, please visit www.alumascwaterproofing.co.uk

Posted by Nicola Perrins

Alumasc is proud to have been involved with the stunning new development from Gentoo Construction at The River Quarter in Sunderland.

Alumasc’s ZinCo green roof has created a roof top retreat for residents of the luxury apartment complex which sits on a former brownfield site and includes a bowling emporium and café bar.

Working closely alongside Napper Architects, our technical support team also designed a complete waterproofing solution for the project which presented a number of challenging design features. Hydrotech MM6125, Alumasc’s BBA Approved structural waterproofing system, was used under the green roof whilst Derbigum Rapido and Derbifoam thermal insulation board were used to create a warm roof build up. Derbigum is BBA Approved and manufactured under an ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System.

You can find out more about these widely specified living roof systems at Alumasc’s stand at Ecobuild – Stand 1547, Earls Court 1.

For further information visit www.alumascgreenroof.co.uk

Posted by Nicola Perrins

Ty Haul, private residence in Anglesey, which was built to Passivhaus Standards using Swistherm from Alumasc.

As Mr. B. Dylan once sang….”the times they are a-changing”.

External Wall Insulation in the UK housing market has long been the well kept secret of social landlords and those not afraid of building a new wall without a cavity.  Now, thanks to the good people at the Department of Energy and Climate Change and ably assisted by the Insulated Cladding and National Insulation Associations, INCA & NIA, solid wall insulation is set to become the thermal upgrade for the masses.

The country’s existing housing stock is ready for Solid Wall Insulation.  Just as double glazing and draft excluders started the work on the UK’s pre-cavity properties, so the next stage in these energy conscious times is to do something about solid 9-inch brick walls. Why should we have to revert to wearing a jumper in the comfort of our own homes when we can improve our houses? For there to be any chance of meeting UK targets for thermally efficient dwellings and reduction in energy use, the solution of wrapping your home in its own externally insulating ‘jumper’ may be the most credible answer.

For more details on Alumasc’s Energy Savings Trust accredited External Wall Insulation systems, visit www.alumascfacades.co.uk.

Posted by Nicola Perrins

When it comes to the speedy installation of rainwater products, look no further than Alumasc’s GX Joggle aluminium box gutter. Designed to make installation up to 30% quicker, GX is light in weight, without compromising on strength.

Trevor Carter at Headley Mechanical Engineering used the new box gutter successfully at Braunstone Frith School in Leicester.  He praised the new design saying, “With the new joggle joint on the Alumasc GX box gutter the installation was much quicker and easier. The finished result was excellent and we shall certainly continue to use this product in the future”. 

Posted by Nicola Perrins

Alumasc has further strengthened its portfolio of world class roofing products by becoming a Commercial and Industrial Authorised Distributor for Firestone RubberGard® EPDM and UltraPly™ TPO single ply roofing systems in England, Wales and Scotland.

Firestone Building Products entered the commercial roofing industry in 1980 building on its success and experience in rubber polymer technology. Three decades later, over one billion square metres of Firestone’s sustainable roofing membranes have been installed on rooftops worldwide.

Alumasc’s Managing Director Robert Littlewood comments: “We are thrilled to be adding such impressive roofing solutions to our existing portfolio. Alumasc has a reputation for supplying comprehensive and relevant solutions which are designed to meet the demands of contemporary design, whilst also addressing the environmental concerns surrounding our industry. Firestone’s performance record as a leading manufacturer of sustainable rubber membranes worldwide, can serve only to reinforce Alumasc’s position in the UK market.”

For more information on the new Firestone products available from Alumasc, click here.

Posted by Anita Houghton

We are pleased to announce that Alumasc has been named the ‘Most Eco-Friendly Company’ at the National Insulation Association Awards, confirmation of our genuine ongoing commitment to greener working practices.

Alumasc’s Technical Development Manager Chris Lister received the award from Neil Marshall, NIA Chief Executive and Tony Hardiman, NIA Chairman. Chris commented “At Alumasc we genuinely believe that our actions to reduce carbon emissions and use resources wisely benefit both the company and the world at large and so consider recognition with this prestigious award to be a great honour”

At Alumasc, we offer an impressive portfolio of environmentally sound products with new innovations being developed to further strengthen our standing as a leader in the supply of sustainable building solutions.”