Voltage management cuts electricity bills

Visitors to Interbuild 2008 last month (October) were said to be the first in the world to witness the VPhase VX1 Smart Voltage Management unit. This is a brand new technology that is set to cut electricity bills by 10% by reducing the electricity consumption of homes and SMEs.It device works in conjunction with the consumer unit (fuse box), reducing and regulating the voltage on selected circuits that are most likely to deliver greatest savings. Not only does the smart voltage management technology make significant reductions to electricity costs, it also reduces energy wasting as well as carbon emissions from generation sources.

The UK electricity distribution network operates at a nominal 230V, although in practice average voltages are more likely to range between 240V and 245V. The VPhase VX1 manages voltage to a stable level of 220V, regardless of the incoming supply voltage.

Dr Lee Juby, says: “Our research demonstrates that higher voltage levels do not necessarily enhance performance. For example a fridge does not get colder with a higher voltage supply.

“In fact, high voltage levels can be known to shorten the operating life of a product, such as light bulbs. They can also produce surplus energy, which is wasted in the form of heat. Using the low cost VPhase VX1 to manage the voltage to a pre-determined level towards the lower parameter means that the energy consumption of many household appliances can be reduced by anything between 5% and 18%.”

Devices that exhibit energy savings when voltages are reduced include refrigeration appliances, washing machines, dish washers, tumble dryers, vacuum cleaners, other devices using motors, air-conditioning units, central heating pumps and lighting (including energy saving lightbulbs).

Heating devices such as ovens and electric showers wouldn’t show any savings but these high current appliances are usually connected through other stand alone circuits.

More information: www.vphase.com

Seamless process-led off site construction

Products on an unprecedented scale
By Paul Watson

Following an extensive eight-year research and development period involving a £12m investment, Panaloc is a seamless process-led offsite construction and MMC specialist with the capability to deliver mass customised products on an unprecedented scale.

Panaloc has the technology to design and manufacture structural components such as wall panels, roofs, pods and ceilings, all within a strict and efficient factory controlled environment.

Achieved through the use of automated intelligence CAD software all components are produced to exacting standards in terms of dimensional stability and accuracy

With good thermal, acoustic and fire protection properties, they are suitable for fast-track construction programmes and can incorporate mass customisation. What’s more, all components are universally suitable across all sectors of the construction industry, including low and high-rise housing, hotels, key worker and student accommodation, leisure, education, hospitals and healthcare, and the commercial arena.

Central to the production process created by Panaloc is its use of what is described as one of the world’s most advanced OSB (Orientated Strand Board) products currently available, Magnum board. A direct rival to traditional timber frame construction, Magnum board is the first solid wood construction system to be approved for use as walls, ceilings and roofs, and which can even be supplied with surfaces prepared for painting.

The boards is created when three or more layers of OSB4 are pressed and glue laminated together to deliver an eco-friendly structural wall or roof panel.

Eric Dean, Panaloc’s: “We believe that Panaloc represents a truly unique and refreshing proposition to the UK construction industry. With a background in carpentry and woodworking, and having grown frustrated by the constraints of other construction techniques, it has always been a dream to create an offsite construction process that not only combines the best in terms of CAD-CAM and CNC machining, but which does so as a means of producing structural components that quite simply fit together like Lego.

“It is quite feasible for us to design almost any type of building, or interpret those from a third party, and engineer the complete structure for delivery and erection on-site. Such is the sophistication of our process technology, we can turn an architect’s drawing into a 3D model accurate to plus or minus 1mm.”

From this the company can machine panels as a seamless operation that takes in light fittings and cable routes for walls and ceilings, utility cavities and door and window openings.

But not only is the Panaloc philosophy based on delivering the real benefits that can be gained from offsite construction, it’s also all about sustainability and renewability. As Dean suggests: “Everything about our operation is the ultimate in environmental friendliness. Not only are the core OSB4 raw materials that we use of the highest quality, they come from renewable sources and any waste products that are created are either fed back into panel production or used to create biomass pellets to fuel our own heating system. Indeed when it comes to OSB4, I suppose you could say we have zero waste.”

Magnum Board has the capacity to create wall panel structures up to 20 x 5 metres in dimension. And given the density inherent within the structure of the board, such panels can be used to create buildings up to ten storeys high without the need for any other structure.

Manufactured under strict factory controlled conditions, panels can be supplied fully insulated and prepared with any kind of finishing material, be it brickwork, cladding or rendering, ready for transportation to site. Indeed Panaloc has even worked in close cooperation with its logistics provider, David Bratt Transport of Manchester, to design and engineer a bespoke fleet of tri-axle semi trailers that are used solely for this purpose.

Panaloc also uses the board to create pods, whether in the form of kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms or other living spaces. Such pods come prepared with prefabricated plumbing and plug ‘n’ play electrics. Furthermore, they can be manufactured equipped with all fixtures and fittings – such as flooring, walling, bathroom suites, and kitchen units etc, all to the client’s specification. Panaloc even has the ability to supply units with internal surfaces prepared for painting.

Image shows the Panaloc production unit

More information: www.panaloc.co.uk

Engineering a new identity for Coventry museum

Glulam makes another impressive mark
By John Cotton

Architects Pringle Richards Sharratt has used Finnforest Merk’s expertise in engineered timber solutions to deliver two crowning elements for the redevelopment of the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry.

The scheme consists of two new galleries, a state-of-the-art history centre, an underground city archive and a 50m long public covered arcade. Architects at Pringle Richards Sharratt were challenged with engaging the existing gallery with the public spaces around it, including the ruins of the old Cathedral and imposing new Cathedral, which sit opposite the site.

The solution is a partially glazed gridshell arcade formed of glulam. The gridshell is designed to reflect its Coventry city centre context as a civic space, by resembling the interior of the City’s cathedral roof and extending the presence of the gallery towards this famous landmark.

“The concept for the arcade was to turn the rear of the building into the front. At the same time we needed to establish a pedestrian route connecting the arcade with the exisiting entrance to the building,” explains John Pringle, Principal at Pringle Richards Sharratt.

Meanwhile the 342sqm History Centre within the redevelopment of the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum has been topped by a curving glulam beam and solid timber panel structure, which is supported with spruce columns. The mono pitch roof curves upwards to meet the edge of the arcade, transforming into the diagonal gridshell.

Glulam from Finnforest was used to create both the gridshell structure and vaulted roof. It was selected for its exceptional strength and lightweight properties and is especially suited for use in the load bearing structures of buildings where architectural beauty is being sought in structurally challenging designs. Meanwhile the aesthetic qualities of the timber mean that exposed beams and the structural system become a point of architectural interest in their own right.

Because Finnforest sources all its timber from PEFC or FSC certified forests, and ensures that an independently audited chain of custody is adhered to at every stage of the material’s processing, engineered timber is an ideal choice for architects seeking to contribute to the sustainable agenda.

Photos by Charlotte Wood Photography

More information: www.finnforest.co.uk

Boise raises the I-joists bar

By Simon Jones

Latest veneer technology

Having already led the way in helping engineered timber I-Joists displace traditional solid wooden beams from the majority of the housing market, as well as other sectors, the BCI®Joist has taken another jump forward in both performance and perception thanks to some small, yet important, technical improvements.

The new 5000-, 6000- and 6500-series joists utilise the latest veneer technology to improve the dynamics of the flange by decreasing its depth and increasing its width. This has a number of key advantages:

• in engineering terms, this positions more of the flange where it needs to be, in order to resist tension and compression forces
• for the carpenter and dry-liner, it provides wider nailing surfaces with flanges now a minimum of 50mm wide
• it improves efficiencies in manufacturing, helping improve latent capacity and ensuring competitive supply
• it is a further demonstration of Boise’s commitment to environmentally-aware man by engineering a reduction in resin requirements

Mimicking the shape and load distribution of steel girders, the joists feature a web formed from a high-grade OSB, separating flanges of laminated veneers (LVL). While the original units were stronger, lighter and easier to work with than conventional floor beams, the new variants raise the bar again.

Seen as being in step with the principles of prefabrication and off-site construction the joists enable carpenters and even multi-skilled operatives to install floor constructions more quickly, with their low weight and consistent dimensions making assembly a rapid and easily repeatable operation. Not only does the reduced weight cut the risk of back strains, the chamfered edges to the flanges virtually eliminate splinter injuries.

Utilising the BCI joists in accordance with the company’s installation instructions will avoid the cost and inconvenience associated with having to rectify the problem of squeaking floors. Stiffness is a key characteristic in the ‘feel’ of a floor and therefore, the cost effective ability of BCI®Joists to increase depth without suffering the price and weight penalties associated with conventional beams, means the range of sizes can provide economic solutions for very many commercial as well as domestic situations.

The high quality and consistent performance of BCI®Joists eliminate the need for on-site grading while the long lengths available further increase the simplicity of the construction process. Site times can be dramatically reduced by using the system and the joists can multispan in one place.

As well as easily accommodating normal residential spans, the strength of the joists provides for flexibility of the upstairs room layouts, while the joists can be combined with the VERSA-LAM® beam products to make up Boise’s Simple Framing System^TM.

The joists are straightforward to cut or trim on site using normal tools, while the provision of 38 mm diameter knock-out holes simplifies the routing of pipes and cables. Larger services can also be accommodated in the web. They are readily available through a nationwide network of distributors, normally being supplied as precision-cut, plot-specific packages, and are supported by a full design service.

More information: www.BC.com/eu

Modern methods of construction on display

OFFSITE 2007 exhibition leads the way
Following a similar, highly successful event in 2005, the Building Research Establishment in conjunction with the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), are staging another four-day event called OFFSITE 2007 covering modern methods of construction for new builings. It takes place from 11-14 June.

Tougher building regulations and the ever increasing challenges of sustainability are encouraging major growth in the development of innovative construction methods and advanced technologies for buildings.

With full scale exhibits and demonstrations and a case study based conference programme, OFFSITE2007 will explore how these innovations are coming together to deliver higher performing, more sustainable and smarter buildings for: