Grenfell Tower: The Social Network: Housebuilding sector Industry reaction as Patrick Mooney says offers words of the investigation gets lessons must be encouragement to underway learned from Grenfell new Housing Minister Page 05 Page 20 Page 08 07.17 Housebuilder & Developer A NEW WAY OF LIVING Report predicts £70bn growth in Build to Rent by 2020, with renters benefitting from a much wider range of extra amenities (see Industry News) The sound good factor is here and you can For your customers, this means enjoying build it into every property with Isover every room to the full without the worry acoustic insulation. of noise disturbing anyone else. Use Isover in your next build and see for yourself how This means you can create homes that sound the sound good factor can enhance build as good as they look, while not just passing quality and increase sales. acoustic regulations but surpassing them. Find out about turning sound into sales at soundgoodfactor.co.uk 07.17 CONTENTS 19 25 COMMENT CASE STUDY A CULTURE OF COLLABORATION COULD KODA BE THE ANSWER? As the dust begins to settle after the General A sustainable factory-made modular home has Election, those working in construction have had been launched in partnership with the BRE, an almighty challenge working out just what a which is hoped to provide a new answer to the hung Parliament might mean. growing UK housing crisis. FEATURES: 29 45 AIR CONDITIONING & VENTILATION SOCIAL HOUSING ALSO IN FAST RECOVERY NEW AGE BATHROOMS Martin Passingham of Daikin UK explores how a Martin Walker of Methven UK considers the role THIS ISSUE: 960 mm parapet wall nearly ruined air played by technology and design in the creation conditioning plans for a listed five-storey house of usable bathrooms for the country’s ageing 04-15 in Hyde Park, London. population. INDUSTRY NEWS 47 33 WATER & DAMP PROOFING 14 BATHROOMS & WETROOMS ON ANOTHER LEVEL TAPPING INTO THE MARKET Brian Davison of Delta Membrane Systems EVENTS & AWARDS Chris Tranter of Bristan explains how focusing delves into the benefits of including a basement on homeowners’ needs when it comes to in a property, and advises on how to prevent bathroom products can help towards a water damage. 17 house purchase. HOUSEBUILDER NEWS 18 38 INDUSTRY MOVERS PLUMBING & DRAINAGE PLASTIC: NOT JUST A PIPE DREAM Richard Eddy of Polypipe offers advice on the 19-23 best way to specify and use plastic-based systems on brownfield development sites. COMMENT 24 PRODUCTS: NEW DEVELOPMENTS Air Conditioning & Ventilation ........................27-31 Insulation ................................................................42-43 Appointments & News.......................................27 Kitchens & Appliances........................................43 Bathrooms & Wetrooms.....................................31-34 Landscaping & External Finishes....................44 25-26 Building Products & Services ...........................35-36 Rainwater & Greywater Products ...................48-49 Cladding & Facades.............................................36-37 Social Housing ......................................................46 CASE STUDY Doors, Windows & Conservatories.................37 Stairs, Balustrades & Balconies........................49 Drainage & Plumbing............................................38-39 Stonework & Masonry........................................49 Finance & Insurance............................................39 Timber & Joinery ..................................................49 41 Fires & Fireplaces..................................................40-41 Water & Damp Proofing.....................................49 PRODUCT FOCUS Floors & Floor Coverings....................................41 Ground Reinforcement ......................................41 Classified & Directory ..............................................50-51 WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK 4 INDUSTRY NEWS Housebuilder & Developer Publisher Lesley Mayo Managing Editor James Parker Assistant Editor Jack Wooler FROM THE Editorial Assistant Roseanne Field Senior Sales Executive Sheehan Edmonds Sales Executives EDITOR Suzanne Easter James Parker Kim Friend Production Assistants Mikey Pooley The Grenfell Tower fire is probably the worst disaster of its kind since WW2, Shelley Collyer and what will necessarily be an extended period of investigation is Carmen Simpson unfortunately going to add further misery and trauma. However for the Audience Development Manager construction industry, and in particular those overseeing the system of Jane Spice regulations that are supposed to govern quality, this tragedy has thrown up a Managing Director host of very searching questions which they must answer. Simon Reed For anyone that knows the complexity of Building Regulations and the Cointronic House, inspection regime, it should come as less of a surprise than to the general Station Road, public that all 181 samples have ‘failed’ the BRE’s new fire safety tests. Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 8DF Advertising & Yes, the cladding may have been switched for a cheaper alternative that did administration not offer “limited combustibility” required under Regs, but as commentators Tel: 01435 863500 [email protected] have pointed out, this may not give the full picture. I do not wish to www.hbdonline.co.uk pontificate or add more confusion in the wake of such devastation, but it is Editorial features Tel: 01435 863500 important that we avoid any knee-jerk conclusions – this needs to also be [email protected] the approach taken by the investigation. It must leave no stone unturned. Press releases [email protected] Cladding is being stripped from buildings which were the subject of well- meaning regeneration programmes designed principally to drastically improve thermal performance, and try and make inroads on the UK’s sluggish carbon reduction performance. If we just focus on one very visible construction element, aren’t we missing the bigger picture? What might be the most unforgivable legacy, because it could and should The manufacturer of the paper used within our publi- have been addressed, is that the system of regulations which should protect cation is a Chain-of-Custody certified supplier operating building users have been allowed to grow piecemeal into a web of within environmental systems ON THE certified to both ISO 14001 convoluted and contradictory guidance which is hard for anyone to clearly and EMAS in order to ensure interpret. sustainable production. COVER Subscription costs just £48 for 12 issues, including post and It’s of course true that Building Regulations being vague and/or confusing packing. Phone 01435 863500 for details. Individual copies of ! ! " "" ! could be useful for some seeking to achieve cheaper and less appropriate the publication are available at !" ! £5 each inc p & p. 07.17 alternatives. Approved Document B has been interpreted by some commentators to mean that the insulation, not the cladding surface itself, is All rights reserved No part of this publication required to be fire retardant however, further clouding the issue. In this way, may be reproduced or trans- mitted in any form or by any Grenfell may have ‘complied with regs’ but the cladding could still have means, electronic, mechani- cal, including photocopying, been a major part of the reason for the fire spreading so rapidly. recording or stored in any in- formation retrieval system without the express prior If Approved Document B does not explicitly state that cladding should be of written consent of the pub- lisher. Although every effort limited combustibility, we should not be surprised that this is interpreted to is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material mean that it doesn’t. Should we have accepted a regulatory framework where published in Housebuilder & ‘desktop studies’ on product performance can be accepted if sufficient test Developer, the publisher can accept no responsibility for data doesn’t exist on them? the claims or opinions made by contributors, manufactur- ers or advertisers. Editorial A NEW WAY OF LIVING contributors to this journal The only good thing to come out this appalling tragedy may be the may have made a payment to- wards the reproduction costs possibility that the regulatory framework might be turned inside out, so the of material used to illustrate country ends up with a truly robust system that protects its citizens. their products. Vantage Point Archway Tower Printed in England © Essential Living James Parker go to page 13 WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK INDUSTRY NEWS 5 Picture courtesy of Natalie Oxford CLADDING CHECKS Local authorities and housing associations Grenfell Tower blaze leaves across England have been asked to carry out urgent safety checks on their at least 80 dead buildings’ cladding. The Government has revealed that a total of 120 tower blocks have failed fire Police believe the fire at Grenfell Tower in Rydon as main contractor. The two-year, safety tests on cladding, following Grenfell. west London has resulted in an estimated £10m refurbishment was managed by Speaking during Prime Minister’s 80 deaths, though many believe the final Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Questions following the fire, the PM toll which is reportedly unlikely to surface Management Organisation (KCTMO) on iterated that she believed the cladding this year will exceed that figure. behalf of the council. A communal heating used for Grenfell Tower fell short of The 24-storey block, refurbished in 2016, system was installed