No Gamble for The Hippodrome with Howe Green Access Covers

View the Howe Green entry on BPI

Visit the Howe Green Website

There was no gambling with quality when expert fit-out specialists Beck Interiors opted for Howe Green access covers for the refurbishment of one of the West End’s most famous buildings, The Hippodrome.

Providing easy and reliable access to services such as HVAC, electrics and data was an inconspicuous but nonetheless vital part of the £40million project to transform this historic landmark into London’s newest international-style gaming centre.

A winning combination of Howe Green’s 3500, 5000 and 7500 Series access covers was selected for various size and load bearing requirements and to suit the different types of flooring within the building. These included screeded areas in basement and back of house with raised timber floors front of house and in gaming and entertainment zones. The project also called for more than 40 of Howe Green’s 5000 series access covers to be made to order with bespoke cable outlets to serve the sea of machines on The Hippodrome’s busy gaming floors.  Featuring double seals to meet the highest standards of hygiene and security, the access covers are corrosion and maintenance-free and designed to fit perfectly flush with their surround to avoid distortion and prevent any slips or trips.

Les Dedman, Projects Director at Beck Interiors commented, “We chose Howe Green’s access covers because of their quality and reliability and in the confidence that the product supplied was going to achieve all the varying requirements”.

The Hippodrome has been through many guises since it opened in 1900 with Charlie Chaplin performing on opening night. It now promises visitors modern day glamour and razzmatazz over 5 floors with bars, restaurant and shows as well as state-of the-art gaming. Howe Green’s quality access solutions will make for easy maintenance of the building, helping it meet the demands of the many thousands of visitors expected to walk through it’s doors each year.

Howe Green access covers keep The Tramshed on track

View the Howe Green entry on BPI

Visit the Howe Green website

Howe Green’s access covers were chosen for The Tramshed EC2, the latest Mark Hix venture, offering diners a simple but ultimately trendy steak and chicken experience in an impressive post-industrial space.

Interiors specialists, Tekne Shopfitting Limited carried out the refurbishment of the Grade II listed building, once home to electricity generators powering local trams at the turn-of-the-century. Designed by Waugh Thistleton Architects, the striking scheme respects the heritage of the towering building and introduces contemporary materials within an Edwardian glazed brick interior, which was painstakingly preserved. Tekne’s remit also included creating a glazed ceiling for additional soundproofing and a bespoke steel framework for the elevated Damien Hirst cow and cockerel in formaldehyde, which takes centre stage in the 180-cover restaurant.

Howe Green’s 5000 Series aluminium access covers provide a reliable route to the essential under-floor building services in the Tramshed’s smart public washrooms and busy kitchens. To ensure an excellent aesthetic finish, Tekne fitted four covers and inlaid each frame with a resin flooring to match the surrounding area. Double-sealed for use over foul drainage, with a third seal fitted to help prevent dirt ingress between the cover and frame, Howe Green’s access covers were the ideal solution in areas where easy maintenance is essential and optimum hygiene paramount. Made to order with no price premium to pay or additional lead times required, the covers are industry proven to withstand heavy foot traffic and sit flush with the surrounding floor, posing no trip hazard to staff or diners.

“We’ve used Howe Green’s access covers many times before,” said Tekne’s Project Manager John Chilvers “They are very good quality and made to order. With a 16-week window to deliver the Tramshed, we needed a supplier that could give us exactly what we needed, when we needed it and so their quick turnaround was a definite bonus”.

 

Howe Green Launches E-Commerce Website

 View the Howe Green entry on BPI 

Visit the Howe Green website

Howe Green, the leading UK developer and manufacturer of access cover solutions has announced the launch of its e-commerce site.

Builders, contractors and many other trades have used Howe Green’s premium quality access covers for over 25 years to provide a reliable route to essential services housed in floors, walls and ceilings.  From a tiled access hatch in a private bathroom to large multipart cover installations in some of the most prestigious buildings in the world, Howe Green products have been chosen for the firm’s unerring reputation for quality, service and care.

The new site – www.accesscovers.co.uk – features a select range of Howe Green’s most popular metal fabricated access covers, hatches and accessories in a range of standard sizes and the move comes in response to global growth in e-commerce and customer demand for maximum availability.

“Accesscovers.co.uk exists to provide even greater flexibility and service around the clock,” said Richard Centa, Sales and Marketing Director at Howe Green “Many of our customers, especially smaller contractors and tradesmen, work outside normal office hours and know exactly what they want. This site caters for their needs primarily as well as enabling us to broaden our customer base in trade and DIY sectors.  The online operation is backed by the same knowledgeable and experienced service team for technical support and of course our offline business continues as normal.”

Howe Green’s best selling lines, including access covers, hatches and accessories are available in standard sizes only on the new e-commerce site with same-day dispatch available in many cases. Visit www.accesscovers.co.uk.

 

Bilco offers reliable, quality & durable products

Bilco Roof VentFormed 23 years ago, Bilco UK has forged a formidable reputation amongst architects, engineers and specifiers. Renowned for quality and durability throughout its range of roof hatches, smoke vents, floor doors and safety products, Bilco is committed to the long term benefits it can provide its customers.
Roof access hatches
All Bilco aluminum hatches come with a 10 year guarantee, indicative of the company’s commitment to high quality standards. Whether the application is for interior ladders, ship stairs, service stairs, and security access or for larger sized hatches, Bilco hatches can be installed quickly and with reduced costs. Also, Bilco has specifically manufactured the hatches for the requirements of buildings in the UK and Europe. Fully insulated, gasketed and fitted with heavy duty slam latches, Bilco roof hatches are a perfect addition to a modern, secure and energy efficient building.

To add an extra degree of safety, Bilco offers a comprehensive range of fixed and retractable ladders for all its access products. Both Bilco’s fixed and retractable ladders are designed with optimum safety in mind, taking into consideration the harsh treatment they are often subjected to in the commercial/industrial environment.

Smoke Vents
For Bilco, safety is paramount in all its products. 95% of all fire related deaths result from smoke inhalation so increasing evacuation time and decreasing the risk of smoke inhalation, is vital. Bilco leads the way in thermally enhanced, high performance smoke vents. The company’s range of smoke vents is designed to satisfy Building Regulations, meet Approved Document B, BS 9999 and European Standards enshrined in EN 12101.

For example, the Bilco 140° Type REM smoke vent is designed to fully open in 60 seconds, allowing noxious and potentially explosive fumes to escape from a building. Its design reduces the chances of smoke blowing back into the premises as well as providing access for fire-fighters. Across the range, Bilco smoke vents are available in single and double leaf designs and can be produced to be either automatically or remotely opened. Bilco insists on robust manufacturing standards and these smoke vents come with a 10 year warranty – keeping buildings safe for years to come.

Control Options
Bilco offers an array of controls which work effectively with its range of smoke vents and roof hatches. Bilco controls and accessories, such as the OS2 control unit, are specifically designed to work as a stand-alone management system or as an integrated component of a fully networked system. In the event of a fire, the OS2 offers a failsafe option, powered by a battery backup, if the mains electrical supply is cut.

In non-emergency situations, Bilco provides a wide range of control accessories to independently open and close access equipment for roof inspection and maintenance.

Floor Doors
Bilco can provide a solution for any sized pit or floor door configuration. Bilco’s floor doors range from small interior floor doors complete with insets for carpets and tiles to reinforced doors for areas of heavy traffic or high security. Compression springs ensure smooth, easy, single person operation, regardless of door size, while an automatic hold-open arm locks the cover open for safety.

As always, the Bilco commitment to quality and durability is reflected in the warranty; drainage doors have an exclusive 25-year warranty, while non-drainage and fire doors are covered for 10 years. Manufactured with a positive latching mechanism to prevent unauthorized access and to the highest corrosion resistant standard, Bilco floor doors can be relied upon for years of trouble-free, dependable service.

Safety Products
Bilco is committed to helping its customers maintain high standard of safety. The LadderUp® Safety Post provides easier, safer ladder access through roof hatches, floor doors and manholes. Permanently mounting to the top two rungs of any fixed ladder, the specially designed telescopic post provides a safe and secure hand-hold, making it easier to enter and exit an access hatch. The LadderUp® post can be retrofitted to almost any application and is covered by Bilco’s exclusive 10-year warranty.

Bilco also offers a fall protection grating system, available for its J-AL and JD-AL floor doors. Made from tough fibreglass and secured with an automatic hold open arm, the grating system is engineered to prevent people falling through floor doors. Bilco’s fall protection grating system is offered with a 25-year warranty.

• Custom Applications
Bilco is renowned for its flexibility in meeting its customer’s requirements. Customised designs can be tailored to the client’s individual needs with a range of features from security options, motorised operations as well as various paint finishes and safety aids. Not only is Bilco flexible in the design and manufacture process, the company also offers fast service delivery. Standard items are delivered anywhere in the UK in three to four working days and special custom products can be made and delivered in five to eight weeks.

With a proven commitment to high quality standards and ensuring complete customer satisfaction, Bilco UK is a strong force for now and the future.

Lifting the lid on M&M’s world

Steel access covers

M&M’s World arrived in a very big way in London’s West End this summer. The confectionery mega-store is the first of its kind in Europe and is big enough to house more than 100 double-decker buses. It spans 35,000 square feet over four floors and is reported to offer shoppers a ‘retail-tainment’ experience with giant statues of the M&M’s characters, interactive screens inside a 1960’s London Bus, video links to all floors and a wall of chocolate in a sea of colour. Meopham based firm AEM Demolition undertook the heavyside building works for the US high-end retail construction specialist and main contractor McKenzie Keck. AEM needed reliable, durable and easy access to the building’s under-floor services and they chose our 5000 Series stainless steel access covers to do the job.

Howe Green stainless steel panels were installed in a range of different internal areas as well as with a wide variety of different types of flooring, including bright red resin in the public and retail areas, painted concrete in service corridors and carpet in office spaces.

“We were very pleased with Howe Green’s access covers” said Peter Rumsey, AEM’s Building Projects Manager “They were very good quality and well made. Fitting them was quick and easy and we found they went in perfectly flush with all the different floors on site.”

Howe Green covers have been specified in some of the most prestigious and demanding retail construction projects across the world. They are designed and built to withstand the pressures of high volume pedestrian traffic and they hold up to a 1 hour fire rating in line with BS 476: Part 20 1987. Being made of stainless steel, they are also resistant to rust and corrosion and are double sealed to ensure that no dirt or grease can penetrate them which can help reduce maintenance costs and keep the building functioning as it should.