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Addressing the Key BSA Concerns of 78% of Architects | New Lunch and Learn

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According to a recent RIBA survey, 78% of architects have expressed significant concern about the implications of the Building Safety Act, particularly regarding compliance and the need for ongoing professional development to ensure fire safety in their designs.

Join EQUITONE for an insightful Lunch and Learn that delves deeper into fire-safe facades and their relation to the Building Safety Act (BSA).

This session is designed to help you navigate critical aspects of fire safety in building design, from understanding regulations to enhancing safety standards.

Click here to request your Lunch and Learn

(Available to UK practises only)

 Learning Objectives

During EQUITONE’s Lunch and Learn, you will discover:

  • Why we need to act
  • Overview of building regulations
  • Fire classification explained
  • The importance of the Golden Thread
  • Standards and guidance for conformity

Roundtable insights on the BSA

The Building Safety Act has had a huge impact for the construction industry, imposing stringent new requirements for higher-risk buildings. Building Magazine, in partnership with EQUITONE explored this with a roundtable of professionals from architecture, engineering, construction and client sectors earlier this year.

This thought leadership event posed some fascinating questions and insights. Click here to view EQUITONE’s latest article on the BSA and the Roundtable summary (In the further reading section).

EQUITONE is Cradle to Cradle Certified® Bronze

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EQUITONE is the first and only Cradle to Cradle Certified® fibre cement rainscreen facade material

Learn more about Cradle to Cradle Certified®

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The architectural community drives sustainable construction

How construction products are designed and selected today shapes the world we will inhabit tomorrow. That is why we joined the movement that is rethinking, redesigning, and transforming the system one sustainable facade at a time. Cradle to Cradle Certified® provides architects with fact-based, at-a-glance assurance that EQUITONE’s facade materials meet some of the world’s most rigorous sustainability standards.

What is Cradle to Cradle Certified®?

The Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard is the leading multi-attribute standard used globally for designing and making products that enable a healthy, equitable, and sustainable future. It is widely regarded throughout the building industry as the preferred sustainability standard.​

 

How Cradle to Cradle Certified® is awarded

Certification is awarded based upon independent assessment of a product or material according to five critical categories of sustainability performance:

  • Material Health
  • Product Circularity
  • Clean Air & Carbon
  • Water & Soil Stewardship
  • Social Fairness

Sustainability is a journey not a destination. ​Bronze is just the beginning…

At EQUITONE, we’re leading the way in contributing to the sustainability goals of the construction industry.  Achieving Cradle to Cradle Certified® Bronze is an important milestone on our path to circularity, and our fibre cement materials are already earning performance ratings of Silver for Material Reutilization and Social Fairness. We are working hard to accelerate advancements in the carbon, water, and energy footprint of our operations.

 

 

Cradle to Cradle Certified® is a registered trademark of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.​

A brand-new sports hall with an authentic wooden façade look

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Rockpanel Wood cladding

Since February 2019, residents in the commune of Celles-en-Hainaut in Belgium can do sports, dance or take yoga classes in a brand-new sports hall with a look that clearly stands out from the rest. What makes this complex so unique? The building façade and the Rockpanel Woods boards that are applied. The façade panels stand out thanks to the variety in colours and dimensions.

Just next to the Maison de l’Entité in Celles, a municipal park and five outdoor sports areas, stood an old, dilapidated building in need of a face-lift. Architect Michel Meyrant went for a contemporary design that is perfectly integrated into the rural surroundings. It was quite a challenge, as the two main buildings were made of traditional materials such as brick and typical roof tiles while another more recent building consisted of concrete and corrugated sheets.

Rockpanel 04/2019 Sale de Sports Celles Rockpanel WoodRockpanel 04/2019 Sale de Sports Celles Rockpanel Wood

Rockpanel Woods available with A2 fire class rating.

Four designs from the Rockpanel Woods range were used for the new sports hall: Ceramic oak, Carbon oak, Rhinestone oak and Slate oak. The ‘treehouse school’ (NL) was a great source of inspiration. The panels with authentic wood designs were applied to the façade in various thicknesses and sizes to create a playful effect. A first for A3MENUISERIE, the company that applied the façade cladding: “The installation was more than unusual. We cut the panels to various dimensions in our workshop (heights of 30, 27, 21 and 14 cm) and then mixed up the colours and thicknesses. It resulted in a unique design.”

Rockpanel 04/2019 Sale de Sports Celles Rockpanel Wood

Rockpanel Woods façade boards are made from compressed basalt stone fibres with a water based paint. The boards are robust, and durable and self-cleaning. They are as easy to install as if they were made of real wood – they are light weight and can be cut and installed with traditionally tools also used for wood. Rockpanel Woods are available with A2 fire rating and can therefore complies with newest UK fire regulations.

An extraordinary project 

The building really catches the eye. Day and night! Michel Meyrant: “The sports hall is naturally lit by large aluminium windows fitted with awnings. These give the building a contemporary look and support the comfort of the users. In the evening, the façades are enlightened by LED spotlights.” The sports hall includes a multipurpose room for various sports activities (dance, yoga, gymnastics, etc.), three changing rooms, a bar with a storage area, public toilets and a toilet for the disabled. 

Everyone involved in the project is extremely satisfied with the end result. “It’s a really lovely building and a great reference for our company,” A3MENUISERIE concludes.

 Do you want more information about Rockpanel Woods façade boards or order a sample?

https://www.rockpanel.co.uk/products-overview/nature-facades/rockpanel-woods/?selectedCat=documentation#Assortment&Samples