Fire Breaks Out in Welsh School

Each year around one in 20 schools experiences a fire with nearly 60 per cent of school fires being started deliberately. Building Bulletin 100 (BB 100) is a landmark publication in improving fire safety in schools, providing both a design tool and a management aid clearly showing how the requirements for life safety, enshrined in the Building Regulations, can be met in the design of a new school or an extension.

BB 100 differs from previous fire safety guides in that it stresses the importance of protecting the fabric and building envelope of schools and clearly warns about the risk of using combustible materials in cladding.
Archbishop McGrath RC Comprehensive is the latest Welsh School to suffer from the damaging affects of fire. The 700 pupil school hit the headlines earlier this month when 50 firefighters were called to tackle a blaze that had broke out within the school's Technology department. Starting at 3am on Wednesday 17th September, fire crews from Bridgend and neighbouring valleys were drafted in to contain the flames and prevent them spreading throughout the school.

Thankfully the fire was successfully extinguished however the cause of the blaze has not yet been established. The devastating effects are already being felt with the school facing thousands of pounds worth of damage and dozens of pupils losing valuable coursework and assignment materials.

The local council has recently granted the school planning permission to relocate to Brackla, which is due to open in September 2011. Designed by HLM Architects the dynamic building features Eurobond panel systems throughout the external envelop (pictured above).

Eurobond has long championed the use of non-combustible materials in composite cladding panel systems and the company’s external cladding systems, Europanel and Rockspan, are increasingly being specified for their superior fire performance. Both panel systems have a Rockwool stone wool core, which is non-combustible and will not ignite in the event of fire, nor contribute to fire spread or smoke emissions.

For further information on the recent Fire at Archbishop McGrath RC please click here

PM Congratulates Eurobond

At a recent South Wales Dinner held by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the PM and his wife expressed their delight at the continuous achievements of sister companies Eurobond and Euroclad during one of the manufacturing & construction industries most troubled years.

Eurobond and Euroclad, represented by their Group Non-Executive Director, Nick Williams, were praised for their outstanding success and progress in the development of environmentally responsible, fire resistant products that were helping to increase standards and awareness throughout the construction industry at a time when many other companies are struggling to stay afloat.

Welsh manufacturing has been particularly hard hit during the recession, as companies across the country cut spending and reduce workforce. With an annual fall in UK manufacturing of 12.4 per cent in 2008, the biggest downturn in forty years, the Prime Ministers recent acknowledgment is testament to the high quality and work ethic of both Welsh companies in difficult times.

Based in Cardiff, South Wales, we have grown from a small manufacturer supplying to the food processing industry, into a national organisation supplying to a multitude of industries across both private and public sectors. The company now employs 80 people at their headquarters in Cardiff and turns over more than £20 million a year, providing solutions for a range of applications from data centres to schools.


Euroclad, established in 1981, has become the largest independent supplier of profiled metal roof and wall cladding in the UK. Situated alongside Eurobond at their Cardiff Business Park, it has more than three decades of experience manufacturing steel and aluminium roof and wall cladding. Continuous investment and development has resulted in the company expanding to provide a wide range of products for a variety of industries.

Nick Williams, Group Non-Executive Director, said: “We are delighted to receive this commendation from the Prime Minister, which recognises the hard work and effort put in by all the staff here at Cardiff in producing products of the highest standard.”

Eurobond extends commitment to Ireland

As the leading manufacturer of composite wall panels, we are delighted to announce the addition of Gerard Clarke to our regional sales team. Gerard is the new National Sales Manager for Ireland, confirming our commitment to the Irish market, and our ambitious growth plans in the country.

Responsible for developing and maintaining clients in the Irish market; Gerard brings with him a wealth of experience gained from 10 years within the industry and a variety of excellent academic qualifications.

Gerard’s skills have developed through extensive business development roles within the façade and offsite construction sector of the industry. With a background in construction theory as well as solid knowledge of the Irish market, the move to Eurobond was a natural progression in his career.

Gerard commented: "I am delighted to become part of Eurobond's ambitious growth strategy for Ireland and I’m looking forward to developing our close relationship with Rockwool Ireland.

“Now is the right time to develop relationships with the key stakeholders in the industry and draw their attention to the benefits of Eurobond’s products, especially the importance of fire safety and how the specification of the correct insulated panels is instrumental to ensure life safety and business continuity in the event of a fire.”

Lynn Davies supports Eurobonds pledge for Safer Schools

I am delighted at the Government’s recent announcement to increase the continuing investment within UK schools and educational buildings. Having spent the majority of my working life involved in education and sport I realise the substantial impact such a scheme can have on the community and the education of our future generations.

It has become increasingly important to maintain and renew the buildings and infrastructure of schools throughout the UK; children respond well to an attractive, safe learning environment built around their needs. Many educational buildings once considered state of the art throughout the 1960s and 1970s are now in urgent need of repair, unable to comply with stringent UK standards.

Unfortunately recent figures released by the Arson Prevention Bureau have shown a dramatic rise in the number of UK schools encountering arson attacks; for many the damage has been devastating, causing vast disruption to students, teachers and local communities. The increase has identified the need for prevention methods to be factored into building design. As such a number of design guides have been published to enhance property protection and life safety.

Continuous development within product manufacturer and construction regulations ensures that educational builds throughout the UK are designed and built in accordance with these new guidelines. Building Bulleting 100 and Zurich Municipal guides are two of the most influential publications to incorporate design guidance on fire safety with schools. Eurobond Laminates, a South Wales manufacturer produces a range of non combustible stone wool core composite panels that comply with such guidelines.

I am particularly passionate about Eurobond Laminates due to the array of benefits their panel systems offer, aside from the reduction in installation time and secondary steel work; the panel systems also offer an aesthetically pleasing, architecturally flat finish thanks to their stone wool core. The core provides a fire rated solution that bares little impact on the environment and superb acoustic and thermal performance, a distinct consideration in school building design.

The overall success of this Government scheme will depend on harnessing the capacity of major suppliers such as Eurobond, the Prime Ministers acknowledgement of their success and committed to fire protection in major public buildings is recognition of their 25 years of experience with the construction industry and appreciation of the valuable contribution their systems have within schools environments.

Green Dragon Level 3

Eurobond are pleased to announce that Eurobond Laminates along with our sister company Eurobond Doors are now certified to Green Dragon Level 3 Standard. Green Dragon is a multi-step environmental management system to help cut down our impact on the environment.

There are seven elements to this third level of the Green Dragon Standard. These elements build upon the basic steps taken in previous levels to build a more advanced environmental management system. They include:

Register of Environmental Impacts
The Statement of Environmental Impacts prepared in Level 2 is replaced with a more comprehensive analysis of the organisation's impact on the environment.

Evaluation of Significant Impacts
The environmental impacts of the organisation need to be evaluated to determine the significance of impact on the environment.

Pollution Prevention Plan
Potential areas of risk to the environment should be identified and steps taken to minimise those risks.

Objectives & Targets
Objectives & Targets should be set to improve the organisation's impact on the environment.

Monitoring Environmental Progress
Environmental improvements need to be monitored to ensure the organisation remains on target.

Carbon Data Collection
Data on energy use needs to be collected and the quantity of Carbon Dioxide released by the organisation calculated.

Environmental Statement
The organisation may decide to publish a brief statement of their environmental activities and performance.

The Economic Cost of Fire

A recent report published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister contains new estimates surrounding the cost of fire to the economy of both England and Wales.

In summary we have pulled out a few facts and figures for your convenience:

Fire continues to impose significant costs on the economy, in 2004 total costs were estimated at £7.03bn, equivalent to approximately 0.78% of the gross value added of the economy. £2.77bn of the costs were incurred in anticipation of fire.

The cost of the Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) responding to fires was estimated at £1.74bn, with the remaining £2.52bn attributable to the consequences of fire, consisting of property damage, lost business, the economic cost of injuries and fatalities and the criminal justice service costs associated with prosecuting deliberate fire starters.

The total cost of arson in the in 2004 was estimated at £2.44bn, which includes an allocation the total costs incurred in anticipation of fire. Following this the average cost of fire in a commercial building is estimated at £43,800, of which the cost of fire damage to property represents £27,700.

For more information please click here

Climate Change 'Time Bomb'

Sustainablescotland.com recently published information highlighting the concerns surrounding building demolition where foam composite panels have been used.

The article brings to light the true environmental impact of ozone depleting gases CFC and HCFC brought on by the increasing use of foam composite panels in modern buildings.

Described as the ‘ticking time bomb for climate change’, sustainablesctoland.com indicates the headache now faced by government and demolition companies across the UK.

Eurobond composite panels are manufactured from a stone wool core with zero global warming or ozone depleting potential, allowing all Eurobond panel steel and stone wool to be fully recycled and returned to the manufacturing process as undiminished materials, a truly 'Cradle to Cradle' approach

Click here to read the article for yourself

CPD on Tour

The migration of composite panels from the cold store industry into densely populated public buildings such as schools and hospitals has brought about the substantial need to educate the construction industry on their correct design and manufacture.

Our CPD’s provide a valuable and impartial insight into the fire performance and sustainable credentials of composite panels when installed correctly. This year we plan to bring our expertises and knowledge to the masses, detailing not only the manufacture and design of composite panel systems, but highlighting the legislation and industry regulations inline with the construction industries requirements.

In an effort to make our CPD programme more accessible we have partnered with a number of influential CPD service provides to deliver our CPD’s throughout the UK over the course of 2009.

A number of dates have already been booked and spaces are limited, add them to your calendar now to avoid disappointment.

The CPD Certification Service

 October 7th – Fire Performance of Composite Panels – Stage Hotel, Leicester

 October 22nd – Sustainable Panel Design – Crown Plaza Hotel, Chester

Direct Contact Exhibitions

 September 24th – Sustainable Panel Design – David Lloyds, Cardiff

RIBA Roadshow

 November 12th – RIBA Headquarters, London

Going to Great Lengths

Eurobond, in partnership with Kera UK Ltd has successfully developed vacuum lifting equipment capable of installing panels up to 17m in length and 600kg in weight.

Presently, UK industry standard vacuum lifting equipment only has the capacity to lift panels under 400kg. The new vacuum brief was driven by Eurobond's desire to expand services offered and accommodate the ever growing demands on panel size (and subsequently weight). The scope of the project was to develop a bespoke piece of equipment capable of increasing by 50% the lifting capacity of readily available machinery without compromising safety of the structural integrity of the panel system.

Further investigation and experimentation centred on the manufacture of 15m panels here at Eurobond. No panel of this length had ever been produced and consequently handled. Consideration was given to the manufacture, packaging, wrapping, and lifting from the line. Storage and handling onto transport was also a consideration. Further to this, the standard lorry bed length is circa 12.6m so additional transport knowledge was required to overcome this aspect of the project.

Innovation is at the forefront of this development. Considerable research and development work was undertaken to produce a dual pump system capable of lifting a 600kg panel (each element of the dual system had to have the capacity to lift 600kg). This was necessary to ensure that should one element of the equipment fail, there would still be one half that would continue to support and hold a 600kg panel. Further work was undertaken to develop a structural steel frame to carry the vacuum lifting equipment and to cope with the considerable strain it would be put under.

Before any full scale trials could be conducted, initial development proposals were drawn up. Calculations were performed before full scale trials could be arranged to prove the feasibility of the approach. Final designs were approved and a project plan was then put in place to manufacture, test, accredit and trial the equipment.

Full scale trials were designed and scheduled in order to determine whether a 15m panel would be structurally strong enough for lifting by vacuum equipment across a 6m spread. This had never been done with a stone wool composite panel before, so the approach was ground breaking and pioneering in the extreme.

The trial programme set out to prove that panels could be handled, manoeuvred and installed in a variety of scenarios.

i) lifted vertically via a telehandler from the floor

ii) lifted vertically via a telehandler from a lorry bed

iii) lifted vertically via a crane from the floor

iv) lifted vertically via a crane from a lorry bed

As part of this process, handling and moving of panels in a stack, that is panels stacked after production for transportation, had to be established as Eurobond had never manufactured panels of this length before. It was determined that extended forks would be needed for the equipment already onsite. This proved viable and successful.

All four scenarios were trialed with success. A change in approach was necessary when handling panels via a crane (different lifting points and therefore stress upon the panel when lifted). Despite two broken/damaged panels, this problem was overcome on site with the aid of contractors Boss Design and led to the successful installation of 15m panels at a real site in Cardiff the new Glamorgan Records Office.

For more information on Glamorgan Record Office please click here

Eurobond going for GOLD!

Simon Thomas our MD recently met up with Sebastian Coe to discuss the sustainable commitments for 2012, here he provides us with an insight into the planned developments.

We were recently invited to the ODA Headquarters for a private meeting with Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.

Myself, Phil Cook (Managing Director Euroclad) and our corporate ambassador, Olympian Lynn Davies were privileged enough to be taken on a guided tour of the Olympic Park site, giving Lynn and Seb time to discuss years gone by and dispute which of them was the greater Olympian.

During our visit Sebastian Coe outlined the ODA’s plan for the 2012 Olympic Games, detailing the milestones that would provide the foundations for the delivery of new venues and infrastructure for the Olympic and Para Olympic Games and importantly the legacy beyond.

The delivery of these milestones on time and within budget is underpinned by five priority themes; Health & Safety, Sustainability, Design & Accessibility, Equality and Diversity & Legacy.

The proposed site will include an 80,000 capacity stadium, Olympic Village providing accommodation for thousands of athletes, shops, and restaurants along with medical and leisure facilities. The site is also scheduled to include a VeloPark, Aquatics Centre, Handball and Basketball arena, along with a Hockey centre and Eton Manor.

Visualising the venue in 2012 with the design features and site accessibility it is easy to see that London will provide a great spectacle and undoubtedly make us a proud nation.

Placing sustainability at the heart of the 2012 Games has enabled the 2012 Olympics to become a platform to highlight Global environmental issues and climate change.

London 2012 and London 2012 stakeholders share a commitment to maximise sustainability through every phase, starting with building the venues and infrastructure, staging the Games themselves and post Olympics. The materials used in the construction of the Olympic Park and venues are a key aspect of their commitment to delivering sustainable developments.

Here at Eurobond we manufacture a wide range of roof and wall cladding systems that offer low environmental impact helping to support the 2012 vision.

Our wall systems are manufactured using materials with a high recycled content, reducing the need for scarce raw virgin materials. Our steel has a recycled content of over 70% and the stone wool core can be up to 100% recycled material, supporting the ODA’s aim to ensure that at least 20 %, by value, of construction materials will be from a reused or recycled source.

With Eurobond Products, all manufacturing waste, site waste and demolition waste at the end of a building’s life can be recycled into new products. Steel can be separated and used to make new products with the stone wool core recycled back into the Rockwool plant for reuse. The technology and infrastructure to deliver this "Cradle to Cradle" approach is active now, unlike the alternatives offered by PIR panel manufactures.

Both Euroclad and Eurobond manufacturing facilities are close to our steel and stone wool suppliers in South Wales minimising embodied energy impact. Material can be delivered to London by rail to support the ODA’s climate change target of 50% transport by rail or water. The low carbon impact of Eurobond and Euroclad systems is demonstrated by independent Environmental product Declarations and listing in the BRE Green Guide.

Health of the construction workforce and future building occupants is important to the ODA and it prohibits the use of harmful substances such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The stone wool insulation used in all Eurobond and Euroclad products does not contain any VOCs. This is in contrast to wall and roof systems using foam plastic insulation which often incorporate the chemical blowing agent Pentane in their production, a classified VOC.

The lengths Sebastian Coe and his team are going to to ensure the sustainability of the Games is fantastic and hopefully these measures will encourage others to take the same considerations into account.