RECENT PRODUCT NEWS

'Tilt-only' magnetic blinds from BetweenGlassBlinds have been fitted to specialist flats recently created at a ‘high dependency’ mental healthcare facility home in Bushey in Hertfordshire.

The specialist unit helps people dealing with varying levels of mental illness. On site, residents live semi-independently, while receiving intensive specialist care from trained mental health workers. As part of the creation of a number of new, specialist flats, BetweenGlassBlinds supplied tilt-only magnetic blinds for fitting to all the external windows by window supplier and fitter, Window Care Herts. As an increased safety measure, the integral blinds were fitted between specially toughened, clear laminated glass. BetweenGlassBlinds worked with the window installer’s team to ensure that the magnetic blinds could function smoothly through thicker glass, with technicians from both companies visiting the site to make bespoke, on-site adaptations to the integral blinds. The magnetic blinds are operated via a neat and unobtrusive sliding magnetic block located around the perimeter of the unit, on a completely cordless system.

AG, a manufacturer of ‘innovative concrete products’, says its new premium paving product, Plaza Lineal, answers industry demand for a flagstone that is ‘durable, versatile, and strong’, while possessing ‘an aesthetically pleasing, plank-like appearance’.

A ‘premium’ water-etched, lightly textured, granite aggregate paving that is 120 mm deep, it comes in a range of rectangular dimensions and six colours that can be ‘mixed and matched’ to create a broad range of patterns that ‘blend seamlessly with any outdoor environment’.

The new Hanwha Techwin Wisenet TNV-7010RC 3 megapixel corner mount camera has been designed to meet the requirements of mental health institutions, the police, and prisons, where there is a duty of care to prevent self-harm.

The camera has a built-in 940 nm IR emitter which projects infrared light up to 10 m at a higher wavelength than traditional red glowing IR lighting. Invisible to the human eye, this avoids disturbing those sleeping in secure rooms. The ‘true day / night camera’, which can reportedly capture clear, sharp colour images in light levels as low as 0.3 Lux, also features Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), which performs at up to 120 dB, ‘to accurately produce images in scenes that simultaneously contain very bright and very dark areas’.

The new 65-bed Cygnet Hospital mental healthcare facility in Maidstone has been clad in Abet Laminati’s MEG self-supporting exterior grade laminate.

Some 800 m2 of MEG cladding in a 754 Padouk Soft finish were installed by Rhino Exteriors across various elevations. MEG was chosen as it carries a BBA Agrément Certificate and, most importantly, F1 panels from 6 mm and thicker are rated Class B-s1, d0. This makes them fully compliant for all non-residential applications and for buildings up to 18 m high for residential schemes.

Following the launch of an ‘app’ for PC and Android last year, designer and manufacturer of personal alarm systems, Pinpoint, has launched a new Pinpoint Mobile Alert application for iPhone and iPad mobile devices running on the iOS operating system.

“By adding the app for iOS devices, we are enabling our customers to interact with the Pinpoint Personal Alarm in a way that suits them best”, says Allan Aikman, senior design engineer. “Operations and IT managers can now choose either iOS-based devices using the new app, or select mobile devices that use the existing app for Android. Where BYOD (bring your own device) is permitted, users can now interact with the Pinpoint system on their own phone, as well as existing iPads they have with them every day, rather than having to carry additional mobile devices.”

A medium secure facility in Wickford operated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust which had seen its ward entrance doors damaged by repeated attacks has worked with Safehinge Primera to address the problem.

Kent & Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust has selected Kingsway Group’s Smart doorsets for a 10-bedded PICU refurbishment project at Willow Suite, Little Brook Hospital, in Dartford.

Security expert, Abloy UK, claims to have launched ‘the world’s first intelligent motor locks’ – the EL495 and EL595.

It explained: “The locks automatically diagnose the condition of their capacitors, so when the lock reaches the end of its lifecycle it gives an audible warning, allowing it to be replaced before it fails.” Both ‘solutions’ are compliant with British Standards – EL495, for profile doors, is BS EN179 and BS EN1125 approved, and the EL595, for solid doors, BS EN179 approved. There are three variants of each available, including a Fail Unlocked (FU) model, Fail Locked model (FL), and a high security lock case with mechanical exit feature.

Forbo Flooring Systems says its re-launched Marmoleum Marbled collection was ‘inspired by the breath-taking colours and textures found within natural landscapes’.

The company added: “With an independent Environmental Product Declaration confirming carbon neutral status in the production phase, Marmoleum (2.5 mm) also helps to minimise the embodied carbon of a building – with this latest collection designed to help users feel at one with nature.

Polyflor’s new Polysafe QuickLay is a loose lay safety flooring designed for adhesive-free installation, ‘where a quick turnaround and sustainable slip resistance are a priority’.

The company said: “Designed to be a practical choice for contractors and specifiers alike, Polysafe QuickLay is a temporary or permanent floorcovering which achieves the same performance and durability as other Polysafe flooring collections, but with the added benefits of adhesive-free installation."

Samuel Heath says its commitment to ensuring that its Powermatic controlled, concealed door closers ‘provide the ultimate assurance in quality and performance’ has been further underlined with the successful completion of additional full-sized fire testing on both timber and steel fire doors at renowned testing laboratory, Exova Warrington Fire.

Thirty-minute testing in accordance with BS EN 1634-1 was undertaken on a timber fire door constructed with a Halspan core to replace Powermatic’s current small-scale indicative testing for the BS476 assessment. The doorset easily achieved the 30-minute test requirements, continuing until final failure occurred at 42 minutes.

A medium secure facility in Wickford operated by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust which had been seen its ward entrance doors damaged by repeated attacks has worked with Safehinge Primera to address the problem.

Following the attacks at Brockfield House, the Trust regularly faced ironmongery fixing point damage, with locks and closers breaking out of the door and timber frame. Staff were replacing broken doors and frames every six months, and even changing the doors to single-swing with overhead connecting arm closers did not prevent regular damage.

Servelec has announced that Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT), a provider of mental health and learning disability services, has ‘gone live’ with the Rio Electronic Patient Record.

Over 2,000 LPFT mental health and community practitioners – from doctors and psychiatric nurses to pharmacists and social workers – can now securely and safely access the demographics, referrals, and community and inpatient records of their 202,080 patient base. Rio information will be accessible by workers on site or operating remotely

Pinpoint, one of the UK’s leading designers and manufacturers of personal alarm systems, has launched a new charger station with what it dubs ‘designer styling’ for its Personal Infrared Transmitters (PIT).

Called the ‘Energizer Station CT’ for Perpetual PITs, the unit is the second-generation model of Pinpoint’s Energizer series. It is designed specifically to ‘energise’ or recharge the supercapacitor in a Perpetual PIT.

Comelit has ‘worked sensitively’ on site at the Rathview Mental Health Facility, on the outskirts of Omagh, to supply door entry solutions ‘to ensure that a therapeutic and safe environment is created for the benefit of residents, staff, and visitors’.

Situated on a rural greenfield site on the outskirts of Omagh, Rathview Mental Health Facility is a new ‘circa £2.8 million’, 1,169 m² facility that incorporates a twelve-bed Discharge Unit and a six-bed Recovery Unit, arranged around two central courtyards. One of the goals of its construction was to increase the range of community-based mental health services available in Northern Ireland. Designed by Todd Architects, it is operated by the Western Health and Social Care Trust.

The Surelock McGill Fail Safe & Secure multi-point locking system provides access control for both entry and exit in normal power-mode, and the capability for an audit trail, both in and out of secure environments.

Should the power supply fail, this dual solenoid lock provides a fail secure mode, maintaining the security on the outside, while from the inside the fail-safe mode allows free exit via a single-handed means of escape lever handle.

Codelocks’ new CL4520 ‘smart lock’, combining convenience, flexibility, and a powerful mortice lock with a double cylinder, is said to be ‘ideal for buildings and environments that experience high traffic’.

The lock features a euro profile mortice sash lock with deadbolt and latchbolt safety function, and can be set with or without a key-operated deadbolt feature, to restrict or allow access by code. Codelocks says accidental lock-ins are avoided with the provision of an inside lever handle to retract the deadbolt and latchbolt simultaneously.

A ‘smart hub’ that lets users ‘take control of door, window and safety systems’ will be launched by GEZE UK at this month’s the Smart Buildings Show, which takes place from 7-8 November 2018) at the Barbican in London.

The company explains that GEZE Cockpit acts as ‘a brain’ – ‘intelligently integrating door, window and safety technology into building management systems – and giving building designers greater options to create the next generation of smart buildings’. The ‘first of its kind system’, with open interfaces, and can be seen on stand F3 in Hall 2.

British Gypsum’s ThistlePro DuraFinish skimming plaster is helping to protect the walls from accidental damage at a new sensory room facility for charity organisation set up to prevent isolation for families affected by autistic spectrum condition, Autism Isolation No More.

Its original base was a converted unit in a shopping centre in Fareham, but the centre was too busy for children to comfortably access, so a new centre was found in a more homely, rural location. “Plasterer and charity volunteer, Aaron Pearson, from Titanium Plastering (pictured), knew from experience that ThistlePro DuraFinish would be the ideal skim finish plaster for the project,” explained British Gypsum.

A ‘state-of-the-art’ residential unit for vulnerable children and adolescents in North West England features Crittall’s Fendor CleanVent security windows.

Junction 17, designed by architects Gilling Dod, was commissioned by Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust to provide facilities for 24 inpatients aged between 13 and 17. The unit, in Prestwich, is a Tier 4 CAMHS facility for young people with significant mental health needs, for whom typical symptoms or conditions may include self-harming behaviour and psychosis. Windows in rooms to which patients have access thus had to have an anti-ligature feature.