Commercial Property

You often hear about cash strapped rock bands setting up their own recording studios using mattresses to sound proof walls.

Apr

2019

Common places to find asbestos in commercial buildings

If you own a commercial property that was built before the year 2000 then there could be asbestos lurking inside.

Up until 1999 asbestos was a common building material that was used for a variety of purposes in construction. After it was found to be linked to a number of serious health conditions it was banned from use and legislation was put in place to regulate its management.

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 state that it is the dutyholder’s responsibility to determine whether asbestos is present in a building and then ensure that it is managed safely.

As the owner of a commercial property, you should ensure that a survey is carried out to assess whether there is any asbestos present in your building.

Where could asbestos be lurking?

Key areas of your commercial property that may contain asbestos include:

Sprayed interior coatings
Water tank
Insulation
Partition walls
Ceiling tiles
Vinyl floor tiles
Textured decorative coatings
Roof, gutters and downpipes

Asbestos insulating board is a fireproof material that was commonly used in ceiling tiles, partition walls, fireproof doors, and lift shafts. To the untrained eye, it is difficult to tell an asbestos board apart from a non-asbestos one.

There is also a risk that the exterior of your building could feature asbestos cement. Asbestos cement is simply normal cement with asbestos mixed in. It was often used in the construction of roofs, downpipes, gutters, soffits and flues.

What to do if asbestos is found in your commercial property

If a survey does find asbestos present in your building, then you will be required to take measures to manage the risk to protect yourself and the building’s tenants.

The correct action to take will depend on the location of the asbestos and its extent and condition. Options for management may include monitoring, maintenance, removal or encapsulation.

To find out about how our spray foam can be used to encapsulate asbestos in commercial properties,give us a call on 0800 028 4042.

Nov

2018

The Relationship Between Climate and Insulation

Most of us know that insulation is an important part of any building we occupy and increasingly so now that we are being forced to consider how much energy and consequently money we are wasting.

Money is also a factor in the type of insulation people choose for their homes. Often there are attempts to go it alone and do a DIY job to save even more. After all there are plenty of helpful videos available on Internet or advice from friends to teach you. What often cannot easily be gained from watching other people’s experiences is the insulating materials and methods you’ll need for different types of climate.

Climate is one of the key considerations when choosing insulations and depending on where you live in the UK some insulation types can be better than others. If you live in western parts of the UK the climate is often wet and windy for a large part of the year as this part of the country takes the brunt of weather coming from the stormy Atlantic. That said, temperatures don’t usually fluctuate too rapidly.

The east side of the UK can get very cold with temperatures fluctuating wildy at times as the cold North sea often exerts its influence. Weather in the east is also drier than the west.

In the South East, the weather is particularly dry through summer and also warmer with hotter summers.

So if you live in a colder climate keeping out cold will be the priority whereas in the warmer parts of the country keeping out heat while also protecting against the cold will be the priority.

Mar

2018

SoundProofing & Complying With Part E of Building Regulations

Satisfying Part ‘E’ of building regulations relating to noise may seem like an onerous task but it is a necessary for residential buildings from general housing to student halls and care homes.

As well as being part of building regulations better soundproofing contributes to everyone having a better quality of life free from the intrusion of noise from neighbours. Unfortunately, many treat Part E of building regulations as a target rather than a minimum standard and this creates problems particularly when renting out properties. For example, if soundproofing only marginally passes the requirements of Part E, tenants may be put off and move elsewhere.

To satisfy part E it needs to be shown that the various aspects of soundproofing are present including the decoupling of floor joists from ceilings. This is one of the most effective ways to limit noise from footsteps on floors above.

Stud walls and the application of acoustic mineral wool adds sound insulation to walls to limit noise from adjoining rooms. Mass is a further consideration and if you use higher mass mineral wool this will improve soundproofing further and go well beyond the standards required for Part E.

Damping and air tight seals are further areas that will improve sound insulation and ensure that you’re not just complying with Part E but committed to creating a better environment for the people who spend their time in the building on a daily basis.

Nov

2017

Why Consider Asbestos Encapsulation?

The dangers of asbestos are well known, yet there are still many buildings in the UK that have some of this potentially deadly material which lies hidden in roof spaces in particular. Worse still, the material is often found in schools and other public buildings, particularly those built between the 1950s to 1980s.

While asbestos that remains undamaged and in good condition is often left in place, there is always the outside risk that it could be disturbed and emit particles that can cause all sorts of lung diseases from lung cancer to asbestosis, diffuse pleural thickening, and mesothelioma. This is why it was made illegal to use the material in construction in 1999.

If asbestos is present in a building, its removal is governed by strict regulations due to the considerable health risks. If these guidelines are not adhered to and lives are put at risk, this can result in hefty penalties including jail terms for those involved.

One way to avoid damage to asbestos and the associated risks is to use a process called encapsulation, which as the name suggests involves coating the asbestos. This prevents any disturbance which might damage the asbestos.

It is also cost effective in reducing the amount of down time and the associated costs of safe removal of the material.

Sep

2017

Acoustic insulation against noise from loud machinery

If your office building contains noisy mechanical equipment then there can be a problem not only with internal noise but also complaints from neighbouring properties. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the volume of noise from machinery if you fit the right type of sound insulation measures.

Build an enclosure
This may be one of the more expensive options to insulate against sound from loud machinery but it will be the most effective.

Erect barriers or a partial enclosures
If you fit barriers at double the height of the machinery producing the noise then this can be an effective step towards reducing the amount of sound that escapes.

Fit sound insulation and absorption materials to walls behind the machinery
If fitting barriers and enclosures proves to be difficult or expensive, insulating the wall behind the machinery will help bring a small reduction in sound travelling. The key is to reduce the sound being reflected.
If noise is becoming a problem in your workplace and you need further advice on fitting sound insulation or ways to reduce noise in particular circumstances, then please contact one of our experts who should be able to help.

Jun

2017

How To Cut Down Noise In An Open Plan Office Environment

Most large corporates have equally large open plan offices that can be great to work in if you enjoy the collaboration, hustle and bustle and space. But what happens if you’re the kind of employee who gets easily distracted from work or you’re more productive working in the peace and quiet?

This is something that can often leave employers puzzled over what to do and how to please everyone. Of course, everyone knows that pleasing everyone in a large office is unlikely when even small things like air conditioning settings can cause open conflict.

The temperature can get even more heated of course when the environment turns noisy. People can often become very irritated by their fellow staff members when phones are going off every 10 minutes or the sound of lunches being eaten at desks.

This results in a bit of a conundrum for bosses. How can noise be reduced to a level that keeps those who like a bit of noise happy and those who don’t like distractions equally at peace?

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reduce noise in an open plan office. One of the easiest is to add carpets if you don’t have them already. While the trend is all for solid wood floors, these will only add to the noise.

A further way to bring down the volume is to add plants and soft furnishings not just for how nice they look but also for their sound absorption properties.

You can then think about more advanced measures such as reconstructing walls so that they have larger air gaps.

Apr

2017

Another Commercial Success – The Radisson Blu

Metropolitan Insulation recently completed sound insulation services at The Radisson Blu Edwardian Hampshire Hotel:

Apr

2017

Common Soundproofing Myths

Like most other things in life that require a significant investment of cash to achieve, there are plenty of myths about how to save money on soundproofing. However, as we will show, most of them will only be partially effective at best.

Use egg cartons
One of the most common myths about soundproofing is that you can collect a load of egg cartons and use them to soundproof your walls. Using egg cartons for soundproofing will not only look unappealing they are likely to be completely ineffective because they won’t stop the transfer of energy through solid walls, which is what causes noise in the first place.

Hang some thick curtains
Having thick curtains will reduce sound coming through your windows as will double glazing but it won’t stop sound coming through walls and ceilings. To soundproof an interior, you will need to install soundproofing to all these areas.

Use mattresses
You often hear about cash strapped rock bands setting up their own recording studios using mattresses to sound proof walls. These can be partially effective in absorbing sound because they create that natural barrier and mass between sounds being emitted and walls. This kind of setup is only really a temporary fix as it unlikely you will get mattresses to shut out sound coming from all parts of the room.

Mar

2017

UK ‘must insulate millions of homes’

More than one home every minute will need to be refurbished in the UK between now and 2050, experts say.

The authors of a report to Parliament say 25 million existing homes will not meet the insulation standards required by mid-century.

The UK needs to cut carbon emissions by 80% by then – and a third of those emissions come from heating draughty buildings.

The government said it would devise policies as soon as possible.

But critics say ministers have been far too slow to impose a national programme of home renovation which would save on bills and improve people’s health, comfort and happiness. It would also create thousands of jobs.

Successive governments have been criticised for failing to tackle the UK’s poor housing stock – some of the worst in Europe.

Local authorities have limited cash to insulate council homes, and landlords and owner-occupiers have proved reluctant to invest large sums in disruptive improvements that will save on bills, but take many years to pay off.

The report from a group of leading construction firms – the Green Building Council – says four out of five homes that will be occupied in 2050 have already been built.

That means 25 million homes need refurbishing to the highest standards by 2050 – at a rate of 1.4 homes every minute.

Who pays?
The authors say this huge challenge also offers an unmissable opportunity under the government’s infrastructure agenda. The fiddly business of insulating roofs, walls and floors creates more jobs and has more benefits than any existing infrastructure priority, they maintain.

The question is how to pay. The government’s Green Deal scheme for owner-occupiers collapsed amid a welter of criticism that interest rates for insulation were too high, and that the insulation itself was too much hassle.

It says the construction industry needs certainty about what it is expected to deliver, and measurement to discover what is already being built. This should stimulate innovation, it says.

Julie Hirigoyen, head of the GBC, told BBC News there was a great prize to be grasped in upgrading building stock: “People will have warmer homes and lower bills; they will live longer, happier lives; we will be able to address climate change and carbon emissions.

“We will also be creating many thousands of jobs and exporting our best skills in innovation.

“Driving up demand for retro-fitting homes is essential for any policy to be a success – the Green Deal told us just offering financial incentives isn’t necessarily the only solution. We need to make it all easy, attractive and affordable.

“The good thing is that the business community is really starting to recognise the opportunity.”

VISIT THE BBC FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dec

2016

Metropolitan’s Latest Installation

Metropolitan’s latest installation has been well received and a great success.

The site which is a very upmarket Scandinavian poultry restaurant, The Holy Birds is situated in Middlesex Street close to Tower Bridge.

The objective of the exercise was to reduce airborne noise to the flats above. Also the issue of reverberation
noise is combated. When the restaurant is full the noise generated is dissipated by our system.

This is another example of low density open cell acoustic foam being used successfully.

It can be left open as in this instance or covered up also. The product is BBA certified and can have a zero fire rating added
also.

Modern semi commercials like this benefit hugely from technology.

Metropolitan Insulation Blog