New initiatives and
activities are happening all the time
at Palgrave Brown and we are
often featured in the trade media. To
keep you up-to-date with what's going
on we've featured our latest press releases
here. Simply click on the heading to
go to the text.
19/12/2007 - POSIJOIST PROLIFERATION AT PALGRAVE BROWN
Palgrave Brown, the UK’s £66 million leading engineered timber specialist, is
continuing to invest in growth with the creation of a new PosiJoist manufacturing
facility at its Boston branch.
The company now has three specialist PosiJoist production
sites within the company’s 17 branch national network to give true national coverage.
A MiTek PosiJoist Strut-Runner and a splice press have been installed at Boston to boost
existing PosiJoist production capacity and to offer even shorter lead times for customers
located in the east of the country.
“The growing demand for open web flooring systems means that PosiJoist is booming,” comments
Steve Pinner, group operations director at Palgrave Brown. “It’s an extremely stable product,
ideal for new build, and because it’s open web it saves time and hassle on site, making
faster build times possible. The new facility means that we’re now able to offer customers
nationwide lead times as short as two weeks.”
The expansion builds on last year’s investment in new PosiJoist capacity at Palgrave Brown’s
Yeovil and Widnes branches, with PosiJoist designers at each site and a new sales and central
design office at Nuneaton.
The PosiJoist system is the latest generation of flooring systems within the building industry
and combines timber and Posi-Strut steel web that allows for a span of far greater distances
while allowing a variety of internal room layouts within an external shell. The open web
design also provides concealed piping for contractors without the need for sawing gaps,
as in traditional flooring methods. The design, size and flexibility of the PosiJoist
system means that it can also be used to span flat and pitched roofs.
Palgrave Brown has the engineered timber industry’s widest and most comprehensive product
portfolio, including roof trusses, SIPS panels, stairs, doors, cladding and MDF mouldings,
as well as being a Master Dealer for the TJI Silent Floor System. Because complete
integrated floor-to-roof timber solutions can be sold, designed and delivered from one
location, housebuilder and developer customers benefit from cost savings and reduced
impact on the environment, as well as excellent service on time, every time.
02/11/2007 - PALGRAVE BROWN IS QUICK ON THE DRAW IN THE DEEP SOUTH
Palgrave Brown, the £66
million UK timber
engineering company, has
helped a Southampton
developer achieve a build
time of just 14 weeks for
eight flats, using the
Palgrave Brown SIPS building
system.
The development stands on a
brownfield site surrounded
by gardens on all sides,
close to Southampton Water.
There were unsightly
derelict warehouses and
garages there previously,
but developer Wheatshield
Ltd has used the space to
create a landscaped
development of eight
one-bedroom homes, cleverly
designed to look like four
houses.
Palgrave Brown worked
closely with Wheatshield on
the specification of
materials, and supplied a
comprehensive suite of
products including roof
trusses, spandrel panels,
flooring and TJI joists,
staircases, and all internal
walls as well as the SIPS
system for the
first-time-buyer
development.
Wheatshield director Scott
Pinnick comments, “Even
though first fix was delayed
by the weather during the
wettest summer on record,
once the development was out
of the ground, we were
really pleased with the
speed of the build. The
weatherproof SIPS envelope
meant that work could
continue, no matter what.”
Garry Dyke, Palgrave Brown’s
national product manager for
the SIPS system, explains,
“On this project the
customer really received the
benefit of the integrated
building system offered by
Palgrave Brown. We were able
to deliver each
precision-designed element
of the SIPS system and other
timber products at exactly
the right time for the whole
of the build, meaning that
delays were minimised.”
What’s more, the exceptional
air tightness and high
thermal performance of the
SIPS system means that the
developer had no worries
about Part L compliance. “We
were particularly impressed
with how easily the
components slotted
together,” comments Scott
Pinnick. “The precision of
the engineering made
airtight installation really
straightforward.”
In fact, Wheatshield is so
pleased with the SIPS system
that it has now placed an
order to use the system for
another 14 dwellings in a
high-spec development
overlooking Southampton
Water. That’s real southern
exposure!
07/09/2007 PALGRAVE BROWN OPENS UP CHOICES WITH DOORS
Palgrave Brown, the £62million engineered timber specialist,
now offers a range of high performance external doors to provide
over 500 different options and combinations, all contained in a ull colour brochure.
The best-selling line-up of the robust Scotdoor and Timedor timber doors has now been
joined by the GRP range which offers state of the art, fully finished fibreglass door systems.
The Timedor models are a 44mm blank, and now include routered designs that were previously only
available within the 60mm Scotdoor range. Developed to meet market demand, the 12 latest Timedor
routered models are available in bespoke sizes and, like all Palgrave Brown doors, are scaled to
fit different sizes so the integrity of the design proportions is not affected. Competitively priced,
the routered designs include two solid door options and a variety of glazing configurations to
complement all types of property designs.
The GRP range offers advanced performance and low maintenance in a range of fully finished composite
door sets, including frames, handles, letter plates, locks and thresholds. Each door has a wood
grained effect finish, but actually has a 2mm thick thermoset resin GRP skin with a through colour
for low maintenance eliminating the need for re-coating with a longer lasting colour. Hard wearing,
the GRP doors also have a high thermal efficiency, with a 100% CFC-free polyurethane insulating core.
The technology used is the most environmentally friendly system available providing an ODP score of
zero and a GWP score of less than five.
Within the Palgrave Brown Doors range, there’s a wide choice of styles and glazing options. The colour
choice options for timber doors include red, blue, white, green or in stains of mahogany, light oak or
teak as standard, while the GRP range also includes a solid black finish. Subject to minimum order
quantities timber finishes are available in any BS / RAL Colour.
All Palgrave Brown doors meet PAS 23/24 requirements, Secured by Design standards and are Parts M and L
compliant, meeting the latest Building Regulations requirements. There are also performance guarantees
of up to 10 years, against glazing system failure, manufacturing defects, coatings warranty and ironmongery.
With an environmentally friendly policy all the softwood and hardwood used in both Scotdoor and Timedor
products comes from sustainable timber sources, which also helps in gaining Code for Sustainable
Homes credits.
For more information call 01977 518 547 or to view the brochure
click here
for (Doors Brochure 2006).
27/07/2007 PALGRAVE BROWN BREAKS THE MOULD WITH SILKTRIM
Palgrave Brown, the UK’s leading engineered timber
specialist, is also a leader in the MDF mouldings market,
with the company’s Silktrim-branded
MDF mouldings a firm
favourite with housebuilders
across the UK, delivering
the very highest quality
while remaining
competitively priced.
The Silktrim range is
manufactured from moisture
resistant, primed MDF, ready
for paint finishing. It’s
fast and easy to install and
because it’s pre-primed,
there’s no down-time waiting
for primers to dry – just
fit, paint and the job’s
complete, with a smooth
blemish-free finish.
The newest product in
Palgrave Brown’s mouldings
range is the industry’s
first collection of MDF fire
check door casings with
concealed fixings. Awarded
official fire check
certification following
rigorous tests using fire
doors from three main door
manufacturers, Silktrim’s
two-part MDF fire check door
casings have an innovative
design which gives a
completely clean finish,
explains Michael Parkinson,
national product manager.
“The two part system has a
double groove specification
which makes it possible to
glue rather than screw or
nail the door stop. This
means that when the casings
are painted there are no
visible signs of fixings,”
he says.
The Silktrim range also
offers impressive
environmental performance,
with Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) Chain of
Custody (CoC) certification,
assuring customers that it
uses wood from FSC certified
forests.
Mike Fleming, sales and
marketing director at
Palgrave Brown comments, “A
lot of our customers have
very strict ‘green policies’
and we recognise our
responsibility to them and
consider environmental
aspects in all decision
making. At our manufacturing
sites we even use an
eco-friendly boiler system
fired by waste timber.”
For further information on
Palgrave Brown’s Silktrim
MDF mouldings, call 01254
833500 or visit
www.palgravebrown.co.uk
29/06/2007 - CONSCIOUS CONSERVATION WITH PALGRAVE BROWN
Palgrave Brown, the £66
million UK timber
engineering company, has
been helping Attridge
Developments to add the
finishing touches to a
12-month development of a
local landmark in the centre
of Market Harborough in
Leicestershire.
The development will see the
former Symington Coffee
Mills Factory converted into
four-storey upmarket
apartments with an
additional further
conversion of three regency
town houses into six duplex
luxury apartments. And, as
the building has local
historical significance and
merit within the town, the
local authority conservation
officer has been taking a
keen interest in the
redevelopment of the site.
Providing the internal
staircases, Palgrave Brown
has had to work closely with
Attridge Developments in
order to ensure that any
spindles and handrails
replicate the original look
of the industrial building.
Jeff Gaught, area sales
manager at Palgrave Brown,
said, “Because of the
historical significance of
the building, it was
essential that any internal
fixtures and fittings were
produced as closely to the
original as possible.”
Providing the staircase for
the factory site meant
Attridge had to remove any
existing spindles and rails
in order to provide Palgrave
Brown with a sample from
which to work the design.
Using the joinery centre at
Marchington the new timber
was machined into the
correct shape and size in
order to satisfy the
requirements of the
conservation officer.
Jeff continued, “Modern day
spindles and handrails are
usually turned and shaped
and fairly intricate. To
fit in with the necessary
industrial design, we needed
to provide a more minimalist
and pure feel, with straight
spindles and cleanly
designed handrails. In
addition the size and fit of
the staircases needed to fit
exactly into the spaces
previously occupied by the
original destroyed by years
of neglect. Intricate
measurement and design was
needed to ensure that the
new staircases matched the
exact tolerances to fit into
the existing apertures of
the stairwells.”
Along with careful
consideration of internal
fixtures and fittings,
expert consultations were
necessary to restore the
outside façade as closely as
possible to the Nineteenth
Century original. This
involved careful
examinations of early plans
and pictures alongside
consideration of
architectural and historical
reports of the approximately
two-acre site.
Tom McInerney, general
manager of Attridge
Developments said, “This
was an exciting project to
work on taking into
consideration the historical
significance and
architectural appreciation
of the site. Working closely
with our partners and with
the assistance of the local
authority conservation
officer, we have
successfully combined the
heritage of the site with
all the benefits of modern
day living while restoring a
Grade II listed building
into apartments that are
faithful to the regency
period.”
To produce the stairwells a
period of consultation was
needed including site visits
to examine what remained of
the existing staircases and
to obtain exact measurement
and design details. “We have
worked with Palgrave Brown
before and were confident
that the bespoke timber
stairwell designs would be
furnished exactly to what we
needed and of a high
quality.”
The apartments were
completed in spring 2007.
For further information
about Palgrave Brown visit
www.palgravebrown.co.uk. For
further information about
the site and the development
visit www.attridge
developments.com.
Palgrave Brown provided
bespoke spindles and rails
for the conversion of a
period building.
Please FAX
colour separations to 01202
499687, unfortunately email
requests cannot be
considered.
08/05/2007 - PALGRAVE BROWN'S ECOHOMES SUPPORT SERVICE GAINS GREEN POINTS
Palgrave Brown, the UK’s leading
supplier of high performance
engineered timber, is helping
a Taylor Woodrow project to
gain valuable EcoHomes credits
with its EcoHomes assessment
support service.
When Taylor Woodrow (under the
Bryant Homes brand) was awarded
the English Partnerships tender
for a sensitive development
of over 800 houses on the site
of a former hospital in Hampshire,
an eco-friendly approach was
essential, because of the landowning
Government’s strict environmental
criteria.
Situated on the edge of Basingstoke,
Park Prewett was built nearly
a century ago and today forms
part of the Hospital Sites Programme
portfolio. The architect specified
Western Red Cedar cladding for
the houses and planning permission
was granted on this basis.
Palgrave Brown was awarded the
contract to provide cedar panels,
but as the site was subject
to the requirements of English
Partnerships, the timber supplier’s
EcoHomes assessment support
service offered to review the
specification. The service identified
that Western Red Cedar rates
poorly on the environmental
impact of materials because
of the distance it travels,
and this enabled Palgrave Brown
to offer Taylor Woodrow an alternative
solution that would also be
well received by English Partnerships.
The EcoHomes assessment support
service suggested PlatoWood
as an alternative – a heat-treated
European softwood that compares
to Western Red Cedar in terms
of durability, class and aesthetics,
but at a lower cost. Contrary
to popular perception and to
the expectations of Taylor Woodrow,
Palgrave Brown’s greener solution
is actually cheaper, delivering
both significant savings and
an improved environmental rating.
Andy Warren, key account manager
at Palgrave Brown, explains,
“Our EcoHomes assessment support
service has really paid dividends
for Taylor Woodrow. We don’t
just think about chain of custody,
we also consider the environmental
impact of materials, which in
fact carries more weight under
EcoHomes than responsible sourcing.
PlatoWood scores on all fronts
with a higher rating for environmental
impact, FSC chain of custody
to prove responsible sourcing
and substantial cost benefits.”
For the Park Prewett development,
PlatoWood timber panels varying
in size from 1m x 1m up to 3m
x 3m consisting of tongue and
grooved boards framed by a mortice
and tennon construction frame
are bespoke produced.
Palgrave Brown is also supplying
floors, roofs and doors for
the Park Prewett development
and deliveries of all products
are scheduled on an ‘as required’
basis for the customer’s convenience
to minimise stock held on site.
Palgrave Brown's EcoHomes Assessment
Support Service suggested PlatoWood
cladding for a high environmental
rating.
03/04/2007 - PALGRAVE BROWN GOES GREEN WITH PLATO®WOOD
Palgrave Brown, the UK’s £66
million leading engineered timber
specialist, is making it easier
than ever for housebuilders
to gain EcoHomes points with
the introduction of Plato®Wood,
a heat-treated timber product
range with reduced environmental
impact.
Plato®Wood is a thermo-modified
timber that combines durability,
stability and aesthetics. The
range of products is ‘A’ rated
in BRE’s Green Guide to Housing
Specification and includes cladding,
decking and structural timbers,
so there’s flexibility in where
to specify this sustainably-produced
timber.
With the current trend for timber
cladding, there’s a danger of
compromising environmental credentials,
explains Andy Warren, key account
manager at Palgrave Brown. “Western
Red Cedar cladding, for example,
is not only expensive due to
the recent spike in timber prices,
but it also fails to qualify
for EcoHomes credits, because
of the distance travelled by
imported Canadian cedar.
“In line with Palgrave Brown’s
policy of helping housebuilders
to comply with environmental
legislation, Plato®Wood ticks
all the boxes for sustainable
timber solutions. It offers
a range of practical options
to make earning EcoHomes points
straightforward,” he continues.
Plato®Wood has undergone a natural
heat treatment process which
takes less durable softwood
or hardwood and improves its
durability and dimensional stability.
There is no loss of flexibility,
which can often result from
traditional heat treatments,
as it retains a higher cellulose
content due to a carefully-managed
five-stage process.
Produced in Europe, Plato®Wood
timber products are FSC certified,
use no chemicals in production
and even incorporate environmentally-friendly
sourcing of the electricity
and steam used in the production
process. They are suitable for
ground and water contact and
come with a 15 year guarantee.
Palgrave Brown has the engineered
timber industry’s widest and
most comprehensive product portfolio,
including roof trusses, MDF
mouldings, stairs, and doors,
as well as being a distributor
for the i-Level Silent Floor
System.
Plato®Wood products can be ordered
through Palgrave Brown’s 18
site national network.
PlatoWood from Palgrave Brown
ticks all the boxes for sustainable
timber solutions.
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