ENGINEERING A BETTER ENVIRONMENT SUMMER 2011

London office moveA move to larger offices in the heart of the legal and financial quarter has strengthened Birchall’s London presence. The first-floor open-plan offices in Holborn are twice the size of the company’s previous London base half a mile away. The office is conveniently located just five minutes walk from Chancery Lane tube station and close to many of Birchall’s multi-million pound projects. Customers can contact the new London office at First Floor, 45-49 Leather Lane, London EC1N 7TJ by calling 0207 400 2360.

The Norfolk retreat of Her Majesty the Queen has gone green for its heating and domestic hot water requirements. Wishing to replace two inefficient 30-year-old boilers with a more sustainable solution,

the Sandringham Estate turned to Birchall to manage the introduction of a new low carbon and low energy biomass system that runs on wood chips. As part of a contract with the Sandringham Estate, Birchall was appointed following a tender process to manage the 16-week project on site as principal contractor. Working to a mechanical and electrical services performance specification prepared by Energy Innovations and Lorien Energy solutions, the company has enabled the Sandringham Estate to markedly reduce energy consumption whilst achieving very low carbon emission. In conjunction with Energy Innovations, a 450kW wood chip boiler was installed, together with a wood chip conveyance system, within a new underground fuel store constructed in reinforced concrete with a storage capacity of 180 cubic metres of wood chip fuel. The installation is designed to run continuously on wood chip fuel, but to ensure continuity of heating and hot water supply in case of maintenance being required on the wood chip boiler or a temporary shortage of wood chip fuel, a full ‘back up’ oil-fired boiler plant has been installed which will automatically come into operation if the wood chip boiler shuts down. To achieve this, Birchall has removed two old inefficient oil-fired steam boilers rated at 380kW and 200kW along with associated steam-to-water calorifiers and pipework, before

installing a new high-efficiency 580kW oil-fired low-pressure hot water boiler. This serves plate heat exchangers that provide heating to the main house, bachelor wing, north end main house, and chefs’ block. The LPHW plate heat exchangers, each capable of heating 2,500 litres of water in just one hour, have replaced the steam coils that were removed from the two existing 2,500 litre domestic hot water storage calorifiers, both of which have been retained. Phil Cumberlidge, Birchall contracts director, said: “The route for the new 100mm LPHW mains was very difficult to negotiate. It had to be installed through the existing service tunnel and could only be achieved by removing the existing steam and condense mains. “Due to the welding restrictions in the service tunnel and main house, most of the pipework was fabricated off site.” Birchall’s sister controls company BEC designed and installed a BACnet Building Energy Management service to control the two boilers and maximise use of the wood chip installation, which is being fed from the estate’s forest resource. BEC also fitted separate control panels within five outstations to integrate the new boiler systems and provide temperature control to local areas, all monitored from a central supervisor terminal. It can also dial in to monitor and adjust the system. The Birchall team had the great privilege of demonstrating the system to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. The result is an installation which has met the client’s requirements for a green high-efficiency installation with reduced running costs and increased reliability.

Birchall is to boost its marketing campaign with the launch of a new corporate brochure. The full-colour publication will highlight the breadth of the company’s services, its impressive blue-chip customer base, and the experience and expertise of its highly trained staff that together have earned the company a reputation as one of the UK’s leading building services providers. For further information, please contact Ian Birchall at ianbirchall@birchall.co.uk

NEW BROCHURE

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M E C H A N I C A L A N D E L E C T R I C A LB U I L D I N G S E R V I C E S E N G I N E E R S

The Queen’s Sandringham retreat has gone sustainable – with Birchall help

FIT FOR THE QUEEN

Low Carbon Consultant at your service

QUALITY MATTERSwith Rob Butler

Safety & Environment Manager

Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK. We may have known about its insulating and fire and corrosion protection properties for centuries, but it is only relatively recently that we have identified its dangers. Among misconceptions is that blue or brown asbestos is more dangerous than white asbestos. The colour refers to the type of asbestos rather than to how harmful it is. Another is that only those on site can contract asbestosis. Wives have done so by shaking their husband’s overalls before putting them in the washing machine. All M&E companies tasked to work on non-domestic property built or refurbished before 2000 now have to carry out an asbestos survey. This relatively low-cost exercise is to find out the location, type and condition of the asbestos so that site workers can take extra care. If the asbestos is undamaged or not deteriorating, it can be left in place. Workers who may come in contact with the fibre are also now legally bound to attend awareness training so they know what to do in the event of a uncontrolled release. The majority of asbestos removal work must be done by a licensed contractor but for smaller low-risk activities, unlicensed contractors can be used. As well as receiving asbestos awareness training, all Birchall workers are trained in asbestos-related tasks that do not require a licence, including low-risk removal.

ELECTRICAL OPTION SWITCHED ONA new spark has been brought to the business with Birchall now able to offer the option of

a one-stop shop for mechanical and electrical services. While continuing to work closely with its valued subcontractors, the company can now provide customers with the added choice of dealing with a single contractor. Having provided in-house mechanical support ever since the company was established 30 years ago, Birchall has appointed Chris Martin to head up the new in-house electrical division which will serve organisations in the industrial, commercial, retail and educational sectors. Based at Birchall’s Newcastle-under-Lyme headquarters, Chris has more than 25 years’ experience in managing small to major electrical

installations for organisations ranging from commercial property developers to health authorities. Chris said: “We have developed the capacity to offer a full in-house service to run alongside our traditional working associations with electrical services providers.”

With M&E services accounting for around a quarter of a building’s costs, customers can rely on our fully trained and experienced engineers to provide an equally efficient and reliable level of service in the electrical field.” Birchall has already won a number of in-house M&E contracts covering electrical systems, including the distribution of lighting and the replacement and rewiring of roof-mounted air conditioning and ventilation controls for Regent House, the new headquarters for property developer Emerson in Manchester. The company is also fitting the power facilities and controls for the lighting, refrigeration and ventilation systems for a new factory extension operated by leading chicken producer 2 Sisters. It is also installing door access controls, data wiring and impact lighting for Firth Park School in Sheffield.

Briefed for business court buildingBirchall has been awarded the maintenance brief for a new business court development in London. It is to maintain all the M&E services for The Rolls Building, which has brought together four High Court departments dealing with commercial and business dispute resolution under one roof. The Chancery, Admiralty and Commercial, and Technology and Construction departments of Her Majesty’s Court Service now occupy the lower ground to fifth floors of the eight-storey building, comprising 31 courtrooms, 11 hearing rooms and 54 public consultation rooms. Birchall was awarded the 12-month contract, with the prospect of the term being extended to either three or five years, by Broadgate Estates which is managing the prime 265,000 sq ft property at 110 Fetter Lane on behalf of funds advised by Delancey and Invista Real Estate Investment Management. Birchall will be providing a dedicated two-man on-site team to maintain all the general landlord systems as well as provide management, specialist and administrative support. The BREEAM-excellent rated building has a combined cooling, heating and power plant, heat recovery technology, high-efficiency lighting, and a bespoke building energy management system. Alec Andrews, London manager for Birchall, said: “We are aiming to maintain 110 Fetter Lane in the long-term and have even received considerable interest from the occupiers to handle tenants’ maintenance.”The new Rolls Building in London

In-house expert advice on reducing carbon emissions is now available following the appointment of a new design and project manager. Adrian Peacock is the company’s first CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) registered Low Carbon Consultant, qualified to give clients and colleagues expert environmental advice from the earliest stages of a building project. He is also a CIBSE-registered Low Carbon Energy Assessor, authorised to make air-conditioning inspections for the most complex systems to full legal requirements.

In addition, he is an iSBEM (Interface to Simplified Building Energy Method) trained engineer, with the authority to issue SBEM certificates for all buildings up to a Level 4 rating. Based at Newcastle-under-Lyme but also supporting the London and Edinburgh offices, Adrian has more than 25 years’ experience in design engineering and project management within the mechanical services industry. Adrian, who lives in Stone, was previously mechanical design and estimation manager for an installations company in Cannock and before that an HVAC project manager for a building services firm in Stoke-on-Trent.

Chris Martin

Adrian Peacock

JERSEY DREAMBirchall’s facilities management division has boosted its wide-ranging market presence after being awarded major contracts from four new clients. Travel group Holidaybreak plc has hired George Birchall Service to provide M&E maintenance, cleaning, security and CCTV management services for its Hartford Manor head office in Cheshire. The building serves as a 24-hour help desk for the group’s education & adventure, hotel breaks and camping divisions as well as its corporate headquarters. The three-year contract, which offers the potential to serve other Holidaybreak sites, has included transferring staff from the existing contractor under the TUPE regulations. Meanwhile the world-leading outside broadcast and satellite services provider SIS has called on GBS to maintain its offices in central London, Langley and Milton Keynes. GBS’s London and Newcastle offices will work closely together in serving the strategic satellite offices in a deal that marks a first step into the world of media and broadcasting. Last year the company won three-year contracts with a consumer products giant and a corporate information solutions specialist. The deal with PZ Cussons, makers of Imperial Leather soap, involves providing

manned on-site M&S services for its new 40,000 sq ft headquarters in Manchester. GBS is maintaining two high-security document management sites in Livingston and Leicester for Williams Lea, part of Deutsche Post, having completed a Tupe transfer. The company’s massive business boost has followed the appointment of Chris Windass as only the second maintenance director in Birchall’s 31-year history. Before heading up George Birchall Service, Chris was operations director for facilities management consultants Mace Macro, based in London. His 20-year career in building services began as an engineering apprentice with packaging firm Van Leer in Hull. Chris said: “We are delighted with these contract wins, especially as it provides us with the opportunity to develop mutually productive and long-lasting relationships with clients in new market sectors.”

Helping Sainsbury’s go green

Birchall has milked its first order in the Channel Islands by fitting out Europe’s most modern dairy.

The company designed and installed all the mechanical and electrical services for the purpose-built facility for Jersey Dairy following a £1.7-million contract with TSL Projects. The new state-of-the-art dairy, one of the most highly efficient and environmentally friendly production facilities of its type, will boost exports of top-tasting full cream to low-fat milks and dairy products from pure-bred Jersey cows. The new 3,000-sq m green field-based plant in the Trinity

district includes manufacturing and processing rooms, packing stores for both liquid milk products and yoghurt, cream and butter filling, and a freezer, laboratory and engineering workshop. Anthony Wrottesley, project manager with TSL Projects, which was also carrying out its first major project on Jersey, said his company had worked closely with Jersey Dairy to understand its requirements and designed a highly efficient facility able to cope with the demands of both the island and future exports. He added: “We wanted a project of this scale to benefit the island as much as possible so we worked with Jersey Enterprise to ensure that there was sufficient involvement from local sub-contractors, while

also relying on Birchall to provide the required level of expertise from the mainland in the building of a new dairy.” Eamon Fenlon, managing director of Jersey Dairy, which moved from Five Oaks to the new site in summer 2010, said: “The move is an important step to enhancing the future of the Island’s dairy industry and we are thrilled with our new site and believe it will be a focal point for regeneration. John Graham, Birchall design director, said: “We are delighted to have completed our first major project in Jersey, which included successfully overcoming the logistical challenges of delivering large plant to the site all the way from mainland UK.”

Moving into new markets

A nationwide design and build programme for supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has resulted in the opening of one of the UK’s greenest new stores. The newly launched environmental flagship at Hythe in Kent has achieved an impressive Energy Performance Certificate ‘B’ rating for cutting energy costs and reducing carbon emissions. It is powered by the world’s first biofuel generator, which uses waste oil and fat from Sainsbury’s stores to reduce the strain on the National Grid. Birchall designed and installed a biomass boiler to provide the heating, and a ventilation system, monitored by an automated building management system (BMS) to regulate energy consumption. The company also equipped the store with a rainwater harvesting system for toilet flushing and plumbed the low-water-type fittings for the waterless urinals. One of a small group of directly appointed approved contractors, Birchall has completed no less than 19 projects for Sainsbury’s since 2009 and been commissioned for ten more in 2011.

Adrian Peacock, Birchall’s Low Carbon Consultant, said: “Projects have ranged from small-scale ‘refreshers’ that involve upgrading existing services for revised store layouts, to brand new store fit outs such as Newport in Wales with a 75,000 sq ft sales floor and 73,000 sq ft Blackhall in Edinburgh. “The design and build work has typically comprised heating and ventilation services for sales floors and bulk stock areas with the addition of air conditioning for all staff areas. “We have also been providing full domestic hot and cold water services, public health services, BMS controls and, where necessary, smoke extract ventilation.”

An artist’s impression of the new Jersey Dairy fitted out by Birchall

Chris Windass

The redevelopment of Birmingham’s New Street Station as a major gateway to the Midlands is steaming ahead following an enabling works package delivered by Birchall. A £500,000 contract with Network Rail completed last December involved stripping out and diverting the existing M&E services for the rail station and adjoining Pallasades Shopping Centre. Birchall worked with principal contractor Mace on the project which involved stripping out the Pallasades boiler house and fitting ladder rack containment to support the distribution cabling to electricity substations relocated by Central Networks. The company also isolated the mains water and sprinkler services and channelled mains water and electricity to temporary site accommodation for the train operators. In addition, Birchall decommissioned the air conditioning systems, altered the lighting, power and CCTV services, and fitted new communications and data ports.

All changeStoke on Trent’s regeneration has been given a major boost thanks to a new eco-friendly factory that has been fitted out by Birchall. The company provided the mechanical and electrical services for the purpose-built facility for precision engineering specialist Olympus Engineering that secured 100 local jobs. A leading producer of finely tuned components, Olympus moved to the flexible 70,000-sq ft manufacturing site at Garner Street in a regeneration area from a split site at College Road elsewhere in the city to boost its efficiency and competitiveness. Birchall provided a more comfortable working environment by installing warm air ventilation throughout the factory as part of a major £800,000 contract with the company. The deal also involved fitting cold water services and compressed air services within the production areas, which include quality testing and precision tool rooms where the

equipment has to provide measurements to within a few microns. Birchall also installed air conditioning in the offices at the factory, the other sustainable features of which include an energy saving lighting system, and walls and a roof made up of composite panels to reduce heat loss. Phil Cumberlidge, contracts director for Birchall, said: “We are delighted that our expertise in factory projects across the UK was called upon by a local manufacturer that is playing such a vital role in regenerating North Staffordshire.”

ENGINEERED FOR OLYMPUS

Ben will remember his 30 yearsWhen Lyndon Bennion began working for George Birchall Ltd in 1980 as the company’s service engineer, he

was very much his own boss. Not that he had much choice because when he joined the company on the day it was established he was the sole person in maintenance. “I used to do all the gas and oil servicing and repairs across the country on my own, so it was like running my own business,” he said. ‘Ben’, as he was better known to colleagues and clients, retired last year but will always remember his 30 years with Birchall with affection. “I enjoyed the buzz at Birchall, not only when it was just me in service but also when I looked after 70 service engineers towards the end of my career,” he said. Ben began his career with the company repairing gas and oil fired boilers, servicing boilers and controls, and installing electrical systems. “It was great to be able to go out and fix things – and I found it particularly exciting to be called out in the evenings and weekends to handle emergencies.”

As he helped the business grow steadily, Ben rose to service manager and eventually service director. “We opened our London office primarily to manage the service side of the business and to meet growing demand in the South East. “It was there where one of our biggest clients, Travellers Fayre, had begun opening Casey Jones outlets at the main British Rail termini. “It made travelling to work by train ideal on occasion, but the need to carry tools and materials with us made it

necessary to launch a permanent base in the capital.” Ben is proud of the long-standing relationships that he built up with clients: “I was still working with some clients at my retirement that I’d worked with from the start.” He said that he will also remember fondly working for local schools, councils and theatres - and for the ceramics companies that gave the Potteries their name. “I could never have wished for a better career,” he said.

CONTACT: For more information on the products and services featured in this newsletter, contact Ian Birchall at George Birchall Ltd by phone on 01782 566885 or by email at ianbirchall@birchall.co.uk, or visit the company website at www.birchall.co.uk

Birchall News is produced for George Birchall Ltd by Lois Burley PR Ltd, Birmingham (Tel: 0121 666 7003)

It was all in day’s work for Nick Payne when he scaled Britain’s three highest peaks. The general manager of BEC (Building Environment Control) climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon within a period of just 23 hrs 15 mins. It was the first attempt on the Three Peaks Challenge by Nick who was joined on his bid by his brother Jon and their friend Jeff Oliver. The climb, undertaken in inhospitable weather, helped to commemorate Nick’s mother-in-law, who died of cancer exactly two years earlier. Nick and his wife Amanda raised more than £4,500, with Jon adding a further £1,100 from the challenge, for the Bobby Moore Fund to aid research into bowel cancer. He said: “Although we were very tired, we all felt great at the finish and found the experience very rewarding. I’d it again – but in milder weather!” Nick is pictured at the summit of Scafell Pike.

On top of the world

Birchall provided the perfect working environment for the new Staffordshire Police headquarters at Staffordshire Technology Park in Stoke-on-Trent. Working with Gladman Homes, the company upgraded the mechanical services, air conditioning, ventilation and plumbing at the 25,000 sq ft Lanchester Court building to where 300 police staff previously based in Cannock Road have moved.

BLUE LIGHT

George Birchall (right) wishes Ben and his wife Sandra best wishes for a happy retirement

The new Olympus factory in Stoke