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Learn shrink wrap skills from the experts. If you can’t find the answer you need, feel free to get in touch.
Temporary ceiling dust barrier
CATEGORY Shrink Wrap Partitions ABOUT THIS PROJECT With a team of 5 employees working over the course of 1 weekend, Rhino have completed the installation of a 600 square metre temporary ceiling dust barrier in Louth, UK. Lincolnshire based Gelder Group, who employ over 300 people in the UK, contacted Rhino to construct a temporary suspended ceiling dust barrier in order to completely contain the dust generated during the construction of a new spa complex at the Kenwick Park Hotel. Because the building which houses the spa and pool area had been mostly completed, there was a potential issue whereby continuing construction work would create dust that would eventually require extensive high level cleaning of wooden pannelling and other finished surfaces. In most cases where large dust and debris containment sheeting is used to create temporary partitions in factories and retail environments, we fix the sheets to a scaffolding structure. For this project, scaffolding was not required for access purposes, and to set up a temporary scaffolding just for the purposes of supporting the dust control sheeting would have been time consuming and costly. Instead, Rhino proposed a support structure based around tensioned strapping. With anchor points pre-fixed into the walls by the main contractor, the shrink wrap installation team from Rhino, used access towers to install 20 tensioned straps which radiated from around the building to a central ring. Finally a ratchet strap was attached to the central ring from above and tensioned to create a cone effect. With the tensioned strapping support structure in place, the Rhino team used a 12 metre wide, 200 micro thick, flame retardant shrink wrap sheet to create the temporary construction ceiling. Overlaps between sheets were heat welded to create a continuously sealed skin. Around the edge of the building, temporary corrugated plastic panels were fixed to the walls and a skirt was installed between the roof sheeting and the wall. In this way, any dust from the construction work below could be completely contained. At some point in the future, (hopefully soon), when the Covid 19 screens are no longer required, it will be easy to to cut down the shrink wrap in sections using a Stanley knife and fold it for recycling before removing the batten and track. (All Rhino Shrink Wrap sheeting products are 100% recyclable.) If graphics or signage is required, it is easy to apply self adhesive vinyl signage and zipped access hatches can ensure emergency exit routes remain accessible. Compared to other Covid 19 barriers, such as solid hoarding, a shrink wrap screen offers more flexibility with regard to installation. Our standard product is available in sheets up to 7m wide x 15m long, and where joins are required, the sheets are heat welded so there is no limit to the size and shape of area that can be covered. As standard, our sheet is supplied in a white colour, but we can supply & install transparent screening also. If you prefer, we can provide ‘materials only’ and guidance to help you install the screens using your in-house teams. For more information about our internal building screens, contact our friendly team on 01477 532222 or e-mail info@rhinoshrinkwrap.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
Huge shrink wrapped modules
About This Project The Evaporator D project at Sellafield is currently the largest nuclear project in the United Kingdom. The ‘Evap D’ facility, once completed in 2016, will treat liquid radioactive waste so that it can be vitrified ready for disposal. Essentially Evap D acts like a giant kettle, reducing the volume of liquid nuclear waste before it is turned into glass and stored. The £300 million contract for the construction of the Evap D facility was awarded to Costain who used innovative off site construction techniques to pre fabricate the facility as 11 huge ‘modules’ at a specially adapted 5 acre factory site near Ellesmere Port in the North West of England. This was the first use of modular construction for a process plant at the Sellafield site. The construction of the eleven Evap D modules represented a complex engineering challenge. The largest of the modules, ‘Module 920’ weighs 525 tonnes and is 27 metres long, 7 metres wide and 12 metres high. In Module 920 alone there is over 5000 metres of high integrity stainless steel pipework constructed to the most exacting nuclear industry standards. The project logistics provided an additional challenge. How could such huge modules be completely protected against weather damage during the 65 mile journey by road & sea from the manufacturing facility to the construction site? Any salt water entering the modules and into the many stainless steel pipes & welds that the modules contained could have serious implications for the future safe operation of the nuclear facility and delay this high profile construction project for many months. Therefore, a temporary sheeting solution was needed that guaranteed, whatever weather conditions were experienced, it would not fail. Shrink Wrap Covers After months of tests, including some on site demonstrations of the industrial shrink wrap process, Costain and construction partners Interserve chose a shrink wrap covering as their preferred transport protection solution. However, as the Evap D modules did not have any solid sides, there was concern that, even after heat shrinking tightly, high winds could push the shrink wrap into large ‘voids’ behind the sheeting and cause damage. The customer suggested something never tried before which was to cover the entire Evap D module in a HDPE plastic mesh to form a ‘support structure’ beneath the shrink wrap. A geotechnical mesh product that had been designed for installing underground to stabilise soil was hung around the module and secured to the module using a woven strapping. Next, working from the outside, using ‘cherry pickers’, 12 metre wide sheets of 300 micron thick shrink wrap sheeting were hung and heat welded together before being shrunk ‘drum tight’. The final step, to make the shrink wrap cover ‘bomb proof’, and to provide the 100% guaranteed weatherproof protection that this project required from the temporary sheeting was to make a small hole in the shrink wrap sheeting every 1 square metre and pass a velcro tie through the shrink wrap and around the mesh. (The hole was later taped to maintain a weatherproof seal). It was felt, that with the shrink wrap shrunk tight AND tied back to the supporting mesh every 1 square metre this was the most robust solution that could be designed. Project benefits from shrink wrap Heat shrunk ‘drum tight’ – very resistant to damage from high winds. Heat sealed joints between sheets created a completely weather tight, full encapsulation of each module. Smart & professional appearance for a high profile project. Easy to remove in sections at the construction site & 100% recyclable. Lessons Learnt The final module was delivered from Ellesmere Port to Sellafield by specialist barge ‘Terra Marique’ in September 2013. After shrink wrapping 11 modules, over a 2 year period, the weather proofing of the giant modules using shrink wrap sheeting was a 100% success, with no sheeting failures or water ingress.
Modular Building Transport Bags – Shropshire
Your browser does not support the video tag. Modular Building Transport Bags – The Brief Premier Manufacturing, established in 1990, are a leading UK ‘off site’ manufacturer of modular buildings and extensions for residential and commercial applications. They use modular building transport bags to ensure that their buildings reach the construction site and client in good condition. Previously, the team at Premier had used a type of heavy weight, re-usable cover to protect modules during road transport. Whilst these covers had worked OK, the challenge with this type of cover bag is that it is very difficult to get it to fit really tightly around the module or pod. As it travels down the road, the cover tends to flap and move and this can start to rub against finished surfaces of the module. For this contract, the modules had a rendered external finish which might be chafed and damaged by a loose fitting bag. In addition, a re-usable modular building transport bag needs to be returned after each use and over time and it will require occasional repairs and cleaning. For a large contract, where there could be dozens of covers ‘in the system’ keeping up with this maintenance can be a challenge. When Premier needed to ensure that hundreds of modular buildings for a major client in London reached their destination clean and dry after a 150 mile / 3 hour trip from the manufacturing facility in Shropshire they contacted us to enquire about our industrial shrink wrap covers. Shrink film is typically supply on large ‘industrial sized’ rolls. However, after speaking with Premier and finding out a little more about their objectives, we suggested that because of the number of modules that needed to be packaged and because the modules were relatively small and mostly consistently sized, a pre-made custom sized shrink to fit bag might be more cost effective and easier to install. This short ‘case study’ describes how we worked with Premier to specify and test which type of modular building or pod cover would work best for them. Modular Building Transport Covers – What are the options? For many manufacturers, a custom made re-usable type of transport cover is a good option. There are some great covers on the market, which are normally made from a heavy weight tarpaulin type material and come in a variety of designs. Some are made just to fit open sides of modules whilst others are designed to encapsulate the entire module, (including roof and sides.) At Rhino we specialise in a different kind of covering for modules. All our products are based around our industrial and construction grade shrink wrap sheeting and they are designed to be used once and then recycled. Shrink wrap sheeting provides a taught, shrink to fit covering and because it is significantly lighter than a tarpaulin type cover it is particularly suited to projects where complete encapsulation of the modular building or pod is required because it can easily be lifted over the module roof. When using shrink wrap you have two options / approaches. One option is to use sheeting which is supplied on a roll. The advantage of this is that rolls are typically available ‘off the shelf’ in a range of standard sizes. At Rhino we stock films from 7m to 16m wide and from 190 to 500 microns thickness. The sheeting is unfolded over the roof of the module and then is out and welded ‘in situ’. This is ideal if there is just the occasional module which needs covering or the modules which need covering vary in size and shape. Our own installation teams will always use shrink wrap supplied by the roll when carrying out shrink wrap projects on customer sites. When shrink wrapping a modular building, the process is very similar to wrapping a birthday present! You need to ensure that there is enough material to be folded around the each end of the module and overlap. However, in a manufacturing environment, where the covers will be fitted by operatives who are not ‘professional shrink wrappers’ then using shrink wrap straight from the roll can be a bit ‘hit and miss’. The process may take longer than expected, the results may be inconsistent from module to module and there may be a fair bit of wastage as it can be difficult to judge just how much extra shrink wrap to allow to cover the ends. So, if the modules being shipped have a consistent size then a shrink tight modular building transport bag can be a better option. Modular Building Transport Bags – Specification Process Specifying shrink to fit modular building transport bags is a fairly straightforward process. After an initial conversation with Premier we were able to get the finished dimensions of the modules they wished to protect. We then proceeded to make an sample bag which we took to the off site manufacturing facility to demonstrate the installation process. These first modules were shipped to the construction set and received positive feedback. For one of the modules we had covered, the bag had been a little too tight to fit easily so we manufactured a second round of samples and once again travelled to the customer site in order to ensure that the fit was right and that Premier’s operatives were familiar with the heat shrink process. Once all parties were happy, we were able to proceed with a production order of a sufficient quantity of bags to meet the contract. Because Premier needed to start and protect modules immediately we were able to provide them with a roll of our 12m (40′) x 50m (164′) shrink wrap film to shrink wrap modules which were shipping before the bags were ready. Modular Building Transport Bags – Installation Process Remember, for an overview of the installation process please watch the ‘modular building transport bags’ video at the top of this page. Padding Out This is not required for every type of module but if there are any very sharp edges these need to be padded out. Installation of Strapping Support For modules with solid sides this will not be required. However, for large modules that have large open areas, we recommend running a woven strapping or similar at 2-3m intervals. When this strapping is tensioned it provides a support structure for the shrink wrap cover. Installation of Shrink Wrap Bag The shrink wrap modular building transport bag is unwrapped and unfolded over the top and down the sides of the module. Secure Shrink Wrap Bag Around Bottom of Module To get the tightest possible finish to any shrink wrap covering it is recommended that the cover / bag is secured around the bottom of the module or pod. Without this, during the heat shrink process the cover will have a tendency to ride up the sides of the module and it will nit have the same tightness or professional looking finish to the cover – there will always be wrinkles and creases. A quick way to secure the cover around the bottom of the module is to use wooden batten, however, for some modules this will not be possible and so an alternative technique is to run a band of strapping around the module. The strapping is then tensioned and the bag is folded around the strapping and heat welded to itself. For some modules that require complete encapsulation, even underneath, we lay a shrink wrap footprint on the ground on to which the module is lifted. This footprint is designed to be larger than the module by approx. 500mm on all four sides. The footprint is folded up on to the side of the module and then joined to the top covering by heat welding the two parts of the cover together. This method of complete encapsulation is much easier than it sounds and is very robust – ideal for modules which will be transported long distances. Heat Seal Ends Modular Building Transport bags may be manufactured in a number of ways. Our favoured technique is to use a side weld technique as this keeps production costs low. The only difference in a side weld cover as compared to a more costly ‘block bottom’ cover is that after fitting the bag will have a triangular shaped ‘ear’ at each end of the module which needs to be heat sealed back to the cover. This is quick and easy to achieve using a propane gas hot air gun. Heat Shrink The final stage of the shrink wrap installation process is to use our propane gas hot air tools to heat shrink the sheeting ‘drum tight’ over the entire surface of module using propane to create a smooth and tight finish. Install Zipped Access Doors Sometimes it can be useful to gain access to the module after it has been shrink wrapped, perhaps to carry out last minute work or inspections. In this case, it is possible to tape on a zipped access door. Thank you for taking the time to read this case study. Please do contact us with your questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from you.
Full Encapsulation Of Scaffolding – Cambridge
CATEGORY Scaffold Shrink Wrapping ABOUT THIS PROJECT Full Encapsulation of Scaffolding for Trueform, Cambridgeshire Rhino Shrink Wrap were approached by TrueForm Scaffolding Ltd. to provide full encapsulation of a scaffolding over a bridge spanning the Lower River in Cambridge, UK. The entire structure of the footbridge required shot blasting and painting. Due to weigh restrictions on the bridge, the project was planned so that half of the footbridge would be scaffolded and shrink wrapped in two phases. We used our signature Rhino Verisafe® 300 micron shrink wrap film for this project. This wrap, which is flame retardant to the EN13501 standard is supplied as a 7m wide x 15m long roll. Shrink wrap sheeting is particularly advantageous for shot blasting and painting applications because joints between individual sheets of shrink wrap are heat welded using a propane gas hot air gun to create a continuously bonded skin over & around the scaffolding structure. This seal makes creating environmental containment much easier whilst the ‘drum tight’ fit means that the shrink wrap sheeting does not tend to flap and self destruct like traditional sheeting products. This means the sheeting can be relied on to provide weather protection and temperature control during the painting phase of the project without requiring frequent maintenance visits. Rhino’s team of three installers completed around 500 square metres of encapsulation in under 2 days. The Scaffold Encapsulation Process The Rhino installation team step began by hanging the shrink wrap sheeting around the side elevations of the scaffolding. This sheeting was battened around the perimeter of the roof and dropped 30-40cm past the lowest hand rail. The shrink film was wrapped around the hand rail and heat welded back on to itself to provide a lower anchor point for the sheeting. Where possible, joins between sheets were planned to occur at the point where protrusions, (such as the bridge structure) passed through the shrink wrap to minimise the amount of cutting and resealing required. The shrink wrap roof sheet was then fitted and overlapped and welded to the side sheets. Once the main part of the structure had been covered and heat shrunk drum tight the Rhino team were able to move on to creating the ‘final seal’. TrueForm scaffolding provided a boarded platform suspended beneath the footbridge. Rhino laid the shrink wrap sheeting over the boards and heat welded this floor sheet to the side sheets previously installed. TrueForm then laid another floor of scaffold boards on top of the shrink wrap so that the sheeting was protected. The final stage was to install a zipped access door which allowed workers to access the blasting and painting area whilst full encapsulation was maintained around the project. Benefits of Using Scaffold Shrink Wrap Sealed joints = full environmental containment Heat shrunk ‘drum tight’ = low maintenance, no visits to repair Zipped access doors = maintain a controlled environment for painting works Key Challenges Cutting around the bridge structure whilst maintaining a seal for shot blasting work. Working around the weather. In the middle of installation, when a large storm was forecast, our teams went in early to complete the work and keep the project on schedule. Lessons Although a fairly small project, the success of this project was due in large part to TrueForm Scaffolding. By building the scaffolding structure flush and by provided a fully boarded floor and roof, our installers were able to easily install the shrink wrap sheeting and achieve full encapsulation ready for the shot blasting and painting teams.
Clear Scaffold Sheeting – Manchester
When contractors began a 5 month project around an office building which was still occupied by workers, they looked for a clear scaffold sheeting that would allow the maximum amount of natural light into the building. Background Completed in 2010, Vantage Point is a 10 storey, 37m (121′) high office building located in the prestigious Spinningfields area of Manchester City Centre. In March 2016, the construction contractor requested a shrink wrap scaffolding encapsulation to provide temporary weather protection for their contract which was to involve working on the entire facade of the building over 4-5 months. For this project, the main reason for choosing shrink wrap was for the smart appearance of the sheeting. Because Vantage Point is a landmark building in a very prominent location in Manchester City it was felt that shrink wrap would look much better than traditional scaffold sheeting. Also, Vantage Point is not a simple ‘box-shape’ building but has a complex shape. The scaffolders did a very skilful job erecting the scaffolding around the many ‘kinks’ and returns in the building facade and the Rhino shrink wrap installation team worked closely with the scaffolders to ensure that the scaffolding was set up in the best way for shrink wrap sheeting. Scaffold Sheeting – White ‘v’ Clear The majority of scaffold wrap jobs that we install or supply materials for are completed using a white shrink wrap film. Although white scaffold wrap does not noticeably ‘block’ light, the contractor required that as much light as possible be allowed through the sheeting so that office workers who will still working in the building throughout the construction projects, did not feel ‘enclosed’ by the scaffolding and sheeting. Manufacturing a clear shrink wrap film is easy, manufacturing a clear shrink wrap that is ‘construction grade’, i.e. at least 250 microns thick and flame retardant is much harder because the flame retardant additives tend to make the film have a milky or hazy appearance. However, at Rhino we stock a clear shrink wrap scaffold sheeting that is also flame retardant to the EN13501 specification. Of course, if clear scaffold sheeting is used it is also essential to use clear shrink wrap tape and clear zipped access doors if required.
Scaffold Shrink Wrapping – London
Scaffold Shrink Wrapping, Russell Square – London The spectacular Hotel Russell, situated on Russell Square in the heart of London was built in 1898 by the architect Charles Fitzroy Doll and was one of the first hotels in London to feature an innovative feature for it’s day – en-suite bathrooms! The hotel has some interesting historical links to the Titanic – the restaurant in this hotel is said to be almost identical to the one on the Titanic, which the architect also designed. Owned by the Principal Hayley Group, in the summer of 2016 a complete refurbishment of the hotel by S&T Interiors began and Rhino Shrink Wrap were contracted by MR Scaffolding to provide scaffold shrink wrapping to completely encapsulate the scaffolding around all four exterior elevations. Scaffold shrink wrapping was chosen to provide containment for the hydro blasting works, weather protection during the winter months and also to provide a smart & professional appearance to this construction project which will not be finished until 2017. However, scaffold shrink wrap is not the right solution for everybody and every job. Hopefully this example project will highlight why other scaffolders and contractors have used shrink wrap sheeting and help you advise your customers if shrink wrap sheeting will benefit them on their next project. What is scaffold shrink wrap? Scaffold shrink wrap is a type scaffold sheeting which is made from a low density polythene that has been engineered so that when heated, it is shrinks powerfully and moulds tightly (but does not stick to) whatever it covers. Scaffold shrink wrapping is also designed so that it can be heat welded together in such a way that any joints between sheets are strong and permanent. Because there is no limit to the number of sheets that can be welded together, there is no limit to the size of the project that can be shrink wrapped. The most common size of scaffold shrink wrap used is a 1.8m wide roll (which weighs 32Kg / 70lbs) which unfolds to a sheet that is 7m wide (23’) x 15m (50’) long. Because it is 7m wide, this means that it is normally used to cover up to three lifts of scaffolding, or around 6m (18’). However, the size of the ‘drop’ will change according to the job. For an indoor scaffolds, such as might be used for a factory partition, there is no limit to the drop, whilst for a very exposed outdoor job, it might be better to drop the sheeting less than 6m before tying it back to the scaffolding. A shrink wrap used for scaffold wrapping should be around 300 microns thick, which is sometimes referred to as 12 mil in the USA. Again, 300 microns or 12mil has become the standard thickness for scaffold shrink wrap films that are going to be used for weather protection or environmental containment outside. This gives you a wrap that is heavy duty enough to cover a scaffold but still flexible enough that it is still easy to heat weld together. How is shrink wrap different to ‘traditional’ scaffold sheeting? Fundamentally, it is the two unique characteristics of the shrink wrap scaffold sheeting (the heat shrinking and the welded joints between sheets) that make it different to traditional types of scaffold sheeting. For example, once it has been fixed to the scaffolding and heat shrunk, it creates a very tightly fitting sheet which will not flap and self destruct like some types of sheeting. This makes it really strong and robust. The second result is that it is possible to create a completely sealed skin around a construction project without any holes or gaps typical of most sheeting systems. This makes it really good for those projects where the containment of dust and debris or whatever is required. Why was shrink wrap sheeting for scaffolding chosen for the Hotel Russell, London? This construction project is a great example of why scaffolders and contractors choose shrink wrap sheeting. On this job we’re encapsulating all four sides of the scaffolding, which in effect a complete block of London. When finished we will have hung around 7000 square metres or 75,0000 square feet of scaffold shrink wrapping. So, why is shrink wrap sheeting being used on this project? Firstly, as part of the refurbishment process, the fantastic terracotta exterior of the building is going to be water blasted and as this site is located in a very busy part of London, it’s important to completely contain the water and dirt that is going to be created as the building is cleaned. Traditional scaffold sheeting, which has gaps between overlapping sheets, would not be particularly effective at containing the dirty water and spray. Also, as a fairly long term and high profile construction project, there is a need for the scaffold sheeting to look smart and professional over many months, whatever the weather is going to throw at it. A good quality shrink wrap will have a very high yield strength which in effect means that it has elasticity and it can ‘bounce back’ to it’s original taught & tight state. Unlike traditional scaffold sheeting, there are no elasticated bungees tying this sheeting to the scaffolding which can stretch over time and cause the sheeting to become baggy. Instead the sheeting is wrapped around a scaffolding sheet and heat welded back on to itself. So, in summary, scaffold shrink wrapping was chosen by the scaffolder and contractor on this project because; They required a sheeting that will not detach. Shrink wrap is often used for projects where the sheeting detaching would cause problems. They need to create a completely ‘completely sealed skin’ around the building to provide the best containment of dust and debris. They needed a sheeting that looks smart & professional and will keep looking smart & professional for up to 12 months. Shrink Wrapping of The Hotel Russell – The Challenges With traditional style scaffold sheeting products, which are generally installed on a ‘lift by lift’ basis around the scaffolding, protruding transoms, ledgers and standards do not cause much of an issue for the installation of sheeting, because the scaffold tubes stick through the sheeting at the point the strips of scaffold sheeting overlap. For shrink wrap scaffold sheeting, which is normally supplied on a roll which opens out to 7 metre wide sheet, having to cut around protruding tubes, whilst not impossible, can affect both the appearance and performance of the finished job. System scaffolds are the easiest to shrink wrap but in the UK at least, these are still the minority of scaffolds on which we work day to day. As the appearance of the sheeting was considered to be of great importance to this project, the team at Rhino worked closely with the team at MR Scaffolding, and it was decided to install sheeting rails on the outside of the scaffolding structure which would hold the sheeting away from the scaffold fittings. Planning a scaffold structure for shrink wrapping? Key points to remember are; This construction project is a great example of why scaffolders and contractors choose shrink wrap sheeting. On this job we’re encapsulating all four sides of the scaffolding, which in effect a complete block of London. When finished we will have hung around 7000 square metres or 75,0000 square feet of scaffold shrink wrapping. So, why is shrink wrap sheeting being used on this project? Firstly, as part of the refurbishment process, the fantastic terracotta exterior of the building is going to be water blasted and as this site is located in a very busy part of London, it’s important to completely contain the water and dirt that is going to be created as the building is cleaned. Traditional scaffold sheeting, which has gaps between overlapping sheets, would not be particularly effective at containing the dirty water and spray. Also, as a fairly long term and high profile construction project, there is a need for the scaffold sheeting to look smart and professional over many months, whatever the weather is going to throw at it. A good quality shrink wrap will have a very high yield strength which in effect means that it has elasticity and it can ‘bounce back’ to it’s original taught & tight state. Unlike traditional scaffold sheeting, there are no elasticated bungees tying this sheeting to the scaffolding which can stretch over time and cause the sheeting to become baggy. Instead the sheeting is wrapped around a scaffolding sheet and heat welded back on to itself. So, in summary, scaffold shrink wrapping was chosen by the scaffolder and contractor on this project because; Keep the scaffold structure flush Ensure the scaffold is fully boarded to create safe access to all parts of the scaffold structure that require sheeting For a really great looking job, install a ‘sheeting rail’, mounted on a single, around the scaffolding lift by lift, this will hold the sheeting off scaffold fittings and prevent any sharp bolts sticking through the sheeting. As of the time of writing, the installation of shrink wrap sheeting around The Hotel Russell in London is ongoing. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to be kept updated with progress. Remember that at Rhino Shrink Wrap we also supply materials, equipment and training as well as providing a full installation service so whatever your requirements, call or email one of our friendly team and we will be happy to help.
Temporary Shrink Wrap Roof
The Brief When a shrink wrap roof was required to protect an historic Vulcan bomber during restoration work, Rhino Shrink Wrap provided the materials and installation services to help ensure the project could be completed in dry and controlled conditions. The Avro Heritage Museum, which opened in November 2015, is situated on the site of the old Woodford Airfield in Woodford, Greater Manchester. The airfield, which closed in 2011, has a long & illustrious history – 7377 of the famous Second World War Lancaster Bombers were assembled here and Woodford also manufactured the iconic Vulcan Bomber which was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1960 to 1993. Originally developed to deliver Britain’s nuclear deterrent, (crew were on permanent standby to take off in just 2 minutes in the event of a Soviet attack), the Vulcan was a revolutionary aircraft for it’s time and it’s delta winged design and distinctive sound make it an iconic and much loved aircraft. Although 135 Vulcans were built, many were broken up after the Vulcan left active service in the 1990’s. At The Avro heritage Museum, Vulcan XM603 is being restored by a dedicated team of volunteers. Without a hanger, carrying out the repairs and repainting the aircraft even during the summer months would have proved very difficult. The museum contracted Climb It Scaffolding Ltd., also from Manchester to construct a scaffolding around and a temporary roof over the Vulcan and Rhino Shrink Wrap were contracted to completely encapsulate the roof and sides of the scaffolding structure to provide a dry and controlled environment for the work to take place. The Structure A temporary shrink wrap roof is nearly always a challenge and so we worked closely with Climb It Scaffolding during the erection of the scaffold structure. Whilst small temporary roofs can be boarded out completely, this is not usually practical for large roofs so our minimum requirement for a temporary shrink wrap roof is that a run of boards (3 boards wide) is laid around the perimeter / edge of the roof. In addition, runs of boards (3 boards wide) are laid over the roof, in line with the pitch and at centres of 2 metres maximum. Finally, a handrail is erected around the perimeter of the roof to provide edge protection and to allow the installation team to install their own safety lines. (We use equipment from Spanset, including the ‘Gotcha’ rescue kit in which our teams are trained in using.) The Process Our teams started by hanging the scaffolding shrink wrap around the sides of the structure. The side sheeting is overlapped on to the top edge of the roof and ‘tacked’ into position using small wooden battens. For this project, the height of the scaffolding was only 2-3 lifts (4-6m or 13-20’) which meant that the entire ‘drop’ of the scaffold structure could be covered in a one sheet. If the scaffolding had been more than 3 lifts high then it is normal practice to fix the shrink wrap to the scaffolding every 6m vertical height and begin a new drop. Why start by hanging shrink wrap around the sides of the scaffolding? The main reason is that if the sides are hung first, the shrink wrap sheeting which is used to cover the roof will overlap the sides like a roof tile and joints between sheets should not leak. Hanging the sides also creates a wind break which makes it easier to fix and in particularly heat shrink the roof sheeting drum tight. Next, the roof sheets were rolled out. Individual sheets are overlapped by around 30cm and heat welded together. Around the perimeter of the roof, the roof sheets are heat welded to the top edge of the side sheets. Once the shrink wrap has been fixed around the sides and over the roof of the scaffolding and all sheets have been heat welded / joined together the final part of the process can begin – heat shrinking. The heat shrinking part of the scaffold shrink wrap process involves using a gas shrink wrapping gun to shrink the sheeting ‘drum tight’. the installers try and cover all parts of the sheeting to create a smooth, tight covering that will not flap and detach like traditional scaffold sheeting. The Challenges The main challenge faced in erecting the shrink wrap sheeting over the roof and sides of the scaffolding which covered the Vulcan bomber was the weather. On day 2, when the roof sheets were installed over the starboard wing of the Vulcan it was very wet. Rain is particularly a problem when installation a large temporary shrink wrap roof because a large roof will require that individual sheets of scaffold shrink wrap (which are typically 7m wide x 15m long) will need to be heat welded / sealed together. In wet conditions, it becomes difficult to get a very effective heat welded joint between two sections of scaffold wrap. Although it may appear that the sheets have been bonded, this bond will not be as strong as a weld created in dry conditions. The best way forward is to wait until dry conditions but if this is not practical then it is necessary to try and dry the overlapped area before starting to weld them together. On day 3, the rain had stopped but now the wind speed had increased! The wind can make hanging sheets much slower. For the installation of the largest roof sheets our teams attached heavy duty strapping to the scaffolding and unrolled the roof sheets underneath these straps to keep control of the shrink wrap sheeting. However, the main challenge with wind is that it becomes very difficult to shrink the sheeting ‘drum tight’. Instead of the sheeting, shrinking down and creating a smooth, glossy and tight surface, as the wrap is heated it momentarily becomes very soft and supple and in windy conditions may be blown into a large bubble. In these kind of conditions, it becomes necessary to heat a very small area, let it shrink, heat another area, let it shrink and so on. This technique, often known as ‘spot shrinking’ can work but it is time consuming. For this project our teams returned on the final day, when the winds had dropped to finish the shrinking process, which in the right conditions is the quickest and easiest part of the entire process of creating a temporary shrink wrap roof.
Shrink Wrap Building Screen
CATEGORY Building Screens ABOUT THIS PROJECT Shrink Wrap Building Screen – St Barts Hospital, London The Royal London Hospital, established in 1740 and employing 4,800 staff is the principal trauma centre for London and the largest renal unit in Europe. St Bartholomews, the oldest hospital in Europe (established in 1123) and employing 2200 staff, is a cardiac & cancer centre of excellence. In 2006, Barts and The London NHS Trust commissioned Skanska to manage a £1 billion ‘PPI’ project and redevelop St Bartholomew’s Hospital and The Royal London Hospital as part of the largest ever public private partnership in Europe. The project is due to last 10 years and involves the design, demolition, construction and refurbishment of two hospital sites to make way for a new ‘state-of-the-art’ hospital complex covering an area of 270,000m2 in Central London. Part of the scheme comprised the construction of a new reinforced concrete framed building with a large podium area and three towers ranging from 10 to 18 floors. Skanska, approached Rhino Shrink Wrap to find a way of providing weather protection to the building before the concrete frame and external cladding was finished, to enable internal building work to start ahead of schedule. Weather Protection The normal practice for temporary sheeting is to erect a scaffolding and attach the Rhino Shrink Wrap sheeting to that. However, for this project Rhino fixed a temporary wooden batten ‘window frame’ around each opening in the RC frame. Next we battened our 300µm thick, Verisafe® flame retardant shrink wrap sheeting around each opening. The final stage in the process was to heat shrink the plastic ‘drum tight’. It is the drum tight fit that gives shrink wrap sheeting it’s increased durability and resistance to damage from high winds when compared with traditional sheeting solutions. This was the first time that shrink wrap sheeting had been used to encapsulate a building ‘floor by floor’ in this way and the result was to create a weather tight envelope. Reports from Skanska indicated that the shrink wrap sheeting solution allowed the internal works to move 6 months ahead of schedule which created cost savings but also reduced the risks of down time and project overrun fees. Once the buildings’ permanent external cladding is fixed, the Rhino Shrink Wrap sheeting will be removed in sections and recycled. Project benefits from shrink wrap Heat shrunk ‘drum tight’ – very resistant to damage from high winds. Versatile – can be cut and resealed for access or protrusions and remain weather tight. Smart & professional appearance for high profile projects. Easy to remove after use & 100% recyclable. Project challenges The client’s schedule sometimes meant that our teams were working on floors simultaneously. On a site of this size, frequent moves could take a lot of time. It was important to be well organised. Our teams found drilling the holes in the RC frame required to fix the temporary batten ‘window frame’ very challenging. Some research led us to specifically designed ‘Hilti’ tools and fixings which we have used with great success on later projects. Whilst the shrink wrap sheeting provided robust weather protection, it was found that at some points on the concrete slab floor, water could ‘pool’ and seep underneath the batten and shrink wrap. The solution was to use a flexible sealant under the batten. For recent projects we have used a self adhesive backed foam underneath the batten which fills any small gaps in the concrete slab and prevents water ingress. Lessons Learnt By creating a durable temporary shrink wrap skin around the reinforced concrete frame, interior fit out works could proceed ahead of schedule before the permanent building cladding was applied. This was the first time we had used our product in this way and despite some challenges, the results were better than expected. On the basis of the success of this project, Rhino have supplied shrink wrap ‘building screens’ to a variety of other high rise projects and have been asked by Skanska to supply and install our Verisafe® sheeting again on the next phase of the project starting Spring 2015 For further information; http://www.skanska.co.uk/Global/Sevices/Building-Central-Regions/Barts-and-The-London-Project-Sheet.pdf http://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/our-hospitals/st-bartholomew%E2%80%99s-hospital/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Bartholomew's_Hospital
Concrete Frame Weather Protection
CATEGORY Building Screens ABOUT THIS PROJECT Weather Protection For Concrete Frame Building, Staffordshire. After a generally quiet and settled period of weather in September and October of 2015, November saw the first of several autumn storms bringing wind and rain across the North of England including storm Abigail, storm Barney and storm Clodagh. It was during this time that Robert Miceli of A&A Scaffolding approached Rhino Shrink Wrap to provide temporary weather protection around a ‘Grand Design’ type concrete frame home under construction in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside. The home is being constructed by a London based main contractor called 8Build who specialise in bespoke solutions for refurbishment and new build projects. Whilst the main concrete frame structure of the building was complete, large glass panels which make up a large part of the building exterior were not due to be on site for a number of months which left the site open to the winter elements. Normally, if a construction project requires temporary weather protection, the process involves erecting a scaffolding structure around project and then applying sheeting around the scaffolding structure. The sheeting used to encapsulate the scaffolding may be the traditional type, often referred to in the UK as ‘Monarflex’ or a shrink wrap scaffold sheeting (which is what we specialise in at Rhino.) Steve Irlam of Rhino Shrink Wrap met with contracts managers from 8 Build and A & A Scaffolding on site in the Staffordshire countryside to formulate a plan. After the site visit it was clear to Steve that it would be possible to apply the shrink wrap sheeting directly to the concrete frame without requiring a scaffolding structure to be erected around the building – which would save considerable time and cost. At Rhino, when we fix our heat shrunk temporary weather protection sheeting directly to the external elevations of a building, we refer to it a shrink wrap ‘building screen’. Although we have installed shrink wrap building screens to create temporary weather protection around RC frame buildings for a number of main contractors in Central London, this was the first time we had erected a building screen around a private home but the installation methods were very similar. First, our installation team installed a wooden batten ‘picture frame’ close to the edge of the concrete slab, along the floor, ceiling (& sides where the concrete frame was split into bays). We used a Hilti concrete screw to ensure that the picture frame could withstand the wind loadings that would be applied to the shrink wrap sheeting in even the most extreme weather conditions. A challenging aspect of this project was the number of returns / corners in the building facade. Due to the design of the building, which incorporates large areas of glass walling and concrete slab floors which appear to ‘float’ over one another, at many corners there was nothing to wrap the shrink wrap around or provide an anchoring point. The solution was to use screw jacks which were inserted and screwed up between the concrete to form corners for the sheeting to wrap around. Once the wooden batten and screw jack corner posts were installed we used a Rhino 300 micron thick shrink wrap film to begin to start the process of wrapping the reinforced concrete frame facade. The shrink wrap is secured to the picture frame by using an additional wooden batten. Although shrink wrap rolls are available in a variety of widths, at 300 microns thickness, which is typically the thickest grade of sheeting used for scaffold wrapping, we use 7 metre wide x 15 metre long shrink wrap rolls. This size of roll is convenient to handle and still enables up to 100 square metres to be covered per roll. Unlike traditional scaffold sheeting products, the size of the roll is not always critical. This is because shrink wrap sheeting can easily be joined by overlapping two sections (typically by around 30cm) and using the hot air gun to heat weld them together. Once completed, this weld or join will be the same strength as the original material. Once the shrink wrap building screen has been anchored, and any overlapping sections have been welded / joined, the Rhino Shrink Wrap installation team used a hand held propane gas hot air gun to blow hot air over the surface of the sheeting which causes a bi-axial shrink process to take place. This process is a little bit like spray painting with hot air, the installer heats an area of the sheeting and watches as the shrink wrap sheeting contracts before gradually moving on. This heat shrink process is powerful and rapid with a single operator able to shrink many hundreds of square metres in a single day depending on the weather conditions. Why not watch a video of the heat shrink process? Once shrunk, the sheeting has a smooth, mostly wrinkle free appearance and should be as tight as a drum skin. It is because shrink wrap is extremely tight fitting, that it is so robust. Unlike traditional products, shrink wrap sheeting is very resistant to high winds and will not flap and detach if a good quality sheeting us used and it is installed in accordance with best practice. (The construction grade shrink wrap sheeting supplied by Rhino is flame retardant to the European EN13501 standard but the UK specific LPS1207 or LPS1215 flame retardant certified sheeting is also available.) One of the benefits of using shrink wrap sheeting for temporary weather protection on construction sites is that it is possible to allow points of access through the sheeting whilst maintaining the weather protection (and/or dust containment). These zipped access doors are straightforward to install. For this project we mostly used a number of our 1.8m high ‘U’ shaped ‘step thru’ zipper doors, however, for locations on the site such as loading bays, where large equipment and materials needed to be moved inside the building, we used a 2.4m high, straight, self adhesive zipper. Once installed at the desired width, these create a much larger door which can be completely rolled up out of the way. Since the building screens have been installed, the contractor has been able to make rapid progress on many aspects of the interior building work which would not have been possible until the glass panels that make up much of the facade had been installed. The shrink wrap sheeting still allows plenty of natural light inside the building (it is even possible to use a clear shrink wrap film.) Once the building was watertight, heaters were used to assist with the drying out process. In addition, the shrink wrap building screens presented a smart and professional appearance to the client for this high end project and provided an excellent canvas for the contractor’s logo and branding. Project benefits from shrink wrap Heat shrunk ‘drum tight’ – very resistant to damage from high winds. Heat sealed joints between sheets created a completely encapsulated building. Smart appearance for a high end project. 100% recyclable. Allows lots of light through the sheeting for workers within. This small case study is just one small example of how shrink wrap sheeting can be used to create an extremely robust temporary weather protection or environmental containment around a reinforced concrete frame building. You can watch a short video of building screens being installed in Central London or please get in touch with us with any questions you might have. We look forward to talking with you.