Doors

One of Europe’s key joinery manufacturers, the Vicaima Group, have announced the appointment of Patrick Guest as Vicaima Limited’s Managing Director. Responsible for its operations and activities throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, Patrick is a highly accomplished and well-known timber industry figure. He brings with him an immense wealth of strategic acumen, which, when combined with the skilled and professional resources at his disposal, will enable Vicaima Limited to build on its position as one of the leading exponents of innovative and sustainable quality interior timber doors, door sets and associated products, for a multitude of construction markets.

Set in the quintessentially English county of Shropshire, a brand-new Retirement Village Community has been built and developed to cater for discerning senior living occupants, and fuelled by an ever-growing cohort of the UK population. 

Sundew Court near Telford, encompasses a large area comprising a mixture of 61 apartments and 16 bungalows, all close to excellent amenities and just a short distance from notable market towns with a myriad of activities. The development, which is firmly focussed on comfort and style, has of course sought to incorporate joinery solutions befitting the needs of this more specialised residential accommodation. 

If you are responsible for building safety, you are expected to know where your risks sit, understand your responsibilities and be able to evidence control. Some risks are obvious. Others sit just outside immediate view: in the detail, in how systems interact and in where responsibilities overlap.
 

More than half of social housing providers do not feel fully prepared for the introduction of Awaab’s Law, according to a new white paper from Shelforce. 
Titled Navigating Awaab’s Law: Compliance, clarity and the critical role of education, the report reveals significant gaps in readiness, confidence and understanding across the sector, despite the legislation representing one of the most important regulatory shifts in decades. 

Fire doors are critical life safety components, designed to slow the spread of fire, smoke, and heat long enough to protect occupants and property. A recent incident in a Connect Housing residential block provided a rare real-world demonstration of how a fully certified fire doorset performs under genuine fire conditions. The event highlighted the importance of correct specification, a compliant product, and accredited manufacturing and installation.

The performance capabilities offered by today’s advanced window and door systems, glass, and hardware help create warmer, safer, more energy-efficient, and more secure homes. But for all of these great products to deliver on their promise, the fasteners needed to hold windows and doors together and ensure they stay securely in place during their lifetime must be equally well designed and made.

Fasteners, though often not detailed in window and door specifications, are being increasingly scrutinised by specifiers to identify potential weaknesses. Our team can assist by recommending suitable metal grades to meet project specifications and local environmental conditions.

Howard Trotter, Business Manager at Shelforce, has worked closely with local authorities for many years, explains why full-system testing and demonstrable test evidence are now essential for local-authority refurbishments.

As local authorities and housing associations continue to navigate one of the most tightly regulated eras our sector has ever seen, one principle is becoming non-negotiable; products going into people’s homes must be proven to perform, not assumed to perform.