The Building Envelope

As building safety regulations become increasingly stringent, Shelforce combines unparalleled fire door manufacturing expertise with deep local authority insight to deliver compliant, high-performance solutions for social housing projects.

Fire doors are meticulously engineered safety devices that play a crucial role in the fire safety of a building. For local authorities, compromising on building safety is never an option; as government-funded organisations setting standards for the wider housing sector, selecting the right fire door solution for replacement projects demands unwavering commitment to safety compliance to make sure tenants are properly protected. 

As Business Manager of Shelforce, Howard Trotter has extensive experience of manufacturing and supplying windows, doors and fire doors to housing associations. Here, he discusses the challenges and opportunities facing the sector in 2025 and beyond.

Some industry professionals are campaigning for a consistent approach to monitoring and even limiting projects’ embodied carbon in the built environment. We report.
 

The new Government is committed to delivering 1.5 million homes (during this Parliament) including the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation, therefore speed of construction is a priority.

That makes a revolutionary new roof tile, from pioneering manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles perfect, as the tile is 33 per cent quicker to install than other thinner leading-edge interlocking tiles. 

As the government announces groundbreaking plans to boost minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties by 2030, Howard Trotter, Business Manager at leading uPVC window and door manufacturer and supplier Shelforce, discusses the implications for housing associations and their tenants.

Marley’s SolarTile® range has achieved accreditation under the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) scheme, further demonstrating the company’s commitment to the transparency and delivery of detailed, accurate product information.

Marley’s SolarTile® range, which can be installed as part of an integrated roofing solution, joins Marley’s JB Red battens in passing the standard set by the CCPI, having undergone a full assessment process as set down by the Code.

Registered Social Landlords and Housing Associations are facing challenging times. With the increase in Local Authority housing targets, the need to build at speed is essential but compliance and safety combined with quality – are of equal importance.

With a 14-strong in-house team of designers and engineers, light steel frame specialists Frameclad are gearing up to meet the demands of the Future Homes Standard which comes into force next year. The more stringent regulations are designed to reduce carbon emission by 75-80% than homes delivered under current regulations.