PENDOCK
HALESFIELD 19
TELFORD
SHROPSHIRE TF7 4QT
Tel: 01952 580590
Fax: 01952 587805
Suppliers of: Pipe Boxing, Column Casings, Boiler Pipe Casings, Washroom Cubicles, Vanity Units, Low Surface Temperature Radiator Guards
Pendock are the UK market leader in the manufacture and supply of a comprehensive range of pipe boxing, column casings, encasement products and washroom cubicles. Pendock offers Architects, Design Engineers and Installers the perfect pipe boxing and general cover solutions via a range of both standard and bespoke products which are offered in a range of materials, colours and finishes.
PRODUCTS:
Pipe Boxing and Boiler Pipe Casing
Pendock Profile provides the perfect hiding place for building services. Our preformed plywood casings provide a versatile and practical solution for concealing unsightly pipework, electrical cabling such as beams and cills. We provide a wide range of both 5mm and 8mm casings with a 90 degree angle for use at skirting or corner locations together with a range of 5mm preformed plywood casings with 115 degree angled return for use at dado or midwall level or encasing cables or pipes up to 50mm diameter.
Our range of Boiler Pipe Casings are a practical and simple solution to hiding and protecting pipework above and below the boiler providing easy acess for maintenance and servicing.
Pendock Profiles also offer bespoke casing and boxing in aluminium which can also be manufactured with hatches for easy access.
Column Casings
Pendocks range of column casing produce a unique and perfect finish and for interior high usage areas also offer a range of bump rails and wall protection.
Pendock HVAC perimeter casings are increasingly popular for specifiers. They have a space saving design which incorporates smooth curves with a choice of grilles to maintain heating and cooling efficiency.
Washroom Cubicles
Pendock has become a major force in the Washroom market combining design flair and technial expertise. Our wide range includes easy fix solutions for single and multiple cubicle installation in corners, islands or between walls and are inexpensive.
Pendock Robuste compact laminate cubicles provide high durability and design flexibility to meet most demands whilst our Matrixe range is not only functional and attractive but easy to clean and virtually maintenance free and is an adaptive pre-plumbed solution for both commercial and public sectors.
Pendock vanity units include style, simplicity, uncomplicated design and easy installation and our pre-plumbed sanitaryware, brassware and accessories have been selected for best functionality and style.
Radiator Guards - LST
Pendock for many years have been the leader in Low Surface Temperature (LST) protection for schools, nurseries, hospitals, care homes and GP surgeries. The Safe-Heat range is easy to clean, feature an anti-bacterial coating as standard and follow NHS guidelines.
Pendock Safe Heat guards are available with Easi-Clean access panels mounted at the front allowing full access to the inside of the guard without the need to remove it completely from the wall.
Floor Ducting
Pendock floor ducting is a two-part system comprising a pre-formed tray, produced from 22 gauge hot dipped galvanised mild steel (to BS 2989: 1982 class Z2) and a 12mm plywood cover (to BS 1203: 1979). Return flanges give recessed support to the pre-cut plywood covers, laid flush with the rest of the finished floor.
Bespoke Pipe Boxing, Ducting, Casing and Cubicle Projects
Whilst Pendock offers an extensive choice of ‘off the shelf’ products throughout the various ranges of products we manufacture, we also have the ability to design and manufacture bespoke pipe boxing, floor ducting, column casings and washroom cubicles.
A Nationwide team of Project Managers are available to visit either an architect or designers office or meet on site to offer advice on what can be manufactured to suit specific design requirements.
Further technical information, image galleries and product specifications are available through the Pendock website or via the BPi Download Library.
Award winning motorway services – Pendock’s inside story
Following the completion and opening of the award-winning Skelton Lakes motorway services near Leeds, Architecture Today spoke to our Technical Project Manager, Gavin Byram, to explore the design & specification process and how the principal technical challenges were overcome.
Project overview:
Designed by Corstorphine & Wright Architects, Leeds Skelton Lake Services is located at Junction 45 on the M1 and sited within a 40,000-square-metre country park. The environmentally sensitive project employs a series of large undulating green roofs supported by exposed glulam beams, while generous double-height spaces and clerestory glazing provide high levels of daylighting and a welcoming interior.
A series of bespoke architectural linings from the Pendock Linea range, formed key elements of the interior design and fit-out by combining practicality, aesthetics and durability in a busy environment with high levels of pedestrian traffic.
AT: What was the brief and how was the design developed?
GB: The brief from main contractor Morgan Sindall, was to supply bulkhead linings at first floor level and pilaster linings on the ground floor. The former is designed to conceal the steel floor structure on the upper level, while the latter provides an attractive and decorative finish to the open shop fronts.
For the bulkhead linings, the concept was to mimic the shape of the steel floor beams, which follow a gentle curve. This was favoured for both aesthetic and practical reasons, as it provided a convenient and clearly defined space for shop signage within the vertical ‘web’. It was decided to manufacture the bulkheads in moulded GRP, so that the lightweight linings could accurately and smoothly follow the changing line of the steel floor structure.
Added to this, the material’s pliability meant that it would be more forgiving when it came to fixing on site and adapting to reasonable construction tolerances. If a GRG-based lining was chosen, it would be prone to cracking in this type of application. The bulkhead itself comes from our Pendock’s Linea range and is part of the standard GRP offering.
However, the design and finish are bespoke to the project, which is typical of the way we work. It is worth pointing out that we can also manufacture linings from the Linea range from plywood, MDF, compact laminate, HPL, stainless steel and aluminium, as well as textured metals.
The bespoke pilaster linings are also included within our Linea range. Here, GRG was specified for reasons of fire safety, material compatibility with the drylined walls above, and ease of finishing and painting. The material also allows us to manufacture products from moulds and it is this capability that enabled us to incorporate 30mm radiused corners into the design, which ensures that there are no sharp edges around the shop fronts.
A recessed, 1mm thick stainless steel kickplate is bonded to the base of each pilaster for added protection and durability. While it was not a requirement on this project, we can design and produce Linea pilaster casings to accommodate additional services, such as mains sockets, fire alarms and CCTV.
AT: What were the main technical challenges and how were these resolved?
GB: The bulkheads were perhaps more challenging than usual due to the concave radius design of the shop fronts. The only way that we could accurately manufacture the linings was to template the bulkhead on site.
This involved taking thin sheets of hardboard and overlaying them on the steelwork. The timber was then cut to the line of steel beams, before being taken back to the factory and used to form the curved moulds for GRP linings.
In the case of the pilaster linings, we carefully measured each shop front on site before manufacture. The demise line that runs across the retail frontage usually ensures greater consistency. However, we still checked for construction anomalies on the sides of the columns and changes in floor-to-ceiling heights caused by multiple shopfitters working across different stores. This allowed us to maintain the level of accuracy required to ensure the final installation went smoothly.
One of our USPs, you could say, is that we rely on our own detailed surveys as a means of producing bespoke solutions. This ensures that our products accurately fit the dimensions and shapes present on site, rather than what is shown on the drawings. For example, we often find rainwater pipes and other services, which don’t appear on drawings, packed around columns as a means of solving unforeseen problems.
Following the survey, we prepared detailed drawings prior to manufacture. Every pilaster and bulkhead casing was numbered and marked up on plan drawing, making onsite installation clear and straight forward.
AT: What fixing methods were used onsite and how did Pendock ensure accuracy and quality?
GB: The decorative nature of the linings meant that the client wanted to see neat, clean lines with no visible fixings. As a result, the bulkhead linings are primarily bonded to the timber subframe.
Mechanical fixings are also used, but these are concealed by the store signage panels. The pilaster linings are mechanically fixed into a timber subframe and the counter-sunk screwheads are filled, sanded, refilled then given three coats of paint along with the rest of the item to achieve a smooth and consistent finish.
Once we had completed the installation, the bulkhead linings and pilasters were wrapped with thick corrugated plastic sheets to protect them from accidental damage during final site clear up.
Pendock casings for education – Smart solutions
Health and safety have been constant features during the past 12 months, with the education sector, students and parents being affected significantly, as everyone dealt with the uncertainty, disruption and enforced changes due to the pandemic and the impact of lockdown.
With schools returning in early March this year, educational life has already started to return to some level of normality, although there is still some way to go. One thing that has become even more visible during the past 3 to 4 months, however, is the renewed and broader focus on health and safety, beyond the obvious issues of dealing with the effects of Covid.
Some of this has been stimulated by the recognition that regular maintenance and refurbishment projects has taken a back seat during the lockdown, which are now becoming essential, if not urgent, considerations for many schools, as well as nurseries and colleges.
Additionally, we have seen strong indications that educational facilities are keen to upgrade existing washrooms, radiator guards and interior casings, for reasons of practicality, durability and decoration, as well as improving hygiene and safety.
In 2020, Pendock took the opportunity to restructure its entire product range by combining similar products into six individual groups, each with its own clear brand to make specification easier and more logical.
Of these, there are four that are most regularly specified for education refurbishment projects: The ‘Washroom’ range, as its name indicates, provides a comprehensive range of cubicle and washroom systems, whilst ‘SafeHeat’ includes our anti-bacterial low surface temperature (LST) radiator guards.
Alongside these, the ‘Radius’ brand combines our six decorative column casings products into a single range while ‘Profiles’ includes all pipe boxing and services casings.
Clean, safe & hygienic
Washrooms are a common upgrade or refurbishment area for schools and although durability is a key consideration, design and aesthetics also feature highly. Our ‘Washroom’ range includes an array of cubicle and washroom systems that suits different visual and performance requirements, as well as budgets.
Matching vanity units, back panels and accessories are also available for each system, which allows easy integration with the washroom design, while vanity unit tops can be manufactured in one piece, providing added strength and durability. DDA and Approved Document M compliant solutions are also included.
High-pressure laminate (HPL) or compact laminate (CL) materials are generally preferred when specifying educational cubicles and washrooms, as they are very strong and the surface finishes have a high resistance to scuffs and damage.
The HPL and CL products from the Classic Plus, Robust and Education ranges also provide a wide range of finish options, which can help make washrooms a less intimidating environment than they have been in years gone by.
For nurseries and pre-school it’s relatively common practice for bright colours and specially shaped doors to be specified and we have also prepared some systems with unique finishes for individual schools.
Although melamine-faced chipboard (MFC) units are included in our range, they are not generally suited to pupil-facing school environments, as they are less resilient and likely to need replacing at shorter intervals than HPL or CL cubicles.
On guard
Safety and hygiene are also important facets behind the growing use of our SafeHeat LST radiator guards in schools.
Although originally developed for use in hospitals, care homes and other healthcare applications, their ability to reduce burn risk and their antibacterial coating has increased their popularity in education over the past few years.
The principle is a simple one. Where exposed radiators of almost any size or type are present, often operating with a water temperature of around 80 degrees C, covering them with a guard creates an ‘insulation space’ around the radiator while still allowing convection, which helps reduce the risk of accidental burn injury. A further option is available within our range that ensures the LST guard’s temperature does not exceed 43 degrees Celsius.
Also, for more than a decade, every model in our SafeHeat range has been coated with an antibacterial finish, as standard, which is effective against a range of bacteria and is an important feature post-Covid.
Although the Prima LST guards are popular in education projects, the Ultima LST guards are the most regularly specified for reasons of functionality and cost-effectiveness. They also feature radiused corners for additional safety.
As a general rule, the built-in lockable easy-access panels featured on the Prima Plus and Ultima Plus models are not typically specified, as they would be on healthcare projects, which helps minimise cost. Instead, the panels can be simply unscrewed from walls for routine maintenance and cleaning.
When compared to the cost of replacing existing radiators with dedicated LST units, SafeHeat radiator guards can represent a significant cost-saving on refurbishment projects, enabling more cost-effective budget use without compromising on safety.
Decorative and durable
Beyond the specific applications, functionality and requirements of washrooms and LST products in education, our Radius column casings range and Profiles services casings are usually specified for their decorative qualities and durability.
Designed to conceal interior and exterior structural steelwork, as well as concrete columns, Radius includes six individual column casing types. A wide range of sizes, shapes, materials and finishes are included, which makes it possible to find appropriate casing solutions for all internal and external columns.
While regularly installed on refurbishment and upgrading projects, Radius is also used on new-build projects to improve the aesthetics of exterior and interior structural supports, in foyers, main halls, and gym areas where steel columns are positioned around the perimeter requiring semi-circular casings.
However, it’s important that the right products are chosen for their application. External column casings should be manufactured from stainless steel, aluminium or GRP for reasons of toughness, durability, and weather-resistance.
As GRP casings are produced from moulds, it allows both bespoke shapes to be specified, while metal casings have the same level of versatility, as they can be formed and manufactured to meet a wide range of shapes and sizes.
Pre-formed plywood casings finished in high pressure laminates, also provide a highly durable and versatile solution, with an exceptionally wide range of finish options. Whilst they are highly durable and resistant to scuffing, the plywood core makes them suitable only for interior applications.
Raising the ‘Profile’
In common with the Radius’ plywood column casings, our Profiles brand of service casings is manufactured from the same material and is pre-formed and pre-finished.
This manufacturing approach allows a wide range of choice in terms of sizes, while removing the need for on-site fabrication of boxing to conceal pipework, such as those used on heating systems and below washbasins or to conceal electrical or communication cable routing.
We’ve found that site-made boxing solutions typically vary from room to room or between locations, as the fabrication is reliant on the individual skills of more than one person, which leads to inconsistency.
Our pre-formed boxing, however, is a finished product that is specified rather than created at the point of installation. They just need to be cut to length and fitted with screws and battens. Also, they are much easier to remove and replace for routine inspection or maintenance.
Across all our products, we provide support to educational specifiers in a number of ways. One of the most regularly used and easy to access, is our library of downloadable specification clauses and DWG and PDF format drawings.
We currently have more than 200 drawings, which is growing as more products are launched and all are available on our website at www.pendock.co.uk.
