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Author: Siobhan Martin

BLOG | Prefabricated masonry techniques elevate brick’s status as a sustainable building material

Posted on by Siobhan Martin

Brick is one of the world’s most sustainable building materials. Reliable, durable, and recyclable, bricks’ evolution as a low-impact product has been hastened by the introduction of increasingly innovative masonry support systems. As Jemma Ison (Keystone Group Sustainability Manager and IG Masonry Support Specification Executive) highlights, these prefabricated techniques have not only expanded the architect’s palette in terms of brickwork design, they have advanced and simplified the build process to give bricks a sustainable advantage over other established materials.

Masonry is a classic and timeless building material that achieves superior, maintenance-free results. Utilising masonry in prominent areas can be essential to delivering an architect’s overall vision, or fulfilling a client’s brief to ensure a project remains in keeping with the local surroundings. Brick Slip Systems are adaptable to suit any application. Ideal for small openings over window heads but also deliver effortless results spanning an entrance of a commercial building. Whatever the desired finish, IG Masonry Support‘s prefabricated units provide high-quality results at low environmental impact.

Time and energy saver

The average time it takes to create intricate masonry details with prefabricated brick slip solutions is estimated to reduce time by 90% in comparison to traditional onsite methods. As well as the time-saving factor there are many other benefits associated with offsite production, from improved construction efficiencies and reduced onsite waste to minimal site impacts due to the fit-and-forget design. Furthermore, a prefabricated unit is produced in line with manual handling guidelines. Therefore, designed to be easily managed and handled onsite. This eliminates the consumption of any fuel or electricity needed to aid the installation process.

Skills shortage

Whilst highlighting the direct and indirect sustainable benefits of these prefabricated methods, it is also a recognised challenge that traditional techniques require the services of a highly-skilled bricklayer. In the current climate, this might not be an appointment that is easy to secure. The bricklaying sector, as with the construction industry as a whole, is in the midst of a well-publicised skills shortage. Indeed, the Construction Skills Network (CSN) has forecast a need for 1,450 more bricklayers per year over the next five years to help fulfil UK building projects. Therefore, it could mean an appropriately-qualified bricklayer travelling many miles to work on a particular project, a journey that would incur additional fuel consumption and environmental impacts.

Natural hindrances to efficient brick detailing 

When it comes to achieving intricate brick details, a building site is far from the ideal environment. Poor weather can hamper high-quality workmanship and build consistency. This can lead to reworks and additional project time, cost, and material waste. Whereas offsite manufacture takes place in a controlled environment, enabling products such as brick slip systems to be produced with greater skill and accuracy.

Safe and adaptable solution  

Due to their A1 fire-rated finish, IG Masonry Support’s prefabricated brick slip products provide peace of mind to specifiers due to their reliability and compliance with building regulations. The product range includes the company’s ultra-lightweight brick on soffit system, B.O.S.S A1. A component building part, the product’s superb performance is supplemented by its sustainable credentials, which are supported by its carbon neutral classification. In addition, IG Masonry Support’s Brick Slip Arches have increased design options for architects looking to use masonry in evermore striking and imaginative ways. Manufactured offsite, the Brick Slip Arches are bespoke designed to order, and delivered to site replete with brick slips adhesively bonded to a stainless-steel unit. These lightweight units facilitate fast and efficient installation and integrate seamlessly with brickwork constructed onsite.

The Canal Turn_Summary Image_IG Masonry Support Web

Environmental Product Declarations

IG Masonry Support is committed to becoming a net-zero carbon business in line with the Science Based Targets. Its adoption of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) is further evidence of its sustainable ambition. The company is the UK’s first masonry support supplier to issue EPDs on its products, thus providing full transparency of their environmental impact. The declarations are in accordance with GreenBook Live EPD system.

A Type III environmental label, an EPD is generated using data obtained through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This is performed via a peer reviewed Product Category Rules document (PCR) in line with EN 15804 (the European Standard for the generation of EPD for construction products), ISO 14025, and other related international standards.

Dual benefit

In terms of their installation, IG Masonry Support is the only UK manufacturer to offer a solution that has dual security using an A1 fire-rated adhesive as well as a secondary stainless steel mechanical fix, providing safety and added aesthetic consistency.

In short, prefabricated brick slip systems are ideal for wherever an intricate brick detail is required. Their specification and installation are made all the easier and more effective through engagement with a prefabricated brick slip specialist such as IG Masonry Support. The company’s single point of contact controls the design, pricing, and manufacturing process, providing tentative support and expert communication throughout a project.

Quality, consistency, and greater sustainability are the ultimate outcomes of the correct specification of prefabricated brick slip solutions, which are gaining in popularity as developers and architects look to expand the use of one of the world’s oldest, most reliable building materials.

OneSilkStreet_IGMasonrySupport_ListingImages

NEWS | Bond between businesses and schools helps inspire a new generation of construction-based talent

Posted on by Siobhan Martin

An enterprising tie-in between businesses and local schools is bearing fruit by helping students gain a foot on the career ladder whilst addressing the construction industry’s recruitment crisis. 

Leading masonry support manufacturer, IG Masonry Support, based in Swadlincote, Derbyshire has taken on three employees from nearby Pingle Academy. It follows the company’s joining of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, which connects employers and education in the east Midlands area. Over the past 10 years the government-backed initiative has secured £1.5 billion investment and 20,000 jobs across the region.

The programme has been a resounding success for IG Masonry Support and its Managing Director Andy Neal, who was recruited as a D2N2 Enterprise Advisor in 2021.  He said: “When I was approached to a be a Career Enterprise Advisor, I didn’t really know what the role entailed. But I was interested in linking-up with a local school to help benefit the local community. It was also an opportunity to see if the Academy had a pool of talent that could benefit IG Masonry Support.”

Prior to the first meeting between the school and IG Masonry Support, an impromptu survey revealed that nine senior staff from across the company were educated at Pingle Academy. With many of the teachers still known to the former students, it enabled a beneficial partnership to rapidly establish between the two parties. It’s led to IG Masonry Support’s ex-Pingle Academy employees returning to their alma mater to give lectures on their post-education progress in the construction-based manufacturing sector.

Deb Holland, Assistant Principal at Pingle Academy, said the former students were as ‘delighted’ to revisit their old seat of learning, as the Academy was to host them. “It’s great to see that our students have gone on to do fabulous things,” she said. “It’s also quite special that they’ve given up their time to come and talk to current students. Hearing first-hand their account of what they’ve achieved at IG Masonry Support and what career options the company offers has helped to inspire students to follow in their footsteps.”

A key element of the mutually beneficial partnership is current Pingle Academy students being able to take part in pre-arranged tours of IG Masonry Support Group’s state-of-the-art production facility. One such visit led to an appointment that defies protocol and generally involves young talent being headhunted by an employer.

“Charlie, a Pingle Academy school leaver, managed to obtain my email address,” Andy Neal said. “His message was fairly succinct and straight to the point and essentially read, ‘I want to work for your business’. The direct approach paid dividends for Charlie who is currently making great strides as an apprentice at IG Masonry Support.

Statistics spell trouble in meeting future building needs

The ongoing skills shortage throughout the UK building industry has reached ‘alarming’ proportions, according to a recent Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) survey. It showed 75% of contractors had issues recruiting skilled operatives, a statistic that will do nothing to assist the government’s plan to tackle the country’s long-running housing shortage.

The UK’s journey to net-zero could also be impacted by a lack of building talent if a survey conducted by Balfour Beatty and the Supply Chain Sustainability (SCSS) is anything to go by. Of the 270 supply chain members in England, Ireland and Wales contacted for the report between August and October 2022, 96% of respondents said they had a shortfall in access to skilled people in the construction sector to meet net zero by 2050.

The building sector’s struggle to replace retirees with younger operatives is partly to blame for its diminishing talent pool. It highlights the need for greater links between employers and places of education to inspire a new generation to take up tools to help meet the country’s future infrastructural needs.

Andy Neal continued: “I would certainly advise other businesses to engage with their local schools. We can provide real-world experience in a range of jobs that also cater for non-academic youngsters. Gone are the days when construction-based firms could expect to have hundreds of career-hungry school leavers beat a path to their door. As a sector we are competing with many other trades and interests to attract the best young recruits.

“The Local Enterprise Partnership has been a superb vehicle in allowing us to get in front of students to promote ourselves as a business and as a viable career option. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Pingle Academy for its incredible support in establishing a relationship that I trust will remain beneficial to ourselves, the students and the wider community for many years to come.”

 

 

 

EVENT | Free CPD Webinar Series for 2023

Posted on by Siobhan Martin

IG Masonry Support announces the launch of a free Continuous Professional Development (CPD) webinar series for 2023. The series features both of IG’s current CPDs; ‘Achieving Intricate Brick Features’ and Specifying Sustainability.

The first webinar ‘Specifying Sustainability’ will take place on Thursday 20th April from 12 – 12:30 pm and will be led by our Specification Executive, Jemma Ison. Jemma will explore how offsite construction and conscious material selection can promote a circular economy. During the 30-minute webinar, she will delve deep into the global challenge and the need to decarbonise our sector, awareness of the sustainable benefits of offsite construction solutions, sustainable material selection to promote a circular economy, and how the Keystone Group is proactively delivering Net Zero applications.

Two webinar sessions will be available per month throughout the whole of 2023. As well as the ‘Specifying Sustainability’ CPD, on offer is also our ‘Achieving Intricate Brick Features’ CPD. This webinar explores brick soffit systems and the support of masonry cladding on framed buildings.

Jemma Ison, Specification Executive and Keystone Group Sustainability Manager commented: “IG Masonry Support recognises the importance of architects, specifiers, and engineers keeping abreast of modern methods of construction and how they can support and improve future projects. We truly understand that work time is precious and so is continuous professional development therefore we feel that short, concise webinar sessions will support this development in the most effective and time-conscious way.”

To book or find out more about the CPDs and dates available throughout 2023, visit our CPD page.

NEWS | Entries open for 2023 Brick Awards

Posted on by Siobhan Martin

The annual Brick Development Association Brick Awards are returning for 2023, and IG Masonry Support is proud to be sponsoring this year’s Large Housing Development category. 

With an established reputation as one of the industry’s most respected and well-attended events, the Awards celebrate the best examples of clay brick in the built environment. Each year, they attract the entry of exemplary projects from leading architects, housebuilders, developers, and contractors across 18 hotly contested categories.

The Large Housing Development category welcomes new-build, private, and public-sector residential developments. They must be sited in the UK, comprising 101 units or more, and can also include the residential element of a larger mixed-use project.

Scott Denham, Sales Director of IG Masonry Support said: “IG Masonry Support is delighted to be sponsoring the BDA Brick Awards for another year. The UK is home to many spectacular large housing developments. The annual Awards is a great opportunity to recognise not only the talented architects who design these buildings but also the highly-skilled brickwork contractors who bring the designs to life.

We encourage architects, housebuilders, developers, and contractors who have completed projects in the last two years to enter and get the recognition they deserve.”

The 2023 Brick Awards ceremony will take place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel on Wednesday 8th November 2023. The deadline for entries is Wednesday 17th May and can be made through the Brick Awards Platform.

BLOG | Evolution of masonry support solutions helps put a stylish new face on public buildings

Posted on by Siobhan Martin

Reliable, weather-resistant, and age-proof brick remains an ideal building material. Innovation, in terms of masonry techniques, means brick can be used in evermore inventive ways, allowing a solid, stylish finish to homes and a range of buildings. Here, Scott Denham, Sales Director at IG Masonry Support, looks at how manufacturing expertise and design technology are bringing a new look to traditional brickwork.

Due mainly to its consistent shape, compressive strength and ability to absorb water, many generations of architects have selected brick as their go-to building material. Its popularity hasn’t gone

unchallenged, however, with the past decade or so seeing the emergence of solutions such as cladding. But in keeping with the well-known phrase, ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’, brick is back in vogue as an inspiration to property owners and designers looking to emulate modern interpretations of classic architecture.

Architecturally, the intricate detailing that brickwork enables is without compare. Brick detail in the form of brick soffits, brick feature arches, deep reveals and flying beams continually make for stunning exteriors, enabling architects to create truly unique facades. Brick’s popularity in the UK and Ireland as a tried-and-trusted building source was unrivalled until modern composite cladding systems containing materials such as steel, concrete and aluminium offered a quicker, cheaper route to creating bright, contemporary-looking buildings. Such convenience comes at a cost, however. Aesthetically, modern cladding systems can begin to look tired and dated over time, thus regular and potentially costly maintenance can be needed to upkeep or upgrade them. This brings into question their long-term cost efficiency, but not-so-brick-built facades, which will retain their impressive look many years after their initial construction.

A bespoke solution

At IG Masonry Support, not only do we understand that architects need to be given creative authority over prefabricated brick features, we realise the importance of regulatory compliance and quality.

Achieving deep brick soffits and intricate brick bonds around window heads and openings is quick, easy and cost-efficient to achieve with our Brick On Soffit Systems (B.O.S.S. and B.O.S.S.+). These tailor-made bespoke solutions are designed and manufactured to meet the client’s specification. The systems are highly adjustable, enabling architects to design various shapes and depths of brick soffits whilst accommodating a wide range of bond patterns.

To meet changes to Building Regulations, IG Masonry Support engineered B.O.S.S.+, an A2 fire-rated system suitable for use on projects that require Building Regulations Document B compliance. The second generation of its original B.O.S.S. system, B.O.S.S.+ comprises a stainless-steel framework with a cement particle board backing element to which the brick slips are adhesively bonded and mechanically fixed. In short, this BBA-certified solution ticked the boxes in all of the required areas and was available to the market in 2019.

Not resting on its laurels, IG Masonry Support’s next step was to create a fully non-combustible and carbon-neutral product. The BBA-certified B.O.S.S. A1 system is ‘A1’ fire rated and has been subjected to hygrothermal testing. The product passed the rigorous examination with ease. As well as meeting current fire regulations regardless of the building’s height or purpose, the manufacturing process and environmental impacts will be significantly reduced.

Marlborough Primary School

IG Masonry Support’s B.O.S.S. system was selected as the ideal solution to create a stunning brick detail around large, circular windows, which form part of a major redevelopment at Marlborough Primary School in west London. The window feature, designed in conjunction with the project’s lead architect Dixon Jones, required IG Masonry Support to prefabricate a series of imposing circular-form B.O.S.S. deep soffit systems containing green-glazed slip bricks. The soffits’ shape and colour acknowledge the polychromy of a nearby 1911 Michelin building. In situ, this magnificent brick detailing brings an exciting, creative energy to the refurbished school’s vibrant new learning environment.

marlborough-primary-school

Alison Gingell Building, Coventry University

A new health and science building at Coventry University offers a fine example of how innovative masonry techniques have revolutionised brick’s use as a design accessory. The Alison Gingell Building was created to provide students with ‘world-class facilities’, enabling them to learn in situations that mirror real-life scenarios. Following consultations with architect Broadway Malyan, IG Masonry Support supplied the building’s standout architectural feature: 23 large-scale brick slip fins, which appear throughout the health and science block’s south elevation. The prefabricated fins were designed and manufactured by IG Masonry Support using slip bricks within a brick panel system, which the company developed to allow designers and specifiers to achieve a deeper soffit that blended seamlessly with surrounding brickwork.

Coventry University

Time and cost savings

No matter how ambitious the design, IG Masonry Support’s easy-to-install solutions deliver significant reductions in installation time by up to 90%. Any higher initial costs can be offset by saving time and money in terms of labour. A quality finish that meets the required aesthetics and blends seamlessly with the surrounding brickwork can also be achieved.

As with a beloved work of art, brick is a design classic that will continue to be rediscovered by future generations. It will ensure brick’s relevance to private homes and public buildings that will gain in style but lose nothing in terms of stature and safety by the additional design possibilities it now allows. This is due in part to companies such as IG Masonry Support and their commitment to developing solutions that enable brick, a staple construction material, to be used in ways that fire the imagination of architects and builders alike.

NEWS | International Women’s Day 2023

Posted on by Siobhan Martin

Today, on International Women’s Day 2023, we celebrate all of our women at IG Masonry Support and we continue to create a culture where women thrive.

We caught up with Faye Mondesir, our People and Culture Partner, who plays an integral role in the expansion of IG Masonry Support’s workforce and their development and wellbeing.

 

What advice would you give to females looking at a career in construction?
The idea that construction jobs are just for men is a complete myth! There is so many opportunities for women within construction whether it be engineering, bricklaying, welding, designing or practical work on live sites. The possibilities are endless.

What are we already doing as a business to ensure career success for women?
Our workforce is made up of 19% of females compared to 12% when I joined the business three years ago. There is no common role for females in the business and it stretches as far as technical detailers, estimating engineers, project engineers, specification and business support functions eg. marketing and finance.

For a number of years we have put a huge focus on partnerships with local schools to engage with students from a young age and showcase the wide range of roles that are available within our business. We also offer work experience and apprenticeships/trainee programmes where students are welcomed and encouraged to take time in each area of our business to see which roles interest them most.

I believe the industry still has a long way to go but it is important that we lead by example to create an inclusive and diverse workplace for our employees and future generations. We absolutely pride ourselves on the opportunities we have available.

Tell us more about why you enjoy working within IG Masonry Support?
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it’s great to reflect on being part of a business that recognises people have lives outside of work and allows me to balance work and family.

I am both a mother and a carer, but working in a forward-thinking business means that I can coexist and succeed on a professional and personal level.

Happy International Women’s Day!

NEWS | Take advantage of opportunity to support development of bricklaying’s next generation

Posted on by Siobhan Martin

The Keystone Group, the UK’s largest steel lintel manufacturer has launched a new and exciting education initiative to help cement the future of brickwork students across the UK and Ireland.

Serving as an enterprising response to the current building industry skills shortfall, ‘Keyskills’ showcases a wide range of construction methods through free training support and materials. The initiative, involving Keystone Group’s IG Masonry Support, IG Lintels, Keyfix and Keystone Lintels brands, focuses on relieving financial pressures on education establishments to allow extra funding for the development and recruitment of bricklaying training courses. Owen Coyle, Divisional CEO within the Keystone Group, said collaboration with colleges and training facilities will be crucial to Keyskills’ success.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for places of education to offer first-class training programmes and ‘skill-up’ a new generation of bricklayers,” Owen Coyle said. “The shortage of skilled tradespeople throughout the building sector as a whole is a well-known, long-standing issue. We want to collaborate with education establishments to relieve financial pressure and enable funds to be re-allocated back into the development and recruitment of these training programmes.”

Keyskills has a range of gratis benefits to support the recruitment and training process including training rigs and free products to support installation education, tours of Keystone’s manufacturing facilities, training presentations from Keystone’s technical experts, awards and event sponsorship, free merchandise and equipment and more.

According to the Construction Skills Network, the UK needs to recruit 1,450 more bricklayers per year over the next five years to keep pace with building demands. But building to the requisite standard is more than a numbers game, particularly as poor brickwork has been the foremost issue on new-build inspection reports for the past decade. Therefore, instilling the right skillset in youngsters aiming to take up this most traditional and vital of trades will be essential to delivering properties that perform as designed.

Owen Coyle continued: “In the months and years to come, we hope Keyskills will have played a meaningful part in supporting the recruitment and training of the bricklayers we need to meet our future building needs. We look forward to hearing from education partners who are keen to join us on this exciting journey.”

Don’t miss out on this unique training opportunity, visit our Keyskills page to find out how you can take part in this exciting new initiative.

Lee Marley Brickwork Apprentices – each attends their local college weekly to train in bricklaying.

NEWS | National Apprenticeship Week 2023

Posted on by Siobhan Martin

This week (6-12 February) is National Apprenticeship Week 2023. We are spreading the word about the benefits of a career as an apprentice at IG Masonry Support. Our apprentices speak highly of the opportunities they have within the construction industry. Read below what they have to say about their experience.

 

For school leavers, there is a world of opportunity available to develop a career at IG Masonry Support.  As well as great mentoring and training, you will be working and gaining the skills to achieve fast career progression.

You will grow with us and our innovation, as we create new ways of engineering bespoke construction solutions.

Apprenticeships

From day one, you will learn new skills while getting paid!  You will have an agreed programme of learning through a college or university, and a dedicated mentor to coach and develop your skills.

We offer varied apprenticeship roles within our business, from welding in our state of the art manufacturing facility, to technical office-based apprenticeships. These roles offer excellent development and progression opportunities and a great benefits package.

Trainee Programmes

Our trainee programmes are a combination of learning whilst you work and studying for an academic qualification up to degree level study. You will be paid and have your tuition funded by IG Masonry Support.

Our trainee programmes are full-time, permanent positions which could lead to a professional qualification.

For more information on our apprenticeship opportunities, visit our careers page.

 

NEWS | Something brickin’ good is coming!

Posted on by Siobhan Martin

Four of the Keystone Group steel division brands have partnered up to bring the construction sector something brickin’ good! 

IG Masonry Support, Keystone Lintels, IG Lintels and Keyfix are currently building the foundations and all will be revealed on Tuesday 28th February 2023.

Subscribe to our mailing list below and be the first to know when we launch and also be in with a chance of being one of the first to benefit from this exciting new education initiative.

 

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EVENT | Join us at Specifi 2023 ‘tech-talk’ events

Posted on by Siobhan Martin

Specifi’s built environment ‘tech-talk’ events are back for 2023 and three of the Keystone Group brands have secured spots at a number of locations throughout the series.

The series of architecture ‘tech-talk’ events bring together architects and industry experts to discuss the latest challenges and trends within the industry. Attendees are allocated 10 minutes with each industry expert to find out more about their products and services.

IG Masonry Support, Keyfix and Keystone Lintels will be in attendance at various locations throughout the year:

  • 30th January – London (Keyfix and Keystone Lintels)
  • 7th February – Manchester (IG Masonry Support and Keystone Lintels)
  • 15th Feburary – Edinburgh (Keystone Lintels)
  • 15th March – Leeds (IG Masonry Support)
  • 17th April – Nottingham (IG Masonry Support)
  • 10th May – Bristol (Keyfix and Keystone Lintels)
  • 12th July – Cardiff (Keyfix and Keystone Lintels)
  • 2nd August – Sheffield (IG Masonry Support)
  • 23rd August – London (IG Masonry Support, Keyfix and Keystone Lintels)
  • 13th September – Birmingham (IG Masonry Support, Keyfix and Keystone Lintels)
  • 25th September – Belfast (Keystone Lintels)
  • 27th September – Dublin (IG Masonry Support and Keystone Lintels)
  • 25th October – Manchester (Keyfix)
  • 15th November – Liverpool (IG Masonry Support)

Event spaces are limited and invite only. If you are interested in attending any of these events, you should register on the Specifi website.