Industry Knowledge, Expertise & Advice | CS UK Blog

Designing Inclusive Environments for the Visually Impaired

This article looks at one of the key interior design considerations for the visually impaired, colour contrast. Examining how the visually impaired move about a building, and discussing the legislative requirements for colour contrast and light reflectance, we showcase example colour options & offer recommendations.

Specifying Handrails for Greater Accessibility

Focusing on the specification of handrails, this article looks at the design considerations to permit accessibility for those with physical mobility issues, and how they can help compliance with BS 8300, Approved Document M, the Equality Act and HBN 00-04.

How Passive Fire Protection Limits the Spread of Smoke and Fire in Buildings: The Basics

Passive fire protection (PFP) attempts to contain fires or slow the spread. Passive Fire Protection takes many forms, from fire-resistant walls, floors, and doors to expansion joint fire barriers, sprinklers and fire alarms. Discover the legislation behind the use of these products and their benefits.

[Video] Dust Explosion at Farm in South Indiana, August 2017

A cloud of grain dust created by a collapsing grain store exploded, this type of explosion is a serious hazard in many manufacturing industries, learn more.

Why Carpet Tiles Won’t Cut it at The Entrance to Your Building

We often see standard carpet tiles, like those in offices, used at the entrance of a building instead of an entrance mat. Discover why that's a problem.

Expressing Building Movement

Building movement is often a complex, and scary consideration when designing a building. Get it wrong and it could be very costly!

5 Louvre Parts You May See on Technical Drawings

To help demystify some louvre elements we thought we would explain some of the common parts you will see on a louvre drawing and what they do.

5 Reasons Permanent Entrance Matting Beats a Throw-Down Mat

Discover why permanent entrance matting is a better, more effective solution to dirt and moisture being tracked into a building.

How To Manage the Risk of Combustible Dust & Deflagration

Discover how you can mitigate the risk of combustible dust and deflagration in your facility through good building design and pressure relief systems.

4 Fire Door Checks to Prevent the Spread of Smoke

With smoke being such a dangerous part of any fire we wanted to focus on 4 fire door checks to make sure your fire door can prevent the spread of smoke.

How to Calculate Louvre Pressure Drop

Discover how to calculate louvre pressure drop and why it's an important factor to consider at the design or specification stage.

4 Tips for a Stylish Impact Protection Scheme

There are lots of things you can do with impact protection to make it a feature, rather than an eyesore. Discover our 4 tips to stylish impact protection.

4 Free Movement Joints Resources to Help You Specify

No two projects are exactly the same, so if you are struggling to find the right product for your movement joints, or don’t know where to start, we can help

5 Considerations When Designing for Dementia Care

Designing for dementia care is an increasingly prominent topic, with research from the Alzheimer’s Society(i) indicating that by 2015 more than 850,000 people in the UK will be living with the condition.

Hospital Fire Door Inspection and Maintenance

A Hospital Fire Door is a critical safety feature of a healthcare building, protecting exit routes to allow enough time for the elderly and infirm to escape

The Role of Laboratory Wall Coatings in Containment Procedures

The cleanliness of a laboratory doesn’t just come down to how clean the lab equipment, machinery or items in the room are, but how clean the lab itself is and how easy it is to clean.

5 Common Issues with Existing Expansion Joint Covers

In this blog post we've outlined 5 of the most common issues we find with existing, already installed expansion joint covers, and point out what the potential cause was.

Estimating & Ordering CS Acrovyn Doors®

To process your pricing enquiries and orders as smoothly as possible, we will require a door schedule including the following information as applicable:

Intro to Louvre Performance Testing

We take you through a brief introduction to louvre performance testing, the results and what they mean.

How to Specify Architectural Louvres

Discover how to specify louvres correctly for your building, why free area isn't the best method and how taking into account the building's surroundings is beneficial.

How Much Entrance Matting Do I Need For My Building?

We explain how much entrance matting you need to be compliant, and how much entrance matting industry experts actually recommend - there is a difference.

How To Compare Architectural Louvre Models

Comparing architectural louvre models can be tricky we highlight the key criteria to look at and what the performance data you're given actually means.

3 Examples of Waterproof Expansion Joint Systems

Discover 3 examples of waterproof expansion joint covers from the CS Allway® range and how they're different.

The Evolution of Architectural Louvre Blades

Architectural louvre blades have undergone quite the transformation since their invention discover how they've changed for the better and what these changes mean.

5 Considerations When Selecting a Performance Coating

Selecting a performance coating suitable for your application is tricky, to help you we've outlined 5 key considerations and the reasons why they're important.

Aluminium Entrance Matting & Security Systems in Retail

Discover how Construction Specialties and Intrepid Security solved incompatibility issues between aluminium entrance matting and retail security systems at a London retail store.

Designing with Glass: How to Protect Glass from Impact Damage

Glass is becoming an increasingly prominent design feature in new and refurbished buildings, we show you how to protect that glass from impact damage.

6 Surprising Facts That’ll Make You Fall In Love With Entrance Matting

Entrance matting is an often overlooked building component, discover 6 surprising facts that will make you appreciate its importance in your building.

5 Wall Protection Rails That Will Save Your Budget

Impact damage is a costly and common problem for any building owner or operator, knowing which types of wall protection to use where can help save your budget.

Triple Bank Architectural Louvre Performance at Double Bank Dimensions

Discover how CS has managed to achieve triple bank architectural louvre performance in a more compact, spatially efficient package than ever before.

WARNING: Economy Architectural Louvres Aren’t As Cheap As You Think

Exploring the hidden costs behind economy architectural louvres, drawing on CS' 60 years of experience in performance louvres we show you what can go wrong.

WARNING: You Are Losing Money by Not Using Retail Wall Protection

Discover how custom retail wall protection can not only protect your store, hotel or restaurant, but also help create a great experience for your customers.

Containing the Contamination – Is Your Containment Coating Tough Enough?

Discover how containment coatings can reduce the risk of cross contamination in laboratories. With regular, intense cleaning regimes, a tough performance coating is essential.

5 Crucial Fire Door Regulations You Need To Know About

Fire Safety is critical in any building, we run through 5 crucial fire door regulations you need to know about and how they affect you.

3 Ways to Protect Interior Wall Corners

Discover 3 ways to protect interior wall corners in any type of building. Without protection corners can become seriously damaged compromising safety.

5 Questions to Ask Before You Buy a Performance Louvre System

Buying a performance louvre for your project is complicated, so you need to make sure you ask the right questions at the time of purchase, here are 5 we recommend.

5 Steps to Expansion Joint Specification Perfection

Expansion joint cover specification isn't easy, we break the process down into 5 easy steps to ensure you choose the right joint cover for your project.

5 Tips for Extending the Lifecycle of Your Entrance Matting

Entrance matting is a key part of health and safety in a building or workplace, discover our 5 tips to ensuring your entrance mat keeps on performing.

4 Essentials to Maintaining Schools, Colleges & Universities

Schools, Colleges and Universities can be tough environments to maintain and keep looking nice. We recommend 4 essential products to help reduce your maintenance spend.

Designing for Healthcare, it’s not just about the functionality

We outline the importance of good interior design and a clear wayfinding/communication strategy within healthcare facilities.

How Third Party Certification Can Help Your Fire Prevention Strategy

Discover the benefits of third party fire door testing and how it can help the fire prevention strategy in your building.

4 Important Items to Consider When Selecting an Expansion Joint Cover

There are several key criteria you must consider, for expansion joint cover specification. Discover the four that are the most important to remember.

BM TRADA Q-Marked Acrovyn Doors

CS can now supply BM TRADA Q-Marked Acrovyn Doors. Our BM Trada Certified Fire Doors include an FD30 and FD60 model, available in a range of configurations

How to Combine Indoor and Outdoor Entrance Matting

BS 7953 recommends that entrance matting be a minimum of 2.1 metres but that's not always possible, so combining indoor & outdoor entrance matting is essential.

#Didyouknow – Solving Block-out Issues with CS Expansion Joint Covers

Learn how some Expansion Joint Cover products from Construction Specialties can help solve problems with inconsistent expansion joint block-outs.

How to Choose an Expansion Joint Cover Manufacturer

Choosing an expansion joint cover manufacturer that can help you specify the correct expansion joint cover for your project is essential, we show you what to look for.

Hygienic Coatings – Assisting in Infection Control

Discover how hygienic coatings can assist in infection control, and why early consideration of the cleaning regimes that are going to be used is so important.

The Benefits of Artwork in the Healthcare Environment

Discover how carefully selected artwork, introduced into the healthcare environment can benefit patient recovery time and reduce hospital maintenance costs.

5 Parking Garage Expansion Joint Covers

Car Parks are a demanding environment for Expansion Joint Covers, discover 5 parking garage expansion joint covers from CS that you can rely upon.

Class A: Not all Weather or Performance Louvres are the same

Learn why not all Class A Performance louvres can be considered equal, what BS EN 13030:2001 involves, plus louvre specification considerations.

The Importance of In-Store Graphics and Displays

Learn the importance of long lasting brand walls in the retail sector. And how Acrovyn by Design can help reduce maintenance costs and boost brand.

What is an Expansion Joint Cover?

Discover what an expansion joint cover is, how it works, why you need them and what its role is within the structure of your building.

5 Signs Your Office Entrance Mats Need Replacing

To help you work out when your office entrance mats need replacing here are 5 signs to look out for as you walk across it everyday.

Retail Store Planners: When Less Wall Protection is More

Discover the new retail wall protection product that not only protects your walls, but your branding too.

Food Preparation Areas: Improving Hygiene and Reducing Life Cycle Costs

Discover how busy front-of-house food preparation areas such as delicatessens and bakeries can maintain high levels of hygiene with CS Wallglaze.

5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Forget About Your Entrance Mat

There is more to entrance matting than meets the eye, it’s not just there to look nice, it has important functions to perform, here are 5 important functions.

Infection Management Through Interior Fit-out

Discover how specialist finishes for interior walls and ceilings can help to reduce these figures and provide a safer and more hygienic hospital environment.

Retail Safety – Slips, Trips and Broken Hips – BS 7953 Compliance

Slips and trips are the most common cause of major injuries and can happen almost anywhere. Discover how entrance matting can help reduce the risk of slip & trip accidents.

Facilities Managers: Cost Efficiency vs Quality of Care Part 2/2

Part 2 of our series exploring ways in which Facilities Managers can become more cost efficient whilst maintaining and improving quality of care.

Facilities Managers: Cost Efficiency vs Quality of Care Part 1/2

Part 1 in our series exploring ways in which Facilities Managers can become more cost efficient whilst maintaining and improving quality of care.

Efficient Airflow Management With New CS Louvres

Adding to its portfolio of architectural solutions, CS UK Ltd has launched a range of louvres to provide architects and engineers with an aesthetic screening solution, which allows maximum airflow and provides a highly efficient rain defence.

Improving Laboratory Hygiene with Wallglaze Performance Coatings

Performance coatings have become essential in laboratories, hospitals and food preparation facilities, discover how Wallglaze can help.

5 Reasons You Should Use Hygienic Sheeting In Your Laboratory

Hygiene regulations in laboratories and other hygienically sensitive areas require wall surfaces be smooth and easy to clean, discover why you should use hygienic sheeting.

Hospital Infections Still A Major Concern for NHS

Discover how Wallglaze hygienic coatings can help reduce hospital infections in the NHS, and why durable coatings are a must have for all healthcare facilities.

How To Correctly Specify Building & Architectural Louvres

Did you know that specifying building louvres on free area alone can cause problems? We explain how you should be specifying louvres and why free area alone isn't a good idea.

Solarmotion Explained: Dynamic Solar Shading

Solarmotion is a dynamic solar shading system that tracks the sun's movement to maximise the control of light and heat entering a building's interior.

4 Ways To Reduce Airport Maintenance Costs

Reducing airport maintenance costs whilst providing a safe and attractive environment for passengers is a challenge for many airport operators. We can help.

5 Essentials of Laboratory Wall Finishes

If you are designing or improving your laboratory or clean room, discover the 5 essentials to choosing efficient and effective laboratory wall finishes.

Enhancing The Patient Experience Through Design

Discover some of the measures hospitals can take to enhance the patient experience, while adhering to DoH criteria as cost-effectively as possible

6 Questions For Your Retail Entrance Mats Supplier

The entrance to your store should be welcoming and provide a positive first impression for your customers, discover what you should be asking any new retail entrance mats supplier.

5 Essentials of Retail Wall Protection

Retail store interiors are subject to a constant barrage of scuffs and scrapes from bags, trolleys and shoppers, discover the 5 essentials to retail wall protection.

Kill Fungus & Bacteria with CS Hygienic Coatings

We know that making hospitals safer and cleaner is a top priority for health care provider and conforming to infection control requirements is essential, discover how we can help

Building and Architectural Louvres Explained

Architectural louvres are ventilation products that allow air to pass through then whilst keeping out unwanted elements such as water, dirt and debris.

5 Products To Keep Your Hotel Looking Smarter Longer

Keeping a busy hotel looking smart and welcoming is no easy task, with a wide range of products, discover how CS can help you protect your hotel interior.

4 Ways To Reduce Car Park Building Maintenance Costs

Discover ways to reduce long-term costs, as well as maintain a clean and welcoming car park for your visitors using CS products.

Hospital Interiors: 5 Ways To Cut Costs & Stay Safe

Interior finishes have a huge impact on the building and maintenance costs of a hospital, discover 5 that will help you cut costs and stay safe.

Brand Your Entrance: Bespoke & Custom Floor Mats from CS

Ensuring your entrance is clean and well branded is an essential part of retail design, it being the first thing a visitor sees. Discover how to brand your entrance.

Approved Document M – LRV and Visual Contrast

The second blog post in our series of Approved Document M Compliance showing how to become compliant with Light Reflectance Values and Visual Contrast.

Approved Document M – Entering a Building

Discover the role entrance mats play in Approved Document M compliance ensuring foot and wheeled pedestrians are able to enter and exit a building safely.

Need Waterproof Expansion Joint Covers? Try the PDA/PDS Series from CS

Stopping water ingress at the expansion joint is crucial, especially in areas exposed to the elements, discover the ideal waterproof expansion joint cover.

Entrance Matting and British Standards BS8300 & BS7953

We explain what you need to do for your building to be compliant with both BS8300 & BS7953.

Looking for Hygienic Floor Joint Covers? Try the GT Series from CS

Hygienic Floor Joint Covers ensure an easy to clean, smooth surface for trolleys and beds to move across in the healthcare environment. Discover the GT series from CS.

Explosion Relief Panels in Buildings – Do You Need Them?

If you are designing or maintaining a facility which has the potential for a dust explosion, it is possible that you should consider explosion relief panels

Expansion Joints in Concrete Slabs

When engineers are designing the structure for a tall or large footprint building expansion joints in concrete slabs are frequently used.

Corner Protectors for Walls – Acrovyn, Rubber or Stainless Steel?

Among the most vulnerable areas are the corners of walls which can quickly become seriously damaged without corner protectors, but which material should you use?

Looking for Barrier Matting? Here Are 5 Reasons to Try CS Tetras

Discover Tetras carpet tiles, an economical and effective barrier to dirt, moisture and grit entering your building. Here are 5 reasons to give it a try.

CS Floorometry Entrance Flooring Receives Prestigious Red Dot Award

Construction Specialties’ entrance flooring system Floorometry has been awarded the prestigious red dot award for product design in 2011.

3 Options for Exterior Brickwork Expansion Joints

Exterior brickwork expansion joints are often needed where two building structures meet. Discover 3 options that will work for the exterior of any building.