Build October 2016 NEW

Build Magazine 64 Sustainability & Eco Since being established in 2007, UK Flood Barriers has grown to become one of the UK’s leading specialist flood contractors, project managing multiple high profile contracts across domestic property schemes for both public and private sector organisations at any one time. Working closely with end clients, such as the Environment Agency and local authorities as well as main scheme contractors, Frank Kelly oversees the provision of ‘end to end’ project management services, supporting all stages of the contract delivery process, including survey, product specification, installation, client/customer communication and ongoing maintenance. n the aftermath of the spate of UK floods between the years 2002-4, Frank Kelly realised that there was a distinct gap in the market for a company to safeguard the country’s infrastructure – from roads to ‘heavy- side’ nuclear power stations – against future floods. Using his engineering background, Frank spent the next three years headhunting the best civil, structural and design engineers, Frank laid out his vision for a holistic view of the industry, leading him to establish UK Flood Barriers as an end-to-end service company that designs and manufactures flood defences across the country for both domestic and commercial environments. After developing and submitting patent applications for prototype designs that would help to solve the problem and allow him to break into the industry, the team developed their flagship product: a specially-designed airbrick that closes off automatically when it comes into contact with rising water. A standard airbrick, Frank explains, is unprotected and could allow over 5,000 litres of water per hour to enter a property; it is a common feature of flooding that water will often pour in through an unprotected, low-level airbrick and fill up a property from below the floorboards before it even enters the building at ground-floor level via a doorway aperture. “You have to consider that a lot of properties in the UK – be they Victorian-built or even some modern ones – are built with as many as 34 airbricks, which equates to an awful lot of water being allowed into the property if there is a flood.” The airbrick that Frank developed has brought about a flourishing of understanding within the The Consultant’s Consultant on Flood Defence I industry about the reality of how a property floods, and what it needs in order to survive. “The bottom line is that you cannot protect a building with just one product,” he states. “There has to be an engineering solution.” As such, UK Flood Barriers have continued to push the boundaries on domestic flood defence, with a concentrated focus on good, sturdy, value engineering. Self-actuating systems, such as those seen in the airbrick, are especially prominent, so that they require minimal effort on the part of the customer. In particular, the firm’s new range of backflow valves work in reverse, leaving the flap open to allow maintenance, whilst allowing it to close off in the event of a flood, thereby preventing the backflow of sewage back up the system into the property. “We do a lot of property-level protection - especially in the UK, where we have done work for over 10,000 properties,” Frank says. “We work closely with local authorities and utility companies, as well as the Environment Agency.” With myriad product ranges at their disposal and a holistic view in mind to providing flooding solutions to both domestic and commercial properties across the country, Frank and the team at UK Flood Barriers like to leap into a new project with both feet – for them, it makes sense to be involved right from the start. “If we can get in an early-stage design,” Frank justifies, “we can demonstrate so much value engineering and cost-saving in the lifetime of the building”. As of late, Frank and the team have been working on new projects for Crossrail, including the new stations at Bond Street. While the British market is by no means fully saturated yet, UK Flood Barriers has already set its sights upon foreign shores, with a total of 18 projects in the design stage and plans for a new office in Manhattan, New York. The ongoing acceleration in the construction industry, with new construction projects emerging constantly, creates numerous opportunities for Frank to get involved from the outset and have an influencing role in designing the foundations of these new buildings to work synergistically with his products. “There seems to be an understanding among our American clients,” Frank observes, “that by bringing us in, we actually add value to the property. “In this sector,” he continues, “we are probably the only firm that actually has an engineering/ construction background and focusses solely on flood defence solutions. We are seen as specialists as a result, and we carry design & build teams. “Truthfully,” he adds jovially, “we understand how buildings should be built – with well-designed defences in place in the event of flooding. We are not product suppliers, but we are solution providers.”