Love them or loathe them, emoji’s - or emoticons to give them their formal moniker - appear here to stay. This theory was compounded by the recently-launched Facebook Reactions, which enables users to add a range of happy, sad, angry faces as part of its ‘like’ option. Once the preserve of social media-savvy teens as an ultra-shorthand form of expression, some of the world’s biggest brands have taken to using the tiny symbols to promote their products. Sir Paul McCartney’s even in tune with emoticon. He composed music for a series of 'audio emojis' to celebrate Valentine’s Day – a serious acknowledgement that this form of communication once viewed as mere child’s play is now an established part of our literary lexicon. So how can emoji’s help the world of business? For more than a decade emoji’s have been used as colourful emphasis on social media postings – now cyber-based exclamations seems incomplete without them. Recent figures show 92% of the online population uses emoji’s, and Neil Patel, co-founder of the analytics companies KISS metrics, Crazy Egg and Quick Sprout, said the casual use of these colourful animations can be expanded upon by marketers to help bolster campaigns to the right audience. According to research, an emoji smiley face is equivalent to looking at a human smiling face, hence the relevance of a well-placed emoticon in a professional capacity. Their new-found acceptability means an emoticon’s use in a formal email could help create “positive expectancy” without hindering the sender’s credibility, the research found.   If emoji’s are to be used effectively in a formal communique or advertising campaign, Patel insisted they should not be used “for having fun” and users should consider their functionality before posting. He pointed to a recent World Wildlife Fund (WWF) campaign retweets following its official launch - which featured emoji’s of 17 endangered animals and gained 34,000 retweets following its official launch - as an example of a well-executed emoticon-led awareness promotion. In another successful campaign, General Electric teamed-up with science educator, Bill Nye, to create short science videos using emojis. To boost brand engagement, Patel offers some emoji-based examples of how it can be achieved: Use emoticons in push app notifications to announce product sales Use emoji’s to add colour and fun to official announcements Emoji usage can vary based on country and locality, so know your audience before applying emoticons Tag users next to emoji’s to get their special attention in your comments  Patel insists emoji’s are a form of communication and are processed in our brains as non-verbal communication. To get the right reaction from your content or promotion, he advises against applying emoticons too liberally. Just as verbosity should be avoided in word-from, so it must in emoji usage. Ashley Sterland, Communications Director for The Change Organisation, said businesses would do well to embrace the Emoji Age. “There is no question more and more businesses are using emoticons to boost their brand”, he said. “Emoticons are now an accepted part of everyday communication, be their use private or commercial. From a commercial point of view, though, I think its important marketers ensure emoji-led campaigns are targeted to the correct audience. There is little margin for error, but a relevantly-placed emoji can say so much more than words, with the result being a very well-executed and successful marketing campaign.” Although a few remain resistant to their charm, the future of emoji can be summed-up in one smiley face.       

There’s a growing realisation in the construction industry that complex mechanical ventilation systems are a recipe for disaster for schools. As part of a recent report by the Royal Institution of British Architects (RIBA), 129 UK schools’ post-occupancy evaluations were analysed. It revealed a large number of technical ventilation devices were being disabled or abandoned having been deemed too burdensome for the school to manage. Problems included excessive electrical energy consumption, high base loads and lack of controllability, leading to overheating and discomfort.  Designers are taking a modern holistic approach to school building design to enhance energy efficiency and improve the learning environment whilst engineers are rapidly coming round to the idea that natural ventilation systems are a reliable, cost-effective option to the mechanical alternative. Until recently, natural ventilation systems were designed to do one of two things - reduce overheating and provide ventilation in warmer weather and recover heat when it turns colder. The Ventive C900, a simple, ingenious British-made system carries out both tasks without the aid of electricity and the incumbent equipment and cost. Richardson and Peat have first-hand experience of the passive ventilation, heat recovery system, having carried out the first installation of Ventive C900 at a UK school. In May 2015 we delivered a pioneering centre to help autistic children into mainstream education. The £1.2 million Cullum Centre at Salesian School in Chertsey, Surrey provides 20 places for autistic children and offers the structured support they need to access fully inclusive school placements. The building’s design needed to maximise energy efficiency which the Ventive C900 helped to achieve. The system consists of a roof cowl, eight of which were installed at the Cullum Centre, one per room. As well as being easy to install and negating the need for PV roof installation, the Ventive C900 is a simple and effective operator. In colder weather, warm air inside the building is driven through the Ventive C900 heat exchanger where it meets a supply of outside air which is naturally warmed on its way back to the classroom. In spring and summer months the roof cowl works like a small wind collector, ensuring rooms remain naturally ventilated at all times. Ventive C900 took two years to develop, and with UK schools spending £159m per year on heating according to RIBA, its general usage can’t come soon enough. On average, it is estimated Ventive C900 will reduce a school’s energy costs by £450 per year. An unsurprisingly huge saving when you consider the complications in managing mechanical ventilation systems which cause them to be left running overnight or during school holidays. Maintenance costs are another burden incurred by electrical systems. With the Ventive C900, only the filter needs regular changing. Its manufacturers say the Ventive C900 will be suitable for 50% of all schools built in the UK. For our children to succeed at school, the building itself needs to perform as well as the staff and students. A good reason, then, for architects and contractors alike to consider the benefits of Ventive C900. By Martin Peat, Director, Richardson & Peat For more information, visit: www.richardsonandpeat.com  

Fire-rated sealants belong to a specialised market so people should never assume the product they select will necessarily provide the required protection. There is a range of available fire-rated sealants, each containing products designed for use in different building applications. I’d advise anyone in the market for a fire-rated sealant to check its product sheet before buying. Just because someone says the product contains the necessary flame-resistant properties doesn’t guarantee its quality. To ensure you’re choosing the correct protective sealant for your application, for peace of mind, ask for the product’s test data sheet as proof of its properties.     Wrong specification – potentially poor outcome The consequences of selecting the wrong product can be disastrous. Some years ago, a fire broke out on the eighth floor of a building packed with mineral wool between the concrete slab and the curtain walling. The wool had a lot of organic binders, so the fire spread up the side of the building, catching the binders alight on the upper floors as it went. Although the building was fire-rated, the flames spread from the 8th to the 13th floor because the quality of mineral wool on its own wasn’t suitable for the application. Mineral wool, which in itself provides a fire rating, can also deteriorate and fall out of a joint if a building is affected by water ingress. There’s a general lack of knowledge about fire-rated sealant and its application. People simply pick a sealant off the shelf thinking, “Oh, that says it’s fire-rated, therefore it’s bound to work.” Sikasil® FS-665 SL, a fire-rated, self-levelling, silicone sealant, is designed to protect buildings from fire-spread and smoke. It’s used between a building’s floor slab and façade and involves sealing joints ranging from 50mm to 200mm. Sikasil® FS-665 SL, once poured into a building’s joints, has a number of benefits:   It provides a liquid-protective layer for mineral wool Prevents the spread of smoke and fire between floors Can accommodate movement of floor slab   Pre-buy peace of mind Vertical building joints can be treated with straightforward sealants such as polyethylene backer rod. If a higher-performance product is required, Sika provides a ceramic cord which optimises the performance of the joint with its superb insulation and fire-resistant properties. For those unsure of the correct fire-rated solution for a particular application, there is plenty of specialist advice available. Fire-resistant glazing is particularly problematic.  Too often, people assume a piece of toughened glass with a bit of sealant around equates to a fire-resistant window - it isn’t the case.  Fire-resistant glazing needs to have a tested and approved system. Sika is a member of the Glass and Glazing Federation which has its own team of specialists - Fire Resistant Glazing Group,consisting of manufacturers, distributors and installers of fire resistant glazing products. Its goal is to work with the wider fire safety community in the UK, therefore it’s well worth visiting: www.ggf.org.uk for an informed opinion on such issues. Before specifying a fire-rated sealant, it’s also worth seeking expert advice from a company such as Sika which provides a wide range of quality fire-rated sealants.  Due diligence in terms of the seemingly minor aspects of a building’s design such as joint sealants could prevent some major problems in the future. For more information please call 01707 394444, or visit www.sika.co.uk By Jeff Richards, Sika Product Manager