Preparing for the worst: lessons on overheating from Futurebuild

CIBSE’s overheating session at Futurebuild detailed the risks to care homes and apartments of a warming planet. Alex Smith hears from modellers and academics about the extent of the threat posed to buildings and the measures that could be taken to increase the climate resilience of future designs

A proactive approach in a warming climate

As global temperatures rise, CIBSE is looking to update its tools for calculating overheating risk in new homes. Dr Anastasia Mylona explains how work on TM59 and weather files aims to increase buildings’ resilience

On the same page: New Library at Magdalene College

the distinctive appearance of the Stirling Prize-winning New Library at Magdalene College was inspired by Cambridge University’s historic buildings and Max Fordham’s ventilation strategy. Alex Smith reports on the melding of form and function in Níall McLaughlin Architects’ elegant design

It’s a breeze being cool in class

Overheated indoor spaces in tropical regions pose challenges for building occupants, particularly in areas with limited access to air conditioning. A study by Dr Charles Munonye evaluates the thermal comfort of Nigerian schoolchildren in two building types to see if cooling is needed in primary schools

Futurebuild: navigating a path to net zero

The built environment industry gathered at the Futurebuild conference last month in London, to discuss various paths to decarbonisation. Alex Smith and Molly Tooher-Rudd report

Overheating warning: how Part O aims to address overheating

Approved Document O was published in December, and is aimed at reducing overheating risk in new residential buildings. Inkling’s Susie Diamond says the new regulations have significant implications for the design of such buildings, including homes, student accommodation and care homes

Measuring overheating

To minimise overheating in homes it is important to produce accurate models to understand where risks might lie. To test the accuracy of modellers’ predictions, researchers – led by Ben Roberts – compared four models with real-life temperatures in two homes