Ant Wilson FCIBSE has been at the forefront of building services innovation for 40 years, helping to change how engineers design buildings. After his retirement from Aecom, Alex Smith looks back at a prolific career
Author: Alex Smith
Plymouth’s 5th-generation heating network
When Plymouth City Council looked at heating and cooling buildings more efficiently, it found the area’s geology offered a source of energy that enabled it to use the latest heat network technology. Andy Pearson reports
The scale of the problem – water quality issues in heat networks
A recent study found 15% of heat networks had suffered failures as a result of issues around water quality. Jon Greaves, of Hydro-X Water Treatment, offers guidance for different stages of the system life-cycle
Electrocaloric cooling – making a difference
Electrocaloric cooling works by applying an electric field to change temperatures and requires no refrigerants. Metkel Yebiyo and Professor Andy Ford look at the benefits of the technology and the challenges of bringing it to market
Hot off the press: research on overheating in homes
The latest research on assessing and mitigating overheating in buildings is the focus of a Building Services and Engineering Research and Technology Journal special edition. CIBSE’S Anastasia Mylona looks at the key findings
Rewriting the rulebook on fire responsibilities
SCA’s Ian Doncaster discusses the impact the government’s consultation on fire safety may have on the industry
Force of nature – naturally ventilating Amsterdam’s Breeze Hotel
The 11-storey Breeze Hotel in Amsterdam has a unique natural ventilation system that uses solar chimneys and water droplets sprayed into a shaft to move air around the building. Andy Pearson speaks to the academic behind the concept, Dr Ben Bronsema, and looks at how his ‘earth, wind and fire’ theory became reality
Building a safer future
Almost two years after the conflagration at Grenfell Tower that claimed 72 lives, the government has published a far-reaching consultation on how we build and operate multi-occupancy residential buildings. Hywel Davies outlines some of the more challenging proposals
Heavyweight solutions
Scott James, director at Viega, looks at why thick-walled steel tube continues to be a common choice and how press connection technology helps overcome many of the traditional installation issues
Plants as a building service
Plants are proven to remove pollutants and improve air quality, but which species should be considered? Researchers from the University of Birmingham and the RHS review the latest research looking for answers