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
Author: Alex Smith
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
Evaluating dynamic lighting
Dynamic ‘circadian’ lighting varies in colour and intensity during the day, but does it improve alertness and help people sleep? BRE’s Paul Littlefair and Cosmin Ticleanu describe an experiment that aims to find out
Are we ready to switch to electric?
Decarbonisation of the Grid suggests a move from fossil fuels for heating, but Huw Blackwell says we are not ready to switch en masse
Case study: Lark Rise, the UK’s first Passivhaus Plus
A Passivhaus Plus home in the Chiltern Hills establishes the ‘building as a power station’ concept and shows the viability of an electrical grid powered by renewable energy. Andy Pearson reports
Heightened awareness: Avoiding cold draughts in offices with exposed ceilings
The trend for exposed ceilings in offices can have serious consequences for occupant comfort if designers don’t take into account the impact they have on air movement. Gilbert’s Roy Jones explains how draughts and cold spots can be avoided by using special plates added to diffusers
Take me higher: A’DAM Tower lift strategy
The lift configuration in the newly refurbished A’DAM tower in Amsterdam has been radically redesigned to accommodate a huge increase in traffic. Jochem Wit explains how this was achieved through a combination of technical, architectural and organisational measure
Going off track
As protestors caused chaos in Westminster, Committee on Climate Change witnesses claimed we were way behind with our energy-efficiency policies to meet current carbon dioxide emissions targets. Hywel Davies explain