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

Using renewables to unlock the Grid

If electric vehicles and batteries are to herald an all-electric future for homes, smart tech must be developed and tested to ensure there is always available energy to match household demand. Andy Pearson reports

Tackling NOx from CHPs

Policies encouraging gas-fired CHPs in London are going into reverse. David Blackman looks at how new air pollution policies will affect the future of heat in the capital

Industry wakes up to reality at Futurebuild

At the conference formerly known as Ecobuild, there was a large focus on housing and monitoring performance, as well as debates on the future of heat and integration of electric vehicles. Alex Smith and Andy Pearson report

Silent treatment: acoustic design in an open plan school

The design brief for Trumpington Community College was for open teaching spaces overlooking a large, airy atrium. The challenge for Max Fordham’s acoustic engineers was ensuring teachers were not disturbed by noise from neighbouring spaces. Andy Pearson reports

Measuring beyond energy in a school POE

Evidence gathered from a school campus in London shows the lessons that can be learned from a holistic approach to building design and operation, which improves energy performance while ensuring indoor environment quality. By lead author Nishesh Jain, Dr Esfand Burman and Dr Craig Robertson

Materials for potable water

Careful specification of the materials for drinking water applications will ensure the quality of the supply within a building is maintained. Here, Scott James, Director at Viega discusses the factors that engineers and installers need to consider