Engineers have a duty to act with reasonable skill and care, but that doesn’t necessarily mean their designs are fit for purpose under the law, says CNS Consult’s Vincent Fogarty, who summarises designers’ legal obligations
Author: Alex Smith
Sensor sensibility: Newcastle University’s Urban Sciences Building
Newcastle University’s Urban Sciences Building has 4,000 sensors to help optimise user comfort and energy performance. Andy Pearson reports
Video: Regulation and smoke control – what must change after the Grenfell fire?
The key fire safety issues flagged by Dame Judith Hackitt after Grenfell were tackled by smoke control experts at a CIBSE Journal roundtable sponsored by Colt. Watch panellists discuss outcomes from the debate.
Reach for the stars – taking a lift into space
An elevator that takes passengers into space may sound like the stuff of fiction, but Dr Bryan E Laubscher’s keynote at the 9th Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies reveals that interplanetary travel by lift is rooted in scientific reality
Jonathan Gaunt on public health engineering’s growing status
Jonathan Gaunt represents the growing number of public health engineers taking prime roles in CIBSE and the industry at large. The chair of the Society of Public Health Engineers tells Alex Smith about his vision for the sector and explains why he is keen for graduates to get experience on site
Alight here for Crossrail – lighting design on the Elizabeth Line
The use of LED lighting in Crossrail’s subterranean infrastructure will result in reduced energy consumption. Andy Pearson spoke to one manufacturer to find out how its designers met Transport for London’s exacting specification requirements
How lower carbon factors in SAP will change heating design
A new draft version of SAP has more than halved the CO2 emissions factors for electricity. Alex Smith looks at how changes to the energy use calculation could accelerate a move from gas to electric heating in homes
Cool city living – tackling overheating risk in a glazed Salford tower
When excessive glazing caused a high-rise tower block in the centre of Manchester to overheat, contractor Proline developed a solution that plugged into a district cooling chilled water main. The firm’s Andrew Mitton explains
Heat recovery at the University Arms Hotel
Cambridge’s University Arms Hotel refurbishment had to accommodate a complex heat recovery system on a constrained site with strict planning restrictions. Nuaire’s Andrew Bott explains
Consultation update: Clean Air Strategy, London Plan, EPCs, SAP, Building Regulations
This month, CIBSE’s Julie Godefroy outlines key consultations on carbon and air quality policies