The Grenfell Tower fire should never have happened. Alex Smith looks at what must be learned to ensure residents are never put at risk again
Author: Alex Smith
How Skanksa’s ‘return to work’ scheme is helping close the skills gap
Getting back into employment after a career break can be an uphill struggle. Liza Young finds out how Skanska’s Return-to-Work scheme is encouraging diversity by recruiting from outside the construction industry
Power share – battery storage leads the charge of the microgrid
Battery storage capacity is set to soar as prices tumble and renewable fuel plays an increasingly important part of the energy mix. Andrew Brister examines developments in the technology and looks at innovative applications
Key issues: CIBSE Guide E Fire Safety Engineering (2017)
The latest version of CIBSE Guide E Fire Safety Engineering highlights key areas of responsibility for services engineers. MKA Fire MD and Guide E chair Martin Kealy reports
Tiers for fears: How to ensure data centres keep companies flying
The meltdown of British Airway’s IT systems, after a power-supply failure, demonstrates how critical data centres are to business operations. Andy Pearson looks at levels of resilience and explains why cloud computing is making firms more susceptible to power cuts
Emergency lighting standards
Revised emergency lighting standards now include sections on emergency safety and standby lighting. Atkins’ David Mooney highlights what this means for designers
Efficiency drive – Jaguar Land Rover’s new engine factory
Jaguar Land Rover’s new engine-manufacturing facility won Project of the Year: Commercial/Industrial at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2017. Andy Pearson explains why it deserves the accolade
Stretching Forth – Prefabricating services on Scotland’s new landmark bridge
Without BIM and prefabrication the services on Scotland’s new Queensferry Crossing would have been costlier and more dangerous to install. Andy Wall, managing director of SES Engineering Services, speaks to Alex Smith
High art, low energy – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Greece
Arup’s design of Athens’ remarkable new cultural centre put sustainability on the agenda from the start, and the commitment and vision of the client and design team resulted in it becoming Greece’s first LEED Platinum building, says David McAllister
Interview with Paul Flatt – why engineers must add value
Building services consultants risk obsolescence unless they use their engineering expertise to extract value for clients, warns Hurley Palmer Flatt’s CEO, Paul Flatt. He tells Alex Smith that employee training programmes are key to creating the calibre of engineer necessary for his firm to succeed in an increasingly competitive market