Author: Alex Smith

What Brexit would mean for European Standards

March 2016

With an EU referendum set for June, organisations must now consider the implications of a Brexit seriously. Hywel Davies looks at what a ‘No’ vote would mean for the implementation of European Standards in the UK

The road to salvation – what can engineers do to slow climate change?

January 2016

Guests at the Rumford Club debate last month were given two contrasting visions of the future by Cat Hirst, head of learning and development at the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC). Hirst was the guest speaker at a debate on what the future might look like in a world of advancing technology and finite resources, […]

Max Fordham takes on Britain’s biggest Passivhaus

Camden’s Agar Grove estate is to become the UK’s biggest residential Passivhaus project. Max Fordham’s Bertie Dixon describes the challenges of building an 18-storey tower to the standard, and explains why the council is committed to the low energy code

Roundtable: What’s next for heating, cooling and ventilation?

How does our approach to services need to adapt to tackle issues such as climate change? A CIBSE Journal roundtable, sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric, examined the factors influencing the design of heating, cooling and ventilating – now and in the future. Andrew Brister reports

Thermal expansion and grooved pipe-joining systems

A grooved pipe-joining system is one method of accommodating thermal expansion and contraction in HVAC systems. Victaulic’s Larry Thau explains the technique’s design benefits and mechanical advantages

The balance of power – modelling a microgrid in Durban, South Africa

Smart grids offer the potential for buildings to generate and store power for future use. Mike Barker MCIBSE, of BuildingPhysics, says it will be the job of engineers to calculate the optimum level of renewables for a building to be profitable. He considers the economic viability of incorporating a microgrid at the Durban International Convention Centre in South Africa

What’s so attractive about magnetic refrigeration?

Magnetic refrigeration has the potential to reduce energy use by 30% and requires no refrigerant. Metkel Yebiyo and Graeme Maidment, of Sirach, describe the technology, its main applications, and the challenges facing firms trying to get the concept to market

In the spotlight: 2016 building services salary survey

Building services engineers are currently the most sought-after professionals in construction, with the latest Hays Salary Guide revealing inflation-busting wage rises of more than 7%. Roxane McMeeken asks whether firms can afford the sharp jump in pay