The headquarters for the International Renewable Energy Agency boasts a 1,000m2 PV array – but the real talking point is the 50% reduction in energy demand achieved after extensive modelling from the outset
Author: Alex Smith
Light and shade – Siemens Middle Eastern headquarters
Masdar, in Abu Dhabi, is designed to showcase green technologies in the Middle East. Andy Pearson looks at how the city’s masterplan helped determine Aecom’s passive-first strategy in this Leed Platinum exemplar scheme
Regeneration must not wipeout communities
Parachuting eco-communities into cities can damage the social fabric says Kirsten Henson
Down to zero – winner of Ashrae modelling competition
An ASHRAE competition pitched teams of industry practitioners against each other to come up with the best model of a zero-net energy building. ‘Team IES’ won Best Energy Use and the firm’s Liam Buckley, who coached the team, describes the winning project
Cost model: High-end apartment fit-out
A new series of cost models by Aecom begins with an indepth look at the costs of building services in high-end apartment blocks – this make up a considerable part of the central London construction market
Engineers cut lose as ropeless lifts enter space race
A revolutionary elevator that uses magnetic levitation to move horizontally and vertically is set to transform the design of tall buildings. Alex Smith reports on the technology
Beyond Oil – Irena Headquarters Masdar
The headquarters for the International Renewable Energy Agency boasts a huge PV array – but the real talking point is the 50% reduction in energy demand achieved after extensive modelling from the outset
Guaranteed performance – Somerset House’s risk-free services retrofit
London’s Somerset House comes to life in winter. Its illuminated neoclassical façades form a sparkling backdrop to the open-air ice-rink that, each year, attracts thousands of pre-Christmas revellers. Until the end of the 20th century, it was a more austere place, housing many government departments, including the Inland Revenue. That changed in the 1990s, when […]