In his second report on the results of the Innovate UK Building Performance Evaluation programme, Richard John looks at why new homes rarely perform as well as their designers expect
Author: lyoung
Enough is enough – Ecobuild coverage
This year’s Ecobuild conference had plenty to inspire delegates – from electric vehicles powering homes to 3D printing on Mars – but the most important debates were over building performance and how the industry could organise itself to improve its buildings
Money for new hope – apprenticeships
From next year, large employers will pay a levy to support apprenticeships that aim to alleviate the skills shortage – so will they, and their potential trainees, get a good return on their investment? Roxane McMeeken finds out
Cost model – commercial offices, central London
The demand for high-grade office space in London continues to outstrip supply. Aecom looks at the capital cost of building services for the shell and core – and fit out – of a central London office
Leading lights – CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2016 winners
Waterman Building Services was named Carbon Champion after picking up an award for the Everyman Theatre. Liza Young speaks to the engineer and other winners from the event
Horses for courses – services at the new Cheltenham Racecourse grandstand
M&E services in Cheltenham Racecourse’s new £45m grandstand had to be controlled zonally if parts of the building were to be hired out for weddings and other non-racing events. Luckily, the engineers didn’t fall at the first…
Brains storm – Digital Catapult’s Hackathon
To mark the launch of a database containing information from the Building Performance Evaluation programme, digital, construction and property experts teamed up to discuss how they could use data to close the performance gap. Alex Smith finds out who stood out from the IT crowd at Hackathon
Savings bank – cooling at the Bank of England
A new cooling system has reduced the Bank of England’s carbon emissions by 717 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, saving it £150,000 on its annual energy bill. Liza Young finds out how it was achieved
ISO tonic for energy use – the benefits of using standard ISO 50001
Standard ISO 50001 allows organisations continually to monitor their energy use, and has helped businesses make substantial cuts to their fuel bills. A CIBSE certification briefing discussed the standard’s benefits and how it could be used to comply with ESOS. Alex Smith reports
Fan European – what the ErP means for ventilation
All new residential and non-residential ventilation units are now subject to the requirements of the Ecodesign Directive. Chris Jones, of Fläkt Woods, considers the implications of the new legislation on products designed for the non-residential sector