Asbestos was a common insulation material in building services until the 1970s, and is an acute risk for those involved in the demolition or refurbishment of plantrooms. Robert Dwyer works with Mesothelioma UK to raise awareness of its dangers in the building services industry
Author: mollytooherrudd
Need to know
Since Dame Judith Hackitt first called for higher-risk buildings to have a ‘golden thread’ of information, industry has wanted to know what this will need to include. New regulations tell us more, says Hywel Davies
Countdown to zero: Build2Perform Live highlights
Decarbonisation and building safety dominated the debates at CIBSE’s Build2Perform Live in London. Alex Smith and Molly Tooher-Rudd find out how CIBSE and the wider industry are rising to the twin challenges
Alison Crompton: breaking down the barriers to zero carbon homes
The recent Building for 2050 report identifies key steps that need to be taken to overcome the challenges of developing low carbon homes. Co-author Alison Crompton answers questions about its findings
Why it’s time to talk about mental health
Understanding and addressing mental health within building services is essential. Three experienced professionals in the industry share their advice for integrating mental health support and policy in the workplace. Molly Tooher-Rudd reports
Current thinking: connecting a large all-electric housing estate in West London
To connect the all-electric Convent Way Passivhaus scheme to the constrained local grid in West London, the project team has reduced the load estimate by 53% compared with the conventional Rule of Thumb calculation method. Andy Pearson speaks to QODA Consulting’s Henry Metcalfe about how this was achieved
Don’t forget the Nabers
In October 2019, the government said it would consult on a scheme to rate commercial and industrial buildings on their actual energy consumption and carbon emissions. Hywel Davies looks at what has happened since
Striving for net zero at Foster+Partners’ Battersea HQ
After metering its Battersea HQ, Foster + Partners found that IT, lighting and small power made up a significant proportion of the energy used in the building. As part of the consultant’s road to net zero, Stuart Humber looked at four options for cutting the energy use intensity of office power
The night-time blues: the impact of white LEDs on light pollution
Light pollution is about way more than too much light, as Iain Macrae FSLL MCIBSE explains
Generation gains: designing a 5th generation energy network in central London
Bankside Yards is set to become the UK’s first major mixed-use regeneration project with zero emissions in operation. Phil Lattimore looks at the fifth-generation ambient energy network at the heart of the design strategy