The new CIBSE Circular Economy subcommittee, led by Professor Philip Griffiths, aims to put circular thinking at the heart of MEP design and operation, encouraging smarter use of materials and extending product lifespans
Author: mollytooherrudd
Embodied carbon: Amazon’s mission to measure more
As the pressure to reduce embodied carbon intensifies, Molly Tooher-Rudd finds out why Amazon was happy to share in-house knowledge and contribute to CIBSE’s TM65.3, the methodology for uncovering hidden emissions in logistics buildings
A new chapter on solar heat at the British Library
The British Library’s ambitious decarbonisation strategy starts with energy reduction at its Grade I-listed archive in King’s Cross. Alex Smith looks at a solar heating and power project that generated more than 200MWh of renewable energy in 12 months
Travelling in comfort? How rail can learn from buildings
Good ventilation in trains is essential for passenger comfort, but how does it compare with air quality practice in the built environment. Ben Warren, of the Rail Safety and Standards Board, shares insights from a recent study
Day One at the CIBSE- IBPSA-England Technical Symposium
Professor Tadj Oreszczyn opened the CIBSE IBPSA-England Technical Symposium at UCL last month. Molly Tooher-Rudd reports from day one
Dancing on air: designing Sadler’s Wells East
In contemporary dance performance, attention to detail is everything – nothing should break the connection between the dancer and the audience, including the background hum of heating and cooling systems. Andy Pearson looks at how Buro Happold met the exacting acoustic requirements at Sadler’s Wells East
Testing the limits: lowering operating temperatures
Lowering operating temperatures will be essential if existing buildings are to plug into the next generation of heat networks. FairHeat’s Simran Chaggar drops the boiler setpoints in two commercial buildings to see how they cope
The unintended consequences of fire safety reform
Changes to fire safety rules are having unintended consequences that are stifling design and stalling delivery of high-rise flats, according to a new report by fire engineers and developers, who offer their proposals for improving the system
Tapping into efficiency: Passivhaus school’s point-of-use water heaters
At the Passivhaus-accredited Riverside Primary School in Perth, Scotland, the selection of point-of-use water heaters played a key role in driving down energy use. Baxi’s Andy Green explains how the optimal solution was realised
Power struggle: data centre design in the age of AI
AI is driving an exponential demand for data centres, which is leading to surging energy requirements, rising cooling demand and grid limitations. Molly Tooher-Rudd finds out how engineers are responding to sustainability challenges in the sector
