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
Author: mollytooherrudd
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
No-brainer: creating a competence framework for sustainability
Developed as part of CIC’s Climate Action Plan, the Competence Framework for Sustainability lays the foundation for industry-wide standards that embed sustainability into the roles of professionals. The Edge’s Simon Foxell explains
The ties that bind: CIBSE and ASHRAE’s special relationship
Uncertainty over America’s international relationships may have been the backdrop to the ASHRAE Winter Conference, but CIBSE and its US counterparts continue to work together on key decarbonisation projects
Turning waste into warmth: how data centres can heat tomorrow’s cities
Aecom has helped develop a vast energy centre in West London that will pipe waste heat from data centres into 10,000 new homes and existing businesses via a heat network. The company’s Asad Kwaja looks at the ‘architecture’ behind the design
Race to net zero: why schools must act now
UK schools produce 2% of UK carbon emissions, yet retrofits lag behind net zero targets. Professor Dejan Mumovic FCIBSE explains to Alex Smith how large-scale models can accelerate decarbonisation while minimising overheating risk
What SAP’s replacement means for future homes
The model set to replace SAP for home energy assessments is designed to work dynamically with new-era technologies such as energy storage, advanced control systems and dynamic tariffs. Sustenic’s John Henderson and Jose Ortiz FCIBSE highlight the potential of the Home Energy Model