There was a sense of urgency at the fifth Build2Perform Live, as industry discussed how to respond to the climate emergency and accelerate the move towards zero carbon buildings. Liza Young and Alex Smith share their highlights
Category: General
A journal of discovery – The FT returns home to the refurbished Bracken House
The Financial Times returned to Bracken House after an extensive refurbishment. Andy Pearson finds out how Arup overcame the challenges of retrofitting a listed London building by creating a digital twin to reveal the services’ secrets
Down to zero – predictions for the year ahead
The government has set a ‘net zero by 2050’ target, but many industry professionals have committed to achieving this by 2030. We asked five experts what they are looking forward to in 2020, and what the priority will be to ensure we’re on the path to zero carbon
Film studies – retrofitting window film
A BIM library for window film will allow the technology to be modelled accurately during design, says Andrew Cooper, of Evora Edge
Factors affecting workplace satisfaction
A major occupancy study by Hoare Lea, with support from UCL, has revealed that cultural and organisational factors have the greatest effect on workplace satisfaction, while daylight, indoor air quality and thermal comfort are the environmental factors that have the biggest influence
Class control: optimising HVAC controls in schools
Poor HVAC controls can cost schools thousands of pounds in wasted energy. School teacher Chris Baker explains how he engaged with his students at Parrs Wood school to cut energy bills by £9,000 a year after extensive monitoring
Getting to grips with whole-life carbon
Research into the amount of carbon embodied in building services is scarce. Louise Hamot reports on an Elementa study that attempts to measure the whole-life carbon impact of building services
Alight and well: lighting for healthcare environments
Lighting of healthcare environments is moving beyond clinical necessity. Andrew Bissell examines the critical need to consider the non-visual, as well as the visual, aspects of illumination
Responding to an emergency: Building Performance Awards judging
The 2020 Building Performance Awards’ shortlist showcases the people and companies that are doing the most to head off a climate emergency by delivering safe and comfortable low-energy buildings. Alex Smith reports
Fit for a king: Using data to improve performance at 2 Kingdom Street
A forensic study of the data from 2 Kingdom Street in London enabled Cavendish Engineers to pinpoint energy efficiency opportunities, which led to big savings in gas and electricity. Andy Pearson reports on an exemplary project that scooped a 2019 CIBSE Award