Category: Technical

Exposure to indoor particulate pollution can significantly affect health over a lifetime. Research by Dr Elizabeth Cooper and Dr Yan Wang suggests that the smart integration of automated windows and home air purifiers could improve average life expectancy by six months

The Department for Education is exploring how it can apply platform construction principles to create an innovative retrofit solution that can decarbonise schools and colleges, and facilities in other sectors. Andy Pearson reports on the energy pod concept

When spaces are cooled to uncomfortable temperatures, negative impacts are seen on people’s health and the environment. Tim Dwyer looks at a new paper that attempts to measure the extent of the issue

Blockchain is fuelling the digitisation of the built environment by providing a secure method of data exchange. IN2 Engineering’s Samreet Singh explores how it could revolutionise the use of BIM, energy microgrids and the circular economy

The germicidal effects of UV light were discovered in 1877. Now, in the shadow of Covid-19, an application of UV-C is winning plaudits and a CIBSE Building Performance Award. Phil Lattimore reports

Key to attaining a Nabers operational rating for a commercial building is the creation of a dynamic energy simulation model that closely predicts actual operational performance. Alex Smith looks at how Hoare Lea modelled Timber Square to achieve the UK’s first design target rating

Façades account for up to 30% of a building’s embodied carbon, which is why the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology is working to produce a new methodology to bring consistency to life-cycle assessments. Buro Happold’s Teni Ladipo reports

CIBSE pioneered the disclosure of building performance data in its awards, giving the industry a unique opportunity to compare and share. Julie Godefroy analyses figures from the 2022 entries and reveals how the process will be refined to provide even more valuable data in the 2023 Building Performance Awards

The CIBSE Technical Symposium returned as an in-person event for the first time since the Covid pandemic, with delegates given plenty to think about over the two days of technical presentations. Phil Lattimore reports

When comparing the energy use of air-chilled and water-cooled chillers, power used in desalination plants must be taken into account in places such as the Middle East, say Mott MacDonald’s Jismi Mohammed and Fergus Donaghy