An elevator that takes passengers into space may sound like the stuff of fiction, but Dr Bryan E Laubscher’s keynote at the 9th Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies reveals that interplanetary travel by lift is rooted in scientific reality
Category: Technical
Paradise forged – Heating and cooling at Center Parcs Longford Forest resort
Center Parcs Longford Forest resort required renewable energy generation, ventilation that didn’t harm tropical plants and a new €4.5m, 27km gas main. Andy Pearson reports
Object lessons – workshop on creating product objects for BIM
Ahead of the launch of a new competency scheme for manufacturers creating product data, CIBSE and the Society of Digital Engineering hosted a workshop that shone a light on the issues around creating product objects for BIM. Alex Smith reports
Chipping away at the data – optimising biomass plant at St Andrews University
A biomass district heating scheme is key to the University of St Andrews’ goal of being energy carbon neutral. Vital Energi’s David Wilkinson says operational data analysis is optimising carbon savings and ensuring a return on the £25m investment
Magnetic attraction – maintaining system performance with magnetic filtration
Helping to minimise the destructive impact of corrosion on heating systems will improve plant durability and efficiency. Adey’s Keith Thompson looks at the role magnetic filtration plays in maintaining system performance
Sounding the alarm – flammable refrigerant gas safety concerns
Air conditioning and refrigeration firms are becoming increasingly worried about the amount of flammable refrigerant gas being used by engineers without suitable training, writes Ewen Rose
Roundtable – key issues around smoke control regulation after Grenfell
Fire safety issues flagged by Dame Judith Hackitt after Grenfell were tackled by smoke control experts at a recent roundtable sponsored by Colt. Liza Young follows an in-depth debate on competency, guidance and whole life fire strategy
Fit for purpose – how best to keep cool in exercise spaces
Current design guidance for fitness spaces is not always optimised for comfort, according to Max Fordham’s Henry Pelly, who says people exercising keep cool more effectively when air movement is maximised
Acoustic session – eliminating drainage noise
Without appropriate acoustic drainage people living in close proximity can be disturbed by unwanted noise from neighbours, says Rehau’s Franz Huelle
Smooth operator – multi-layer composite pipes
Piping made from multi-layer composite pipe is a viable alternative to copper because it offers flexibility, speed of installation and the elimination of hot works on site, says Emmeti’s James Field