Travis Perkins’ WholeHouse digital design platform allows housebuilders to deliver efficient, repeatable housing to the latest sustainability standards, and includes prefabricated heat pump systems. Alex Smith reports
Category: Technical
Case study: Comberton Village College heat network
The installation of a new heat network at Comberton Village College is set to significantly reduce the heating bill and save 248 tonnes of CO2. Andy Pearson speaks to Bouygues Energies & Services about how two 500kW ground source heat pumps replaced oil-fired boilers scattered across 16 plantrooms
Protecting building occupants from wildfire smoke
With wildfires recognised as an ‘emergent risk’ in the UK, what can be done to HVAC systems to mitigate the impact on the health of people in buildings? Phil Lattimore looks at the worldwide effect of wildfire smoke
Fire and façades: key guidance
To ensure the fire safety of building façades, designers should pay special attention to firestopping. CWCT’s David Metcalfe highlights the latest guidance on this key area and rounds up the most recent information on designing fire-safe façades
A recipe for good IAQ: the impact of cooking and cleaning on indoor environments
Indoor air pollution caused by cooking and cleaning poses a significant health risk, yet regulations focus on outdoor air quality. Now a new project has shed light on the complex chemistry behind these activities. By Nicola Carslaw, Helen Davies and Benjamin Jones
A frozen fix: cold thermal energy storage
A patented cold thermal energy storage system from O-Hx uses ice slurry to increase the efficiency of chillers. The company’s Bob Long says a pilot scheme at a drug facility shows 27% operational cost savings
Hospital ventilation: can air purification systems provide relief?
Poor ventilation has been identified as a contributing factor to Covid-19 transmission in NHS hospitals. In seeking solutions, a study by Lewis Turner found that, while air purification systems reduce infection risk, they should only be used when mechanical ventilation is not available. Tim Dwyer reports
How the Airbods study hastened the return of large-scale events
A CIBSE award-winning research project led by Loughborough University made a major contribution to reopening large-scale events during the pandemic – and now the collaborative team behind ‘Airbods’ is bringing its learning to the wider built environment. Phil Lattimore finds out more
It’s a breeze being cool in class
Overheated indoor spaces in tropical regions pose challenges for building occupants, particularly in areas with limited access to air conditioning. A study by Dr Charles Munonye evaluates the thermal comfort of Nigerian schoolchildren in two building types to see if cooling is needed in primary schools
Part L vs Part F – Battle of the regulations
With indoor air quality being of increasing concern, there are innovative solutions that can be deployed to reduce the amount of pollutants entering buildings without increasing energy consumption.