From left: CIBSE CEO Ruth Carter, CIBSE President Vince Arnold, SoVT chair Michael Bottomley and Richard Goldsbrough, CIBSE director of membership
The release of the 2025 edition of CIBSE Guide D Transportation in Buildings, and the launch of the Society of Vertical Transportation (SoVT), marked two landmark moments for the vertical transportation profession.
Both were formally unveiled at a seminar in September, attended by CIBSE President Vince Arnold and CEO Ruth Carter. Their presence signalled the strength of CIBSE’s commitment to these initiatives. Guide D and SoVT reinforce the Institution’s dedication to technical excellence and professional recognition across building services.
Here, CIBSE Journal asks co-technical editor Dr Richard Peters about the update to Guide D.
Q: What is CIBSE Guide D?
A: Guide D is the definitive reference for vertical transportation within building services. Covering the design, planning, specification and operation of lifts, escalators and moving walks, it is an essential tool for engineers, consultants, architects and regulators. For more than three decades, it has shaped best practice and underpinned professional competence in the sector.
Q: What is new in the 2025 edition?
A: The latest edition reflects how the industry is evolving. There are substantial updates on: sustainability and energy efficiency, recognising global climate targets; digitalisation and interoperability, as data-driven systems reshape building design and operation; safety and accessibility, reflecting lessons from recent regulation and the growing focus on inclusive design; and advanced traffic planning and control, ensuring systems are resilient, efficient and adaptable to modern building needs. These updates reinforce Guide D as the go-to technical authority.
Q: Who contributed to the new edition?
A: Guide D: 2025 is the product of a remarkable collaborative effort. Elizabeth Evans (Peters Research) was managing editor, and the technical editors were Jonathan Beebe (consultant), Nick Mellor (Lift and Escalator Industry Association), myself Dr Richard Peters (Peters Research) and Adam Scott (Sweco; The Vertical Transportation Studio).
The editors are keen to acknowledge the army of authors and reviewers, past and present, whose expertise makes Guide D so authoritative. Also remembered is the unique contribution of the late Dr Gina Barney HonFCIBSE, who was instrumental in developing Guide D and the CIBSE Lifts Group from the 1990s onwards. Her contribution was so significant that it now takes a committee of one managing and four technical editors to carry forward her legacy.
Tribute is also paid to Ken Butcher, who has edited the guide since its inception, ensuring its consistency and authority across successive editions.
Q: The release of the new guide coincided with the launch of SoVT – what is this?
A: It is CIBSE’s newest professional society, building on the legacy of the CIBSE Lifts Group. It exists to support everyone involved in vertical transportation, from students to senior consultants, and from designers to installers.
SoVT is working in partnership with CIBSE, which provides professional registration pathways that recognise competence specifically in vertical transportation (VT). This fills an important gap; while vocational qualifications are available at entry level, there has been no dedicated route for professional recognition in vertical transportation design, consultancy and management until now. Membership grades span Affiliate and Student to Licentiate, Associate, Member and Fellow, with corresponding professional post-nominals: LSoVT, ASoVT, MSoVT, and FSoVT.
Q: Why has it been launched now?
A: The move from Group to Society was inspired by long-term ambition and regulatory change. As Michael Bottomley, outgoing chair of the CIBSE Lifts Group and incoming chair of SoVT, explained at the launch: ‘The Lifts Group has, for the past 30 years, been the backbone supporting CIBSE Guide D, and now the guide bears the name and logo of the SoVT. Our ambition is to become a worldwide hub for VT technology and the education of VT professionals.’
As the industry adapts to building safety legislation, sustainability pressures and globalisation, the creation of SoVT ensures that it can demonstrate professional standards and competence at every level.
Q: How will members benefit?
A: SoVT members, as part of CIBSE, gain access to professional recognition through: Engineering Council registration; accredited CPD to keep skills sharp and knowledge current; a global professional network of VT specialists and building services engineers; exclusive technical resources, including Guide D and other CIBSE publications; and events, conferences and seminars, providing networking and learning opportunities.
Q: What happened at the launch?
A: The official launch took place at Kettering Park Hotel last month. The seminar showcased the technical content of Guide D.
Vince Arnold, CIBSE President, welcomed delegates and underlined CIBSE’s continuing support for Guides and Societies. Ruth Carter, CIBSE CEO, set out the Institution’s growth and future direction, and talked about the significance of SoVT and Guide D.
Bottomley explained the transition to SoVT and its wider inclusivity, while Richard Goldsbrough, CIBSE director of membership, gave a presentation on the new membership framework. The event also featured authors giving a detailed overview of the guide.
Guide D 2025 and the SoVT represent two sides of the same coin: technical excellence and professional recognition. Together, they ensure that vertical transportation remains at the forefront of building services, combining rigour, innovation and community for the decades ahead.
Both initiatives carry the full endorsement of CIBSE’s Board, demonstrating the Institution’s commitment to sustaining and advancing this vital sector.
A webinar Introduction to SoVT Membership takes place on Thursday 6 November. Book online at bit.ly/CJsoVTweb25
For more on the SoVT: www.cibse.org/sovt
Guide D is available in the CIBSE Knowledge Portal: www.cibse.org/knowledge.
