Engineers in the building services industry are faced with technical challenges every day. Often, these are newly emerging problems without a fast-fix solution, so present without an archive of evidence for guidance on how to move forward.
Research fills the gap between addressing present industrial challenges and looking ahead to account for the future evolution of these implementations.
With our rapidly changing climate, advances in the implementation of smart buildings, IoT, and the increased availability of data, our buildings need to scale and respond to changes while maintaining their resilience for the future. This can be tricky to achieve when faced with changing government policies and geopolitical tensions, and requires dedication and commitment from building services engineers.
CIBSE is leading on, and advocating for, cutting-edge research that will address these challenges, engaging with engineers, designers, academia and government to shape the built environment’s future trajectory.
The Institution’s current research portfolio includes projects on energy benchmarking to compare and optimise consumption rates; noise mapping for heat pumps, to facilitate better placement for widespread deployment; and the creation of international weather files to account for our changing climate and more accurately model overheating in homes and office spaces. For a more detailed overview of our research projects.
Broadly, CIBSE is concentrating on aligning its research outputs with the following key research themes: circular economy; climate adaptation; digital engineering; health, wellbeing and safety; net zero carbon; retrofit and refurbishment; and smart buildings (see panel, ‘Research focus’). It often partners on projects to extend the scope and expertise of the research proposals, and we encourage external applications outlining novel and relevant topics that can contribute to a sustainable built environment.
There are many benefits to engaging in CIBSE research collaborations, not least of which is the opportunity to broaden the knowledge base on engineering topics and principles.
CIBSE exists to support the science, art and practice of building services engineering by giving our members and the public first-class information. We publish guidance and codes that provide best-practice advice and that are recognised internationally as authoritative.
CIBSE also has two technical journals, published in partnership with Sage. These are available online for free with CIBSE membership: Building Services Engineering Research and Technology and Lighting Research and Technology
If you are interested in submitting a research proposal, follow the link on the webpage Propose a Project or contact Technical@cibse.org
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kate Turley, CIBSE research manager
Circular economy: Eliminating waste through resource efficiency, standardisation and modern methods of construction. Designing, maintaining and upgrading systems and buildings with reuse in mind. Climate adaptation: Enabling buildings to be resilient against the impacts of climate change. Providing design and weather data based on the latest climate science, and considering appropriate design life. Digital engineering: Developing appropriate tools and guidance to realise the benefits of BIM. Providing digital tools for engineers, and supporting development of parametric and AI tools. Health, wellbeing and safety: Exploring how buildings contribute to health and wellbeing, and IAQ, while adhering to energy efficiency targets. Providing guidance with safety at the forefront. Net zero carbon: Providing guidance on how to design net zero carbon buildings, in construction and operation. Considering whole life carbon in building services systems. Retrofit and refurbishment: Focusing on improving the energy and environmental performance of existing building stock. Smart buildings: Giving clear guidance and measures on smart building design and integration.Research