Awakening digital twins

Digital twins brought back to life in operational buildings could help minimise the performance gap for owners and occupants, says IES’s Don McLean

The X Factor: XCO2’s holistic approach to environmental consultancy

CIBSE Building Performance Award Winner XCO2 was set up to provide MEP and environmental engineering, which has enabled a holistic approach to building design, focusing on passive design and ‘barely there’ services. Andy Pearson speaks to co-founder Tom Kordel

Platform for change: insights from CIBSE Build2Perform Live 2023

CIBSE Build2Perform Live was a platform for industry professionals and academics to highlight the issues vital to the built environment tackling its net zero challenges while ensuring the safety and comfort of end users. Alex Smith, Molly Tooher-Rudd and Mike Sewell report

Going with the flow: how improved design can lead to better roof drainage

Traditional roofs in Japan were designed to deflect rainwater away from a building and these types of roof forms are an elegant and sustainable alternative to the pipework and guttering used now. Jake Cherniayeff says a performance-based design approach can achieve similar drainage strategies on modern buildings

Placemaking and performance: Chobham Manor housing POE

Chobham Manor development is a legacy of the London 2012 Olympics and now its performance is being assessed in a post-occupancy evaluation that’s likely to be adopted across the industry. Buro Happold’s Dr Mark Dowson FCIBSE describes the process and reveals the results

Maintaining performance: new CIBSE Guide M

A substantial update of Guide M with a focus on controls, competence and energy and wellbeing, among many other areas, has taken place. Lead author Joanna Harris offers an overview of this key document

On the same page: New Library at Magdalene College

the distinctive appearance of the Stirling Prize-winning New Library at Magdalene College was inspired by Cambridge University’s historic buildings and Max Fordham’s ventilation strategy. Alex Smith reports on the melding of form and function in Níall McLaughlin Architects’ elegant design

LSBU’s cool new hub

More than half of all UK building services engineers studied at London South Bank University, so BDP’s services retrofit of the main building on the campus had to demonstrate best practice in every function. BDP’s Laura Smith reports on the steps taken to transform a tired teaching facility into the collegiate LSBU Hub