Joining the dots

We will emerge from lockdown to a sense of déjà vu. Covid-19 has not changed targets to cut carbon emissions by 2050 or the need to improve building safety. Hywel Davies considers how these ambitions interact

Air of authority: interview with Professor Catherine Noakes

Professor Catherine Noakes’ knowledge of ventilation and infection transmission has made her one of the government’s key scientific advisers on Covid-19. In recognition of her work, she was made an OBE last month. Alex Smith talks to her about the challenge of winter and the impact of infection control going mainstream

Emergency call: temporary Covid-19 hospitals

Arup’s modular emergency healthcare solution, CareBox, can be deployed rapidly wherever it’s needed. Phil Lattimore finds out how it works, and looks at how other designs have responded to increasing knowledge of how Covid-19 is transmitted

Distance and dilution: Hoare Lea’s Covid-secure headquarters

Before Hoare Lea started offering advice to clients about making their offices Covid-secure it looked at how its own air handling units could be modified to make its King’s Cross headquarters safe and comfortable. Hoare Lea’s Steve Wisby explains

Unwanted guests: bipolar ionisation in hotel rooms

Bipolar ionisation can improve air quality and remove odours from hotel rooms, says Spire Building Services’ Adam Taylor, who highlights research in Spain on its use to reduce the risk of Covid-19

Case study: retrofit of Fairfield Halls theatre

Fairfield Halls theatre in Croydon is a prime example of 1960s public architecture, so when Max Fordham was asked to devise a services strategy during a major refurbishment, it had to stay faithful to the original while maintaining 21st-century comfort and efficiency. Andy Pearson reports