Technical
Black to the future: BDP’s ‘hygge’ office lighting design
There has been a shift to lower light levels and use of darkness in the workplace, according to BDP’s Colin Ball, who cites the refurbished…


How the Orkney Islands transitioned to heat pumps
Orkney Islands Council has been installing heat pumps in schools and public buildings for more than 15 years in a bid to decarbonise heating and…


Lochinvar goes for heat pump power
New product designed to minimise disruption by avoiding the need for wholesale changes to existing heating and…


Housing estate regeneration sets the standard for collaborative whole life carbon assessments
Contractor Bouygues UK engaged Darren Evans to work collaboratively on assessing the whole life carbon of 230…


Perfecting Passivhaus: Max Fordham’s experience of the fabric-first building method
Max Fordham has been designing Passivhaus projects for nine years, including two very different housing projects that won the residential CIBSE Building Performance Award in…


Dark matters: SLL’s Guide to protecting the night time environment
The SLL has published its first, full-blown lighting guide on illumination and the night-time environment. Co-author Benedict Cadbury summarises the new LG 21: Guide to protecting…


Embodied energy: the whole picture
New CIBSE research shows that embodied energy in heating and hot-water systems accounts for up to 25% of a dwelling’s whole-life embodied carbon. Elementa Consulting’s…


Unlocking the potential of heat networks
The rollout of heat networks are a key plank of the government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy. To identify the urban areas most suitable for networks,…


Designing efficient hybrid heat pump systems
Considering the optimal operational design conditions of both technologies is essential to maximise the efficiency of a hybrid heat pump system. Baxi Heating’s Ryan Kirkwood…


Rethinking the fan coil
The Artus hybrid air conditioning unit is only 200mm deep, yet it achieves energy savings of 83% over conventional fan coil units thanks to patented…


Making building performance visible
Making building performance visible is the aim of a new tool that tracks the impact of design changes on energy intensity and cost. Roderic Bunn…


Saving energy at a stroke in leisure centre swimming pools
Improved insulation in wet leisure centres not only cuts heat loss through walls and windows, but also allows swimming pools to operate at a higher relative…

