To meet its net zero targets, the UK has to get to grips with carbon emissions in its ageing houses, and fast. The Welsh School of Architecture’s retrofit programme is doing just that and its pioneering work was recognised last month when it was named CIBSE’s 2023 Building Performance Champion. Andy Pearson reports
Author: mollytooherrudd
Accelerating change: digital tools and innovation
The use of emerging technology will speed the delivery of net zero buildings, according to CIBSE President-elect Adrian Catchpole, who was one of the speakers in a CIBSE seminar at the ASHRAE Winter Conference in Atlanta. Tim Dwyer reports
Imperfect harmony: ultra-low harmonic drives
Ultra-low harmonic drives ensure disturbance-free electrical power, as well as better efficiency and reliability, says ABB
Existing building stock – the elephant in the room
The UK has ambitious net zero carbon targets. That means tackling some 27 million existing homes and two million commercial buildings. Hywel Davies considers the importance of refurbishment
Circular route: New Street station lighting retrofit
To minimise embodied carbon in the retrofitting of nearly 900 luminaires at Birmingham’s New Street station, Q Sustain used CIBSE TM65 to calculate the potential savings of reusing existing luminaires. The firm’s Lovely Chavan and Yara Bekdache explain how it saved more than 163 tonnes of embodied carbon
How retrofitting minimises risk of stranded property assets
Increasing legislation and a rise in sustainable investing risks leaving property owners with stranded assets unless they act now to improve their estate. Mitsubishi Electric’s Dan Smith explains
It’s not just about the money: Hays 2023 salary survey
The skills shortage in building services persists, and if companies want to attract talent they will need to offer more than financial incentives, finds the 2023 Hays Salary Survey. David Blackman looks at the must-have perks for engineers
Arriving on Platform G: Google’s new King’s Cross office
Google’s landmark ‘Platform G’ office development will be arriving in King’s Cross, London in 2024. Andy Pearson talks
to building services consultant Atelier Ten to find out how a BIM model was used to coordinate the highly innovative buildings services design along its 330-metre length
CIBSE 2023 Building Performance Awards: winners revealed
An exemplary housing retrofit in Wales is the 2023 CIBSE Building Performance Champion. Judges thought the collaborative approach by the Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University could provide a template for decarbonising other existing homes
Efficient lifting: improving chiller performance
Reducing the ‘lift’ in a refrigeration cycle can cut a chiller’s operational energy use significantly, according to Trent Hunt, in a presentation at last month’s ASHRAE Conference in Atlanta. Tim Dwyer summarises the paper