The home of graphene

The first big breakthrough in graphene took place in Manchester, and now the city has a £61m facility aimed at developing the material for everyday use. CH2M Hill’s Ian MacAskill describes the challenge of designing services for the extraordinarily complex National Graphene Institute

No compromise – Passivhaus Enterprise Centre in Norwich

In aiming for Passivhaus the project team at the Enterprise Centre worked to the tightest of parameters leading to the use of 70% bio-based materials, a super-airtight envelope and minimal plug loads. Andy Pearson reports on the challenges involved

Light at the end of the tunnel

Endless corridors, dingy waiting rooms and basement treatment rooms will be a thing of the past at Guy’s new Cancer Centre when it opens in 2016. Liza Young finds out how innovative service design has helped to create a blueprint for modern cancer care buildings

Wimbledon ace

Mansel Court in south-west London is an exemplar office refurbishment that delivers comfort and energy savings for tenants, and potentially higher yields for investors. Alex Smith discovers that early input from building services engineer Skelly & Couch was key to its success