A large-scale ammonia water source heat pump at the Queens Quay heat network in Glasgow promises to decarbonise heat for new and existing buildings. Vital Energi’s Lee Moran describes the scheme
Category: Case Studies
Case study: the challenge of reusing central plant at the £60m retrofit of 1 Finsbury Avenue
Arup reused as much MEP plant as possible when transforming a 1980s City office into a stripped-back space aimed at London’s dynamic tech sector. Andy Pearson looks at how embodied energy use at 1 Finsbury Avenue was minimised in a major £60m retrofit
Heating Cambridge’s all-electric Entopia Building
The heating demands of a 1930s Cambridge University building will be reduced to a minimum in a deep energy retrofit that will enable a small, all-air primary heating system to be installed, as
Liza Young reports
Case study: The House at Cornell Tech
The House at Cornell Tech is CIBSE’s 2021 Public Use Project of the Year. Andy Pearson spoke to Buro Happold to find out how an integrated approach to building services and façade design proved that highly insulated, airtight buildings can be delivered at scale
Case study: ASHRAE aims for net zero at HQ retrofit
Turning a leaky old office building into an exemplar net-zero headquarters for a high-profile organisation is always challenging – but even more so when that organisation is ASHRAE. Andy Pearson explains the approach Integral took to deliver for its knowledgeable client
From BBC to BIO: turning offices into laboratories
The growing life sciences sector is leading to more office space being repurposed as research laboratories for cutting-edge firms, including a former BBC building in West London. Andy Pearson reports
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
Agar Grove: measuring the performance of a Passivhaus winner
The success of Agar Grove at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards was in part due to the focus on controlling overheating and minimising plant heat losses. Andy Pearson finds out how the Passivhaus approach helped tackle fuel poverty
Box office hit: Why Mason Bros is CIBSE’s 2020 International Project of the Year
Mason Bros is an exemplary retrofit, in which new offices have been carved out of the shell of a 1920s warehouse. Andy Pearson finds out how the building in Auckland, New Zealand, exploits passive design and digital technology to minimise building energy use before, and during, occupation
Health provider: The Samson Pavilion at Cleveland Clinic
With significant variation in seasonal temperatures and occupant density, the HVAC systems modelled at the Samson Pavilion in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, by Foster + Partners had to be highly flexible. This was borne out by its recent conversion into a Covid-19 surge hospital, as Phil Lattimore found out