Poor HVAC controls can cost schools thousands of pounds in wasted energy. School teacher Chris Baker explains how he engaged with his students at Parrs Wood school to cut energy bills by £9,000 a year after extensive monitoring
Category: Case Studies
Showcasing net-zero: Event Complex Aberdeen’s energy strategy
The Event Complex Aberdeen has a sophisticated energy strategy combining anaerobic digestion, hydrogen fuel cells and CHP plant. Andy Pearson talks to HDR | Hurley Palmer Flatt about the system design, which also produces hydrogen for a fleet of local buses
Conquering outer space: best practice in exterior lighting
A more nuanced approach is changing the face of exterior lighting, as Jill Entwistle discovered with a recent StudioFractal project in the City of London
Fit for a king: Using data to improve performance at 2 Kingdom Street
A forensic study of the data from 2 Kingdom Street in London enabled Cavendish Engineers to pinpoint energy efficiency opportunities, which led to big savings in gas and electricity. Andy Pearson reports on an exemplary project that scooped a 2019 CIBSE Award
Growing interest: using wastewater to heat Britain’s giant greenhouses
To minimise carbon emissions, developers behind two huge greenhouses in East Anglia are using heat from nearby wastewater treatment plants to provide perfect growing conditions. Phil Lattimore reports on the innovative engineering behind the facilities
Tap Inns and touchdowns: Inside Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium
The razzamatazz of the American NFL visited north London last month, when Oakland Raiders beat the Chicago Bears 24-21 in a thriller at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium. Andy Pearson looks at the remarkable engineering behind the 3,000-tonne retractable grass pitch that enables the stadium to be used for a multitude of events
Case study: One Angel Square, Northampton
Robust modelling and an intelligent redesign enabled BDP to retain natural ventilation in Northamptonshire County Council’s new offices. Andy Pearson finds out how collaborative value engineering resulted in a CIBSE Building Performance Award
Case study: Cambridge Central Mosque
Cambridge’s elegant new mosque has comfort and sustainability at its heart thanks to the involvement of the environmental engineer at the project’s inception. Andy Pearson looks at how Skelly & Couch’s creative design worked with the grand scale of the prayer hall to provide natural ventilation and daylighting for more than 1,000 worshippers
Force of nature – naturally ventilating Amsterdam’s Breeze Hotel
The 11-storey Breeze Hotel in Amsterdam has a unique natural ventilation system that uses solar chimneys and water droplets sprayed into a shaft to move air around the building. Andy Pearson speaks to the academic behind the concept, Dr Ben Bronsema, and looks at how his ‘earth, wind and fire’ theory became reality
Case study: Lark Rise, the UK’s first Passivhaus Plus
A Passivhaus Plus home in the Chiltern Hills establishes the ‘building as a power station’ concept and shows the viability of an electrical grid powered by renewable energy. Andy Pearson reports