Interview: Piers Heath – integrated design at Foster + Partners

Global architect Foster+Partners now has fully integrated environmental engineering in its design studios to optimise building performance. Piers Heath tells Alex Smith how scientific first principles are embedded in designs and shares plans to incorporate soft landings in every project

Ant Wilson: ahead of his time

Ant Wilson FCIBSE has been at the forefront of building services innovation for 40 years, helping to change how engineers design buildings. After his retirement from Aecom, Alex Smith looks back at a prolific career

Opening the loop – CP3 guide

Open-loop groundwater source heat pumps are poorly understood and little used in the UK. A new code of practice, CP3, aims to raise standards, say Phil Jones and Bean Beanland

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

In plane sight: ultra-high-resolution thermal imaging

Ultra-high-resolution thermal imaging technology is giving researchers much more detail on how cities are affected by high temperatures. James Richards explains how a land-temperature sensing project, led by King’s College London, could help assess urban overheating risk and model ventilation strategies