Arboreal Architecture was awarded Residential Project of the Year at the CIBSE Awards for its forensic approach to a domestic retrofit in Clapham. Andy Pearson looks at how a deep understanding of building physics enabled the design team to maximise performance
Category: Technical
Brains storm – Digital Catapult’s Hackathon
To mark the launch of a database containing information from the Building Performance Evaluation programme, digital, construction and property experts teamed up to discuss how they could use data to close the performance gap. Alex Smith finds out who stood out from the IT crowd at Hackathon
Savings bank – cooling at the Bank of England
A new cooling system has reduced the Bank of England’s carbon emissions by 717 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, saving it £150,000 on its annual energy bill. Liza Young finds out how it was achieved
Fan European – what the ErP means for ventilation
All new residential and non-residential ventilation units are now subject to the requirements of the Ecodesign Directive. Chris Jones, of Fläkt Woods, considers the implications of the new legislation on products designed for the non-residential sector
Max Fordham takes on Britain’s biggest Passivhaus
Camden’s Agar Grove estate is to become the UK’s biggest residential Passivhaus project. Max Fordham’s Bertie Dixon describes the challenges of building an 18-storey tower to the standard, and explains why the council is committed to the low energy code
Roundtable: What’s next for heating, cooling and ventilation?
How does our approach to services need to adapt to tackle issues such as climate change? A CIBSE Journal roundtable, sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric, examined the factors influencing the design of heating, cooling and ventilating – now and in the future. Andrew Brister reports
Thermal expansion and grooved pipe-joining systems
A grooved pipe-joining system is one method of accommodating thermal expansion and contraction in HVAC systems. Victaulic’s Larry Thau explains the technique’s design benefits and mechanical advantages
The balance of power – modelling a microgrid in Durban, South Africa
Smart grids offer the potential for buildings to generate and store power for future use. Mike Barker MCIBSE, of BuildingPhysics, says it will be the job of engineers to calculate the optimum level of renewables for a building to be profitable. He considers the economic viability of incorporating a microgrid at the Durban International Convention Centre in South Africa
What’s so attractive about magnetic refrigeration?
Magnetic refrigeration has the potential to reduce energy use by 30% and requires no refrigerant. Metkel Yebiyo and Graeme Maidment, of Sirach, describe the technology, its main applications, and the challenges facing firms trying to get the concept to market
Above and beyond – innovation in building photovoltaics
As the 2020 ‘nearly zero’ energy buildings target approaches, Liza Young explores Swansea University’s pioneering research into building-integrated photovoltaics, as well as its unique ways of storing heat for use all year round