An ASHRAE competition pitched teams of industry practitioners against each other to come up with the best model of a zero-net energy building. ‘Team IES’ won Best Energy Use and the firm’s Liam Buckley, who coached the team, describes the winning project
Category: Technical
Engineers cut lose as ropeless lifts enter space race
A revolutionary elevator that uses magnetic levitation to move horizontally and vertically is set to transform the design of tall buildings. Alex Smith reports on the technology
Giant strides – Cisco and Johnson Controls merge BMS and IT
Technology giants Johnson Controls and Cisco have merged the BMS and IT technologies at a Cisco HQ in the UK on a single platform, and are generating savings of £120,000 per building per year. Alex Smith reports
The right tool for the job? Testing the BIM Toolkit
The NBS BIM Toolkit is designed to help organisations reach Level 2 BIM, but how does it perform under test conditions? The CIBSE BIM Group used the beta version on a hypothetical junior school project and found issues that urgently need to be addressed. Tim Dwyer reports
Smooth transition – what the ErP Directive means for consultants
Condensing boilers have been mandatory in the domestic market for more than a decade, but it is only recently that the commercial sector has followed suit after the introduction of the ErP Directive. Bosch’s Pete Mills explains what the new requirements mean for consultants
Small and mighty – the performance of a fuel cell micro-CHP
Fuel cell micro-CHPs have the potential to make a huge contribution towards the UK’s energy reduction targets, but how do they work in practice? To find out, CIBSE installed a system at its Balham HQ. Alem Tesfai reports
Exhaustive research – accurate flue design for commercial boilers
Accurate flue design is essential for many commercial boilers to work at maximum efficiency. Jim Kinnibrugh explains how performance can be compromised
The final word – modelling fluid flows
Past CIBSE president John Swaffield died before he was able to finish his second work on modelling fluid flows in building drainage systems. Michael Gormley, who helped complete the book, explains why the author’s final contribution to the industry is an essential text
A higher authority – upgrading valves at Chiswick Park
Pressure independent control valves can offer extensive energy benefits according to manufactures. Frese has fitted 1,060 units to an office building at Chiswick Park, so Tim Dwyer spoke to managing director Stephen Hart to find out more
Build tight – ventilate right?
Indoor air quality in housing is being compromised because ventilation scenarios in Building Regulations are not realistic, says Strathclyde University’s Stirling Howieson, who co-wrote the paper that won the 2015 Napier Shaw Bronze Medal