As the 2016 deadline for using BIM Level 2 on public sector projects looms, Martin Howe explains how Shepherd Engineering Services is adapting to BIM by improving supply chain coordination and integrating its software tools
Category: Technical
Back to basics
With some way to go before natural ventilation is completely accepted as a viable alternative to mechanical systems, Andrew Acred shares a simple model for implementing it effectively in atria buildings
Light at the end of the tunnel
Endless corridors, dingy waiting rooms and basement treatment rooms will be a thing of the past at Guy’s new Cancer Centre when it opens in 2016. Liza Young finds out how innovative service design has helped to create a blueprint for modern cancer care buildings
On a mission
Portakabin is using CIBSE’s TM54 tool to help predict energy use at a new Cambridge base for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Peter Rankin explains why the modular builder is taking an ‘honest approach’ to energy efficiency
The power of three
New CIBSE President Nick Mead joins fellow presidents Andy Sneyd and Stephen Hodder to discuss how institutions can encourage the professions to break out of their silos and become involved in collaboration. Ewen Rose senses a cultural change at the first presidential debate in Westminster Central Hall
Exposing the underground
The mass of underground services buried beneath our streets is a major hurdle to creating smart, resilient cities, say Nicole Metje and Dexter Hunt, who consider sustainable methods of managing 4 million km of buried infrastructure in the UK
Street smart
Local electrical power networks have the potential to slash household energy bills by half, but are being held in check by regulations on domestic energy management. A pilot project in Wiltshire is showing how modern controls, clever algorithms and more enlightened legislation could transform UK energy supply. Encraft’s Matthew Rhodes and Paula Quintela, of e2E Services, explain
For those about to dock
The installation of PV panels means more UK homes are moving from AC to DC generation. This makes electrical distribution more efficient, says Ian Billington, since most electricity demand in households – such as LEDs, digital devices and, in future, electric cars – are DC loads
Urban reality
Passive design for new London homes is being thwarted by external noise and the desire for glazing. Ashley Bateson says MVHR and shading are the most viable solutions