An ambitious project is under way to replace Bath Abbey’s 150-year-old heating system with low-energy underfloor heating, using heat recovered from hot springs rising in the nearby Roman Baths. BuroHappold Engineering’s Neil Francis describes the challenges encountered at the Unesco World Heritage city site
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Ten classic problems with occupant survey research
Findings from occupant surveys may not be as robust as researchers claim. Roderic Bunn highlights potential flaws in health, comfort and productivity studies
Without bias: How to design the perfect occupant survey
So you want to conduct an occupant survey in a non-domestic building? It requires more thought and skill than you might think, and good design may prevent you jumping to the wrong conclusions, says Roderic Bunn
Video: Regulation and smoke control – what must change after the Grenfell fire?
The key fire safety issues flagged by Dame Judith Hackitt after Grenfell were tackled by smoke control experts at a CIBSE Journal roundtable sponsored by Colt. Watch panellists discuss outcomes from the debate.
Fresh thinking: Importance of indoor air quality metrics
Indoor air quality is not easy to measure, but metrics must move towards environments that consider occupant health, says the University of Nottingham’s Benjamin Jones in his round-up of discussions at an Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre workshop on IAQ
From first to last – BIM at Birmingham City University
BIM data has been used at Birmingham City University, from concept design to operation. Hoare Lea’s Sadie Adams, Sabrina Gill and Alec Mabbott explain how they extracted full value from the project data
Cold case – the future of refrigerant gas
Short of reinventing the laws of chemistry, refrigerant gas choices in the future will be severely restricted, says Ewen Rose
Building services salary survey 2017
Salaries in the building services sector rose by a healthy 3.5% last year, according to the 2017 Hays salary survey, despite Brexit looming on the horizon. David Blackman reports on a jobs market showing strong resilience in the face of European uncertainty
In the spotlight: 2016 building services salary survey
Building services engineers are currently the most sought-after professionals in construction, with the latest Hays Salary Guide revealing inflation-busting wage rises of more than 7%. Roxane McMeeken asks whether firms can afford the sharp jump in pay
Beyond oil – Irena headquarters, Masdar
The headquarters for the International Renewable Energy Agency boasts a 1,000m2 PV array – but the real talking point is the 50% reduction in energy demand achieved after extensive modelling from the outset