SPONSOR CPD PROGRAMME Continuing professional development (CPD) is the regular maintenance, improvement and broadening of your knowledge and skills, to maintain professional competence. It is a requirement of CIBSE and other professional bodies. This Journal CPD programme can be used to meet your CPD requirements. Study the module and answer the questions on the final page. Each successfully completed module is equivalent to 1.5 hours of CPD. Modules are also available at www.cibsejournal.com/cpd Designing building services for maintenance This module focuses on the essential role of the design team in the effective maintenance of operational building services systems Reliable building services systems are key to building user and occupant satisfaction, health and safety, energy efficiency, operational dependability and longevity, as well as delivering environmental performance. Reliability will also afford more intangible impacts on business reputation, client approval and the wellbeing of the wider population affected by the success of the buildings integrity and dependability. Such reliability is contingent on numerous factors throughout the gestation and creation of the built environment as, come practical completion, the onus will shift to the facilities management (FM) team to maintain the high standards that were envisaged by the building design team. The majority of decisions that determine the maintainability of a buildings systems are made long before the building is finished. In the 1990s, Geoff Prudence of the CIBSE FM Group coined the phrase designing for maintenance to highlight the importance of actively considering maintenance requirements at the earliest stages of a building project. As noted in last months CIBSE Journal article1 by Joanna Harris, lead author of the recently revised CIBSE Guide M Maintenance engineering and management2, the guide is considered the go to reference for providing industry guidance to ensure appropriate building services maintenance management. The recent revisions provide a significant update and restructure to the previous versions, particularly reflecting recent changes in building use and performance expectations. This article has drawn on some of the key aspects of the guide that are most relevant to designers. However, the full document which is freely downloadable to CIBSE members covers these and other topics in greater depth, providing a comprehensive guide to successful building services systems maintenance engineering and management. The design team needs to create systems that not only work well, but which can also be easily maintained within the physical, financial, and ethical constraints of the building operator. And as noted in the recently updated CIBSE Guide M they must meet the primary interest of most clients, which is to have a building that works without any problems. While most people accept that engineering services need to be operated safely and efficiently, they also expect that the building operator will have trained, competent staff to do this. Designers should consider designs that avoid the need for a proliferation of specialist service companies, as this can improve the overall cost of the facility over its lifetime. Designers must, in any case, ensure that their designs can be safely installed and maintained, and should identify any areas where there is any risk associated with these activities. Designers play a critical role in the performance of building services systems and, regardless of project size, will be well advised to start by considering the questions in Table 1, which are taken from CIBSE Guide M. These questions aim to promote inquiry that is contextualised to the particular project and help ensure that the final installation meets its goals. Designers should maintain a good understanding of other construction disciplines, and be willing to share ideas with other specialists and www.cibsejournal.com November 2023 13 CIBSE CPD Nov 23.indb 13 02/11/2023 16:51