2018 September

SPIE UK has been awarded the contract for the mechanical, electrical, public health and fire engineering services for the redevelopment of Regent’s Crescent. The works are valued at over £20 million and began in June 2018.

NG Bailey, one of the UK’s largest independent engineering, IT and facilities services group has reported a 14% increase in operating profits over the past year and seen its order book break the £1 billion milestone.

Industry has welcomed a recommendation from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for regulation of the heat network market. The Heat Network Task Force (launched by the Association for Decentralised Energy ADE) has been calling for regulation for some time.

The Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA) has welcomed the government’s response to the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) report on the how the UK tackles F-gas reductions post-Brexit. But FETA also highlighted the dangers of over-complication and lack of focus on the importance of training.

Over 10,000 ECS cardholders have signed up to become ECS Registered Electricians since the initiative was launched in October 2017.

An updated version of the draft London Plan was published and it includes a number of significant elements that will drive the city to drastically lower carbon emissions caused by buildings.

The Specialist Engineering Contractors (SEC) Group is calling on local authorities to protect retention monies belonging to SMEs in their supply chains. The SEC conducted a survey of local authorities to highlight their use of retentions and the lack of guidance on bestpractice.

The BESA (Building Engineering Services Association) National Conference takes place on 1st November and this year is designed to help BESA members build resilience during a period of economic and technical change.

The construction sector as it currently operates cannot meet the UK’s need for housing and may struggle to meet the requirement for infrastructure. And take-up of new methods is hampered by current industry structures and practices. These are the key findings of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee in its latest report.

“I have to admit that it’s hard not to feel a sense of deja vu when I read a government report that’s calling for greater collaboration and allround better performance in the UK construction industry. We have really heard it before from Sir Michael Latham (Constructing the team, 1994) and Sir John Egan (Rethinking Construction,1998).

The London Energy Transformation Initiative has already seen many of its recommendations adopted into the draft London Plan, and is now creating new approaches to help clients understand and achieve sustainable buildings.

As the House of Lords Science & Technology Committee produces its report on the benefits of offsite manufacture, the industry faces some tough questions about performance

After a year of extraordinary events and unprecedented change, the industry is preparing to gather at the Park Plaza Victoria hotel in London on November 1 to debate where we go from here.

With the sporting spotlight on Glasgow for the second time in recent years, this historic city is once again acting as a major sports event host, this time for the European Championships. These Euros, that will see 4,500 people compete for medals, are being split between two cities - Glasgow and Berlin, with Berlin hosting the athletes and Glasgow the aquatics, rowing, gymnastics, cycling, triathlon and golf.

Priva Blue ID, recommended by SCS group, is being used to optimise energy usage at every level of the Severnside Energy Recovery Centre at Avonmouth, which is in its final build stages on a brownfield site adjacent to Seabank Power Station and the former Terra Nitrogen plant.

The recent KFC project in Banbury, Oxfordshire involving Kinlochs and Son (KSL) demonstrated that a restaurant refurbishment often requires more than just a change of menu.

University Hospital of Wales is a major 1000-bed hospital in the Heath district of Cardiff. UHW is a teaching hospital of Cardiff University School of Medicine. Kier Construction, the main contractor on the project, appointed Whitehead Building Services to oversee the installation of new rooftop air-handling units.

A new Mitsubishi Electric e-series chiller system has been chosen for Jaguar Land Rover’s principal design facility in Worcestershire. The new system was brought in as part of a major refurbishment with the overriding aim of improving on the energy efficiency of the old system.

Building controls specialist B.E.G. has helped deliver an integrated lighting control strategy at St John’s College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.

Polypipe Terrain, plastic piping manufacturer, is to supply the water management system to one of London’s most recognisable commercial developments. The Kent-based business will provide its Terrain FUZE HDPE plastic drainage solution to the £150m 10 Fenchurch Avenue tower in the City of London. The building is due to open in March 2019.

Zumtobel Group companies Zumtobel Lighting and Thorn Lighting have made an important contribution to the sustainability credentials of the Spire Nottingham Hospital in Tollerton, Nottinghamshire.

AirMaster Smart Ventilation Units from SAV Systems are providing discreet ventilation for visitors to the Old Royal Station in Ballater, Aberdeenshire. The AirMaster units are embedded in wall panels with only supply and extract grilles visible, to minimise the impact on the station’s historic interiors.

On behalf of our media partner, Modern Building Services, I’d like to invite you to join us at EMEX where MBS will have a strong presence at the event bringing MBStv cameras along to film what’s going on and carry out interviews on their stand E11.

The environments where we live and work have a direct impact on our wellbeing, from our sleep/ wake cycles and mood to productivity and performance. Indeed there is a large body of research that convincingly demonstrates that the design, construction and operation of buildings have a substantial impact on the health and wellbeing of their occupants.

The failure of the smoke ventilation system to help firefighters evacuate Grenfell Tower is not an indictment of the way we design, specify and manage smoke control systems in the UK.

The pressure independent control valve (PICV) is widely acknowledged as a useful tool for achieving precise and reliable balance and control of hydronic heating and cooling systems.

To achieve the tough UK 2050 carbon reduction targets, a major decarbonisation of heat production in the construction sector is required. Smart controls have a significant role to play in reducing emissions and energy consumption, proposes Neil Bilton.

FETA’s A2L Working Group will run short course on the application of HFO refrigerants at the first IIR International Conference on this topic. The event takes place on 3rd September.

Desigo Control Point is the new embedded building management station from Siemens. It consists of touch panels in several sizes and of web servers that enable remote control of buildings from any smart device.

Warm air heaters are subject to Lot 21 of the directive and radiant heaters Lot 20. Minimum efficiencies for warm air is now 72% and radiant heaters is now 74%. These minimum criteria are applicable for both new installations and when replacing existing products.

Suitable for use in either duct or pipe applications where a non-standard length is required, the new Combined Air Duct and Pipe Pocket Probe from Resource Data Management (RDM) offers benefits including compatibility with industry standard immersion pockets and third-party products.

The new Marsh Ultra:Polulok (UPL) draws upon Marsh Industries’ extensive experience in the industrial/commercial sewage treatment sector bringing its outstanding performance and value engineering to the domestic sector.

From modern leisure centres and industrial premises requiring very large quantities of hot water, to rambling old hotels and education establishments wanting to isolate new boilers from ageing pipe systems, plate heat exchangers (PHEs) offer a host of benefits that are driving their increased use.

Since the MAGNA family launched back in 2001, we have been constantly re-visiting the range to ensure that it continues to encompass the many demands that are required of a modern circulator and can be used in various applications.

Panasonic Corporation has developed a CO2 condensing unit available in a 15kW model (equivalent to 10HP) and in two versions (standard/special coil resistant) designed for smaller convenience stores and many other refrigeration applications.

Toshiba Air Conditioning has launched an updated version of its VRF air conditioning design platform, DesignAirs, for use by contractors, designers and consultants. Toshiba Air Conditioning UK is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp.

Mitsubishi Electric has announced the launch of its new Air Handling Unit (AHU) range, the Wizard. Designed for the UK market, the new AHU range is perfect for those looking for a cost-effective ventilation solution that promotes wellbeing by improving indoor air quality.

The new AirMaster AM 150 Smart Ventilation Unit (SVU) from SAV Systems has been specially designed to provide efficient, draughtfree, demand-controlled ventilation in relatively small spaces such as offices with up to 3-4 occupants. The units are also fitted with adjustable inlet louvres to accommodate the room layout.

Armstrong Fluid Technology has launched the new Design Envelope 6800G boosters which are easier to install and commission, save space in the plantroom, and offer energy efficient performance across a wider operating range than ever before.

Evinox Energy has launched its new company website, which features a fresh look and feel and user-friendly navigation, enabling users to browse through their extensive range of heat network products and services with ease. These include a range of smart heat interface units (HIUs) and comprehensive support services including metering, billing, revenue management and service and maintenance.

Titon has extended its range of MVHR units with the introduction of the ultra-compact HRV 1.6 Q Plus. Designed specifically for the modular construction market, the new high-performance unit measures just 600mm wide, enabling it to fit into tight spaces for easy installation and access.

Elco Heating Solutions has introduced a new range of network interface units to satisfy the growing demand for district/ communal heating schemes. The redesigned Nexus range consists of 10 models, offering specifiers an extensive choice of products to suit the specific needs of a project.

Effective and efficient cooling and air conditioning are subjects that are much in focus after the record summer we have all experienced. This has put pumps, as they lie at the heart of any circulation system, very much in focus. When it comes to air conditioning, Grundfos have a long history of supplying reliable and intelligent pumps that guarantee the performance and effectiveness of a range of applications, that includes delivering the ideal ambient temperature.

The Rinnai HD55i Internal water heater is a wall hung, gas fired, continuous flow water heater capable of producing hot water at 820 litres per hour at a 50°C rise. The HD55i has a 125mm concentric flue which can be extended up to 15m, less 1m per 45° bend. As with the whole Rinnai range, the HD55i is ErP A-rated and is super low- NoX ready for the next phase of Eco Design.

Flir Systems announces the launch of the Flir One Pro LT, a new lower-price thermal imaging attachment for smartphones.

September traditionally hails the start of heating season, where thermostats click in, BMS systems relay information and commercial boilers fire into action to warm occupants feeling the first chilly morning of the autumn.

In the last few years, the energy management landscape has changed considerably and will undoubtedly change again in the future.

One of the key recommendations to come out of the Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety was for a clearer, more transparent and more effective specification process to put an end to cost-cutting compromises.

For commercial buildings, such as offices, hotels and leisure centres, a consistent hot water supply is a business-critical service. If a system fails, it can quickly force a business to shut its doors until a solution is found. Even more critically, you only have to look at the recent spate of legionella outbreaks in hotels around the UK to see the devastating impact a failure in water maintenance can have on a business. However, despite this there are still a large number of business owners who do not have a programme in place that meets the demands of their site.

Most MBS readers will be familiar with the phenomenon of thermal stratification, a frequent occurrence in high-roofed buildings where the natural buoyancy of warm air results in its accumulation at high level. Heating this unoccupied area of the space is clearly inefficient, exacerbated by colder air at high level being pushed downwards into the occupied zone by the warm air, increasing the demand for heating.

According to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), offsite construction currently accounts for at least 3% to 4% of the UK construction sector. However, the cost and time savings and quality control benefits associated with this method will no doubt see it grow exponentially in the next decade.