From the plant room to the appliances and outlets, there is a lot that goes into creating a specification for a plumbing system in large commercial buildings. Valves are an important, but often overlooked, part of this puzzle. Eric Winter, RWC’s EMEA Director of Product Development (Valves), shares his advice on everything that a specifier needs to know when working on plans for large commercial buildings.

Matthew Blackmore, Head of Business Development at Armstrong Fluid Technology, discusses potential benefits in applying new approaches to pump replacement.

Caroline Ayres, Director at the BPF Pipes Group, provides some detailed advice for protecting drinking water quality in brownfield sites.

As modern infrastructure changes and water usage and demand evolve, efficient and reliable cold water storage solutions become increasingly critical. Cold water storage tanks consistently supply potable and non-potable water for domestic, commercial and industrial uses. Here, Tricel provides a helpful guide to enhancing cold water storage in modern infrastructure.

Jason Cox, Sales Director – Building Services at Wilo UK, outlines why cold water booster sets are becoming crucial to combatting insufficient water pressure in both retrofit applications and new build developments.

Andrew Steel, Managing Director of Airmec Essential Services, explains the importance of understanding the standards around duct cleaning.

Andrew Hamshere, MD at Sensing Precision, discusses some of the challenges of installation and how testing can be facilitated.

Specification of the correct thermal insulation for pipes and ducts is essential to ensure heating and cooling systems perform effectively.  Shaun Byrne of SIG explains some of the issues that need to be considered - and why it is wise to seek expert advice.  

Steve Munn, Managing Director at Hevasure, explores some of the common problems picked up by real-time monitoring technology and explains why early detection of problems and timely intervention can save huge amounts of money and hassle. 

Given the global rise in energy costs, there has never been a better time to review and assess the efficiency of your pumping systems – whatever their size, complexity or indeed sphere of operation.

Anthony Corbett, Product Applications Engineer at Geberit and a technical representative of the British Plastics Federation - Pipes Group, explores the benefits for installers and building managers.

Lee Halstead, Technical Sales Engineer at RWC, explains why push-fit technologies and product innovation play a vital part in delivering faster, safer valve installations that withstand the tests of time.

Sam Burgess, Water Reuse Manager at SDS, says wasting water should be as socially unacceptable as blowing smoke in the face of a baby. That was the urgent appeal of Environment Agency Chief Executive Sir James Bevan in his famous “jaws of death” speech back in 2019¹. 

Building Services consultants and other water equipment specifiers are encouraged to get fully up-to-speed with the Water Supply (Water Fittings Regulations 1999) with particular focus on the requirement of Regulation 4.

Split bands are traditional heavy duty pipe fixing brackets that have been used in the construction industry for many years. They are simplistic pipe clamps constructed of two pieces of formed metal, secured in two places with nuts and bolts.

Matthew Miller, National Specification Manager, Underfloor Climate Management (UFCM) discusses how to achieve embodied carbon reduction targets through materials, energy efficiency and product efficiency.

As Europump concludes its Annual Meetings and Joint Conference with CEIR and Pneurop in Brussels, Vanni Vignoli, President of Europump, the European Pump Association, looks at the EU’s roadmap for industrial support.

Offering quicker and safer installation, press-fit technology is proving to be a best practice solution for external gas supply pipework on high rise residential properties. Antony Corbett, Product Applications Engineer at Geberit, explores the benefits.

The University of Warwick’s Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (IBRB) is breaking new ground in building design. The £33m facility has been constructed with a cutting-edge offsite approach featuring Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and Kooltherm Insulated Pipe Support Inserts.

Viega has opened the doors to its ‘LONDON’ space in the Building Centre, providing a central location for showcasing products and interacting directly with visitors. 

Eschewing chemical additives in closed loop water treatment for a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative has long been accepted on the continent. Now, with the recognition of VDI2035 in CIBSE’s revised Code of Practice on Heat Networks (CP1 (2020)), it would seem the UK is finally catching up.

Grooved-end mechanical piping systems reduce the mechanical room footprint, enhance system performance and save time and cost on installation, says Shaun Hughes of Victaulic.

Adam Cafer, Advantage Technical Manager from Polypipe Building Services draws on preassembly’s benefits to articulate why it is here to stay.

Incidents of scalding caused by hot water are on the rise, but there are easy ways to minimise this risk, including tempering valves and thermostatic mixing valves. Here, Richard Bateman of RWC UK looks at the issues and the solutions, giving tips about correct installation and maintenance.

Preassembly is on the rise in the construction industry. Its growing popularity doesn’t come as a surprise given the benefits it has to offer including consistent quality, greater flexibility and customisation, and less waste onsite. Preassembly is making everything simple, offering specifiers, contractors, installers and architects a solution that is driving efficiency across a project’s supply chain.

Barrie Welsh of Hamworthy Heating looks at different pump options with the pros and cons of each.

As demand for increasingly dense racks and compute-heavy workloads rises within data centres, could this lead to a wholesale shift in preference from air-to-liquid-based cooling systems? Victaulic's Don Mitchell discusses the case for liquid cooling in data centres and suggests  installation is set to become commonplace in the years to come.

The construction of office and apartment blocks in UK cities may have stalled during the pandemic but, as the sector rebounds, a new era of ‘hybrid working’ means new office builds will have to create more internal space while apartments may be designed with home-working in mind. Jonathan Greenwood explains.

There has been concern about the skills shortage for years. What needs to be addressed to accommodate the industry’s growth and the significant changes expected in the next decade?

Despite the UK's departure from the European Union, the British Pump Manufacturers’ Association (BPMA) will retain its membership of Europump, the European Association of Pump Manufacturers

Antony Corbett, Product Manager at Geberit, looks at the challenges facing building services engineers during the material selection process and why multi-layered piping is proving to be a popular choice for the supply of heating and potable water.

A former office building in York is benefiting from thermally efficient pipe technology for heating and hot water from Flexenergy.

BSRIA testing shows installation speeds up to 79%  faster. 

Viega's new models incorporate intelligent connectivity that enables them to link wirelessly to a smartphone and provide enhanced functionality, such as information on battery levels, current pressings and number of pressings remaining before the maintenance interval is reached.

Viega Prevista WC suites now comply with the Regulation 4 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations of 1999 and have achieved certifications with WRAS and KIWA (KUKreg4).

A New Micronics, PORTAFLOW range with the latest ultrasonic flow measurement technology and Hydronic Liquid Flow Energy Measurement and a comprehensive data logging facility for the PF333 version.

Valves are an often-overlooked part of a building services system.

The FCZ-H range of fan coils announced by Aermec addresses hygiene concerns by sanitising indoor air using ultraviolet (UV) light. 

An update on the annual meetings of the European Pump Industry body, held online this year.

BPMA relaunches Careers website and CV database.

Viega’s Megapress and Profipress piping systems have been used on the extensive refurbishment of the Bertrand Russell Tower at the University of Essex’s Colchester Campus.

Grant Phipps has joined the company as Managing Director, Rapid Locking System Europe

The BPMA recently carried out a survey amongst members to help better understand how it can help and encourage companies to attract and retain more women engineers.

The British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA) – the organisation which represents the business interests of UK and Irish suppliers of liquid pumps and related pumping equipment - has refreshed and relaunched two of its dedicated skills development websites.

Whether accidental or intentional, fires damage more than just the structure of a building. They can wipe out millions of pounds worth of stock, destroy homes and the treasured possessions within them, damage hardearned reputations, pollute the surrounding environment and, in the most serious of cases, cost lives.

It may go against the grain, but I believe sole reliance on sampling as diagnostic practice is outmoded. The reason for this view is that these days there are more innovative and comprehensive ways to pick up the problems that lead to corrosion, allowing building managers to have better control of their water systems and quickly react to changes in condition, before bigger problems take hold.

Today’s HVAC system components are highlyefficient, but the key to overall system efficiency lies in designing specifically to exploit the part-load conditions under which the equipment will operate throughout its lifetime.

Trying to keep up-to-date with the ebb and flow of regulations that occur in the water industry is a challenge, and keeping abreast of the shifting sands of byelaw amendments and legal revisions can be a full time job.

MEES will put building services in focus as owners look for energy savings. Glynn Williams explains why pumps could be a good place to start when looking for better performance.

When it comes to great building design, space for piped services is usually not even on the list of priority areas. Yet tight space for services can lead to challenges when it comes to operation and maintenance. Paul Wightman considers how to achieve more with less space.