News, information and guidance for building services and construction

BSRIA Blog: BIM: are we really the trailing edge?
Gary Ross of Capita Symonds guest authors on why the Building Services industry is perceived as late adopters of new processes.

This month's features:
- Commissioning planning from inception pays off
- Commissioning and handover’s effect on energy - case study
- Building manuals and building user guides – new guide
- Low carbon buildings need low embodied energy
- Colin Pearson awarded condition monitoring prize
- Acoustic testing - what requirements apply to your product?
- Soft Landings submitted to APPG procurement inquiry
- Pitstopping – reality checking process for Soft Landings

TRAINING AND EVENTS
- Understanding BREEAM training – includes 2011 updates
- Combatting legionella – H&V News event
- Water security in the built environment - IMechE event

Commissioning planning from inception pays off The best commissioning process is one that is planned from the project's very inception. Designing in the ability to commission systems properly from the outset can provide huge benefits, especially on cost and performance. > Read more

Commissioning and handover’s effect on energy - case study

Edge Hill University appointed a specialist consultant to oversee the commissioning and handover of their Faculty of Health building, and also to monitor the production of the operational and maintenance manuals. How did this affect energy usage?

> Read more

Building manuals and building user guides – new guide

Under Building Regulations, new buildings are required to have some form of log book. This guide will provide templates to complete a building manual and a building user guide, which will also satisfy the building user information BREEAM credit.

> Read more

Low carbon buildings need low embodied energy

If you want to consider embodied energy in your design, you need the Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE). Developed at the University of Bath, the ICE contains around 1800 embodied energy and embodied carbon values for 35 classes of construction materials.

> Read more

Colin Pearson awarded condition monitoring prize

BSRIA’s Head of Building Performance, Colin Pearson, is awarded the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT) prize for research and development in condition monitoring.

> Read more

Acoustic testing - what requirements apply to your product?

Acoustic testing is a requirement of the European standard EN 14511 and some incentive schemes. To help manufacturers meet those requirements, BSRIA has a new acoustic chamber for testing of airborne noise with an added facility to simultaneously measure thermal performance under real-life conditions.

> Read more

Soft Landings submitted to APPG procurement inquiry

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Excellence in the Built Environment is conducting an Inquiry into achieving best value in the procurement of construction work. In response, BSRIA has submitted evidence of the benefits of its Soft Landings initiative for graduated handover of new and refurbished buildings.

> Read more

Pitstopping – reality checking process for Soft Landings

There are some shocking gaps between design intention and the reality of some new buildings’ energy consumption. The Pitstopping guide explains BSRIA’s process to periodically reconsider critical design issues to achieve improved operational performance.

> Read more

Training and events

Understanding BREEAM training – includes 2011 updates

This one-day course will cover the important updates in BREEAM 2011. It is for anyone involved in projects needing a BREEAM Assessment and will provide a basic understanding of BREEAM, the process, the role of project team and how to improve ratings.

> Read more

Combatting legionella – H&V News event

In the UK there are approximately 300 cases of Legionnaire's disease reported annually with 14% fatalities. BSRIA is pleased to support Combating Legionella, which provides the latest best practice to prevent outbreaks as well as legislation and guidance updates.

> Read more

Water security in the built environment - IMechE event

BSRIA is pleased to support this seminar, which will examine current solutions and future technology for water collection and storage. Experts in the field will also demonstrate the sustainability implications of ensuring adequate water resources and systems are available.

> Read more