By Ed Palmer, CIBSE Knowledge Editor In a first for CIBSE, we released a Code of Practice on District Heat Networks earlier in the year that sets out what an engineer needs to know about installing and maintaining a heat network. But what is the code for, what is it about, and what is a heat network, anyway? To give us a hand, our Knowledge Editor Ed Palmer has written this handy guide to the code, which covers all this and more! What is a heat network? Heat networks (also known as district heating) supply heat from a central source to consumers, via a network of underground pipes carrying hot water. Heat networks can cover a large area or even an entire city, or be fairly local supplying a small cluster of buildings. Heat networks can be used to supply new buildings and existing buildings ranging from residential dwellings to commercial offices and public buildings. Indeed, a wider mix of building types is generally desirable as this provides a diversity of heat demands a...

It's been a big year for the Society of Lighting and Lighting (SLL) and now, as an early Christmas present, we have a bumper blog from its President Liz Peck . Liz looks back on the last year in the run-up to, and start of, her Presidency For me, my presidency effectively began in January. I was mapping out what I wanted to do, what I was going to say during "the speech" in May. By that time, I'd already decided I wouldn't be wearing a suit. I'd sounded out a couple of trusted SLL friends with mixed response, yet I knew I was right: I don't "do" suits. If I could be elected in jeans, I could give my Address in them too. In January, my previous 'stalking' of the RIBA President Elect, Jane Duncan, came to fruition as she joined me and John Aston in Paris for the International Year of Light launch. In February, my personal quest to engage with the RIBA extended locally too as I joined the RIBA Yorkshire Awards judging team...

By Lee Mullin, Beyond Design Follow Lee on  Twitter ,  Google+  and  LinkedIn Imagine you're in a beautiful sunny Florence in 1503, your name is Leonardo Da Vinci and you're painting the Mona Lisa, a masterpiece that will become one of the most famous paintings in the world. As you've only just started painting you haven't yet decided the exact pose or expression that the famous face will take, but the detail you have put into her smile is stunning and likely to draw the crowds from miles around. Fast forward a year to 1504, and the painting is still under construction. You've been struggling for weeks with the tilt of her head, but finally your eureka moment arrives – you know exactly the angle you should use. Unfortunately, your new plan doesn’t fit with what you’ve created already, so you dig out a new canvas and have to start the painting all over again. 'La Gioconda' by Leonardo Da Vinci Finally, as 1505 arrives, you'...

As part of the historic CIBSE YEN trip to Hong Kong, which saw all the major YEN groups meet together for the first time, CIBSE President-elect John Field travelled with them to speak at the YEN Conference. After the trip, John writes about the experience, and those to whom the YEN group is now indebted. The phrase ‘trip of a lifetime’ is an overused one – after all, it’s not often that going abroad on business or on holiday can actually change the course of your career or your life. But in the case of the young engineers who set off last Sunday on their visit to Hong Kong, those are exactly the kinds of stakes were talking about. The trip was organised by the Young Engineers Network (YEN), a worldwide group of regional centres stretching from Scotland to Australia that acts as a forum for ideas and a support network for engineers just starting out in the industry. The Young Engineers and I thank our hosts for a great trip This particular trip was even mo...

This week, CIBSE Young Engineers Network (YEN) are in the enviable position of visiting Hong Kong to attend the YEN Conference, as well as meeting fellow engineers and seeing some of the amazing buildings the city has to offer. All week, we will be bringing you blogs and Tweets from the days - which you can see by checking out this page, and by following #YEN15 and #YENHK15 on Twitter. Here are our Young Engineers' thoughts from Day 4! Day 4 Jason Smith, FHP Engineering Services Solutions So today takes us to Macau, the part of the trip I have been most excited about, as I knew we were visiting casinos! I'm not a bit gambler but after going to Las Vegas I became fascinated by the complexes for the their sheer size and complexity with many different activities going on at one time. We arrived at the Venetian hotel and instantly it brought back memories of Vegas, and the similarities were clear, I was looking forward to having the chance to see the inner workings of t...

This week, CIBSE Young Engineers Network (YEN) are in the enviable position of visiting Hong Kong to attend the YEN Conference, as well as meeting fellow engineers and seeing some of the amazing buildings the city has to offer. All week, we will be bringing you blogs and Tweets from the days - which you can see by checking out this page, and by following #YEN15 and #YENHK15 on Twitter. Here are our Young Engineer's thoughts from Day 3, after a day of field trips to some exciting facilities! Day 3 Sophie Wing, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff I feel extremely privileged to be able to be a part of CIBSE YEN and have the opportunity to attend the YEN Global Conference Hong Kong 2015. Filled with anticipation prior to arriving in Hong Kong the trip so far has not disappointed, our HK friends have been fantastic hosts and the itinerary has provided excursions, knowledge sharing and networking opportunities, with a lot more to still to come before returning home! The Young Engineers ...

This week, CIBSE Young Engineers Network (YEN) are in the enviable position of visiting Hong Kong to attend the YEN Conference, as well as meeting fellow engineers and seeing some of the amazing buildings the city has to offer. All week, we will be bringing you blogs and Tweets from the days - which you can see by checking out this page, and by following #YEN15 and #YENHK15 on Twitter. Here are our Young Engineer's thoughts from Day 2, as they reflect on a busy first session in Hong Kong! Day 2 Karen Settle, Pick Everard After a stressful few hours and a more than memorable flight setting off at 2am Hong Kong time we were pleasantly surprised to check in to our stunning hotel, and the first night was a taster of what's to come on our very intense itinerary. Here we are in Venetian hotel (Macau) and casino plant room one of the largest of its kind with over 13 number chillers installed based in banks to provide resilience based on the schematic at least 11 of these bank...

This week, CIBSE Young Engineers Network (YEN) are in the enviable position of visiting Hong Kong to attend the YEN Conference, as well as meeting fellow engineers and seeing some of the amazing buildings the city has to offer. All week, we will be bringing you blogs and Tweets from the days - which you can see by checking out this page, and by following #YEN15 on Twitter. Here are our Young Engineer's thoughts from Day 1, as they arrive in the city and let us know their thoughts! DAY 1 The team arrive in Hong Kong   © Jason Smith Carla Bartholomew,  YEN CIBSE Council Representative So, finally I find myself sat on flight CX250, anxious and exciting for the 11 hour journey from UK to  Hong Kong.  As I look around at the group of 16 young engineers preparing themselves for the trip  with vigour, I feel very honoured and grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of it. The HK Branch and YEN HK have been working tirelessly to dev...

As part of our coverage of the CIBSE Young Engineers Network trip to Hong Kong from Sunday 15 November, we are featuring a series of blogs from those on the ground as well as bringing you the best photos and social media activity. In the run-up to Sunday, we spoke to an employer about why they are sending their young engineer on the trip. S teve Dixon, Director of JDP explains : Why would an employer agree to allow a young engineer to take five working days to attend a conference in Hong Kong when we are very busy? That is the question that we pondered over when David Mather asked if we would provide assistance to him so that he could attend the CIBSE YEN Conference in Hong Kong in November. We already allow David to have time to attend CIBSE YEN events and to fulfil his role as Chair of YEN London and we have a policy at JDP of supporting the development of young engineers.   However, this would be dif...