With the rise of Big Data in construction and design gathering pace, we have the opportunity to use measurable data to shape buildings and cities around their occupants like never before. Ever on the lookout for the next big technology in the field, the team at Innovate UK recently picked data-analytics company NquiringMinds as IoTUK Boost winners , and they're here to tell us what all the fuss is about. The Internet of Things has been regarded as the next step in our evolution for a while, but until recently we’ve only just started to realise its full potential. With the ability for everything to be connected and working in a smarter, more efficient way, it’s little wonder that innovators have been looking for different pathways to creating a platform to reap the benefits of it all. Step forward, nquiringminds , who won a Small BusinessResearch Initiative contract to develop an open data platform to help cities deliver key services in a smarter fashion. To put the

As the UK experiences its hottest September day since 1949, the Government signs a major new emissions target and nations begin to ratify the Paris Agreement, the focus on climate change has never been higher. As part of our look at how different built environment professions can improve building performance Geoff Prudence, Chair of the CIBSE Facilities Management Group , looks at what building performance means to FMs  The UK Government recently approved its 5th Carbon Budget, committing the UK to reducing its emissions by 57% relative to 1990 levels by 2030. This is an encouragingly ambitious target, but the Government knows it needs to stick to all its current measures, and introduce new ones, to stand a chance of being successful. Most of the hard work so far has been done by cutting carbon emissions from power generation, and the Committee on Climate Change has singled out the built environment as an area that needs to pull its weight. This will come as no surprise to those

Continuing our series exploring alternative methods of power generation, including Micro-CHP and Surface Water Source Heat Pumps , we turn our attention to photo-voltaics (PV). This week, we explore the work done by   Dr. Cynthia Skelhorn, Qatar Green Building Council and Dr. Maria Muhlbauer, UnionBent GbR, Management Systems, Germany in determining the potential of PV in the two countries. All countries and forward-thinking governments are aiming to address two main issues in developing long-term energy policies.  First, from a demand perspective, they must consider how to decrease energy consumption by implementing energy efficiency policies and technologies. There are several benefits to this; it can lower the Government's own energy bills across the national portfolio of publicly owned buildings common to many countries, it can lower the household and business bills of a country's citizens, and it reduces a country's reliance on imported energy, increasing that cou

LED lights are becoming more and more popular as a solution for local authorities in preference to older sodium and fluorescent alternatives, but what should procurement managers know before they take the plunge? Matt Snowden of CIBSE  takes a look. Having signed into law the next tranche of targets, which commit the country to reducing its carbon emissions by 57% relative to 1990 levels by 2030, the UK Government is stepping up its emphasis on sustainable policies designed to promote clean generation and greater efficiency. As well as a focus on renewable sources of power, these policies also include measures to improve the energy performance of the UK’s buildings, both current and yet to be built. It’s a sensible plan, because buildings make up a large percentage of the UK’s carbon footprint – accounting for nearly 40% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 70% of electricity consumption, much of which is produced by carbon-heavy generation methods like gas, coal and