As we say thank you to all the supporters and attendees at the CIBSE Technical Symposium 2019 , hear from Timothy Newcombe , a successful recipient of CIBSE Technical Symposium 2019 - CIBSE-accredited Course Student Bursary, with whom we have had a chance to to chat onsite in Sheffield. It is a truly inspiring account emphasising the value of cross-sector expertise exchange and professional network engagement.  Recently, I had the exciting opportunity to attend the CIBSE Technical Symposium 2019, as I was the recipient of a CIBSE Student Bursary. I thoroughly enjoyed the event and I cannot wait to utilise all the information I learnt alongside the contacts I made. One of the main highlights of the symposium was a series of presentations by the Natural Ventilation Group in which they discussed methods of tracking and recording evidence of natural ventilation, attenuating noise within it and where to find documentation when trying to design it. Attending these talks wa...

There is no denying that electric vehicles (EVs) are now hitting the mainstream, in terms of  public acceptance and prominence. Indeed, EVs are nothing new and have been around in various guises. Many early vehicle manufacturers, including Henry Ford and Ferdinand Porsche, experimented with electric vehicles in the late 1800s and early 1900s as they were favourably received, particularly in cities where journeys were typically short. Unfortunately, battery costs made them prohibitive in comparison to combustion vehicles, which were also gaining prevalence due to the abundance of crude oil reserves being discovered. Eventually, the EV was consigned to golf carts and milk floats until relatively recently. There are several factors driving the recent momentum in EVs, including climate change acceptance, new legislation and the rapid advance of technological innovation, providing economies of scale and leading to more general affordability.  The choice of electric vehicles h...

By Dr Eleonora Brembilla, Research Associate, Loughborough University, Loughborough My name is Eleonora Brembilla and I work as a Research Associate at Loughborough University. My current project is funded by CIBSE and it is looking at how to improve the quality of solar radiation data that most building engineers use when running annual and dynamic simulations. It’s a very interesting project to work on, especially after I discovered that there is a lot of space for improvement! From early on in my PhD studies, I started participating at national and international conferences and I am really appreciative of their value for young researchers and practitioners. I believe that sector events, be in conferences or symposia, bring your confidence level right back where it should be: if you feel too cocky about your work, you’ll surely find some gurus from your field that will make you realise how much is still there for you to learn; on the other hand, if you ...

B y Professor Rajat Gupta, Director of the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development, Principal Investigator of WLP+ project, Oxford Brookes University Improving workplace productivity by optimising the indoor environment   Productivity levels in the UK are known to lag behind those of other leading economies. The Office for National Statistics has found that the average UK worker is 26% less productive than a German worker and 23% less so than an American worker. This productivity gap can be attributed to economic factors (e.g. poor investment, inefficient processes), but also human factors such as stress, health and comfort. We instinctively know that poor office conditions lead to dissatisfied, unproductive and unwell building occupants. However, until now the relationship between indoor environmental conditions and productivity has been largely studied in the laboratory. New research findings have demonstrated how improvements to our indoor environ...

I am a Business Development Graduate I am on the CIBSE Careers Panel I am helping to improve diversity and social mobility in the industry  Abigail Roberts is a Business Development Graduate at Colt International Ltd and sits on the CIBSE Careers Panel and YEN London Committee. As part of the #IamCIBSE campaign, we spoke to her about the work she has been doing to support the building services industry.  I work as a Business Development Graduate for a specialist contractor which designs, manufactures and installs smoke ventilation and natural ventilation systems. I have been heavily involved with developing the natural ventilation aspect of the business and devising the company’s sustainability strategy, whilst also developing key relationships with architects, consultants and contractors. With a background in environment and sustainability, I have always had an interest in how this can be applied within construction. For manufacturers, there is a responsibili...