Learning on your own might prove challenging when you have to ‘find time’ for it, especially when it seems so easy to just ‘do it tomorrow’ , or when you next have some free time. Here are three simple tips to help you focus on your online learning and make the most of the experience.   Create your comfort zone  Creating a comfortable zone to learn in can really impact on your level of concentration. Make sure you consider the following elements: Lighting. Is your lighting level right? Too bright and you can damage your eyes; too dim and you’ll start to feel sleepy You might also need to adjust the brightness of your computer. Positioning . Wherever you choose to sit – desk, couch, bed, etc – make sure that you are sitting with support behind your back so that you are comfortable and won’t feel stiff on in any pain. The Bare Necessities . Consider having a notebook and pen close, some snacks -fruits, biscuits and your water bottle so you can easily reach out for them if needed withou

CIBSE Knowledge has recently launched  Heat pump installations for multi-unit residential buildings (AM16) . We welcome its four main authors - Joshua Bird , Ilaria Ricci Curbastro ,   Mike Edwards and Iona Norton -  to share insights about AM16 and their work in building services. Because the delivery of heat pumps is so important in the decarbonisation of the UK economy, it was important to us that this guide would help people get their decision making and design decisions right so that they are designing and delivering successful heat pump installations that provide affordable, low-carbon heat to people’s homes. Mike Edwards Iulia Margineanu, Services Marketing Executive:  Thank you for making time to chat with us. Could you tell us about yourselves? Mike Edwards : I am a building services engineer and project director at Arup. I have had various roles with Arup since graduating including in our sustainability team, working overseas in the Middle East, a period as a resident engin

Meet Tony Marlow, the trainer for the new  Residential Fire Sprinkler Design: BS9251:2021 training course. His area of expertise is fire sprinkler systems. Tony has been a CIBSE Trainer since 2011 and is also a trainer for the online learning course Fire Sprinkler Systems to BS EN 12845 . Iulia Margineanu: Welcome Tony and thank you for making time to discuss with us your trainer experience and upcoming new training course on Residential Fire Sprinkler Design: BS9251:2021. Could you tell us a little about yourself? Tony Marlow:   I have been involved in the fire sprinkler industry for decades working as a designer, engineering manager, contracts manager, supervision engineer for the LPCB in their sprinkler installer approval scheme and, for the last 17 years, training sprinkler designers.  I am a specialist surveyor in the fire insurance industry and a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers. IM: What do you enjoy most about being a CIBSE trainer?   TM: Sharing my knowledge with e

This October, CIBSE Training will release a new training course on embodied carbon -  Embodied carbon in MEP design: How to use CIBSE TM65 . The course is based on the popular CIBSE Knowledge publication  Embodied carbon in building services: A calculation methodology  (TM65) , and will be led by TM65 authors  Louise Hamot,  Global Lead of Lifecycle Research, Elementa Consulting and   Clara Bagenal George,  Associate, Elementa Consulting .   To celebrate the launch of the course, we’ve had a chat with Louise and Clara - to find out a bit more about their reasons for creating this publication and the associated course, and about what it takes to be a CIBSE author and/or trainer. Iulia Margineanu: Hello Louise and Clara, thank you for making the time to give the CIBSE community a chance to find out more about your work as CIBSE authors and future trainers. What are your building services area or areas of expertise? Louise Hamot & Clara Bagenal George : Net zero, embodied carbon, mech

    F ull name : David Butler Area of expertise : HVAC Engineering (currently delivering Ductwork Design training) CIBSE Trainer since : 2021 Tell us a little about yourself I have recently retired from full time work at BRE (Building Research Establishment). I led a small team of HVAC specialists involved in designing and undertaking of physical mock-up tests, laboratory testing, site investigations and research and consultancy on the performance of building conditioning systems. This involved a range of practical problem solving and investigative skills covering conventional HVAC systems, including air supply and distribution, low energy and passive systems and heat pumps. Throughout my BRE career there was a continuous thread of dissemination of research and test information and knowledge through written reports and publications and oral presentations at seminars and conferences, including a fair number of CIBSE events.  Two of the most demanding but interesting projects I was invol

  Welcome to the new blog interview series from CIBSE Knowledge:   'CIBSE Knowledge - Behind the scenes: an interview with....'   Today we are chatting to Roz Burgess, the lead co-author of the  Energy efficiency in commercial kitchens (TM50) publication, released earlier this year. Iulia Margineanu, Services Marketing Assistant:  Tell us a little about yourself   Roz Burgess :  Intelligent Catering Limited is an independent foodservice consultancy that’s been running for 12 years and provides practical designs, solutions and guidance for commercial catering operations. My practical experience is backed up with a Master's degree with distinction in International Management and Design Consultancy and my thesis was ‘An investigation into the energy efficiency of mid-level restaurant kitchens’. My focus is to create more effective and efficient foodservice units that can meet the increasing requirements and restrictions of buildings, operations and services. Baking of all ki

Wondering what new training opportunities are coming up? Laura Ford, CIBSE Training Development Manager, talks to us about her new role and future training plan. Iulia Margineanu, Services Marketing Assistant:   Hello Laura, thank you for making time to give us a peek into your work and let us know about upcoming opportunities to look forward too. How about we start with you telling us a bit more about your new role at CIBSE and what’s your favourite part about it? Laura Ford:  I started the role in January and have been implementing a quality assurance procedure to ensure we are focussing on bringing in new training content, new trainers, and of course, putting in place a revision of content we already have, to ensure we are delivering training that is of high quality, up to date and relevant.   CIBSE is at the forefront of the built environment and I have been keen to reach out to those who are making a difference in the industry, so they can share their knowledge by providing traini

Saturday 22 May 2021 is International Day for Biological Diversity - a day of recognition for Biological Diversity. Globally we are reviewing our connection with the natural world and one thing is certain - we are completely dependent on thriving ecosystems - despite technological advances. The theme for Biodiversity Day 2021 is "We're part of the solution". In this post, CIBSE Resilient Cities Advisory Member, Derek Clements-Croome emphasises the dependence and importance we have on ecosystems. “Biodiversity is the backbone of life on earth” “It's how the planet continues to live” Comments from the biodiversity survey of respondents in Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London 2017-18 In 2017, the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham set up a Commission on Bio-diversity and I was privileged to be a member of this. This is an adapted and very brief summary of our work. Biodiversity is extremely complex, dynamic and varied like no other feature of the earth. Its i