All the latest news from around the building industry Shadow cast over historic estate The Boundary Estate New towers on the edge of the City of London are set to put one of the countrys oldest social housing projects in the shade. The Boundary Estate was built in 1890 and replaced Old Nichol Street Rookery, one of Londons most notorious slums. If seven proposed towers are built on its southern fringe, it will be in shadow for much of winter. The planned blocks at Bishopsgate Goods Yard range from nine to 48 storeys (right). The analysis was carried out by Urban Generation architect Julie Futcher and urban climatologist, and lecturer at University College Dublin, Gerald Mills. Much of the design for the Boundary Estate was designed to maximise light and venatila- tion, said Futcher. Ironically, the new development proposes a similar passive design methodology strategy. As it stands, areas such as the Boundary Estate will pay an energy price for a carbon-compliant new development. Read Futcher and Mills article on how Allowable Solutions could help. our time has come, say Fm leaders Clients are becoming increasingly comfortable about committing money to long-term building maintenance plans, according to leading facilities management figures. Improved planned maintenance strategies, driven by sophisticated software and online tools, are dramatically changing attitudes to service and maintenance budgets, a joint meeting of CIBSE and Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) specialists heard. Our time has come, said CIBSE FM Group chairman, Geoff Prudence. In the past, so many design compromises were made and buildings were built that we simply couldnt maintain that is changing fast. He hailed the collaboration of the two organisations on the new CIBSE Guide M, and its links with the B&ES service and maintenance standard SFG20, for creating a comprehensive approach to lifecycle building operation that dissuades clients from making knee- jerk, disruptive cuts to maintenance budgets. The use of the dynamic online SFG20 system is giving clients more confidence in the maintenance programmes proposed for their buildings and a clearer idea of long-term cost implications and risks. Clearer maintenance data is also giving clients the confidence to invest in a building in the first place, SFG20 product manager Tony Luck told the meeting, which was hosted by the B&ES London Region. BRE launches home rating scheme The BRE has launched a rating system to help buyers and renters gauge the quality and energy efficiency of new houses. The Home Quality Mark gives stars from one to five to properties to illustrate a homes overall running costs and its impact on health and wellbeing. The BRE said this system was needed because the average annual energy bill is more than 1,000 and more homes are becoming airtight, leading to an increase in respiratory conditions and other health problems for the UKs ageing population. A homes environmental footprint and its resilience to flooding and overheating will also be measured. SkAnSkA STArTS on nEW pApWorTH HoSpITAL Skanska has won a 140m contract to deliver the New Papworth Hospital project in Cambridgeshire. As part of a public-private partnership with the Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the company will assist in creating a new hospital the first in the UK to aim for an EPC B energy rating. Among other green measures, Skanska will install a large-scale ground source heat pump system to reduce carbon emissions. The company will continue to provide services at the hospital for 30 years after delivery. 25,000 homes sign up for RHI There have been more than 25,000 accreditations for the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) including homeowners, home builders and social landlords since its launch in April 2014. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Climate Change, Amber Rudd, said the scheme was world-leading and the enthusiastic response proved that installing renewable heating can be a real, everyday choice for peoples homes. Ruth added: The RHI aims to help kick-start the renewable heat market, to make it attractive to investment from businesses, as well as individuals, so they can enjoy thebenefits of renewable heating in terms of having warmer premises or homes, and lower bills and emissions. The scheme, which pays people for the heat that they generate for their homes, is open to homeowners, social and private landlords, and self-builders, as well as to households that are on and off the gas grid. Rudd called for more consumers to take advantage of the opportunity to gain payments through the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme. max Fordham shortlisted for energy awards Max Fordham has been shortlisted for the 2015 Ashden Awards, which recognise excellence in the field of sustainable energy. The practice is joined on the shortlist by energy-use management experts Demand Logic and Enistic. Max Fordham has been recognised for helping to influence the design of buildings so that they harness natural light and ventilation, and use energy efficient equipment, aimed at cutting energy use by 30%. Demand Logic and Enistic have been selected for their work helping clients to analyse energy use in buildings, to reduce their carbon emissions and energy bills. The Ashden Awards will be presented at the Royal Geographical Society in June. Winners receive up to 20,000 and are listed as Ashden alumni. Its exciting to see such a wide variety of initiatives that are finding innovative ways of spreading the benefits of sustainable energy, said Ashden director Sarah Butler-Sloss. ASHrAE takes on energy efficiency in buildings A newly revised standard from ASHRAE is designed to improve energy efficiency in refurbished buildings. ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 100-2015 Energy Efficiency in Existing Buildings describes the processes and procedures for an energy efficient retrofit, including appendices for lifecycle cost-analysis, as well as potential energy conservation measures. The standard addresses single and multiple-activity buildings with variable occupancy periods and identifies the approach for 53 building types in 17 climate zones/sub-zones. It also establishes the need for an energy management plan and an operation and maintenance programme. 40m boost for IoT innovation An investment of 40m for new research projects looking at how data can be used to improve city environments, health and social care, has been announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Internet of Things (IoT) where everyday objects connect to digital networks to share data will be a major area of growth, according to an Arup report which estimated that the global value of the sector will exceed 255bn per annum by 2020 and that the UK could command a 10% share. The funding will help accelerate new and existing UK innovation, according to Future Cities Catapult chief executive Peter Madden. He said: This is a wonderful budget for urban innovation. IoT will be a key technology in making urban infrastructures more intelligent and efficient, and investment in its use in cities will help stimulate UK businesses working on IoT technologies and solutions. budget backing for Swansea tidal lagoon Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said negotiations are beginning on a 1bn tidal lagoon scheme in Swansea, in his Budget speech in the House of Commons last month. The plan would see a giant man-made lagoon generating power to run 120,000 homes for 120 years. Talks will focus on the amount of subsidy the scheme will get from a guaranteed price for its power. After confirmation that commercial negotiations had begun, Energy Secretary Ed Davey said the five new planned lagoons could provide 8% of the UKs electricity for a 30bn investment, replacing foreign fossil fuels with clean, reliable, home-grown electricity. His department said the negotiations would establish whether a guaranteed price for power generated by the lagoon would be both affordable and value for money. London to issue 1.6bn contracts Eight firms have been appointed to deliver major public sector projects, worth 1.6bn, in London over the next four years. Education schemes are expected to make up the bulk of the programme, with each job worth more than 10m. The eight companies selected are: Bam; Bouygues; Galliford Try; Kier; Mace; Morgan Sindall; Wates; and Willmott Dixon. They are now awaiting the projects from local authorities, which will also include some healthcare works, civic offices and housing. bosco verticale clarification In the Bosco Verticale feature in CIBSE Journal of March 2015, the building services engineer, previously operating in Italy as Hilson Moran Italia, became part of Deerns Group in 2012. It is known as Deerns Italia, and was responsible for the MEP design at Bosco Verticale, including the groundwater network. The commissioning engineer on the project was Planning.