EWS | DIGEST IN BRIEF Ventilation hygiene scheme launched The Building Engineering Services Association (Besa) has launched a competent person scheme for ventilation hygiene. It said building owners, operators and insurers were increasingly concerned about the fire risks posed by poorly cleaned and maintained systems particularly grease-extract systems in commercial kitchens. The Ventilation Hygiene Elite scheme is based on Besas specification and guide to good practice TR19. It involves regular audits of contractors work and a managed database of post-clean reports that can be used as an auditable trail by clients and insurers. Aecom goes wild in the country Aecom has opened a natural capital laboratory on a 100-acre site near Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. The engineering firm is working with landowners and conservation charity The Lifescape Project to bring back native forest and reintroduce locally extinct species. Over the next five years, Aecom will design and test experimental techniques to quantify, measure and communicate environmental and social change, using drones, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and space satellites. The project aims to regenerate tree cover to bring back ancient Caledonian forest, with estimates suggesting that replanting the whole site would store around 550 tonnes of CO2 annually. Castle secures 6m of work on uni project Castle Building Services (CBS) has been awarded a 6m package of M&E work from Bowmer & Kirkland, as part of a 32m project at the University of Central Lancashire. CBS has started design and BIM work in preparation for construction on the four-storey, highly glazed building, which will provide a new reception area, informal learning spaces and a student wellbeing support centre. The project, designed by architect Hawkins\Brown, starts in May and is part of a 200m investment by the university to transform its Preston campus. CCC wants overheating to be part of zero carbon push Revisions to Parts L and F would include consultation on overheating in homes The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has called for the issue of overheating in new and existing buildings to be addressed as part of the governments strategy for decarbonisation and improving safety. It said an overheating plan should anticipate the implications of both 2C and 4C increases in average global temperature and be integrated into policy for decarbonising heating. It added that at least 20% of UK housing stock was prone to overheating, even during relatively cool summers. The CCCs latest report identifies threats from overheating to occupant health and wellbeing in prisons, schools and the NHS, as well as in homes. It also condemns the current Building Regulations as inadequate on this issue because they are primarily focused on reducing the energy used by air conditioning systems. Revisions to Parts L and F of the Building Regulations which are planned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for later this year would include a consultation on methods for curbing the risk of overheating in homes that should lead to a vital change in policy, said the CCC. It advised that scaling up residential retrofit programmes is an opportunity to address overheating risks, while prioritising passive cooling measures will reduce the requirement for active cooling, such as air conditioning. The risk of overheating in terms of minimising risks to health and safety of occupants should be enshrined into regulations for new-build homes and retrofits, the CCC report said. This should be considered alongside an integrated review of energy efficiency and ventilation, and be included in the governments planned Future Homes Standard. 36m up for grabs in R&D competition The government is offering up to 36m in funding via two competitions for collaborative R&D and demonstrator projects aimed at improving construction productivity and quality. Both competitions focus on modern methods of construction, digital and whole-asset performance. UK Research and Innovation is offering the funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Funds Transforming Construction Challenge. In the first competition, Transforming UK construction collaborative R&D, up to 10m will be invested in projects that go beyond the state-of-the-art in improving productivity, quality and performance of the UK construction sector. Successful applicants must be UK-based and include at least one micro, small or medium-sized enterprise in the project team. The second competition Transforming UK construction demonstrator projects invites applications for a share of up to 26m for practical demonstrator projects in modern methods of construction, digital and whole-life asset performance. The aim is to invest in up to 10 worldleading practical demonstrators [that] must establish improvements in productivity, quality and performance of the UK construction sector. Applications can be made via the Innovate UK website and the deadline is midday on 30 October. 8 September 2019 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Sep19 pp08-09 News.indd 8 23/08/2019 16:32