EWS | DIGEST IN BRIEF Allford triumphs after controversial RIBA election MANUAL AIMS TO DEMYSTIFY BUILDING REGULATIONS Simon Allford has been chosen as the 78th president of RIBA after another headline-grabbing election. Formerly fiercely critical of the body, he secured 58% of members ballots in the fourth stage of the voting process, although the turnout was just 13.2%. He becomes president-elect and will step up to president in September 2021. Allford is a visiting professor at Harvard and a trustee of the London School of Architecture. He is cofounder of the practice AHMM, the fifth largest in the UK. Earlier this year, he launched a full-blooded attack on the institution, calling for architects to storm the asylum. After his election, he said it was a privilege to have been elected and I look forward to working with members, council, board and staff to create a leaner, more open, productive, engaged and reinvigorated RIBA. Positivity on the up among architects Architects are feeling more positive about the future, according to the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index, which rose to +3 in July, up from a rock bottom -17 in June. The index revealed that 31% of practices expect their workloads to increase, 42% said they would stay the same, and just 28% anticipate another fall. The private housing sectors score rose to +17, from -3 in June, while the commercial sector was also up, but remained negative, at -15 from -32, and the public sector reached -4 from -12. Fox takes over as BESA head of technical The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has appointed Graeme Fox as its new head of technical. He will also continue in his current role as head of the F-Gas register Refcom. The building services sector is facing multiple challenges on several fronts, including achieving our low carbon commitments against a background of increased demands for proof of competency and compliance, Fox said. I look forward to driving the technical agenda for our members, ensuring their expertise is sought and their voices heard. The government has published a Manual to the Building Regulations in a bid to make the rules governing construction clearer to clients and the supply chain. It includes an overview of the current Building Regulations and Approved Documents, and an explanation of the current system of building control. CIBSEs technical director Hywel Davies said: It is a PDF that every engineer should have easy access to. The government has also merged all the Building Regulations Approved Documents into one PDF. Both documents are available at bit.ly/3iXuIql Airflow key to cutting risk Research published by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has highlighted the importance of ventilation systems in reducing the risk faced by healthcare workers of infection from airborne viruses, such as Covid-19. Reducing aerosol infection risk in hospital patient care was produced by researchers from Leicester NHS Trust and Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland. It found that ventilation that mixes air increases exposure levels from air breathed out by a patient by up to six times when a healthcare worker is bending over a bed to carry out treatment. Systems designed to force air downwards reduce exposure by a third. However, the study said careful consideration of how to design and position this type of system was needed to minimise the possibility of draughts and discomfort for patients. The position of the exhaust was also found to be important, as most can only capture air from a short distance and cannot control room airflows. In the study, the most effective exhaust positions were found to be in the wall behind the patients bed, or in the lighting panel above and behind the patient. Dr Julian Tang, consultant virologist at Leicester NHS Trust, said ventilation engineering was the most effective level of control. The research has shown that there are certain types of ventilation beyond just different speed and volume that can benefit healthcare workers better without being detrimental to the patient. A group of UK-based researchers has tried to quantify the transmission risk of airborne Covid-19 according to activity and type of indoor space. They show how the risk of infection falls as ventilation rates are increased (see page 32). Coronavirus HVAC guidance updated ASHRAEs Epidemic Task Force has updated its guidance for operating HVAC systems to help reduce the risk of transmission of the Covid-19 virus in reopening buildings. The publication covers commissioning and systems analysis issues, including increased filtration, air-cleaning strategies, domestic and plumbing water systems, and overall improvements needed to reduce transmission risk. It advises on pre- and post-occupancy flushing of rooms with outdoor air to ensure that infectious aerosol in the building is removed before the next occupied period. The building should be flushed for long enough to reduce concentration of airborne infectious particles by 95%, the guidance says. The document also considers energy recovery ventilation (ERV) and whether a system using an energy wheel is well designed and maintained and, therefore, able to remain in operation. It may be possible to fix ERV problems and return the system to service, says ASHRAE. To view the guidance, visit ashrae.org/COVID-19 The latest CIBSE Guidance on Covid-19 includes version 3 of Covid-19 ventilation guidance, published in July, and Lift use and occupancy guidance, published in June. All guides are available at www.cibse.org/Coronavirus 8 September 2020 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE September 2020 p08 News.indd 8 21/08/2020 14:35