EWS | DIGEST STUDENTS DESIGN EXTREME DESERT TENT University of Nottinghams Jacob Barker Frost has won a challenge to design an extreme desert tent. Lewis Munyoro, of Coventry University, came second with his design (pictured) in a competition organised by the Ecohouse Initiative and the Extreme Lodge Team, and sponsored by Opus Energy, The winning tent is to be used by two climate change field researchers in the Dubai desert, in outdoor temperatures of up to 40C. The competition entered by 167 students from 50 cities in 27 countries was initiated by Sue Roaf, of Heriot-Watt University, and Joao Pinelo Silva, who worked on an extreme-cold tent project in Antarctica that has withstood two winters on the coldest continent on Earth. Chris Twinn, of Twinn Sustainability Innovation, who chaired the judging panel said it showed the multidisciplinary skills needed for even such a simple shelter. First building standard for neurodiversity Standards body BSI is developing the first building design guidance to include the needs of people who experience sensory and neurological processing difficulties. This includes conditions such as autism. The standard, PAS 6463 Design for the mind Neurodiversity and the built environment, will give designers, planners, specifiers and FMs information on design features which can make public places more inclusive for everyone, in particular by reducing the potential for sensory overload, anxiety or distress. It will address sensory design considerations, including lighting, acoustics, flooring and decor, BSI added. It is expected to be published in April 2021. Could paint kill the Covid-19 virus? Paint used by construction and facilities management firm Bouygues has been shown to kill a strain of coronavirus, following tests carried out on behalf of the manufacturer Airlite. University College London researchers found it killed a range of viruses, including human coronavirus NL63 after 15 minutes of contact. Airlite said it was confident it would kill the SARSCoV-2 2019 strain, too. But, there are currently restrictions on carrying out specific Covid-19 testing. Grenfell client in secret meeting Cuts reduced overall budget from 9.2m to 8.4m, including a 293,368 saving on cladding, the public inquiry heard The Grenfell Tower landlord held a secret meeting where he managed to secure a reduction of 800,000 on the cost of refurbishing the block, the public inquiry into the fire disaster has been told. Switching to cheaper cladding was one of the points discussed, despite lawyers warning that it would break procurement law. David Gibson, head of capital investment at the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, which operated the building on behalf of its owner, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, admitted having the unminuted meeting with the main contractor, Rydon, in March 2014. The contractor later agreed to reduce the cost of windows and change the specified zinc cladding panels for the aluminium alternatives, which have been blamed for the spread of the fire that killed 72 people. The inquiry heard that the cuts reduced the overall budget from 9.2m to 8.4m, including a 293,368 saving on cladding, which is equivalent to 2,500 per apartment. Gibson was accused of carrying out an improper and compromised process with Rydon by the inquiry legal team. Meanwhile, all the residents of the highrise Paragon building in Brentford have been evacuated after faulty cavity barriers were found. The problems were uncovered during a fire safety inspection of the building, which contains 1,059 apartments and is run by the housing association Notting Hill Genesis. It said it was working to uncover the full extent of the issues and that the cladding was also a source for concern, although it is not the same type as used on Grenfell Tower. Scalding cases on the rise The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) has warned that the number of contact burns from heating appliances has risen by 25%, and scalding incidents from taps is up by 9%. It has renewed its call for the government to make the use of thermostatic radiator valves compulsory in all homes. The latest figures from NHS Digital Hospital Episode Statistics for England revealed that there were 999 admissions for burn injuries caused by contact with heating appliances, radiators and pipes in 2019/20, compared with 797 in the previous 12 months. Children under the age of 14 accounted for 28% of incidents and people over 70 made up 36%. Hospital admissions for scald injuries from taps was up from 635 to 693 cases. CIPHE chief executive Kevin Wellman said the problem was being exacerbated by people spending more time at home because of the Covid-19 crisis. 8 November 2020 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Nov 2020 pp08-09 News.indd 8 23/10/2020 18:10