EWS APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED Nine apprentice engineers have been shortlisted for CIBSEs inaugural Apprentice of the Year competition. The winner will be announced on 8 October during an online Young Engineers Awards ceremony, which will also host the CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate and Employer of the Year competitions (www.cibse.org/yea). The award allows the CIBSE community to recognise the contribution made by apprentice engineers and those in the early years of their careers. The winner will receive 500, while those in second and third place will receive 300 and 200 respectively. See the shortlists on page 23, and for a Q&A with Apprentice of the Year chair of judges Vince Arnold turn to page 73. Student study bedrooms pose high risk of spreading Covid-19 Students gathering in study rooms in halls of residence at risk as ventilation rates are only designed for single occupancy Student bedrooms with limited ventilation risk spreading Covid-19 among students as they return to universities for the first time in six months, a senior buildings services engineer has warned. Max Fordham principal engineer Ali Shaw said study bedrooms within student residences are typically ventilated at lower rates because they are normally occupied by only one person. Those rooms are not designed for groups, he added. I can see why gatherings would make them a high risk. In normal circumstances, social gatherings would be OK for short periods, but these arent normal circumstances. Students should be made aware. At Glasgow University, at least 172 students have tested positive for Covid-19 in two halls of residence. A spokesperson for the university said the positive cases were largely caused by social activity at the start of freshers week. Shaw said students should be encouraged to open windows if possible. If there is flexibility in the ventilation system, he also recommended increasing the flowrate during the daytime, but potentially turning it off at night because of noise. ChapmanBDSP board director Jerry Lehane said avoiding transmission through infected materials and surfaces was also key: A non-touch environment where there are shared facilities is really important. Measures to consider include making doors openable, and changing to nontouch flushing and tap mechanisms. Arups aim is net zero within 20 years Engineering consultancy Arup is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030. It has pledged to reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions, buy offsets, and apply a carbon levy of $40 per tonne to flights taken by its employees. Arup said it would reduce its scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 30% over the next five years, from a 2018 baseline. It also pledged to buy Gold Standard offsets. Proceeds from the carbon levy will be used to set up an Arup Carbon Fund to support other carbon-cutting initiatives, including support for local community projects. While the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, it is crucial that we do not take our eye off the ball when it comes to reducing emissions and managing the approaching risks because of climate change, said Jo da Silva, global sustainable development leader at Arup. The greatest difference we can make is through the advice and solutions we offer our clients and communities from helping city leaders take practical steps to meet the Paris Agreement, to working with property developers to understand how digital technology can reduce their resource consumption. Indoor air quality deteriorates when working from home An analysis of home offices over 12 months has found that air quality deteriorated during the Covid-19 lockdown. The study, by UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, was sponsored by CIBSE, and monitored IAQ and window operation data in eight London flats between 2019 and 2020. Its aim was to find out whether the IAQ in flats deteriorated during Covid-19 lockdown, and whether the patterns of window operation by occupants had changed to offset increased occupancy levels. The research found higher levels of CO2, and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) compared with the pre-lockdown period. It also found that, despite the higher occupied hours, occupants have generally relied less on natural ventilation. Clean air good for health and wealth The UK economy would benefit by as much as 1.6bn if World Health Organization (WHO) targets for air quality are met, according to a new report. According to the research, which was commissioned by CBI Economics and funded by the Clean Air Fund, 17,000 premature deaths could also be prevented and more than three million lost working days regained. It also found that people would benefit from an additional 900m in increased earnings as a result of being able to spend more time in work, while the financial burden on the NHS would be reduced. Breathing life into the UK economy calculated the likely benefit to four major cities, with London receiving a 500m economic boost from meeting the WHO levels. www.cibsejournal.com October 2020 7 CIBSE Oct20 pp07 News.indd 7 25/09/2020 18:33