INTERVIEW | STUART MACPHERSON KEEPING CARBON IN MIND AMID COVID-19 He is starting his CIBSE presidency under lockdown, but Stuart MacPherson FCIBSE is determined to reduce the performance gap and push for net-zero carbon in buildings. To do so, however, will potentially mean a radical rethink of how we work W stricter building regulations, for fear of inhibiting investment, said MacPherson, who urged governments to, instead, choose economic stimulus packages that reduce emissions through investment in clean technology and associated skills. High on the list of the Presidents priorities is to drive net-zero carbon emissions in building stock while decarbonising the energy supply. We need to embark on a much more ambitious programme of refurbishment of the existing building stock, combined with ways of decarbonising the energy supply to those buildings, he said. It is imperative that industry defines what is meant by net-zero carbon, MacPherson added in an interview with the CIBSE Journal after his address. Currently, if buildings use more energy than onsite Credit / Jennifer MacPherson hen Stuart MacPherson was named CIBSE president-elect last year, he did not expect to be leading the Institution through one of the most tumultuous periods in recent history. The Covid-19 pandemic has so far killed more than 300,000 people across the globe, and is threatening the livelihoods of millions as the world economy teeters on the edge of a precipice. The ramifications of Covid-19 have impacted everyone, and the professional institutions are, of course, no exception, said MacPherson, in his presidential address from his home in Scotland last month. I realise that many listening will have experienced the loss of someone or be enduring the stress of working in the healthcare estate or, perhaps, managing on a much-reduced income. CIBSE and its members have a crucial role to play in minimising the spread of Covid-19 in buildings, as governments slowly encourage their reoccupation. MacPherson drew attention to what CIBSE has done so far in response to the pandemic, including the publication of technical guidance for safeguarding buildings, and the advice given to government through the Royal Academy of Engineering and the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. He also highlighted the generosity of CIBSE members in the Hong Kong region, who raised 12,000 to send personal protective equipment to the NHS. Expert guidance produced by CIBSE will help form the basis of HVAC strategies drawn up by building managers striving to make premises safe for returning workers and school pupils. The future health of nations and their populations will depend on how well the rate of infection is controlled as lockdowns are lifted, said MacPherson. While acknowledging the severity of the impact of Covid-19, MacPherson is determined that the presidency should not be overshadowed entirely by the virus. A crisis takes our eye from other pressing problems, which also need action, and it can deplete the reserves of personal energy and hard finance that we need to deal with the longer-term issues, he said. MacPherson noted that, in a brutal irony, the effect of Covid-19 had done much to curb CO2 emissions, but he warned that other crises over the past 50 years had always resulted in emissions falling before they rebound to higherthan-previous levels within a short time. Governments anxious to stimulate their economies have tended to deregulate and delay things such as CAREER CV Born: Scotland Education: BSc Physics, MSc Building Services Engineering, MBA, PhD, all from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Career: Engineer with Premier Control Systems in the mid-1980s; researcher and lecturer at Heriot-Watt University in the early 1990s; senior engineer, then director at Irons Foulner Consulting Engineers from the mid-1990s; CIBSE Member since 1990 Outside interests: Field Judge for UK Athletics, and assistant Scout leader A crisis takes our eye from other pressing problems, and can deplete the personal energy and hard finance we need to deal with longer-term issues 14 June 2020 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE June 2020 p14-15 Stuart MacPherson.indd 14 22/05/2020 19:26