Welcome to the autumn edition of Delta T
It is a whole new world that we have embraced over the last 6 months. Following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, we have altered the way we live our lives to an extent that has profound implications for our industry. Buildings, that were already under scrutiny for their role in the fight against the climate change, have gathered even more prominence for the role they play in supporting the fight against the pandemic.
Building services have a key role to play in delivering the ambitious health and climate protection targets and Peter Tse article “Delivering health risk resilient building”, page 8, is a reminder of this truth, that rarely makes the headlines.
With scientific progress made in understanding the way the virus spreads, we have seen a series of new guidance that emphasises the importance of ventilation and indoor air quality in buildings. Tom Garrigan gives valuable insight on the new WHO guidance on ventilation in buildings, page 12, followed by the analysis by Blanca Beato-Arribas of the impact the pandemic will have on the way we treat Indoor Air Quality, on page 14.
Homeworking became the norm for many during the pandemic and Dr Michelle Agha-Hossein focuses our attention on the change it brings, in her article “A new normal in the office” page 10.
New ways of working impact on buildings’ occupation and require a careful, holistic approach to the maintenance, to ensure safety, secure health levels but also control of the related cost. Practical help and guidance into these topics are provided by BSRIA experts in articles: “Planning for water safety in buildings” on page 18, “Investigate failures today to save cost tomorrow” on page 24, “Maximise maintenance budgets as we return from lockdown” on page 26.
The future can take us by surprise and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly proof of that, however, some strong trends, like the expansion of renewable solutions or convergence between information technology and operation technology (IoT), not only persist but get reinforced by the pandemic. Nick Blake elaborates on how digital technologies will transform the future of building services on page 20: “Information for today’s buildings of tomorrow”, and “A decade for heat pumps” examines the global outlook for the uptake of this technology, on page 16.
Enjoy the read.