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UK’S PROTOTYPE FUSION ENERGY PLANT

The government has announced that the West Burton power station site in Nottinghamshire has been selected as the home for ‘STEP’ (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production), the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant which aims to be built by 2040.

Fusion is based on the same physical reactions that power the sun and stars, and is the process by which 2 light atomic nuclei combine while releasing large amounts of energy. This technology has significant potential to deliver safe, sustainable, low carbon energy for future generations.

The government-backed STEP programme will create thousands of highly skilled jobs during construction and operations, as well as attracting other high tech industries to the region, and furthering the development of science and technology capabilities nationally.

The ambitious programme will also commit immediately to the development of apprenticeship schemes in the region, building on the success of the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) Oxfordshire Advanced Skills centre in Culham. Conversations with local providers and employers have already begun, with schemes to start as soon as possible.

The UK government is providing £220 million of funding for the first phase of STEP, which will see the UK Atomic Energy Authority produce a concept design by 2024.

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Opening Doors for the Future of Brownfield

The National Brownfield Institute (NBI) at the University of Wolverhampton’s flagship £120m Springfield Campus has launched, opening doors for the future of brownfield regeneration.

The interim vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Ian Campbell, and Professor Chaminda Pathirage from the University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment, welcomed Ian Brookfield, leader of City of Wolverhampton Council, Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street and Jane Stevenson, MP for Wolverhampton North East to open the building.

The ‘shovel-ready’ project benefited from £14.9m of funding from the Government’s Getting Building Fund for the West Midlands. City of Wolverhampton Council worked with the Black Country LEP and West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to secure the funding with the remainder provided by the Government’s Towns Fund.

The NBI is a world-class institute that provides the facility to develop modern methods of building through innovation and partnership with the construction industry, focusing on the practical application of future brownfield regeneration and remediation through the work of research teams, leading policy development and commercial services.

 

Campbell said: “We’re delighted to have welcomed partners and our key stakeholders to officially open the National Brownfield Institute today.

“The NBI will be at the heart of a West Midlands Construction Training Offer – providing the industry with the skills needed both now and in the future. As well as being at the forefront of a transformation of the way we will build homes and communities, it will also ensure that we learn from research around the world on modern construction and remediation technique.

“The NBI will help as a catalyst in utilisation of brownfield sites and provide developers with advice and knowledge in relation to areas such as building scanning, soil analysis, ground water contamination and ground stabilisation to effectively bring those sites back into use.”

Brookfield said: “The National Brownfield Institute is a game-changing facility that further enhances the Springfield Campus as a leading Built Environment education campus.

“It will enable the City of Wolverhampton to secure its position as a world leader in sustainable construction, circular economy and brownfield development and will deliver new skills, jobs and opportunities for local people in the city.”

Street said: “It’s brilliant to be able to come together for the official opening of the National Brownfield Institute at the University of Wolverhampton’s Springfield Campus – made possible in part thanks to tens of millions of pounds in Government funding.

“Brownfield first regeneration has long been a key part of my mayoral mission as it helps us to bring derelict sites back into productive use and crucially at the same time helps us to protect the greenbelt. That’s why this centre of excellence for brownfield is great news for our region – reinforcing our already widely regarded track record in urban regeneration, pioneering modern methods of construction to accelerate affordable housing supply and equipping local people with the skills they need to work in this rapidly changing sector.”

 

The 12-acre Springfield Campus is already home to the Thomas Telford University Technical College, Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills and the recently opened £45m School of Architecture and Built Environment.

ISG was awarded the contract to build the NBI on the construction super campus, with work starting in April 2021. The £17.5m research centre, designed by Birmingham-based Associated Architects, received planning approval in December 2020.

The NBI project team included the University’s Estates & Facilities Team, Associate Architects, CPW, Faithful & Gould, Delta Planning, Atkins and MACE.

 

Source: The Business Desk

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Homebuilding revolution set to come of age

Homebuilding revolution set to come of age as traditional builders fail to tackle housing crisis

Government backing for modular construction would deliver 20,000 low energy use homes across the UK – costing 55% less to heat than the average British ‘bricks and mortar’ family house

Planning permission should be fast tracked for modular housing to create homes 50% faster and 4,000 jobs in left behind areas of UK – Make UK Modular analysis

 

  • Modular homes cost 55% less to heat than the average UK home and 32% less than traditional new builds, delivering savings of up to £800 a year for a three-bedroomed family home
  • Modular homes are built 50% faster to make from start to finish than bricks and mortar homes
  • Building with modular can halve emissions when building a home, cutting the amount of CO2 produced as a result of construction by up to 83%
  • Modular manufacturers have already built factories in post-industrial provincial towns or cities, creating over 3,000 jobs, and delivering £700m of investment to low-growth, low employment areas
  • Government should fast track the planning route for modular homes and commit to using modular for 20% of its affordable housing programme to double new jobs overnight
  • Modular home construction is both more efficient and kinder to the environment with substantially less waste, 90% down on materials wastage than traditional builds
  • Modular building heavily reduces the amount of transport access needed for building sites, with 80% fewer vehicle movements to sites and therefore far less local disruption and pollution of the environment

 

Britain’s modular construction companies are moving at speed to deliver widescale change in the housing market unseen in the UK for generations, according to new research published today by Make UK Modular. ‘Greener, Better, Faster: Modular’s Role in Solving the Housing Crisis’, shows that while innovation has left the construction industry largely untouched till now, precision engineered homes, factory-built in areas where employment is required and delivered to regions of the UK where housing is scarce, are set to revolutionise the sector and help solve Britain’s growing housing crisis.

Factory engineering means modular homes can be built to consistently high sustainability standards, delivering savings of 55% on energy consumption compared to the average UK home and cost 32% less to heat than a traditional new build. This translates to savings of up to £800 a year for a three bedroomed family home, and energy reduction rises to 60% for single or two person households living in smaller properties. Record spending by modular construction companies in Research and Development accounts for 30% of all R&D in across the whole construction sector. This investment is set to deliver even more energy efficient homes in the coming months at a time households are struggling with an unprecedented cost of living crisis.

With housing availability and affordability at an all-time low, traditional construction is struggling to deliver Government targets for 300,000 new homes a year, exacerbated by a chronic and worsening shortage of skilled construction labour. Homes England missed its 2021-22 affordable homes target by 21.5%. However, modular housing has already proven it can build new homes at pace. Modular factories have been set up in those areas of the UK where employment is needed, creating a secure labour pipeline. Employment prospects are attractive with modular manufacturers delivering quality training and upskilling for new staff, enabling much-needed homes to be guaranteed for speedy delivery to regions of the UK where housing is in short supply.

 

Modular manufacturers already produce 3,300 homes a year, one in 60 of all new houses in the UK and by 2025, and with the right support, this could grow to over 20,000 new modular buildings each year. Not only are these modern precision-engineered homes quicker to build than traditional homes, but with no snagging or defects it is possible for a single crane to install a house perfectly in just one day. Despite the pandemic, modular has doubled its delivery of new homes since 2017 with a contracted pipeline of 8,000 homes already in place.

 

Modular manufacturers have chosen to build over 40 factories in post-industrial provincial towns or cities, creating over 3,000 jobs and delivering £700m of investment to low-growth, low employment areas – a figure which could easily double with some simple Government support.

To help give the modular sector the push to achieve its full potential, Government should:

  • Dedicate 20% of their programme of affordable housing provision to modular housing which has already shown it can deliver new homes fast
  • Offer fast-track planning, prioritising modular and green homes in land allocation
  • Raise energy efficiency standards for new housing, where modular already meets a higher criteria than traditional building, reduce stamp duty based on energy efficiency and net zero performance and require all for sale and to let homes to provide accurate date on energy bills

 

Collectively, these changes would drive up standards, while offering pipeline security for modular producers and helping the industry to scale up.

 

Steve Cole Director of Make UK Modular, the trade body for modular housing said:

“There is a housing success story in this country, and it is modular. This report shows definitively that modular is now a significant player in the UK housing market. Government must capitalise on this as opportunities to transform our broken housing market into the most sophisticated in the world do not come around every day.

 

“Government must accelerate modular delivery, building on the investment made and the jobs created, by removing the remaining barriers holding the industry back.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

 

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UKGBC Future Leaders 2023 opens for applications

UKGBC is seeking the best and brightest minds in the built environment to focus on critical issues facing the sector.

Record-breaking temperatures, flash flooding and widespread drought this summer have presented the UK with a stark reminder that urgent action is needed to address the climate crisis. As the second largest source of carbon emissions, responsible for around a quarter of our carbon footprint, the built environment industry has a crucial role to play in putting the UK on track to deliver our climate targets. An important part of industry’s role in delivering net zero will include upskilling the existing workforce. Stakeholders across all areas of an organisation will need to better understand how their businesses’ operations contribute to the climate crisis and identifying what radical changes must be made.  

Designed to inspire the next generation of leaders, the Future Leaders challenge is for forward-thinking professionals with 5-10 years’ experience who are keen to confront critical sustainability issues facing the built environment industry. Through a focus on both personal leadership and radical sustainability transformation, delegates will build the skills and mindsets required to support their organisation to innovate and make change happen.  

Now in its tenth year, the 2023 programme will run over 6-months from January to June, featuring two intensive in person two day workshops, with expert speakers and facilitators, ahead of a showcase event in June. Delegates will collaborate remotely between these sessions to hone their leadership skills and co-create innovative concepts.   

Following graduation from the programme, the 2023 cohort will join over 270 individuals and continue to collaborate through involvement in the UKGBC Leadership Alumni group, which brings opportunities for further widening of networks and professional development and access to a growing number of thought-leaders right across the built environment value chain.  

The deadline for applications to Future Leaders 2023 is Friday 11th November 2022.

Submit your application here. 

 

 Elfrida Hamilton-Russell, Director of Learning and Leadership at UKGBC: 

“This year we celebrate a decade of running our flagship Future Leaders programme, bringing together emerging talent and the brightest minds in our industry. Over the last 10 years, our Future Leaders have returned to their respective organisation with a new way of thinking, as well as the confidence and mindset to challenge business as usual and ignite positive change across their workplace. If you think you have what it takes to drive forward innovative leadership, then this programme is for you.” 

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Going Modular – A US viewpoint

Going modular – skid vs volumetric?

By Brandon Gries, Cupertino Electric

 

Like a classic Bell curve, modern construction approaches can range from pure volumetric modular on one end and pure traditional construction on the other

In these uncertain times, nothing is guaranteed. However, one thing that has been predictable over the last few years has been a shortage of skilled labor for construction projects. This is especially the case in parts of the US where large data center construction is booming.

For many data center owners, the shortage of skilled labor in prime locations has driven a shift toward the use of modular construction techniques. By moving much or all of the construction and labor associated with data center builds offsite to fully staffed manufacturing facilities, owners can reduce their labor risk and reap other rewards.

Once modular construction enters the conversation, the rationale for this approach becomes compelling. Modular construction doesn’t just reduce labor risk, it also enables the compression of construction timeframes, increases quality at source, enables improved quality controls and product testing, and decreases weather-related delays that plague construction projects in many parts of the country for large portions of the year.

Maximizing modular

The challenge for businesses choosing to use a modular approach is knowing how to use it appropriately to maximize the positive impacts and minimize the potential pitfalls. The primary decision centers around which approach makes the most sense for the project at hand: volumetric or skid-based modular construction.

It is very tempting, once a customer has committed to utilizing modular construction, to want to modularize everything. This includes all elements of the shell of the building, in addition to all of the utilities and functions inside. This is a volumetric modular approach. For some projects, this may well be the best approach. But for others, this all-in modular approach can introduce its own set of issues and constraints that make it less than ideal. In those instances, a skid-based approach – where elements inside the building best suited for modularization are identified, built offsite into large modules called skids, then shipped and installed on a site where a shell has already been constructed – is best.

How to determine which approach is best is critical to the ultimate success of a modular project. Our experience building modular options suggests three elements that businesses should consider when simplifying their decision:

1 Does your project REQUIRE a volumetric approach?

This is quite different from asking whether you COULD use this approach. It may be surprising to hear that some aspects of volumetric modular construction are significantly less efficient than their traditional alternatives. This isn’t a result of bad planning or design by modular builders but is the result of specific design imperatives. The volumetric approach requires that each building module is fully framed to safely support itself. While there are good reasons for this, it means the volumetric approach inherently requires different mix of materials, which can be less efficient. Pulling in the opposite direction is the extreme efficiency of certain processes already built into traditional construction. Structural steel is a great example. A traditional beam and column structure has been designed to minimize the amount of steel needed to build the total volume. This means you will spend more on structural steel in a volumetric solution than in a beam and column structure.

So, the question becomes whether the benefits to your project of using a volumetric approach outweigh the inefficiencies that come with it. If for example your project requires the smallest solution possible, volumetric may be the way to go. Alternatively, if the goal is to reduce the number of inefficient/expensive components in the project to a minimum, a hybrid approach utilizing skids and a traditionally built shell may be a better option.

2 How important is operational efficiency to you?

Have you ever wondered why your super-thin laptop is significantly less powerful than its desktop equivalent, despite being more expensive? One reason is space. Computing systems produce a lot of heat, and efficiently removing that heat requires a lot of air. The same principle applies to data centers. When building a volumetric system, you must factor in rules and regulations around what size of item can be transported. These constraints lead to building smaller, tighter spaces which may lead to much less efficient mechanical systems.

Similar parallels arise when it comes to maintenance. Like big computers, large data centers are easier to access and repair. Smaller spaces can mean more challenges for upkeep and repair than spaces with greater volume and larger maintenance clearances. It’s all about trade-offs. If your project has constraints that require tighter spacing, a volumetric approach may be ideal. If you can afford the extra air, a skid-based approach can provide real operational benefits. When choosing the right modular approach, it’s essential to identify the optimal balance between your project’s space efficiency and operational efficiency.

3 How big and widespread is your program?

Everyone involved in construction understands that permitting is a necessary element of any project. If you are building a single data center, then the permitting process will look similar, whether you use a traditional or modular manner. However, if you have a larger program and want to move toward modular, permitting is a real issue. If you want to use standardized volumetric modular building components, you will need to identify all the jurisdictions where you plan to build and ensure that your designs pass inspection in all of them. This may add cost and complexity to the design. In addition, you will likely need to get permits before construction can start and schedule inspections at key milestone activities.

If the number of installation locations is small or predictable in advance, these considerations may not be an issue. However, if you want the flexibility to build multiple identical components and redirect one originally identified for an Oregon location to Texas because that project has jumped ahead in schedule, then a skid-based approach might be best. A skid-based modular approach can provide more flexibility, reduce permitting headaches, and deliver greater ability to build ahead to meet capacity. Understanding the scale and scope of your project is key to identifying the approach that best for you.

The best approach

By now it is probably clear that while using a modular approach to building provides an elegant solution to address some constraints of traditional construction, there are different flavors of modular data center construction. Like a classic Bell curve, modern construction approaches can range from pure volumetric modular on one end and pure traditional construction on the other. In the middle of the Bell curve, the modular approach that we’ve seen work most often is one that uses a mix of the best, most efficient traditional construction aspects combined with targeted, skid-based modular. This hybrid zone contains the sweet spot for most projects, but where your project sits, and how to arrive at the right mix depends on a range of factors. The key to success is to understand the pros and cons of each approach, and the trade-offs inherent in each.

Find the best combination for your data center project and modular can help make it a success.

Source: Data Centre Dynamics

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50 MW SOLAR FARM PROJECT

BayWa and Grüne Energien Solar (GES) have secured consent for their near 50MW Perrinpit Road Solar Farm project in south-west England.

Construction of the South Gloucestershire scheme is expected to start in early 2024, with commercial operations targeted for later that year.

BayWa said 20 jobs will be created during the site’s development, along with up to three long-term jobs throughout the operational life of the 49.9MW project.

The planning application was supported by a series of biodiversity commitments, including the planting of new trees and hedgerows at the site.

BayWa r.e. UK managing director John Milligan said: “This is an exciting project for our team and we are delighted to work with Grüne Energien again.

“This is our second 49.9MW project in the UK delivered through our joint venture.

“The implementation of renewable energy projects like Perrinpit Road is essential to meeting the UK’s legally binding net-zero carbon emission goals by 2050. It is encouraging to see the local commitment in South Gloucestershire to meet these goals.”

GES managing director Marco Pannicke added: “This is a great achievement and shows the spirit of our joint venture with BayWa r.e.

“There are many more projects in the pipeline and it is an honour for us to develop renewable energy projects in the UK.”

 

Source: Renew.biz

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‘Smart-washing’ not just a box ticking excercise

“If we’re going to make progress, we have to have a system that recognises greatness,” the co-founder of Smart Building Certification said at the Sustainable Places conference in Nice, France.

Elizabeth Nelson called for smart buildings that meet user needs and sustainability standards, arguing that simply having a checklist of things to include in a building fails to achieve that.

She said that the Smart Building Certification uses both qualitative and quantitative measures, breaking down what’s already in a building and where it can make improvements.

“Smart is solving a problem or optimising something. It’s not a technology,” she said, speaking at the 10th Sustainable Places Conference from research and innovation company R2M Solution.

“We’ve had greenwashing for quite a while. Now, I believe we have some smart-washing as well, especially in the commercial sector.”

Rather than tick certain boxes, buildings seeking certification undertake a “very large, exhaustive, dynamic questionnaire”. That questionnaire asks about the building’s tech, presenting follow-up questions to understand what the building does and why. “I don’t think a smart building certification be a checklist,” she said.

The Smart Building Certification scheme evaluates buildings based on six measures:

  • Building usage (how people use the building)
  • Building performance (sustainability)
  • Building environment (how well the physical space meets users’ needs)
  • Health, safety and security
  • User behaviour and collaboration (how well buildings allow people to work together)
  • Integrative design and connectivity (how well all the tech in the building is integrated with each other – “the least number of solutions for the maximum benefit”)

Other takeaways

1. Don’t underestimate a retrofit

“This is one of my favourite things about smart buildings we’re seeing right now,” Nelson said. “Everyone is saying, ‘Oh you can’t have a truly smart building if it’s a retrofit’, or ‘You couldn’t have a truly sustainable building.’ But you can.”

She used Hausmanns Hus in Norway as an example. Developer Hathon is aiming to achieve a BREEAM Excellent certification for the refurbished office, set to open at the start of 2023. Wellness and flexible workspace are two priorities for the building, and Hathon even developed tech in-house to ensure the space delivered what it needed.

2. Developers who retain their buildings have an advantage

Nelson said: “A lot of times, builders are nervous to [put] a tonne of different functionality into a building that might get lost in translation if it’s transferred.

“So, the builders that are actually owning their own properties and keeping them have a little bit more control and maybe even pride of ownership and confidence in that.”

3. Be transparent about data

Returning to Hausmanns Hus, Nelson said the building will display real time air quality data. Seeing performance data is crucial, she said, and “something that can have a drastic implication on how people feel about environments”.

She added that landlords should explain people in the building what data they collect and why. “We had a great living lab where the students at a university ripped sensors off the wall because they didn’t want to be recorded in this area,” she said. People need to know they can trust whatever data collection happens where they work.

4. It’s not about the amount of tech you cram into a building

Putting in thousands upon thousands of sensors will not automatically get you a Platinum Smart Building Certification. “We have buildings that score very similarly. Some of them have 30 technologies; some of them have six,” Nelson said. It’s about creating a functional building, rather than a blatantly techy one.

5. The idea of smart buildings is centuries old

The first smart building, according to Nelson, was built 400 years ago by Dutch inventor Cornelis Drebbel, who invented a chicken incubator that could regulate temperature.

Source: PlaceTech

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JAPAN – EMBRACING OPEN BIM

The “Steel Nest” of the Japanese Sanei Construction Steel Structure Division

(c) Takenaka Corporation

Takenaka Corporation embraces OPEN BIM and Building Lifecycle Intelligence with Nemetschek Solutions

 

Munich/Osaka, September 12, 2022: Takenaka Corporation, one of the largest general contractors in Japan, is strongly relying on the solutions from the Nemetschek Group in building its BIM strategies to provide first class architectural, engineering, and construction services. Leveraging an open Building Lifecycle Intelligence approach with a Digital Twin, the company is creating impressive buildings and structures across the globe.

Takenaka Corporation has been committed to realizing customer dreams and shaping the world since their very beginnings, more than 400 years ago. Today, Takenaka Corporation employs more than 2,400 architects. They use solutions from the Nemetschek Group brands dRofus, Graphisoft, and Solibri to execute on their Design-to-Build BIM strategies providing end-to-end services to their clients. Takenaka Corporation maintains an enterprise agreement, providing all employees unlimited access to these software solutions for design, BIM authoring, coordination, and asset data management.

For the “Steel Nest” – the new office building for the Japanese Sanei Construction Steel Structure Division – the experts at Takenaka Corporation leveraged digital solutions and an OPEN BIM (Building Information Modeling) approach from the first design draft to construction. The customer required the building to also function as a show room illustrating their steel frame processing technology. One of Takenaka’s major challenges was combining this showroom with Sanei’s wish to create more opportunities for employees to encounter. The result is an office building that goes beyond the conventional concept of architecture, presenting an astonishing Voronoi structure (polygons of different sizes assembled).

Takenaka Corporation used Archicad from Graphisoftto create the design of the steel frames. The models were then checked for BIM quality and coordination with Solibri, ensuring that they fulfill project requirements. Due to the complexity of the structure and the individual solutions used in each phase of the project, Takenaka Corporation decided to completely rely on open interfaces and BIM. The 3D model made it easier – and quicker – to form a consensus about the design among the parties involved.

“For us, the construction of the ‘Steel Nest’ has proven that our company’s philosophy and our Integrated Design-to-Build approach works even on demanding projects with complex requirements,” says Mr. Hiroyuki Shimizu, Executive Managing Officer of Takenaka Corporation. “Looking at the entire lifecycle of buildings has always been in our DNA. With OPEN BIM and the use of Nemetschek solutions, we will be able to carry this philosophy into the digital era and become a fully data-driven company.”

“We are very proud to be working closely with the inspiring, innovative Takenaka Corporation. We share the same philosophy of leveraging data across the entire building lifecycle,” says Viktor Várkonyi, Chief Division Officer Planning & Design Division and member of the Executive Board of the Nemetschek Group. “It is great to see how Takenaka delivers outstanding results by enhancing BIM quality and the collaboration between the individual disciplines in the building process.”

The future holds many exciting projects for the industry experts: Takenaka Corporation is involved in the design and construction of various pavilions for Expo 2025 in Osaka. In addition, they are looking to expand the strategic partnership with the Nemetschek Group to also involve solutions from ALLPLAN and Bluebeam.

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AI fundamental for EU to reach its 15% gas reduction target

Artificial intelligence (AI) could be used as a fundamental strategy for EU member states to help reach the voluntary 15% gas reduction target placed on them by the EU Council in July 2022. Arloid Automation, of London, advocates the use of AI coupled with any building management system to control and make significant savings of up to 30% on energy and coolant use.

According to the Council of the EU’s press release (26 July 2022), ‘Member states agreed to reduce their gas demand by 15% compared to their average consumption in the past five years, between 1 August 2022 and 31 March 2023, with measures of their own choice’. The importance of reducing energy demand cannot be overemphasised largely due to supplies from Russia being significantly reduced, erratic and they may be stopped altogether.

Most energy saving measures have a significant capital outlay but Arloid’s AI can be implemented without cost until savings are made. This makes it one of the cheapest and easiest ways for EU states to significantly reduce energy consumption with no upfront costs. Once savings are established – this is normally after 30 days – a percentage fee can be charged.

A reduction in energy use is easily achieved through a series of simple steps. Firstly, a virtual building identical to the one where savings are to be made is produced. This digital building has the same construction materials, location, climate and personnel attributes as the real one. From this virtual building AI makes a series of simulations based on live data from the real building. This process takes about a month.

The AI intuitively adjusts the heating, ventilation and cooling settings, thus resulting in real savings. In the real world building services engineers or property managers have previously adjusted these settings but this can take some time. Imagine a world where all these changes are automatically done – then imagine what can be achieved. It’s not only saving energy and money but improving comfort too.

Arloid’s AI uses Deep Reinforcement Learning to automatically manage the operation of HVAC systems in a wide range of buildings via a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN). It then makes decisions based on reinforcement behaviour and real-time data to provide faster optimisation and better HVAC performance. By controlling each HVAC device in the system and dividing the building into distinct heating and cooling micro-zones, arloid.ai provides more control of the environment and better user comfort.

The technology is gaining ground not just in Europe but across the world with actual savings being achieved over 56 million square feet. This includes real estate and many types of commercial building such as retail premises, hotels, medical centres, warehouses. By reducing energy use the cost savings can counter the effects of energy supply issues, higher prices and inflation.

AI should now top the political agenda right across the EU to help member states reach their voluntary gas reduction targets of 15%. It’s not as difficult to achieve as it may first seem because new technology can play a huge part for very little outlay. At any rate it’s an obvious and achievable first step towards EU goals and for those countries encouraging dimmed lights and shorter showers there is another way!

 

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Watch the Video – A timber kit-of-parts approach to retrofit

A new modular demonstrator unit has been unveiled by Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), designed to show Scottish businesses that a timber kit-of-parts approach to retrofit could be the key to future sustainable offices.

WATCH THE VIDEO

 

Following the development of a blueprint design last year, Ecosystems Technologies – a specialist in advanced mass timber manufacturing – has now created a fully functioning prototype to encourage adoption of the modular approach among the Scottish business community.

Alongside the physical unit, an opensource free guide has been created by ThreeSixty Architecture to enable organisations to replicate the design and adapt it to different types and sizes of buildings, with the first office spaces already commissioned using the design expected to be occupied later this year.

The work forms part of the NearHome project, supported by Transport Scotland, which was formed in response to the changing working patterns of a post-Covid Scotland. The aim of the project is to provide businesses with the tools to transform and retrofit unused spaces into sustainable, energy-efficient out-of-town alternatives to city centre offices.

A study was also conducted by the University of Edinburgh to review the potential of using geographic information system (GIS) data to determine the best possible positions for future sites. Researchers looked at the use of existing datasets, such as Scottish Census data, to identify locations for NearHome hubs based on demographics, economic factors and travel times.

Scottish businesses are now being invited to view the demonstrator unit for themselves to experience how the timber-focused design could support future sustainable workplace strategies. Built-in flexibility and the use of components manufactured offsite means that the design can be applied to a range of different scenarios, from standalone pods to new build units or to repurpose vacant buildings – and not only used for offices.

 

Lynsey Bryson, head of digital programmes at BE-ST, said: “NearHome has the potential to change how we think about the retrofit of non-domestic buildings going forward. We know that a one-size-fits-all approach is not going to be possible to suit the various building typologies we use in Scotland, but the modular design offers a flexible, sustainable solution that can be adapted on a case-by-case basis.

“While we were originally looking specifically at workplaces, the flexibility of the kit has shown that it could in fact be used for a range of different purposes. We’re pleased to now see the toolkit design come to life with the physical demonstrator and hope that it can inform and inspire decision makers to consider it as a viable retrofit option for future projects.”

 

The project builds on BE-ST’s continued focus on modern methods of construction including homegrown engineered timber, which is central to the NearHome design. Environmental benefits include the use of a natural, low carbon material that would reduce Scotland’s reliance on imports, using a kit-of-parts that can be easily deconstructed and re-used if required as well as embracing biophilic design principles that are shown to have benefits for health and wellbeing.

Initial indications from the life cycle analysis of the NearHome approach suggest that the construction of a typical office building would produce five times more carbon dioxide equivalent compared to the modular, timber kit design.

 

Matt Stevenson, founder of Ecosystems Technologies, said: “There are a range of ways that homegrown timber could be used more widely in construction and this retrofit design is a great example that can be easily adopted by businesses and other organisations as the built environment transitions to zero carbon. We are already seeing that become a reality with interest growing and the first commercial orders for the kit-of-parts already underway.

“Scottish timber is a fantastic regenerative, low-carbon resource and there are significant opportunities to expand the use cases in the built environment through collaboration, research and digital technology. The NearHome project demonstrates the added advantage of a circular approach with the kit designed for reuse, meaning captured carbon can remain in the cycle for as long a period as possible.”

 

Minister for Zero carbon Buildings, Active Travel & Tenants’ Rights, Patrick Harvie said: “The new unit developed by BE-ST is another important milestone for the NearHome project.

“COVID-19 led to a fundamental shift in workplace settings and working patterns. It also created significant challenges in terms of wellbeing, social isolation, collaboration and networking. We funded the NearHome project to support workplace innovation and aid COVID recovery. The project is helping to create safe, hygienic and connected work environments, offering greater choice, flexibility for people to work locally. It’s also helping to create new opportunities in Scotland’s construction industry, making better use of Scottish wood.

“Not every home is suitable for home working. Working from quality spaces closer to home can offer greater flexibility and work-life balance, whilst reducing car dependency and transport emissions, and creating local economic opportunities – which is all part of the Scottish Government’s ambition to support the development of 20-minute neighbourhoods.”

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