NEWS
insideindustry
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has welcomed BBC reports that a full review of building regulations will be carried out in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The Association’s chief executive, Paul McLaughlin, said BESA had been flagging up weaknesses in the regulatory framework for many years and had long been a champion of tighter enforcement. Reports suggest that the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is planning to look again at how building components achieve compliance with the regulations, as well as investigating possible ambiguity in supporting guidance, and whether testing regimes are sufficiently rigorous and consistent. Mr McLaughlin commented: “It is hugely depressing that, once again, it requires a catastrophic incident to force changes that many in our industry have been urging for years.” He pointed out that, despite the fact the focus at Grenfell had fallen on the cladding, the failure of one building component was often symptomatic of wider weaknesses in the process.
Mr McLaughlin continued:
“Inappropriate and unsafe specifications contribute to the ‘performance gap’ our industry has been flagging up to authorities for years. For example, we have often argued that poor energy performance is a ‘canary in the cage’ that should alert those responsible to other failings in the design and operation of the building. If we are missing energy efficiency design targets then what else is wrong – what else are we missing?”
Tolerances for product performance data in the refrigeration and air- conditioning industry are becoming ever tighter. However, one of the often overlooked factors in determining these tolerances is uncertainty arising from varying conditions during the measurement process.
ASERCOM addresses this point in
a new white paper. It was compiled in collaboration with US partner association AHRI, and discusses the
BSRIA has launched a new At a Glance guide, offering a plethora of useful information and advice on all things 3D printing. Included in the guide is an explanation of 3D printing, in addition to further information on 3D design tools and methods of 3D printing, as well as guidance on its advantages and disadvantages and its application in areas such as construction. This topic guide will benefit those in a range of professions, including
A review of fire safety regulations
(Building Regulations Part B) was recommended following the Lakanal House fire in 2009, but has still not taken place. The DCLG is now expected to focus on all parts of the regulations and consider how weak enforcement is exploited to cut project costs. However, no timetable has yet been announced for the review.
Mr McLaughlin added: “Repeated delays to the revision of regulations and the history of incidents are symptomatic of a wider culture of neglect and under valuation of the expertise of building engineers.” BESA also believes that many of the approved documents, which provide the technical details needed to comply with the building regulations, encourage a culture of ‘box ticking’ and corner cutting because they leave too much room for interpretation. Mr McLaughlin called for the DCLG to make sure the review included the opinions of experts from right across the construction sector, and particularly from building engineering, in order to produce a “well balanced and positive future course for regulation”.
‘uncertainty factors’ that can occur when determining the performance of refrigerant compressors. Over 12 pages in total, ASERCOM’s
new white paper details five uncertainties in the measurement of performance data for refrigerant compressors. In addition to measurement
errors in measuring instruments, it looks at both uncertainties in the reproducibility of tests in different laboratories and in the manufacturing of compressors. Moreover, the document also highlights the uncertainties in performance prognosis, as well as the difference between nominal and test conditions. Claude Blanc, president of ASERCOM, explained: ‘’In cooperation with AHRI, we have compiled this white paper which serves as a reference document for industry, research and policy and which sends out a clear message: when it comes to defining tolerances, the reality of measurement uncertainties must not be ignored.’’ The white paper can be downloaded
in English, German, French and Italian from ASERCOM’s website at www.
asercom.org/guides.
architects, surveyors, manufacturers, system integrators and engineers. Chris Thompson, a research
engineer for BSRIA’s Sustainable Construction Group, commented: ‘’The technology has developed significantly in the past 20 years and 3D printing now has a whole host of uses. The aim of this topic guide is to give a background to 3D printing technology and show what 3D printing can offer to the construction industry in general, and building services in particular. ‘’In the future, the scope of 3D
printing is only going to increase to include prosthetics, food, cars and even houses. ‘’3D printing is mainly used
in the manufacturing sector for prototyping, helping new products go to market faster. It is also increasingly being used for one-off bespoke components. These can range from the microscopic scale to large structures weighing tens of kilograms.” Improvements in speed and accuracy and the increased range of materials that can be used have put 3D printing at the forefront of product development and opened up new markets. The 3D printer uses a model design created through computer-aided design (CAD) as its template. Advances in technology, especially CAD, have aided this. Indeed, a manually controlled 3D printer would almost be impossible to use accurately. 3D printing also enables the manufacture of different shapes, such as hollow structures, which was previously not feasible with traditional subtractive methods such as milling.
12 September 2017
www.acr-news.com
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