BSEE
Jon Belfield, president of the Building Controls Industry Associaon (BCIA), examines a project that has caught his eye recently and looks forward to an excing entry in the BCIA diary
or decades, nature has provided a fascinating source of material for sci-fi authors and film directors. The fact that flowers, plants and trees are living organisms that we cannot communicate with gives them an air of mystery, and with mystery, sometimes, comes terror. Think The Day of the Triffids, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, The Ruins and The Happening, which have all featured some sort of plant life taking on humanity in various horrifying ways. In reality, plants are our friends and, although it might not make for the most exciting movie plot, can, incredibly, be put to use as part of a ‘smart’ future. As recently reported, the European Commission will fund a £2.5m project to develop a smart building that uses fungi growing inside the building’s structure to contribute to the efficient running of the building. Academics from UWE Bristol, together with partners from Denmark (Centre for Information Technology and Architecture), Italy (MOGU) and the Netherlands (Utrecht University), will construct a building that incorporates a living fungi to detect changes in light, temperature and pollutants and control the building’s connected devices, such as lights and heaters, in response.
Fiveyear plan
A terrific example is the city of Manchester, which earlier this year launched a five-year plan that will form part of a greater plan for the city to become carbon-neutral by 2038. This is a clever strategy as it pulls back from the destination of 2050 and defines the journey for the next 30 years. This approach focusses minds on starting now and not thinking that 2050 is so far in the future that we can delay making a start.
Renewable energy requirements on newbuilds, moves to greener energy suppliers, cutting waste and increased recycling demands, as well as the development of a smart grid and greener transport initiatives are all being considered as part of the programme. It is campaigns like this where the BCIA’s #OneSmallChange movement can play a significant part and it is my hope and belief that it will inspire other cities and all of us to follow a similar pathway.
It is this sort of innovation that makes it a privilege to be involved in such a diverse and proactive industry and I look forward to learning about more exciting and revolutionary projects as we collectively strive to achieve the UK’s 2050 ‘Net Zero’ carbon emissions target.
Something that really excites me about the 2050 target is how it will inspire a range of individuals, organisations and whole regions to set their own
At a roundtable discussion I was involved in recently we debated just how close we are to delivering truly ‘smart’ buildings and examined some of the latest key trends in terms of products, connectivity and usage. I argued that whilst it is nigh on impossible to fully define a smart building, the real opportunity for the BEMS sector is that absolutely every building can be made smarter, so it becomes about the process and the improvements that can continuously be made and not about smart buildings being a destination.
INDUSTRY COMMENT: BCIA
Working towards a common goal F
targets and run their own projects that will all help towards the common goal. Net Zero 2050 really is a shared ambition, there isn’t anyone who can’t get involved.
Open collaboration
Of course, the discussions will continue and although there may never be a defining answer, it is a proven fact that open discussion and the sharing of new ideas and good initiatives really drives innovation within a sector. And it is this open collaboration that will accelerate the net- zero ambition and is a defining characteristic of the BCIA.
At the forthcoming BCIA members’ meeting and evening dinner being held in Sutton Coldfield on 20 November, our guest speaker is Dan Cash, a senior lecturer in mechanical building services at the Architecture and Built Environment Department at the University of the West of England. Dan will give his own vision for ‘When is a Building Smart?’ and I guarantee that the discussions will really open up how BMS can help deliver smart buildings and the Net Zero journey to 2050. I look forward to seeing many of you there.
www.bcia.co.uk
26 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER NOVEMBER 2019
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