Over the last few months, we’ve seen changes to the fabric of our daily lives that would have taken years to bring about under normal circumstances.. We can learn from this.
It allows us to model scenarios so that building operators can effectively predict threats to occupant comfort.We can test rectification measures in a simulated environment and understand how they will affect energy bills – before choosing the most appropriate option.. A moment to act.
Once you have planned how to meet the challenges of thermal comfort, now is also the time to do a full MOT of your ventilation, heating and cooling plant.Cleaning out the filters, checking the pump pressure and tweaking the control systems are all examples of simple fixes that will help plant to run more efficiently and reduce energy bills.CIBSE provides recommendations on how to maintain ventilation plant safely, given the viral risk.. Over time, we adjust the ventilation in a building to suit the partitioning of spaces and changes to how the building is occupied.
Now is a great time to check the commissioning of your systems to make sure there is a good spread of ventilation across each room.. It’s important to pay particular attention to toilets, and transient spaces such as stair cores.With social distancing, a 20-person lift is now only able to carry one person, so staircases are going to become much busier.
These spaces need adequate ventilation, therefore.
They shouldn’t be overlooked just because people don’t spend a large portion of their day sitting in them.Defects.. Hidden defects in existing office buildings can add unexpected cost and delay to lab conversion projects..
Existing offices, like all buildings, will almost always harbour some latent issues that will add complication during design or construction.This can range from old plant in need of an upgrade, to asbestos or structural defects.
Office to lab conversions can make good economic sense, however risks and realistic cost and programme contingencies should be captured from day one to avoid future disappointment.Early strip-out, surveys, and review of existing information including the Health and Safety File are all good practice.. 11.