Chief Medical Officer calls for more investment in indoor air quality
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) says support from the UK’s Chief Medical Officer for more investment in indoor air quality (IAQ) could unleash a wave of ventilation improvements in buildings, and has praised Professor Chris Whitty for making air quality the focus of his 2022 annual report and for making better IAQ a medical priority.
Professor Whitty has made 15 recommendations in his
recent report including ensuring effective ventilation while minimising energy use and heat
loss. He also called for more research into tackling indoor air pollution including finding ways to
reduce contaminant sources, adding that the necessary technical solutions are widely
available. He wrote that IAQ was becoming “an increasing proportion of the overall problem”
and as some progress had been made on tackling outdoor pollution, dealing with problems
inside buildings should now be made a priority.
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Choosing the right green
building certification
Selecting and attaining the best green building certification
for your property portfolio will help drive asset value,
however, the property world has become a crowded
marketplace of benchmarks and certifications for ESG
reporting.
There is a myriad of green building certifications available in the UK, but which will be best for
your building? The first step to making your decision should be to assess the stage of the
property’s life cycle and look at appropriate schemes. Think about the end goal – is it to
enhance occupiers’ wellbeing, to gain energy efficiency ratings and achieve savings, or a mix
of these? We have written an overview of some of the best green certifications and
benchmarks for ESG strategy – some of which can be reached whilst working towards the
comprehensive BREAM or LEED assessments.
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IWFM updates fire safety management guide
With wide-ranging changes to fire safety starting to
come into force from 23 January 2023, the Institute of
Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) has
updated its Fire safety management good practice
guide.
Providing core good practice and signposting for facilities
management professionals, those with Responsible Persons duties, and those acting on behalf
of Responsible Persons, the guide sets out the key requirements for managing fire safety in
England where the Regulatory (Reform) Fire Safety Order 2005 applies. The guide has been
updated to include requirements from the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Building Act 2022, and the
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, and provides guidance on the relevant legislation for
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
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Fire chiefs call for second
staircases in new high-rise
buildings
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has called on the
Government to make the requirement for two staircases
mandatory in all new buildings taller than 18 metres and
for existing buildings to have sprinklers retrofitted.
In response the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has proposed several
new updates to Approved Document B, including recommendations to mandate sprinklers in
care homes and second staircases for new tower blocks over 30m in height. The Government
has opened up a consultation which is open until 17 March 2023 – responses can be provided
online.
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