WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
CIBSE IBG
CIBSE Intelligent
Intelligent Building
Image: Luca Nebuloni from Milan, Italy - Milan_7899
“An intelligent building is one that is
responsive to the requirements of
occupants, organisations and society.
It is sustainable in terms of energy and
water consumptions besides being
lowly polluting in terms of emissions
and waste: healthy in terms of wellbeing for the people living and
working within it; and functional
according to the user needs.”
Clements-Croome 2010
Our group membership is up from
11,744 to 13,620 (out of these 4,102
are CIBSE members).
The group can be joined (for free) by
sending email to [email protected] or
alternatively to Eva D’souza, the Group
Secretary at [email protected]
Special thanks to:
Prof. Derek Clements-Croome, Eva
D’souza, Phil King, Paul Fletcher and
Nyree Hughes for their contributions to
the eNewsletter.
Editors:
Dr Isaac Jamieson & Dr Sirinath
Jamieson
If you would like to have news and
information included in the
eNewsletter, please send them to
Dr Isaac Jamieson at
[email protected]
http://www.cibse.org/
NEWS
World’s Best Tall Building
In November 2015, the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban
Habitat (CTBUH) declared Milan's Stefano Boeri Architecti's
greenery-clad Bosco Verticale [or Vertical Forest], for which
Arup acted as structural engineer, as 2015’s Best Tall Building
Worldwide. It had previously received the 2014 International
High-rise Award for the most innovative high-rise design.
The project, located in one of Europe’s most polluted cities, is
comprised of two greenery-clad residential towers rising to a
height of 116 m and 85 m, respectively. The facades feature a
total of 800 hundreds trees, 5,000 shrubs and 11,000
perennials housed in planters. Stefano Boeri states that the
facades’ design helps absorb airborne dust and CO2, produce
1
WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
World’s Lightest Metal 11
Cellulose Nanocrystals Create Possible New Super
Material 11
Nanostructured Glass 12
Colour-Changing Wall Paint 12
Biomimetics – Smart Thermobimetal 12
Heat-Dispersing Clay Bricks 12
Self-Repairing Materials Research
13
CONTENTS
News
1
World’s Best Tall Building 1
Defining Intelligence: What Is An Intelligent
Building? 3
TEMPERATURE 3
Personal Air Conditioning 3
Indoor Temperature and Weight Gain
CONCRETE 13
3
LIGHTING 4
Next Generation Incandescents To Be More Efficient
Than LEDs 4
World's Thinnest Light Bulb Made With Graphene 4
WATER
4
Solar Energy Used To Create Clean Water
Water from Thin Air 4
Grey Water Treatment 5
ENERGY
4
5
Energy-Positive Low Carbon Building
5
UK Energy Consumption Falls Below 1965 Levels 5
Electronics Repair and Resilience
6
Plasma Transforming Waste Into Energy 6
Graphene Central Heating System 6
Sustainable Refrigeration 6
High-Tech Photosynthesis - A Self-Sustaining Energy
Source? 6
Electricity from Plants 7
Improving Photosynthesis – Plant Nanobionics
7
Electricity from Swaying Trees 7
Electricity from Humidity
8
Rainwater-Generated Electricity 8
Nano-Membrane Toilets As An Energy Source 8
CO2 Directly Converted Into Fuel
8
Solar Roads to Power French Homes 8
Rural Energy – Free Electricity
9
ENERGY STORAGE 9
Compressed Air Energy Storage System 9
Graphene and Large Scale Electricity Storage 9
3D PRINTING 9
11
Bird Deterrent Drones 11
Construction Drones 11
14
Consumer Use Of Smart Devices 14
Cyber Security 14
Changes in Insurance Policies 14
FIBRE OPTICS 15
Next Generation Core Networking 15
World’s Fastest Network Could Carry All Internet’s
Traffic On Single Fibre 15
INCLUSIVE DESIGN 15
Inclusive Design 15
Environmental Sensitivity – The New Smart
Challenge 15
Airborne Ultrasound
16
AIR POLLUTION 16
Links with Premature Death 16
Smog Free Tower 16
TiO2 and Air Pollution 16
Building Vegetation and Air Quality 17
BIOPHILIC DESIGN 17
Autoluminescent (Light-Producing) Plants 17
Subterranean Gardening
17
Past CIBSE/IBG Events 17
CIBSE/IBG Management Committee meeting 17
BIM Debate 18
Smart Buildings
18
The 20th CIB World Building Congress 2016
Intelligent Built Environment for Life 19
Future CIBSE/IBG Seminar Series 20
Online
21
Courses and Training 21
Start-ups and Entrepreneurship 21
Autodesk Entrepreneur Impact Program 21
MATERIALS 11
PlasticRoad
WIRELESS
Future Events 19
3D Printing of Composite Materials 9
3D Printed Bridge 10
World's Largest 3D Printed Polymer Building 10
3D Printed Brick Cools Buildings 10
3D Contour Crafting
10
DRONES
Self-Healing of Concrete
13
New Mix Of Cement For Hazardous Waste
13
Conductive Concrete Melts Snow and Ice 13
EMF Shielding Concrete
14
11
http://www.cibse.org/
2
WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
oxygen and reduce noise pollution.
TEMPERATURE
Its air-conditioning system is based on multipurpose INTEGRA ERACS-WQ units with
exchange of heat being from a geothermal
source that has been optimised for using ground
water. It is also equipped with gray water
recycling and irrigation systems and
photovoltaic solar cells.
Personal Air Conditioning
Stefano Boeri Architecti is now working on La
Tour des Cedres (or Cedar Trees Tower), a
similar design (but which features a single tower)
for a site in Lausanne, Switzerland. It will also
feature a number of sustainable technologies.
More [ 1 , 2, 3 ].
Defining Intelligence: What Is
An Intelligent Building?
international perspective, has been undertaken
by Dr Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini, Dr
Umberto Berardi, Dr Husam AlWaer, Associate
Professor Seongju Chang, Dr Edward Halawa,
Dr Ali Ghaffarianhoseini and Professor Derek
Clements-Croome.
The study, which can be downloaded for free,
investigates the notion of intelligent buildings
and provides an analysis of their major elements.
By comparing these in different contexts, it aims
to determine the common features of such
buildings leading to an evolved definition to
provide a highly relevant reference framework
for design, evaluation, and development of
future intelligent buildings.
The review also investigates the potential longterm benefits that can be created by such
buildings, whilst indicating the restraints and
challenges of present international
interpretations. More…
http://www.cibse.org/
Wristify, a wearable device invented by MIT
student researchers, aims to inexpensively
replace/augment standard air conditioning and
heating units in an energy efficient way. The
device is a thermoelectric bracelet that sends
tailored pulses of hot or cold waveforms to the
user’s wrist making them more thermally
comfortable. More [ 4, 5 ]
Indoor Temperature and Weight
Gain
Research from the Netherlands and Japan
indicates that reducing temperatures indoors
may both help people lose weight and reduce
energy costs. It seems that creating warmer
indoor environments during cold spells may be
counterproductive and a contributory factor to
undesirable weight gain.
It appears that frequent mild cold exposure may
significantly affect human energy expenditure
over sustained periods of time and help
encourage weight loss. In particular, it is
indicated that exposure to more variable indoor
temperatures that more closely follow those
outside may prove particularly beneficial in
health terms. More [ 6, 7 ].
[Comment: It is intriguing to speculate on the
potential effectiveness that Wristify, mentioned in
the previous item, might have on weight loss if it
was actually used to reduce users’ thermal
comfort – Dr Isaac Jamieson].
3
WINTER 2015/2016
LIGHTING
Next Generation Incandescents
To Be More Efficient Than
LEDs
It is well known that the use of incandescent
lighting is being phased out in many parts of the
world in favour of more energy efficient forms
of lighting.
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
World's Thinnest Light Bulb
Made With Graphene
Researchers from Columbia, Seoul National
University (SNU), and Korea Research Institute
of Standards and Science (KRISS) have built a
transparent one-atom-thick light bulb chip that
can superheat graphene to create light. A
number of additional uses are also being
proposed. More [ 9a, 9b ].
The main problem with incandescent lighting in
the past was that over 95% of the energy that
they used was wasted, predominantly as heat.
Now researchers at MIT and Purdue University
have found a way to dramatically increase their
efficiency.
WATER
This is achieved in a novel two-stage process,
the first stage of which involves a conventional
heated metal filament. Instead of allowing the
waste heat to be dissipated, however, second
stage structures surrounding the filament
capture and reflect this radiation back to the
filament to be re-absorbed and re-emitted as
visible light.
The United Nations states that by 2025, 1.8
billion people will be living in areas with
absolute water scarcity by 2025. To help address
this challenge, a UK-based firm, Desolenator,
has developed a device that requires only the
power of the Sun to turn seawater and dirty
water into clean drinking water.
It is this second step that dramatically increases
efficiency - the luminous efficiency of
conventional incandescents is between 2-3%,
that of fluorescents between 7-15%, and that of
most LEDs between 5-20%. The first proof-ofconcept two-stage incandescents have already
achieved around 6.6% efficiency, equivalent to
many CFLs and LEDs, and it is predicted that
efficiencies of up to 40% (nearing the limit for
lighting applications) may be able to be
achieved. More [ 8a, 8b ].
Solar Energy Used To Create
Clean Water
The product has a design life of up to 20 years,
and is presently able to produce up to 15 litres of
distilled water per day. It requires no power
supply, other than the Sun. More [ 10, 11, 12 ].
Water from Thin Air
In 2011, Australian student Edward Linnacre
won a James Dyson Award for Airdrop, his
invention that literally pulls water out of thin
air.
The low energy device, which is still in
development, filters hot ambient air through a
turbine, feeding it through copper tubing (with
copper wool to maximise surface area), and into
the ground where it cools and condenses
releasing water. The dry air is returned to the
http://www.cibse.org/
4
WINTER 2015/2016
atmosphere and the collected water pumped
underground through to the plant roots.
According to Linnacre’s research, even the
driest air can produce 11.5 mm of water per m3.
[ 13 ]
Grey Water Treatment
Innovative thinking from Aerofloat in Australia
has led to dissolved air floatation (DAF)
becoming a revolutionary cost-effective and
energy-efficient grey water treatment for both
large and small-scale projects.
In DAF systems, a chemical coagulant is mixed
with the wastewater requiring treatment to
cause pollutants to bind together. Air is then
added under pressure to a portion of the treated
water. This is then rapidly decompressed;
creating microscopic air bubbles that mix with
the wastewater floats coagulated pollutants to
the surface.
Normally mechanical scrapers then remove
these pollutants from the water’s surface. The
new systems forgo the need for these moving
parts, simply increasing the water level until the
foam is pushed out of the funnel and removed.
This refinement markedly saves energy. The new
system additionally uses lightweight
construction instead of the steel or concrete
used in traditional tanks further saving costs.
Among those using already the system are
houseboat owners (its original intended market),
and those in the food, beverage, recycling and
mining sectors. Its use is also said to avoid the
need for costly grease traps, aid the reuse of
wastewater and reduce overall water usage. Up
to 200 litres of wastewater can be treated per
minute with the system. A modular system has
also been designed allowing units to be linked
up and used simultaneously. [ 14 ]
http://www.cibse.org/
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
ENERGY
Energy-Positive Low Carbon
Building
Britain’s first low cost ‘energy positive’ house,
which generates more electricity than its
occupants use, opened in Wales in July 2015. It
was designed by Professor Phil Jones and his
team based at the Welsh School of Architecture.
The design of the massively insulated threebedroom home, which uses batteries to store
electricity generated from its solar panel
roofing, is based on the 'Buildings as Power
Stations' concept. It has a predicted 70%
autonomous energy performance and a
predicted 1.75 grid export-to-input energy ratio.
More [ 15, 16 ].
UK Energy Consumption Falls
Below 1965 Levels
A report by BP has revealed that as a result of
increases in energy efficiency (and decline in
industrial output), the UK’s total energy
consumption is now lower today than it was in
1965. Its energy consumption has dropped by
around 5% over the past 50 years, even though
the UK population and economy have tripled in
size. Its energy use peaked in 2005, and has
since fallen dramatically, with consumption
down 6.3% in the last year.
It appears the UK is the only country in the
world where consumption has reduced over this
time period. Generally, however, the global rise
of energy consumption is slowing, with only an
increase of 0.9% being reported for 2014, the
weakest level of growth since 2009. More…
5
WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
Electronics Repair and
Resilience
Graphene Central Heating
System
Former Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK
Department of Energy and Climate Change Sir
David MacKay has previously highlighted
electronics repair as a potential solution to
reducing the huge amount of electronic waste
that the UK currently generates.
The British company Xefro has developed
gRAD, a graphene-based central heating system
that may reduce traditional energy heating costs
by between 25-70%. For further details refer to:
[ 21, 22 ].
At present at least 23% of electronics taken for
disposal in the UK are either operational or
could be inexpensively repaired. Electronic
waste is one of the fastest growing waste
streams worldwide.
The London-based Restart Project is social
enterprise aimed at the repair of electronic
items in order to reduce such waste and increase
the longevity of electronics. It inspires and
enables individuals and companies to use their
electronics longer, through sharing maintenance
and repair skills and boosting engagement on
this issue. More [ 17, 18 ].
Plasma Transforming Waste
Into Energy
Advanced Plasma Power (APP) in the UK has
developed a process called Gasplasma that
combines gasification and plasma treatment to
transform household and business waste into
two products.
The first of these is a hydrogen-rich synthesis
gas that can generate high electrical output and
also be converted into vehicle fuel.
The second is an inert product it calls
Plasmarok, which it claims has applications as
both a pipe bedding material and a high
strength sub-base material for high load bearing
structures. More [ 19, 20].
http://www.cibse.org/
Sustainable Refrigeration
In an era where intelligent design increasingly
also incorporates passive measures, comes an
underground electricity-free fridge that takes
advantage of the earth’s natural insulative
properties to effectively store perishable items.
The Groundfridge, which is conceptually similar
to a traditional root cellar, uses the insulating
effect of soil (in this case of around a metre’s
thickness) and the cooling effect of groundwater
to function effectively. The temperature within
it remains stable year-round between 10 and 12°
C. More…
As many within this group will be aware, the
ancient (yet still used) concept of pot-in-pot
coolers can also be used to create electricity-free
fridges. More…
High-Tech Photosynthesis - A
Self-Sustaining Energy Source?
Kevin P. Lucht and Jose L. Mendoza-Cortes at
Florida State University have discovered a way
to mimic photosynthesis using manganese oxide
(commonly known as birnessite) to capture
sunlight and use that solar energy to convert
water into hydrogen and oxygen.
In theory, this energy source will be selfsustaining and have minimum impact on the
environment, as no CO2 or other waste product
will be generated.
6
WINTER 2015/2016
Assistant Professor Mendoza-Cortes foresees
that in the future, rooftop energy generators
using this discovery could be developed for use
by members of the general public to help meet
their energy needs. More [ 23, 24 ].
Electricity from Plants
In our last eNewsletter [CIBSE/IBG summer
015], mention was made of Plant-e, an
innovative product that allows living plants to
be used to generate electricity, allowing the
exciting possibility of buildings and
infrastructures being powered by green roofs
and adjacent green spaces.
It has now been brought to our attention that a
similar product, that is presently even more
efficient, is being commercially developed in
Chile.
E-Kaia requires only one healthy plant to be
able to generate electricity, unlike Plant-e where
many plants are required. The new system can
provide 5 volts and 600 milliamps without
damage to the plant and can apparently charge a
smartphone in 90 minutes. It can also be used
to charge fans, LED lamps, speakers and other
types of low-power product that recharge using
a USB port.
The three engineers who came up with the
concept are hoping that “… the technology can
one day be used for much bigger purposes, such
as a park that is completely self-sufficient,
powering street lamps from its own trees and
plants, or to bring electricity to rural areas in
Chile where there is limited access to power
plants.” More…
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
Improving Photosynthesis –
Plant Nanobionics
Scientists at MIT have developed the world's
first bionic vegetation. By integrating carbon
nanotubes into plant leaves, scientists have been
able increase the plants’ photosynthetic electron
flow by about 30 percent. More...
The researchers hope their work will be
eventually lead to the creation modified
vegetation that can be used for a variety of
applications, including self-powered sensing of
chemical weapons and pollution monitoring.
Comment: It is predicted by the present author
(Dr Isaac Jamieson) that the use of plant
nanobionics may further increase the
attractiveness of generating electricity from
plants through systems such as E-Kaia and PlantE (discussed in the item above), and that it may
also lead to it becoming increasing practical to
have a wider range of vegetation types within
areas that are relatively poorly lit.
Electricity from Swaying Trees
Ryan Harne, a researcher at Ohio State
University, is looking into how mimicking the
structural properties of swaying trees can permit
energy to be harvested and converted into
electricity.
It turns out that trees possess very interesting
structural properties that strongly influence
how they respond to air currents. In particular,
they exhibit internal resonance, with their twigs
oscillating most quickly in the wind and this
energy being transferred to longer period
oscillations in the tree’s large branches and its
trunk. This method of dissipation of energy
allows the tree to better withstand violent gusts.
In a basic model he constructed to mimic a
tree’s structure and assess its reaction to
vibrations, Harne found that the voltage output
http://www.cibse.org/
7
WINTER 2015/2016
of the system was more than doubled after
internal resonance was triggered. More…
He and his co-authors’ findings have recently
been published in the Journal of Sound and
Vibration. [ 25 ].
Electricity from Humidity
Researchers at MIT have demonstrated a
process that allows the charging of electrical
devices from electricity generated using only the
air’s humidity. The technology was developed
after the discovery that water droplets gain an
electrical charge after they are repelled from
water-repellent surfaces.
By layering hydrophobic plates adjacent
hydrophilic plates, water droplets transfer from
one to the other whilst carrying charge.
Connecting these plates to an external circuit
permits the electricity to be harvested. More…
Rainwater-Generated
Electricity
Three students from the Universidad
Tecnológica de México (UNITEC) in Mexico
have developed a microturbine-based system
that uses rainwater runoff to generate electricity.
It receives rainwater runoff through a 13 mm
pipe to rotate a 51 x 254 mm microturbine.
Presently, the energy generated is used to charge
12-volt batteries, which can in turn be used to
power LED lamps or other small household
appliances. After the water has flowed through
the microturbine, it passes through a charcoal
filter and into a storage tank.
The university is now hoping to increase the
power of the system, allowing greater amounts
of electricity to be generated. More…
http://www.cibse.org/
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
Nano-Membrane Toilets As An
Energy Source
An inexpensive and easy to maintain waterless
toilet which can convert human waste into
cheap electricity, fertilizer and clean water is
being trialed in Ghana later this year.
The toilet, designed by a team from Cranfield
University, was the winner of the award for
Excellence in the Field of Environmental
Technology Research in 2015.
Presently proposed for single-household use, it
is intended that if trials go well their use will be
further extended within the construction
industry and beyond. More [ 26, 27 ].
CO2 Directly Converted Into
Fuel
Researchers from the University of Southern
California and the University of Southern
California have demonstrated that using a new
catalyst, and some additional compounds, up to
79% of CO2 captured from the air can be
directly converted into methanol (CH3OH).
The benefits of this are two-fold, the removal of
CO2 from the atmosphere and the creation of
methanol for use as fuel. More…
Solar Roads to Power French
Homes
Ségolène Royal, the French Minister of Ecology
and Energy, has announced that, as part of its
"Positive energy" initiative, France will lay 1000
km (621 miles) of solar roads over the next 5
years to power millions of homes.
In order to achieve this, 7mm thick Wattway
photovoltaic solar panels are to be laid on top of
existing roadways and used to harvest energy to
8
WINTER 2015/2016
provide electric power to approximately one
household per metre.
It is considered that the amount of power
generated by this system will be sufficient for
most household needs except heating. More…
Rural Energy – Free Electricity
Indian Billionaire Manoj Bhargava, has
developed the Free Electric bike, a stationary
bike that he hopes will provide power to
millions of homes worldwide that have till now
have had little or no electricity.
Pedalling the bike turns a turbine generator
creating electricity that is stored in a battery. He
claims that pedalling the bike for one hour will
provide power for a home's lights and basic
appliances for an entire day. 10,000 of the Free
Electric battery-equipped bikes are to be
distributed in India this year. More…
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
Graphene and Large Scale
Electricity Storage
A new project ‘Electrochemical Energy Storage’
by Graphene@Manchester is investigating how
graphene can be used to make lightweight
durable batteries suitable for high capacity
energy storage from renewable energies. The
development of graphene-based supercapacitors
is also being investigated.
As part of its bid to make large-scale electricity
storage a reality, a grid-scale battery and
converter system are being installed at the
Manchester’s campus to allow researchers to
develop methods to control the flow of
electricity and resolve variations between power
generation and local demand. More…
3D PRINTING
3D Printing of Composite
Materials
ENERGY STORAGE
Compressed Air Energy Storage
System
The world's first underwater compressed air
energy storage system is now operational in
Lake Ontario in Canada. It has been developed
and designed by Hydrostor to store electricity
during off peak hours and return it when
demand is high or when power outages arise.
Their system successfully helps address how to
store, and provide on demand, the energy
generated by wind and solar power and keep the
grid in balance. It appears to be a real
gamechanger that will increase the
attractiveness of renewable energy and help
better balance grid requirements whilst
increasing efficiency. More…
http://www.cibse.org/
Researchers at the University of Bristol have
developed a new type of 3D printing which
permits the printing of composite materials for
use in high performance products.
Their research innovatively uses ultrasonic
waves to carefully position millions of tiny
reinforcement fibres during the 3D printing.
These fibres create a microscopic reinforcement
framework to give the material increased
strength. This microstructure is set in place
using a focused laser beam that locally cures the
epoxy resin and then creates the object.
The versatile nature of the ultrasonic system,
which can be inexpensively added to an off-theshelf 3D printer, permits a wide-range of particle
materials, shapes and sizes to be assembled,
leading to the creation of a new generation of
3D printed fibrous reinforced composites.
9
WINTER 2015/2016
“This work has shown the first example of 3D
printing with real time control over the
distribution of an internal microstructure,
which demonstrates the potential to produce
rapid prototypes with complex microstructural
arrangements. This orientation control will
provide the ability to produce printed parts with
tailored anisotropy without compromising
toolpaths, thus enabling the production of
components for a range of smart materials
applications e.g. resin-filled capsules for self
healing or piezoelectric particles for energy
harvesting.” More…
3D Printed Bridge
The research and development company MX3D
is to create the world’s first functional 3D
printed bridge. The steel bridge will be
produced by robots to serve as a pedestrian
walkway over a canal in Amsterdam and will
have an 8-metre span. Completion is planned
for 2017.
The robots being used for its construction can
create far larger structures than traditional 3D
printers as they can move across them when
they print. Theoretically this development will
allow endlessly large printed forms to be created
in future.
The creation of the bridge is very much seen as
a learning process by MX3D that will enable the
refinement of the software used to create a wide
variety of other structures in the future. More…
World's Largest 3D Printed
Polymer Building
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
generates its own power and shares it with a
companion vehicle.
The project was developed as part of the
Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy
(AMIE) initiative which aims to foster new ways
of thinking about energy generation, usage and
storage. More…
3D Printed Brick Cools
Buildings
The porous 3D printed ceramic Cool Brick
created by California studio Emerging Objects
is a modern reinterpretation of traditional
evaporative cooling systems. The material it is
made from is highly absorbent, whilst the lattice
design of the brick lets air pass through freely
enabling water to readily evaporate from its
micropores and reduce air temperatures without
the need for electricity. [ 28 ]
3D Contour Crafting
Contour Crafting is a 3D printing technology
for layered fabrication developed at the
University of Southern California by Dr
Behrokh Khoshnevis. In 2014 it was awarded
the Grand Prize at the NASA Tech Briefs
Create the Future Design Contest.
It can be used for the rapid automated
construction of both whole structures and subcomponents even in single runs. It has the
potential to make creative customised design of
the built environment, especially the houses of
the future, both a realistic and an affordable
possibility. [ 29a, 29b ]
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) working in
conjunction with the US Department of Energy
has created a prototype 11.6 metre long 3Dprinted polymer building for off-grid living that
http://www.cibse.org/
10
WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
DRONES
MATERIALS
Bird Deterrent Drones
PlasticRoad
Clear Flight Solutions in the Netherlands are
developing 3D printed robotic drones disguised
as birds of prey to act as bird deterrents. The
Robirds, which mimic the flight characteristics
of real birds (combining a basic flapping motion
from a joint in each wing with a rotating
movement), are the creation of Nico Nijenhuis.
Presently two models are being developed which
resemble the peregrine falcon and the bald
eagle. More [ 30, 31, 32 ]
VolkerWessels are presently at the concept
development stage for PlasticRoad which they
claim will have three times the expected lifespan
of conventional roads, a lower construction time
and be virtually maintenance free.
It has already been reported that Rentokil in the
UK is looking into the use of drones for bird
pest control [ 33 ]. It has yet to be seen whether
they will be used as a bird deterrents for
buildings.
Construction Drones
Drones are becoming increasingly used in the
construction industry for a wide variety of
purposes that can greatly expand how the built
environment is designed and perceived. Many of
their potential uses in the field of construction
can be found here.
It is intended that PlasticRoad, which is of
lightweight design, will be constructed from
100% recycled material and feature 'hollow'
channels that can be used for cables, pipes and
rainwater. More [ 34, 35 ].
World’s Lightest Metal
Boeing has created a metal that is 99.9% air.
The material that has been developed using it is
called Microlattice, and internally has an open
cellular structure that allows it to be both
lightweight and highly durable. More…
Cellulose Nanocrystals Create
Possible New Super Material
The cellulose crystals that give trees and other
vegetation their high strength, lightweight and
resilience, have been shown to possess stiffness
comparable to steel.
It is foreseen that cellulose nanocrystals could
be used to create a new class of biomaterials
with a wide-range of applications, ranging from
electronics, water filtration and computing
purposes, to structural components for the
aerospace, automotive and building industries.
They are inherently biodegradable, carbonneutral, renewable and sustainable, like the
sources from which they come from. Cellulose
nanocrystals also have the potential to be
http://www.cibse.org/
11
WINTER 2015/2016
processed at low cost at industrial-scale
quantities. More…
Nanostructured Glass
Electrochromic glazing utilises electric charge
to permit windows to change between
permitting the ingress of sunlight and daylight
to blocking them. It is recognised that some
present day ‘smart windows’ may reduce lighting
requirements by around 20% and peak-time
cooling load by 25%.
Researchers in the US from the University of
Texas researchers and the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory have now developed novel
nanostructured electrochromic materials to
control 90% of near-infrared wavelengths and
80% of visible light to improve such
performance still further.
Additionally, only a few minutes are required to
switch between these two modes, where
previously the transition took hours. The team
is now looking towards commercialising their
work. More [ 36, 37 ].
Colour-Changing Wall Paint
Scientists at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced
Technology in China have developed
‘Chameleon paint’. The paint features
controllable nano-cells that can be inflated or
deflated to deflect natural light at different
wavelengths to allow a variety of different
colours to be seen by the human eye.
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
Biomimetics – Smart
Thermobimetal
Much of biologist-turned-architect Doris Kim
Sung’s work with dO|Su Studio Architecture is
with thermobimetal, a type of smart material
that can act dynamically and responsively
without the need for electricity.
It contracts and expands as a result of
temperature variations and can be used to
provide both sunshade and ventilation. It is
predicted that its use on building facades would
helping reduce the amount of work mechanical
systems have to undertake and allowing large
energy savings to be made.
Her temporary installation, entitled Bloom,
serves as a concept zero-energy prototype for
building facades that automatically responds to
changes in air temperature and heat. More [ 40,
41a, 41b ].
Heat-Dispersing Clay Bricks
A new type of brick design, conceived by
Colombian architects Miguel Niño and Johanna
Navarro, has been developed to help
inexpensively keep buildings cool in hot
climates.
Unlike standard bricks, the Bloque
Termodisipador (Heatsink Brick) has five-sides,
a perforated cellular structure that breezes can
pass through to dissipate stored heat, and an
angled face to help shield against the Sun’s rays.
The new bricks are also said to be more
effective in noise reduction. More…
Each cell contains a metal core that alters the
size of the cell in reaction to temperature or
when an electric current is passed through it. It
is intended that the paint will be commercially
available within the next three years.
More [ 38, 39 ].
http://www.cibse.org/
12
WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
Self-Repairing Materials
Research
New Mix Of Cement For
Hazardous Waste
A team at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) is currently developing ways
to create "living materials" that could
theoretically be used to grow fabrics that can
repair themselves if damaged. Proof of concept
has already been achieved.
Researchers from Sheffield University in the UK
claim that they have produced a new mix of
cement that appears to be more effective at
containing nuclear waste in deep repositories.
They believe the new mix may be up to 50%
better than previously suggested barrier
solutions.
In the work that has been undertaken modified
E. coli bacteria are being used to form biofilms
which the team has engineered to organise and
self-assemble themselves. Associate Professor
Timothy Lu states that “… promising real-world
applications include self-healing materials,
engineering novel adhesives, building structural
materials, sensors and evolving materials to
improve their performance.” More [ 42, 43 ].
CONCRETE
Self-Healing of Concrete
Researchers at TU Delft are investigating how
the self-healing ability of concrete structures
can be improved by adding calcite-precipitating
bacteria to the concrete mixture, and the
conditions necessary for that type of bacteria to
thrive. They believe that in particular, the
bacterial concrete will be highly suitable for
underground retainers of hazardous waste.
The Self-Healing Concrete project forms part of
that University’s Self-healing Materials research
programme. More [ 44, 45 ].
http://www.cibse.org/
Additional mixes are also being assessed to see if
even more effective solutions can be obtained.
More…
Conductive Concrete Melts
Snow and Ice
Professor Chris Tuan at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln has developed and patented a
conductive concrete that can carry enough
electrical current to melt ice during winter
storms. He is presently working with the
Federal Aviation Administration and others on
multiple applications for his discovery.
In particular, the FAA is interested in its
potential use at airports around gated areas to
help cut weather-related delays. In a separate
application, it has been successfully used to
cost-effectively de-ice the road surface of a
bridge since 2002. Tuan states that, whilst he
does not see it as a practical solution for every
inch of roadway, it is well suited to targeted
locations such as this, and a variety of other
locations including driveways, sidewalks,
intersections and exit ramps. More…
13
WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
EMF Shielding Concrete
Cyber Security
Professor Chris Tuan has additionally discovered
in his research on conductive concrete that by
replacing the limestone and sand typically used
in concrete with the mineral magnetite, the
mixture can shield against electromagnetic
waves.
In September 2015, the Zurich Insurance Group
announced that “Cyber Costs Threaten To
Exceed Benefits” and that by 2019, “The annual
cost of protecting our digital world from
hackers will exceed the benefits of being
connected …” In that same month, the UK
Government announced that 90% of businesses
had received security breaches during the
previous year. More [ 48, 49 ].
He notes that such a finding could make such a
concrete mixture particularly useful for those
worried about useful becoming potential targets
of industrial espionage. Other uses also come to
mind. More…
WIRELESS
Consumer Use Of Smart
Devices
New data indicates that 67% of consumers
struggle to use common smart devices, with
under half of all respondents seeking help. Of
those who do, only 20% express satisfaction
with the technical assistance they receive.
“Today’s support must expand beyond break/fix
to include education, interoperability and usage
in order to earn the trust of the consumer and
assure that they are enjoying the benefits they
expect from their technology. If we continue to
sit by and watch consumer frustration increase,
brands will see smart device adoption rates fall
off a cliff – and revenues will diminish.” Wynn
Grubbs, senior vice president at PlumChoice
[which specialises in technical services for the
IoT and cloud enablement]. More [ 46, 47].
There is an opportunity for more
entrepreneurial organisations to address such
shortfalls by ensuring that technology is fit for
purpose and that individuals are sufficiently
briefed on how to use it.
http://www.cibse.org/
Those investing in intelligent buildings and
creating smart cities are likely to be similarly
impacted unless suitable precautions are taken.
An initiative called ‘I Am The Cavalry’ has been
created to help address such concerns. Its
efforts are primarily focused on cyber security
issues relating to the following areas of public
safety: automotive, home electronics, medical
and public infrastructures. More…
Changes in Insurance Policies
In 2010, Lloyd's of London declared "The
danger with EMF is that, like asbestos, the
exposure insurers face is underestimated and
could grow exponentially and be with us for
many years.” More…
It is because of concerns such as this that many
insurance companies, including those of
architectural and engineering firms, are now
refusing to cover claims linked with
electromagnetic radiation. This may greatly
affect the way intelligent buildings and
environments in general are designed in future,
and may lead to an exciting new era of bioelectromagnetically friendly environments and
technologies being created. More [ 50, 51, 52, 53,
54].
14
WINTER 2015/2016
FIBRE OPTICS
Next Generation Core
Networking
Researchers at University College London
(UCL), working on next generation core
networking and communications systems, have
achieved a data rate of 1.125 terabits per second
(a data rate 50,000 times faster than typical
average broadband speeds) using fibre optic
cables.
Their research is part of a project funded by the
UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council to investigate how to improve
network infrastructure to support the rapid
expansion of digital content. More [ 55, 56 ].
World’s Fastest Network Could
Carry All Internet’s Traffic On
Single Fibre
A joint group of researchers from the
Netherlands, the US and China have broken the
world speed record for a fibre optic network,
achieving a gross transmission throughput of 255
terabits per second down a single strand of glass
fibre. The rate achieved is equivalent to, and
may even exceed, the total sum of all peak time
Internet traffic. More [ 57, 58 ].
INCLUSIVE DESIGN
Inclusive Design
The UK Government is committed to inclusive
design, and recognises that it is the initiative
and leadership of the construction industry
itself that is going to make the real difference.
There are already a large number of professional
bodies within the construction agency signed up
http://www.cibse.org/
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
to its action plan. “Inclusive design aims to
remove the barriers that create undue effort and
separation. It enables everyone to participate
confidently and independently in everyday
activities,” Stephen Williams, Minister for
Communities.
The UK Built Environment Industry Action
Plan can be accessed here.
The report by Professor Derek ClementsCroome, Ann Marie Aguilar and Mallory Taub
on ‘Putting People First: Designing for Health
and Wellbeing in the Built Environment’ can be
accessed here.
Environmental Sensitivity – The
New Smart Challenge
The city of Tarragona in Catalonia is to be the
first municipal government in Spain to
implement a rescue plan for individuals that
have Central Sensitivity Syndromes (CSS)
[which include Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Multiple
Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), Fibromyalgia
(FM) and Electrohypersensitivity (EHS)].
It has been estimated that around 3.5% of the
Catalan population, about a quarter of a million
people, live with CSS and are presently
subjected to varying degrees of social exclusion
(from mild to severe) because of their condition.
It is thought that in Tarragona alone, around
4,600 people are affected.
It is intended that the City Council of
Tarragona will create and develop a specific
support programme for those with CSS and
their relatives.
Proposed measures include a “Housing protocol
for those with CSS, particularly those who have
MCS and/or EHS, … This protocol has to
include a series of safe social housing (green/
white spaces: free of xenobiotics and
15
WINTER 2015/2016
electromagnetic waves)” and the creation of “…
green/white spaces in all municipal buildings
(free of xenobiotics and electromagnetic
waves).” More…
As an intelligent building is by definition
intended to be “healthy in terms of well-being
for the people living and working within it; and
functional according to the user needs,”
Clements-Croome (2010), and low
electromagnetic field environments and allergyfree environments can be readily created with
careful planning; it appears that this many
designers of intelligent buildings should be able
to help develop insightful solutions to these
challenges.
Airborne Ultrasound
New research from the University of
Southampton indicates the general public may
be exposed to airborne ultrasound at levels that
may impact health.
Study author Professor Tim Leighton found
increasing exposure to ultrasound in locations
such as libraries, museums, railway stations,
schools and sports stadiums, in which there
have been complaints of dizziness, fatigue,
migraine, nausea and tinnitus.
Ultrasound can be generated in public places
from a number of sources including door
sensors, loudspeakers and public address
systems. More [ 59, 60 ].
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
AIR POLLUTION
Links with Premature Death
It was recently announced that annually over 5.5
million people die prematurely worldwide as a
result of air pollution. More…
Smog Free Tower
The 7-metre tall Smog Free Tower, conceived by
Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde, was unveiled
on 4th September 2015 at Vierhavensstraat 52,
Rotterdam, following a successful Kickstarter
campaign. It uses patented ion technology to
produce smog-free public space, and processes
some 30,000 cubic metres of air per hour,
allowing people in polluted city environments to
breathe and experience clean outdoor air for
free.
It is claimed to be the largest (artificial) airpurifier in the world and will be used to create
smog free air zones in some of the largest and
most polluted cities around the world. After its
stay in Rotterdam, the Smog Free Tower is set
to travel around the world to cities including
Mumbai and Beijing.
As the aim of the project is to make smog more
tangible to people and to reduce waste, the
filtered pollutants are being recycled to create
unique jewellery, with each piece containing the
compressed smog from 1000 cubic meters of air.
More [ 61, 62 ].
TiO2 and Air Pollution
Concerns have been raised by researchers at the
Indiana University about the possibility of airpollution removal technology used in "selfcleaning" paints and building surfaces
potentially contributing to pollution levels.
More…
http://www.cibse.org/
16
WINTER 2015/2016
Building Vegetation and Air
Quality
In the last issue of this eNewsletter, it was
mentioned how greening buildings could
substantially reduce urban air pollution levels.
More [ 63, 64 ].
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
Bioglow that other plants may emit additional
colours, including yellow and red, in the future.
Though the presently available plant type is best
used indoors (and has a relatively short lifecycle), it has been proposed that potential
future environmentally-friendly uses of
autoluminescent plants could include lighting
backyards and marking the edges of driveways
and highways. More [ 65, 66 ].
BIOPHILIC DESIGN
Autoluminescent (LightProducing) Plants
Genetically modified plants have now been
developed that can glow in the dark without the
need for chemicals or ultraviolet illumination.
Bioglow, the firm responsible for this
breakthrough under the leadership of its
founder Dr. Alexander Krichevsky, is presently
developing novel ornamental plant varieties as
potential green alternatives to electricity
consuming light sources.
One ornamental glowing plant, the Starlight
AvatarTM, which emits a blue-green coloured
light, is already available. It is intended by
Subterranean Gardening
Lowline, New York's proposed underground
park by RAAD Studio, has come closer to
becoming a reality with launch of the
Kickstarter crowd funded Lowline Lab, which
will act as a research laboratory to enable the
team to determine which plants can be used in
the reduced light conditions of the final scheme.
More…
[Comment: Refer also to the Energy section of
this eNewsletter for further items related to
plants].
PAST CIBSE/IBG EVENTS
Past CIBSE/IBG Seminar Presentations can be found here.
CIBSE/IBG Management Committee meeting
CIBSE/IBG Management Committee meeting at Hilson Moran, London on 1st October 2015.
Attendees (seated): Professor Derek
Clements- Croome (University of Reading),
Eva D’Souza (CH2M), Dr Mark Worall
(University of Nottingham); (standing):
Philip King (Hilson Moran), Lee Funnell
(Siemon), Dr Isaac Jamieson (Biosustainable
Design) and Peter McDermott (Mott
MacDonald).
http://www.cibse.org/
17
WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
BIM Debate
1st October 2015, Hilson Moran, London. Written by Phil King, Hilson Moran.
The CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group organised a BIM Debate that was held at Hilson Moran’s
London Bridge office on 1st October 2015. The debate took place late afternoon/early evening so that
the panellists and guests could mingle and network over a glass of wine afterwards.
The debate motion was “This house believes that: BIM produces better buildings.” Richard Saxon,
awarded CBE in 2001 for services to British Architecture and Construction, chaired the debate and
introduced the six panellists. The six panellists each spoke for 5 minutes – three for the motion and
three against the motion as follows:
FOR
AGAINST
Simon Rawlinson (EC Harris)
David Frise (FIS Interiors)
James Pellatt (Great Portland Estates)
Stuart Chalmers (BRE)
Richard Shennan (Mott Macdonald)
Paul Fletcher (Through...) - Against
The audience was made up of a variety of building professionals from across the industry including;
developers, project managers, architects, quantity surveyors, engineers, contractors and lawyers and
consisted of approximately 50 people. The speakers each gave their views on the motion with vigour
and passion and from many different perspectives. Richard Saxon then opened up questions to the
audience which were responded to with equal vigour and passion. A vote by the audience was taken
before the six speeches and then again after. The results were:
BEFORE
AFTER
For the motion
27
27
Against the motion
3
5
As can be seen, the results were mainly for the motion with no considerable swing of opinion before
and after. This was probably due to the six speakers giving their clear views and opinions and the
audience being a broad mix of building professionals with their own views. Several abstained.
All then mingled for some refreshments and the debate continues...............
We would like to thank all those that took part.
Smart Buildings
The Webinar Q&A with Paul Fletcher entitled ‘Why Smart Buildings need Smart Thinking!’ was held
on 20th January 2016. It was the first Webinar in the 2016 Smart Buildings Series sponsored by
Tridium, and in it Paul discusses how Smart Buildings can Evolve to Anticipate what Occupants Need
& Desire. For those who missed it, an audio recording can be accessed here.
http://www.cibse.org/
18
WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
FUTURE EVENTS
The 20th CIB World Building Congress 2016 Intelligent Built
Environment for Life
31st May to 3rd June 2016, Tampere Hall, Tampere, Finland.
For the above event, CIB Board and Advisory Board Meetings, a training course (BIM) and the get
together party will be held on the 30th May. The conference sessions themselves will run from the 31st
May. The opening ceremony is also on the 31st May, with the conference banquet taking place on 2nd
June and tours of Sweden being available on the 2nd and 3rd June.
The CIB W098 and CABA Seminar on “Intelligent Liveable Buildings and Cities” will take place
within that event on Thursday 2nd June. The speakers’ list for that seminar is shown below:
SPEAKER NAME TOPIC
CIB+ CIBSE/IBG
Prof Derek ClementsCroome
Designing Liveable Intelligent Buildings and
Cities for People
University of Reading
Prof Juhani Pallasmaa
Space and Environmental Design for
Occupants
Helsinki
Ar Debashis Sanyal
Need for developing Intelligent sustainable &
high rise buildings in the Asian context
National Institute of
Technology Raipur
Dr Mark Worall
Self-regulating buildings and cities
University of Nottingham
Prof Xiaoshu Lu
Complexity Models of Architecture
Aalto University
Helsinki
Prof Holger Wallbaum
Dr Quan Jin
Human factors – the key driver for the design of
smart and sustainable offices
Chalmers University of
Technology Sweden
Targeted Indoor Environment towards Smart
and Sustainable Buildings
Chalmers University of
Technology Sweden
Dr Xingxing Zhang
A Case Study of the Effectiveness of
Responsive In-home Display for Energy Savings
in Shanghai Residential Buildings
University of Nottingham
Ningbo China
Dr Husam Alwaer
Intelligent Cities
Dundee University
Dr Tong Yang
Adaptive urban design - traditional vs. modern
residential settlements
University of Nottingham
Ningbo China
Registration for this event is now open: http://www.wbc16.com/registration-accommodation.html
http://www.cibse.org/
19
WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
FUTURE CIBSE/IBG SEMINAR SERIES
Forthcoming events
• IBG 10th Anniversary event - 9th March 2016.
• Sensory gardens as contemplative places for office workers – Joint CIBSE IBG & FGF event 29th
April 2016.
• Special facade seminar – October 2016.
• Intelligent building design for refurbishment of existing buildings
• Biophilic design seminar
• Heat network and barriers
Topics/events for future
Possible Topics for debate suggested are below but these can be extended:
• Holistic approach
• Sound
• Resilient design
• Heat network and barriers
• Energy of people
• Forces of history
• Cyber security
• Rating methods for building quality
• Thinking Building
http://www.cibse.org/
20
WINTER 2015/2016
CIBSE Intelligent Buildings Group eNewsletter
ONLINE
• http://www.cibse.org/networks/groups/intelligent-buildings
• http://www.buildingecology.com/
• http://www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp?id=725
• http://www.uniformat.com/
• http://www.caba.org/index.html
• http://www.automatedbuildings.com/index.htm
• http://www.vttresearch.com/?lang=en
• http://www.greenintelligentbuildings.com/
• http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tibi20/current
COURSES AND TRAINING
• MSc Intelligent Building Technology and Management, The Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology. [http://www.sengpp.ust.hk/programs/ibtm/en/index.html ]
• CIBSE courses [http://www.cibse.org/events ]
• Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE), University of Cambridge. [http://
www.idbe.arct.cam.ac.uk/ ]
START-UPS AND
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Autodesk Entrepreneur Impact Program
This program supports early-stage start-ups and entrepreneurs in the cleantech, environmental and
social sectors. As part of the program, eligible companies receive world-class software to enable them
to design, visualise, and simulate their ideas and accelerate their time to market through 3D Digital
Prototyping.
To qualify for the program businesses should be less than 5 years old, have fewer than 10 employees,
and have less annual revenue of than $1 million. The innovation areas covered by it are: agriculture,
built environment, energy, health and wellbeing, marine, water, transportation and waste. More…
http://www.cibse.org/
21