Perspectives

Underscoring that carbon monoxide poses serious health risks, Syed Taqi Hussain discusses the importance of sensors to detect the gas in enclosed car parks, and offers tips on their selection and maintenance.

Posted: August 21, 2016

Underscoring that sustainable design involves more than site orientation and energy-saving construction techniques, Stephen Traynor enumerates the advantages of grooved mechanical piping systems, and highlights how alternative joining methods could contribute towards higher building rating.

Posted: July 27, 2016

Pointing out that knowledge of control applications can go a long way in eliciting optimal advantage from a Building Management System, Arvind K Swarnkar lists thumb rules to help follow best practices for control systems in a smart building.

Posted: July 24, 2016

The spotlight is once again trained on District Cooling, thanks to various government initiatives promoting it, bringing to fore challenges utility providers and end-users have to combat. Omnia Halawani analyses them and offers solutions, while making a plea for a streamlined sector.

Posted: July 14, 2016

Taking stock of the progress CCHP and decentralised power generation have made in the GCC region, George Berbari stresses that it can help governments achieve their energy-saving and sustainability goals.

Posted: July 13, 2016

Individual metering to rationalise billing has been a prickly issue that has plagued the District Cooling sector ever since it has made inroads into the Middle East. Mohannad Khader discusses the challenges and opportunities that come with it.

Posted: July 12, 2016

Poorly maintained cooling towers could be a breeding ground for the legionella bacteria, posing a serious health hazard to those exposed to it. Glenn Dobbs discusses ways to prevent legionella growth, while achieving energy savings, through using cooling tower water filtration systems and basin agitation.

Posted: June 30, 2016

Looking at IoT through the automation and controls lens, Vijay Kumar of Cylon makes a compelling case for adopting it in the MEP industry. He believes that we’ll miss the bus if we’re not quick to appreciate the power of IoT in the way the industry is poised to evolve.

Posted: May 25, 2016

Building exhaust air from commercial buildings has typically been thermally conditioned. Building exhaust air is typically dispensed to the outdoor air, requiring energy to condition replacement outdoor ventilation air. The general assumption is that building exhaust air is “contaminated”, says Prasad Natraj of AAF.

Posted: May 24, 2016

In light of the new UAE Fire Code, Karim Badruddin examines the liability of the client, contractor and the manufacturer of fire safety equipment used in a project and the impact of the insurance cost on the client and the contractor. He stresses that each party involved shares the responsibility for occupant safety.

Posted: April 23, 2016