Manufacturing construction: special report - the B1M

In the case of designing for COVID, the most obvious starting point is to look at the airflow of a building — how it might move through an office floor plate, for example.

This insight at the early design stage is extremely valuable, for example the impact on plant and building layouts can be optimised when considering the prevailing wind direction..It is important to highlight that we don’t only simulate building operation, but also interpret analysis results comprehensively, focusing on the average uplift across all the heat rejection plant, generators and building ventilation intakes rather than solely on the worst-affected equipment.

This approach allows us to engage in dialogue with manufacturers to understand how any uplift will affect the performance of the equipment.. With this information, the amount of energy used for cooling can be minimised, reducing both embodied and operational carbon.. Short Break Scenarios.Short break scenarios are simulations used to ascertain the behaviour of a data hall during a switch to standby power generation following a failure of mains power, employing transient analysis within Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)..This process has two main components.

Firstly, modelling the data hall in 3D with the restart times of all equipment inputted into the model.And secondly, constructing a 'Flow Network' to represent the chilled water system, which interfaces with the 3D model to provide mutual feedback during the simulation.

Through this comprehensive analysis, we can evaluate the performance of both the data hall and chilled water system at every stage of the outage and subsequent restart, thereby validating the resilience of the design and providing a level of assurance..

This analysis allows for the optimisation of design elements, such as UPS, to ensure inclusion only where necessary, leading to significant cost savings and a reduction in embodied carbon.Drawing on his own experiences as an Asian architect from a working-class background, Satwinder highlights the importance of having diverse voices in architecture.

Greater representation in the profession ensures varied perspectives that enrich design solutions and create spaces that resonate with broader communities.. 3.The value of listening in architecture.

Satwinder advocates for a cultural shift in architectural training, moving from defensiveness to active listening.By fostering collaboration, communication, and empathy, architects can better understand client and community needs, ultimately producing more thoughtful and impactful designs.. 4.