Guest editorial: Building Performance and Sustainable Infrastructure: Unsustainable Return to Practice

The abrupt decline in global carbon emissions experienced during the pandemic was not sustainable. Overwhelmingly, this is evidenced by the advanced economies’ swift return to close to pre-pandemic levels and, of greater concern, the total global use of fossil fuels has rebounded to their highest level in history (IEA, 2021; Jackson et al., 2022). Unfortunately, post-pandemic, the anthropic life threating activities have resumed

Informal interaction in construction progress meetings

The small amount of published research into construction project meetings demonstrates some of the principal difficulties of investigating such sensitive business environments. Using the Bales Interaction Process Analysis (IPA) research method, data on group interaction were collected. A project outcome, namely whether the project was within contract budget, was used as a basis of enquiry between interaction patterns. Analysis was concerned with the socio-emotional (relationship building) and the task-based components of communication and the positive and negative socio-emotional interaction characteristics. Socio-emotional interaction was found to be significantly greater in the projects completed within budget. Socio-emotional interaction is used to express feelings in relation to tasks and it serves as the flux that creates and sustains the group’s social framework, which is crucial in a project environment. The data provides an indication of the importance of informal communication in the maintenance of relationships within project meetings

Accounting for refrigeration heat exchange in energy performance simulations of large food retail buildings

Heat exchange between chilled food storage and conditioned spaces in large food retail stores is not currently required as part of design stage regulatory compliance energy performance models. Existing work has identified that this exchange has a significant impact on store energy demand and subsequently leads to unrealistic assessment of building performance. Research presented in this article uses whole building dynamic thermal simulation models that are calibrated against real store performance data, quantifying the impact of the refrigeration driven heat exchange. Proxy refrigerated units are used to simulate the impact of these units for the sales floor areas. A methodology is presented that allows these models to be simplified with the aim of calculating a realistic process heat exchange for refrigeration and including this in thermal simulation models; a protocol for the measurement of chilled sales areas and their inclusion in the building models is also proposed. It is intended that this modelling approach and the calculated process heat exchange inputs can be used to improve the dynamic thermal simulation of large food retail stores, reduce gaps between predicted and actual performance and provide more representative inputs for design stage and regulatory compliance energy calculations

Summative supervisor reporting: a quality performance perspective

Objective This study aimed to quality assure Assigned Educational Supervisor (AES) reports, using UK Joint Committee on Surgical Training objective criteria, to evaluate contribution to Annual Review of Competence Progression. Design Consecutive 145 AES reports from 75 trainers regarding 68 Core Surgical Trainees were assessed from 9 hospitals (2 Tertiary centers [77 reports], 7 District General Hospitals [68 reports]). Reports were assessed by independent assessors based on free text related to performance mapped to curricular objectives, operative logbooks, and Clinical Supervisor reports, and overall summary grades assigned ranging from development required, adequate, good to excellent. Setting A core surgical training program serving a single UK (Wales) deanery. Participants Sixty-eight consecutively appointed core surgical trainees and 75 consultant surgeon trainers. Results Summary grades of adequate or above were achieved in 101 of 145 (69.7%) reports. Trainees’ objective setting meetings were completed within 6 weeks of starting placements in 124 of 145 (85.5%). The proportions of AES reports containing free text commentary on curricular objectives, portfolio objectives, and operative logbook development were 128 of 145, 123 of 145, and 55 of 145, respectively. AES report quality was not associated with hospital status, subspecialty, or trainee grade. Female trainers were significantly more likely to provide reports graded as Good or Excellent compared with their male colleagues (7 of 12 vs. 27 of 133, χ2 (2) = 9.389, p = 0.009). AES reports for male trainees were significantly more likely to be rated as further development required (40 of 85, 47.1%) when compared with female trainees (4 of 32, 12.5%, p = 0.007). Conclusions Three in ten AES reports were insufficient to contribute to objective Annual Review of Competence Progression outcomes and a gender gap was apparent related to engagement. AES trainers should provide more focus if this summative tool is to be an effective career progression metric

PV with multiple storage as function of geolocation

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd A real PV array combined with two storage solutions (B, battery, and H, hydrogen reservoir with electrolyzer-fuel cells) is modeled in two geolocations: Oxford, UK, and San Diego, California. All systems meet the same 1-year, real domestic demand. Systems are first configured as standalone (SA) and then as Grid-connected (GC), receiving 50% of the yearly-integrated demand. H and PV are dynamically sized as function of geolocation, battery size B M and H's round-trip efficiency η H . For a reference system with battery capacity B M =10 kW h and η H =0.4, the required H capacity in the SA case is ∼1230 kW h in Oxford and ∼750 kW h in San Diego (respectively, ∼830 kW h and ∼600 kW h in the GC case). Related array sizes are 93% and 51% of the reference 8 kW p system (51% and 28% for GC systems). A trade-off between PV size and battery capacity exists: the former grows significantly as the latter shrinks below 10 kW h, while is insensitive for B M rising above it. Such a capacity achieves timescales’ separation: B, costly and efficient, is mainly used for frequent transactions (daily periodicity or less); cheap, inefficient H for seasonal storage instead. With current PV and B costs, the SA reference system in San Diego can stay within 2·10 4 $CapEx if H's cost does not exceed ∼7$/kW h; this figure increases to 15 $/kWh with Grid constantly/randomly supplying a half of yearly energy (6.5$/kWh in Oxford, where no SA system is found below 2·10 4 $ CapEx). Rescaling San Diego's array (further from its optimal configuration than Oxford's) to the ratio between local, global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and Oxford GHI, yields in all cases a 11% reduction of size and corresponding cost, with the other model outputs unaffected. The location dependent results vary to different extents when extending the modeled timeframe to 18 years. In any case, the variability stays within ±10% of the reference year

MONITORING, PLANNING AND TRACKING: DELAY, DISRUPTION AND LEGAL RISK MANAGEMENT

Disputes may arise during and towards the end of projects over changes that have disrupted the works. Considerable reliance is placed on the evidence collected that demonstrates responsibility for the cause and the extent of the subsequent effect. An investigation into case law associated with delay and disruption claims shows that failing to identify the logical links between cause and consequence is a risky strategy, especially where it is difficult to attribute responsibility. If information on responsibility for cause and the subsequent effects are not collected and properly assembled the chances of sustaining a claim are substantially reduced. A small study was undertaken to determine the extent that project managers monitored the basic information that was considered fundamental to such claims. The results show that most of the project managers surveyed had a system for recording change and responsibility for change. Many of the respondents also attempted to predict the potential effects of change on the programme. The results are encouraging and suggest that the use of the basic change information collected and proactive approaches adopted by some project managers should reduced reliance on retrospective analysis and global claims. Those failing to manage change place themselves at risk of disputes and are collecting little evidence to assist them in the event of a claim