by Brianna Crandall — August 21, 2015—A new edition of CIBSE Guide A, which provides guidance on the environmental design of buildings, has been published by the U.K.-based Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). This new edition of the Guide is a comprehensive update on its predecessor, and includes the latest guidance on design for high-quality building environments design, including a greater focus on designing for occupant comfort and efficiency.
Derrick Braham, chair of the Guide A steering committee, commented, “The new Guide A represents CIBSE’s premier publication on environmental design in buildings, and stands on the shoulders of the work done in previous guides. It is a comprehensive review, which enables engineers to design comfortable, environmentally sustainable buildings using the foremost expertise in the field.
“I would like to thank the steering committee and CIBSE’s staff for their work in producing the new Guide, which represents a holistic approach to sustainability in buildings.”
Hywel Davies, technical director of CIBSE, added, “There has sometimes been an unfortunate tendency to treat comfort and sustainability as opposing requirements, and that achieving one means sacrificing the other.
“Designing a building is a fundamentally people-focused activity, so even the most efficient building is still a failure if people don’t enjoy using it. However, building services associated with comfort such as heating, cooling and ventilation are often involved in poor building performance. The new Guide therefore sets out a framework to ensure design decisions are consistent with ecological aims.”
CIBSE Guide A: Environmental Design 2015 can be downloaded from the Knowledge Portal on the CIBSE Web site. It is free as a download for CIBSE members, or £48.00 for the hardback book. For non-members, the PDF edition is £88.00, or the book is £96.00.
