WernerCo, the leading access equipment specialist, has unveiled a new safety campaign – Stepping up to Ladder Safety – to promote best practice when working at height. The campaign explores how to stay safe on site for both construction workers and health and safety professionals. As part of the campaign,
Real estate is always a solid investment when you have the money for it. Even if you don’t actively use the space, you can profit by renting it out. That’ll afford you a steady treacle of income and a good ROI in the long-term. Here’s how to get started. Decide
When you think about sustainable living, you probably imagine the benefits of going green, like sticking to a zero-waste lifestyle or ditching the car for public transportation. However, did you know that your home plays an equally important role in preserving the environment? There are many ways to ensure that
Buying a home in Spain might be the closest you’ll ever get to living in paradise. The sunny country is known for its lush mountains, stunning sea views, and spectacular beaches that range in color. With so much enchantment and beauty, picking where to buy a house may be challenging.
Experts create ‘UK Regeneration Hotspot’ ranking Study unveils Westminster as the UK’s top regeneration hotspot With the last two years presenting many challenges for businesses in hospitality and changes to how their customers behave, many have had to look at ways to upgrade and invest in their commercial spaces. Following
HBD and the Barnfield Group have submitted outline planning permission for a 25ha employment scheme at Roman Way in Preston which, if approved, has the potential to create circa 1,500 jobs. The proposed development would deliver circa 800,000 sq. ft. of new industrial and warehouse space, helping to ease the
Balfour Beatty announces that it has secured a c. £50 million contract to deliver essential upgrade works to London Underground’s Piccadilly line. The contract is the first of several packages to be let under the new ‘London Underground High Voltage (HV) Power framework’, to which Balfour Beatty was appointed to
Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, today acquired zero trust cybersecurity provider – Tempered Networks, based in Seattle, Washington. Tempered Networks has created ‘Airwall’ technology, an advanced self-defence system for buildings that enables secure network access across diverse groups of endpoint devices, edge
One of the UK’s leading building services engineering practices, Tate Consulting, has expanded into Belfast, initially creating five jobs in the city. The firm now plans to continue growing the team following a string of high-profile contract wins. Yorkshire headquartered Tate Consulting’s recently opened new Belfast office is located close
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) marked this year’s International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) by celebrating the important role played by women in the past, present and future of building services. It featured a series of ‘guest blogs’ during the week of the 9th annual INWED that reflected the
WernerCo, the leading access equipment specialist, has unveiled a new safety campaign – Stepping up to Ladder Safety – to promote best practice when working at height. The campaign explores how to stay safe on site for both construction workers and health and safety professionals. As part of the campaign, WernerCo has created a series of guides covering topics such as how to use equipment safely as well as offering practical training courses. To launch the campaign, WernerCo has recently carried out research amongst professionals and non-professionals to determine their work at height practices. The research revealed that when purchasing access equipment, stability and safety are the most important factors when choosing equipment for professionals, secondary to price and value. WernerCo has also recently become a Gold Supporter of the No Falls Foundation, a charity dedicated to working at height and height safety. The charity has three objectives: raising awareness of the risks associated with working at height; undertaking research into the causes; and providing guidance and support for those affected by a fall. Justin White, Managing Director for WernerCo UK, commented: “Year on year falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace fatalities and we continually see accidents in the home due to the incorrect use of work at height equipment. The research we have carried out for Stepping Up to Ladder Safety shows that tradesmen want to prioritise their safety and as manufacturers we have a duty to advise best practice when using access equipment. “Our research revealed that 48% of people worry about safety when working at height, that is why we created a series of best practice guides to help users feel more confident when using access equipment. By launching Stepping up to Ladder Safety we hope to encourage users to think about whether they are using the right tools for the job and how they can safely use their equipment to prevent accidents occurring.” The campaign includes a coordinated online and onsite approach with WernerCo offering training to professionals and customers for the use of ladders and towers, covering Do’s and Don’ts for ladder users and how to inspect ladders correctly. WernerCo has also recently appointed a specialist Training Manager, Trevor Rabson, who specialises in work at height safety and provides a wide range of on-site training to customers and end users across the country. Justin added: “We have some really exciting plans in place to bolster the work we’ve already done to help reduce accidents at home and in the workplace. We pride ourselves on providing safe work at height equipment that goes through rigorous testing and meets all the relevant safety standards and now we want to go that step further and support people when using our equipment.” To view WernerCo’s Ladder Safety Guides please visit www.wernerco.com/uk/ladder-safety To find out more information on the range of access solutions and training available from WernerCo please visit www.wernerco.co.uk
Real estate is always a solid investment when you have the money for it. Even if you don’t actively use the space, you can profit by renting it out. That’ll afford you a steady treacle of income and a good ROI in the long-term. Here’s how to get started. Decide on your target audience As a new landlord, resist the temptation of advertising your property everywhere and anywhere. It might seem a little counterintuitive, but you’re more likely to succeed if you filter a little. First, consider who you want to live in your house or apartment. Put together a prototype tenant profile, as it were. Are you okay with smokers? Singles, couples, or groups? Children or no children? How about pets? Figure out the yes’s and no’s. Once you have an idea of what kind of people you’re looking for, figure out how to reach them. See who is moving out of the neighborhood soon and who will come in to replace them. Ask around to learn what makes that particular area attractive to tenants. When you understand the flow of tenants, you’ll have a pretty good idea of where to focus your advertising efforts and find the best people for your property. Establish an appropriate price This is always a little tricky, but there are a few key factors to consider. First, get some insight into the neighborhood real estate market. Learn the height of rent of the other properties in the area and calculate the average range. You might also discreetly inquire with the tenants if they think the prices are fair. Next, determine the baseline value of your property (by square foot). Then add the value of all the time, money, and effort you put into design, renovations, repairs, security, and miscellaneous amenities. Keep in mind that you have to adjust to the market. If your real estate’s total value ends up significantly higher, you’ll need to compromise. Try to find a middle ground between your investment costs and the overall prices in the area. Set up in the right state If you have any flexibility with where to locate the property you want to rent out, you should take time to make a careful selection. Take a page from the book of professional real estate investors. They aim for property in particular states to maximize their ROI and bring in profit on a regular basis. Beginner investors and “regular” homeowners looking to lease out should do the same. For example, Texas consistently rates highly on lists of states for property rent and purchase. Some of its most attractive locales include Brownsville apartments for rent as well as homes in Midland. Texas is legally friendly to investors as well as offering good advantages to landlords in general. In fact, 2020 data cites it as the second best state to rent in, after California. Take quality pictures People like to judge the book by the cover no matter what anybody says. That’s why you should take high-quality photos for your ads. Take them yourself if you’re confident in your skill and equipment. Otherwise, hire a professional photographer. Stage the photos strategically to show off the best aspects of the property. Make them look bright and natural. Avoid taking pictures in artificial lighting if you can; daylight will almost always produce more attractive results. Remember that these photos will be the first impression anyone gets of your property. Advertise on the right platforms Once you’ve decided on your location, price range, and ideal type of tenant, you’ll need to put together a rental listing and post it online. You can put it onto dedicated real estate rental sites or your own social media. It would probably be best if you did both. First, find out which websites are the most popular for finding houses or apartments in the area in which you want to rent out. Start by searching for something along the lines of “[property type] for rent in [location]”. Take a detailed look at the few top results. Aim to advertise on the most popular sites to expose your ad to the most home-hunters. However, if you notice a website doesn’t feature many ads for your type of property, forgo it even if it’s popular. For example, if you’re renting out a summer house but the site is mostly about apartments, you can expect people who are looking for summer houses to overlook that particular platform. Renting out a piece of property is a potentially great long-term financial project. Just avoid the common pitfalls, like getting bad tenants or misgauging your rates. Advertise in the right places with quality photos and sensible numbers, and you can enjoy the fruits of being a landlord for many profitable years.
When you think about sustainable living, you probably imagine the benefits of going green, like sticking to a zero-waste lifestyle or ditching the car for public transportation. However, did you know that your home plays an equally important role in preserving the environment? There are many ways to ensure that your building is environmentally safe and livable for years to come. As a landlord, it is your responsibility to maintain certain standards in every apartment, townhouse, or single-family home. So whether you are renting out one building or an entire complex, here are a few ways to keep your residents – and the planet – safe and green. #1 Reduce Indoor Air Pollution Indoor air pollution is a serious health problem. The EPA – Environmental Protection Agency – estimates that indoor air pollutants are at least one-fourth as prevalent as outdoor pollutants and are present in every home, school, and workplace. Indoor air pollution can come from many sources. These include radon gas seeping out of the foundation, mold and dust mites found in carpets and upholstered furniture, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by paints or cleaning products. Fortunately, as a building owner or manager, you can prevent indoor air pollution or at least reduce it to some extent. Use non-toxic materials whenever possible when making repairs or redecorating areas of the building. This includes all the paints used for painting walls or ceilings, flooring materials, adhesives like contact cement, etc. Avoiding the use of toxic chemicals is a sure-to-succeed way to reducing indoor air pollution. #2 Ensure Proper Ventilation Proper ventilation is an integral part of the HVAC system. It helps clean the air in a building and avoid adverse health effects from exposure to contaminants such as mold, pollen, and dust mites. A properly designed ventilation system should provide enough outdoor air so that it can be delivered uniformly throughout all occupied spaces in your building. In addition to reducing contaminants, adequate ventilation also lowers humidity levels in your building which reduces energy consumption by increasing the efficiency of cooling equipment. #3 Look for Pesticides and Toxins in Drinking Water Toxins can enter our drinking water, which comes from two sources – surface water and groundwater. Surface water includes lakes, rivers, and streams. Groundwater, on the other hand, is found beneath the surface of soil or rock. Contamination can occur at any point along these routes. These include industrial runoff entering a river and pesticides seeping into the soil from farms miles away from your home. How do you know if there are contaminants in your home’s drinking water? The easiest way to find out is by requesting an annual test kit from your municipality (or state). Otherwise, pay attention to any signs that suggest something is wrong with your tap. These signs include stains on fixtures, discoloration in faucets/taps, and foul odors coming out of taps when turned on. You can also take legal action if you feel a nearby industry or business is affecting a public water supply. The success of the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit shows how willing the US government is at the moment to ensure safe and sustainable living conditions for its citizens. Thus, wherever necessary, taking legal action is always an option. #4 Ensure Sufficient Natural Lighting Natural lighting is vital for both your health and the environment. Natural lighting has been proven to increase productivity, reduce stress, and improve mood. That is why it is crucial to make sure that your building has plenty of natural light. You can achieve this by opening up windows or adding skylights to the ceiling. If you do not have enough natural light in your home, install solar panels on the roof that will generate enough electricity for most appliances (including lighting needs). Much of this planning should be done before the construction of your building. Otherwise, it becomes nearly impossible to incorporate all these changes down the line. #5 Be Careful with Lead paint Lead paint is a common health hazard, especially for children. It is a concern in older buildings and may be present in apartments, homes, schools, and workplaces. For people with young children or those who are pregnant, it is best to avoid living in an apartment that was built before 1978. That was when lead was banned from being used as an ingredient in paints. Make sure to test your home for lead before letting tenants in. You can also test the house yourself by taking samples of dust from floors with a vacuum cleaner bag. If there is lead on these surfaces, it will show up when you shake out the bag outside or on a newspaper inside the house. Sustainable living in an urban setting is difficult to ensure. However, keeping these points in mind will surely help you in this regard.
Buying a home in Spain might be the closest you’ll ever get to living in paradise. The sunny country is known for its lush mountains, stunning sea views, and spectacular beaches that range in color. With so much enchantment and beauty, picking where to buy a house may be challenging. The closeness to magnificent golf communities is one factor that most avid golfers consider when buying Spanish properties for sale. Nueva Andalucia is one of the first towns that top the minds of potential homeowners owing to its numerous lovely golf communities. As more people become aware of the multiple advantages of owning real estate in a golf community, it is swiftly becoming a global phenomenon. Continue reading below for the top 3 reasons for buying Spanish properties for sale. 1. Proximity to the Course For golf enthusiasts, the proximity to the course is merely the beginning of the advantages. Many golf communities provide homeowners with reduced club prices, extended tee times, and access to the course’s other amenities. Lessons with golf experts, cart rentals, and discounts at the clubhouse’s pro shop are all possible features. 2. Sign of Prestige The exclusivity of a golf course property confers status on individuals who possess real estate on the course. While not all homeowners care about how others perceive them, some purchasers do try to project a sense of affluence and accomplishment. Owning real estate in a golf community might contribute to that image. These communities’ homes are often huge and luxurious in appearance. 3. Strengthening of Friendships You will almost certainly make new acquaintances as a result of the community participation promoted throughout golf course communities. Living in a golf community means being surrounded by others who share at least one of your common hobbies. Golf communities also lessen the likelihood that your neighbor may be a nuisance as you and your neighbors in a golf community are likely to share your goal for a high-quality property in a safe area.
Experts create ‘UK Regeneration Hotspot’ ranking Study unveils Westminster as the UK’s top regeneration hotspot With the last two years presenting many challenges for businesses in hospitality and changes to how their customers behave, many have had to look at ways to upgrade and invest in their commercial spaces. Following a 100% increase in searches for the term “UK regeneration projects” over the last 12 months¹, leading structural glass manufacturer, Specialist Glass Products issued Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 423 local councils to discover the number of empty commercial properties across the UK in February 2019 and 2022 in order to identify the areas with the biggest opportunity for regeneration. Analysing the data², the top ten hottest spots for regeneration are: City of Westminster – 8,456 London Borough of Tower Hamlets – 3,784 Leeds City Council – 3,567 Trafford Council – 2,967 City of Glasgow – 2,758 Salford City Council – 2,178 Birmingham City Council – 2,153 Cheshire East – 1,625 London Borough of Hackney – 1,461 North West Leicestershire – 1,160 Altogether, there were 89,371 empty commercial buildings across the UK in February 2022, a 21% increase compared to pre-pandemic (February 2019). Central London has the most prominent opportunity for regeneration as local councils, the City of Westminster and London Borough of Tower Hamlets, take the top two spots. A total of 8,456 commercial properties were empty and available in the City of Westminster and 3,784 in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. According to the UK Regeneration Hotspot list, the northern city of Leeds is the third biggest area of opportunity for regeneration. If you were hoping to relocate your business to God’s Own Country, 3,567 buildings are currently unoccupied in Leeds. Other northern areas to make the top ten include Trafford Council (2967) and the City of Glasgow (2758). The results suggest both councils in the North and South have an equal opportunity for regeneration, with four councils each in the top ten. Two local councils from the Midlands also made the top ten, Birmingham (2153) and North West Leicestershire (1160).` The new study from Specialist Glass Products also revealed which local councils were most impacted by COVID-19 by comparing the number of empty commercial properties in 2022 against 2019. Of the councils which held the information, the following councils saw dramatic increases in empty properties and made the top three: St Albans City & District Council by 855% Inverclyde Council by 700% Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) by 518% Andrew Taylor, managing director at Specialist Glass Products, commented on the study: “It has been a testing couple of years for many businesses with multiple lockdowns and restrictions, Brexit and inflation in energy and cost of living. “Hospitality businesses, in particular, have had to find ways to adapt to the new ways of living by sourcing new commercial space with large external areas that are more sustainable. When searching for an area to invest in, business owners should always be on the lookout for areas pushing regeneration; this is often an indication of future growth and demand. “If you would prefer to stay where you are and simply adapt current space, business owners should seek alternate materials such as glass which has many functional and decorative qualities. Structural glass can be used to create outdoor dining spaces such as roofing and balustrading, glass dining pods and takeaway windows with greater security from severe weather and durability in elevated temperatures. “With July temperatures averaging a daily high of 21 degrees Celsius in the UK, indoor temperatures can get stuffy and uncomfortable, especially if in direct sunlight. By implementing energy-efficient coated glass into commercial design, you can help keep interiors cool in the hotter months and warm in the colder months.” You can find the full results of the study here: https://www.specialistglass.co.uk/the-uks-top-regeneration-hotspots/
HBD and the Barnfield Group have submitted outline planning permission for a 25ha employment scheme at Roman Way in Preston which, if approved, has the potential to create circa 1,500 jobs. The proposed development would deliver circa 800,000 sq. ft. of new industrial and warehouse space, helping to ease the significant shortage of suitable buildings within the region. The site, an allocated employment site within Preston City Council’s Local Plan, sits to the east of the existing Roman Way Industrial Estate; a large and well-established industrial development. Chris Newsome, Senior Development Surveyor at HBD, said: “The site is very well-connected, close to the motorway network and within just 1.2 miles of the M6, making it an ideal location for an industrial scheme of this caliber. It also sits adjacent to the very successful Roman Way Industrial Estate and would help to address the shortage of high-quality industrial space within the region, while providing thousands of new jobs.” If the planning application is successful, infrastructure work would start on site later this year. Tracy Clavell-Bate, Head of Development for Barnfield Group, said: “It is great to get the site to the planning stage; it hasn’t been without its challenges, but we are sure with it being a natural extension to the existing Roman Way site, which is fully occupied, that the development will be extremely successful if planning is granted.” HBD and Barnfield have worked closely with the council since 2020 when initial pre-application discussions began. Since then, a range of technical experts and specialist consultants have been involved in completing comprehensive site assessments, alongside architects Fletcher Rae and Iceni Planning Consultants. Ridge was tasked with assessing flood risk and drainage, Bowland handled ecology and arboriculture, Mode managed highways, Sandy Brown handled acoustics and Applied Geology has considered any geo-environmental factors. Dean Young of Young &Co acted for the landowner. The proposed scheme is the latest of several industrial projects delivered in joint venture by HBD and the Barnfield Group. EAST, an 18-acre strategic development site, is also located in Preston and has proved very successful; its 70,000 sq. ft. first phase was fully let prior to practical completion and the rest of the site under offer. The partnership has also developed an 11.5-acre site in Huyton, Beacon 62, creating around 357 new jobs and transforming an important gateway site.
Balfour Beatty announces that it has secured a c. £50 million contract to deliver essential upgrade works to London Underground’s Piccadilly line. The contract is the first of several packages to be let under the new ‘London Underground High Voltage (HV) Power framework’, to which Balfour Beatty was appointed to earlier this year. The framework will run for a period of six years, with a potential to extend by a further two years. Balfour Beatty will be responsible for the design, supply and installation of new assets along the Piccadilly line to support the increase in ‘Traction Power’ required to run the next generation of trains which will be introduced from 2025. On completion, the scheme will also support a 23 per cent increase in capacity on the Piccadilly line at the busiest times, with new, longer trains scheduled every 135 seconds from 2027. Works will include the renewal and replacement of aging assets such as High Voltage and Low Voltage Switchboards along with new HV Cables at several substations across the Piccadilly line including Cockfosters, Hyde Park Corner, Northfields, Sudbury Hill and Leicester Square. Matthew Steele, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Rail & Utilities business, said: “This latest contract award is a significant achievement, building on our 19-year relationship with London Underground. It is testament to our unrivalled capability and deep domain knowledge in delivering underground rail works.” “Once complete, the programme will transform travel for thousands of passengers each day and ensure that the London Underground can continue to run a reliable and safe service for many more years to come.” Works are due to commence this month, with completion expected in 2025. At construction peak, the company will employ approximately 80 people, with 10% of its workforce made up of apprentices and graduates.
Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, today acquired zero trust cybersecurity provider – Tempered Networks, based in Seattle, Washington. Tempered Networks has created ‘Airwall’ technology, an advanced self-defence system for buildings that enables secure network access across diverse groups of endpoint devices, edge gateways, cloud platforms and service technicians. It represents a step-change in operational technology built on secure transmission pipelines to ensure buildings data exchanges and service actions can only take place between people and devices that are continuously authenticated. The acquisition gives Johnson Controls the capability to provide zero trust security within the fabric of its OpenBlue secure communications stack, advancing its vision of enabling fully autonomous buildings that are inherently resilient to cyberattack. How Airwall Works Tempered Networks Airwall technology uses the Host Identity Protocol and a cloud-based policy orchestration platform to create new overlay networks built on encrypted and authenticated communication. The policy manager (a.k.a. the conductor) enforces configured digital policies that control connections within the cloaked overlay system. The default position for the policy manager is ‘zero trust’, i.e., only allowing connections between continuously authenticated and authorised entities. Once a communicating device authenticates itself correctly, an encrypted tunnel is created through which data flows. The advantages of this cybersecurity technique are as follows: ▪ The creation of an always-on and software-defined security perimeter protecting device-to-device, device-to-cloud and device-to-user interactions. ▪ Airwall achieves this by using Host Identity Protocol to create a cloaked and micro-segmented network which overlays a building’s existing network infrastructure, making the solution also highly cost-effective. ▪ A new level of authentication for connected building systems is created, allowing for greater system automation of functions such as heating and cooling, lighting, security and airflows. “When it comes to buildings, we must create easily implementable cybersecurity defences as we’re often dealing with critical infrastructure, including assets such as data centres and hospitals,” said Vijay Sankaran, vice president and chief technology officer, Johnson Controls. “Tempered Networks Airwall approach is purpose-built for our sector as it’s designed around principles of zero trust, securing device communications as data moves between devices and the cloud – so enabling remote building optimisation in the most trusted way possible.” Technology Integration Tempered Networks Airwall technology is being integrated into Johnson Controls OpenBlue platform which is increasingly recognised as a leading smart building software platform with advanced AI-enabled building management capabilities[1]. OpenBlue provides a flexible computing approach for converging building technologies and making those technologies more insightful, powerful, and optimised through edge AI and through full machine learning in the cloud. The ultimate goal is to make all buildings smarter, healthier and more sustainable. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. To learn more about Johnson Controls’ approach to cybersecurity, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com/cybersolutions. See an explanation video for Tempered Networks Airwall technology below…
One of the UK’s leading building services engineering practices, Tate Consulting, has expanded into Belfast, initially creating five jobs in the city. The firm now plans to continue growing the team following a string of high-profile contract wins. Yorkshire headquartered Tate Consulting’s recently opened new Belfast office is located close to Belfast City Airport in the Belmont Office Park on Belmont Road. Belfast born Jim Lee, who has been a director at Tate Consulting for the past nine years, will continue to split his time between Belfast and Harrogate. Aaron Stevenson and Kevin Gallagher have also joined the team as associate director and mechanical associate respectively, with Aaron overseeing the running of the new Belfast office. Aaron has worked for several well-known engineering firms in Northern Ireland for the past 25 years and Kevin brings more than 10 years’ worth of experience to the role working in both Belfast and London. Tate Consulting provides a full range of commercial engineering solutions from MEP concept design to project handover and post-occupancy evaluation, as well as fire engineering services, sustainability and building performance assessments and master planning. Initial contract wins for the company include Belfast Waterside, a development of 500 homes by MODA Living in collaboration with Osborne + Co and focused on the build to rent market, as well as a 450,000 sq ft logistics facility in Dublin for an international retailer. Tate Consulting’s managing director, Shane Tate, said: “Over the past 20 years we have established a nationwide portfolio of clients in both the public and private sectors and a reputation for always adding significant value to projects. Belfast is currently benefitting from substantial amounts of investment and is now home to some of the UK’s most exciting construction projects, so expanding into the city was a natural move andmakes it a very exciting time for us.” Tate Consulting director, Jim Lee said: “This expansion will give us a valuable foothold and added resource in Belfast as well as facilitating further expansion into the Dublin market. We’re already working on several high-profile projects and part of this success is due to us being able to attract a highly skilled team, who want to work on career defining projects. It’s great to be able to utilise the talent that exists in Northern Ireland. “Both Aaron and Kevin have a wealth of industry experience and are well-known in the local construction industry. With a number of imminent appointments, we’re now looking to build on this further and plan to recruit several more electrical and mechanical engineers this year.”
The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) marked this year’s International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) by celebrating the important role played by women in the past, present and future of building services. It featured a series of ‘guest blogs’ during the week of the 9th annual INWED that reflected the initiative’s 2022 theme of highlighting the inspirational work of women engineers globally to support “lives and livelihoods”. “The profile provided by INWED is as vital as ever because women remain hugely under-represented in many engineering professions – including ours,” said BESA vice president Claire Curran. “As the only platform of its kind, it plays an important role in encouraging more young women and girls to take up engineering careers. “Overall numbers of women coming into engineering are on the up, but progress is still slow. Our work around INWED highlighted the key part played by role models and mentors in the recruitment and retention of women.” BESA also promoted the importance of women in engineering through its special Women in Building Services Award, which was set up to recognise outstanding women working in the sector – with particular emphasis on their contribution to sustainability and innovation. Entries The Association called for entries from across the industry so it could celebrate “a truly inspiring person who champions the sector and drives positive change” at its National Awards event on October 20th in London. That evening will also see the presentation of BESA’s first ever award for Diversity and Inclusion. This has been established to reward those companies who have shown the greatest commitment to recruiting, advancing, and supporting all employees regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, or disability. BESA’s guest blogs for INWED were provided by several prominent women in engineering to help promote the range of exciting careers open to women in building services. Curran provided the first where she encouraged other women to follow in her footsteps. “It is a colourful and varied industry with lots of diverse opportunities; where you can be anything you want to be.” She said it was important for the industry to present a more positive image: “We are not very good at shouting about the great stuff we do, the cool stuff. As a result, many women have a negative image of the sector – yet my career in engineering has allowed me to travel the world and get involved in some amazing, exciting projects.” Andi Connelly Horsley, mechanical engineer and technical publications lead at BESA, said women were good at challenging the status quo and bringing a fresh perspective to engineering challenges. “Why do we engineer things? Why do we do it like that? Is it because we have always done it that way? Why not try this instead?” she wrote. “The client is interested in the outcome so ‘why’ should always be the first question – then you look at the how and the what.” CIBSE Graduate of the Year Award winner Lucy Sherburn also highlighted the importance of mentors who could help young women feel comfortable and reach their full potential. “I love the fact that I am constantly learning and discovering new things,” she wrote. “This means I am making a real difference and having an impact on the decarbonisation of heat, which is one of the biggest challenges we face as a country. “Women have so much to offer to this industry and often they don’t realise that their skills are just what we need,” added Sherburn. “There are amazing opportunities opening up thanks to the net zero agenda and the push to make buildings healthier and more sustainable.” Alexandra Knight, the founder of Stemamazing – the initiative created to promote greater diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths – provided the BESA blog on the day of INWED itself. She claimed that people working in STEM were “the hidden heroes of humanity” who get very little credit for “keeping society functioning”. Innovation “As we evolve through the 4th Industrial Revolution and beyond, the need for innovation in STEM will continue to increase at pace. Innovation in STEM is key to solving some of our biggest global challenges – and a key ingredient for innovation is diversity,” she wrote. The week ended with a retrospective blog about how female pioneers had been responsible for many of the innovations that had paved the way for renewables in buildings. Jarne Veronica wrote that people might be surprised that women were so influential in this vital industry because they are so under-represented in careers linked to engineering and building services. “However, this is just more evidence that women have been playing a crucial (and often unsung) role in our sector for decades and, as representation improves, that influence will surely grow.” For more information about INWED click here and to enter for one of the BESA National Awards click here. www.theBESA.com