Announcing the new partnership with CIBSE

This week at Futurebuild, BPN CEO George Martin announced a partnership between the Building Performance Network and CIBSE, designed to bring a number of benefits to the Network. As members will be aware, George took on the role of Interim CEO in January 2017 and as part of the partnership with CIBSE, Hywel Davies, Technical Director of CIBSE will take on the leadership role from the first of March 2019.  Hywel will be supported by Rowan Crowley (MD of CIBSE Services), Jon Bootland (Director of the Sustainable Development Foundation) and the current BPN Management Team.

Building performance is one of the key pillars of CIBSE and when the proposed partnership and the positive potential of working together with the membership of BPN was presented to the CIBSE Board on the 24th January, they unanimously and positively agreed.

This partnership provides the opportunity for a step change in both resources, knowledge and profile for BPN. Some of the immediate benefits will include:

Access to the CIBSE Technical Team

Expansion of Activities

·       Additional site visits such as the visit to the new Passivhaus Secondary School in Sutton on the 12th February organised by BPN

·       Enhanced Futurebuild presence a current example was the BPN Session on 6th March from 13.30-14.40: “Ensuring quality and performance in new homes”

·       A continued programme of Members’ events

·       CIBSE Technical Symposiums – the next is on 25th- 26thApril at the University of Sheffield

·       Build2Perform – November 2019

·       Webinars

·       Potential involvement in the CIBSE Building Performance Awards

·       Development of a ‘Community of building performance practitioners’.

·       Participation in the work CIBSE does responding to government, Select Committee and devolved administration consultations

·       Improved web site and links to the wider CIBSE website

Potential access to funding and support for additional research projects will also be available. You will be aware that BPN’s first research project: Building Performance of Homes: State of the Nation Review is underway and will be feeding into the anticipated review of building regulations.

The new partnership will also deliver access to CIBSE Knowledge, including:

·       All BPN members will receive copies of the monthly CIBSE journal

·       An enhanced BPN Newsletter tapping into the knowledge of the wider CIBSE community and the CIBSE technical team.

·       Access to the CIBSE Knowledge Portal, with all CIBSE guidance available to download.

Important activities anticipated in 2019 which the partnership with CIBSE will enhance:

·       Input to the current Reviews of Building Regulations, in particular Parts F and L

·       Release of new guidance on the health and wellbeing of occupants and opportunities to introduce this in future revisions of Building Regulations

·       Post Grenfell and Post Hackitt Review activity

·       Brexit related developments

·       The need to ensure that buildings contribute to resolving the growing challenge of climate change .

The CIBSE Building Performance Awards are undergoing a thorough review to ensure that they really do identify and reward the real overall performance of buildings, and not just energy performance. BPN can play an ongoing role in this as the criteria for the wards continue to be developed.

Under the new partnership, BPN will be managed by CIBSE in partnership with the Sustainable Development Foundation with Hywel Davies and the CIBSE technical team supported by the current Management Committee, which George will join.  George and Laura will continue to be part of the on-going development of BPN, managing the Newsletter process and helping to organise events.

The partnership with CIBSE will help provide BPN with a much stronger financial, technical and resource base and give Members access to a wider range of resources. The on-going plan is that BPN will remain a membership based organisation financed by the members, with sponsors for the various research projects.  We are delighted that BBA and Knauf Insulation have already agreed to renew their Pioneer Membership for 2019.

George will be contacting all Members shortly.  However, if you have questions in the meantime or wish to discuss Membership, please contact the BPN team.