UK building services organisations to enhance joint efforts for net zero and building safety
Iain Hoey
Share this content
BESA and CIBSE to focus on net zero and Building Safety Act
Two of the UK’s main building services engineering organisations, the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), have agreed to collaborate more closely on key initiatives.
These initiatives include advancing the push for net zero in the built environment and ensuring the delivery of the Building Safety Act, as reported by BESA.
The organisations have a longstanding history of collaboration but believe that the current demands for decarbonisation and healthcare improvements necessitate a more integrated approach.
CIBSE chief executive Ruth Carter stated: “Talking about collaboration is one thing – doing it quite another.”
She emphasised the importance of aligned supply chains and integrated design to meet increasing client demands and legislative requirements.
Joint projects and events to drive industry progress
BESA and CIBSE have outlined a series of joint projects aimed at advancing building services engineering for societal benefit.
They will support each other’s key events, including national conferences, seminars, and awards, while continuing their collaboration on technical guidance.
The focus will be on the Building Safety Act, indoor air quality (IAQ), retrofitting and refurbishment to promote decarbonisation, and the growth in heat networks.
Additionally, they will explore the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for the industry.
David Frise, BESA’s chief executive officer, highlighted the necessity of a unified approach: “The sheer scale of the technical, legislative, and recruitment challenges now facing the industry calls for a properly concerted and joined-up approach on behalf of the whole sector.”
Celebrating new leadership and historical ties
David Frise also congratulated Fiona Cousins on her election as the new CIBSE President and welcomed her focus on “reimagining building performance.” He noted that this perspective is crucial for addressing embodied and operational carbon, as well as social and wellbeing issues linked to building quality.
BESA and CIBSE have a relationship dating back to the founding of BESA in 1904 by engineers who were members of the Institution of Heating and Ventilating Engineers, which later became CIBSE in 1976.
Historically, BESA represented engineering contractors, while CIBSE supported individual engineers, many of whom worked for contracting firms.
Joint training and awareness initiatives
The success of CIBSE’s Building Safety Act awareness training and BESA’s efforts to explain the operational details of the legislation has led to plans for joint sessions at upcoming events.
These include the BESA National Conference on October 17 and CIBSE’s Build2Perform Live event on November 13-14.
Both organisations have active IAQ groups and have produced guides to improve building ventilation standards.
This collaboration has enhanced training requirements and strengthened links to the healthcare sector, addressing the impact of poor air quality on respiratory and cardiovascular health.
BESA recently revamped its young engineers’ group, NextGen Network, to foster closer ties with CIBSE’s Young Engineers’ Network (YEN), giving emerging engineers a stronger collective voice.
BESA is also supporting this year’s CIBSE Young Engineers’ Awards and is a long-standing member of the CIBSE Patrons group, which supports recruitment and promotion of young engineers.
