Nothing is achieved by burying our head in the sand, so why, when we are continuously hearing of the serious skills shortage the building services industry is facing do most employers still refuse to train young apprentices to alleviate the problem?

Though the need to take account of the particular access needs of people with disabilities goes back a long way,it has gained significant momentum in the past few months.

With the widespread availability of Ethernet-enabled BMS components, it is now relatively straightforward to design BMS installations that can share a network with a building's existing IT systems. In theory, this approach offers a lot of benefits. Let's start by looking at some of them.

Improving air-tightness in dwellings, following concerns about energy consumption, is a major consideration for the building industry. Domestic housing uses a very large percentage of the UK’s total energy consumption. Continuous efforts to minimise energy use through improved insulation techniques, suggests that if reduced air loss is not matched with properly controlled ventilation, the health of the occupants will suffer.

Faced with a real need to minimise energy use in heating and air conditioning projects, specifiers have opted for an ingenious modular approach that confirms that ‘small’ really can be beautiful!

Single or twin, the Helios SquareLine in-line centrifugal fan has been designed for installation in circular ducting where there is minimum height or tight spaces like ceiling voids in both commercial and industrial applications.

A new acoustic wall ventilator has been launched by Greenwood Air Management. The new Greenwood AWV39 provides excellent acoustic attenuation and continuous trickle ventilation in line with current Building Regulations requirements.

The traditional metal plenum box, positioned above the ceiling

Diffusion Air Treatment has introduced the new Lifebreath Integrated Vertical Stack Unit (IVS) to give domestic users a controllable indoor environment of heating, cooling and allergy prevention.

Daikin Europe has introduced a series of optional extras to its large screw chillers including heat recovery, inverter fans and fans with high external static pressure.

Airflow has introduced CombiAIR, a portable multi purpose air measurement system. Using a lightweight, hand held base meter the instrument builds into a complete air measuring solution for air velocity, air flow, temperature, humidity and differential air pressure.

New from Aico Ltd is the Firecap Duct Wrap Sleeve, a simple, economical and convenient way to restore the fire integrity of walls, floors and ceilings where they have been breached by PVC vent ducting.

Ebm-papst UK Ltd has introduced a new medium range blower for heating and ventilation applications and cooker extractor hoods.

Tyco Electronics has introduced the AMP NETCONNECT XG copper cabling system for 10-gigabit Ethernet applications.

There are energy savings to be made by simply installing push button timers in place of standard light switches and there’s no better time to do it than now with limited daylight hours and the Adaptaflex ‘Energy Saving’ promotion.

The new Impro IXP 121 proximity access control system from BPT Security Systems (UK) Ltd has been specifically designed for small installations with vehicular access, or multiple small sites that need to be controlled from one location.

Emerson Network Power has introduced, via its Liebert Hiross brand, the innovative ‘Five Nines’ high density cooling and power conditioning solution developed for 99.999% performance in IT environments.

Modular Wiring Systems has launched ‘System 32’, an advanced 32-amp, six-pole pre-fabricated wiring system for fast track lighting and power distribution projects.

Sontay has introduced a new range of competitively priced plant thermostats,designed to cover a wide variety of typical HVAC applications.

The Grundfos Sololift + macerators, for sewage and wastewater removal and grey water applications, have taken the market by storm since their launch.

Unico System’s new MB4860 air handling unit for its mini-duct heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems provides up to 20 percent more heating and cooling capacity than other models available but retains the same compact dimensions.

Passivent Ltd has developed a unique system, Flair, that links the kitchen extractor hood, and extracts in the wet rooms to one low energy fan discreetly positioned within the home, ducted through the wall.

Toshiba SHRM (Super Heat Recovery Module) is a three-pipe invertercontrolled VRF System, operating with R410A that provides simultaneous heating and cooling for partitioned or multi-zone environments.

System Sensor Europe has published a free 32 page guide to intelligent fire systems, intended as a generic reference document for designers and specifiers.

Integrated power solutions company, Scorpion Power Systems, is providing architects, builders and electrical contractors with a unique method of meeting fire safety Building Regulations with a new Phoenix Dual Mains Automatic Changeover Panel.

BSS Industrial has introduced OneDisk – a free CD ROM offering instant access to technical information from leading manufacturers of H&V products.

As part of the Adaptaflex Energy Saving promotion,there’s a new, handy timer switch application leaflet now available.

According to data supplied by the industry regulator, Ofgem, the United Kingdom experiences around 24 million powercuts a year.

Commissioning management specialist Commtech have managed the mechanical and electrical commissioning for three of the main buildings in the huge Spinningfields development in Manchester.

The new Affiliate Membership scheme from the Lighting Industry Federation is designed to provide lighting specifiers from all backgrounds with fast and easy access to vital information relating to lighting regulations, standards and best practice.

The two main fire protection systems in one of Saudi Arabia's largest hospitals, the Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, has been upgraded by Energy House, one of the leading fire protection companies in the Middle East, using Morley-IAS Zx Series addressable panels.

The owners of an exclusive new late-night lounge bar in Bristol’s Welshback area are now able to offer visitors a whole host of varied atmospheres thanks to a versatile lighting control system from Eaton.

Trox UK has manufactured and supplied chilled beams and a range of grilles and diffusers for Phase II of the Citygate project – a prestigious 11,000 sq m multi-storey office development in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne – in a project worth more than £200,000.

To help contractors understand Part P of the Building Regulations, the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) has published new guidance. Entitled ‘Part P of the Building Regulations – Explained’, the guide sets out what type of electrical work is affected by the new regulations, who is affected and how the compliance and notification process works.

More than 450 fan coil units have been installed in a totally flexible, web-enabled open system that serves the 11 floors in a new 11,000 sq ft development fronting Arthur Street and Lower Thames Street in London.

Armorduct has been awarded a contract to supply specially designed stainless steel cable tray systems to the Russian offshore oil industry.

Fläkt Woods has completed an unusual contract, to provide the ventilation solutions for the new London Muslim Centre, the largest in Europe, a £10.4m community centre in the East London.

A new guide to electricity in buildings is now available from CIBSE and will be an invaluable publication for design and construction professionals and building managers who require easy access to information on electrical services.

Airedale International has netted a prestigious order to provide packaged chillers for Arsenal’s new Emirates Stadium in London.

A new scheme aimed at reducing asbestos-related incidents in the workplace has been launched by The Asbestos Aware Contractors Scheme (AACS) and is being promoted not just to contractors but to all organisations that employ either a direct workforce or contracted labour for building, modernisation or maintenance projects.

The stunning multi-storey towers of the new five-star 300-room Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel, overlooking the historic Medina in the heart of Tripoli, are protected at every level by a system of Hochiki's addressable smoke and heat detectors to protect both public spaces and plant and staff areas.

Despite the confusion and media scare mongering aroused by the media, the introduction of the new Part P Building Regulations for

This year is set to be one of growing pressures for anyone involved in building management. A raft of European and UK legislation is due to come into force in early 2006 that will put pressure on companies to reduce carbon emissions through increased energy efficiency.