Mercedes-Benz cars are inspired by an enduring passion:a passion for the pursuit of excellence,and this passion extends to the design of the company’s flagship showrooms.The H R Owen Mercedes-Benz dealership in Redhill is a case in point.With floor to ceiling glass panels providing plenty of natural light(and solar gain/heat loss)the building designers recognised that to ensure optimum comfort, high-performance and reliable air conditioning was an essential element in the electrical services design scheme.

Integration and innovation are combined in the new lighting control scheme for the refurbished Science Theatre at the Salomons Centre in Kent.

An ABB drive is set to save a holiday park nearly £5,000 on the annual electricity cost for its indoor swimming pool.

Watts Industries has acquired Electro Controls Ltd,extending its HVAC and building management system controls offering in the UK.

The launch of a new extranet website,allowing fast,easy and secure access to the latest developments in the Desigo PX range of modular HVAC controllers from Siemens Building Technologies,was among the highlights of the first Desigo Certified Partner Conference held at the Siemens Building Technologies factory in Zug,Switzerland.

Ensuring the building services engineering sector is equipped for new technologies was highlighted by SummitSkills to an audience at the Scottish Parliament recently.

A stylish new chilled water cassette designated FCA,has been launched by Aermec.Demand for hydronic systems in and above suspended ceilings is expected to expand in the light of the F-GAS Regulations which will require regular inspection of refrigerant pipework in the conditioned space.

Fläkt Woods has re-branded its market leading Partnership Collection to The Express Range,and nominated Express Range Distributors from its network of distributors to offer even wider ranges of readily available, off the shelf products in all locations.

PRIVA Building Intelligence is one of the newest members of the BACnet Interest Group Europe and coinciding with their membership the company has released the Comforte CX controller.

The new HydroLean range of water-cooled chillers from Lennox offers the latest in high performance cooling and heating in an extremely compact and sustainable package.Its design addresses many of the problems encountered by engineers at installation stage and also when trying to ensure long lifecycles and reduced environmental impact.

Armstrong Integrated Systems Limited has launched a range of six pre-designed packaged plantrooms designed specifically for the needs of educational sites.The plantrooms are of different sizes to match the load requirements of a wide range of educational sites from a small school to a college.

Wavin Plastics Ltd has launched a new literature guide on Part H of the building regulations for residential, commercial and industrial applications.

Disano has published a new 296 page catalogue specifically for their External Lighting product ranges.

Cooper Lighting and Security has published a hard-hitting document outlining the key reasons for avoiding the use of poorquality emergency lighting.

MHS Boilers Limited has launched two new versions of its Pisces Pressurisation Units – the Masterfill and Minifill - an ideal method for automatically maintaining the water pressure in central heating and chilled water systems.

Marshall-Tufflex has launched Sterling Mono Plus 20 in aluminium as a natural step forward for this very popular three compartment system.

Where greater cable fill capability is required on flexible conduit systems,Adaptaflex now offers a full range of ‘big bore’ fittings for its market-leading Adaptalok non-metallic flexible conduit range.

Lapp Limited is tapping into the renewable energy industry with a fully integrated range of UV resistant cables,connectors and accessories.The new collection includes Lapptherm Solar cables and Silvyn RILL PA slit conduit.

There’s a discreet new way to heat with the latest addition to the restyled Dimplex AC range of over door heaters that allows out of sight installations near doorways or in ceilings.Because the heat source is concealed,the product is ideal for shops,offices and all installations where interior aesthetics are important.

TridonicAtco has extended its range of PC CFL Combo emergency lighting units with the addition of the PC CFL ComboCONNECT combined electronic ballast and emergency lighting module. The new unit has an interface to which different intelligent expansion modules can be connected, making it simple to upgrade from a regular emergency lighting unit to a DALI based unit with self test functions.

RCD-protected two-gang switched socket-outlets in flush,surface and flat-plate format are now available in Eaton’s latest MEMSTYLE range for applications where the circuit supplying the socket-outlet is not protected upstream by a residual current device or where tripping discrimination is required at the socket outlet.

Each year building services professionals seem to face a number of major changes in the way they work or how their roles are regulated. One of the most recent‘causes celebre’is how to discover,manage and dispose of the asbestos in buildings.

The most important development in workplace technology in the last five years is one of the least talked about,according to Mike Bird, MD of Cambridge based workplace design and management consultancy breathe group.He’s on a mission to change that.

When designing a lighting system it’s essential not to lose sight of the most important issue in the space – meeting the needs of the people.John Craven of Whitecroft Lighting explains how the people factor fits into the equation.

With the popularity of condensing products continuing to rise with no signs of slowing,Ken Percival,Director and General Manager of Potterton Commercial explores more about how this technology is being developed and applied in today’s market.

Much has been written in the trade press over the past few months about forthcoming legislation that will affect M&E system designers, installers and suppliers of heating equipment.Legislation is surely going to come and,when it does,it will affect us all in the way we specify,select and operate our plant,however it is becoming clear that the Climate Change Levy,revisions to Part L2 of the Building Regulations and the introduction of the Energy Performance for Buildings Directive will have the greatest impact.

Year on year we expect more from our buildings.We expect to be kept warm in the winter,cool in the summer, we expect water to be piped to where we want it,and for our rooms to be properly ventilated. Then on top of all of these expectations comes legislation that demands that these things are delivered in a manner that conserves energy and that is in keeping with the principles of sustainability.

The reports of an architect being accused of the manslaughter of seven people who died in an outbreak of Legionnaires’disease after a jury found her guilty of breaching the Health and Safety Act,will no doubt send shivers racing up the spines of professionals working in the building trade.

Whilst specialists in aspects of building services

Selected on the basis of quality and previous experience of their reliability,Oventrop valves have been used to control the heating system throughout the new extension at Barberstown Castle,Straffan in County Kildare,Ireland.

A unique passenger bridge at Gatwick Airport has been officially opened,by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling.

Space Airconditioning plc has supplied three Daikin EUWA 200 MZ,air cooled chillers,for the major part of a substantial M&E Services upgrade and replacement programme for the prestigious 451 bedroom, five star,InterContinental London on Hyde Park Corner.

The Heatherglen Country Hotel,situated in Cumbria’s picturesque Eden Valley is a five star establishment in one of the UK’s most dramatic landscapes and relies on a versatile and environmentally friendly fuel source to power its heating and catering facilities.

York International is the only HVACR company to have been honoured with a 2005 Climate Protection Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency(EPA).York was recognised for its pioneering work and ongoing development of energy saving technologies applied to chillers,specifically with regard to electronic variable speed drives with their dramatic energy saving potential.

Invensys plc has signed an agreement to sell the majority of the organisation’s ABS(Advanced Building Systems)business across its EMEA (Europe,Middle East and Africa)locations to Schneider Electric SA of France in a US$150 million(£81 million)deal.

HVCA Publications has launched TR/19,its comprehensive guide to the internal cleanliness of ventilation systems.At a time when indoor air quality expectations from building occupiers are higher than ever,TR/19 is expected to become invaluable to those working with ventilation systems and vital when proving standards for insurance purposes.

Following the use of extensive analysis and modelling,consulting engineers,Faber Maunsell,have provided a low energy ventilation system to meet exacting design criteria at the new Shetland Museum and Archive.

Fläkt Woods is providing a new ventilation solution for the extension to Düsseldorf Airport,supplying JM Aerofoil car park fans. In total nearly 50 of the company’s renowned JM car park jet fans are being supplied for the main supply and extract of the car parking area.This is a new concept for Fläkt Woods in Germany,and the JM car park jet fan system was demonstrated to offer a saving of around 50 percent over a traditional ducted system,as well as being simpler to install.

The Carbon Trust has signed-up as the headline sponsor of the flagship Centenary event – the BEAMA Centenary Conference - this autumn.

Britain’s listed and historic buildings are under serious threat from a shortage of skilled craft workers according to a recent report from the National Heritage Training Group(NHTG)backed by ConstructionSkills and English Heritage.

A £3.5m project to build a new viaduct at Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire has won the top award in the Institution of Civil Engineers(ICE) West Midlands Awards 2005.

E Richards has put the pressure on for Lord's Cricket Ground by providing its traditional brass valves to complement the Victorian cast iron radiators that feature in the historic Grade II listed Pavilion.

Time is running out for thousands of council bosses and company directors to either comply with new oil storage regulations from September or risk facing a hefty fine or massive clean-up costs.

Although welcoming the Government’s legislative proposals for corporate manslaughter, the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA)

Toshiba Air Conditioning has launched its Product and Technical Training scheme for 2005-6.A full-colour eight page A5 leaflet is available describing the services.