Q&A with one of our Overheating Experts
Ceris is an overheating consultant and energy assessor here at BE. We wanted to know what life is like inside and outside of her work.
Can you tell us a bit about your job?
I perform overheating calculations on buildings that are at their design stage. Essentially providing feedback and advising the client if the design of the building might be prone to overheating during peak temperatures during the summer months. The results can influence the design of the building, primarily the window placement and openings. The main areas we are concerned about for residential dwellings are the living areas and bedrooms. I use IESVE software to build a model of the proposed design and simulate window opening patterns against weather temperature datasets. For a TM59 I’m looking for the building to meet the CIBSE overheating criteria that will ensure the occupant has the means to retain comfortable temperatures throughout the summer.
How long have you been working on building simulations?
Probably around 4 years.
What sort of clients have you worked with over the years?
A mixture of architects, small to large developers and housing associations.
What’s the best bit about your job?
I do enjoy the modelling aspect as it allows me some creative time, other than that its getting the best results for the client.
And the worst thing?
Assessing a building in London. The temperature file for London Heathrow is one of the hottest in the UK and can be a difficult one to meet the TM59 criteria.
How do you feel our simulations and consultancy can help us get towards a net zero world?
In the UK I feel we sometimes overlook how a building design might perform in the summer, and how much the glazing design can impact a room during peak summer months.
We are aiming to use passive measures to cool the building unless there are factors like pollution, noise or security that may impact on the design or the potential
to open windows. Through passive measures the occupier can use less energy through reducing the demand for mechanical cooling like AC, adaption at an early stage of the design pr
ocess can potentially save a lot of carbon.
…and how do you feel they prepare people for a changing climate.
As we look at insulating our buildings better, we also need to factor in how these buildings will perform in the future with our summers getting hotter. By identifying issues with the design early on we can make or suggest changes that can ensure the potential longevity of the building, ensure good design practice that can benefit clients financially and ensure the comfort of occupiers dwelling in the building.
What are your best 3 bits of advice for someone trying to design building with the lowest risk?
- Consider the orientation of the building and the window sizes and positions for each room and how the sun path might impact on these rooms.
- Ensure as much of the window casements are openable as possible for the day and night. (Top tip – try and avoid inputting only glazed doors for a ground floor bedrooms.)
- If you have large areas of glazing for south facing rooms consider external shading measures like louvres or shutters in the design.
What do you get up to outside of BE?
I enjoy getting creative, designing and making things and playing music. I play bass in a band called Guilty Party so I do play at the odd gig, we’ve not been invited for any major festivals yet but we can dream!
