TALKING POINT
PRIORITISING WATER MANAGEMENT IN DESIGN SAFETY FOR BUILDINGS With severe weather-related events on the increase, there is a growing need for our buildings to rise to the challenge and protect both lives and livelihoods. In this article, Paul Winnett, Sales Director, Building Services & OEM at Xylem Water Solutions UK & Ireland, discusses how to alleviate safety concerns. rain and flash H eavy flooding are becoming more and more common. Experts estimate that flood damage costs the UK around £1.3bn each year. And with extreme weather set to become a more common occurrence as the climate crisis worsens, scientists have warned the British Government, businesses and householders must take steps to protect against future harm. Keeping people safe and preventing flood damage is becoming an increasing priority for our public buildings, most notably for hospitals and care homes where occupants are most vulnerable. Buildings need to be designed to cope with today’s demands, but also to be
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futureproofed and ready to handle the additional capacity needed in years to come. Technology is helping to drive prioritisation of safety in building systems of all scales, both to protect occupants and the structure from damage in the face of extreme weather events. A range of measures deploying intelligent equipment and advanced analytics can alleviate safety concerns, from improving management of wastewater and stormwater to boosting the safety of drinking water. With this article, consultants and architects, as well as building owners and users, can gain insights into the steps that can be taken to protect and prepare our public buildings for whatever the future holds.
Safety from the ground up In-built safety starts with design, to forecast issues before they happen and to create buildings that can adapt accordingly. This applies both externally – to cope with extreme weather events like storms – and internally, by boosting intake water quality for example, or by ensuring the supply and flow of heat and clean air within buildings is not interrupted. Building Information Modelling (BIM) allows planners and consultants to build a digital simulation of how the system will act to anticipate the needs of a resilient building. Information from pump assets is collected, managed and exchanged
Paul Winnett is Sales Director, Building Services & OEM at Xylem Water Solutions UK & Ireland. Having worked at Xylem for over 30 years, Paul brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in the customisation of solutions for applications and designs to be on the latest trends in the building services and industrial markets.
to ensure safety at every stage around the building, for maximum reliability and adaptability in both new-build and renovation projects.
Three steps to safer buildings Creating the most effective and reliable public buildings depends on the technology provided by its building systems: Intelligent equipment capable of sensing environmental conditions to adjust its operation accordingly, to bring significant energy savings of up to 70% Smart network and services enable collection of data from connected equipment, the central control of system operation and pro-active
