On July 1, 2015, one of the hottest July days ever recorded in the UK, students and staff of the LoLo Centre for Doctoral Research in Energy Demand came together for the annual residential LoLo Summer Event in Cambridge. As in previous years, the West Court Buildings of Clare Hall and their surrounding gardens (Photo1) provided the backdrop for daytime activities, while the nearby fortress-like redbrick cluster of buildings in Robinson College was used for accommodation.
This year’s group project, which kept LoLo students busy throughout most of the two days, involved the energy consumption assessment and proposal of ways to mitigate overheating of Gillian Beer House (Photo 2). Using the building on a day when external temperatures reached 35 °C surely gave students first hand experience of how the building responds to heat as well as the actions occupants take to improve thermal comfort indoors.
After a day of measuring, monitoring and investigating in every possible way the building in question (Photo 3-5), LoLo members from Loughborough University and University College London had the opportunity to kick back and catch up during a sit down dinner in the Small Hall of the 17th century Old Court of Clare College (Photo 6).
Day two started with a presentation by guest speaker and building consultant Dr Robert McLeod, who stressed the importance of observation (in the case of retrofits) and careful application of construction techniques (for new builds) in moving toward effective zero carbon buildings that take into account basic physics relating to air, heat and moisture.
The event concluded with LoLo industry stakeholders in attendance, as they judged the students’ group presentations (Photo 7) and provided the questions for the Q&A sessions.
Article by: Nafsika Drosou, LoLo student, 2nd year PhD
Photo credits: Simon Taylor & Stephen Porritt
