The construction sector contributes to a significant amount of carbon emission – 35% of the total global energy consumption according to the Passivhaus Trust. Backed up by 30 years of evidence, Passivhaus is a sustainability-focused solution enabling builders to redefine the layers of comfort and affordability through energy efficient homes. Our director Neil Foster explores why UK construction is yet to discover Passivhaus’ fullest potential and how building professionals can become net-zero-ready with decarbonisation and green living at the forefront.

Leroy Jeffrey has spent over 5 years working to help underprivileged school children in his hometown of St Thomas in Jamaica, by refurbishing laptops and donating them to schools and families.

“For me, education is a right, not a privilege, and so I am eager to do all I can to help aid learning in underprivileged environments. Providing adequate learning materials for children from poorer backgrounds will help them to study more effectively and achieve better results.”

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), is a celebration of the amazing work that female engineers around the world are doing for our built environment. Now in its ninth year, INWED is the only platform of its kind, playing a vital role in encouraging more young women and girls to enter the field of engineering.

As part of our long-standing apprenticeship programme, we wanted to highlight the ongoing achievements of our most recent 12 trainees who joined us across all 11 offices.

Established more than twenty years ago, our apprenticeship programme is committed to nurturing home-grown talent and bridging the skills gap by taking on apprentices straight out of school, college, and university. More than 15 per cent of our workforce is currently part of the apprenticeship program, making up a total of 35 people across a variety of levels, solidifying our investment in the next generation of engineers.

We have launched an all-new acoustics department and appointed two accomplished acousticians. Associate Director Jon Willmott now heads up the newly formed acoustics department, with the support of senior acoustics consultant James Large, in order to meet the growing demand across multiple sectors for acoustic input.

Diversity is essential to a thriving workplace. A blend of differing cultures, perspectives, and interests will inevitably lead to a more innovative and dynamic way of working. However, women are underrepresented in the engineering industry, accounting for less than 15% of engineers in the UK, the lowest percentage in Europe.

We’ve sat down with Kamila Wiatr, an electrical design engineer in our London team, to discuss her experience as a female engineer from Poland living and engineering in the UK.

This week we are celebrating National Apprenticeship Week to highlight the incredible trainees we have here at CPW. Established more than twenty years ago, our apprenticeship programme is committed to nurturing home-grown talent and bridging the skills gap by taking on apprentices straight out of school, college, and university.

Director Wayne Eustace, who oversees the program, explains more.

As with any project that CPW work on, there is never a universal solution when designing data centres.

Read about our approach to tackling some of the most energy-consuming components of data centres here, and how we ensure efficient operation throughout the life of the building.

This year, we wanted to engage our staff in our goal to make a difference in the local community. As a result, we have been working closely with SIFA Fireside to help support and provide for the homeless and vulnerably housed in Birmingham.

Thursday was built environment day, so I found myself back in the Green Zone to discuss the actions needed by our industry to tackle the climate crisis.

Today was Energy Day, and I found myself back in the Green Zone talking with people who speak my language! From biofuels to wind turbines, every type of energy generation you can think of was represented, with each proponent claiming their own would save the world.

I’ve been carrying out embodied carbon analysis for more than 5 years now, so I was very interested going into events surrounding the impact of construction on the climate. Other companies in the building services industry have been very vocal on how they’ve reduced carbon footprints in real-life projects, and I also had a number of discussions with those attending on how we’ve managed to achieve the same feat in many of our own projects.

Today was a day for venturing. I stopped by some of the fringe events being set up around the city, including the Sustainable Glasgow Landing Hub. The Hub is host to several interesting projects, including the COP26 House, a wooden constriction that is innovative to its’ core, designed with circularity and achieves low embodied carbon in its’ design.

Whilst there were some notable absences in the Blue Zone, across the river the Green Zone was filled with voices demanding to #letusin.

At the start of 2020, before the world was turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic, CPW engaged with Notepad to commence our rebranding journey and help translate our complete offering to our audiences.

At CPW we believe that it is our duty to our clients, the communities we work within and also the planet to implement a truly responsible approach to M&E engineering.

As an organisation we are extremely proud of our rich history and heritage. CPW has developed a legacy which can only be achieved through a consistent commitment to excellence dating back over 5 decades.

Couch Perry Wilkes are proud to announce that through our committment to the Planet Mark we are taking steps to make a positive impact on the environment.

Following the latest Government guidance, we have asked all our staff to work from home to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.

Our Nottingham office has once again teamed up with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to award six of its top students with prestigious awards.