|
Message from the Chairman
I think it appropriate that my first words as the new Chairman of CBSD should be to thank my immediate predecessor, Andy Gooding, for his hard work over the last two years, he will be a hard act to follow! The Division has an active board of very busy individuals, who give their time willingly to help organise our events and I am sure I can rely upon their continued support as we seek to build upon the success of CBSD.
Construction and building services have an increasingly important role to play in our modern society where energy usage and climate change seem never to be out of the headlines. Not surprisingly, the topic is a regular one at our board meetings, and often forms the basis for events, both potential and realised. It is an area where we find ourselves with competition on the event front, with the larger commercial organisers especially; however as our recent “Saving the 20%” seminar proves, we can and do achieve high quality well attended events. We can also collaborate with other professional institutions, our “Olympic Event” was organised in conjunction with the RIBA, but it was a CBSD initiative. Equally, I am firmly convinced that we can and should offer more specialised events (  RSS feeds ) which do not hold the same attractions for the bigger event organisers, and yet which can provide important information to our members. Over recent years we have held very successful events on cleanrooms and on the control of infection in hospitals by ventilation. It is our intention to organise further events along these lines. Inevitably, being part of a much larger institution and having some 6000 or so members working in the built environment sector, we can sometimes struggle to achieve the levels of publicity our events deserve. I hope, in my term as Chairman, to be able to improve our working relationships with related institutions, especially CIBSE, as I do not see any need for us to compete. Having the 2007-2008 CIBSE President as a board member is an opportunity not to be squandered! We already work well together with the ASHRAE group, and the annual evening event represents a valuable chance to hear the ASHRAE President speak after first seeing short presentations by the finalists for the graduate prize. These young people are the future of our industry and deserve a good audience. New ideas, views and suggestions are always welcome, so please contact myself or any board member if you wish to contribute to our progress via cbsd@imeche.org Neill A Clark B.Eng (Hons) C. Eng MIMechE MCIBSE FRSA
2007-2009 CBSD Chairman
|