Most modern office blocks in Southern Africa are air conditioned, for obvious reasons, but some developers are eager to find ways of reducing the capital cost of these projects. Fred Smith of Ove Arup Partnership reports on one· particularly innovative project in Zimbabwe where passive cooling ·met the brief.

Air conditioning may have economic and health disadvantages, but it does provide protection against future change in functional requirements of buildings, says Professor Patrick O'Sullivan. It will continue to be essential in high density urban areas, but there will be many cases where there is no clear distinction as to the which mode of environmental control, natural or  mechanical, should be adopted            

Concerns surrounding indoor air quality in commercial buildings have focused attention on the need for stringent filter performance testing. The Cl BSE engineer should be aware of several test standards

This study examines technical issues of residential forced-air space conditioning systems incorporating heating, ventilation and cooling in the context of increasingly energy efficient new housing. Current technologies and practices are reviewed and analyzed with a view to improvements. Potential existing and emerging technologies and strategies are examined. A comparison of conventional and improved design strategies are presented for a house with a 5 kW heating load.