Building Physics Consultants Wanted

Jobs, Jobs - MACH Energy

 

MACH is a well established and expanding holistic consultancy. We come from an acoustic background which makes us a bit different, however in recent years we have been offering a much wider range of services, with building physics consultancy being a key growth area.  Our analytical and highly graphical nature has delivered a brand/philosophy that is respected throughout the construction industry.

MACH therefore offers a unique opportunity, where you can join a team of young, creative people and make a significant mark on our company.  Our goals have always been to support our staff, encourage entrepreneurialism and ensure that we are a leading consultancy service.

The MACH Energy team is growing fast, thus we have a wide range of opportunities available and can offer candidates new challenges and excellent career growth within a driven and friendly environment.

Junior Consultant

Responsibilities for the junior consultant role will include carrying out thermal modelling, writing reports, producing drawings and managing projects, with occasional attendance at design team meetings.

Candidates should have 2 years of relevant industry experience, as well as the below experience;

  • Relevant qualifications in Environmental Design or similar;
  • Experience of carrying out assessments for Daylight and Thermal Comfort Studies using IES/TAS;
  • Knowledge of Part L assessments building modelling and EPCs;
  • Experience managing the delivery of energy and sustainability services on projects;
  • Knowledge of planning strategy, energy and sustainability statements;
  • Good report writing ability and communication skills;
  • Driving license;

Senior Consultant

Senior Consultant responsibilities within the job will include; working with clients throughout the design and construction phases of a project, attending design team meetings, helping with marketing and creating fee proposals, with the support from the rest of the team. Research is also important within MACH and as such attendance to conferences is expected, with presentations of research papers encouraged.

Candidates should have 6 years of relevant industry experience and the following qualities;

  • Relevant qualifications in Environmental Design or similar;
  • Experience with attending design meetings and managing the delivery of energy and sustainability services on projects;
  • Good working knowledge of thermal modelling and willingness to provide cross-disciplinary advice with the other teams in the office;
  • Experience with marketing and bid work;
  • Driving license;

Email jobs@machacoustics.com to get in touch

Case Study – Heathrow Hydrant Operating Company

Case Study – Heathrow Hydrant Operating Company

BB93, Noise Surveys, Testing

Heathrow Hydrant Operating Company Noise at Work

Mach Testing carried a Noise at Work survey for the Heathrow Hydrant Operating Company.  They provide a refueling service to over 100,000  planes a year which land in Terminal two.  Employees regularly go out on to the tarmac to refuel the planes, therefore their workplace offers numerous health and safety risks in terms of the amount of noise which they are exposed to.

MACH Testing used a combination Dosimeters and site visits in order to collect data, building up an accurate picture of the noise climate.  Our specialist engineers shadowed a number of employees in order to see their work patterns.

Following the assessment, MACH Testing were able to work with Heathrow Hydrant Operating Company to ensure that the noise in their workplace was not putting their employees at risk.  We worked with HHOCO to work out a combination of hearing protection and subtle changes to their work schedules which ultimately gave them a risk assessment which was fully compliant with HSE regulations.

If you would like to know more about this project, or you would like a quote for a workplace noise survey, please ring us on 0843 309 4504 or contact us

Case Study - Heathrow Hydrant Operating Company Case Study - Heathrow Hydrant Operating Company

Speller Metcalfe Knowledge Series of CPD talks: Ze to talk in Bristol

Speller Metcalfe Knowledge Series of CPD talks: Ze to talk in Bristol

Acoustic Design, CPDs
The Speller Metcalfe Knowledge Series of free CPD talks continues with the Autumn series. We cordially invite our architect friends to register, using the links below in this article. Ze is honoured to be asked to speak at the Bristol event and we very much enjoy working with Speller Metcalfe and supporting their education programme.

Speller Metcalfe Knowledge Series of CPD talks: Ze to talk in Bristol


BIRMINGHAM 4TH OCTOBER 2017 – THE COUNCIL HOUSE
08:00 breakfast | 08:45-10:15 presentations | 10:15 tea and coffee
Workshops: 3 x 30 minute topic sessions followed by Q&A opportunities covering:
Construction market prospects & opportunities, Allan Wilen, Economics Director, Glenigan
 
Crisis and reputation management across the development lifecycle, Matthew Sutton, Associate Director, Camargue
Overview of the residential market in the West Midlands, Eleanor Deeley, Partner,Cushman & Wakefield
BRISTOL 10TH OCTOBER 2017 – THE WATERSHED
07:00 breakfast | 07:45-09:00 presentations | 09:00 tea and coffee Workshops: 3 x 20 minute topic sessions followed by Q&A opportunities. Topics covered:
The visualisation of sound and air in low carbon buildings Ze Nunes, Managing Director, MACH Acoustics
Crisis and reputation management across the development lifecycle Toby Barker, Associate Director,
Camargue Overview of the residential market in the South West James Blundell, Partner, Cushman & Wakefield

Speller Metcalfe Knowledge Series of CPD talks: Ze to talk in Bristol


 

Summer Newsletter

Summer Newsletter

Newsletters
June’s soaring temperatures were a useful reminder for anyone working in building design that overheating in buildings is an issue we must urgently address. Increasingly airtight and highly insulated urban homes are particularly prone, with excess glazing meaning mechanical ventilation is required to keep buildings comfortable in summer.
Overheating is just one of the issues we can tackle at MACH Energy. We are now applying our technical and creative expertise to analyse a building’s performance holistically, using modelling to understand how a range of scenarios affect both the form and function of a building. Using this data, we can optimise the design and identify the ‘sweet spot’ where a building’s level of comfort (heat, light, noise) is balanced against its energy use and construction cost.
For this holistic approach, we use our dynamic building physics modelling software to calculate how ventilation, thermal comfort, daylighting and acoustics all interact.  In the case of overheating, we look beyond the design of the building’s envelope/façade to see how adjustments to its orientation, u values, glazing and shading would enhance the design.
Find more information through https://www.machgroup.co.uk/explore, or get in touch regarding your project or organise a CPD by emailing info@mach-energy.com
Charity Efforts – T-Rex Marathon
On a more human scale overheating is a familiar experience for one of our team, Chris Jones. Chris is presently training to run the 2018 London Marathon wearing an inflatable 7 ft. T-Rex costume, to raise money for the Evelina Children’s Hospital in London, which has supported his 6 year old cousin James through his life-changing illness and operations for the past four years.
Ze Nunes, MACH Acoustics’ founder, has promised to match any money raised in July for the appeal and will also contribute £5 for each comment received on this newsletter, so please support Chris via the links on the left and follow the training antics until the big day!
 
Summer Newsletter
 

 

Opportunities within MACH’s Residential team

Opportunities within MACH’s Residential team

Job Opportunities
Our team is steadily expanding here at MACH and we are now looking to recruit in our newly formed residential team, MACH Residential.  
Opportunities within MACH's Residential team
We are looking to recruit site-focused individuals to join part of our testing team. 
The role will involve carrying out acoustic testing in line with Part E of the Building Regulations and also air tightness testing to Part L.  Full training will be provided along with a vehicle; a driving license is therefore essential.  Whilst an understating of acoustics and mathematics is advantageous, it is not essential.
Although we will consider all applications, and remain highly flexible, our current desire is to recruit at least one individual in the East of the country, with good access to London, working remotely.
If you are interested in this position, or have a colleague or a friend looking for a new challenge, or even a change of career, then please get in touch. 
Stefan Hannan, Director

MACH Residential

About MACH Energy

About MACH Energy

MACH Energy
As acoustic consultants, we always strive to find the best solution, which for us means the most sustainable, flexible yet cost effective solution for a building. With the launch of MACH Energy, we are now extending our consultancy to address the whole building design – including ventilation, acoustics, thermal comfort and daylighting.
Although some ventilation and heating systems for buildings can be relatively simple, the building physics occurring can be very complicated. In sustainable building design, finding the right solution quickly to a given problem can be challenging, especially when working with different consultants and teams.
Clashes frequently arise that restrict the sustainability of a design – whether a home, school, office or hospital. A SAP calculation might require a specific wall that then negatively impacts a building’s acoustics. Or a noisy site might prevent the use of window openings and necessitate mechanical ventilation, when a thermal model or façade optimisation might otherwise lead to a naturally ventilated solution.

Such clashes might take a month to solve with different teams working together – at MACH Energy we have the technical ability to arrive at the right solution much more quickly. Because we fully understand the ways in which ventilation, acoustics, overheating and daylight and energy use perform and affect each other, we can refine any design to find the ‘sweet spot’ where the building is at its most efficient and comfortable.

About MACH Energy
What does MACH Energy offer?
A highly technical yet creative, R&D led consultancy– First and foremost, we are engineers with a strong expertise in mathematics and extensive knowledge of building physics and sustainability. We relish a challenge and are always driven to find the most sustainable, aesthetic and future proof design for any building project. Our bespoke software and use of modelling means we provide risk-free, compliant designs.
A multi-disciplinary approach – We bring a holistic approach and use our own 3D building physics software to model the performance of the acoustics, ventilation, thermal comfort and daylighting in any building. We look at how each element affects and is affected by the others in combination with a building’s usage/occupants’ behaviour and changing weather, traffic and light conditions throughout the year. From this analysis, we will produce a range of risk-free, compliant solutions which balance occupant comfort with the aesthetics and sustainability in a building’s design.
When, how and why should you work with MACH Energy?
For architects, we can support a competition design, give technical support before the M&E drawings and add design insurance. Our reports will increase a bid’s winning potential providing confidence in the sustainability of a design, insuring a more comfortable building for occupants. Our fast, holistic, technical approach ensures a quick set of solutions to design challenges or clashes.
For a contractor, bringing us on board at an early stage reduces design risks, drives down energy consumption and reduces costs. We can conduct tender reviews and will work before M&E to ensure a design concept can achieve regulation compliance. By working directly with contractors, we offer greater flexibility, reliability and speed.
What’s different about MACH Energy?
·      Holistic approach – Our team of highly skilled engineers are all mathematicians with sustainable building qualifications (Part L level 5, Passivhaus), so we can swiftly analyse a design to find the optimum solution
·      Collaborative and proactive –  We believe in the importance of communicating our findings effectively, so we use highly visual reports.
·      Focused on value engineering – Our technical and detail reports remove risk and provide confidence in our designs, helping remove over-design and limiting energy costs in a building design.

“Acoustics in Building Design” talk for WIP, Bath

“Acoustics in Building Design” talk for WIP, Bath

Acoustic Design, Acoustic Flanking, Talks/ Conferences
Women in Property welcomes you to this MACH Acoustics Presentation on ‘Acoustics in Building Design’ which will cover the crucial aspects of acoustic design in buildings. Buildings are not only different in form and function, but also throughout the life span of a building. From initial design through to conception and ultimately demolition, buildings develop from initial detailed design, to site and finally into a fully functional working building.
 
"Acoustics in Building Design" talk for WIP, Bath
 
This presentation will delve into the lifespan of a building, by exploring acoustics in contractor’s proposals, employer’s requirements and legal provisions in addition to how web based tools and BIM is changing the way we, as professionals, are able to input into the acoustic design of a building.

For further company information, please visit: http://www.machacoustics.com/
Places for this talk are £8 members and £18 non members (men welcome) to include evening drinks. The talk will be at Integral offices, Bath. Please email catherine@machacoustics.com for further details.

 

Roary runs for Glory – Go Chris!

Roary runs for Glory – Go Chris!

Charity
After his success in completing the Brighton marathon Chris has heroically decided to continue his marathon career and managed to secure a place for London 2018. His story is inspiring and the cause a very special one. 

Roary runs for Glory - Go Chris!

Here’s what Chris says himself:
“I am running the 2018 London Marathon in full inflatable T-Rex costume! Think T-Rex Tuesdays, but for 26.2 miles! I’m hoping to raise a Jurassic amount of money for the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. We have a great deal of thanks to give to doctors and staff for the amazing care of my cousin James, who when just 2 years old contracted a flesh eating bacteria that left him in intensive care for months. Now 6 and having gone through so many surgeries that I’ve lost count, it’s easy to forget James’ road to recovery given that he’s such an active, sporty and happy child who loves to play rough!

As a severe Haemophiliac I’ve also spent a fair amount of time in childrens hospitals myself so raising money for Evelina is a no brainer! I took up running 18 months ago and recently in April ran my first marathon in just under 4 hours, not overly fast for my age, so this is going to be a massive challenge!”

Chris’ T Rex tush-wiggling video and Just Giving page can be found here below and he’ll be updating us with his progress. We all with him the best of luck for this big adventure and his heroic efforts.

CIBSE South West talk March 14th: Acoustics and building design

CIBSE South West talk March 14th: Acoustics and building design

Acoustic Design, Talks/ Conferences
CIBSE South West Talk – Tuesday 14th March @ 6.00pm
A lack of understanding of acoustic design solution can result in poor designs, which are costly and worst still can limit a building scope in term of energy efficiency and appearance.  Ze Nunes, founder of MACH Acoustics and lecturer at the University of Bath and Bristol, will talk on the following key topics
•       A holistic approach to natural ventilation on noisy sites.
•       Design of windows to enhance their sound reduction.
•       Modelling techniques assessing the pressure drop and acoustic performance of openings within low carbon buildings.
•       Acoustics and heat recovery.
For a taster of what is to come please click on the links below.
The data is Tuesday 14th March @ 6.00pm – arrival Drinks and Refreshments
Location – Plymouth University, Lecture Theatre 006, Babbage Building, PL4 8AA

 

Please contact: Eleni Kalyva – Email: Eleni.Kalyva@hulley.co.uk, prior to coming
 
CIBSE South West talk March 14th: Acoustics and building design

 

Acoustics and the built environment: Have our Ears Changed?

Acoustics and the built environment: Have our Ears Changed?

Acoustic Design, Construction
On an evolutionary scale, it is only recently that we have developed technologies and architecture that allows us to change our immediate environment so significantly that it can have little in common with our original living conditions. This has had an effect on every factor that determines our level of ‘comfort’; however for now I will focus on acoustics, and more specifically, noise.

We can all agree that the natural environment is much quieter than modern man-made environments, and exposure to this increases our daily sound ‘intake’ to a level much higher than what our ears (and brains) have been designed to.

The US National Parks Service have produced a pair of noise maps that predict sounds levels across the US separately for natural noise and man-made noise (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sound/soundmap.htm). We can see that the scale of noise level across the map from natural to man-made is increased by up to 27dB, with the noisiest areas predictably in city centres.
Acoustics and the built environment: Have our Ears Changed?
Predicted ambient noise levels without man-made noise 

Acoustics and the built environment: Have our Ears Changed?
Predicted ambient noise levels with man-made noise

What is most interesting about these noise maps is when we compare these noise levels to standard guidelines for internal living conditions. Predicted noise levels for the natural environment fall below 30-35dB(A) across the US, and when we compare this with good internal noise levels for resting and sleeping, we can see that there is a strong correlation. Does this perhaps mean that as a species our ears have not yet adapted to our new noisier environment? If so, what impact does this have on our health?

BS8233 and WHO guidelines for good internal noise level

Although exposure to extreme noise levels is universally agreed to cause hearing damage, the effect of prolonged levels of medium/high noise has not been fully agreed upon. Multiple studies link high noise levels to hypertension and decreased performance in education (Stansfeld & Matheson, 2003), whereas others have also shown links to ischemic heart disease (Passchier-Vermeer & Passchier, 2000). 
Either way, high noise levels will not have a positive impact on occupant health, and so the impact of this is a serious consideration to make when considering the design of your building.
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