Building Performance Engineering (M&E)

Hydrock takes a fresh approach to sustainable building services engineering. The traditional role of the mechanical and electrical consulting engineer has changed dramatically over recent years and Hydrock's Building Performance Engineering Group is made up of an enthusiastic team of experts in sustainability and engineering who can influence the first principles of building design through a 'fabric first' approach to low carbon systems.

We provide exemplary pre-planning M&E design and expert advice in unravelling the complex issues brought about by legislative changes / LZC / Sustainability / BREEAM / RHI etc. Also with building services and associated utility cost forming the vast majority of operational budgets, we consider the value of design decisions and how they affect building operational issues through energy costs, maintainability and longevity of systems.

Through a practical and experienced based appreciation of what motivates our clients and their needs we tailor a service to meet those expectations whatever the sector or procurement route.

Our team includes certified Passivhaus experts who can collaborate with the design team to apply principles of 'fabric first' design where appropriate. Our knowledge of this energy and comfort quality standard gives us the ability to plan solutions for the future regulations and energy cost rises which do not rely solely on complex solutions to meet both energy and comfort objectives.

Designing innovative solutions is a rewarding experience for engineers, but ultimately we strive to create buildings that work in practice as well as they do on paper. To support our clients during those first years of occupation we offer a 'soft landings' open book approach of post occupancy evaluation of comfort and energy consumption monitoring to help guide clients to optimise the performance of their buildings.

We also have experience of working on conservation and heritage projects where liaison with specialist third parties is required, predominantly under the jurisdiction of English Heritage. The successful delivery of these projects has been based around building close working relationships with archaeologists, conservation officers and curators.

BREEAM/Code for Sustainable Homes

Our building services design teams ensure that projects are delivered with the highest levels of inherent affordable sustainability, using standards and practices such as BREEAM, Code for Sustainable Homes, Eco Homes and SUDS. Our in-house BREEAM/Code for Sustainable Homes assessors and BREEAM Accredited Professionals can guide you through the process and help you gain valuable points towards a BREEAM accreditation. Hydrock was selected by the Homes and Communities Agency to feature in their document the Code for Sustainable Homes, Case Studies.