BESA and CIBSE Announce Strategic Alliance

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09 July 2024 | Updated 11 December 2024

The Building Engineering Services Association and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers have pledged to collaborate more closely to transform the built environment in line with the country’s decarbonisation aims.

Despite a long history of collaboration dating back to the founding of BESA in 1904, the two professional industries have announced a formal strategic alliance to help achieve their common aim of advancing and promoting the art, science and practice of building engineering services for society's benefit. 

“We have worked closely with CIBSE for many years and the two bodies have a huge amount in common, but our collaboration has always been somewhat ‘patchy’. The sheer scale of the technical, legislative, and recruitment challenges now facing the industry calls for a properly concerted and joined up approach on behalf of the whole sector.”

–David Frise

Chief Executive Officer, BESA

A key area of collaboration is the Building Safety Act, developments linked to indoor air quality (IAQ), retrofitting and refurbishment of the existing building stock to advance decarbonisation, and the growth in heat networks. They will also work together to understand the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for the industry and its potential to improve productivity.

“Talking about collaboration is one thing – doing it quite another,” said CIBSE Chief Executive Ruth Carter. “The building services industry is in greater demand than ever as it increasingly accounts for a much larger proportion of the value of construction and facilities management projects.

"Therefore, our supply chains must be more closely aligned, and the different professions more joined up to deliver the higher levels of digital sophistication and integrated design necessary to meet growing client demand and legislative scrutiny.”

“There is now far greater awareness of the role played by the building services profession in addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges, so this is the right time to deliver a programme of joint initiatives,” added BESA Chief Executive Officer David Frise.

“We have worked closely with CIBSE for many years and the two bodies have a huge amount in common, but our collaboration has always been somewhat ‘patchy’. The sheer scale of the technical, legislative, and recruitment challenges now facing the industry calls for a properly concerted and joined up approach on behalf of the whole sector.”

Picture: a photograph of Ruth Carter and David Frise. Image Credit: BESA

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 09 July 2024

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