Last month, CIBSE YEN London Chair, Lizzy Pettitt, and a team of volunteers spent a day with A Level students exploring careers in the built environment as part of the "Mapping Energy" Project. The project is a collaboration between Nottingham Trent University, Square Mile Churches, and the Royal Academy of Engineering exploring the potential use of low carbon heat sources to heat historic places of worship in the City's Square Mile.
The project involves a combination of site visits to survey churches and measure temperatures and desk based calculations to work out heating demand. The students will then produce a 3D map with models showcasing the historic churches and linking those to potential heat sources using the GLA heat map. This will be displayed in a City Church to inspire others to consider switching to low-carbon and shared heat sources.
They toured three City of London churches, looking at the heritage architecture that has stood the test of time, and some HVAC engineering solutions that haven't! This included a visit to Christopher Wren's St. Andrew by the Wardrobe, where students acted out a role play to understand how heat pumps work and then scaled the many stairs to see the air source heat pump install.
We caught up with Lizzy to hear about her experiences and reflections of the day.
Could you share more about the day with the A Level students? What stood out most to you?
I really enjoyed the day with the students, they were really engaged and curious about the history of the buildings, the architecture, and the science of building physics. I loved seeing the heat pump with them and answering such a wide variety of questions about how it works and why it is such an innovative solution! It was inspiring to see how passionate they were about climate change and so motivated to embark on careers that would have an impact.
What inspired you to get involved with volunteering?
I thought this volunteering project was a great opportunity for me to work on a really unique project and understand better the challenges of decarbonising historic buildings. I loved that it combined art and building services and I am really interested in creative ways to communicate engineering solutions.
How has your experience volunteering impacted you professionally or personally?
Volunteering with CIBSE gives me so many opportunities to meet and learn from others in the industry working in academia, the third sector, public sector and other consultancies. I think it is important to use volunteering time to give back to the industry, as I have benefitted from many role models and mentors that have guided me in my career development.
Whether you’re passionate about mentorship, keen to explore creative projects, or eager to make an impact, CIBSE’s volunteering initiatives provide the perfect platform to contribute meaningfully. It’s a chance to give back, grow, and make a difference—one project, one student, and one step toward sustainability at a time.
To learn more about the volunteering roles we have available, check out our vacancies or get in touch with us: [email protected]