Christina Higgins, MInsP, MIEnvSci
Senior Consultant, Acoustics and Building Physics
SERVICES GROUP
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Expert QuestionS & AnswerS
When investigating building performance issues, how can your expertise in acoustics, building physics, and ventilation help in the approach?
Although engineering and technical disciplines are traditionally quite siloed, I have always taken a systems approach to building performance issues, which is why I have developed expertise across several areas. They are interconnected – a house which is retrofitted to be more airtight might have a better energy rating and be better insulated from external noise, but it might also have poor indoor air quality and suffer from overheating in warmer months if the ventilation strategy is not adequate.
Noise, air quality, and overheating can feel subjective to occupants. How do you translate lived experience into measurable technical evidence?
There are physiological and psychological differences in how building occupants perceive their environment, and these need to be taken into account in each situation. However, there are also building regulations, environmental legislation, and best-practice design guidance that inform good building design. Objective measurements of internal conditions are the pillar of assessment, while subjective impressions can help inform whether the building is achieving its purpose.
Your PhD research combined wind-tunnel modelling, environmental and occupancy sensor data from live buildings, and simulation. How has that research background shaped the way you approach practical forensic investigations?
The culture and expectations of academic research have provided me with a rigorous, evidence-based approach which is ideal for root cause analysis of building issues. Academic publication peer review, as well as the PhD viva, trained me to critically analyse every aspect of an opinion and be able to defend it logically. My specific research, spanning three modalities, has given me advanced skills in building performance assessment that can be applied to investigating claims and disputes.
What is one misconception developers or building owners often have about indoor environmental quality?
Indoor environmental quality issues sit at the nexus between operational failure, construction issues, and design flaws. Housing disputes relating to damp and mould are a prime example: excess moisture is generated through drying clothes indoors (a normal tenant activity); the ventilation strategy should have been designed to cope with this, perhaps it wasn’t; or perhaps it hasn’t been adequately installed, maintained, or used. Misconceptions will exist on all sides and require expert advice.
When explaining complex acoustics or airflow findings to non-specialists, what helps make the evidence clear and easy to understand?
Noise transmission and ventilation fluid mechanics are two tough subjects to understand fully. For this reason, bombarding non-experts with maths and physics or industry jargon does not aid their understanding. A better alternative is to develop analogies and practical examples. An occupant might not know about pressure differentials driving airflow, but they will know that if they open a window at the front and back of their house, they will get a stronger breeze.
Background
Christina Higgins is an acoustics and building physics expert with over 13 years of experience investigating building performance failures and environmental noise and vibration issues.
As a member of the global Rimkus Technical team, Christina provides expert opinion in matters involving noise and vibration from transport (road, rail, air, and water) and infrastructure (onshore and offshore wind farms, mining, energy centres, and data centres), including underwater acoustics assessment of the effect of exposure to noise from offshore wind farms on marine life. She opines on noise nuisance cases, including neighbour disputes, conducting root cause analysis to determine whether the noise results from antisocial behaviour or building sound insulation failures. She investigates creaking, whistling, and other unexpected noises in tall buildings and lightweight constructions. She provides assessment of noise from events (live music, theme parks, sports facilities), and from construction and demolition.
Christina investigates exposure to noise at work and hand/arm vibration exposure and creates 3D models and audio simulations of alarm and siren audibility for personal injury cases. She provides opinion on building acoustic design failures relating to sound insulation (against Building Regulations Approved Document Part E), including structural isolation of building components, as well as vibration isolation of building services plant and in vibration-sensitive facilities such as laboratories, flight simulators, and MRI rooms. She advises on internal room acoustic design issues in acoustically sensitive spaces such as concert halls, theatres, lecture halls, and recording studios. She conducts reviews of Employers’ Requirements and of noise/vibration impact assessments and statement chapters in environmental impact assessments. She assesses compliance with noise regulations, planning conditions and Section 60 and Section 80 notices.
Christina investigates a comprehensive range of issues relating to building physics, indoor air quality, and ventilation. She provides opinion on adequacy of the ventilation strategy, advises on cases of overheating in buildings, conducts reviews of Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) models/assessments, and investigates issues relating to indoor air quality. She models air pollutant transfer in buildings and conducts wind tunnel testing and modelling of buildings, as well as stack effect analysis for tall buildings.
Christina has a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, for which she developed a novel method for assessing natural ventilation in buildings. She has published academic papers, has presented at multiple international conferences, and acts as a trusted peer reviewer for journals and conferences. She lectures on acoustics and engineering at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of Surrey and Central Saint Martins, UAL. She produces reports in accordance with CPR Part 35 and is committed to a rigorous, evidence-based professional practice. Christina has acted as discipline lead for dozens of projects in the UK and internationally and has delivered acoustic design across RIBA stages 2-5 across all sectors.
Education and Certifications
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, PhD: University of Surrey (due Q3 2026)
- Environmental and Architectural Acoustics, MSc: London South Bank University (2013)
Associations and Memberships
- Member: Institute of Physics
- Member: Institution of Environmental Sciences
Publications
- Higgins, C J, (2026). “Wind tunnel modelling of natural ventilation flow”, Nature Reviews Clean Technology (accepted).
- Higgins, C J, Mezei, T, Carpentieri, M, Placidi, M, Hughes, S J, (2026). “Desk-level CO2 sensing for monitoring occupancy and indoor environmental quality”, Indoor Air (submitted).
- Higgins C J, Hayden, P, Carpentieri, M, Placidi, M, Hughes S J, (2026) “Wind tunnel measurements of combined wind- and buoyancy-driven natural ventilation flow, Journal of Building Engineering (in preparation).
- Higgins, C J, (2026) “A review of acoustics metrics in indoor environmental quality assessments”, Building and Environment (in preparation)
- Clinchard, S, Maula, H, Jacobs, P, Staszowska, A, Bhattacharjee, S, Dudzinska, M, Dimitroulopoulou, S, Higgins, C J, Fan, X., Park, J-H, Toyinbo, O, Haverninen-Shaughnessy, U (2025) “Lessons learned from developing the worldwide IEQ guidelines database”, Indoor Environments
- Higgins, C J, Kumar, P, Morawska, L. (2024) “Indoor air quality monitoring and source apportionment using low-cost sensors: a review”, Environmental Research Communications
- “Wind tunnel modelling of combined wind- and buoyancy- driven natural ventilation flow”, Higgins, C J, Urban Fluid Mechanics/Wind Engineering Society Meeting, London, UK, 2025.
- “Wind tunnel modelling of combined wind- and buoyancy- driven natural ventilation flow”, Higgins, C J, Healthy Buildings Europe, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2025.
- “Wind tunnel modelling of combined wind- and buoyancy- driven natural ventilation flow”, Higgins, C J, Constructed Environment, Berlin, Germany, 2025.
- “Monitoring occupancy and spatiotemporal variation in indoor environmental quality with distributed sensing”, Higgins, C J, UK Indoor Environments Group, Glasgow, UK, 2024.
- “Monitoring occupancy and spatiotemporal variation in indoor environmental quality with distributed sensing”, Higgins, C J, Constructed Environment, Vienna, Austria, 2024.
- “An investigation into the Helmholtz resonators of the Queen Elizabeth Hall”, Higgins, C J, International Congress on Acoustics, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2016.
- “An investigation into the Helmholtz resonators of the Queen Elizabeth Hall”, Higgins, C J, Ramboll Technical Excellence Forum, London, UK, 2015.
- “An investigation into the Helmholtz resonators of the Queen Elizabeth Hall”, Higgins, C J, Institute of Acoustics 40th Anniversary, Harrogate, UK, 2014.
