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Here I am in December 04, trying to sound like it’s January 05. Still facing the rigours of Christmas, turkey still in the freezer, and attempting a bright and breezy ‘here we go’ style suitable for the New Year. So you’ll understand now why this sounds more like the end than the start.

Added to that, this is my last Leader for BSj. After four years getting to grips with the ins and outs of this curious and exciting industry I am moving to pastures new.

It has been a great time to be editor of building services’ leading title, covering subjects such as Part L, the drive for energy efficiency, partnering, PFI. Not to mention the amazing buildings we’ve visited – the Gherkin, the new Met Office hq, and this month’s Wales Millennium Centre.

Sometimes, it seems that the construction industry moves very slowly. It’s something often mentioned in this part of the magazine! But in five years, I think that we have progressed.

Sustainability is without doubt the single most important issue for services engineers and all those involved in buildings. It has risen up the agenda with steady progress and will continue to do so. Real change is happening in the market. The view that a sustainable building is a Good Thing is spreading among decision makers.

I also believe that building services will continue to grow in influence and importance. Hopefully a new generation of industry leaders will continue work which has been started by people such as Terry Wyatt. Green politics is attractive to the young, and this should be used to draw them in to our sector, which can have so much positive influence on energy use.

I would like to thank all those in building services who have volunteered their time and assistance, helping to make BSj the great magazine that it is.

The new editor, Andy Pearson, is an award-winning journalist with a strong background in engineering. Under his leadership BSj will continue to go from strength strength – along with the industry.

Karen Fletcher, Editor