An article published last month on the CIAT website highlighted new guidelines - Homes for People and Wildlife - published by The Wildlife Trusts aimed at achieving a better balance between the needs of people and the needs of wildlife, amid the government's stated intention to build some 300,000 new homes a year.
Read MoreMaking the Leap: Three Months In
Three months since making the leap seemed like a good time to take stock and share some of what has interested me lately. If you get some value from any of these links, or come across something you think might interest me, let me know! Contact details are at the front of the site, and social media links are at the foot of every page. Here's to the next three months!
Read MoreInsulate Magazine, Issue 15
This month's edition includes another two features penned by my fair hand. The first looks at whether the trends in diesel car sales can teach us anything about stimulating demand for better quality housing. The second asks whether offsite construction methods are finally ready to become mainstream - and if they are, can they deliver that better quality?
Read More"Totally Dependent on Air Conditioning" (a podcast recommendation)
The designing out of passive cooling strategies - vernacular features developed to keep building occupants cool pre-air conditioning - has resulted in buildings that couldn't function if the AC was removed. And as the episode, and its accompanying write-up, says: in the USA, the total greenhouse emissions of air conditioning units are more than the country's construction industry.
Read MoreInsulate Magazine, Issue 14
Issue 14 of Insulate, the only magazine dedicated to the insulation sector of the construction industry, marks my first in the new position of Technical Editor.
Read MoreWhat Does Teamwork Look Like?
See some of the incredible projects that an effective and collaborative use of BIM has delivered and you will believe that it works. On a smaller scale, I like talking about communication because I’ve seen the genuine benefits of initiatives like toolbox talks for new products, working with contractors to achieve improvements on site.
Read MorePearl Harbor Takes the LEED?
Intelligent, environmentally conscious building design is communicated to the public so rarely that it was a pleasure to see it even attempted, never mind achieved in a clear and relatable fashion.
Read MoreDon't Bat Away Sustainability Issues
The first floor was intended as a play room - a play room that had to be sacrificed once the bat survey yielded its results. The family found themselves still paying for a substantial brick-built structure on its own foundations, but with an upstairs that I designed and detailed solely for bats and not for them or their kids.
Read MoreExtend Up, Not Out
There is a wider issue in play that some buyers might not be aware of: shortfalls in the build quality and energy efficiency of new homes means they will need to undergo a retrofit of their own by 2050 if the UK is to meet carbon reduction targets. Is it any wonder, then, that improving an older property is more attractive?
Read MoreIn Search of Knowledge (a podcast review)
Diversity of opinion is good; it informs debate and encourages learning. But it can also be bloody annoying when seeking an objective view on a topic. One person says one thing, another says the opposite and the truth you’re seeking lies in between. But where, and how best to find it?
Read MoreMaking an Exhibition of Ourselves
Based on similar presenting experiences in recent years, however, I’m also left wondering if a level of … mistrust … towards manufacturers remains, regardless of the ratio of educational content to overt promotion. No type of construction product appears to be immune to a muted reaction, even if the content is genuine and well-intended.
Read MoreConservative Attitude to Conservatories
The idea of constructing a predominantly glazed structure, then stumping up for both heating and air conditioning, is demoralising for the unnecessary cost, complication and consumption of energy and resources. But it’s a dilemma that people find themselves in, unfortunately, and there isn’t the consistency or clarity of advice to aid the search for appropriate solutions.
Read MoreRaising Standards
If more complicated questions start to be asked then people can quickly feel out of their comfort zone. Working in the technical department of a product manufacturer, that was what I was happiest doing: giving honest, accurate and practical advice that answered people’s questions. Being seen as an expert brought a level of responsibility, but also a desire to share the same knowledge and ideas.
Read MoreBIM or Bust?
Any project starts with the expression of an idea. How that idea is developed by the many stakeholders along the way dictates if the end user gets to enjoy a building that is practical, affordable and comfortable. For communication to be effective means collaborating and sharing information effectively. BIM is at the forefront of this.
Read MoreOne Year On: Thermal Regs in 2015
The merry-go-round of a General Election campaign ensures that meaningful political decisions are put on hold. For the construction industry, that means an interminable wait to see whether the Government’s long-promised 2016 introduction of ‘Zero Carbon’ into the Building Regulations actually happens – and if not in 2016, then when?
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