UK Construction Blog

Learn About the Latest News on Modern-Day Residential Overheating, Renfrewshire Buildings, Buildings in Unused City Spaces, and Denbigh Open Doors Past

Read the most recent articles that we have here to educate and entertain yourself. The risk of overheating in one’s house should not be taken lightly. Overheating is the result of a confluence of variables, the most prominent of which are climate change, design requirements, and buildings that are “too tight.” We have no choice but to promptly address this issue and future-proof our systems if we want to be able to live in dwellings that are safe and sanitary in the years to come. During this time, elected members in Renfrewshire came to an agreement on a number of different cost-of-living measures. Following this, the Labour group made the decision to abandon a plan that called for the use of public buildings as warm places. In addition, it has been shown that one of the strategies that is one of the most successful ways to prevent climate change is to develop more dense communities within previously existing neighbourhoods. In addition, the commemoration of an extraordinary person’s 450th birthday will be one of the highlights of the Denbigh Open Doors event that will take place this year.

Modern-day residential overheating

Original Source: Overheating in residential buildings: A modern-day concern

Overheating in residential structures is a continuing challenge. Climate change, architectural design demands, and “too tight” structures all contribute to overheating.

Overheating can make a home uninhabitable in the summer and cause sleep disturbances, heat stress, and other health problems. Sometimes it causes early death.

The number of “very hot days” might quadruple from 10% to 37% if global temperatures rise by just 7.2°F, according to the MET Office.

The global temperature is expected to rise 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels by 2051, and heatwaves will grow in frequency, so this issue won’t go away and shouldn’t be disregarded.

Other warnings:

In cities, pollution, noise, and security limit natural ventilation and require additional mechanical measures.

Glass architecture, which lets in more light and creates an airy sensation, causes overheating.

Well-insulated homes and buildings without operable windows owing to air pollution cause overheating.

It’s common to make clients pleased with space-saving, cheaper items that “simply do the job.”

Over insulation and triple glazing have “over sealed” structures.

CIBSE predicts 4,500 premature deaths a year by 2051 if the issue isn’t solved.

4.6 million homes in England have overheating difficulties, and new builds will have the same challenges. Certain devices can be adapted to existing ventilation systems in already-built buildings.

For future builds, include this on the design checklist. It’s time to rethink building ventilation and year-round thermal comfort. For residential units without natural ventilation, mechanical clean air input and removal is a must. A new hybrid heating and cooling system must be devised to optimise temperatures.

How to

Turning on air conditioning cools you down, but it doesn’t refresh the air; it only pushes stale air around. In the cold, it doesn’t heat well.

It’s time to rethink home ventilation and thermal comfort year-round. Without natural ventilation, mechanical clean air input and removal is necessary. Thus, a new hybrid heating and cooling system must be developed to optimise temperatures, especially in new construction.

These systems, like our new MRXBOX Hybrid Cooling System, offer all the benefits of an MVHR plus a cooling module for the harsh summer months, so houses may have a constant source of clean, fresh air and stay habitable – adjusted to an appropriate comfort temperature all year round.

Overheating is a modern problem that will only become worse. It’s impacting our high-rise buildings now, but global warming could affect more residences in the future. We must address this issue and future-proof our systems to keep properties healthy and habitable.

Renfrewshire buildings as warm spaces proposal withdrawn

Original Source: Call for Renfrewshire buildings to be used as warm spaces withdrawn

Councillor Iain McMillan and his party planned to urge at the next full council meeting that local authority halls and community centres stay open every day from December to February for locals to visit and heat up.

A package of support, including warm places, winter clothing subsidies, and a high school guidance pilot, was put forth and adopted at Wednesday’s Leadership Board.

As a result, councillor McMillan said he was “happy” the SNP administration was working on a project he and his group had hoped for.

“We wanted the council to play a leading role in organising sites where people may go to stay warm in the winter to save money on heating their own houses.”

The SNP government acknowledged our questions and is doing what we wanted. We’re excited to see how this program develops.

Renfrewshire Council, the health and social care partnership, and One Ren are studying a warm space strategy in the area.

A report discussed at Wednesday’s board meeting said, “It is important that any opportunities for progress reduce stigma and encourage and support people to join together over the winter period, to connect more, to promote positive health and wellbeing, and to access advice and support when they need it.”

“A Winter Connections campaign will be designed to promote local winter support, recognising that some local organisations have already put measures in place.”

A working group will examine ways to repurpose existing structures for this.

Earlier this month, Labour called for an emergency summit to address the cost-of-living crisis.

However, councillor McMillan agreed that a special meeting of the Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee would fulfil this objective.

“Furthermore, we wanted a summit so all relevant parties could examine the current problem in Renfrewshire and coordinate council and voluntary services,” he said.

Again, we accept the administration’s assurance that this will happen within weeks.

More buildings in unused city spaces can reduce emissions

Original Source: A Key to Controlling Emissions: More Buildings in a City’s Unused Spaces

Just south of the River Thames in the centre of London, children play in a park behind Elephant and Castle, one of the city’s largest and ugliest road crossings.

Elephant Park is a three-acre tract with fountains, swings, slides, and open space at the centre of a huge redevelopment that has seen the Brutalist design of a 1,200-home public housing estate replaced by a new neighbourhood with 2,924 apartments and townhouses by 2026.

About 2,000 units are already occupied, and neighbours who walk their dogs in the park or watch their children play appear happy to discuss regeneration concerns, such as the destiny of the former residents and if gentrification would drive away rowdy youngsters who linger in the park after dark.

One resident walking her dog recently complained that her rent is becoming unaffordable, before adding that she is happy to have a supermarket and gym in the same building as her one-bedroom apartment, with rail and underground stations right next door and shops, bars, a yoga studio, a library, and medical facilities sprinkled throughout the development.

Another discussion about Elephant Park is the significance of massive urban regeneration projects in addressing climate change.

“It’s an exceptional example of what we need to do to make cities greener, and we need to do it rapidly and globally,” said Kate Meyrick, a British-born urban consultant in Brisbane, Australia.

“The developers were essentially wanting to make a great location for people to live, and they’ve achieved that,” she said. byproduct: genuine climate benefits.

In April, the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said one of the most effective ways to cut carbon emissions in cities was to stop urban sprawl by promoting infill housing. The carefully planned creation of extra housing in underutilised parts of cities is one way to reduce car dependence and improve infrastructure and energy use.

Ms. Meyrick believes the greatest benefits of infill housing come from neighbourhood-scale developments like Lendlease’s Elephant Park, rather than distributing new houses and flats through backyards and other empty city spaces.

Large-scale infill initiatives have revitalised cities from New York to Milan during the past two decades, Ms. Meyrick said. “But they’ve been driven by the need for housing, and now they need to be marketed as a weapon against climate change.”

Hélène Chartier, the head of urban planning and design at C40, a network of 96 of the world’s leading cities, agreed. She said such projects needed urgent public investment and new planning rules.

Well-planned infill housing can minimise emissions from transportation, construction, and heating, she noted.

Ms. Chartier said the CoolClimate Network at UC Berkeley looked at 700 California municipalities’ emissions and determined that “infill housing is probably the single most effective step cities can take to cut emissions.”

“The challenge is how to execute it, and there’s a growing realisation that neighbourhood-level operations have the most benefits,” Ms. Chartier said.

Bek Seeley, the LendLease managing director for Elephant Park, says small-scale infill projects “may yield some great residences,” but only larger developments can coordinate with public transit and ensure a variety of facilities so people travel less.

Paris, Melbourne, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand, have focused on five-minute neighbourhoods or 15-minute cities, meaning denser housing where people live closer to the resources they need instead of driving for hours to sleep, work, or buy.

Peter Newman, a professor of sustainability at Curtin University in Australia, has taught at institutions in eight countries, including Penn and UVA. He says many towns are trying to curb urban development by allowing property owners to construct in their backyards.

“You can knock down backyard trees to construct, but you may still be car-dependent,” he said. “Until now, the only method to avoid eating up greenfields around cities was to develop brownfields or huge urban sites like abandoned factories.”

Mr. Newman suggested precinct-level redevelopment in “the greyfields,” or low-density suburbs of elderly dwellings. This requires novel zoning changes and incentives to entice the owners of 30 to 40 properties to work together.

“You need a whole new mechanism of governments proactively intervening to help it happen,” Mr. Newman said. In Australia, the state government is interested, but a local council stops everything since it controls planning laws and isn’t inventive.

“We can’t afford to squander more time if we want to go to net zero emissions,” he added. “Stop building new homes 30 miles from where they’re needed.”

Local resistance drove the California State Assembly to enact a law in August favouring infill housing on commercial land. A serious housing crisis in the state has put local authorities against the state, as legislators, Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials are making a wide effort to combat the so-called NIMBY-ism of homes, neighbourhoods and entire municipalities to oppose more compact construction.

Dr. Dan Silver, executive director of a southern California environmental group, the Endangered Habitats League, said the infill housing measure was needed because “some individuals don’t want their own area modified.”

“It’s contentious because the state is taking away some local authority, but although you do need local input, too much local control means you can’t rescue the planet,” Dr. Silver added.

“We must adjust planning frameworks to see the big picture,” he said. In California, building residences away from cities increases fire risk.

Dr. Silver said the COVID epidemic has made unused offices, retail malls, and parking lots available for housing at a time when many people are rethinking their lives and long commutes.

Oregon has plans for regulating growth and making cities denser and more transit-oriented, while California and other states are behind.

“Town planning” is done in response to developers or speculators, so it’s neither planning or a holistic approach that could address climate change, he said. “What good are international and national agreements if local action is blocked?”

The C40 network argues urban planning organisations in many towns around the world, especially smaller ones, are underfunded.

A study of climate planning policies in 170 California cities sponsored by UC Santa Cruz showed in February that a lack of resources and urban planning knowledge was one reason tree planting and waste management were more often tackled than urban density, housing, and infrastructure.

Vanesa Castan Broto, a professor of climate urbanism at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., said urban density may go awry if not created in conjunction with local populations, and many local governments lack the expertise to organise that process.

Richard Blyth, head of policy at the Royal Town Planning Institute, said many local councils’ planning departments had been destroyed over the past decade.

“Planning authorities would struggle to adapt to changing lifestyles or climate change if they had so few resources,” he warned.

Denbigh Open Doors reveals the past

Original Source: A chance to unlock the past during Denbigh Open Doors

After a three-year hiatus owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, the event will return September 23-25.

Originally the county and shire hall, Denbigh Library was built in 1572, the same year Humphrey Llwyd’s first map of Wales was produced.

When erected, the bottom floor was a colonnaded covered market with council and courtrooms above.

In the Victorian era, police cells were created for inmates waiting to attend the county courtroom, where the county council afterwards met.

In 1868, gas illumination was used to power the library’s clock.

Several years later, locals arrive at the wrong time at the Denbigh train station, church, and post office due to the clock’s unreliability.

It was eight minutes before GMT (GMT).

Denbigh Library manager Meira Jones said, “In 1989, the building became the town’s official library, putting it atop Denbigh’s market town.”

“In 2018, the library was rebuilt with modern amenities owing to a Welsh Government Museums, Archives and Libraries grant.

“We’re glad that the library is a vital centre for local people, delivering a number of local services to our communities, and most of all, a vibrant location where children, young people, and older people may develop a love of books and reading.”

“We hope guests will take a guided tour of the building and help us celebrate.”

Denbigh Library is a primary information centre for Open Doors, where individuals may pre-book tours and activities.

Fifteen local churches will open their doors this weekend, offering a rare chance to admire exquisite architecture and find tranquilly in sacred institutions.

Many are named after local saints, including Sant Hychan, Sant Sadwrn, and Sant Tyrnog.

Architectural highlights include a hexagonal stone portraying a bishop with a crozier in Llanynys and a 16th-century Jesse window in Llanrhaeadr.

The Forum, one of Denbigh’s oldest structures, is now open to the public.

In Denbigh Town Conservation, the property will soon have a holiday let, three commercial spaces, and a cafe.

Open Doors weekend in Denbigh will reveal the long-awaited new design of this old property.

Over 200 listed structures are in Denbigh.

With Heritage Lottery money, the Grade II-listed plunge pool at St Dyfnog’s Well in Llanrhaeadr was renovated.

In the grounds of St Dyfnog’s Church in the settlement, the sixth-century well has three 16th-century spans.

They had fallen into disrepair due to age, but a volunteer-led project by the local community protected the site and built a path to improve access.

Elfed Williams, chair of Cymdeithas Cadwraeth Llanrhaeadr YC Preservation Society: “We’re thrilled with the 10-year effort.”

“Securing finances to preserve this well and its environs was a labour of love for a tiny band of volunteers.”

“We’re excited to show visitors St Dyfnog’s well at its best.

The tales of the waters’ healing properties give the area a sense of tranquillity, and we look forward to sharing them with guests.

Chris Evans, chair of Denbigh Open Doors volunteers, said, “We’re thrilled for 2022’s event.”

“It’s a joint effort by the committee, guides, and house owners to display Denbigh’s rich Welsh history and tradition.

Denbigh’s 4.7 hectares of walls give visitors a unique perspective on the town. Burgess Gate, the Friary, and Dr. Evan Pierce Memorial Gardens are also popular.

Outside the town are many beautiful places to visit.

“Check the website and book your tours now!”

Summary of today’s construction news

In today’s construction news, the issue of overheating has become more serious in today’s society. Global warming is already having an effect on our tallest structures, and it may spread to other homes in the future. For the sake of maintaining safe and livable buildings into the future, we must fix this problem and upgrade our infrastructure.

Additionally, a winter Connections campaign will be devised to promote local winter support. This is in recognition of the fact that some local organisations have already put measures in place. For the purpose of doing this, a working committee will investigate potential new uses for already-existing buildings.

In addition to that, head of policy at the Royal Town Planning Institute, Richard Blyth, recently stated that several local governments had dismantled their planning departments over the preceding decade. He cautioned that, with so few resources, “planning authorities would struggle to adjust to changing lifestyles or climate change.”

On top of that, the town walls of Denbigh, which cover 4.7 hectares, provide visitors a distinct vantage point of the city. In addition to Burgess Gate, other popular destinations include the Friary and Dr. Evan Pierce Memorial Gardens.