Building designers. contractors, owners, and managers have long been challenged with providing quality indoor environments at a reasonable energy cost. Current efforts to improve building energy efficiency, including goals of sustainability and net-zero energy use, are bringing more focus on how to simultaneously achieve energy efficiency and good indoor air quality (IQA). While energy efficiency […]
Author Archives: Brendan Hall
17
Apr
Apr
A gathering body of evidence has repeatedly revealed associations between indoor fungi and initiation, promotion and exacerbation of allergic respiratory disease. Read in full at PUBMED.
17
Apr
Apr
The UK government is falling behind on one of its core Net Zero commitments to reduce CO2 emissions by 101 years, according to the Public Building Energy Efficiency Report conducted by network service providers Neos Networks. Read in full at Property Industry Eye.
BREATHER membranes play a key role within the building envelope. They facilitate the release of excess moisture vapour into the exterior, helping to keep internal wall roofing structures dry and protect the condition of insulation layers. They can also serve a valuable purpose as a line of defence against water penetration during the construction stage […]
17
Apr
Apr
A group of more than 900 bereaved family members, survivors and local residents (BSRs) whose lives were devastated by the Grenfell Tower fire have agreed a settlement of their civil claims arising from the fire. Read in full at Inside Housing.
Multi-occupied residential buildings, namely those containing flats, are subject to increasingly stringent fire safety measures. The 2017 Grenfell tragedy has been a catalyst for the introduction of positive and important measures to better protect tenants from potential hazards. But what are the main risks involved, and how can they be minimised? Read in full at […]
17
Apr
Apr
The UK has one of the highest prevalence of asthma in the world. Reduced ventilation resulting from increased energy efficiency measures acts as a modifier for mould contamination and risk of allergic diseases. Read in full at PUBMED.
17
Apr
Apr
Laid low with a fever, chills, dizziness and muffled hearing, 36-year-old Stewart Armstrong assumed he was suffering from a bad bout of flu. Two week later, with no sign of improvement and under pressure from his partner, Janine the businessman went to see his GP. The doctor could find nothing obviously wrong and prescribed pills […]
11
Apr
Apr
There is an ongoing debate about the reasons for and factors contributing to healthcare-associated infection (HAI). It appears that these infections are complex and their investigation involves multidisciplinary teams, including: Read more via National Library of Medicine.
11
Apr
Apr
Rising damp is one of the most recurrent and well-known hazards to existing buildings and monuments. Several types of intervention exist to tackle the problem. Among these, the creation of a damp-proof course against capillary rise by means of injection of chemical products is one of the most diffused methods, thanks to the relatively easy […]