As the number of new homes being built increases, how we manage water needs careful consideration. The new houses that are being built today must be designed to be water-efficient, flood-resilient and save energy. Paul Winnett, General Manager for Building Services and Industry at Xylem Water Solutions, shares some key challenges and strategies house-builders should consider.
Freebooter is a small building located in the centre of the island of Zeeburgereiland in Amsterdam, facing the IJ river, consisting of two duplexes of 120m2 each.
Growing awareness of the need for good indoor air quality (IAQ) is highlighting the many fresh air benefits of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR). A raft of research has pointed to the health impact of breathing in polluted air.
First impressions count and kerb appeal sells houses. Before your customer has even set foot inside one of your homes, they’ve developed an opinion on it. The external infrastructure of a development is often at the bottom of a developer’s priority list, but it helps to create a sense of community and individuality – and makes a real difference to the value of the homes you sell.
Unlike some construction materials, bricks have never gone out of fashion; brick buildings from every era can be seen in most UK towns. They are very much on-trend now; we’re seeing higher demand in particular for regionally appropriate handmade bricks, for both conservation, refurbishment and new-build projects.
New-build developments are continuing to spring up in response to the demand for more housing, and while newly-built houses are traditionally painted throughout in shades of off-white, there’s certainly scope to cater to individual homebuyers’ tastes through the use of colour.
It’s no secret that there has been a rise in projects using highly decorative flooring to create zoned areas, especially where luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) are concerned. This has opened the door for architects and designers to create endless design possibilities. We are seeing a variety of textures and colours, combined with two or more laying patterns, being used to create a sense of order and define open-plan rooms. For example, a living-kitchen space arranged into entertainment and cooking could use a mix of wood grains and pops of colour in a herringbone laying pattern. Alternatively, complementary palettes, from pale woods and pastel stones, to rich timbers and concrete textures can be utilised to deliver an impactful space.
To meet the demands of homeowners and occupiers, diluting style or quality in smaller apartments is not an option. With the right approach to design and layout, developers and designers can transform a compact space into an impressive, high-specification kitchen that ticks all the right boxes for occupiers.
Schöck explores a rare case where permission has been granted to demolish a Grade I listed Nash terrace and convert it back to the residential use for which the early 19th century building was intended. One of the key considerations with the new development was to prevent thermal bridging along the parapets.
As underfloor heating (UFH) systems enjoy a resurgence, Panel Systems takes a look at what is behind the increased demand.
