The first modular homes are set to be built under Cardiff Council’s flagship housebuilding programme courtesy of a pilot scheme. This innovative scheme will see nine affordable, two-bedroom homes built for council rent delivered on Crofts Street in Plasnewydd.  National developer Wates Residential and Cardiff Council are completing the scheme as part of their 10-year ‘Cardiff Living’ commitment to deliver around 1,500 homes across the city to help tackle the growing demand for housing.  Modular housing in Plasnewydd will result in a significantly reduced programme of works on site in addition to reduced site traffic, minimising disruption for existing communities and reducing emissions. All of the homes will boast mechanical and natural ventilation, providing year-round comfort, while annual heating bills are expected to be around 90% less than traditional builds, helping to reduce fuel poverty.  The project will be delivered through Wates Residential and Homeshell, a joint venture between architects, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and AECOM. Work on the brownfield site, previously a former laboratory, is expected to start later this year. Edward Rees, Regional Director for Wates Residential, said: “It’s fantastic to see consent given to this affordable housing project, which is part of our long-term partnership with Cardiff Council. The modular design will increase energy efficiency and shorten our time on site, helping to reduce emissions and disruption for existing residents. “This is just one of the ways innovative solutions can help tackle growing demand for housing and we look forward to working with the council to deliver more homes over the coming months and years.” Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, added: “The Crofts Street development will provide nine new council homes in the city, and helps us on our way to building 2,000 new council homes, around 600 of which are being delivered through our Cardiff Living partnership with Wates Residential. “We’re always looking for opportunities and new ways of developing more affordable housing to tackle growing demand in the city and to do so as quickly as possible. This exciting scheme, which will be the first time we have used a highly energy-efficient modular build system, can be delivered in considerably less time than a traditional-build project and has been awarded Welsh Government Innovative Housing Funding. “The advantages of the scheme include reduced energy bills for tenants, helping to combat fuel poverty, while the amount of construction time on site is significantly reduced, which is an obvious benefit for people living in the community around the development.”

Bristol’s commitment to achieving its carbon neutral pledge by 2030 is being realised with the aid of a sustainable housing development, featuring innovative low-carbon heating. Bristol City Council’s 133 homes at Ashton Rise are being built using the high efficiency Sig iHouse solution, and heated by individual Kensa ground source heat pumps connected to a shared ground loop array of boreholes. The installation would see each home making lifetime carbon savings of 30 tonnes compared to individual gas boilers, whilst also removing all local NOx emissions, ensuring local air quality is not impacted by the choice of heating system. With completion expected in Spring 2021, works have commenced on site by developer Wilmott Dixon, with the aid of UK ground source heat pump specialists, Kensa Contracting, undertaking the heat pump system installation. The development is the first of its kind for Bristol City Council which features 40% of homes for social rent, and will see the council building houses for sale on the private market for the first time. The Bristol Mayor has set out the commitment of building 2,000 new homes – 800 affordable – a year by 2020. Coupled with Bristol’s 2030 net-zero commitment ahead of any other UK city, the Council have taken an innovative approach to reducing the carbon and air pollution from its housing programme early on. Following the Greater London Authority’s findings that Kensa Contracting’s communal ground source heat pump design is the lowest cost solution for end users and the most efficient and lowest carbon heating technology, Bristol City Council is leading the transition away from gas for new build developments by using Kensa’s British-manufactured Shoebox ground source heat pumps in the Ashton Rise development. Councillor Paul Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “The work at Ashton Rise brings together two of the council’s top priorities for Bristol – our commitment to build new homes, and to become a carbon neutral city by 2030. As a city, we’re determined to position ourselves as leaders in the housing we build and bring together innovative design and energy efficiency. “It’s great to have developers and Kensa specialists working closely with the council to deliver this scheme and support our ambitions to build sustainable, thriving communities.” David Broom, Commercial Director at Kensa Contracting says: “With fossil fuel heating systems being ruled out from new-builds from 2025, Bristol City Council’s commitment to a lower carbon alternative six years ahead of the deadline should be viewed as the new benchmark. Bristol’s plans for net-zero carbon by 2030 are ambitious, yet by adopting the low-carbon and low-cost approach used at Ashton Rise, we wholly expect Bristol to make huge strides to achieving its objective.” The ground source heat pump system at Ashton Rise has been future-proofed to enable residents to save now and in the future. Due to the stable temperature of the ground all year round, electrically-powered ground source heat pumps offer continuous energy and carbon saving improvements as supporting technology and initiatives advance; the introduction of flexible time-of-use tariffs could enable Ashton Rise residents to enjoy even greater savings, whilst the heating system has been enabled to allow passive cooling from the ground loop, which is naturally cooler than the air in summer, offering virtually free cooling when needed. Neal Stephens, managing director for Willmott Dixon South West said: “This scheme has been designed to help Ashton Rise become a sustainable housing development. By showcasing innovative solutions to carbon waste reduction, we hope to inspire other developers to consider their own carbon footprint and the effect it has on the city. We feel deeply rooted in Bristol, and hope that these innovative developments will not only support the local community, but the local environment too.’’

As the UK Government pledges to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the urge for sustainable buildings is stronger than ever. According to the UK Green Building Council, an estimated 40% of the UK’s carbon footprint is attributed to the built environment, half of which comes from energy used in building. Heating alone created 10% of the country’s carbon footprint.  Yet sustainability is still out of reach for many property owners and managers. Old buildings, small budgets, tenants’ varying needs – there are many factors that make it hard for a property manager to truly measure the sustainability of a building and to act upon any findings. Considering this, Frankie Bryon, Sustainability Surveyor at LSH discusses why smart technology can help buildings improve on sustainability as well introduce other benefits that include promoting health and wellbeing and enable agile working.  Smart is sustainableFirms’ sustainability strategies have been a major driver of the rollout of smart technology. By providing more efficient controls over energy usage, it can deliver significant reductions in energy consumption. It is no coincidence that some of the smartest office buildings in the world are also rated by BREEAM as among the greenest. Smart systems allow lighting, heating, air conditioning and ventilation to be monitored and adjusted according to a building’s usage and occupation. Energy wastage can be minimised by turning off heating and lighting when an office is unoccupied. Intelligent building facades may also be used to control the heat and light entering the building in response to changing weather conditions. The next generation of energy efficient smart buildings have their own sources of power generation and some are even able to generate more energy than they consume, with surplus energy going back to the grid. Workplace wellbeingSmart technology is increasingly recognised as having an important role to play in promoting health and wellbeing. It can help to create environments that support alert, energised workforce.  Sensors can monitor air and water quality, light, temperature and noise levels. Issues known to affect workers’ concentration levels such as poor air quality or a lack of natural light can thus be detected and fixed. More advanced smart office technology can also make use of data from wearable biometric devices monitoring the health and comfort of workers. In fact, research by Instant Offices shows 45% of the UK workforce would feel comfortable with sharing information via wearable devices for the purpose of protecting their health and wellbeing.  Ambient conditions can be adjusted when workers show signs of discomfort, or an individual’s immediate working environment can be changed according to their personal preferences. Work smarter Sensors, smartphones or wearable devices may collect data monitoring environmental factors such as temperature, light, air quality and noise, as well as data on employees’ usage of the building. The data collected can deliver building managers with actionable insights on how to improve a building’s performance, or it may feed through to automated systems controlling the office environment. With smart technology continually evolving, it is being used to support an increasingly wide range of applications, providing multiple benefits to building owners, investors, occupiers and employees. Enabling agile workingSmart technology is providing occupiers with a better understanding of who uses the office at any given time, how they work and with whom they collaborate. These insights can enable increasingly agile, flexible working. Some of the newest generation of smart buildings have fewer desks than workers. Instead, employees may reserve a workspace using an app, with a choice of spaces depending on whether they would prefer a collaborative workspace, private meeting area or a quiet space. Smart systems may thus facilitate a move away from the convention of employees ‘owning’ a desk, which then goes unused for periods when they are out of the office. Flexible workspaces can be used more efficiently and may be continually adapted to changing employee demand and new work styles. Improving workplace experiencesAs well as enabling desk and room bookings, workplace apps can also be used to order food and drink, book gym sessions or reserve parking spaces. They may allow employees to control ambient settings, as well as providing new ways of connecting and collaborating with colleagues. Workplace apps are thus developing as important interfaces between employees and office buildings, giving individuals greater control over their office experience. This will help to align the modern office with the expectations of a younger workforce for whom smart technology already plays an integral part of their lifestyles outside of work. The benefits of being smartOverall the advantages that smart offices offer are in terms of the following: Sustainability Employee wellbeing Agile working  Workplace experience Smart offices also aid talent attraction and retention, by creating spaces in which people want to work, while appealing to workers’ environmental values. Modern, sustainable offices can help to reinforce a company’s brand values and define a progressive, forward-thinking corporate culture.

Two of Cavanna Homes’ Site Managers have received top national awards for delivering the highest standards of housebuilding in the UK. Adam Smith and Charlie Baker have been recognised by the National House Building Council (NHBC) for their work at Moorland Vale in Bodmin and Alfred’s Gate in Newton Poppleford, near Sidmouth. Adam and Charlie are among just three percent of 16,000 site managers nationally to be presented with the NHBC’s Pride in the Job ‘Quality Award’ which rewards attention to detail, leadership, technical expertise and health and safety. Adam Smith, Site Manager at Moorland Vale said: “This award is an outstanding achievement and reflects the dedication, pride and hard work of the team at Moorland Vale. Building beautiful homes is a complex process and our team’s attention to detail throughout the construction process has been reflected in delivering an outstanding end product”. Charlie Baker, Site Manager at Alfred’s Gate added: “The design for the new homes at Alfred’s Gate were really stunning and our team has delivered a very high specification development. The NHBC monitors our work over a 12-month period, so all of our activities are scrutinised. Winning this award is a real testament to our team’s hard work and dedication to building new homes our customers are proud to own”. Head of Construction Fred Sureshkumar said: “We’re very proud of our young Site Managers, Charlie and Adam, for being presented with Quality Awards – to be in the top 3 percent out of over sixteen thousand entries is a fantastic achievement. “At Cavanna Homes we pride ourselves on building high-quality new homes which homeowners can be proud of. These awards are a reflection of our commitment to building beautiful new homes across the Westcountry”. David Blackman, NHBC Inspection Manager said: “This is the 39th year of the national competition and each year the standard of entries gets higher. “These awards cannot be won without the right support from the team on site, support and guidance from the company, and the right attitude. Congratulations to both Adam and Charlie, you should both be very proud!”. Last year two of the homebuilders Site Managers, Russell Gibson and Paul Whitlock, were also awarded the NHBC Pride in the Job Award ‘Quality Awards’ for the firm’s developments at Greenspire in Clyst St Mary near Exeter, and Market Quarter in Holsworthy. 

Across the globe, casinos are some of the most recognisable and iconic structures in existence. Unsurprisingly, a huge amount of time, effort – and money – go into the creation of a successful casino. From the exterior and the décor to the internal layout, everything in the casino design needs to encourage players not only to come but to stay.  Let’s delve a little deeper into what it takes to make a truly great casino. We’ll take a look at the changing aesthetic, how floors have changed, and shine a light on some casino design myths to see if there’s any truth in them. Through the Doors What’s outside may lure you in, but it’s what’s through the doors that will persuade you to stay. The exterior is all art, and limited only by imagination and physics, but the interior layout is where the science comes in. Past wisdom favoured a labyrinthine floor plan, with the intent of disorienting players and making it difficult for them to find their way out. This was coupled with a couple of tricks – no clocks or natural daylight – designed to make customers lose track of time.  These days, such deceitful practices are being replaced with an altogether friendlier approach. Rather than trapping players in a perpetual maze, these modern casinos strive to create a space that people actively want to stay in. High ceilings with natural light, tasteful and eye-catching decoration, and a spacious floor with clusters of slot machines rather than the old rows; all these combine to make a welcoming and relaxing room. This has been found to be a much more effective way of making people play more and longer, which is of course what the casino wants. Incidentally, the newer approach was something that the creators of online casinos sussed out right from the start. All the best casino sites provide a user-friendly interface, with a pleasing aesthetic to encourage players to stay. Have a look here for more on how casino sites try to optimise the player experience. Classic to Modern The casino design archetype is old-school glamour, and indeed most of the buildings that likely spring to mind are in the classical mode. Grand facades, ornately decorated, chandeliers – these are casinos straight out of a Bond movie. Las Vegas in particular excels at this kind of structure, going all the way back to the early days and continuing to the present. Notable examples are the faux Greco-Roman edifice that is Caesars Palace, and the Venetian with its life-size replicas of Venice’s most famous landmarks. Vegas may still enjoy extravagant glamour – witness the Palazzo, which opened its doors in 2008 – but elsewhere casino design has gone in bold new directions. Travel east to Macau and witness the futuristic fairytale that is the Gran Lisboa, or the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore which resembles a landing dock for an alien spacecraft. The designers can really flex their creative muscle with a casino, and it seems like every new building outshines the last in vision and spectacle. Fact or Fiction? There are plenty of stories about how casino design uses subliminal tricks to encourage people to play more – but how much truth is in them? One perplexingly odd feature of many casinos is the truly hideously-patterned carpet. This phenomenon is so widespread that many theories have been put forward as to the true reason for such poor taste. One is that the loud designs effectively hide dropped chips, so the casino can sweep them up later. Another suggests that they simply encourage players to keep looking up and at the games – and will thus be tempted to play more. None of this really makes sense, and the truth is probably something much more mundane; the patterns help hide stains from spilled drinks. Another myth was that some casinos pump in pure oxygen, to energise customers and keep them awake for longer. This one can be firmly filed under the fiction category, as doing so would be illegal and potentially dangerous. One thing that casinos do fess up to is pumping in pleasant smells. This one has science behind it, as studies suggest that people spend more when they are exposed to certain aromas. Which scents they use, however, remains a closely-guarded secret. 

The biggest road upgrade scheme in the UK has been recognised with the highest honour at this year’s Considerate Constructors Scheme’s National Ultra Site Awards. The joint venture from Costain, Balfour Beatty and Skanska for Highways England, won the coveted ‘2019 Ultra Site of the Year Award’. The project, which is upgrading a 21-mile section of the major road between Cambridge and Huntingdon and will cut journey times by up to 20 minutes, has been recognised for its top-performance against the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice. The Scheme aims to raise standards of how considerate a construction site, company and supplier is across a variety of aspects, covering topics including environment impacted, how it looks after its workforce and supply chain involved in delivering the project and how it tries to limit the impact of its work on those around it. The aim of Ultra Sites is to achieve ever greater integration of a contractor’s supply chain to meet and exceed the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice. Being the highest level of attainment in consideration and best practice, they are the pinnacle of excellence across the construction industry. The project also triumphed, winning this year’s ‘Collaboration Award’ and the ‘Fairness, Inclusion and Respect Award’. Both award categories recognise the outstanding efforts the site’s team has made in creating a truly collaborative supply chain and one which has created a fair and inclusive environment in which everyone feels their role is integral to the success of the project. Pam Hobson, Stakeholder Director at the A14 Integrated Delivery Team said: “We put the spirit of the Considerate Constructors Scheme into everything we do, inspiring people along the way and opening their eyes about what, as an industry, we really have to offer. “Ultra Sites are setting exceptional standards and positively influencing the whole construction industry. The A14 was the first road project to be accredited as an Ultra Site, and to be recognised as the best is very special indeed.” Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy said: “Ultra Sites represent a real turning point for the construction industry, by providing a way for the industry to work more collaboratively and realise the benefits of this greater integration for their workforce, community and environment.”