Housing Focus – Page 16
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Features
Smoke and heat alarm
Aico has launched a smoke and heat alarm system with a remote control switch.
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FeaturesFloor-standing condensing gas boiler
Boiler manufacturer Potterton has launched a floor-standing condensing gas boiler with an integrated hot water cylinder.
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FeaturesDone to a turn
Architect Clague’s curvaceous extension to the Strode Park Foundation brings something that most housing for disabled people has never even heard of – glamour.
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FeaturesDream house Down Under
When Paul and Jaki Halliday decided to leave London’s traffic-clogged rat’s maze for the hills of New South Wales, they celebrated by commissioning their ideal home. Martin Spring explains how their compatriot, Alan Higgs, designed it
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FeaturesWhat’s new under the sun
Viridian Solar has just started business on the basis of a green water heater …
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FeaturesThe Gove in government
Michael Gove, the highly opinionated polymathematical star of the Tory front bench, might just get the chance to translate his thoughts on housing and planning into action soon. David Blackman found out what they are
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FeaturesWhat it costs: photovoltaics
Photovoltaics may help reduce energy costs, as well as cutting CO2 emissions. Peter Mayer of Building LifePlans looks at the options and whole-life costs of PV systems
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FeaturesAn oasis by the Elephant
Just around the corner from the Elephant & Castle shopping centre, a colourful housing scheme by de Rijke Marsh Morgan has replaced the drab greys of Southwark’s Heygate estate. Martin Spring explains how the project is just the beginning of a long-overdue £1.5bn regeneration plan
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FeaturesCost model: Social housing
Our series on projects worth less than £1m returns with an in-depth look at affordable homes. Max Wilkes of Davis Langdon explains what kinds of schemes the Housing Corporation wants for its money, and breaks down the costs
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FeaturesWhat it costs: water softening
You can treat hard water with chemicals or condition it with electricity but one thing’s for certain – if you want to meet Part L1, you’re going to have to do something about it. Peter Mayer of Building LifePlans counts the costs of the various options
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FeaturesA typical guzzling, leaking, seeping, spewing british home
To highlight the energy inefficiency at the heart of the UK’s existing housing stock, Thomas Lane took energy consultant Cathy Hough to inspect a typical south London terraced house, built 100 years before the latest revision to Part L. It wasn’t pretty …
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Features
Costs: Treatment of domestic wastewater
Anthony Waterman of Sense Cost Consultancy considers the respective benefits of two recent innovations in the treatment of domestic wastewater in small and rural communities
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Features
Costs: Bathroom fit-outs
Bathroom fit-out costs can make a big dent in budgets, particularly on large developments. Anthony Waterman of BRE compares the benefits of traditional techniques and off-site pods
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FeaturesCost model: Mixed-use city-centre schemes
Mixed use is increasingly the name of the game for town-centre developers. But can uses such as retail and residential really mix? Simon Rawlinson of Davis Langdon examines the practicalities and costs of mixed-use city-centre schemes
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Costs: Solar hot water systems
Will the new Part L see mass uptake of solar hot water systems? Peter Mayer of Building LifePlans looks at the specifications and their whole life costs
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Costs: Kitchen furniture
Kitchen furniture needs to look good and, even more importantly, withstand a lot of wear and tear. Peter Mayer of Building LifePlans assesses the options and their whole-life costs
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Costs: Rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting offers a sustainable solution to water shortages in these hosepipe-banning times. Peter Mayer of Building LifePlans looks at the options and analyses the whole-life costs
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Costs: Prefabricated structural panels
Prefabricated structural panels are increasingly specified as an alternative to traditional site construction. Peter Mayer of Building LifePlans considers the whole-life-cost implications
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Costs: Condensing gas boilers
Condensing gas boilers have become the heating unit of choice for homes. Peter Mayer of Building Performance Group considers the options and examines their whole-life values
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Costs: Bathroom standards
When baths need to be replaced, understanding detailed specification options is the key to making the best value life-cycle decisions, says Peter Mayer of Building Performance Group