BRE Buzz

15th December 2016

5 questions about Phase Change Materials (including one about cocktails)

BRE Global technical author Corinne Williams answers 5 questions about her new publication Assessing the performance of Phase Change Materials in buildings. Question 1: Did you have to test several cocktails during the writing of this publication? No! The ice cube example is a simple way to explain how PCMs work. Ice is a commonly used … Continue reading “5 questions about Phase Change Materials (including one about cocktails)”

14th December 2016

Generation rent vs generation mortgage? There might be a solution…

A recent report from UBS Wealth Management’s “Bubble index” looking at the state of the property markets has found that London has the second most over-valued property market of any major city around the world. At the same time, official figures from the Office for National Statistics tell us that the average wage in the UK is £28,105 annually. If we were … Continue reading “Generation rent vs generation mortgage? There might be a solution…”

30th November 2016

BRE supporting strategic heating plans for local & national authorities

BRE co-funds Stratego project which introduces integrated approach across Europe while providing local and national authorities with actionable heating strategies and plans BRE’s strategic energy team, together with the Scottish Government, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Euroheat & Power and twelve other European partners, have been scrutinising a new integrated approach to the … Continue reading “BRE supporting strategic heating plans for local & national authorities”

22nd November 2016

BREEAM in Kuwait

The modern history of Kuwait nestling as it does in the top of the Persian Gulf is a whirlwind of social, political and economic reforms.

22nd November 2016

Managing Risk in Construction

Blindfold chess is played by a strong player without being able to see the chess board. The player sits with his/her back to the chess board and calls out the moves (I presume), or wears a blindfold. Blindfold chess is not a recommended method to managing risk… However, playing chess and managing risk have a lot in common. … Continue reading “Managing Risk in Construction”

11th November 2016

Reducing Gatwick Airport’s false fire alarms

Following a successful campaign to reduce false fire alarms, Gatwick Airport called on BRE experts to review its false alarm data and identify ways of further cutting these incidents. They were able to make recommendations and propose an operational process to address the remaining false alarms. Read more here