黑洞社区

Put Bake Off on, it鈥檚 freezing

Feeling cold? Then turn off your radiators and turn on your TV, that鈥檚 the advice from an expert at Max Fordham. Bill Watts, senior partner at the engineering consultancy, says the heat given off by appliances such as TVs and refrigerators should be enough to heat your home - providing it鈥檚 well insulated. He said: 鈥淚nstead of installing complicated heating systems, developers should insulate new builds more effectively. Good insulation reduces the amount of energy required to keep our homes warm. It also ensures that all of the heat generated internally - by the kitchen fridge or even your own body heat - remains trapped inside, further reducing the need to import any additional heat energy into the home.鈥�

On your bike

The launch of the property industry鈥檚 annual fundraising cycle ride to Mipim ushered in a new era for the charitable organisation previously known as Cycle To. Relaunching as Club Peloton, the event also named a new sponsor - law firm Legal and General. Bill Hughes, head of LGIM real assets, explained: 鈥淥ur sponsorship of the cycle to Mipim ride in 2016 serves several purposes. It gets us to the conference in Cannes whilst minimising our carbon footprint, gives us some full-on exercise within a first-class endurance challenge, and will provide us with unparalleled networking opportunities.鈥�

Bankside bites back

The developers of Neo Bankside have hit back at controversy surrounding the project鈥檚 nomination for the Stirling prize - which, as 黑洞社区 went to press, was due to be awarded yesterday - amid plans for protests by social housing activists dismayed at the inclusion of a super-luxury residential project on the shortlist for UK architecture鈥檚 biggest prize. Native Land and Grosvenor issued a statement last week seeking to clarify the facts about the project鈥檚 contribution to affordable housing. The project, the firms said, delivered 217 private homes on site, plus a further 132 social rented and shared ownership homes off-site in Southwark and an 拢11m contribution for additional affordable housing provision in the area was also made. The developers said the provision of affordable housing fully conformed with Southwark council鈥檚 planning requirements and was 鈥渘o more than two miles from Neo Bankside鈥�.

Bridge of the year

The 24km Second Penang Bridge in Malaysia has won the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) Brunel Medal for 2015, which recognises excellence in engineering. The longest sea crossing in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, the bridge is both earthquake resilient and tsunami resistant. In a region prone to natural disaster, it has been hailed as a life-saving achievement. ICE judges called the bridge, which opened to traffic on 1 March 2014, 鈥渁 vivid example of how civil engineering can overcome the merciless forces of nature and direct its resources to sustainable use.鈥�

DIY SOS

A survey has labelled Birmingham as having the worst DIYers in the country, followed by Glasgow and London. A staggering 22% of the city鈥檚 residents have ended up in hospital as a result of their DIY handiwork - more than twice the national average. Over 2,000 adults were surveyed by DSL-Direct, which also found spilling paint, causing flooding and falling off ladders are among the UK鈥檚 most common DIY disasters. But these are rare occurrences for the people of Bristol, as Bristolians were found to enjoy the best results from DIY. No explanation is given for these regional variations, alas.