Articles

In a sector where the demand far outpaces supply, and as the cost of living continues to rise in the UK, housing associations are under increasing pressure to deliver affordable housing. 

Spindogs addresses the challenges faced by housing associations and discusses the opportunities offered by digital. 

Technological capabilities and tenant expectations are rapidly changing, placing even greater pressures on housing associations. Increased demands create an increased need to invest in new technologies to better service users. 

The benefits of an organisation-wide training programme are too big to ignore. It’s an investment in your staff, your organisation and most importantly of course, your tenants. The true cost of choosing not to upskill staff could ultimately be loss of life, as well as loss of reputation, downgrading by the Regulator and the financial cost in terms of legal fees, fines and compensation.

Recent trials of various, older concrete block permeable paving projects following long-term use back-up previous research, endorse current minimal maintenance recommendations and debunk misconceptions about clogging up of joints. This research has important implications for the whole life costs of permeable paving on all types of housing. One of the projects involved also reveals major benefits of permeable paving for green infrastructure, particularly trees. 

In 2018, the Hackitt review required building managers to keep digital building records, from the design and conceptualisation phase through its life cycle. With the boom years of High Rise Residential Buildings (HRRB) development between 1953 and 1972, and with 6544 buildings erected in the half-century following the end of World War 2, nearly all of the remaining 270 HRRBs were built in a pre-digital age.

Thus, in 2021, complying with new design regulations while creating new digital records for those HRRBs presents a major challenge.

TV presenter and architect George Clarke is known for his forthright views on issues affecting housing and the built environment and he's has long been a champion of good design and sustainability.
He is also Ecodan Ambassador for heat pump manufacturer, Mitsubishi Electric and writes regularly on their blogsite about issues affecting the construction industry and housing in particular.

The rise in multi-generational living has necessitated a shift in how products are specified. Grandparents will often be living under the same roof as small children, and their needs, particularly from a usability and safety perspective, will differ drastically. This becomes especially pertinent when it comes to the bathroom, one of the most heavily used rooms in the home.

To take a closer look at some of the key issues associated with bathroom safety, Triton Showers teamed up with Housing Association Magazine to host a roundtable on the subject. Victoria Galligan, Editor at Housing Association, reports.

The fully-financed solar generation and smart battery storage solution will help housing associations meet their carbon reduction targets and alleviate rates of fuel poverty amongst tenants

The UK energy services company, SMS plc, has unveiled a unique new solution that aims to radically reduce carbon emissions of Britain’s social housing stock. Through Solopower, SMS is partnering with local councils and housing associations to significantly upgrade the energy performance of social accommodation, delivering solar generation, battery storage, and smart meters to landlords and their residents at zero upfront cost.

In deploying these smart home energy technologies – which are intelligently controlled and optimised by SMS’s FlexiGrid™ aggregation software – Solopower can decarbonise housing electricity by approximately 90% per home. The solution will therefore contribute to the enhancement of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings and reduce tenant electricity bills by up to 25% (approximately £200 in savings per year).