Housing associations

Noise pollution can have a significant impact on resident quality of life, so should housing associations and commercial contractors be doing more? HA Magazine reports...

Noise pollution was recently listed as second only to air pollution by the UK’s Chief Medical Officer for its negative impact on public health. Studies show that exposure to unwanted noise can contribute to sleep disturbance, hypertension and even diabetes and heart disease.

So, given this, should housing associations and their supply partners be re-thinking their approach to move beyond requirements in Approved Document E to deliver a step-change in acoustic performance - particularly in future developments?

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.

AKW shows that it is possible to build cost-effective inclusivity into a bathroom’s design, so it is fit for purpose, no matter what the tenants needs. How is this possible? By using AKW’s latest cost-effective ‘Bathroom for Life’ solution.

In this episode, we will be exploring PBM – the British Superbike Champions, life at The Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, and answering a popular FAQ.

This week, we present a special episode of Aico TV, streaming live from the opening of Willowdene Rehabilitation’s Family Assessment Centre. In attendance will be Dr. Matthew Home, Director of Willowdene, Neal Hooper, Managing Director of Aico and the High Sheriff of Shropshire, Dean Harris.

We have recently supported Willowdene Rehabilitation in Bridgnorth and are proud to have sponsored their brand-new Family Assessment Centre, which will enable the cultivation and support of family relationships with students at Willowdene.https://www.aico.co.uk/aico-tv/

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.

As part of a wide scale refurbishment project from Enfield Council, Langley Structures Ltd delivered a series of Flat to Pitched (FTP) roof conversions across multiple residential premises in New Southgate. This project recently won RCI’s Pitched Roofing Awards for ‘best use of a flat to pitch system’.

The project saw the conversion applied to seven buildings located on Bowes Road, Cross Road and Massey Close in Enfield, as part of the larger ‘New Southgate’ refurbishment being carried out in the area. Approved in 2010, the New Southgate regeneration project provides quality homes, local shops and community services across the neighbourhood.

Langley Structures worked alongside Playle & Partners LLP’s, who provided lead architectural services as well as project management, contract administration, quantity surveying and principle designer roles. ENGIE, Langley Structures’ Approved Contractor, delivered the regeneration solution.