Prefab (and preserve): An investigation of retrofitting for Belfast's Victorian terraced social housing

This paper investigates the potential for the reuse of Belfast's existing Victorian terraced housing. The aim is to study methods behind retrofitting these unique pieces of architectural heritage, bringing them up to modern day standards with reduced energy costs and CO2 emissions in line with the Climate Change Act of 2008 (‘the Act’). It also highlights the characteristics of sustainable retrofitting examples and original prefabricated element, which enable the 19th-century properties to be re-adapted to suit modern day needs. The analysis builds on a report by Mark Hines Architects, in association with SAVE Britain's Heritage,1 in which the company explains the detrimental effect that the ‘Pathfinder’ scheme has had on English cities. Similarly, in Belfast, redevelopment schemes such as that in the ‘Village’ district have intended to replace undervalued terraced housing stock, and search for more sustainable options to retain these homes along with with the embodied energy and traditions attached to them.

Unsettling modernity: Shifting values and changing housing styles in the Kathmandu Valley

Abstract

Culture has always been important for the character of the cities, as have the civic and public institutions that sustain a lifestyle and provide an identity. Substantial evidence of the unique historical, urban civilisation remains within the traditional settlements in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal; manifested in houses, palaces, temples, rest houses, open spaces, festivals, rituals, customs and cultural institutions. Indigenous knowledge and practices prescribed the arrangement of houses, roads and urban spaces giving the city a distinctive physical form, character and a unique oriental nativeness. In technical sense, these societies did not have written rules for guiding development. In recent decades, the urban culture of the city has been changing with the forces of urbanisation and globalisation and the demand for new buildings and spaces. New residential design is increasingly dominated by distinctive patterns of Western suburban ideal comprising detached or semi-detached homes and high rise tower blocks. This architectural iconoclasm can be construed as a rather crude response to the indigenous culture and built form. The paper attempts to dismantle the current tension between traditional and contemporary ‘culture’ (and hence society) and housing (or built form) in the Kathmandu Valley by engaging in a discussion that cuts across space, time and meaning of architecture as we know it.

Social housing tenants, Climate Change and sustainable living: A study of awareness, behaviours and willingness to adapt

Despite a focus in the UK on providing sustainable housing in recent years, it is unlikely that targets set to reduce resource consumption in housing will be achieved without a greater focus on human behaviour. It is necessary to understand the actions of people occupying dwellings, as it is invariably the occupants rather than the buildings that decided whether or not to consume resources. In this paper the authors present a pilot study where 53 social housing tenant households in Northern Ireland were interviewed to ascertain their perceptions of Climate Change, their current behaviours and their willingness to reduce energy and water consumption in the home. The intention was to explore links between perceptions and reported behaviour as well as perceptions and willingness to reduce resource consumption. Results show that 77% of tenants believed Climate Change to be an important issue; 57% accepted that it is up to the individual to take responsibility for tackling Climate Change; and demonstrated a strong desire to make a difference to reduce their impact. The researchers identified both passive (devices) and active (behaviours) resource savings currently in place and established where further resource reduction was feasible based on tenants' willingness to alter their behaviours.

Housing, Regeneration and Community Asset Transfer

Community asset transfer enables local groups to own or manage a government owned facility and/or related services. For critics, it is merely an extension of roll-back neoliberalism, permitting the state to withdraw from welfare and transfer risk from local government to ill-defined communities. The paper uses quantitative and case study data from Northern Ireland to demonstrate its transformative potential by challenging the notion of private property rights, enabling communities to accumulate and endanger forms of cooperative consumption. It concludes by highlighting the implications for more progressive forms of social economics in relation to public and private markets and government sponsorship of its own development.

Case study investigation of indoor air quality in mechanically ventilated and naturally ventilated UK social housing

There is a significant lack of indoor air quality research in low energy homes. This study compared the indoor air quality of eight
newly built case study homes constructed to similar levels of air-tightness and insulation; with two different ventilation strategies (four homes with Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems/Code level 4 and four homes naturally ventilated/Code level 3). Indoor air quality measurements were conducted over a 24 h period in the living room and main bedroom of each home during the summer and winter seasons. Simultaneous outside measurements and an occupant diary were also employed during the measurement period. Occupant interviews were conducted to gain information on perceived indoor air quality, occupant behaviour and building related illnesses. Knowledge of the MVHR system including ventilation related behaviour was also studied. Results suggest indoor air quality problems in both the mechanically ventilated and naturally ventilated homes, with significant issues identified regarding occupant use in the social homes