Your Build News
The popular home renovation and design
platform Houzz recently introduced a new
augmented reality (AR) feature within its free
app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.
The feature, part of Houzz’s View in My Room
3D tool, enables shoppers to virtually cover
their f loor with tile, true-to-scale. Powered
by technology that detects the location and
orientation of f loors, the updated tool enables
shoppers to virtually cover the space with tile
to see what their homes would look like with
new f looring. Shoppers can find out how much
tile is needed to cover the space and order an
appropriate amount of material all within the
Houzz app.
NEW AR FEATURE FOR
LEADING DESIGN APP
Despite the UK’s uncertain economic climate,
PlotSearch kicked off 2019 with over 1000
new subscribers in January alone, an increase
on the same time period last year. PlotSearch
data shows that the largest demographic
group looking to self-build across the UK,
is subscribers aged 26-40, going against the
assumption that self-build is only for the older
and more established generations. This could
indicate that younger people who are struggling
to get a foot onto the property ladder are looking
to self-build as an alternative to buying a new
build or existing property. This is evident in
the south of England where the housing crisis
is keenly felt and where an increasing demand
for building plots can be seen. 2019 will also see
the first self and custom build serviced plots
become available as a result of the Government’s
‘Right to Build’ legislation. With more planning
permissions being granted year on year, and
more people of all ages seeing self-build as a
feasible option, PlotSearch will continue to help
people start their self-build journeys.
U-Build is a simple modular construction system
designed by architectural practice Studio Bark,
which aims to transform the way people think
about buildings and the way they are built. The
system encourages individuals and communities
to self-build, simplifying the construction
process and enabling anyone to participate.
YOU BUILD WITH U-BUILD
PLOTSEARCH
SUBSCRIPTIONS
ARE ON THE UP IN 2019
An urban infill house in London’s
Camden Town features newly developed
insulated and automated shutters;
the hope being that these shutters
will become an energy efficiency
solution for future retrofit and low-
cost housing projects. Designed and
built by bere:architects, designer and
engineer Max Fordham and Bow Tie
Construction, the scheme was completed
in February 2019. The windows are sized
and spaced rationally to optimise light
without overheating in summer, and
the new automated thermal shutters
are intended to maintain a constant
comfortable internal temperature and to
defend against extremes both of external
cold and heat. The horizontally sliding
shutters constructed from insulated
vacuum panels are accommodated
within the internal fabric of the building.
They are automatically operated by
a home technology system, which
simplifies the proper use of the shutters
and does not rely on occupants' manual
operation. As the shutters are internal,
potential complications are easier to
note and fix than if external shutters
are used. Windows are often the cause
of temperature f luctuation, but these
reasonably airtight shutters are designed
to counterbalance this tendency. The
shutters are to be closed on a cold winter
night to prevent radiant heat losses
ensuring no supplementary heating will
be required.LONDON BUILD
PROTOTYPES
THERMAL
SHUTTERSThe system relies solely on a flat-pack kit made
from timber parts, and was developed from a
desire to make construction affordable for the
public. Components can be quickly slotted
together like puzzle pieces to assemble a building
frame, and easily dismantled, recycled or reused
at the end of the building's life.Recent advances in household-scale battery
systems are making them an ever more attractive
option for new home buyers and there’s an
expectation that they could become
commonplace as part of a home’s electrical
infrastructure in the near future. A new guide
from the NHBC Foundation - NF83 ‘Watts in
store? Introduction to energy storage batteries
for homes’- now aims to ensure that battery
systems are selected to be fit for purpose. This
looks at key aspects of battery selection,
ensuring that the right questions are asked of
manufacturers and that installed systems meet
reasonable expectations of home owners. While
inclusion of a battery system is currently a
choice, driven either by home buyers who are
increasingly aware of the leading brands, or by
house builders who see a marketing advantage in
offering a battery system, their potential benefits
to householders and to the efficiency of national
energy supply are significant. This point has been
recognised in other countries where government
incentives have stimulated uptake of household
batteries and in turn reduced the installed cost
d ra mat ica l ly.NEW GUIDE ON
ENERGY STORAGE