The numbers game : 24 hours (to Tulsa?)

To build anything requires a variety of statutory approvals and co-operation from a significant number of utilities. Such complexity invariably produces stumbling blocks and delays to the process, but of all of these hurdles, gaining planning permission is undoubtedly the most fraught

The numbers game - 102333

Linking Scottish football to community regeneration is a bold and intrepid initiative, for the association is far from obvious. A quick glance at the environs of most Scottish football stadia will reveal a less than impressive urban landscape, both visual and economic. The mounting trepidation of tenement dwellers in Mount Florida on the approach of a major international was tangible. It took weeks to get the smell of urine out of the closes. So although it may be opportune to exploit the Scottish populaces' obsession with football, is private corporatism the best template for community regeneration

The numbers game : 80- 200m2 Pigs, Pokes and Horses

The Highland Housing Expo, Scottish architects and low carbon dwellings

The numbers game : 206 GigaWatts – beam me up Scottie!

Renewable energy in Scotlan

Pollution fears are misplaced while toxins thrive indoors air filters can reduce heart and lung disease, a new study reveals, because air quality is so poor inside modern houses

Following the smoking ban, advocates of clean air might have believed that the battle was largely won. However, worrying new research highlights the pernicious effects of other life-threatening pollutants. Most worrying is the fact that these are pollutants that occur inside the home.A Danish study of non-smokers aged between 60 and 75 found that the use of an air filter in the home for only 48 hours improved vascular function in the participants as much as stopping smoking would do in a smoker. When the high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) filters were used to clean the air in the apartments of 21 older couples, their bloodvessel function improved by about 8%

The numbers game - 37 trillion

Environmental sustainability is like pregnancy. You are either sustainable or you are not! The UK Government tells us that it is deeply concerned about global warming but the numbers do not support this claim. Although it trumpets that it has set aside £545 million to underwrite a multiplicity of environmental initiatives, this sum is paltry when compared with the £11.4 billion already committed to widen the M1 motorway; a strategy that will undermine any progress made in other spheres

The numbers game - 0.007 shaken not stirred

British spies have always been acutely aware that there is a subtle difference in taste between a Martini that is shaken, not stirred. Two distinct approaches can be adopted to explain this intriguing phenomenon. Scholars of St Thomas of Aquinas will no doubt prefer one that imagines zillions of Vodka fairies dancing frenetically on the ice cubes. The other would involve constructing a hypothesis (vigorous shaking apparently encourages the off-gassing of aldehydes from the vermouth that does not occur when merely stirred) and undertaking a double blind, placebo controlled trial to investigate the taste sensations reported by a statistically significant (Fishers exact test p=0.001) matched cohort

The numbers game - 2 big bangs... one big mess

We have a problem with a lack of mass (or liquidity?) in the universe from the first big bang that occurred circa 15 billion years ago. The Hadron collider has been designed to provide us with some new insights into the origins of the universe by unlocking the mysteries of the strange world that is sub-atomic particle physics. But for now lets set this fabulous experiment to one side and concentrate on the fallout from the second big bang that occurred circa 1986.The recent gymnastics in the banking system have generated a veritable cornucopia of hypothesis as to what went wrong and who should now be consigned to the stocks. Fred and Fanny, spivs and speculators, buccaneering be-knighted bankers, those damn productive Chinese with their $2 trillion export surplus and of course, G. Dubya Bush. Financial commentators with a reputation for sober analysis,have been forced to stretch hyperbole beyond its natural elasticity.These economists appear to be truly astounded by what has happened, for they all come from the same tradition that has imbued them - like Voltaire's Candide - with an intrinsic belief that the so called, 'free market' is 'the best of all possible worlds'

The numbers game - 7:84 and 0.6:100

When touring the highlands with a new theatrical production the director of a famous Scottish theatre company was reputedly asked by a petrol pump attendant the significance of the 7:84 ratio displayed on a poster adhered to the vehicle. He politely explained that it represented the imbalance of wealth distribution in Britain. The attendant admiring the Director's new car retorted... 'fair enough, but do you have to flaunt it?' When it comes to land ownership in the UK the 7:84 ratio represents something akin to communism, with only 0.6% of the UK population owning 100% of the land. A remarkable proportion of this tiny percentage is made up of families who arrived in Britain some time ago. The Duke of Westminster who owns Belgravia (and another 140 000 acres) can trace his roots back to Hugh de Gras Venuer who seized these considerable tracts of land - circa 1066 - in 'negotiations' that did not require the input or exorbitant fees now demanded by the legal profession

Occupant interactions and effectiveness of natural ventilation strategies in contemporary new housing in Scotland, UK

The need to reduce carbon emissions and fuel poverty has led to increased building envelope air tightness, intended to reduce uncontrolled ventilation heat losses. Ventilation strategies in dwellings still allow the use of trickle ventilators in window frames for background ventilation. The extent to which this results in “healthy” Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in recently constructed dwellings was a concern of regulators in Scotland. This paper describes research to explore this. First a review of literature was conducted, then data on occupant interactions with ventilation provisions (windows, doors, trickle vents) gathered through an interview-based survey of 200 recently constructed dwellings, and measurements made on a sample of 40 of these. The main measured parameter discussed here is CO2 concentration. It was concluded after the literature review that 1000 ppm absolute was a reasonable threshold to use for “adequate” ventilation. The occupant survey found that there was very little occupant interaction with the trickle ventilators e.g., in bedrooms 63% were always closed, 28% always open, and in only 9% of cases occupants intervened to make occasional adjustments. In the measured dwellings average bedroom CO2 levels of 1520 ppm during occupied (night time) hours were observed. Where windows were open the average bedroom CO2 levels were 972 ppm. With windows closed, the combination of “trickle ventilators open plus doors open” gave an average of 1021 ppm. “Trickle ventilators open” gave an average of 1571 ppm. All other combinations gave averages of 1550 to 2000 ppm. Ventilation rates and air change rates were estimated from measured CO2 levels, for all dwellings calculated ventilation rate was less than 8 L/s/p, in 42% of cases calculated air change rate was less than 0.5 ach. It was concluded that trickle ventilation as installed and used is ineffective in meeting desired ventilation rates, evidenced by high CO2 levels reported across the sampled dwellings. Potential implications of the results are discussed