Building better environments

We keep an eye on issues around the world that affect people and property in the built environment.

Recent data from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that improving indoor air quality in workplaces and offices could add as much as $20 billion annually to the U.S. economy (no comparable European statistic available). Since the outbreak of Covid-19, indoor air quality has been …

Pyschoacoustics Poster Sonitus Systems

Our perception of sound and noise can be based on much more than just the loudness of the sound. To understand how we perceive sound we need to delve into the area of psychoacoustics. Psychoacoustics is the scientific study of the way in which noise …

Open plan office noise affects stress and mood

A new study looking at the average noise levels in offices has found that open-plan offices may be a significant contributor to employee stress levels. A new study looking at the average noise levels in offices has found that open-plan offices may be a significant …

Air Quality Report European Environment Agency

New data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that despite half of European cities still suffering from poor air quality, Dublin and Cork have cleaner air than average. New data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that despite half of European cities still …

Environmental noise harms cardiovascular System Poster

While the world became quieter during periods of pandemic lockdowns in major cities, as businesses start to reopen and something resembling normal life resumes, so too will noise. Prior to Covid-19, a slew of research internationally revealed an increasingly noisy world. While this changed significantly …

Preparing for a return to noisy workplaces

As cities all around the world ease workers back into workplaces, building owners and managers are looking at ways to make this transition easier for people. It has been a long year of disrupted work for most people. While work continued remotely for many over …

Google mapping air quality across europe

Over the past few years, Google has been fitting many of their Street View cars – which are a familiar sight in towns and cities all around the world – with pollution sensors designed to trackair quality in urban areas. Over the past few years, …

Heart healthy cities enabled by tech

The smart cities conversation has moved on. Leading city managers and local governments are now focusing on healthy cities, and heart healthy cities in particular, enabled by tech. “Genetics loads the gun but the environment pulls the trigger” The smart cities conversation has moved on. …

Air Quality impact on property transactions

Air quality is becoming just as much of an issue for would-be home buyers as other environmental concerns, like flood risk and land contamination, when it comes to buying a home. According to legal and property resources website, www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk, local air quality is becoming just …

Pandemic impact on Smart cities movement

How have the changes brought about by the pandemic impacted on government projects for Smart Cities? According to the resource website for Public Sector IT professionals, www.gcn.com, the ongoing pandemic has accelerated the rise of smart cities across the US and furthered this State-sponsored smart …