We have designed The Hub as an information portal to help increase understanding of the issues affecting everyone involved in the built environment, as it is easy to be overwhelmed with information and confused as to what the real facts are behind the headlines.
That’s why we commission independent contributors from key sectors of the construction industry as well as include our own ‘experts’.
And we have covered the major issues throughout the year, whether that is Brexit, plastic waste, air quality, legislation or new innovative technologies.
With almost 200 blogs posted throughout 2018, you could be forgiven for having missed one or two so as we enter what is traditionally a quieter period in the construction industry, we thought it timely to revisit articles and highlight some that you may enjoy reading.
We tackle the important issues and try to ensure that you will learn something from every article
Russell Jones Content and communications manager
The Top two
Top of our list this year with almost 6,000 views to date is the September posting from our Head of Sustainability, Martin Fahey titled Clarity begins at #HomeGreenHome. This was timed to coincide with the launch of World Green Building Week, and looks at what we can all do at home to reduce our impact on the planet.
Hot on his heels at Number 2 is TV presenter and architect, George Clarke with his article explaining how air source heat pumps work. George’s first post on The Hub also takes the Number 4 spot where he calls for a radical change in the way we build homes in the UK.
What else have people been reading?
In third place is the article from March looking at the 18 things you should know about R32, which reflects the most read article ever on The Hub from April 2017 – R32 refrigerant, why the change and why now?, which has been read over 15,000 times since we uploaded it.
Coming in at Number 5 is the post looking at the energy legislation MEES, which came into force in April and affects commercial landlords and closely following this is the August post from expectant mother Georgie King on the damage poor air quality can do to children sitting in prams as they are pushed around our polluted streets.
At 7 was the humorous look at Brexit from Paul Groves, who compares the whole thing to the great British GameShow and at Number 8 was a piece asking how ‘Well’ your workplace makes you feel?
At 9 is an interesting article on the differences between the Japanese and UK markets for chillers and just below that at Number 10 is a blog looking at noise levels within our towns and cities.
So much to choose from
We’ve had a major focus on plastic and waste this year as well with really interesting articles about dogs being trained to recover waste from our oceans, and reported on the word of the year – ‘Single-use’ which reflects how much this topic has entered the collective psyche.
We’ve also covered the tragic issue of fuel poverty several times, looked at the industry’s reaction to the November Budget, focused on modular construction for houses, highlighted lessons we can learn from Scandinavia and even talk about the 5 things that make a restaurant visit comfortable.
We’ve referenced Star Trek, Christo’s London artwork, Lewis Hamilton, Bitcoins and pancakes, and even given pointers on how to Hygge in the summer and at work.
We’ve also dug deep into the world of fashion to examine how sustainable it is, and explored the changing expectations of Generation Z.
Lots to get your teeth into and lots of informative and interesting posts on the issues that affect you in your home and in your work, both now and well into 2019.
We hope you have enjoyed reading our posts and wish you a Happy Christmas, looking forward to providing even more entertaining and thought-provoking material in the New Year
