The working world has a love-hate relationship with open-plan offices – most of which centres around noise – however, the open-plan office concept is highly successful for several reasons. But how does it affect our wellbeing?

The Future Homes Standard, effectively the follow up to the “ban the gas boiler” announcement, sets out what we can expect from our buildings from 2025, writes Matthew Trewhella, Managing Director of Kensa Contracting. And how we are going to get there via its “transitional arrangements” could see an almost overnight ban on oil, LPG and electric as soon as mid-2020; under the standard gas will get much harder and heat pumps many times easier to introduce into new-build homes.

Since October 2006, when The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 came into effect in England and Wales, replacing over 70 pieces of fire safety law, it has been essential for contractors and architects to be aware of fire safety in the built environment. Whether building a new public building or a commercial property; or conducting a major refurbishment; part of the solution for almost any non-domestic premises will be fire safety glass, as Scott Sinden, Managing Director of leading glass manufacturer and processor ESG Group, explains.

In today’s fast-paced digital age, we’re constantly subject to change – and it’s no different for access control. Trevor Ball of Allegion UK asks whether we truly understand the importance of seamless system integration in today’s shifting access control market.

District heating networks are increasing in stature as the Government looks to shrink the country’s carbon footprint and reduce homeowner heating bills. In turn, this has placed the future of traditional fossil fuel heating systems in doubt. Taking this into account, Steve Richmond, Head of Marketing & Technical at REHAU Building Solutions’ division, discusses the latest innovative and efficient technology, and steps companies are taking to drive the new generation of district heating solutions.