Jane Embury looks at an unlikely legacy of the pandemic We all think we know how Covid-19 has shaped the health of nations around the world. For most of us, while the pandemic has changed our lives, we simply want a return to old normalities. But Covid-19 is leaving behind some unwelcome legacies including, perhaps, […]
unlatched fire doors
Lighting the retail sector
Jane Embury looks at fire and shopping centres Now that lockdown restrictions are being eased, retail therapy is back on the agenda. We’ve all missed going to the shops, and shops have missed us. But for some, the easing of lockdown has come too late. The Centre for Retail Research says that this year, to […]
Simpler planning = better planning?
Jane Embury asks whether a rush to build will lead to a better built environment The UK government has announced major reform to the planning system. Critics of the current system say that it’s unwieldy, cumbersome and takes too long time for decisions to be made. In response, the government wants significant deregulation, something that […]
Building compartments from glass
In the first part of this article, Jane Embury, looked at the growing culture of fire safety. Here she looks more closely at compartmentation. Effective fire safety provides safe evacuation and the minimum of financial loss. In turn, that better ensures business continuity. The key to achieving that is compartmentation, with fire contained in a […]
Designing in fire safety
In a two-part article, Jane Embury looks at fire safety. In this first part, she welcomes a new culture to put safety first. A safe building, particularly a complex one, will have been designed from the outset with safety firmly in mind. Responsible designers and contractors will have responsible people in place to ensure that […]
