In 1995 I moved to Johannesburg. Hailing from the Frozen North it was quite an eye opener, from a climate and life experience point of view. Not for the faint hearted I certainly don’t regret living there, but it was a frightening place to be. Burglar bars on doors and windows, armed response at the … Continue reading “Ponte City: Prison or Funky Pad”
So here it is, an end of year review from BRE Academy. Whilst many of our courses haven’t been running for more than a year, our Bookshop has – and we can now reveal our top ten BRE digital downloads for 2016: Building brickwork or blockwork retaining walls Designed for builders, designers and planners, this … Continue reading “Top Ten BRE publications in 2016”
Making money from old bricks London is experiencing a spate of brick thefts as thieves try to make thousands of pounds by selling them for use in extensions at the homes of wealthy residents. This is a worrying trend, but it illustrates the value of building materials. Save and make money from construction … Continue reading “Brick thieves, Caligula and reusing building materials”
‘Concrete is likely to continue to be the primary volume construction material for most structural applications and its use is likely to grow in future. Portland cement (PC) and blended PCs are currently the only economic binders for concrete that can match the performance and durability requirements under the wide range of conditions to which … Continue reading “Research on novel cements to reduce CO2 emissions”
HMS Victory not all oak! One of the most famous warships in the world under Admiral Lord Nelsons command at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 ensured HMS Victory’s place in the history books. We know the oak forests of Britain were harvested to build the fleet that ensure Britannia ruled the waves in the … Continue reading “11 things you didn’t know about wood!”
Blogging is a strange occupation. One idea leads to another and before you know it, the blog takes on a life of its own and appears before your eyes. A bit like painting a picture. I can’t remember where I got the idea for this blog, but it has definitely grown legs. Why men need … Continue reading “Man caves”
Approximately 5% of the global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions caused by humans currently arise from cement production. As a consequence, there is commercial interest in developing low-carbon cements and related binders suitable for use ‘at scale’ in concrete production. One variety of these is known as ‘alkali-activated binders’ or ‘AA binders’. Alkali-activated binders and concretes … Continue reading “Route map for low carbon concrete”
Buildings protect what is important to us and given that there will always be threats to building security, there is a need to deploy appropriate and proportionate protective security to protect people and assets from losses. Gavin Jones, Director of SABRE has recently written a guide discussing the importance of establishing security objectives at the … Continue reading “Procuring an effective security system”
The first lamp was invented around 70,000 BC. A hollow rock, shell or other natural object was filled with moss or similar material that was soaked with animal fat and ignited. Jump a few thousand years, long before Thomas Edison patented his incandescent light bulb, British inventors were demonstrating that electric light was possible with … Continue reading “From hollow rock to LEDs”
Excess water /moisture in all its forms (vapour, liquid, and flooding) is still the most common problem in housing. It results in visible wetting of walls, ceilings and floors, blistering paint, bulging plaster, sulfate attack on brickwork and mould on surfaces and fabrics, usually accompanied by a musty smell. It can also lead to less … Continue reading “Diagnosing the causes of dampness in buildings”
