August 22, 2013
London’s living wall designed to reduce flood risk and improve air quality
The UK’s largest living wall, designed to reduce urban flooding, has been unveiled in London’s Victoria district. Standing at 350 square metres with over 10,000 ferns, herbaceous plants and 16 tons of soil, the wall, at the Rubens at the Palace Hotel near Buckingham Palace reaches over 21 metres high. The wall’s unique design enables it to capture rainwater from the roof of the building in dedicated storage tanks. Flooding is a key environmental challenge in Victoria during periods of heavy rain, due to the low absorbency of urban surfaces. According to the Environment Agency, there are now around 534,000 properties in London on the Thames floodplain, and one in four in London are at risk of flooding. More →
Sustainable office design pioneer Casala has added to its portfolio of ground-breaking products with the launch of the 
New research has highlighted concerns over the treatment of staff in the world of hybrid work. The 
Two new pieces of guidance on reducing COVID-19 transmission through ventilation and air cleaning technologies have been issued by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (
The 
Work-life balance charity 
September 16, 2014
Indoor air quality and the quest for a breath of fresh air in the workplace
by Justin Miller • Comment, Facilities management, Knowledge, Legal news, Workplace design
Edward Hopper, Office in a Small City, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
The modern workplace has to work harder than ever before. It must reflect corporate values, express something of the organisation’s brand, allow people to work to the best of their ability as well as look after their wellbeing, keep touch with the pace of changing technology and meet the demands of an ever changing legislative environment and keep costs down. All of these issues conflate around the challenge of providing a sustainable, comfortable and productive working environment in buildings that are filled with an increasing number of people and computers. It is estimated by the Building Research Establishment that even in a typical office each person and their technology will generate some 1500 W of energy per hour, the equivalent of the sort of fan heater that the EU is now keen to ban outright.
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