New Planning e-books

Design Quality in new housing learning from the Netherlands by Matthew Cousins

Social sustainability in urban area communities, connectivity and the urban fabric edited by Tony Manzi et al

Streets and patterns by Stephen Marshall

All these titles can be searched and accessed via Library Search

New buildings in Old places: an online planning resource

New Buildings in Old places or NBIOP for short is a planning resource that focuses on the belief that tall buildings offer an increaing way to achieve environmental efficiency and has been produced and developed by the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment in Shoreditch an area which is no stranger to tall buildings!

One aspect of the resource is the facility to enter a postcode and find out how green it is, you can also use building typology explorer to explore the impact of different building types. Sustainability indicators include areas such as density, walkability, vehicles per household and then you have the ability to calculate the appropriate density and building typology for proposed projects in that area.

High resolution maps are available to download displaying twelve of the variables influencing energy efficiency in Greater London.

It's visual, easy to navigate and thought provoking.

RIBA Trust annual lecture

This year's RIBA annual lecture will take place on the 18th of May at its London base on 66 Portland Place, 6.30-9.00pm. The guest speaker this year is Kevin McCloud who will be discussing matters on sustainability and how architects and residents need to collaborate to enhance existing structures.

Tickets can be booked online via the RIBA, you will need to register first.

Why not also take a look at some of the other talks that are scheduled for the next few months or watch some of the video archives of past talks available here

Journal title highlight of the month

I thought it may be useful to draw to your attention some of the journal titles that you may find of interest and valuable in your research and study.

The journal title I have chosen this month is The Journal of Architecture it is jointly published by the RIBA & Routledge. There are a range of issues which have a range of themes and subjects including individual architects, design theory, architectural culture, sustainability, everyday building and many more. There are also book and exhibition reviews included regularly.

You can access the title via infoLinx, select the tab 'Find e-Journal' and type the title into the search box at the top and use 'Go' to retrieve the list of matching results. Remember that if you are accessing the title off campus select the i button to check whether you will need a username & password to access.

Personally I find this title a great resource especially when researching subjects which have a historical context such as architectural movements which continue to influence contemporary developments.

Ecobuild

Register for a free ivitation to the ecobuild exhibition from the 2nd-4th March, a significant event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment.

A sneek preview of 'The Nottingham house' featured as an attraction at ecobuild, an energy efficient, carbon solar powered house.

RICS Directory

There is now an entry for RICS Directory (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) available via the databases list for Architecture in infoLinX.

The database which is also publicly accessible online maintains a global search facility for locating surveyors geographically and by type.

There is also a 'News & updates' section with links to related articles such building and green challenges amongst others.