Articles & Blogs

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Article

Introducing the Homes & Housing Advisory Board Members

Connected Places Catapult has announced a new Homes and Housing Advisory Board with 11 members.

Aerial view of a suburban neighborhood with numerous houses, greenery, and curving streets, bordered by a forested area on the right side, showcasing potential for housing retrofits.

Article

Housing retrofit challenges and future opportunities explained

Making homes more energy efficient is the aim of efforts by Connected Places Catapult and the housing sector to promote retrofit.

Four people participate in a meeting. Three are seated and taking notes, while one stands beside a flip chart and speaks. A screen displaying graphics is visible in the background.

Article

Using real-world testing to empower places, people, and businesses

Society has no shortage of innovative ideas or technologies to solve problems. The challenge is knowing whether these solutions can unlock the best outcomes for people and places.

A woman with long blonde hair, wearing a black top and jacket, poses against a plain white background, reflecting the modern aesthetic often seen in energy-efficient homes.

Article

Energy-efficient homes are an economic must

With a danger of blackouts this winter amid soaring energy prices and great hardship for swathes of the population, well-insulated properties could drive down the nationwide demand for energy and household bills. Dr. Rhian-Mari Thomas OBE, Chief Executive of the Green Finance Institute, reflects on how improving the energy efficiency of the UK’s housing stock is vital for a successful transition to a net-zero economy.

Two people in white shirts assist an elderly woman with a smartphone at an indoor event. The elderly woman looks at the phone attentively while seated, with a modern setting in the background.

Article

Empowering residents with data-driven solutions to combat cold and damp housing

Cold and damp homes have been proven to have damaging impacts on physical and mental health, especially for the most vulnerable groups in society.

A modern building with a red brick lower section and a wooden upper section featuring blue-framed windows and a gable roof.

Article

Rising to the challenge of housing retrofit

While household energy prices go through the roof, the UK is also seeking to reduce carbon emissions and level up the economy. The case for thermally efficient, low-energy homes has never been stronger, writes Bernadette Ballantyne, nor has demand.

A construction worker in a yellow safety vest guides a prefabricated wall being lifted by a crane under a blue sky with clouds.

Article

Removing planning silos to create new markets

____Nationally, the UK may have committed to hitting net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. But achieving this within a fragmented and often slow planning system is a daunting task. So how can innovation help?

A black smart speaker with four white dots is placed next to a smartphone displaying a "Welcome Home" screen and connected device information.

Article

The future of 21st century housing

___The world we live in is changing fast but the houses we live in are not — most are designed for an environment and a society now past. So as the climate gets warmer and the population older, Jim McClelland explores what the future of housing in the 21st century looks like.

An elderly man points to a screen while seated in a room, with an elderly woman beside him and several people standing behind them, combating social isolation and loneliness. There are remote controls and papers on a small table in front.

Article

Digital innovation for healthy ageing: social isolation and loneliness in Northern Ireland

A number of Northern Ireland institutions and organisations joined forces in 2021 to take a multisectoral approach to address social isolation and loneliness as part of Connected Places Catapult’s Homes for Healthy Ageing programme.

An elderly woman adjusts a device on the wall in a bright room. She wears a quilted vest and stands near a walker.

Article

Growing older healthily in an ageing society

A revolution in housing is harnessing innovation to help us live independently for longer. And it’s making us radically rethink what it means to grow older healthily in an ageing society.

A person holds an orange and blue book titled "Connected Places: Digital twins" in a bustling city street, emphasizing the concept of connected places.

Article

Our New Magazine – Connected Places

How is digital twin technology changing how we think about everything from cities to railway stations? How will the third age of flight change our skies and the airports of the future? And how are UK cities thinking out of the box to fund net zero investment?

A person in a blue outfit stands at a desk, working on a laptop, with architectural models and design drawings visible in the background.

Article

Harnessing data modelling for planning

Planning the built environment today ought to mean shaping environments to support 2050 targets and moving them away from systems and processes that emit carbon.

A large yellow excavator with a muddy bucket is parked on a construction site under a cloudy sky.

Article

UK Weather Ledger Reduces Risk of Construction Disputes

Bad weather can, and does, often frustrate and delay construction projects. In some cases, it can also lead to expensive contractual disputes. Responsibility for additional costs due to unexpected storms, heavy rain or high winds is a constant, and sometimes volatile, issue.

Two people sitting in a garden with hedges in front of a brick building with red shutters. One person wears a wide-brimmed hat and the other is seated in a wheelchair.

Article

Creating Homes and Places for An Ageing Population

By 2050, the over-sixty-fives will account for a quarter of the population. Yet, as our population changes, our housing stock stays the same.

A construction worker in an orange outfit and helmet operates a drone at a construction site with a crane and building structure in the background.

Article

How are drones helping housing inspections?

In a market the size of the housing sector, the spend on repairs and maintenance is big. Surveying and fixing property costs time and money, both of which are often in short supply. So, can the use of drones prove safer, faster and cheaper for building inspection?