I’ve decided to open up our house as part of this year’s summer Passivhaus Open Days. We’re opening on Wednesday 24th for two tours; at 10.30am and 1.00pm. You can book using the google form here: lnkd.in/e3y-c-BW #Passivhaus #HEMArchitects #Notesfromasmallpractice #phopendays

This was apparently acceptable for an AA mechanic yesterday. Including his workspace changing a car’s tyre he was completely blocking the pavement and cycle path. He seemed a little confused (but very polite) when I said I couldn’t walk into the traffic that view of was blocked by his van.

Dislike the fact that Amazon are the official Comic Relief retailer. Probably done more than most to damage the wellbeing of people around the world. They could start by paying the proper amount of tax in the countries in which they operate.

Atmospheric (grim) out early doors today.

First bivy of the year and my first solo winter bivy. Very lucky with beautiful, if cold, conditions. I think was asking a bit much of my 28 year old ME classic 500! Amazing to live somewhere I can do an adventure like that and be home by 9.30 for breakfast. #peakdistrict #wildcamp #bivvylife

“As the US boils in fascism, the planet and our collective future bakes in radiative imbalance” climatehuman.substack.com/p/the-state-...

“We desperately need collective healing” climatehuman.substack.com/p/the-state-...

The Peak District feels very similar www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Lovely, but why such high heat demand and no air test? www.architectsjournal.co.uk/buildings/vi...

It's #ShowYourStripes Day #sheffield Check out yours at showyourstripes.info via @jurajmikurcik.bsky.social

Just stop setting fire to stuff

Amazing to hear how much discussion there is over dangerous "e-bike" riding (usually always electric motorbikes) compared to the amount of discussion over the constant dangerous driving everyone encounters daily. It's so normalised we don't see it any more.

Small steps, but definite progress. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Scary rotor wear on the commuter. Bike shop installed a too narrow replacement rotor for the pad/caliper 😬

Genuinely shocking how far into outright climate denial Reform and some Tories have now sunk. This level of detachment from basic scientific reality should be disqualifying. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The quality of parking in Sheffield is astounding. It’s fine, we don’t need pedestrian crossings in the city centre.

Acc to Uplift ... Shell paid no tax in the UK last year, instead receiving a payout from HM Treasury of £12.5m By contrast, report shows that Shell paid over £2.5bn in taxes and fees to the Norwegian government in 2024 p8 www.shell.com/sustainabili...

The BBC is institutionally biased towards the right and the far right, and here's the proof: the results of an almost perfect before-and-after experiment. My column today. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Bad news for anyone specifying allegedly sustainably sourced timber in UK www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Just read it. @georgemonbiot.bsky.social is right. What more can I add? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

‘The role of carbon dioxide in airborne disease transmission: A hidden key to safer indoor spaces’ ‘..recent research suggests CO₂ levels in indoor air may significantly affect how long viruses survive once airborne—& the implications are profound’ medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04...

This. An emergency recall of parliament on a weekend for British Steel. Nothing at all for UK HE which employs far more people, has already shed 10,000 academic jobs, with several institutions on the brink of collapse. A reminder: we train all the doctors, teachers, engineers, nurses, lawyers &c &c

If your reaction to this is "we should make bigger parking spaces" then you know how the process of car dependence works

Late afternoon living room reflections

Sunny sheffield singletrack.

Thanks to @archtesta.bsky.social & Dan Bilton for hosting our #retrofit team at their Sheffield homes today, for a show and tell on what is involved in a deep retrofit - their motivations, the challenges and lessons learned. The springtime sunshine was an added bonus! ☀️

Are we waking up yet? www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m... #climatecrisis #notesfromasmallpractice

My immediate response was @so what”, but Dan’s thread is a really useful explanation as to why this isn’t a great thing.

I've been making the House Planning Help podcast for 13 years now and I'm never short of ideas! Here's what we've been up to recently. www.houseplanninghelp.com/podcast #SelfBuild #DreamHome #EcoHome

I really like this lighthearted look at metrics in the workplace: "exactly what did you accomplish last week?" www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/opinion...

“The climate crisis poses a bigger existential threat to this country than Putin does or ever will, so if money can be found for the military there’s no reason why it couldn’t also be found to accelerate self-sufficiency in clean energy.That might really do something for national security”. Spot on👇

“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath 50 reasons to want more walkable streets.

🧵 This is a perfect example of what I've be describing as disordered discourse, and it's threat to democracy. Politicians are afraid to speak openly about key issues. Why? Because disordered discourse has captured the system itself—forcing obedience, punishing dissent, and making truth irrelevant.

Passing the 1% mark is a significant moment for Passivhaus in the UK. We aim to move Passivhaus from 1% to 10% of all new housing projects by 2035 & want at least 50% of the industry to understand the principles. www.unlocknetzero.co... @ipha.bsky.social @goodhomesalliance.bsky.social

I think we also have a nation of drivers who are much more likely to disregard parking rules. This is evident pretty much everywhere with a huge increase in parking on double yellows, blocking pavements and crossings etc. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

"Europe continues to spend billions of euros more on Russian oil and gas than it sends to Ukraine in aid". Worth bearing in mind when you notice who is campaigning against heat pumps, wind farms, or cycle infrastructure.

I really hate filling in consultations... but you have to hope they make a difference. This one is on EPCs (which are useless at the moment). It ends tonight. The @passivhaustrust.bsky.social has tried to make it easy to respond - passivhaustrust.org.uk/news/detail/....

We have the pleasure, this morning, of going through the applicants for our project architect role. I’m really looking forward to seeing the quality of cover letters, CVs and work. #notesfromasmallpractice

My hair is blown backwards by the spectacle of JP Morgan launching a new note about climate impacts whilst they continue to actively lend their immense power towards worsening those impacts www.bloomberg.com/news/article... @eroston.bsky.social

HEM Architects are looking for a project architect to join our creative and sustainable practice in Sheffield. Last week to apply to be part of our amazing team. www.hemarchitects.co.uk/2025/01/22/a...

It's been a long time since Private Eye's satire has made me audibly wince, but this is so to the point if it were a knife people would demand it be banned.

Oh shit www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/02... Water companies do not have the capacity to deal with our sewage - even on good days. No wonder we're in it up to our necks, with nationalisation the only way out of this mess.

“Within a generation, we’ve lost a sense of public assets and public housing. But that means we can also get it back in a generation.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...