Great piece Wessie, those building codes are infuriating at times. And great to see that vernacular architecture may be part of the solution, if only folk would pay attention - but that will call for some humility from our modern day architectural schools with their disdain for anything that smells of tradition and vernacular.
We moved to the North this year from Essex (the land of eternal sunshine as I like to call it). The drop in temperature has been noticeable - especially in the summer.
Which leads me to a thought that has just popped into my head: perhaps if temperatures in the south continue to rise, we will see some level of demographic relocation to cooler British latitudes? Very much speculative but it will be interesting to see (that being said, gas bills are higher up here in the winter which may act as a deterrent!).
I'm not sure about movements within England, but there are already interesting shifts happening in Europe. Southern Europeans have started taking summer holidays in Scandinavia, rather than vice-versa. And French vinters are looking much further north to establish new farms.
I hope things are going well in Yorkshire. I would like to visit you there if I get a chance!
Well said. Changing regulations and delivering solid 'evidence' is difficult. My friend works in aerospace. He always says that we are still flying a cigar with wings because it is too expensive and too heavily regulated to change. He is not wrong.
After a recent (and rare) trip to Europe I was inspired to cover my South facing windows with shutters. That turned out to be too involved; the landlord objected, as did my budget. So I opted for exterior roller blinds instead. They can be difficult on very windy days but they turned out to be very helpful.
It seems that it's not just direct sunlight but the radiant heat from outside that warms up my apartment, just as my Italian friends said. I need to use my AC much less often and for shorter periods of time. Of course, on the worst days I draw the interior curtains as well.
My blinds are just wood and canvas so there's the extra benefit of a wonderful soundtrack of gentle flapping and creaking like a dream of sailboats, and a lovely glow to the light when the sun hits the blinds directly.
Great piece Wessie, those building codes are infuriating at times. And great to see that vernacular architecture may be part of the solution, if only folk would pay attention - but that will call for some humility from our modern day architectural schools with their disdain for anything that smells of tradition and vernacular.
We moved to the North this year from Essex (the land of eternal sunshine as I like to call it). The drop in temperature has been noticeable - especially in the summer.
Which leads me to a thought that has just popped into my head: perhaps if temperatures in the south continue to rise, we will see some level of demographic relocation to cooler British latitudes? Very much speculative but it will be interesting to see (that being said, gas bills are higher up here in the winter which may act as a deterrent!).
I'm not sure about movements within England, but there are already interesting shifts happening in Europe. Southern Europeans have started taking summer holidays in Scandinavia, rather than vice-versa. And French vinters are looking much further north to establish new farms.
I hope things are going well in Yorkshire. I would like to visit you there if I get a chance!
By all means! If you are ever near Sedbergh, give me a shout.
thanks, this article is very interesting
Thank you!
Well said. Changing regulations and delivering solid 'evidence' is difficult. My friend works in aerospace. He always says that we are still flying a cigar with wings because it is too expensive and too heavily regulated to change. He is not wrong.
After a recent (and rare) trip to Europe I was inspired to cover my South facing windows with shutters. That turned out to be too involved; the landlord objected, as did my budget. So I opted for exterior roller blinds instead. They can be difficult on very windy days but they turned out to be very helpful.
It seems that it's not just direct sunlight but the radiant heat from outside that warms up my apartment, just as my Italian friends said. I need to use my AC much less often and for shorter periods of time. Of course, on the worst days I draw the interior curtains as well.
My blinds are just wood and canvas so there's the extra benefit of a wonderful soundtrack of gentle flapping and creaking like a dream of sailboats, and a lovely glow to the light when the sun hits the blinds directly.
All together, I'm quite pleased with myself.