Comfort, energy, behaviour

Comfort, energy, behaviour

There was an interesting news item a couple of days ago on the dangers of airconditioning (https://nos.nl/artikel/2295688-klimaatverbond-airco-s-frustreren-doelstellingen-klimaatakkoord.html). It's been the hottest June and July on record, so we're inevitably  aware of the importance of cooling buildings. It also makes sense that relevant agencies point out that until now in energy policies we'd been focusing only on the effects of heating in buildings and neglecting cooling, which increases energy consumption and its impact on the environment. Airconditioning is already too familiar, e.g. from cars, for us not to expect it in buildings, too.
What doesn't help is that heating and cooling are presented as distinct aspects and subsystems. The common parts are neglected, for example the role insulation plays. Do people understand that it keeps both the heat and the cold out of abuilding? And how about passive climatic solutions, stuff that doesn't require energy? When are we going to promote these and integrate them in the design of buildings? We're eager to reduce energy consumption but such solutions have yet to become prominent in planning and building codes.
Finally, it's not helpful that the news item puts emphasis on human behaviour, claiming that how people are going to use airconditioning is uncertain: they could use it to protect themselves from extreme temperatures but also to keep temperature at a comfortable 22 or 23 degrees. Putting the blame on users makes little sense, not just because people have different needs (not just preferences) but also because the environments we create for them should be inclusive, covering wide ranges of needs. The goal is that most people feel comfortable indoors, regardless of the temperature outdoors. Don't blame them for needing more than what current buildings offer, just make buildings perform better, using as little additional energy as possible.

The 3D-printing race

The 3D-printing race

Practically every week there is news of the latest success in 3D printing in building construction. Every weeks someone else claims to have solved the problem for good. But when one reads the details of the announcement, it turns out that the solution tends to be partial. There's some clever stuff like adapting design and production to the capabilities of the machinery but the entire production of even a small house is not something one can solve in an elegantly compact manner. One can 3D print concrete components but what about wood, glass, metal, brick - windows, doors, wiring, plumbing etc?

Could it be so that 3D printing is more suitable for high-end customisation, i.e. bespoke buildings? That's a completely different goal to making the mass-produced, affordable housing that seems to be the main ambition of building 3D printers; arguably one that agrees more with the capabilities and costs of the technology. The problem is that finding a way to manufacture concrete panels with complex shapes at a great height with minimal scaffolding isn't as appealing as the production of a complete dream house in a single day. So, the mass media will probably stay focused on that interminable race and bombard the public with more fantasies, wet dreams and marketing stunts.

The plank

The plank

I can't remember when I'd first seen The plank but I must have been very young because I had no idea who Tommy Cooper was, let alone Eric Sykes - and Cooper I knew and admired by the time I entered adolescence and started thinking about what I liked in comedy. Sykes became another firm favourite later on, so the indelible memories of The plank that made me spend quite some time looking for a video tape of this film (that was long before the Internet) were fully justified by later comedic experiences.

The plank is classed under slapstick but it's mostly subtle and slow, largely gentle, drawing from centuries of theatrical experience with the physical comedy one can derive from a long object and its handling. The eponymous plank remains the centre of attention, complemented by a rich collection of amusing incidents, some familiar and predictable and others more original, like when Sykes insists on opening a paneless window to get a bottle of milk from the milkman standing outside and Cooper closing the window later because he's feeling the draft.

When it comes to comedy about building, The plank is to my knowledge the only film fully dedicated to the subject - as opposed to having some slapstick related to building at some point in the film. In its old-fashioned, slow-paced way, it remains a monument to what a great generation of comedians knew and managed to preserve.

Dream house backdrop

Dream house backdrop 

Father came too!, the Scottish variation on the theme of the dream house is a well-produced comedy of the 1960s, a time when British films were clever and refreshing. It relates the perils of refurbishing an old cottage for a newly-wed couple. Unfortunately, as the title suggests, the building activities are more of a backdrop to the power struggle between the husband and his father-in-law )played with a typically larger-than-life attitude by James Robertson Justice). It compares unfavourably to the directer relation between the Blandingses and their new dream home, as well as the new home's catalytic role in personal relationships and situations. Nevertheless, building activities in Father came too! provide more than enough grounds for funny situations, generally focusing on the ineptitude of DIY-beginners and the shiftiness of contractors and worked. It's interesting to see such versions of stereotypes which still exist in British comedy.