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Can We Build a House That Survives a Wildfire?

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  Can We Build a House That Survives a Wildfire? As Britain becomes hotter and drier, perhaps “fire resilience” needs to join insulation, flooding and overheating on the home-improvement list Over the past few days, I have watched something happening in Britain that, not very long ago, I would have associated more readily with Australia, California, Greece or southern France. I have watched wildfires reach British streets and destroy British homes . The images from Stourbridge in the West Midlands have been particularly disturbing. Nineteen homes were reported destroyed and another 18 damaged after fire spread from parched vegetation into residential areas. Once a major fire is racing towards a house, driven by wind through tinder-dry vegetation, there may be remarkably little that the homeowner—or even firefighters—can do. On 14 August 2026, the Government took the extraordinary step of sending an Emergency Alert across England and Wales warning people not to light barbecues...
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Designing a British House for 35°C Summers AND -5°C Winters

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  Designing a British House for 35°C Summers AND -5°C Winters The British house of the future needs to keep heat out in August — and keep it in during January For generations, the central challenge of British house design was fairly straightforward: how do we keep warm? We insulated lofts, fitted double glazing, sealed draughts and installed increasingly efficient heating systems. Much of that was sensible, and it remains sensible. But the problem is changing. The Met Office reported in July 2026 that in parts of south-east England we are increasingly coming to expect temperatures around 35°C during hot spells . The most recent decade, 2016–2025, was 1.33°C warmer than 1961–1990, while the hottest day of the year has warmed by more than 4.5°C across parts of south-east and eastern England. Yet Britain has not suddenly become southern Spain. We can still wake to frost, ice, freezing fog and temperatures below zero in winter. We still need heating. We still need insulation. We...
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