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Next-generation building envelopes: Smart materials, energy efficiency and environmental impact
Full text linkBuilding envelopes play a crucial role in enhancing the energy efficiency, sustainability, and overall performance of modern buildings. This paper provides a comprehensive review of cutting-edge materials and technologies for smart and sustainable building envelopes. It highlights the transition from traditional to advanced materials, focusing on the integration of smart materials such as thermochromic and electrochromic systems, shape memory alloys, and self-healing materials. These innovations enable dynamic responses to environmental changes, enhancing comfort and energy efficiency. Additionally, the review explores sustainable materials, including natural, biodegradable insulation, recycled components, and low-carbon alternatives that contribute to the circular economy. Advanced insulation technologies such as vacuum insulation panels, phase change materials, and aerogels are discussed, emphasizing their superior thermal performance. The study also examines innovative facade solutions, such as adaptive facades, photovoltaic-integrated systems, and hybrid designs that merge sustainability with energy generation. Key challenges in adopting these materials—such as cost, regulatory compliance, and market readiness—are discussed, along with the environmental benefits, including energy savings and reduced carbon footprints. The paper concludes by identifying opportunities for future research and development in smart and sustainable building envelopes, highlighting their potential in advancing energy-efficient, climate-responsive architecture
Independent Assessment of One Newham’s VCFS Infrastructure Support Programme
Full text linkThis independent evaluation assesses One Newham’s Voluntary, Community, and Faith Sector (VCFS) Infrastructure Support Programme, delivered from 2019 through to 2025, with final analysis conducted by the ICC Evaluation Unit. The evaluation assesses One Newham’s investigation into and response to longstanding challenges facing VCFS organisations in Newham. Primarily: funding insecurity, limited capacity, inequalities in access to resources and integration with local council and health services.Using a multi-methods approach, the evaluation combined secondary assessment of the data collected (e.g., Surveys, Workshop Feedback Forms) by One Newham, with, structured interviews with programme leads, and observation and focus group with the One Newham and VCFS Sector partnered working group.Key findings reveal that One Newham exceeded its mapping and engagement targets. They identified persistent inequalities affecting faith-based and BAME-led organisations, and catalysed new collaborative models to enhance resilience, visibility, and impact across the sector. They achieved this through developing a dashboard which mapped ~1700 VCFS organisations across Newham, engaged in numerous and route organisation outreach and workshops, and co-developed the NewHub digital platform which provides a tailored and accessible capacity-building initiatives for organisations across Newham. The programme built social bridging links which could develop towards strengthened trust and engagements between the VCFS organisations and Newham Council
Alami Farm School: Regenerative Pedagogy and Ecological Resilience In the Landscape of Displacement
Full text linkThe Alami Farm School, founded in 1949 in Jericho by Palestinian leader Musa Alami, was an agricultural school that served as both a refuge and an educational institution for Palestinian refugee children displaced by the Nakba—the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Transforming the arid land of the Jordan Valley—then part of Palestine under Jordanian administration—into a thriving agricultural and educational environment, the Alami Farm School modelled a regenerative approach to the impermanent, aid-dependent structures of typical refugee camps. Refugees at the school actively participated in land restoration, developing skills in sustainable farming, water management, and ecological care. This hands-on approach enabled them to reclaim both knowledge and autonomy, embodying a decolonial ethos that positioned them as active participants rather than passive recipients of aid.Rather than reinforcing dependency, the Alami Farm School empowered students to revitalize their environment, integrating cultural identity with environmental stewardship. Its regenerative model countered extractive systems that had historically depleted resources and disrupted traditional ecological knowledge, instead fostering a self-sustaining relationship with the land. Alami’s vision prioritised reintegration and resilience, strengthening both community cohesion and ecological sustainability. Drawing on newly examined archival materials, this paper examines the architectural, pedagogical, and ecological strategies of the Alami Farm School, highlighting its significance in refugee settlement design. The school’s architecture reflected this philosophy, being constructed from locally sourced materials and designed to serve both educational and agricultural functions. Its structures harmonised with the surrounding landscape, countering colonial legacies of environmental degradation and nurturing a symbiotic connection between people and place.As climate-driven displacement accelerates globally, the Alami Farm School’s approach offers a compelling model for refugee spaces. In a time when displacement is increasingly long-term, the school’s legacy challenges contemporary refugee policies, advocating for regenerative, not extractive, refugee settlements that foster autonomy, ecological restoration, and community resilience. Even within the constraints of displacement, the Alami Farm School demonstrates the possibility of cultivating rootedness, resilience, and sustainable development, presenting a vision for humanitarian architecture in a world facing escalating climate and displacement crises. Its relevance is amplified by contemporary humanitarian and environmental crises
Review of natural vs recycled fibres in concrete: strength, durability & eco impacts
Full text linkThis review paper explores the use of natural and recycled fibres in concrete, focusing on their impact on mechanical properties and sustainability. Natural fibres, such as those from plants and animals, and recycled fibres, including synthetic and metallic varieties, are evaluated for their ability to enhance concrete’s compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths. The paper also examines durability factors like freeze-thaw resistance, chemical stability, and fire resistance. A comparative analysis highlights the benefits and limitations of both fibre types, emphasising their roles in reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainable construction practices. In addition, the review addresses the challenges of fibre-reinforced concrete, such as technical barriers and the need for standardised testing methods. Overall, the paper underscores the potential of natural and recycled fibres to improve concrete performance while contributing to more sustainable building materials
Seeking Epistemic Justice: Experiences of Agency, Power and Epistemic Disobedience Among Black African International Doctoral Students
No full textThis qualitative study examines the experiences of Black African international doctoral candidates in the United Kingdom, particularly focusing on cross-race supervisory dynamics. The research employs in-depth narrative interviews and reflexive thematic analysis to explore the nuances of agency and power as experienced by these candidates. Central to our explorations are the manifestations of epistemic violence and injustice they encounter, as well as the strategies they employ for epistemic disobedience. Despite ongoing decolonial rhetoric and the increased recruitment of PhD candidates from African countries within UK universities, the participants report that the expectation to conform to Western epistemological frameworks remains a dominant aspect of their academic lives. This research critically examines how the participants psychosocially reflect upon and navigate their positions within the hegemonic academic structures that often view them as outsiders. The findings highlight the complex interplay of resistance and conformity within these supervisory relationships, revealing both the constraints imposed by, and the potential for agency within the white supremacist matrices of power in educational spaces. By centring the lived experiences articulated in the voice of our participants, this study makes a significant contribution to decolonial scholarship
Policing with Compassion Guide - Building More Effective Interactions: A Neurodiversity-Informed Resource for Police and Multi-Agency Professionals
Full text linkPolicing with Compassion is an innovative pilot programme that brings together the Police Foundation, the University of East London (UEL), Newham Police, and Newham Council to inform and shape the way police officers and safeguarding professionals connect and support children and young people, particularly those who are neurodivergent. This resource is designed to promote cultural and systemic inclusivity through research, community engagement, and local safeguarding practices.This resource will support frontline workers with practical strategies to minimise harm while building trust with children and young people1 who are neurodivergent. Use it alongside the Policing with Compassion videos to help embed compassionate, relationship-focused practice into your daily work with children and young people
The Benefits of Defensive Wetlanding
No full textThe practice of strategically creating wetlands to enhance defensive terrain can have significant environmental benefits in addition to increasing defensive military advantages. Here we discuss how
Physiological correlates of a simple saccadic-decision task to extended objects in superior colliculus
Full text linkSaccadic eye movements direct gaze to objects of interest. Human studies show that saccade initiation latency depends on the size of the saccade target (the “size-latency effect”), perhaps reflecting a tradeoff between the cost of making a saccade and the expected information gain. Here, we investigated the neuronal correlates of the size-latency effect in macaque superior colliculus (SC). Analysis of saccade latencies within a stochastic accumulator framework predicted a steeper increase in activity for smaller targets compared to larger ones, and, surprisingly, an increase in saccade initiation threshold for smaller targets. We found that SC activity is in close agreement with these predictions. We also found evidence that these effects may be a consequence of the visual responses of SC neurons to targets of different sizes. The results shed new light on the sources of delay within the saccadic system, a system that we heavily depend upon for visuo-motor tasks
Regional brain morphology and current antidepressant use: findings from 32 international cohorts from the ENIGMA major depressive disorder working group
Full text linkThe understanding of how antidepressant (AD) use is associated with brain structure in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) remains incomplete. We aimed to examine the association between AD medication use and brain morphology in relation to age and sex by pooling structural neuroimaging and clinical data from 32 cohorts within the ENIGMA-MDD working group. Interaction effects of group (2076 cases with current AD use (AD), 1495 cases not currently taking AD (nAD) and 5125 healthy controls (HC)) with age and sex, and main effects of group on regional brain structure (cortical surface area and thickness, and subcortical volume) were examined. Additionally, we examined the effect of AD type (SSRI, SNRI or mirtazapine) and duration of use on brain morphology. Younger individuals in the AD group showed lower bilateral middle temporal gyrus thickness compared to nAD and HC, but this was not seen in older individuals (crossover around 50 years). Lower hippocampal volume and thinner inferior temporal gyrus were shown in AD compared to nAD. These effects were independent of group differences in disease-course-related measures, but were driven by depressive symptom severity. Greater bilateral rostral anterior cingulate thickness was found in individuals older than approximately 40 years taking mirtazapine compared to individuals taking SSRIs or SNRIs. Evidence for subtle structural brain differences in temporal and limbic regions in individuals with MDD who currently use AD medication were found compared to those not currently taking AD medication. Future longitudinal studies are needed to determine the causality of these associations
How pupil traits and relationships shape teachers’ understanding of subjective well-being
Full text linkThis study investigates how accurately primary teachers assess pupils' subjective well-being and whether pupil characteristics and teacher-pupil relationships influence this accuracy. Data were gathered from 1,580 Year 3 pupils and their teachers. Three well-being dimensions were measured: emotional well-being in school, perceived social inclusion and academic self-concept. A CT-C(M-1) model compared teacher ratings with pupil self-reports. Agreement was modest across all domains, with the least alignment in emotional and social well-being. Teacher ratings were more closely aligned with academic self-concept. Behavioural patterns, particularly hyperactivity and peer problems, consistently influenced judgement accuracy. Prosocial behaviour improved alignment. Closeness in the teacher-pupil relationship supported accurate judgements, while conflict impaired them. Early impressions from Year 1 remained influential in Year 3, though current indicators were stronger predictors. The findings highlight the interpretive challenges involved in assessing pupil well-being and emphasise the importance of reflective, relationally attuned practice in supporting accurate teacher perceptions