Lucy Roper’s weekly Built Environment blog: Brextension, Lidl’s sustainability efforts, VR and 3D zebra crossings
Posted on: 28 March, 2019
Each week, UCEM Information Governance Manager, Lucy Roper points us in the direction of interesting stories from the Built Environment.
This week, Lucy points us to stories looking at the impact of the ‘Brextension’ on the property market, Lidl’s commitment to realising sustainability goals, VR developments in the Built Environment and a 3D zebra crossing…
Brextension and the property market
Bored of Brexit?
The latest if you aren’t too fatigued by it all is that we are in the midst of a Brextension with the date the UK is due to leave the EU being postponed until April. With business waiting to act dependent on the outcome of the negotiations, the market is becoming stagnant – a point well made by Savills in its in-depth feature on how the prolonged uncertainty is affecting property investors in the UK.
Every Lidl helps
Retailer Lidl was one of a number of companies piloting a new pre-approval process developed by sustainability assessment body BREEAM. The process is designed to make it easier for organisations to achieve their sustainability goals more quickly and cost-effectively. It’s great to see large firms sign up to more sustainability initiatives.
VR in education
Last week, we were delighted to welcome Dr Xavier Laurent and Stephen Taylor from the University of Oxford and Philip Hunt, the CEO of mobile app development agency, Mobikats, for the Online Learning Research Centre’s latest Inspire session. Don’t know what our Inspire sessions are all about? Dr Tharindu Liyanagunawardena, the Chair of the Online Learning Research Centre (OLRC) explains more in her blog about the OLRC.
The expert trio discussed VR in construction and our Senior Online Education Technologist, Kate Lindsay spoke to Stephen and Philip about the opportunities which exist to use VR in education.
It made for an informative session and left plenty for us to ponder as the leading online university for the Built Environment.
VR hard hats
Sticking with the VR theme, Construction Manager reported on the launch of an updated VR hard hat unveiled by technology company, Trimble in collaboration with Microsoft.
If you have a spare £3,580 (or $4,750) knocking about, you could soon be wowing construction colleagues with your new piece of kit which overlays holographic models on structures being built. Just don’t go leaving it unattended if you do purchase it!
With a little help from the 3D zebra crossing
The Beatles famously sang about getting by with a little help from their friends but a location synonymous with one of their most notable album covers is helping people cross the road… with a little help from the 3D zebra crossing.
St John’s Wood High Street, near to Abbey Road, is trialling London’s first 3D zebra crossing which creates an optical illusion of floating above the ground – believed to be a more effective deterrent in getting drivers to slow down.
If successful, Westminster borough could have 3D zebra crossings forever and who knows, maybe they will be commonplace across the country when I’m 64!
Perhaps, Paul or Ringo could release an amended Beatles song to mark the occasion… Baby, You Can Drive My Car (Carefully)? Get Back (Behind the Zebra Crossing)? The Long and Winding Road (Featuring a 3D Zebra Crossing)? No? Okay, I’ll stick to the day job. Speaking of which, Albert Einstein once said: “The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” Add e- in front of library and I think he was on to something!
For more from Lucy, take a look at the latest edition of Knowledge Foundations.
