Although much hospital acquired infection is associated with person-to-person contact, there is increasing evidence that some nosocomial infections may be transmitted via the airborne route. However, the knowledge base concerning airborne microflora in hospitals is poor. In particular, there is a need for good quality data relating bioaerosol production to clinical activity in hospital wards. A short aerobiological survey was therefore undertaken by the authors on a respiratory ward at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds in order to gain an understanding of the relationship between activity and bioaerosol production. This survey involved regular microbiological and particulate (0.3–5 m) sampling of the ward air, together with an observational study of ward activity. Two identical four-bed ward bays were surveyed, one containing high dependency patients who regularly used noninvasive ventilators (NIVs), and the other containing patients who did not require mechanical ventilation. The survey found a correlation between activity and aerosol production.

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The use of external wall insulation is on the increase, with phenolic foam being a popular insulation choice. However, if designers are to make informed decisions on material choices, the environmental impact of the insulation should be considered and the payback period of the associated impacts evaluated. There is a lack of information for phenolic foam insulation; this paper seeks to fill this gap. Results are given utilising the international reference life-cycle data system methodology to ensure they are easily comparable and can be used in other studies. Considering the whole life cycle, the impacts from water depletion and freshwater ecotoxicity see the longest payback times; these are recommended for targeted reduction.

Urban comfort is becoming increasingly important due to climate change, increasing population and urbanization. Greater use of mechanical cooling is not reasonable due to consuming more energy, discharging anthropogenic heat and CO 2 emissions which all can be minimized by passive strategies. As part of the EPSRC funded project Urban River Corridors and Sustainable Living Agendas, URSULA, two radically different urban regenerations for a site in Sheffield were passively designed and had to be microclimatically assessed upon their thermal impacts. Passive design strategy for the first is wind tunneling and solar shelter effects owed to compact form that provides river bank access by perpendicular streets. The second, park option, offers space for the river to flood into a green channel which provides evaporative cooling. Simulations using ENVI-met BETA4 applied four receptors to record different meteorology and the pedestrian comfort in terms of Predicted Mean Vote, PMV. The increased green coverage showed horizontal shifting of about 0.2 with 2h of urban time lag in PMV records from 14.00-16.00LST in some places. Results give advantage for the park option design but needs more emphasize on indoor performance.