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archtesta

@archtesta.bsky.social
2.4K followers 188 following 183 posts

Architect / Dad / Cyclist / climate emergency worrier. Born at 337.1 ppm CO2

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Reposted by archtesta
James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
"Unlike many others forced to halt their research [due to Trump cuts], Sehgal and his co-authors released their study anyway...with a fraction of the intended sample size. Still, removing the gas stoves relieved the participants’ asthma so much that the results were clear even with only 85 of them."
wapo.st
The EPA halted a study on gas stoves and asthma. But even partial results were striking.
Research that used a federal grant to pay for asthma patients to have their gas stoves replaced showed a dramatic fall in asthma attacks. The program was cut short after President Donald Trump took of...
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
I’ve decided to open up our house as part of this year’s summer Passivhaus Open Days. We’re opening on Wednesday 24th for two tours; at 10.30am and 1.00pm. You can book using the google form here: lnkd.in/e3y-c-BW #Passivhaus #HEMArchitects #Notesfromasmallpractice #phopendays
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
This was apparently acceptable for an AA mechanic yesterday. Including his workspace changing a car’s tyre he was completely blocking the pavement and cycle path. He seemed a little confused (but very polite) when I said I couldn’t walk into the traffic that view of was blocked by his van.
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Dislike the fact that Amazon are the official Comic Relief retailer. Probably done more than most to damage the wellbeing of people around the world. They could start by paying the proper amount of tax in the countries in which they operate.
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Atmospheric (grim) out early doors today.
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
First bivy of the year and my first solo winter bivy. Very lucky with beautiful, if cold, conditions. I think was asking a bit much of my 28 year old ME classic 500! Amazing to live somewhere I can do an adventure like that and be home by 9.30 for breakfast. #peakdistrict #wildcamp #bivvylife
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/arti...
theguardian.com
Countryside access curbs in England ‘cost six times’ Scotland’s right to roam
Exclusive: Data shows implementing English countryside legislation cost £69m over five years
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
“As the US boils in fascism, the planet and our collective future bakes in radiative imbalance” climatehuman.substack.com/p/the-state-...
climatehuman.substack.com
The State of the Planet, Part 2
As the US boils in fascism, the planet and our collective future bakes in radiative imbalance
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
“We desperately need collective healing” climatehuman.substack.com/p/the-state-...
climatehuman.substack.com
The State of the Planet, Part I
We desperately need collective healing
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
High water bills, filthy rivers – and now drought. This is England's great artificial water crisis of 2025 | George Monbiot
In its refusal to nationalise water, it’s clear the government operates in the interests of private capital and not of the country, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
The Peak District feels very similar www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘The place is bleached, a dead zone’: how the UK’s most beloved landscapes became biodiversity deserts
National parks, famous for their rich natural heritage, should be at the heart of efforts to protect habitats and wildlife. Instead, experts say they are declining – fast
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Across Europe, the financial sector has pushed up house prices. It's a political timebomb | Tim White
We’ve been living in a great experiment: can finance provide basic human rights such as housing? The answer is increasingly no, says researcher and writer Tim White
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Millions of tonnes of toxic sewage sludge spread on UK farmland every year
Exclusive: Experts call for stricter regulation as current rules set in 1989 require testing for only a few heavy metals
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Lovely, but why such high heat demand and no air test? www.architectsjournal.co.uk/buildings/vi...
architectsjournal.co.uk
Vine Architecture completes curving rooftop apartment
Vine Architecture has completed an airspace development in Hackney laid out on a radial grid expressed through its exposed timber structure
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
It's #ShowYourStripes Day #sheffield Check out yours at showyourstripes.info via @jurajmikurcik.bsky.social
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Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Just stop setting fire to stuff
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Jack Fifield @jackfifield.uk · 20/06/2025
Amazing to hear how much discussion there is over dangerous "e-bike" riding (usually always electric motorbikes) compared to the amount of discussion over the constant dangerous driving everyone encounters daily. It's so normalised we don't see it any more.
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Small steps, but definite progress. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
At last, a victory for rivers over megafarms: now councils can’t treat toxic waste as someone else’s problem | Charles Watson
We won a high court case against Shropshire council’s plans for a new polluting poultry unit. Now a precedent has been set, says River Action founder Charles Watson
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Scary rotor wear on the commuter. Bike shop installed a too narrow replacement rotor for the pad/caliper 😬
Close up of cycle disc rotor with spider worn to less than 0.5mm
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James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
Genuinely shocking how far into outright climate denial Reform and some Tories have now sunk. This level of detachment from basic scientific reality should be disqualifying. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
The quality of parking in Sheffield is astounding. It’s fine, we don’t need pedestrian crossings in the city centre.
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Acc to Uplift ... Shell paid no tax in the UK last year, instead receiving a payout from HM Treasury of £12.5m By contrast, report shows that Shell paid over £2.5bn in taxes and fees to the Norwegian government in 2024 p8 www.shell.com/sustainabili...
shell.com
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
The BBC is institutionally biased towards the right and the far right, and here's the proof: the results of an almost perfect before-and-after experiment. My column today. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The BBC is utterly beholden to the right. Why else would it fear a podcast about heat pumps? | George Monbiot
The broadcaster behaves like Starmer’s government: suppress the left, cave to your critics, and undermine your own survival, writes Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Juraj Mikurcik @jurajmikurcik.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Bad news for anyone specifying allegedly sustainably sourced timber in UK www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Sanctioned Russian and Belarusian wood smuggled into UK, study suggests
‘Chemical fingerprint’ shows 46% of wood samples certified as sustainable did not come from labelled country of origin
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Richard Murphy @richardjmurphy.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Just read it. @georgemonbiot.bsky.social is right. What more can I add? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Labour’s great nature sellout is the worst attack on England’s ecosystems I’ve seen in my lifetime | George Monbiot
The horrifying planning bill, which rips up environmental protections, was drafted with CEOs in mind. We know because Keir Starmer told us, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Orla Hegarty @orla-hegarty.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
‘The role of carbon dioxide in airborne disease transmission: A hidden key to safer indoor spaces’ ‘..recent research suggests CO₂ levels in indoor air may significantly affect how long viruses survive once airborne—& the implications are profound’ medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04...
medicalxpress.com
The role of carbon dioxide in airborne disease transmission: A hidden key to safer indoor spaces
We've long known that environmental factors—from humidity and temperature to trace chemical vapors—can influence how pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, behave once released into the air. ...
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Prof Katherine Schofield 🇬🇧🇦🇺🇪🇺 @katherineschof8.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
This. An emergency recall of parliament on a weekend for British Steel. Nothing at all for UK HE which employs far more people, has already shed 10,000 academic jobs, with several institutions on the brink of collapse. A reminder: we train all the doctors, teachers, engineers, nurses, lawyers &c &c
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Giulio Mattioli @giuliomattioli.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
If your reaction to this is "we should make bigger parking spaces" then you know how the process of car dependence works
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Late afternoon living room reflections
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Sunny sheffield singletrack.
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Cotality UK @cotalityuk.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Thanks to @archtesta.bsky.social & Dan Bilton for hosting our #retrofit team at their Sheffield homes today, for a show and tell on what is involved in a deep retrofit - their motivations, the challenges and lessons learned. The springtime sunshine was an added bonus! ☀️
Images of the Cotality UK team visiting homes that have been retrofitted to improve their energy performance.
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Are we waking up yet? www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m... #climatecrisis #notesfromasmallpractice
theguardian.com
South Korea wildfires become biggest on record as disaster chief points to ‘harsh reality’ of climate crisis
Officials point to ultra-dry conditions as death toll reaches 26 and fires threaten Unesco heritage sites
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/opinion...
architectsjournal.co.uk
The Queen Elizabeth II Memorial contest fails to reflect a meritocratic Britain
In picking designers rather than designs, the architectural competition for this new national memorial somehow manages to be less progressive than those of the Victorian era, writes Ike Ijeh
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
My immediate response was @so what”, but Dan’s thread is a really useful explanation as to why this isn’t a great thing.
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Ben Adam-Smith @benadamsmith.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
I've been making the House Planning Help podcast for 13 years now and I'm never short of ideas! Here's what we've been up to recently. www.houseplanninghelp.com/podcast #SelfBuild #DreamHome #EcoHome
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
I really like this lighthearted look at metrics in the workplace: "exactly what did you accomplish last week?" www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/opinion...
architectsjournal.co.uk
Exactly what did you accomplish last week?
Architects should track more than just time and money in order to build a better, more successful practice, says Toko Andrews
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 16/03/2025
“The climate crisis poses a bigger existential threat to this country than Putin does or ever will, so if money can be found for the military there’s no reason why it couldn’t also be found to accelerate self-sufficiency in clean energy.That might really do something for national security”. Spot on👇
theguardian.com
Labour needs an urgent history lesson. Its plans couldn’t fund a war and won’t boost growth | Larry Elliott
We are seeing a pale version of military Keynesianism, and for what? That money would be better spent fighting the climate crisis, says Guardian columnist Larry Elliott
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath 50 reasons to want more walkable streets.
fastcompany.com
50 Reasons Why Everyone Should Want More Walkable Streets
From making you live longer to making cities more resilient: If you want a reason to make your city more walkable, it's in here.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
🧵 This is a perfect example of what I've be describing as disordered discourse, and it's threat to democracy. Politicians are afraid to speak openly about key issues. Why? Because disordered discourse has captured the system itself—forcing obedience, punishing dissent, and making truth irrelevant.
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Passivhaus Trust @passivhaustrust.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Passing the 1% mark is a significant moment for Passivhaus in the UK. We aim to move Passivhaus from 1% to 10% of all new housing projects by 2035 & want at least 50% of the industry to understand the principles. www.unlocknetzero.co... @ipha.bsky.social @goodhomesalliance.bsky.social
unlocknetzero.co.uk
Building on Passivhaus: an ambitious target for growth of the standard
Jon Bootland, chief executive of the Passivhaus Trust, outlines its aim for 10% of new UK housing to be constructed to Passivhaus standard by 2035
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
I think we also have a nation of drivers who are much more likely to disregard parking rules. This is evident pretty much everywhere with a huge increase in parking on double yellows, blocking pavements and crossings etc. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
TikTok ‘craze’ behind Peak District bad parking crisis
Local MP writes to authorities over ‘irresponsible’ motorists flocking to see sunrise and sunset at Mam tor
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Kate de Selincourt @katedes.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
"Europe continues to spend billions of euros more on Russian oil and gas than it sends to Ukraine in aid". Worth bearing in mind when you notice who is campaigning against heat pumps, wind farms, or cycle infrastructure.
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Ben Adam-Smith @benadamsmith.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
I really hate filling in consultations... but you have to hope they make a difference. This one is on EPCs (which are useless at the moment). It ends tonight. The @passivhaustrust.bsky.social has tried to make it easy to respond - passivhaustrust.org.uk/news/detail/....
passivhaustrust.org.uk
Passivhaus News
Passivhaus News
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
We have the pleasure, this morning, of going through the applicants for our project architect role. I’m really looking forward to seeing the quality of cover letters, CVs and work. #notesfromasmallpractice
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 18/02/2025
My hair is blown backwards by the spectacle of JP Morgan launching a new note about climate impacts whilst they continue to actively lend their immense power towards worsening those impacts www.bloomberg.com/news/article... @eroston.bsky.social
Researchers last month declared 2024 the hottest year on record, finishing 1.5C or more above the pre-industrial average. It was a concerning signpost that the Paris Agreement’s central goal may already be unattainable — logic backed by two studies published this week.

To the chorus of thermometer-watchers, add a different kind of observer: JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The biggest US bank today launched a new climate communique, prompted by clients’ demand for information about the topic across industries and globally, according to its author Sarah Kapnick, the global head of climate advisory. Previously a strategist in the asset and wealth management division, she returned to the company in October after serving for more than two years as chief scientist of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.The bank is the biggest issuer of bonds and loans to fossil fuel companies, overseeing financing worth $396 billion since the end of 2015 when the Paris climate accord was adopted by nations globally, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A recent BloombergNEF review of banks’ energy financing showed that JPMorgan had a clean-tech to fossil-energy ratio of 0.8 to 1 in 2023, better than Wells Fargo & Co. and Citigroup Inc., but behind BNP Paribas SA and Bank of America Corp. To reach net zero, that ratio should be closer to 4 to 1, analysts say.

As the atmosphere, oceans and land change, so too will the planet’s most influential determinant of mass behavior: prices. The new world “may even require looking at traditional macroeconomic metrics through a new climate-adjusted lens,” Kapnick writes, “as climate change and societal responses influence the economy.”

Listen on Zero: How to Stop Banks’ Funding of Fossil Fuels, No Protests Required
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
HEM Architects are looking for a project architect to join our creative and sustainable practice in Sheffield. Last week to apply to be part of our amazing team. www.hemarchitects.co.uk/2025/01/22/a...
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Adam Bell @adambell.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
It's been a long time since Private Eye's satire has made me audibly wince, but this is so to the point if it were a knife people would demand it be banned.
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Richard Murphy @richardjmurphy.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Oh shit www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/02... Water companies do not have the capacity to deal with our sewage - even on good days. No wonder we're in it up to our necks, with nationalisation the only way out of this mess.
taxresearch.org.uk
Oh shit
As the FT has noted this morning: At least half of Thames Water’s sewage plants lack the pipes and tanks to process enough waste water, leading untreated effluent to spill into rivers and waterways ac...
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archtesta @archtesta.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
“Within a generation, we’ve lost a sense of public assets and public housing. But that means we can also get it back in a generation.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Call it Thatcher’s timebomb: the great council housing selloff of 2024, a crisis hidden in plain sight | Aditya Chakrabortty
Her right to buy policy enriched the private sector at taxpayers’ expense. Last year, it sparked another gold rush – and looming calamity for local authorities, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabo...
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