The historic Roman city of York is embarking on an ambitious programme to redefine council housing for the 21st century, building 450 mixed-tenure passive houses across eight sites in the city, and unashamedly prioritising walking and cycling, and shared outdoor green spaces, over cars. It may seem too good to be true, but a cityscape whose architecture still so manifestly displays its extraordinary history is now pointing to the future of urban design.

With emphasis in sustainable building shifting towards reducing embodied carbon, an obvious question comes into focus: is this an existential threat to the concrete industry? One passive house in Claregalway shows that – with a little help from Passive House Plus – concrete product manufacturers can make meaningful moves in the right direction.

Editor Jeff Colley remembers Paul Doran, one of Ireland's foremost builders, who has tragically passed away.

Specialist thermal break manufacturer Meesenburg Group has entered the UK market, introducing the Triotherm+ range of thermal brackets to prevent heat loss and mould risk at window and door reveals, while simplifying the detailing and construction of low energy buildings.

In the latest missive in his series on the history of low energy design, Dr Marc Ó'Riain looks to some wacky and wonderful experimentation in a project that aimed to transform public perception of Milton Keynes.

Specialist green building & retrofit company Ecovert Solutions has developed an oil-free approach to external wall insulation (EWI) emanating from green new build approaches: cellulose insulated I-beam construction.

Leading sustainable building product supplier Ecological Building Systems has launched Retro EcoWall, a new quick-to-install internal wall insulation system ideal for traditional buildings, designed to meet the requirements of the nearly zero energy building (NZEB) standard, while minimising embodied carbon.

The new collaborative flat pack timber-based build system partnership We Build Eco is reporting strong interest, in the aftermath of a sneak preview feature article on the business in issue 42 of Passive House Plus.