“Housing is a major challenge, because it is the point of entry for economic, social and cultural inclusion. It must be intrinsically sustainable, which means it must be constructed in such a way as to provide stability and dependable living conditions for the long term. This is a crucial issue, especially for migrants, because access to proper housing is a precondition for their effective integration. So at UN-Habitat, we see the challenge as not only building housing units, but also building the cities of tomorrow for resilient communities in order to provide a better life for everyone. This
How can companies today express solidarity with local communities and NGOs in practical ways? What forms can this commitment take at grassroots level? To find out, we visited India, South Africa and USA.
Saint-Gobain has been certified as a Top Employer in Asia Pacific and Malaysia by the Top Employers Institute for our commitment and dedication to our people practices. Our Human Resource team received the award during the Top Employers APAC Certification Dinner held on 9th December 2019 in Singapore.
This renewed ranking recognizes the emphasis Saint-Gobain consistently places on innovation and R&D. It rewards the expertise and commitment shown by our teams to provide our customers with new and differentiated solutions to the major societal issues of comfort and wellbeing, responsible and sustained commitment, productivity and performance.
Have you ever found yourself losing a good night’s sleep due to an overly warm room? Or wearing four jackets and a scarf just to tolerate your office’s frigid air conditioning? Truth be told, you can’t please everyone when it comes to adjusting an indoor climate, and there is always that one unfortunate individual who ends up sacrificing their own comfort for the sake of others.
Since the beginning of time, our ears have warned us of approaching danger. While their function remains the same, the dangers of today are different than they were in the past. Unwanted sounds can have serious health effects such as: hearing loss, cardiovascular disease high blood pressure, headaches, hormonal changes, psychosomatic illnesses, sleep disorders, reduction in physical and mental performance, stress reactions, aggression, constant feelings of displeasure and reduction in general well-being.
Thermal comfort becomes very evident when it is not attended to. When thermal conditions are adequate in one location, our body is in balance with the environment allowing us to perform activities normally.
Facades are the interface between the interior and exterior of a building. They are the most striking and visible parts of a building, they protect it from external agents and are one of the main contributors to creating comfortable environments since it is where thermal gains and losses occur. Just like our skin, an extremely versatile organ of our body, it should be natural for it to be the part of the building which bears technology capable of becoming adaptable to the environmental conditions of the place where it is located.
Few things irritate us more than exposure to excessive noise or inability to hear what we need to hear. Whether it's a nearby construction site, highway traffic, air conditioning, or a neighbor learning saxophone, research shows that noise can contribute to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, headaches, hormonal changes, sleep disturbance, reduced physical and mental performance, and the reduction of well-being. On the other hand, in an acoustically "comfortable" environment, in addition to listening to what we want, we focus better and feel calmer.
