December 2006

West Country Fires Limited

http://www.westcountryfires.co.uk/




West Country Fires Limited is an independent fireplace company and supplier of fires and fire places to trade and public. "Featuring hundreds of gas fires, coal fires and electric fires, fireplaces and surrounds for your home", the firm's site has a neat and professional appearance. However, what makes this site particularly interesting is its excellent resources section, including information about different types of fires and fireplaces; an extensive range of links to related sites; a splendid glossary of terms relating to fires, fireplaces and architecture; and a useful feature on the lives, works and styles of important British Architects, including Inigo Jones, Christopher Wren, Nicholas Hawksmoor, John Vanbrugh, Robert Adam and John Nash. Awarded a Sapling Commendation. [GAS, 3 Dec 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: int-221105-02
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Interior Design » Products
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November 2006

UK Active Map of Universities and HE Institutions

http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/ukinfo/




Created by Peter Burden at the University of Wolverhampton, this webpage is simply an interactive map with links to every University and College of Higher Education in the UK. It is a simple idea but incredibly useful - as well as the basic link to every institution's home page and deeplinks to particular information resources within each site (e.g. library, students union, admissions, etc.), visitors can now access externally-hosted information such as each institution's Wikipedia entry, EducationGuardian, British Council or UCAS profile, and QAA and RAE 2001 reports. Awarded a Sapling Commendation. [GAS, 6 Nov 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: oth-040303-04
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Other Information Resources » Resources
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October 2006

Archbone

http://www.archbone.co.uk/




Archbone is a very useful site, providing architects and specifiers in the UK with "free and fast 2 click access to the websites of over 1,600 construction product manufacturers and suppliers". In addition to its main directory, the site also features an extensive collection of links covering CAD, legislation, organisations, map suppliers and databases. Information throughout the site is displayed clearly and without fuss, and a recent redesign has further enhanced the site's appearance and functionality. Overall, Archbone is a well-designed and valuable resource, awarded a Sapling Commendation. [GAS, 2 Oct 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: con-100303-02
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Construction » Resources
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September 2006

Earthwire UK

http://www.earthwire.org/uk/




Supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Earthwire UK is an environmental portal providing a free daily overview of environmental news from the United Kingdom, drawing from national, regional and local media sources. Earthwire also includes press releases and news from research organisations, the public sector, and environmental organisations, with a readership ranging from government officials and journalists to students, researchers and anyone else interested in current events and the environment. Coverage of environmental issues in the UK is split across regions or alternatively via topics, with heading including Agriculture, Biodiversity, Business and Industry, Climate and Atmosphere, Coastal and Marine Issues, Energy, Environmental Impacts, Extreme Weather Events, Forests and Woodlands, Freshwater, Pollution, Public Policy, Transport, Urban Areas and Waste. The topic navigation is not as user friendly as it could be, but will hopefully improve given time. For the technically savvy, an RSS feed is available at http://www.earthwire.org/feeds/getnews_uk_rss.xml. Awarded a Sapling Commendation. [RB, 27 Aug 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: sus-270806-01
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Sustainability » Resources
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August 2006

Inverclyde Views

http://www.inverclydeviews.co.uk/




Inverclyde Views features good quality photographs from around the streets of Inverclyde, including the towns of Port Glasgow, Greenock and Gourock, and the villages of Kilmacolm, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay. Though interesting as a photographic record of these places, the site also serves an important function in highlighting the campaign for the Robert Street area of Port Glasgow, an area that the site's author believes has suffered from a "lack of funding over the last 15 to 20 years, leading to the decline of the buildings and surrounding area". In addition to the photographs and campaign background, the site creates extra value through the inclusion of extra features such as polls, links and visitor comments and suggestions for how the area's housing and place quality might be improved. A rich and interesting site, awarded a Sapling Commendation. [MG/RS/GAS, 5 Aug 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: hou-290405-05
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Housing » Places
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July 2006

Debby's Garden Links

http://www.debbysgardenlinks.co.uk/




Debby's Garden Links describes itself as "one of the UK's most comprehensive gardening links sites", and it is certainly an excellent source of information. The range of links is extensive, organised into categories such as Plants Index, Garden Centres/Nurseries, Gardener's Homepages, Gardens to Visit, Societies, and Supplies and Services, while other features include a useful page of 'hints and tips' and an up-to-date listing of shows and events. The site's interface is neat and well-organised, with Debby's personality shining through to give the site a friendly and accessible air. Awarded a Sapling Commendation. [GAS, 4 Jul 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: lan-081004-02
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Landscape » Resources
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June 2006

Scottish City Architecture

http://www.scotcities.com/




Scottish City Architecture provides an exploration of the varied architecture of Scotland's two largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow, illustrated with the original drawings of Gerry Blaikie. The site has sections devoted to specific areas of both cities, including Glasgow's Merchant City and Edinburgh's Royal Mile. It also features an interesting section looking at the evolution of multi-storey structures in Glasgow's commercial heart; dedicated pages examining the architecture of Alexander 'Greek' Thomson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh; and a nice page of links relating to Scotland's architectural heritage. The overall impression is of a lovingly created site, with the informative text truly brought to life by the accompaniment of Blaikie's beautiful drawings. Awarded a Sapling Commendation. [GAS, 1 Jun 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: arc-270506-02
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Architecture » Places
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May 2006

Habitat for Humanity Great Britain

http://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/




Habitat for Humanity is an international Christian housing charity that builds houses with volunteers, and families in need of decent homes - regardless of race or religion. The houses are sold to homeowner families for no profit, on an interest free mortgage, and the homeowner's mortgage repayments are then used to build more homes around the world. Habitat for Humanity aims to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Well organised and attractively laid out, the site contains statistics to demonstrate the need for decent housing around the world, with a 'Where we build' section showing how a new home is built every 27 minutes, and 'Faces and Places' explaining Habitat for Humanity's approach to eliminating poverty housing. In addition, the site features opportunities to become directly involved in Habitat for Humanity's work in the UK and overseas. The less adventurous can become involved through donating online or by following the latest developments in the 'Newsroom' section. Awarded a Sapling Commendation. [GAS, 29 Apr 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: hou-050303-01
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Housing » Organisations
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April 2006

E-interiors.net

http://www.e-interiors.net/




E-interiors.net describes itself as "a professional web tool for architects and interior designers". The site's catalogue includes products from companies in different European countries and America. Users must register to access the download section and to obtain 2D and 3D CAD files, technical information and printable images, but this is free of charge. The site is rich in material, well illustrated, and highly customisable, with clear instructions - users can browse through different types of product (kitchen, bathroom, lighting, flooring, etc.) using the main menu, and then refine their results by product category, product type, brand, designer, country of origin, style or sector. The interface is fine, though the extensive use of frames, evidently optimised for 1024 x 768, makes the site difficult to use on a small monitor. Nevertheless, this is an impressive resource overall, awarded a Sapling Commendation. [GAS, 3 Apr 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: int-040602-02
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: International
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Interior Design » Resources
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March 2006

Dataspring

http://www.dataspring.org.uk/




Dataspring is a research unit within the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research (CCHPR), Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge. According to the site, Dataspring boasts "a team of dedicated researchers and analysts in-house but also utilises the wider range of research skills available within the Centre and beyond. These resources enable us to respond to the data and research needs of our clients, which include the Housing Corporation, housing associations, and local and central government". Dataspring maintains a range of housing markets databases with data at district, regional and national level, and its site features free online access to a selection of social housing data, including housing association stock from the RSR (Regulatory and Statistical Return) data and rents from the Housing Corporation Guide to Local Rents at a variety of geographical levels. The site also includes staff profiles, details of Dataspring's projects, an outputs section full of downloadable documents, and a series of links to Dataspring's funders and other recommended sites. Recently redesigned, the site now provides an array of interesting content within an attractive and intuitive interface. Awarded a Sapling Commendation. [GAS, 17 Jul 2008].



ENTRY NUMBER: hou-241102-03
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Housing » Research
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February 2006

Archpedia - Architecture Encyclopedia

http://www.archpedia.com/




Archpedia - short for architecture encyclopedia - describes itself as "a comprehensive guide to world famous architects and their architecture... looking at the best architecture of yesterday, today and tomorrow". While not really an 'encyclopedia' in the traditional sense of the word, it is nonetheless an impressive, well-maintained and attractively designed resource. Among its many features are a number of interesting articles; an architectural glossary; a firms directory; architectural portfolios; and details of exhibitions and competitions. Other highlights include an excellent 'Style Directory', tracing the evolution of architectural styles from Neolithic to Deconstructivism, and useful links to architectural magazines in print and on the Internet. With so much rich content, it is possible to explore Archpedia for hours without getting bored. Awarded a Sapling Commendation. [GAS, 1 Feb 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: arc-110304-02
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Architecture » Resources
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January 2006

Cambridge 2000: Photos of Cambridge, England

http://www.cambridge2000.com/cambridge2000/




The Cambridge 2000 project features over 1,300 photographs taken in Cambridge, England - mainly in the year 2000, but with photographs of newer buildings, and some other buildings that were missed, added after 2000. According to the site, "the photos are mainly of buildings of some interest or representative of a certain style of architecture". While the site's appearance may at first seem slightly rudimentary, the simplicity of its navigation is entirely appropriate for a site of this kind. Users can browse photographs by category, date of construction, architect or builder, date photographed, or by using the excellent interactive location map. Alternatively, it is possible to list all photos by name or date, or to view specific lists covering 100 notable buildings, sites for tourists, most important architects, modernist houses and - perhaps most poignantly - buildings destroyed since 2000. The quality of the photographs is uniformly very good, with each entry including helpful annotation, a location map, and links to photographs of nearby buildings. Providing a fascinating snapshot of 21st century Cambridge, the Cambridge 2000 site is truly an inspirational resource - tantalisingly, however, the site gives no indication of the obviously modest person who created it. Awarded a Sapling Commendation. [GAS, 1 Jan 2006].



ENTRY NUMBER: her-240805-03
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
PRIMARY GATEWAY LISTING: Heritage » Portfolios
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