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This paper is a continuation of “No‐fines concrete in the UK social housing stock: 50 years on” published in Issue 4 of Volume 29 of this journal. It identifies the thermal performance of existing, un‐refurbished no‐fines concrete (NFC) walls; as about 33,000 NFC homes exist in Scotland. A majority of these properties are owned by social housing providers (SHPs) and are being upgraded to current building standards. Literature identifies the thermal performance (U‐value) of NFC walls ranging from 1.1 W/m²K to 2.0 W/m²K depending on the build‐up of the structure. The homes are classified as “hard to treat” and, as a result, the occupants experience “fuel poverty”. SHPs currently adopt a range of measures to refurbish NFC properties and adopt a broad brush approach, refurbishing a range of non‐traditional (NT) constructed dwellings under similar refurbishment packages. The purpose of this paper is to call for a re‐think in terms of such refurbishment approaches when seeking to improve the thermal performance of NFC properties.

Various cores were extracted from NFC homes in the West of Scotland to explore the heterogeneity of NFC construction. To measure the thermal performance of existing NFC homes, in situ u‐value calculations were undertaken through case studies and fieldwork.

The findings of this research highlight the heterogeneity of NFC construction. The paper discusses the different approaches adopted by SHPs and identifies the variations between individual NFC elements resulting from workmanship and build issues.

The findings expose the heterogeneity of individual NFC elements and further suggest that any decision to adopt a refurbishment approach must be based on a detailed consideration of the existing characteristics of the property including location and orientation of the property.

This paper is the first to discuss the in situ u‐values of NFC properties in the last 20 years. It will be of interest to SHPs planning to refurbish such properties.

No‐fines concrete (NFC) is an open textured cellular concrete obtained by eliminating either fines or sand from the normal concrete mix. Research in the 1950s showed this material to be capable of energy and cement savings and worthy of being seen as a material that would revolutionise the way affordable homes could be built. In today's context, it may be argued that homes built using this material suffer from fuel poverty as a result of their thermal performance characteristics. This paper seeks to discuss the performance characteristics of NFC in social housing by identifying the nature of the material and the influence of pore structure on heat loss through the fabric of the building.

Exploratory work was carried out to determine the build and performance characteristics of NFC as used in a range of social housing units. The work includes both laboratory tests and site investigations to identify the physical, thermal, visual and quality characteristics of NFC in cores taken from existing housing units in Irvine, Scotland and units cast in the lab.

The findings from the tests are used to discuss the actual characteristics of NFC and highlight the nature of pores in NFC and, their influence on heat loss through the external fabric.

Identifying the nature of pores in NFC helps provide approaches towards optimising solutions aimed at improving the thermal performance of the building.

This paper is the first to discuss the on‐site build and performance characteristics of NFC and the nature and influence of pores on the thermal performance of NFC.

The change in editorial direction of the English Historical Review consequent on the death of Richard Pares a year ago, offers a vantage point from which to consider the present situation of historical periodicals in Britain and the United States of America. There are, of course, many periodicals on both sides of the Atlantic that contain articles on historical themes, and many of them of professional standard—often indeed by professional historians. One has only to think of G. P. Gooch's articles on Marie Antoinette in The Contemporary Review two or three years ago, brilliant vignettes by the doyen of British historians. And what is true of The Contemporary Review is also true of The Fortnightly, of The Twentieth Century (the old Nineteenth Century) and of many other British and American periodicals.

Shortly before the Second World War, a woman who had never accepted her orphan status, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, nicknamed ‘Little Coco’ by her father and known as ‘Coco’ to her relatives, became the first women in history to build a world-class industrial empire. By 1935, Coco, a fashion designer and industry captain, was employing more than 4,000 workers and had sold more than 28,000 dresses, tailored jackets and women's suits. Born into a poor family and raised in an orphanage, she enjoyed an intense social life in Paris in the 1920s, rubbing shoulders with artists, creators and the rising stars of her time.

Thanks to her entrepreneurial skills, she was able to innovate in her methods and in her trendsetting approach to fashion design and promotion. Coco Chanel was committed and creative, had the soul of an entrepreneur and went on to become a world leader in a brand new sector combining fashion, accessories and perfumes that she would help shape. By the end of her life, she had redefined French elegance and revolutionized the way people dressed.

Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Tenn. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.

The following bibliography focuses mainly on programs which can run on IBM microcomputers and compatibles under the operating system PC DOS/MS DOS, and which can be used in online information and documentation work. They fall into the following categories: