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Explore the science and inventions that have revolutionized home safety, strength, and security in this 1988 Christmas Lecture from The Royal Institution. Discover how architects and civil engineers use codes of practice for foundations, materials, and weight distribution while accounting for natural structural resonance. Learn about the development of float glass production systems that made large-area, high-quality strengthened glass available at competitive costs, including surface coatings and sealed double-glazing units that regulate visible and thermal radiation. Examine cutting-edge research into active "smart" windows with transparency controlled by electronic pulses applied to electrochromic glass coatings. Investigate the diverse applications of glass in homes, from cooking utensils and lighting systems to television screens and decorative elements. Trace the evolution of building access systems from the mass-produced Yale key invented in 1850 (based on ancient Egyptian lock principles) to sophisticated modern physical access control methods. Understand how increased security demands have driven advances in fire protection, article protection, and intruder detection research, presented by Professor Gareth Roberts of Thorn EMI plc and the University of Oxford as part of "The Home of the Future" lecture series.
