Better ventilated homes mean a healthier future

Paul Croughan of EnviroVent looks at how the new build sector is meeting ventilation requirements and improving the air quality in new home construction Requirements for increased levels of air tightness and energy efficiency mean that around 25 per cent... View Article

The obstacles to getting fire safety right, post-Grenfell

James Butler of Pura Facades expresses his concern that despite the best intentions of the final Hackitt report following the Grenfell disaster, the fragmented nature of the industry could mean there are fire safety challenges ahead. The long-awaited final report... View Article

Practice Profile: Niven Architects

A small practice with big ideas, Niven Architects is harnessing cutting-edge working approaches such as agile and lean alongside BIM, making it a force to be reckoned with in the north east. Sébastien Reed reports Niven Architects is a collective... View Article

Future Watch – Embracing density

James Parker looks at how the new London Plan could transform the capital, as it puts high-density housing high on the agenda. London’s planning decisions, is still in draft form. When finally published next year it could have big repercussions... View Article

Editor’s Comment – March

In this issue of ADF we focus on the issue of the moment – housing. It is the biggest political football imaginable, with the conflicting demands of 300,000 homes per year to solve the housing crisis, versus developers’ and NIMBYs’... View Article
Brick: Meeting aspirations – Andy Batterham of Ibstock

Meeting brick aspirations

Andy Batterham of Ibstock looks at the ongoing renaissance in brick, and how providing for increasing demand for colours, as well as the trend for grey brick, is helping architects and specifiers reinvigorate this traditional building material. It is fair... View Article

Cladding: is our response to tragedy adequate?

FunderMax’s Paul Hughes questions whether the UK is doing enough to prevent further disasters following the Grenfell fire, and suggests where improvements should be made. In the early hours of 14 June 2017 Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey social housing tower... View Article

Practice Profile – Cove Burgess

James Parker spoke to architect Tim Burgess, one of the founders of a young practice which has quickly evolved from a two-man set up to a firm making its name in London and beyond. CoveBurgess Architects has been in existence... View Article

Editor’s comment – February

Comment by James Parker, editor of Materials for Architecture, February. Now that spring is finally rearing its head, the events season is upon us. If you are attending ecobuild which is fast-approaching at the start of March, you may well... View Article
Nigel Ostime

View Point – Nigel Ostime from Hawkins\Brown

Nigel Ostime, project delivery director at architects Hawkins\Brown, offers some thoughts on how to counter the ills of Design & Build using current procurement. There has been much in the media recently about the poor quality achieved through Design &... View Article

Editor’s Comment – December

It is somewhat hard to know what to make of Phillip ‘joker’ Hammond’s recent Budget, given that it contains a lot for housing, as rumoured, and perhaps more than some feared, while at the same time raising yet more questions... View Article
Nigel Ostime

View point – Nigel Ostime from Hawkins\Brown

A continuing wage gap in architecture is presenting a further obstacle to diversity of new entrants to the profession. Nigel Ostime from Hawkins\Brown suggests a different approach. Economic commentators are observing an increasing gap between the super-rich – the ‘1... View Article
View Point – Tim Burgess of CoveBurgess Architects

View Point – Tim Burgess of CoveBurgess Architects

Tim Burgess of CoveBurgess Architects says that grass-roots answers are needed to the problem of practices finding it harder be located in London’s rich diversity. Our modern cities are the current embodiment of humans’ desire to gather into groupings that... View Article

Practice Profile – Colman Architects

Emerging from a desire to ‘do things better’, over their 30-year lifespan Colman Architects have produced a wealth of diverse projects from sleek gallery spaces to colossal Chinese masterplans. Sébastien Reed investigates. The project is the all-important thing – Colman... View Article

Comment: Get specification right first time

The Metal Cladding and Roofing Manufacturers Association explains the importance of approved cladding systems and the dangers of changing specifications. Metal cladding systems provide efficient, aesthetically pleasing and sustainable solutions for a wide variety of external building envelopes. However, the... View Article