Future watch – March

Norman Hayden hears the case for more urban extensions put by LK2’s Tom Drew. All across the country there is a struggle going on to access facilities which support health, well-being, community and leisure. Developments in our industry have been... View Article

The Vinden Partnership reacts to the Budget 2016

Peter Vinden, Managing Director of The Vinden Partnership – a leading multi-disciplinary consultant company to the built environment – said: “The Chancellor has talked of uncertain economic times ahead and it would seem that with this budget he doesn’t intend... View Article

kbb back at Birmingham

Celebrating an impressive 30 years, kbb Birmingham, the UK’s largest gathering of the world’s best kitchen, bedroom and bathroom brands, returns to the NEC, Birmingham from 6 – 9 March 2016. Since the recession, which caused many businesses in the... View Article

Modern design houses stories from deep time

The Jurassic Coast is getting its first dedicated fossil museum thanks to National Lottery Funding and one collector’s generosity, reports Steve Menary. Over the past four decades, Steve Etches has collected more than 2,200 fossils from along the area of... View Article

Y:Cube: Rogers’ return to the prefab home

Sir Richard Rogers’ innovative offsite housing concept has been held up as a potential solution to the housing crisis, providing compact and affordable flats for sites not normally suitable for development. Stephen Cousins reports. The UK housing crisis, that so... View Article

How to rapidly meet environmental standards

Jim Gowan, design manager at Actavo | Building Solutions, explains how to rapidly meet environmental standards using modern construction methods. He has worked in the offsite and modular sector for over ten years. Back in 1998, a government report ‘Rethinking... View Article

Alternative paints can tick all the boxes

What do you look for in a paint? Performance and aesthetics, for sure. But what about sustainability? Environmental and health benefits? Is it possible to tick all the boxes? Until relatively recently, the answer was no. But a new generation... View Article

GGF defends members and confirms industry position

The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) has released a statement in defence against recent allegations made by Anthony Jones, Chairman of National Federation of Glaziers. Jones claimed GGF members had brought “consumer biased laws” upon the industry and also accused theFederation of being “afraid to... View Article

Beating the UK climate with correct render choice

With severe weather events becoming more frequent in the UK, more detailed consideration of the type of materials we specify and their capability to withstand a climate that is so unpredictable is crucial. By Steven Keitley, general manager, Parex Render... View Article

Introducing Biosolar

Deciding between a green roof and photovoltaics (PV) has been a question faced by many industry professionals over recent years when designing a flat roof; however these two technologies are no longer mutually exclusive options with the introduction of biosolar... View Article

Specifying timber for your project’s exterior

Nick Taylor, managing director at Silva Timber discusses what to consider when specifying timber products including species, sustainability and finishing. Wood is natures most versatile and unique material. The fact that it has been used in building for hundreds, even... View Article