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

Site Lines – The real value of human-centred design

‘Human-centred’ buildings offering users better technology or greater material comfort will always be the exception rather than the rule as they are costly and challenging. This is a perception Atkins is trying to counter, as Rebecca Wicks reports. The needs... View Article

View Point – Dr Andy Lewry of BRE Global

Dr Andy Lewry of BRE Global outlines his strategy for betterintegrated design and build processes that use modelling to address the ‘Performance Gap’. As we drive the performance of our building stock, it is becoming clear that one of the... View Article

Editor’s Comment – October

Why can’t we build the public housing we need in the UK? While the higher-end homes sector continues to boom (despite a slight downturn in London), the solutions for achieving our dreams of tackling the crisis at the other end,... View Article

Insulation guide launched by Superglass

One of the UK’s leading glass wool insulation manufacturers, Superglass has launched an in-depth guide on maximising insulation in residential and commercial properties. Designed for use by engineers, builders, architects and surveyors, the guide outlines best practice and suitable product... View Article

Composites UK to Launch Sustainability Sub Group

Composites UK will officially launch its new sustainability sub group on 3rd October with an event held at Scott Bader’s premises in Northampton on the subject of ‘A Sustainable Future for Composites’. The sub group, which is chaired by Steven... View Article

Height isn’t everything

Alex de Rijke of dRMM says that while architects are exploiting the possibilities of timber to build tall, this should not reinforce a view of towers as the answer to urban density, and it’s unrealistic to expect them to be... View Article

Timber in Architecture Supplement 2017 – Editor’s comment

Sustainable, healthy, beautiful, endlessly forgiving and flexible for building with, what’s not to like about wood? While it may not be suitable for absolutely every type of construction, its enduring –  and resurgent – popularity is now seeing timber appear... 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

Comment: Metal gutters fit for the future

Carlton Jones of the Metal Gutter Manufacturers Association (MGMA) explains the improvements brought by a new standard for metal guttering in the context of climate change. Extreme weather is now an all-year-round likely occurrence in the UK, ranging from flash... View Article

Bringing light home

Chris Chaney of Sunsquare explains how rooflights can improve daylighting, boost wellbeing and minimise a building’s energy consumption. Spiralling property prices plus a lack of appropriate accommodation to move into have led to many homeowners preferring to carry out significant... View Article

Realistic rainwater storage

Ian Crickmore of Polypipe Terrain explains how adopting rainwater harvesting systems can provide sustainable drainage solutions in space-constrained urban areas. Obsessing over rain is something of a national pastime, but capturing rainwater could help meet sites’ increased drainage demands, particularly... View Article