The golden path to safety

LISTEN HERE Dean Asher from Polypipe Building Products offers some pointers for industry on how best to ensure it is complying with the Building Safety Act’s requirements, particularly the golden thread’s new responsibilities for design, build and maintenance Many in... View Article

Modular methods of construction

LISTEN HERE Is modular construction the missing jigsaw piece needed to solve the UK’s housing crisis? HKR Architects’ Ayna Azhigali says it is, and that aesthetics need not be an issue We are all acutely aware of the housing crisis... View Article

Finding a new groove

LISTEN HERE As a prominent adaptive reuse scheme on the Grand Union Canal in West London, The Gramophone Works sees Studio RHE employing modern timber technology to create a healthy work environment which also sustains the former record label HQ’s... View Article

Practice Profile: Ackroyd Lowrie

LISTEN HERE In founding their own practice, Oliver Lowrie and Jon Ackroyd were able to pursue their passion for future cities, while applying lessons learned in their shared background as sustainability specialists. They tell ADF’s Laura Shadwell what drives them,... View Article

View Point: Dr Victoria Hutchinson

LISTEN HERE Dr Victoria Hutchinson from AtkinsRealis’ environmental practice explores how impact assessments can help unlock value as well as greater investment in projects – in a more favourable ESG context – and illustrates what this looks like Former Prime... View Article

How do we close the energy performance gap?

LISTEN HERE With a UK housing stock that doesn’t fare well in comparison to other European countries on energy efficiency, what is the solution to the UK’s thermal failings? Simon Blackham from Recticel Insulation explains how the industry is playing... View Article

Changing to a greener route

LISTEN HERE Arup’s design for the HS2 Interchange Station now underway near Birmingham sets new standards for sustainability as well as connectivity. Tom Boddy reports Although it was recently confirmed that HS2’s overall scope has been severely truncated, with Rishi... View Article

Bringing a sense of theatre to Devon flood defences

LISTEN HERE Paul Hargreaves from Jacobs describes how the firm innovated a flood defence project in Sidmouth to create a dual-use amphitheatre for residents, as an amenity which enhanced the environment while helping protect them from future floods The Sidmouth... View Article

A performance-based approach to energy modelling & rating

LISTEN HERE Shikha Bhardwaj from Hawkins\Brown looks at the changing conversation around energy, and the shift from ‘designing for compliance’ to ‘designing for performance,’ as embodied in the increasingly popular NABERS approach The conversation around energy is changing. The energy... View Article

A team effort

LISTEN HERE Providing a wide range of health and wellbeing facilities, and passing the finish line five months ahead of schedule, a new leisure centre in Leicestershire is set to become a central part of the local community. Paolo Coyle... View Article

Practice Profile: Space Group

LISTEN HERE This Newcastle-based practice has built a reputation around the development of digital design services alongside project commissions, with a particular focus on harnessing the benefits of BIM. CEO Rob Charlton explains its ethos to Laura Shadwell North east... View Article

A singularly caring approach

LISTEN HERE A new replacement for a 70s hospital which removed valuable parts of central Liverpool, a major new health facility for the city bridges healthcare and academia, restores urban quality, and has more ensuite single rooms than any other... View Article

Ask the Architect: Jerry Ryan

LISTEN HERE As co-founder of London based international architecture and urban design practice HKR Architects, Jerry Ryan shares his passion for the history of architecture, and looks forward to a technological future as the practice celebrates its 30th year What... View Article

Site Lines: A heritage refurb checklist

LISTEN HERE Simon Castle from Chisholm & Winch discusses the varied, but essential considerations that architects need to bear in mind when approaching listed building renovations According to Historic England, there are estimated to be around 500,000 listed buildings on... View Article

A blend of art & architecture

LISTEN HERE The former home and studio of renowned Pre-Raphaelite painter Frederic Lord Leighton has evolved as a museum over its long life; its latest reimagining is a sensitive and artistic refurb by BDP, as Tom Boddy reports London is... View Article

Showing how to build with stone

LISTEN HERE Many homeowners dream of including natural stone somewhere in the home. Whether it is limestone floors, granite worktops, marble in the bathroom, a sandstone patio or a slate roof, the chances are there will be natural stone somewhere.... View Article

The rise of underfloor venting

LISTEN HERE Karl Stauss at AET Flexible Space discusses the changing face of commercial ventilation Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) may seem almost incidental when designing commercial spaces. But with changing working trends and new regulations now in force,... View Article

National savings

LISTEN HERE Andrew Mellor from PRP Architects wonders whether a real energy saving strategy would be more relevant than the Government’s new Powering Up Britain idea The new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero recently published its Powering Up... View Article

New social value on the block

LISTEN HERE James Parker reports on MVRDV’s scheme to transform a Paris city block, which produced a scheme that visually celebrates its intertwined mix of office, library and hotel spaces, and added further value with social housing Montparnasse sits in... View Article