Ask the Architect: Matt Spinks

Matt Spinks from fast-rising Shropshire practice Johnson Design Partnership, answers ADF’s questions on his architectural journey from assistant to director, leadership challenges, and his vision for growing sustainable design. What made you want to pursue a career in architecture? From... View Article

A brighter future

As a celebration of Manchester’s cotton mill past, this major residential scheme by shedkm combines respect for historic fabric with striking minimalist additions to help catalyse regeneration. Stephen Cousins reports. Back in the 19th century, Manchester and the surrounding towns... View Article

View Point: Patrick Inglis

Patrick Inglis, president of ACA, describes the new safety information regime post-Building Safety Act, and why architects are best placed to take on the Principal Designer role, while being mindful of the risks. The Phase 2 report on the Grenfell... View Article

Fit for a healthier future

The transformation of Edinburgh’s long-empty Royal Infirmary creates a sustainable new home for the University’s new Futures Institute, a flexible workspace and education facility designed by Bennetts Associates. James Parker reports. According to the University of Edinburgh, the core mission... View Article

Ask the Architect: Sarah Small

Weymouth native Sarah Small is an associate and Passivhaus designer at Dorchester practice SPASE Design – here she answers ADF’s questions on what drives her, from early concepts to current schemes What made you want to be an architect? From... View Article

Hive mind

Architects SPPARC encouraged a family business hesitant to the perceived limitations of heritage restorations to rescue a Grade II-listed Fitzrovia townhouse and create an elegant office. James Parker reports. London architecture studio SPPARC built on its existing relationship with an... View Article

Evidencing competency: Who is the judge?

Nigel Ostime, architect and principal at Ostime Consulting, questions the effectiveness of the new competency requirements for Principal Designers under the Building Safety Act, asking whether the varied systems plus no unified vetting will ensure safety. One of the glaring... View Article

London Build 2024 presents its biggest edition yet

20-21 November Olympia London On 20-21 November, the UK’s leading and largest construction show, London Build, is back and this year it’s set for its biggest edition yet, with brand-new, exciting features and stages for attendees to discover!  London Build... View Article

Natural remedies

Velindre Cancer Centre Cardiff, Wales The new facility under construction in Cardiff designed by White Arkitekter will show it’s possible to achieve a significant NHS building using mass timber; in a project that aims to create the UK’s most sustainable... View Article

How to balance preservation with modernisation

Ardit Strica of Onduline Building Products discusses the challenges faced in heritage roofing projects and offers insights into selecting appropriate materials and techniques that meet both conservation and performance requirements Restoring heritage buildings is a meticulous process that requires a... View Article

Ask the Architect: Eliot Postma

Eliot Postma, partner & group leader at Heatherwick Studio answers ADF’s questions on how his career has helped shape him as a designer, and what inspires him currently What made you want to become an architect? It goes back to... View Article

The embodiment of sustainable retrofit

Preserving the original structure and character of a notorious estate originally conceived as a ‘vertical garden city’ helped Mikhail Riches’ Stirling Prize-shortlisted redevelopment cut embodied carbon by 61%. Stephen Cousins reports The Park Hill estate has been a landmark on... View Article

Practice Profile: vPPR Architects

ADF’s Kim Neville profiles a rare female-led UK architecture practice, exploring vPPR’s foundations, ethos, and focus on supporting users’ creativity in its designs Established in 2009, vPPR is a female-led multi-national architectural practice, with offices in London, Liverpool and Hamburg.... View Article

View Point: Gareth Abrahams of Changing Streams

A new ‘independent’ database of products has been designed to help specifiers substitute and reduce the use of plastic in buildings they are designing, and thereby tackle a major sustainability challenge. Architect Gareth Abrahams explains how the Changing Streams initiative... View Article

Hertford hub’s second act

A renovation of a theatre and cinemas complex in Hertford by cultural sector experts Bennetts Associates has created a riverside hub with new openings both theatrically, and for the community. James Parker reports Opening this summer, BEAM transforms Hertford’s existing... View Article

Skilling up to design sustainable timber buildings

  Andrew Orriss from the Structural Timber Association says that with the Government’s Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap pinpointing skills as one of the key themes to address, the industry needs to take a series of steps According to the... View Article

Ask the Architect: Jane Duncan

Former RIBA president, founder of her own practice and recipient of an OBE for diversity, Jane Duncan answers ADF’s questions about what continues to inspire her What was the highlight of your career as a designer? Most of my professional... View Article

From standard ’80s to solar temple

Ruth Slavid reports on how Scott Brownrigg salvaged the ‘bones’ of a typical 1980s commercial building in Bristol to create an understated, sleek facility with greater capacity, and passive design measures to sustain it into the future The new Aztec... View Article