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

Going beyond fire compliance

Siderise’s Chris Hall asks whether an approach of merely complying with regulations in specifying passive firestopping in curtain wall systems is good enough, or if specifiers should be looking to other standards Curtain wall systems are typically constructed with a... View Article

How green is your aluminium?

Phil Slinger from the Council for Aluminium in Building provides expert insights on the current green credentials provided by aluminium production, and how EPDs and collaboration are supporting its specification Aluminium has enjoyed an extensive recycling lifespan since its commercialisation... View Article

Durability is the key to sustainable building envelopes

Clare Fenton of the Metal Cladding & Roofing Manufacturers Association (MCRMA) explains why durability must be a priority when specifying metal roofing and cladding panels and systems to deliver sustainable buildings As the physical separator between the interior and the... 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

A room with a flue

The future of home heating is largely focused on the use of heat pumps. Dennis Milligan from the British Flue and Chimney Manufacturers Association (BFCMA) looks at how they can be combined with wood burning stoves as secondary heating Although... 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

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

View Point: Oliver Lowrie of Ackroyd Lowrie

LISTEN HERE Oliver Lowrie, director and co-founder at Ackroyd Lowrie shares how his firm is championing new talent, and why greater diversity and inclusivity is essential for safeguarding the future of the industry At Ackroyd Lowrie, we are building a... 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

View Point: Ivanova Konstanca

Ivanova Konstanca from Stride Treglown outlines the benefits and features of a circular economy – one where waste and pollution are eliminated, products and materials are recirculated ‘at their highest value,’ and natural systems are regenerated Circular economy goes beyond... View Article

Practice Profile: PRP Architects

As PRP marks its 60th anniversary, senior partners Manisha Patel and Brendan Kilpatrick reveal to ADF how a strong ethos around community-led design and collaborative culture has been instrumental to achieving enduring success In the 1960s, the UK was grappling... View Article

Dialogue by design

Oliver Moore of Design Engine Architects looks at how the design of Sixth Forms is evolving to harness the ability of non-hierarchical classrooms to foster more communal dialogue and learning Dialogue is fundamental to the way that Design Engine Architects... 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

Ask the Architects: Andrew Chapman & Tim Chestnutt

LISTEN HERE ADF gets two perspectives from Leeds practice Brewster Bye Architects – residential and student accommodation specialist and newly appointed director Andrew Chapman, and recently qualified architect Tim Chestnutt What made you want to become an architect? Andrew: From an... View Article