Going for the ‘gold standard’

How ‘zero compromise’ do architects need to be when designing envelopes to the Passivhaus standard and are aesthetic, and other compromises necessary? Sarah Johnson reports on the challenges involved. The Passivhaus standard is often seen as the ‘gold standard’ for... View Article

Greening the envelope

Senior landscape architect at Arup, Sally Armour discusses weaving health and resilience into our cities through green building envelopes. Increasingly, the human population is becoming more urbanised – and by the end of the century it is estimated that 7... View Article

CDM 2015: how to comply

In April 2015, the main set of regulations for managing the health, safety and welfare of construction projects was replaced. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) were last updated in 2007, so the most recent update has put several... View Article

BSRIA responds to Prime Minister’s speech

In response to a speech by the Prime Minister on the UK’s future relationship with the EU, Julia Evans, BSRIA Chief Executive, said: “The Prime Minister, Theresa May, altered the political and economic landscape. It is fair to say that BSRIA... View Article

Bridging the gap between architects and contractors

By Tony Owen, Novus Property Solutions Ask any architect how they feel about their faith in contractors to work accurately to a brief, and you’ll see some raised eyebrows. Ask a contractor about their relationship with architects, and you’ll likely... View Article

Managing risk in megaprojects

By Steve Cooper, general manager UK and Ireland at Aconex ‘Megaproject’ is the term applied to multibillion-dollar investment projects such as vast railways, airports, highways or huge entertainment venues. Such schemes can be economically transformative for a country. Consider the Panama... View Article

Elmhurst Energy welcomes publication of the Bonfield Report

Energy performance measurement specialists Elmhurst Energy has welcomed the publication of the long-awaited “Each Home Matters” report by Peter Bonfield, but has expressed disappointment at some omissions. Despite having the scope of reviewing ‘Consumer Advice, Protection, Standards and Enforcement for... View Article

Autumn Statement comment: Policy must drive change

Statements from the Chancellor of the Exchequer aren’t always cause for celebration, but this one has left us feeling cautiously optimistic. Chris Coxon, Head of Marketing at Eurocell, takes a view. Wrapped up as the National Productivity Investment Fund –... View Article

A lesson to learn

Creating educational buildings with zero energy usage and carbon footprints is perfectly possible. So why aren’t we building more? Neil Smith of design firm UK Energy Partners shares his thoughts. There’s no doubt the way we design and construct buildings consumes... View Article

Knowledge is power

Teachers know schools best and their input can be vital during a redesign. Pellings partner Nicolas Maari argues for the benefits of encouraging teachers to have a say in the design of UK schools. The soaring demand for school places... View Article

Opinion: Carbon neutrality – a norm, not an aspiration

Earlier this year the Government scrapped its zero carbon homes plan – again. Darren Evans outlines why architects and developers must not abandon the zero carbon agenda. In May of this year the Government overruled the House of Lords and scrapped the... View Article

Exclusive blog: Turning awards into media coverage

Alex Blyth, Joint MD at PR and new business agency Red Setter reveals how thought leadership can push your practice to greater heights. This week’s CGarchitect Architectural 3D Awards saw some outstanding examples of the power of design. Amongst our favourite winners was Alexey Zakharov, who... View Article

Practice profile – Chapman Taylor

Norman Hayden calls on architect Chapman Taylor which has been on an international journey, starting at Scotland Yard. The Metropolitan Police headquarters at New Scotland Yard, central London is one of the most recognisable buildings in the country. With its... View Article

Site lines – Martin Townsend, BRE Global

Martin Townsend, director of sustainability at BRE Global, looks at the importance of building standards which reflect local needs across the globe, in order to share best practice and drive change. There is a rapidly growing appetite for rating methodologies... View Article

Calming the commute – Nille Juul-Sorenson from Arup

Nille Juul-Sorenson from Arup looks at how intelligent railway station design can help to make commuters’ lives easier. A  recent European survey conducted by Ford has revealed that the most stressful part of a working day is likely to occur first... View Article