Ask the Architect: Jo Cowen

Jo Cowen, founder of Jo Cowen Architects, explains her ethos for managing a practice and what drives her as a designer Why did you decide to found your own practice in 2012? I have always had the ambition of starting... View Article

Practice Profile: Simone de Gale Architects

An agile firm with an open-minded remit, Simone de Gale Architects champions a wide range of design typologies, innovation in materials, and diversity in architecture. The practice’s founder speaks to Sébastien Reed Simone de Gale Architects founded her practice in... View Article

Understanding green roofs

The demand for green roof technologies is ramping up, yet they are complex structures that require understanding; luckily a range of information sources are available to architects and specifiers. Amanda de Sousa of BMI UK & Ireland explains more According... View Article

Why the UK’s cafe culture needs less reverb

Paul Absolon of CMS Danskin Acoustics looks at solutions to reverberation problems in noisy cafes, which are increasingly prevalent in the UK The proliferation of coffee shops over the last few decades can’t have escaped anyone’s attention. Even before the... View Article

Opportunity knocks for flood defence solutions

With increased frequency of flooding being experienced across the UK in recent years, Kevin Kiernan of Bowater Doors looks at the impact of climate change and what architects need to consider in specifying flood defence doors The weather remains one... View Article

Shedding light on daylight modelling

Architectural journalist Gideon Sykes looks at the latest advances in daylight modelling and how it can help architects and specifiers determine the right light levels for their projects Daylighting is the art and science of managing natural light to minimise... View Article

What’s driving washroom design?

Neil Jeffery of Franke Water Systems takes a look at some of the key trends in commercial washrooms, from product design and materials to sustainability, saying that designers need to take a holistic approach to create spaces that stand the... View Article

A unique event for a diverse sector

With a new home for 2019 at the ExCel in east London, Homes UK will give the UK’s residential property sector the opportunity to connect, learn and do business over an action-packed two days this month HOMES UK is claimed... View Article

Leading in London

London’s leading construction and design show is back, bigger and better than ever before. Spanning two floors, London Build is more than just an exhibition, it’s an event jam packed with content, networking and entertainment This year, the south east’s... View Article

Practice Profile – T Sakhi

A practice run by two sisters, T Sakhi is embracing the challenges as well as potential of their home city, Beirut, in order to make architectural interventions which help improve urban living in a difficult context Based in Beirut and... View Article

View Point: Lord Andrew Mawson

The Government’s announcement that £13bn will be spent on healthcare projects, including six new hospitals, is an opportunity for a radical rethink about health and the built environment, says ‘social entrepreneur’ Lord Andrew Mawson The NHS is in a mess,... View Article

Keeping the public safe, not scared

Securing public spaces ­– rather than simply focusing on their aesthetics – has fast risen up the agenda for architects, but there is a risk of choosing overly utilitarian options, says Jaz Vilkhu of Marshalls Landscape Protection The need to... View Article

Smart tips for smart homes

Matt Nimmons of CEDIA EMEA brings together advice from the industry body’s membership to explain the elements that should be considered when designing a wider home integration project The integration of smart technology is fast becoming the norm for households... View Article

Multi-sensor safety

Andy Speake of Aico discusses how multi-sensor alarm technology is reducing costs as well as increasing safety from false alarms in social housing Aico introduced the first mains powered domestic multi-sensor to the smoke alarm market in 2014 as a... View Article

Taking responsibility

Martin Bidewell of Sika discusses why supply chain accountability must be standardised across the industry for safer roof refurbishment Two years after the Grenfell disaster and 18 months on from the Hackitt Report’s call for greater clarity of guidance and... View Article

Site Lines: Low impact, high materiality

Gavin Maloney of Arup looks at how a house made of expanded cork combines impeccable sustainability credentials with a high degree of tactile beauty Never has public opinion been more interested in how we dispose of the things we produce... View Article

View Point: Katy Barker of Directline Structures

Architect Katy Barker of Directline Structures says that despite the barriers to collaborative working, architects could take a leading role in Design & Build Most people understand the premise of Design & Build procurement – a single organisation undertakes the... View Article

Ask the Architect: Laura Carrara-Cagni

Laura Carrara-Cagni of Edward Williams Architects answers ADF’s questions about the things that drive her, personally and professionally Why did you become an architect? I love travelling and I wanted to become an interpreter, so I actually studied languages first.... View Article

Vive la Republic

Export Building, the latest phase of Republic, a wide-ranging offices development in east London, is a refurbishment that fuses engineered timber and a revitalised public realm with a progressive tenancy initiative to create a new destination in Docklands. Sébastien Reed... View Article