Think roofs, think NFRC – but what’s in it for you?

By Ray Horwood CBE, chief executive of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors In a fast-changing construction environment, it’s more important than ever that architects and specifiers keep abreast of developments within the roofing industry. From BSI British Standards to... View Article

Designing for play

Liz Townsend, a play space designer at HAGS-SMP with 18 years’ experience, addresses the key aspects in this specialist area of design that is rarely covered in formal landscape architecture study. Below are some of the essential design elements to... View Article

Meet the Eco Technology experts

The third Eco Technology Show returns to the Brighton Centre on 26-27 June with over 140 exhibitors and a powerful speaker line up that offers practical information on how to install and use energy saving technology; ideal for those involved... View Article

Make a difference with beautiful balustrades

Combining low maintenance durability with safety and style is key to the success of any residential balustrades project. Nick Haughton, marketing manager at Sapphire Balustrades, looks at the latest developments to maximise aesthetic appeal and performance and highlights the use of innovative balustrade... View Article

Hilton wins at Waterloo

The world famous hotel chain brings one of its growing brands to London for the first time with a distinctive and handsome building, writes Ray Philpott Any brand new hotel building in London naturally tends to attract a lot of... View Article

Top marks for project to give old school new life

Jess Unwin reports on the renovation and refurbishment of a classic example of so-called 1960s brutalism architecture as classrooms are converted into loft-style apartments in the London borough of Lambeth In many ways the Baylis Old School development is a... View Article

UFH in conversion projects – the essentials

The most common question asked about the suitability of underfloor heating (UFH) in a building conversion is ‘how can we minimise the floor build up?’ This is an important area to master within a project such as an office to... View Article

Unravelling the options for cast stone specifications

There are three cast stone options available for architectural projects. Simon Scott of Haddonstone explains Cast stone is one of the most versatile building mat-erials available and, in a number of important ways, is markedly superior to quarried stone. One... View Article

Greenbuild Expo returns

With a packed conference and exhibition Greenbuild Expo returns to Manchester Central in May to highlight and promote sustainability in the built environment Greenbuild Expo takes place in Manchester on the 7 and 8 May featuring a packed conference programme... View Article

The Shadow House: A story of inner city self-build

Having designed large luxurious properties for private clients and worked on complex urban social housing developments, David Liddicoat and Sophie Goldhill were keen to use their combined experience to create a small, attractive, cost effective and compact home for themselves.... View Article

History provides a future for the retired

Instead of a shining new development for the retired, Anchor Trust and English Care Village Partnerships are using design to invent a history for an assisted living development in Hampshire, as Steve Menary reports. Ensuring good design can be achieved... View Article

Inspired by natural systems

Ventilated façades have been around for a long time. In traditional Scandinavian housing, for example, an air gap was included between the timber external wall and the internal wall, as a way of preventing these soft wood structures from rotting... View Article

Titan in its tomb

The country’s second largest ever concrete pour was needed to create a building for Cambridge’s materials scientists in which vibration could be kept to a minimum. Mark Smulian reports. It must have been a remarkable sight when 120 lorries drove... View Article

Specifying off-mains drainage

Kevin Roe, sales director of Kingspan Klargester, looks at the drainage options available for different sites. Of the country’s current stock of 25 million houses, around 1.5 million are not connected to the sewer. In all cases the first consideration... View Article

EcoHaus design challenge launched for 2014

Challenging convention and inspiring innovation The British Homes Awards have been pivotal in providing a catalyst for change in the way we design and construct our homes and in the process recognise and showcase exemplars of best practice In his... View Article

Don’t be afraid to face your Waterloo

Waterloo station concourse used to be a mad scrum that was daunting to all but the most seasoned commuters, but now the congestion has been eased and there are some great new shops and eating places, as James Pringle reports... View Article