Natural remedies

Natural remedies for learning

It’s a given that schools need good quality daylight for good learning environments; Tony Isaac of Brett Martin explains why enabling natural light to enter has never been more important Good quality daylight is a readily available and sustainable natural... View Article
A breath of fresh air

A breath of fresh air

Eliot Warrington of Solarcrest explains how airtightness will affect any building, whether clients want to build a certified Passivhaus or just meet Building Regulations UK Building Regulations are really promoting airtightness and it’s now mandatory to pressure test every new... View Article
Designed to please the eye as well as the ears

Designed to please the eye as well as the ears

Architects are under increasing pressure to ensure the comfort of building occupants – particularly regarding acoustics. Will Jones of Ecophon discusses how acoustic solutions can be included within the design of the building without sacrificing the aesthetic From sales of... View Article
High rise not high risk!

High rise not high risk!

Danny Birrel of Kawneer advises on how to design curtain wall facades to accommodate building movement Land-pressed developers are increasingly turning to high-rise buildings to deliver best footprint value but the interaction between the facade of a building, particularly a tall... View Article
Kingspan Insulation: An academic approach to comfort

An academic approach to comfort

Adrian Pargeter of Kingspan Insulation looks at the new guidance underpinning an increased focus on wellness in education environments, and the overall impact that thermal comfort has on students’ learning Keeping students focused on the task in hand is a... View Article

Higher student expectations, driving better design responses

David Strong of consultancy Curtins discusses how education institutions are responding to increased student expectations, and the current trends which are driving the design of education facilities It’s no secret that to be popular with students and therefore be considered... View Article

View Point – Michael Barker of Stephen George + Partners

Michael Barker of Stephen George + Partners discusses why architects need to have a better understanding of the requirements of developers, contractors and tenants As architects, Stephen George + Partners has decades of experience designing offices – sometimes we do... View Article

An education in MMC

Imran Kassim from architecture and building consultancy practice AHR discusses the opportunities ‘modern methods of construction’ offer the education sector in meeting its tough building targets, and the architect’s role in delivering successful projects Demand for high-quality new schools and... View Article
gpad London

Ask the Architect – gpad London

Claudia Iannantuoni from fast-growing commercial and residential practice gpad answers ADF’s questions on what makes her tick Why did you become an architect? I come from Brianza, northern Italy, an area with many interior design and furnishing workshops. My uncle... View Article

Future Watch – Back to the future

Professor Steve Goodhew of the University of Plymouth reports on the CobBauge project, which is seeking to bring a traditional sustainable building material up to date and into line with thermal Building Regulations Building using earth in its unfired form... View Article
WG+P Architects

View Point – James Potter, WG+P Architects

James Potter from WG+P Architects takes a look at how the process of identifying your practice’s USP as part of marketing can reveal some interesting truths I’ll start with a plug for some excellent IT consultants, called DP-IT. They have... View Article
Wellness at heart

Wellness at heart

Racheal Cadey of Edge Architecture + Design explains how The Crown Estate’s new head office in London became the first WELL Platinum certified workplace in Europe, by putting wellness principles at the heart of the design There is a growing... View Article
Blocks of colour

Blocks of colour

aLL Design took on a residential project in Docklands to not only add colour, character and sustainability for a mix of residents, but also to solve a spatial efficiency puzzle for the client, as James Parker discovers The practice founded... View Article
The gentle art of conservation

The gentle art of conservation

A historic Hong Kong police compound and prison have been restored and developed into a new centre for heritage and arts, in the largest heritage project the area has seen. Gary Sparrow from Purcell explains to Jack Wooler how the... View Article
Tiago Pereira, Schmidt Hammer Lassen – ADF Interview

Ask the Architect – Tiago Pereira

Tiago Pereira, partner at top five Danish practice Schmidt Hammer Lassen answers ADF’s questions; including on making the move to Copenhagen, and balancing a host of tasks in a busy design office Why did you become an architect? That’s a... View Article

Sounding out the benefits

Ed Peltor of Rockwool UK says that considerations of the benefits of insulation go well beyond thermal performance to acoustics and fire, when looking the whole building envelope It’s time to look for more from insulation than just thermal performance.... View Article

On a learning curve

With the new V&A museum plus a regenerated waterfront, Dundee was in dire need of a new station with the right presence. James Parker describes how the architects steered an evolving project that produced an unconventional concourse building topped by... View Article
Heatherwick Studio’s Coal Drops Yard retail scheme

Where past and future meet

Combining old and new in a unique composition created from two dramatically reimagined Victorian roofs, Heatherwick Studio’s Coal Drops Yard retail scheme forms the heart of the King’s Cross regeneration. Roseanne Field reports Coal Drops Yard Formerly a gritty part... View Article

View Point – David de Sousa of AHR Architects

Britain is in the midst of a housing crisis; it’s an obvious fact, without an obvious solution. In the 2017 budget, the Government set a target of delivering 300,000 new homes per year by 2020. While there has been an... View Article

Mainstreaming modular

Richard Hyams of astudio describes how architects can use modular offsite construction to deliver good quality housing schemes with rich community benefits The adoption of modular construction techniques is rapidly accelerating in the UK. Policymakers have realised the benefits of... View Article