Practice Profile: Weston Williamson + Partners

Now big players in the transport and master planning sectors, Weston Williamson + Partners have helped shape infrastructure across London and the wider UK, with major clients including Crossrail and HS2. Sébastien Reed speaks to partners Chris Williamson and Philip... View Article

The first line of defence

Mark Stone of Securiscape explains how designers are using street furniture and planters as part of a defensive strategy to protect the public from terrorism We have come a long way since 2007, when, in the wake of a vehicle-borne... View Article

Form follows function

Making an entrance better by design is a process of consideration and elimination, as GEZE UK’s Richard Richardson-Derry explains ‘Form follows function’ may be a basic tenet of modern architecture, but when it comes to designing entrances, aesthetics are inevitably... View Article

Water water (isn’t) everywhere

Lisa Farnsworth of Stormsaver discusses how rainwater harvesting is critical to the design of future building design in the context of UK water scarcity It is impossible to not notice the changes in weather conditions that we have been experiencing... View Article

Let there be light

Patients may leave hospital quicker when they are on wards with high levels of natural light – in this context Scott Leeder of Velux Modular Skylights looks at the health and wellbeing benefits of bringing in daylight Over the last... View Article

View Point – Nigel Ostime from Hawkins\Brown

Nigel Ostime of Hawkins\Brown Architects and chair of the RIBA Client Liaison Group, says that without measuring feedback, architects can’t improve Manufacturers ask for feedback as a matter of routine and use it to improve their products in the next... View Article

The most sustainable material of them all

Sean Parnaby of West Port says that the timber industry is gradually winning the war against misconceptions about what he claims is not only the oldest, but the best fenestration material There’s a growing awareness that timber isn’t the expensive,... View Article

The timber revolution

Sarah Harding of Accsys Group reports on how the UK is experiencing a revolution in timber in architecture, as designers and specifiers increasingly embrace the material’s combination of beauty and environmental advantages Running earlier this year at the Roca London... View Article

The membrane method

Adam Ford and John Mellor of Protect Membranes discuss how to achieve low U-values using membrane technology with low emissivity The use of timber in construction is now seen as a key route to address the UK’s housing shortage. The... View Article

Going with the grain

Here, Gregg Wright of Reliance Veneer explains how the demand for decorative timbers combined with modern manufacturing techniques not only makes environmental sense, but can also enhance design Have you ever looked at a beautiful piece of furniture and wondered... View Article

The disruptive power of tall timber

Kevin Flanagan of PLP Architecture explains how the firm’s pioneering research projects to build unprecedented tall engineered timber structures is driven by a wider agenda of increasing quality of life in ‘smart cities’ of the future The essence of our... View Article

Getting compliance in basement projects

The UK continues to experience a boom in residential and commercial basement construction, with land in limited supply. Nik Ullfors of Visqueen looks at how to waterproof correctly to ensure compliance with the latest regulations Any discussion of living in... View Article

Reverse diffusion: the hidden risk

Andy Mitchell from NBT discusses the risk of reverse diffusion in internal wall insulation installations For both new build and refurbishment projects, ensuring that the building envelope offers excellent levels of thermal efficiency is a high priority. Effective insulation helps... View Article

A collaboration that covered all bases

Stephen Toone of Fordingbridge shares insights into how to build client relationships through collaboration, giving the example of several projects at East Surrey Hospital. It is vital for designers and suppliers to remember that when collaborating with the NHS, there... View Article

Creating safe and robust waterproofing solutions for structures

Delta Membrane Systems’ Christopher Burbridge explores the challenges and complexities around delivering waterproofing design solutions The basis of waterproofing structures is to stop water ingress, reduce risk and prolong the lifetime of a structure, whether upgrading existing basement rooms, waterproofing... View Article

Making inside-outside seamless

Creating useable outside areas is a key focus for both architects and developers, particularly as living space is becoming more of a premium in urban areas. Here Stuart Ross of BAL explains how tiles can help achieve a seamless inside-outside... View Article

Whither weathertightness?

Carl Farrow of ID Systems discusses the underestimated question of weathertightness when specifying doors, and why it is so important We get asked three questions about our products by every one of our customers, whether they be end users or... View Article

Ask the Architect: Rab Bennetts

Rab Bennetts is founding director of Bennetts Associates, an award- winning firm with a particular specialism in high-quality refurbishments in cultural, education and mixed-use projects. Why did you become an architect? It may sound unlikely, but I was fascinated by... View Article

The future of water management

Ian Geeson of Charcon considers how integrating Sustainable Urban Drainage systems (SuDS) into every future urban design project would make a step change in ensuring effective water management In winter 2015/16, we saw widespread flooding, with 16,000 homes in north... View Article

Transparently innovative

The Francis Crick Institute is a unique research hub, dedicated to discovering how diseases behave. Larry Malcic of HOK explains to Jack Wooler how the building’s ‘transparent’ design benefits the vital work of the facility: Amassive state-of-the-art facility now sits... View Article