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

Versatile style

Nicola Seymour of Marbrex explores the potential of decorative yet highly practical internal cladding systems over more traditional wall coverings – from reducing labour costs and timescales to ease of installation; long-term cleaning and maintenance When it comes to creating... View Article

The importance of reducing false fire alarms

False fire alarms are costly, disruptive and detrimental to safety. Each year businesses and public services in the UK have nearly a quarter of a million false alarms costing them and Fire & Rescue Services approximately £1 billion . Every... View Article
FR Coatings Alert

FR Coatings Alert

The Wood Protection Association (WPA) is calling on building designers to double-check the fire performance claims of flame retardant treatments before they commit to a specification. The move follows research for the WPA that has highlighted the potential for products,... View Article