The demand for individual expression is on the rise

Paul Hughes, from FunderMax, comments on the rising trend and demand for individual design within the cladding industry, and subsequent challenges. There are numerous challenges that confront facade producers in today’s competitive construction market. All of which have to be... View Article

Delivering thermally efficient buildings

Lee Davies, technical director at building envelope specialist, CA Group Limited, explains the role of robust detailing in delivering thermally efficient buildings. The issue of improved airtightness has become a key focus for architects both in striving to deliver increasingly... View Article

Plugging the BIM gap

Gordon Moffat, technical manager at CMS, Scotland’s largest door, window and curtain walling manufacturer and installer, discusses the advantages to architects of ‘BIM ready’ contractors and how BIM can optimise building envelope performance. As more and more product and system... View Article

The use of natural stone in modern architecture

Ian Robottom of Lithodecor discusses lightweight natural stone ventilated rainscreen facades and the requirements of modern architecture. The advent of modern architecture has fundamentally changed the way buildings are constructed. This is particularly relevant when looking at how the use... View Article

Building envelope design can improve the overall BREEAM rating

Tom Taylor, Principal Consultant, BRE, explains how excellence in building envelope specification can help achieve BREEAM ratings. The specification of the building envelope has implications for performance against several BREEAM New Construction assessment issues and could potentially have a significant... View Article

BINDT’s CPS scheme replaced

ATTMA Registered Testers Scheme has replaced BINDT’s CPS scheme, Barry Cope, ATTMA Registered Testers Scheme Manager along with David Pickavance, Chair of the ATTMA Board of Directors explain. ATTMA has successfully taken the reigns from BINDT to run the authorised... View Article

DfMA – healthy injection for hospital design?

The advanced off-site manufacturing system, DfMA, was used to build the Cheesegrater in London and is now helping deliver the next generation of UK hospitals faster, safer, and to higher levels of design quality than ever before. Stephen Cousins reports... View Article

Sowing the seeds of a successful green roof specification

Stuart Hicks, marketing manager of Kemper System, considers the elements of a green roof specification that can lead to success or failure The drive towards more sustainable buildings has led to an evolution of green roofs from specialist eco-feature to... View Article

Designing homes for mental disability

When it comes to creating residences for people with dementia it helps to look at things through the eyes of those with the condition, says Dominic Waters, Development Director at Waters Homes Open the property pages in any national newspaper... View Article

Architects have family lives too

To remain successful, architects and architectural practices need to be able to retain their talent. That means keeping on top of new employment legislation and thinking harder about how they can support hard-working staff who are also carers and busy... View Article

A hotel fit for a super-hero

Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens is a superhero of many an architect so it’s perhaps fitting that one of his buildings is being reinvented in the centre of Manchester under the name of Hotel Gotham. Jess Unwin reports The Art Deco... View Article

A grand vision for the Ashton Gate transformation

When Bristol City FC owner Steve Lansdown visited Barcelona, he had a vision. Lansdown was not taken just by the club’s iconic Nou Camp stadium, but the plethora of sports clubs that made up Barcelona, which he wants to recreate... View Article

Selecting the correct stone

Stone Federation explores a range of points including the latest CE Marking legislation that affords architects with the information they need to ensure that the right material is chosen for the right application The process of selecting the correct stone... View Article

Creative heating solutions

David Simoes, brand manager at Zehnder Commercial, explores the radical changes to the landscape for heating and cooling products over the past decade Over the past decade the landscape for heating and cooling products has radically changed. With continued investment... View Article

Window specification – time to take a new view?

Set against a backdrop of stringent sustainability requirements and costly energy bills, specifiers are increasingly looking at new ways of designing projects that can help save both money and the environment, including window specification. Mark Wadsworth, managing director of Senior... View Article

Wall protection is no longer just 50 shades of grey

Sally Moores, marketing manager at Yeoman Shield, explains how the practical necessity of a wall protection system can go hand in hand with the aesthetics of interior design Installing a wall protection system, be it protection panels, corner angles, rails... View Article

Las Iguanas restaurant, Woking

The idea of simply putting down a few packing cases and creating a bar would not last long with the planning authorities in the UK, but at the latest Las Iguanas restaurant opening in Woking that was exactly the feel... View Article