Removing the barriers to progress

Richard Harral of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) discusses how the ongoing Part L consultation is the clear way forward to genuine carbon reductions, including closing the performance gap. For all those of us who believe that we... View Article

Where was housing during the election?

Click here to listen. Brian Berry of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) highlights the lack of focus on housing during the recent election campaigns, and explores what the new Government can do to aid the sector going forward. After... View Article

From the editor

Berkeley Group’s recent results announcement would seem to show some fairly sobering truths for the housebuilding sector, particularly in London where the group is largely active. However in fact, they did not come as a surprise to the market or... View Article

View Point: Kelly Watson of Hatch Regeneris

With architects increasingly asked to demonstrate the added value of their work, Dr Kelly Watson of Hatch Regeneris discusses how they can more explicitly harness the wider social value of projects The social value agenda has visibly gained prominence and... View Article

Ask the Architect: Jo Cowen

Jo Cowen, founder of Jo Cowen Architects, explains her ethos for managing a practice and what drives her as a designer. Why did you decide to found your own practice in 2012? I have always had the ambition of starting... View Article

Practice Profile: Simone de Gale Architects

An agile firm with an open-minded remit, Simone de Gale Architects champions a wide range of design typologies, innovation in materials, and diversity in architecture. The practice’s founder speaks to Sébastien Reed Simone de Gale Architects founded her practice in... View Article

The SME Case for Self-Build

Brian Berry of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), explores how and why Government policy designed to aid self-builders can actually help SME housebuilders too. When discussing how to support small- and medium-sized housebuilders (SME), one area that is often... View Article

Can councils deliver on the quality as well as the numbers?

The importance of getting local authorities building tens of thousands of new council homes has been amply demonstrated by the large-scale cuts made to housing association development programmes in recent weeks. It is also revealed in the growing figures of... View Article

Site Lines: Low impact, high materiality

Gavin Maloney of Arup looks at how a house made of expanded cork combines impeccable sustainability credentials with a high degree of tactile beauty Never has public opinion been more interested in how we dispose of the things we produce... View Article

View Point: Katy Barker of Directline Structures

Architect Katy Barker of Directline Structures says that despite the barriers to collaborative working, architects could take a leading role in Design & Build Most people understand the premise of Design & Build procurement – a single organisation undertakes the... View Article

Ask the Architect: Laura Carrara-Cagni

Laura Carrara-Cagni of Edward Williams Architects answers Architects Datafile’s questions about the things that drive her, personally and professionally Why did you become an architect? I love travelling and I wanted to become an interpreter, so I actually studied languages... View Article

EPDs: Helping to build the sustainable buildings of the future

Barry Rust of Tata Steel discusses the role of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) as a weapon for tackling the obstacles the industry faces in ensuring a truly sustainable, transparent and responsible supply chain With improved awareness and constant news coverage... View Article

An internal monologue on copper

Copper has seen a dramatic change in use from its historic place roofing prestigious buildings to being a thoroughly modern external skin for contemporary architecture. But its role as an interior surfacing material is also growing, presenting new opportunities and... View Article

Site Lines – Serving student wellbeing needs

Students in the 21st century face a wide range of health and wellbeing challenges as well as technological demands. James Allison of architects Bennetts Associates discusses an example of thoughtful improvement of student wellbeing facilities for Cambridge University In the... View Article

View Point: Camilla Siggaard Andersen of Arup

Camilla Siggaard Andersen of Arup explores how, regardless of the construction industry’s myriad motives, the worth of projects that architects and designers create is ultimately about their social value – how they shape peoples’ lives Why do we build? Depending... View Article

Need for a planned approach to drainage maintenance

When it comes to drainage maintenance, many organisations are still adopting a shorted-sighted strategy which is costing them in the long-term. Contractors and facilities management professionals need to make the case for a planned approach, as Clark Williams of Jet... View Article

Ask the Architect: Margherita Cesca

Margherita Cesca of Saunders Boston Architects answers ADF’s questions on what drives her personally and professionally Why did you become an architect? Art and architecture have always been a big part of my life; from a very young age, I... View Article

Practice Profile: Shepheard Epstein Hunter

Shepheard Epstein Hunter may have garnered a strong reputation in its long history, from an initial focus on high quality public housing, but the practice hasn’t been resting on its laurels. James Parker spoke to two of its directors Evolving,... View Article

Assured solutions in a crisis

Andrew Carpenter of the Structural Timber Association says that the timber solutions already exist for building the energy-efficient low-carbon dwellings the Government is calling for to address the housing crisis, now underpinned by robust assurances Offsite construction presents many new... View Article

Growing opportunities for specifying timber

Kevin Underwood of the British Woodworking Federation discusses the challenges as well as wide-ranging benefits of timber as a construction material Wood, the world’s oldest and most traditional building material, is increasingly being re-evaluated as a modern-day first choice for... View Article