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

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

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

Commercial flooring gets creative

With a wide variety of building materials in a multitude of effects and colours at an architect’s disposal, commercial vinyl flooring has had to evolve into not only a high performance product but also a design-led flooring option worthy of... View Article

6 months to go…

On 1st October this year, the Scottish Government will implement the next step in its move towards near net zero carbon buildings. The biggest changes are for new domestic and non-domestic buildings and these once again make the performance of... View Article

Debunking the myths of modular construction

Modular buildings are still something of an unknown quantity, both inside and outside the construction industry. Wernick Group Marketing Manager, Leigh Fennell discusses some of the more prevalent misconceptions about modular offsite construction: “Modular buildings are low quality” Many people’s... View Article

Making the right choice

In influencing the choice of heating and ventilation systems architects can ensure these systems support their designs while delivering optimum building performance. Phil Brompton of Powrmatic explains: As regulations require improved thermal performance of buildings – through better thermal insulation... View Article

SFS systems: improving insulation while saving space

The demand for increasing levels of thermal performance is driven by both the market and regulatory pressures and can be answered by innovations in Structural Framing Systems (SFS) technology, writes Knauf The advantages of SFS methods of construction in terms... View Article