Safer by design

Flooring plays a vital role in the safety as well as the comfort of our lives and is a critical consideration in the social housing, care and retirement sectors. Louise Walters from Designer Contracts explains Providing a comfortable and safe... View Article

Are sub-roof systems the answer?

With increased scrutiny on the state and repair of social housing, when looking at new roof specification, should landlords be thinking about a whole refit, or employing more cost-effective retrofit opportunities? Ardit Strica from Onduline Building Products asks the question... View Article

Grab the productivity benefits of lightweight timber systems

Andrew Orriss of the Structural Timber Association (STA) urges housebuilders to continue to invest in timber frames, exploring how the method can meet sustainability demands as well as those of efficiency and productivity. The UK housebuilding industry has faced numerous challenges in recent... View Article

Bathroom technology: A smart choice

Today’s consumers have lived through some of the biggest technological changes in the home since the industrial revolution. Sophie Weston of Geberit looks at the untapped potential in bathroom spaces that housebuilders can offer.  The ‘hotelisation’ of the home has... View Article

Use the right channels to lighten the load

When it comes to specifying drainage channels, there are vital factors that enable a system to meet requirements of a housing development project. Rob Butcher of ACO Water Management looks at the standards that must be upheld from the earliest... View Article

Growth under threat from demolition

Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and news editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance magazine discusses how the push to demolish ageing buildings could seriously undermine social housing’s growth agenda. Efforts to increase the stock of council housing to meet the growing... View Article

eHome2: to 2025 and beyond

Oliver Novakovic of Barratt Developments takes us inside the Energy House 2.0 test project in Salford, focusing on eHome2 – the three-bedroom family home built by Barratt & Saint-Gobain with a host of product innovations to take it past the... View Article

Delivering social housing that makes a difference

Stephen Wasserman of National Housing Group discusses the keys to delivering good quality ‘eco’ social housing From ITV’s ongoing investigation to young influencer Kwajo Tweneboa’s tireless social media campaigning, social housing is becoming an inescapable subject, and rightly so. Plainly... View Article

A thermal bridge too far?

Following changes to Part L in 2021, carbon emissions in new builds have to be significantly lowered. Simon Hill of Schöck says specifiers need to be aware how greatly thermal bridges can affect insulation values A localised area of the building envelope with... View Article

Housebuilding is still a struggle

Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), discusses the latest data from the FMB’s State of Trade Survey and finds few reasons to cheer As you will be aware, for too long we have not been building... View Article

The brave new world of low carbon retrofit

A large-scale retrofit project to bring energy efficiency of social housing across Northumberland and County Durham up to a C rating saw a housing association deploying robots to upgrade homes with minimal disruption. James Parker reports. The Socal Housing Decarbonisation... View Article

Shaping the future of buildings & decarbonisation

Installer SHOW – the UK’s largest event for influential installers and specifiers of heat, water, air and energy technology – will discover one of the biggest challenges on the road to net zero, the tools and solutions for decarbonising buildings. ... View Article

Opening up the black box on Part F and ventilation

Following the changes to Part F and Part L of the Building Regulations, housebuilders have been set the challenge of balancing carbon emissions with sufficient airflow to keep homes healthy. The importance of ventilation to health and wellbeing has been... View Article

The rise and rise of SuDS

Mark Manning of water management specialists SDS discusses upcoming legislation on surface water management, and how SuDS will increasingly be the solution Legislation scheduled for introduction in England next year (presently subject to a period of further consultation and full... View Article

Decked out in aluminium

Harriet Keohane from Saige Premium Composite Products shares essential pointers for architects and designers specifying aluminium decking for new build or retrofit projects, to ensure the safety and functionality of outdoor spaces There are key considerations when it comes to... View Article

Take the lift and slide route

Ryan Thompson from SIEGENIA UK explains why architects need to consider lift and slide doors as an aesthetic and secure alternative to the near-ubiquitous choice of recent years that is bifold doors With the recent hot summers and the events... View Article

Break the mould with thermal breaks for balconies

Thermal bridges in balconies considerably affect the overall thermal transmittance of building envelopes and, according to Nicolas De Vrieze from Leviat, can be the main cause of building defects such as condensation, mould formation, and degradation of materials. Here he... View Article

A blend of art & architecture

LISTEN HERE The former home and studio of renowned Pre-Raphaelite painter Frederic Lord Leighton has evolved as a museum over its long life; its latest reimagining is a sensitive and artistic refurb by BDP, as Tom Boddy reports London is... View Article

Ask the Architect: Jerry Ryan

As co-founder of London based international architecture and urban design practice HKR Architects, Jerry Ryan shares his passion for the history of architecture, and looks forward to a technological future as the practice celebrates its 30th year What made you... View Article

Site Lines: A heritage refurb checklist

Simon Castle from Chisholm & Winch discusses the varied, but essential considerations that architects need to bear in mind when approaching listed building renovations According to Historic England, there are estimated to be around 500,000 listed buildings on the National... View Article