Ask the Expert: Cut your losses and save CO2

Improving insulation is at the heart of the country’s mission to reduce CO2 emissions in new homes. Matthew Evans of Kingspan Insulation answers key questions around the materials and details to consider to avoid heat loss in your build, and... View Article

The devil is in the brickwork detail

What are the modern techniques that enable housebuilders and developers to produce details in masonry facades that take buildings to new levels in terms of design and aesthetics? Scott Denham from IG Masonry Support investigates Deep reveals, soffits, flying beams... View Article

Offsite gets another chance

Dr Jonathan Evans of metal envelope supplier Ash & Lacy gives a counter view to the consensus on offsite, saying that in the push towards MMC there is a strong case for some key design elements remaining onsite 20 years... View Article

Site Lines: A natural train of thought

Irina Adam of Twelve Architects & Masterplanners describes an adaptive reuse project in Manchester which transformed a Victorian viaduct into a nature-rich public amenity The rise in prominence of cities in the global economy over the past two centuries has... View Article

Ask the Architect: Rory Bergin

Rory Bergin, a regular contributor to ADF, is an architect and offsite specialist who set up and runs the Sustainable Futures team at HTA Design. He leads a specialist team of architects and engineers analysing building performance, and has overseen... View Article

Our rural communities are missing out

Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and news editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance says that rural schemes are being built without vital infrastructure in the current rash of permitted development conversions. In trying to inch its way towards achieving the near... View Article

From the Editor

The energy crisis raises some huge issues for the housebuilding sector. The global surge in gas prices as demand increases post-pandemic is causing major concerns for many gas-based industries that supply housebuilders. With gas-fired kilns producing a wide range of... View Article

Fire safety in the frame

David Atkinson from Metsec discusses the increased focus on through-wall fire testing post-Grenfell, and how steel framing systems can contribute to improved performance as well as thermal efficiency Light gauge galvanised steel framing systems (SFS) are primarily used for wall... View Article

Rolling out offsite benefits

Marian Kubisz of Adept Consulting (UK) looks at the increased specification of cold rolled steel frames in the current push for offsite construction solutions, and why system design considerations need to be brought into projects at the earliest stage Hot... View Article

View Point: Hywel Davies of CIBSE

With Covid-19 sadly not likely to disappear any time soon, achieving the correct ventilation of workplaces is critical to mitigate the spread in future. Hywel Davies of CIBSE discusses the issues for designers Covid-19 is not going away any time soon.... View Article

Practice Profile: Broadway Malyan

Tom Boddy speaks to Broadway Malyan about their journey to becoming a global architectural firm, and how the practice philosophy has evolved to increasingly embrace “holistic building design” It was in 1958 in Weybridge, Surrey that Cyril Broadway and John... View Article

Light up your life

Lucy Mather from Arighi Bianchi offers some hints and tips to take lighting up a level, with a decorative approach using the latest looks and trends in fixed and accessory lighting solutions There are so many choices and considerations when... View Article

A guide to energy-efficient heating

Alex Burgess of The Radiator Company provides some advice to self-builders on achieving energy efficient heating solutions for their property, for planet and pocket WHAT ARE THE MOST EFFICIENT RADIATORS? With the population increasingly looking to find ways to make... View Article

View Point: Sean Ronnie Hill

Sean Ronnie Hill from RISE Design Studio looks at how and why the whole project team needs to be upskilled to maximise design benefit in pursuing net zero goals in residential retrofits Retrofitting and refurbishing existing dwellings is a large... View Article

Ask the Architect: Jo Wright

Jo Wright, director of architecture for the UKIMEA region at Arup, answers ADF’s questions on her inspirations and challenges What made you want to become an architect? I enjoyed studying physics, maths and art and I relished the breadth of... View Article

Invest in long-term savings

Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance, explores why recent hikes in spending on temporary accommodation for the homeless highlights the urgency to build more social housing. The case for building tens of thousands of new... View Article

Making homes fit for the future

Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), explores a potential, more sustainable future for housebuilding in the UK. This summer’s floods – and last year’s heatwaves – remind us of the importance of future-proofing Britain’s homes. Ventilation... View Article

Solving the car conundrum

Carl Pittam, development director at Ubeeqo, discusses the benefits of including shared transport facilities in new build developments to address eco goals. There is no question that tackling long-term environmental impact is a big challenge for housebuilders. And this is... View Article

An MMC revolution?

Graham Edward, managing director at Edward Architecture, answers some of the industry’s most pressing questions around modular housing, as the MMC revolution gathers pace. We are finding that local authorities and housing associations represent the core of the modular client... View Article

From the Editor

Following a secret Unesco ballot at a UN committee in China, Liverpool has been stripped of its World Heritage Status. The city had been previously warned that new developments around the city’s waterfront had resulted in a “serious deterioration” of... View Article