The future is already here

Architect Paul Mercer discusses how designers and planners can learn from the past, as they contemplate how to adapt to the future of healthcare Recently published, the 2018 Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer is subtitled ‘Health 2040 –... View Article

Clean lines

Carole Armstrong of Delabie UK suggests that design, comfort, safety and hygiene should be seen as equal to compliance when specifying accessible washrooms Inclusive design for accessible facilities should be a given. However, adapted washrooms in the care sector are... View Article

A vision of inclusivity

Jack Wooler spoke to the architect of an innovative and sensitive housing project for a mix of visually impaired and open market residents, achieved on a challenging site in Surrey Work is now underway at the Royal National Institute of... View Article

Citadel of care

A new hospital in a sensitive location in Israel combines a state of the art, wellness-oriented healthcare facility with a design for resilience against attacks. Roseanne Field reports Situated in Ashdod, a large city in southern Israel, the Samson Assuta... View Article

Ask The Architect: Ed Higgins

Ed Higgins from Hosta Consulting answers ADF’s questions on landscape design and green infrastructure Why did you decide to train as an architect? Like many at the start of their architectural education part of me, somewhat egotistically, wanted to create... View Article

Green house effect

Nestled into the Scottish highlands, a new kind of sustainable house design makes a simple, repeatable and inventive structure from abundant local materials to yield big cost savings. Sébastien Reed speaks to architect Gokay Deveci about Integra House Integra House... View Article

Building community links

Linking a housing estate in Bath with a new housing development, BDP’s new community centre and school provides a local landmark that also offers strong links back to the site’s D-Day heritage. James Parker reports The new Community Hub designed... View Article

Practice Profile: Apt Architects

A rebrand of a fast-growing practice gave it a facelift and left staff re-energised. Sébastien Reed speaks to Apt’s studio leader Jason Geen “It wasn’t the best time to set up a studio,” says Jason Geen, studio leader at Apt.... View Article

Flexible, fascinating, and fitting

Jordan Perlman of Newground Architects explains that although a time-honoured material, brick has limitless possibilities for designers, illustrated by a recent mixed use scheme in London In the six years since our practice was founded, we have used brick in... View Article

Ask the Architect – Joe Morris

Joe Morris heads up his practice, but knows that collaboration is the way to good architecture. He answers ADF’s questions Why did you become an architect? My journey to architecture was relatively casual, without a clearly defined goal, but one... View Article

Vertical integration

Architype’s Eco Business Centre brings flexible shared workspace to eco-town North West Bicester, in what ended up being the UK’s first non-residential Passivhaus Plus accredited building. Sébastien Reed reports There are 6,000 new ‘true’ zero-carbon homes planned for North West... View Article

The big reveal

James Parker speaks to the architect of a complex restoration project in Manchester to create a boutique hotel which enhances industrial Victorian architecture, and celebrates the city’s trading history A new adaptive reuse project in Manchester has rescued three important... View Article

Building a cultural bridge

Jack Wooler spoke to Antti Nousjoki of ALA architects about how Finland’s biggest library combines an inviting ‘bridge’ structure with shifting timber and glass facades The new Oodi Library in Helsinki is a modern take on the building typology, offering... View Article

Natural light for natural learning

Jens Christoffersen of Velux looks at why natural light is so important in learning environments, and discusses various design interventions for increasing it A common antidote to the ‘winter blues’ is often a break in a warmer, sunnier climate, preferably... View Article

Putting students’ safety first

David Hoyle of Hoyles Electronic Developments discusses the fire risks in student accommodation, as well the possible solutions including combatting false alarms The last thing students off to university will be thinking of is fire safety. Shared accommodation such as university... View Article

Decking decisions

Laura Keily of Accsys Group summarises three of the most common materials when planning an outdoor deck and discusses some of the factors that need to be taken into consideration when choosing your preferred route In January 2019, the Global... View Article

A lesson in underfloor heating

Mark Crowsley of Cellecta discusses the continued need for large new schools to install underfloor heating floating floor solutions that achieve excellent acoustic performance as well as efficiency Schools can be noisy environments – excessive background noise, loud corridors, and... View Article

That’s a wrap

With eco-friendly materials fast becoming rising stars in the world of interiors, Lindsay Appleton of Architextural discusses the many benefits of using architectural films and how they can refurbish existing surfaces Gone are the days when wrapping was exclusive to... View Article

Natural remedies for learning

It’s a given that schools need good quality daylight for good learning environments; Tony Isaac of Brett Martin explains why enabling natural light to enter has never been more important Good quality daylight is a readily available and sustainable natural... View Article

A breath of fresh air

Eliot Warrington of Solarcrest explains how airtightness will affect any building, whether clients want to build a certified Passivhaus or just meet Building Regulations UK Building Regulations are really promoting airtightness and it’s now mandatory to pressure test every new... View Article