Comment: Get specification right first time

The Metal Cladding and Roofing Manufacturers Association explains the importance of approved cladding systems and the dangers of changing specifications. Metal cladding systems provide efficient, aesthetically pleasing and sustainable solutions for a wide variety of external building envelopes. However, the... View Article

Comment: Metal gutters fit for the future

Carlton Jones of the Metal Gutter Manufacturers Association (MGMA) explains the improvements brought by a new standard for metal guttering in the context of climate change. Extreme weather is now an all-year-round likely occurrence in the UK, ranging from flash... View Article

5 genius ways shipping containers are used every day

If you think shipping containers are only used for imports and exports around the world, it’s time to think again. While shipping containers play a vital role transporting the products that we enjoy every day, they can also be used... View Article

Bringing light home

Chris Chaney of Sunsquare explains how rooflights can improve daylighting, boost wellbeing and minimise a building’s energy consumption. Spiralling property prices plus a lack of appropriate accommodation to move into have led to many homeowners preferring to carry out significant... View Article

Realistic rainwater storage

Ian Crickmore of Polypipe Terrain explains how adopting rainwater harvesting systems can provide sustainable drainage solutions in space-constrained urban areas. Obsessing over rain is something of a national pastime, but capturing rainwater could help meet sites’ increased drainage demands, particularly... View Article

Get smart, get control

Edward Lees of Feilo Sylvania shines the light on how sophisticated smart lighting control systems can offer efficiency benefits as well as design flexibility. The industry is now well versed in the benefits of LED technology and the energy savings... View Article

Green City Solutions lands seven-figure first round financing

The Biotech and Internet-of-Things (IoT) Start-up Green City Solutions GmbH headquartered in Berlin announces the successful completion of its first round financing with LITTLEROCK GmbH (Düsseldorf), coparion GmbH & Co. KG (Köln, Berlin) as well as DON Ventures II GmbH... View Article

Slate in demand

According to industry reports, demand for roof tiles is considerably higher than supply. This causes projects to be delayed, which also impacts overall costs. In this article, Nigel Tozer of Cupa Pizarras explains how careful specification can avoid these issues.... View Article

View Point – Rory Bergin of HTA Design

In his second article on the subject for ADF, Rory Bergin looks deeper at the facets within ‘the ethics of development’ that architects should consider. Since ethics are primarily about how we deal with each other, architects might be forgiven... View Article

Ask the Architect – Glenn Swann of LK2

Glenn Swann, associate at sports & leisure specialists LK2, tells ADF about the firm’s aspirations and how technology is helping to shape the profession today. WHY DID YOU BECOME AN ARCHITECT? I’ve always been creative, so the idea of using... View Article

Rock-solid insulation credentials

With clients demanding versatility as well as robust credentials from insulation, Paul Barrett of Rockwool puts stone wool under the microscope. The ingredient of stone wool insulation is a hard, dark volcanic rock – basalt – that is formed when... View Article

Timber covers all the bases

Stephen Toone of canopy manufacturer Fordingbridge describes how timber’s versatility of application and lasting appeal is increasingly seeing it specified. There is no doubt that timber’s strong sustainability credentials are the material’s key advantage when compared to mainstream building materials... View Article