Break out of the white box

With the demand for quality rising, it is increasingly hard to stand out as a developer. Lulu Greenhalgh-Jones of Carpenter Oak explores how housebuilders can use timber to break out of the new development ‘white box.’ The market is not... View Article

Future Watch – Back to the future

Professor Steve Goodhew of the University of Plymouth reports on the CobBauge project, which is seeking to bring a traditional sustainable building material up to date and into line with thermal Building Regulations Building using earth in its unfired form... View Article

Piping hot

Underfloor heating combined with air source heat pumps can provide housebuilders and property developers with flexible and efficient heating solutions, as Paul Wakefield of grant UK explains. Evenly distributing heat upwards into a room, an underfloor heating system maintains optimum... View Article

Dementia-friendly bathroom design

With an ageing population, dementia is on the rise in the UK. Stuart Reynolds of AKW discusses how housebuilders can act on this to create bathrooms that are dementia-friendly, promoting both dignity and safety. The number of people with dementia... View Article

Clearly beautiful

Tanzeela Yasin of IQ Glass explains the aesthetic benefits of including frameless glass balustrades in your project, but also the safety considerations that you need to take into account. Frameless glass balustrades are becoming a popular glazing feature across many... View Article

Looking beneath the surface

David Sherry from Dreadnought Tiles explains the importance of looking beyond the marketing when choosing traditional clay plain tiles. The use of traditional building materials is widely recognised as a vital part of preserving the unique character of our old... View Article

The building blocks of driveway success

Lee Dunderdale of Bradstone spells out everything you need to know about block paving a drive, from planning, design and excavation through to the key aspects of installation, and finishing touches For those who have embarked upon a self-build or... View Article

The lap of luxury

Paul Bailey of Grohe UK offers tips to self-builders on how to add a luxurious feel to your bathroom, whether you’re working to a tight budget, or you are ready to ‘splash some cash’ The term ‘luxury bathroom’ is no... View Article

Windows of opportunity

The Browns had never considered building their own home, but the chance to create a ‘Glasshouse’ with views of the Forth Bridge and Edinburgh Castle was too good to miss. Roseanne Field reports Alan and Lucy Brown had been looking... View Article

BIM for all

Adrian Wild, founder of Integro Construction Software, looks at why smaller housebuilders and developers are missing out on practical BIM software solutions which could bring a range of benefits. Feature-heavy CAD and Building Information Modelling software products are popular with... View Article

Change is in the air

In the wake of the Hackitt review, Paul King of Vicaima explains the changing landscape around fire doors. Government departments are poring over technical data and preparing new directives, and trade bodies are examining every aspect of potential market implications.... View Article

Window shopping

Tom Swallow of Quickslide Windows & Doors discusses some of the key performance and aesthetic considerations when selecting windows. Windows are crucial to the design of a home. Not only do they take the brunt of the elements such as... View Article

Balconies: Bridge the gap

Lee Barber of Balcony Life explains the benefits of, and methodology behind, bolt-on cantilevered steel balconies designed to avoid thermal bridging. Bolt-on cantilevered steel balconies are an architectural feature which are becoming increasingly popular in both the construction of new... View Article

View Point – James Potter, WG+P Architects

James Potter from WG+P Architects takes a look at how the process of identifying your practice’s USP as part of marketing can reveal some interesting truths I’ll start with a plug for some excellent IT consultants, called DP-IT. They have... View Article

Wellness at heart

Racheal Cadey of Edge Architecture + Design explains how The Crown Estate’s new head office in London became the first WELL Platinum certified workplace in Europe, by putting wellness principles at the heart of the design There is a growing... View Article

Warming to lower cost refurbishment

With new energy efficiency standards now in force, some properties needing upgrading could incur significant refurbishment costs. New insulation technologies could help ease the pain, says Hudson Lambert of Safeguard Europe On 1 April 2018, the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards... View Article

Commercial benefits

Catherine Helliker of Danfloor UK explains the many factors that specifiers must consider when selecting a high-performance commercial carpet The floors of any building, whether commercial or residential, will be the surface that has most impact from footfall as well... View Article

Take command of septic tanks

By January 2020, septic tank installations must be upgraded in line with new regulations. Here, Ann Boardman of Saniflo UK offers some tips to specifiers on how to prepare for the changes Septic tanks are found all over the UK,... View Article

Remaining a sustainable ally

Richard Hall of Reynaers UK explains how glass and glazing systems made from aluminium are helping a variety of specifiers improve sustainability and performance Sustainability is a ‘top-of-mind’ concern nowadays; it permeates all levels of society, from a micro perspective... View Article

Blocks of colour

aLL Design took on a residential project in Docklands to not only add colour, character and sustainability for a mix of residents, but also to solve a spatial efficiency puzzle for the client, as James Parker discovers The practice founded... View Article