UFH in conversion projects – the essentials

The most common question asked about the suitability of underfloor heating (UFH) in a building conversion is ‘how can we minimise the floor build up?’ This is an important area to master within a project such as an office to... View Article

Unravelling the options for cast stone specifications

There are three cast stone options available for architectural projects. Simon Scott of Haddonstone explains Cast stone is one of the most versatile building mat-erials available and, in a number of important ways, is markedly superior to quarried stone. One... View Article

Greenbuild Expo returns

With a packed conference and exhibition Greenbuild Expo returns to Manchester Central in May to highlight and promote sustainability in the built environment Greenbuild Expo takes place in Manchester on the 7 and 8 May featuring a packed conference programme... View Article

The Shadow House: A story of inner city self-build

Having designed large luxurious properties for private clients and worked on complex urban social housing developments, David Liddicoat and Sophie Goldhill were keen to use their combined experience to create a small, attractive, cost effective and compact home for themselves.... View Article

Rigid approach to damp-proofing

Grant Terry, head of brand development for Marmox (UK) Ltd, advocates a structured approach to dealing with damp and insulation issues Despite theories that global warming could turn our latitudes into some sort of sub-Saharan desert, the past few months have reminded... View Article

How green is your rooftop?

Here we review green roofs as an option for your self-build: why you should consider them, what ranges and varieties are available and the practical issues to be aware of One of the great joys of building your own home has to... View Article

Why are trickle ventilators needed?

Dean Bradley, sales and marketing manager for Glazpart Ltd, explores the requirement for trickle vents and how they can affect a building’s living environment The necessity for trickle ventilators has long been a controversial and somewhat puzzling issue in the window market... View Article

Beauty, quality, character & style

With such an abundant choice of colours, textures and styles, choosing the correct wooden floor for any build can be confusing. Peter Keane, director of wood flooring manufacturers, The Natural Wood Floor Company, looks at the benefits of wooden flooring, how... View Article

Wood burning stoves are a hot topic

Matt Hardy, showroom manager at The Heat Store Ltd, gets into the hot seat to answer questions about specifying a wood burning stove. One of the most important things to consider when having a wood burning stove installed in your... View Article

History provides a future for the retired

Instead of a shining new development for the retired, Anchor Trust and English Care Village Partnerships are using design to invent a history for an assisted living development in Hampshire, as Steve Menary reports. Ensuring good design can be achieved... View Article

Inspired by natural systems

Ventilated façades have been around for a long time. In traditional Scandinavian housing, for example, an air gap was included between the timber external wall and the internal wall, as a way of preventing these soft wood structures from rotting... View Article

Titan in its tomb

The country’s second largest ever concrete pour was needed to create a building for Cambridge’s materials scientists in which vibration could be kept to a minimum. Mark Smulian reports. It must have been a remarkable sight when 120 lorries drove... View Article

Specifying off-mains drainage

Kevin Roe, sales director of Kingspan Klargester, looks at the drainage options available for different sites. Of the country’s current stock of 25 million houses, around 1.5 million are not connected to the sewer. In all cases the first consideration... View Article

Ap-ply-ing a different pitch to roofing

By Martin Shave, business development manager for domestic roofing at Protan. Why do we build dwellings with pitched, tiled roofs? There is no law saying we have to; it is tradition, and a bad reputation for flat roofs. Yet a... View Article

SIPs – The third method of construction

By Tony Millichap, technical manager of Kingspan Insulation Limited. Conventional construction methods such as brick and block have two distinct disadvantages: programmes can become unpredictable in our wet climate, and walls are having to become thicker and thicker in order... View Article