Daring to be different

Self-build Case Study: Ex-headteacher Joan Morters opted for a timber-built passive house system and a roof shaped like butterfly wings for her retirement home TEXT JESS UNWIN IMAGES JESS UNWIN & JOAN MORTERS Former teacher Joan Morters’ self-build story is... View Article

Recycled retreat

Self-Build Case Study: Almost everything was recycled or reinvented in Sally and John Medforth’s rural retreat TEXT Heather Dixon   IMAGES OF SELF-BUILD Dave Burton When Sally and John Medforth bought a hillside farm in Yorkshire it came with a series... View Article

A family affair

Self-Build Case Study: Many parents would feel sceptical about letting their child design their future home. But for one couple in Liverpool, handing over the reins to their daughter turned out to be the best decision they made TEXT ANNA... View Article
Gill MacLeod – Renovation in Scotland

The fruits of determination

Listen here. Nothing was going to stop resourceful self-builder Gill MacLeod achieving the house of her dreams, a major renovation in rural Scotland TEXT JAYNE DOWLE IMAGES EMMA GRAY Clambering around a delivery depot in a hi-vis vest and hard hat,... View Article
Self-Build Case Study: Ian and Julie Perrin

An uphill battle

Self-Build Case Study: Ian and Julie Perrin were unsure about buying the ‘difficult’ plot of land they ended up building on in Montgomery, mid-Wales, but they convinced themselves to take the plunge TEXT ROSEANNE FIELD IMAGES NIKHILESH HAVAL | Listen... View Article

Curves in all the right places

Self-Build Case Study: Not only have Roger and Lucy Southcott achieved their ambition of building a home that’s energy self-sufficient with super-low greenhouse gas emissions, they’ve also created something that’s carefully shaped to fit the contours of its Wiltshire location... View Article
Iffley Road Sports Complex

Flexibility and agility

A new sports centre forms a key part of an ongoing masterplan at Oxford University’s iconic Iffley Road Sports Complex, where Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile. James Parker reports on a highly flexible space with an innovative glass floor... View Article

An open book

An adaptive reuse project in a former Netherlands train depot is being hailed as a sign of things to come for public libraries, with an open design that provides a lot more than just bookshelves. Jack Wooler reports Located in... 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
Vertical integration

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

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

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
The Music Box

Living in harmony

Combining a contemporary music college with a mix of residential accommodation, The Music Box is a new landmark for Southwark. Trevor Morriss, principal architect, explains to Jack Wooler how uses were carefully integrated to create a unique hybrid Connecting a... View Article
Tivoli boutique cinema: Box office appeal – netMAGmedia Ltd

Box office appeal

An interior design project in Bath took the boutique cinema concept up a notch, for a client looking to balance high end and universal appeal. Sébastien Reed spoke to the firm directing a dramatic makeover A recent addition to Bath’s... View Article

Working together for patients

The substantial new hospital north of Stockholm embodies collaboration – between the public and private sector, academia and healthcare, and two of Sweden’s leading architectural firms. James Parker reports Recently opened after a 12 year gestation in the north of... View Article