Get your cladding quality right

John Russell of Russwood explains why using a premium quality timber cladding, along with the right fixing system, is vital to ensure your cladding looks good for the long term The popularity of timber as a cladding material is on... View Article

Added protection where needed from Crittall MW40

Crittall’s Corporate MW40 steel windows can be specified where superior air, wind or water resistance and greater sound attenuation are required. Offering the same high-quality appearance as the company’s successful Corporate W20 range the MW40 variant can accept glass up... View Article

Concrete and the circular economy

Chris Stanley of the Concrete Block Association explains where concrete can fit into a circular economy, and help to boost sustainable housebuilding. Talk of the circular economy has penetrated every part of the construction industry recently, and rightly so. The... View Article

Bamboo flooring: the sustainable alternative

Rob Wooldridge from Moso Bamboo Surfaces looks at the many merits of bamboo flooring – and provides some installation tips for self-builds Bamboo flooring may not be your first thought when considering what flooring to lay in your new build... View Article

The aluminium renaissance

Click here to listen. Steve Bromberg of Express Bi-Folding Doors looks at why he believes that more housebuilders than ever are ditching PVCu in favour of aluminium When it comes to the design of a residential or commercial property, the... View Article

The devil is in the detail: fire protection processes for timber

Howard Morris at Trade Fabrication Systems explores the relative performance benefits of fire-retardant surface coatings and pressure treatments for timber, and explains the merits of an alternative process Admired for its rustic appearance, strength and cost, timber is an attractive... View Article

Why timber needs to be in the frame

Malcolm Thomson of Scotframe explains why he believes timber frame is the ‘gold standard’ for modern construction and why we should all be thinking about fabric-first approaches Offsite timber frame construction allows homes to be built faster and to a... View Article

Adding value to fenestration design

Ian Osborne of Kestrel Aluminium Systems explains how the aluminium industry has evolved to reduce waste and optimise production, enabling the material to compete with PVCu in a range of sectors The increasing preference for aluminium in window and doorframe... View Article

Specifying hardwood timber external doorsets

Our RIBA CPD seminar entitled Specifying Hardwood Timber External Doorsets has recently been updated and is available to architects and construction professionals. Learning Aims include information on fitting into Architectural Glass, challenges with maintenance, accessibility, door security, design features, and... View Article

Offsite timber is construction’s future

Stewart Dalgarno of Stewart Milne Timber Systems discusses why modern methods of construction coupled with a build fabric such as timber frame is key to meeting Government housing targets sustainably. Industry reports are increasingly signalling a move towards modern methods... View Article

Reinforcing the GRP Message

Andy Fell of Hambleside Danelaw explores how housebuilders and developers can avoid the common pitfalls of flat roofing by specifying glass reinforced polyester (GRP), explaining its various benefits. How many times have you heard it said: ‘flat roofs never last... View Article

2019 Brick Award Winners

The night of Wednesday 13th November saw the crowning of the 2019 Brick Awards winners, a ceremony that for 43 years has celebrated the best use of brick in the built environment. Projects of the highest calibre are routinely entered... View Article

Fast and fabulous

The Jaffreys wanted a home that would look good, be energy efficient, was future-proofed and importantly, could be built quickly, and a timber kit was the answer When the Jaffrey family set about building their own home near the village... View Article

SIPs vs traditional construction

Ian Clay of SIPS@Clays offers a few points to consider when choosing the build method for your new home and why SIPs deliver the perfect solution compared with traditional brick and block construction With so many decisions to be made... View Article

Site Lines: Low impact, high materiality

Gavin Maloney of Arup looks at how a house made of expanded cork combines impeccable sustainability credentials with a high degree of tactile beauty Never has public opinion been more interested in how we dispose of the things we produce... View Article

Grand central viewing station

As part of creating a bespoke structure in the centre of a major New York development to offer unique public space, Heatherwick Studio utilised a revolutionary technique to create a copper finish in steel that wouldn’t degrade over time, as... View Article

Domino effect

An addition to the University of Massachusetts displays a composition of staggered copper and glass elements to create a dramatic entranceway. Jack Wooler spoke to architects BIG about how and why this domino effect was created The Business Innovation Hub... View Article