Architecture & Design Community
April 15, 2025
Darren Brennan, Specification Director at Siderise, answers readers’ questions on passive fire protection for the building envelope. 1 Bank Street in London’s Canary Wharf employs Siderise CW-FS firestops and MI3 acoustic foam inserts (photo: Hufton + Crow). What is passive fire protection in terms of the building envelope and why is it important? Passive fire […]
May 29, 2024
A week-long training event in Buckinghamshire offers ‘deep immersion’ in the wonders of earth building. Clayfest, an annual training event dedicated earth building will take place from Monday 15th July to Saturday 20th July 2024. The first four days will be hosted by HG Matthews at its factory in Buckinghamshire and will include workshops on […]
March 22, 2024
Earth Building UK and Ireland has produced a learning module on earth building for School of Specification. CEO Rowland Keable explains why we need a change of mindset to unlock the many benefits it brings. What are the main types of earth building? Earth structures can be classified in a number of ways: monolithic, masonry, […]
February 16, 2024
HLW has produced a learning module on specifying healthy materials for School of Specification. Senior designer Alison Grant outlines the dangers of unhealthy materials and the role that architects can play in improving the supply chain. How do you define healthy? For us at HLW, ‘healthy’ is predominantly about working and living in an environment […]
January 4, 2024
Steve Webb of Webb Yates Engineers has produced a learning module on stone for School of Specification. Here, he explains how the potato/tomato line provides a clue as to how stone construction might be developed in the UK. You’ve been involved in a number of conceptual installations exploring the structural and aesthetic possibilities of stone. […]
August 9, 2023
Paloma Gormley, Summer Islam and George Massoud discuss how the Hackney-based practice is radically rethinking its attitudes towards materials for a post-carbon future. Words Jason Sayer Photos Agnese Sanvito When you visit the Material Cultures’ website materialcultures.org you are greeted by a series of clips of materials in action: brown sludgy stuff being extracted, wood […]
August 10, 2022
Squire and Partners has designed a bespoke ‘cogwheel’ façade for art’otel, a 26-storey art-inspired hotel in London’s Hoxton. Partner Murray Levinson talks to Architecture Today about the challenges involved. Located in the South Shoreditch Conservation Area, the flagship development includes a hotel, creative studios, workshops, an arts hub, spa and cinema Squire and Partners is […]
13 November 2026
