View Point: Alex Thomas

LISTEN HERE 🔊 As the gaps on our high streets grow, it’s time to future-proof them for the growing cohort of tech-enabled and eco-conscious customers by harnessing the potential of digital venues, says Alex Thomas from HKS Architects There is... View Article

Ask the Architect: Melanie Jacobsen Cox

LISTEN HERE 🔊 The new head of healthcare at HLM, Melanie Jacobsen Cox, answers ADF’s questions on what makes her tick What made you want to become an architect? I have construction in my blood through my grandfather and dad,... View Article

Smart steps to wellness

LISTEN HERE 🔊 SOM created the ‘smartest building in Chicago’ with a terraced form designed to bridge the gap between its historic low-rise and high-rise context. Its architect gives James Parker the lowdown on reaching high levels of workplace sustainability... View Article

Riding high

LISTEN HERE 🔊 A world-class multi-storey skate park has been constructed in Folkestone, Kent, a novel concrete form also designed to attract climbers and boxers, and which has quickly become a popular local landmark. Jack Wooler reports F51 is a... View Article

Inspiration returns

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) is returning after a two-year break from 24-26 May, taking over London’s creative hub with promises to be the ‘biggest and boldest’ yet Since it made its debut in 2009, CDW has become... View Article

Practice Profile: THISS Architects

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Looking to carve out a niche as a new practice, THISS Architects focus on craftsmanship, collaboration, and landscape with a goal of ensuring that no two projects are ever the same. The firm’s founders explain their working... View Article

New colours on the block

LISTEN HERE 🔊 MVRDV’s first completed major US project is a mixed use scheme including a boutique hotel, which makes a bold architectural diversity statement in a range of colours and scales to help it blend with the locality. Tom... View Article

Respecting climate & culture

LISTEN HERE 🔊 A timber research facility has been constructed in Rotorua, New Zealand which combines a net zero design showcasing timber’s potential with a high degree of local cultural sensitivity. Jack Wooler reports  The fritted pattern of the glazing... View Article

Ask the Architect: Liz Leber

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Liz Leber, managing partner of New York practice Beyer Blinder Belle, drives her firm to work with clients who have a clear “mission”, but also strives to extract their core project objectives. She explains the “creativity, pragmatism,... View Article

Health and wellbeing at work

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Architects Saunders have designed what will be one of the most sustainable business parks in the UK, with the focus on sustainable construction and healthy lifestyles for staff. Managing director Martin Williams explains why it is an... View Article

More than meets the eyes

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Retail developments in Chinese cities now contain much more than just retail, and are designed to be ‘all-in-one’ destinations; the new Shanghai Jiuguang Center is no exception. Roseanne Field reports The Shanghai Jiuguang Center, located in the... View Article

Selling biophilic benefits

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Shopping malls are a key social destination in China, and with this in mind Lead8 sought to provide a landscape-rich interior to enhance the experience of a new mixed-use scheme in Chongqing, in the form of a... View Article

Different ways of working

LISTEN HERE 🔊 James Parker spoke to the architects behind an evolving 10 year scheme to provide flexible offices framing rare green space in the heart of Manchester, as part of a wider masterplan to create a new urban quarter... View Article

Learning from context

LISTEN HERE 🔊 When Design Engine designed a trio of buildings for the University of Winchester, they used corten steel to emulate the local built heritage, while creating spaces that supported students’ wellbeing. Roseanne Field reports Located on one of... View Article

Working outside the box

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Architect@Work returns to a physical format at the Truman Brewery in London for 2022; the event on 13-14 April is themed around design for outside space as well as buildings themselves, with the focus on health and... View Article

Viewpoint: Russell Pedley of Assael Architecture

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Russell Pedley of Assael Architecture looks at how the humble beginnings of build-to-rent has led to a new design sector and an investor’s dream, but also challenges for project teams from out-of-date standards The history of build-to-rent... View Article

Ask the Architect: John Rhodes of HOK

LISTEN HERE 🔊 With extensive experience in arena and stadium design, John Rhodes of HOK explains what drives him, and how the pandemic has forced designers to ‘futureproof’ major facilities What made you want to become an architect? I think... View Article

Stream of consciousness

LISTEN HERE 🔊 With even greater proliferation of film and TV content across a growing range of streaming platforms since the pandemic, there’s huge demand for sustainable production facilities in the UK. Jason Lebidineuse of Scott Brownrigg and Michael Davis... View Article

Positive mental attitude

LISTEN HERE 🔊 The multi-award winning Springfield Meadows is a collection of 25 ‘carbon positive’ homes in Oxfordshire, designed by Greencore Construction to be the UK’s ‘most sustainable development.’ MD Ian Pritchett tells Jack Wooler how the project was a... View Article

View Point: Nigel Ostime of Hawkins\Brown (Part 2)

LISTEN HERE 🔊 In the second of two articles, Nigel Ostime of Hawkins\Brown provides a comprehensive guide on managing a Pre-Construction Services Agreement to get the best outcome for architects and their clients In last month’s edition, I explained what a... View Article