Ask the Architect: Rory Bergin

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Rory Bergin, a regular contributor to ADF, is an architect and offsite specialist who set up and runs the Sustainable Futures team at HTA Design. He leads a specialist team of architects and engineers analysing building performance,... View Article

View Point: Hywel Davies of CIBSE

LISTEN HERE 🔊 With Covid-19 sadly not likely to disappear any time soon, achieving the correct ventilation of workplaces is critical to mitigate the spread in future. Hywel Davies of CIBSE discusses the issues for designers Covid-19 is not going... View Article

Practice Profile: Broadway Malyan

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Tom Boddy speaks to Broadway Malyan about their journey to becoming a global architectural firm, and how the practice philosophy has evolved to increasingly embrace “holistic building design” It was in 1958 in Weybridge, Surrey that Cyril... View Article

New wine in old bottles

LISTEN HERE 🔊 A historic soft drink bottling facility in a formerly run-down part of south east London has been stripped and restored by Studio RHE, bringing its attributes to the fore as a lively commercial and events space. Roseanne... View Article

Slated for natural versatility

LISTEN HERE 🔊 David Cooke from Cupa Pizarras discusses the versatility of natural slate when it comes to aesthetics, and the resulting design freedom it offers architects, giving recent examples In an age where the environmental impact of our actions... View Article

View Point: Sean Ronnie Hill

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Sean Ronnie Hill from RISE Design Studio looks at how and why the whole project team needs to be upskilled to maximise design benefit in pursuing net zero goals in residential retrofits Retrofitting and refurbishing existing dwellings... View Article

Ask the Architect: Jo Wright

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Jo Wright, director of architecture for the UKIMEA region at Arup, answers ADF’s questions on her inspirations and challenges What made you want to become an architect? I enjoyed studying physics, maths and art and I relished... View Article

Exercising soft power

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Designing a power station on the Italian island of Capri, famous as a luxury holiday destination, required a sensitive approach to sit a sustainable new plant gently in its setting. Enrico Frigerio speaks to Roseanne Field Capri,... View Article

Statement architecture

LISTEN HERE 🔊 An award-winning mixed-use project in Munich features 5 metre high LED lettering and an industrially-inspired design that reflects the site’s heritage. Jonathan Schuster, project leader at MVRDV, speaks to Jack Wooler WERK12 is a mixed-use office, culture and... View Article

Light relief

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Heatherwick Studio’s first completed healthcare scheme is a new Maggie’s Centre that turns an unloved patch of city centre hospital estate into a landscape-festooned, lightweight timber refuge for cancer patients. James Parker reports. Heatherwick Studio’s first completed... View Article

On a mission

LISTEN HERE 🔊 A sensitive restoration of a dilapidated but listed ‘Mission Hall’ in west London posed a series of challenges, not least ensuring that external fixtures such as rainwater goods met strict authenticity criteria. Neil Davies Architects report on... View Article

A fresh appreciation

LISTEN HERE 🔊 The pandemic has increased appreciation for fresh air as well as natural light; Tracey Jackson of Howells Patent Glazing explains how rooflights can be the practical answer The pandemic has changed the way owners feel about their... View Article

Conserving authenticity

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Lewis Proudfoot of Cliveden Conservation looks at moisture management in historic buildings, and why he believes lime should be the default material for repairing traditional structures The challenge of maintaining and repairing historic or traditional buildings often... View Article

Critical path to success

LISTEN HERE 🔊 A new critical care hospital in south Wales has been designed by BDP for optimum efficiency to attract the best staff, while achieving an accelerated programme to meet the challenge of Covid. Adrian Hitchcock takes Jack Wooler... View Article

Taking the long view

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Simon Storer of the Insulation Manufacturers Association (IMA), explains why a fabric-first approach to design, combined with a long-term outlook, is the way forward to improve future building performance and cut emissions Building for the future, with... View Article

New arrivals

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Making an entrance has changed – door materials have developed far beyond traditional options to offer composite alternatives which provide a wide choice of styles as well as practicality. Chantel Roach of Distinction Doors explains all PVCu... View Article

Drawn into nature

LISTEN HERE 🔊 Richard Rogers’ final project is the latest addition to an array of modern architecture at Château La Coste, near Aix-en-Provence. Jack Wooler reports on a gravity-defying cantilevered design that soars over its woodland setting Along a historic... View Article

Georgian contemporary

LISTEN HERE 🔊 A practice’s debut new build scheme is a luxury house that tackled a sloping site and planning objections, with a sensitive blend of Georgian and slick modern architecture in north west London. James Parker reports Sitting among... View Article

Elevated aspirations

LISTEN HERE 🔊 A rare speculative office scheme in Sunderland faced a host of challenges, from the demise of Carillion, to a tough local commercial market. As such, Feilden Clegg Bradley (FCBStudios) produced a distinctively attractive, lean building, reports James... View Article

Get it right on the tiles

LISTEN HERE 🔊 If you are looking to specify a tiled floor, it is crucial to understand what preparation is required to ensure that new or existing floor substrates are suitable. Stuart Ross of BAL looks at the different likely... View Article