The September 2017 edition of Future Constructor & Architect.

Firman Glass has evolved over the previous 40 years from a replacement glazing business in the early ‘70s to one of the leading independent glass processors, tougheners and structural glazing operations in the country.

The story of ENIGMA started with renowned Catalan Chef Albert Adrià’s vision to create a ‘frozen and enigmatic’ restaurant project that was to reflect his cuisine as well as his career. His vision took shape when 2017 Pritzker Prize winner, RCR Arquitectes, drew its design idea in watercolours and decided to bring it to life with the help of Neolith by TheSize, manufacturer and designer of sintered stone.

Andrew Mitchell from NBT discusses the benefits of woodfibre insulation and why it’s moving beyond the specialist timber and ‘eco’ construction market and into the mainstream.

Here Andrew Gill, Marketing Manager at Brett Landscaping, discusses the current issues facing installers and end-users of porcelain in the UK.

“Man darf nie beim Alten stehen bleiben” (“You must never remain standing still”), a quote that visitors are greeted with when they are guided through the innovative museum of German-based thermal break solutions manufacturer, Schöck. These are the wise words of the company’s Founder, Eberhard Schöck, and this message is unmistakably the ethos behind the company’s groundbreaking thermal solutions.

In August 2014, the British Standard Code of Practice for Slating and Tiling (BS 5534) recommendations were updated to improve the overall security of traditional slated and tiled pitched roofs. Sadly, site practice is still lagging behind – resulting in voided warranties and, at worst, significant roof failures. Dr Kevin Ley, Technical Manager of Redland, explains.

Located on the Elbe River, on the western tip of the HafenCity in Hamburg, Germany, the Elbphilharmonie is one of the largest and most acoustically advanced concert halls in the world and an outstanding example of modern architecture.

Standards within the construction industry are constantly being reviewed to ensure building works comply with regulations and quality expectations. However, despite the efforts taken to meet or exceed these standards, there will still always be complaints forthcoming. Many architects and contractors may see this as an unjustified attack on their good name, or a tactic to avoid payment. This may spur them to defend their business by ‘having it out’ with the complainant.

Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) is used as the foundation for concurrent engineering processes to simplify and fully optimise the structure wherever possible, to reduce manufacturing and assembly costs and to quantify improvements. This process helps to identify, calculate and eliminate waste or inefficiency in the building design. Kevin Riley, board member of the Structural Timber Association and Head of Business Line, LVL, for Stora Enso – discusses why DfMA is becoming an increasingly important consideration.