BCO-award-winning architectural practice, gpad london, has completed a 5705ft² new-build reception extension at Brunel House, Fitzalan Road, Cardiff. The lightweight glass and steel extension juxtaposes the existing Brutalist architecture of the 15-storey mass concrete office building. A new entrance with reception, external landscaping and signage gives the building an enhanced facelift and new brand identity.

The replacement of thermally-inefficient balconies during old housing stock renovation and retrofitting balconies to office-to-residential conversion is in demand. But it is crucial that dedicated solutions are chosen for the task and that the products can provide verifiable performance values, says Chris Willett, Managing Director of Schöck.

In a sector where brands are always looking at new ways of catching the eye of the consumer, the design of shops, department stores and retail developments can play a huge role in increasing both footfall and sales. Chris Murray, Contractor Developer Manager with leading fenestration designer and manufacturer Senior Architectural Systems, takes stock of what specifiers should consider when picking out the perfect glazing package.

Stewart Dalgarno, Director of Product Development at Stewart Milne Group – the independent, award-winning house-builder and leading timber systems manufacturer – discusses how utilising digital technologies in the design and build process can bring added value and yield savings for UK house-builders.

A brick finish remains as popular as ever within British architecture but traditional methods of brick building have been challenged for some time now by the flexibility of brick slip cladding which offers a quick, easy and robust solution for new-build and retrofit projects, whether installed on- or off-site.

Dr Richard Coulton, CEO at Siltbuster, talks to FC&A about what the Environment Agency’s new Regulatory Policy Statement means for those working within the construction industry.

Dubbed a ‘modern ghost town’, ‘stillborn city’ and ‘failed utopia’ due to its abundance of infrastructure yet lack of migrants and business back in 2009, Ordos City’s population today has indeed grown since the media’s judgements nine years ago. So much so that the Ordos City Government has commissioned London-based experimental Architect Margot Krasojevic to design an out-of-this-world pedestrian bridge crossing the Wulanmulun River.

With population growth on the rise across the globe and gross floor area (GFA) in decline, architects have been looking to the sky in search of alternatives to meet the world’s housing demand for many years. However, with the development of high-rise alternatives for residential applications, many towns and cities have become densely urbanised and often neglect biodiversity, connecting us back to our natural habitats. One architect practice, however, is changing the face of high-rise structures in the populous city of Lagos.

In China, the name Shenzhen is associated with frenetic pace. The city’s metamorphosis from a fishing village with 30,000 residents into a 15 million-strong metropolis took just 30 years. A start-up at this location required only two decades to become the world’s fourth-largest industrial enterprise. Tencent, the high-tech concern that started out as an email provider, has already overtaken Facebook in terms of its market value.

The organic beauty of natural stone is one that captivates all; whether you’re an architect­­, specifier, procurer or even a homeowner. Perhaps it’s the attraction of stone’s inherent characteristics that is so pleasing to the human eye; from the sheer elegance of sandstone to the endurance of pure limestone and the strength of granite. However, hidden deep in the roots of the UK’s favourite aesthetically-pleasing hard landscaping materials a distressing story is, all too often, concealed; a narrative that’s enshrouded in child labour, underpaid and underprivileged workers and a society that’s stripped bare of fundamental human rights. Amongst the few advocates spearheading the challenges faced by modern slavery in the hard landscaping realm, proudly stands Marshalls, the UK’s leading hard landscaping company whose dedication to ethical sourcing has gone above and beyond many of its peers within the natural stone sector. As part of its commitment to responsible sourcing, the morally-considerate supplier sponsored an insightful roundtable during last month’s Clerkenwell Design Week at the Marshalls Design Space in the heart of London’s design quarter. In this article, FC&A uncovers the findings.