Product testing and certification is high on the construction industry agenda, particularly in relation to fire protection. Giving specifiers the ability to design with confidence, product certification delivers assurances that the solution has been proven to perform as expected in the event of a fire.

KANVA, a Montreal-based firm renowned for meaningful projects extending beyond the boundaries of architectural shapes and forms, is proud to unveil the delicate grandeur of the newly-redesigned Biodome, a Montreal science museum that immerses visitors in the authentic environs of multiple ecosystems.

This reclaimed hotel floats south of the Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean. Here, an increase in plastic pollution has damaged ecosystems to the Cocos (Keeling) archipelago, trapping and killing hermit crabs amongst the crustaceans that are an important part of tropical environments. This sealife disperses seeds and aerates and fertilises the soil, therefore, their decline could have a significant impact on surrounding ecosystems.

Since graduating from the Welsh School of Architecture in 2002, which included a year out in practice working for Travis McEwen Group (now Architectus) in Sydney, Australia, Gareth Woodfin started his UK professional career at Capita.

Following interviews with ten of the UK’s leading figures in sustainability and hours of fascinating conversation on how to best address climate change, the entire first season of the Designing with Climate in Mind podcast is available to listen to now.

It’s one of the most important considerations in new-build architecture – whether to finish the property with a pitched or flat roof. But it’s also a decision that inspires hotly-contested discussions on the pros and cons of each option, with advances in materials meaning the choice is wider than ever. In this article, George King, Divisional Managing Director at SIG Exteriors, gets to the heart of the debate, and looks at the solutions currently available to architects and specifiers.

As lockdown measures are eased, it will be fascinating to see how different sectors of the UK economy respond. Positively, the early signs are promising for the construction industry, says Jamie Johnson, CEO of FJP Investment.

With the rise of home working and virtual meetings, the way we work and interact with our colleagues, customers and suppliers has changed dramatically over the last year. We may still need to keep our distance, but as Andrew Cooper – National Specification Manager for aluminium fenestration solutions manufacturer Senior Architectural Systems – explains, close collaboration within the supply chain has never been more important.

For the longest time, Calgary, Canada’s third-largest city, resisted the very notion of design. Then, as Santiago Calatrava was called in to build the Peace Bridge, things started to change. And firms such as the marc boutin architectural collaborative (MBAC) are now able to propose – and build – projects that would not have been considered 15 years ago.

Qin Group is a West China-based full chain platform agency in the advertising industry. The brand is a regular customer of Studio DOTCOF, which designed its head office in Chongqing four years ago. Qin Group has now commissioned Studio DOTCOF to design the new office for its Chengdu branch.

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