Features

Lockdown may have recently ended, but a lot is happening under the covers, and innovators are coming up with great ideas to meet the Government’s net-zero goals. The Climate Change Committee’s ambition is to have 5.5 million heat pumps, recognise hydrogen and decarbonise heat. Here are a few tasters of exciting developments and thoughts.

It’s been around for nearly 50 years, but glass-reinforced concrete (GRC) remains an enigma to many architects and contractors in the UK, says James Butler of Pura Facades.

Construction projects are highly complex and interconnected undertakings, and the myriad decisions made across the phases of a project shape the outcomes. How can organisations managing such projects optimise that decision-making to drive project success? Karthik Venkatasubramanian, Vice President of Data and Analytics at Oracle Construction and Engineering, investigates.

Scandinavian architecture firm AART has, together with Höegh Eiendom, designed a new landmark building for the new district of Verket in Moss, Norway. With its paper-like architecture, the mixed-use building not only pays homage to the papermaking history of the area. It has also been shaped and folded to take full advantage of the daylight and view of the deep-blue fjord surrounding the district.

What will our cities look like in a post-COVID-19 era? 3deluxe was commissioned by New York-based organisation #WeThePlanet (WTP) to create an inspirational structure that nurtures and investigates new opportunities for people-friendly architecture in harmony with nature. Here, FC&A explores the German firm’s forward-thinking campus that projects a future where people and nature can live harmoniously alongside one another.

Matt Hollis from Commodore Design, the specialist in quality kitchens for residential developments, discusses the role of future trend analysis in aligning kitchen specification with style influences that appeal to buyers when properties are ready to market.

Tracey Jackson, Business Development Manager for Howells Patent Glazing, looks at the importance of natural light in combatting the ill-effects of the pandemic and how rooflights will be an important architectural tool in designing happy, healthy buildings.

Spacious and airy, relishing in light from both north and south aspects, and with private timber-clad balconies, Paxton House is a far cry from the usual commercial-to-residential conversion in London.

Proposed changes to legislation will see more trees and planting in housing developments and city centres. Let’s re-use storm- and rainwater to keep them green, urges Michael White, Development Director at Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation.

There is a growing urgency for efficient infrastructure and sustainable strategy when it comes to lowering the impact of construction on the environment by shrinking its footprint. It has become less of a buzzword and more of a shared responsibility amongst contractors, as urban construction becomes a common, fixed part of our everyday scenery – our homes, offices, marketplaces and coffeehouses.