Features

John Park-Davies, Group Marketing Director of Vertik-Al, explains the process and benefits of powder coating architectural aluminium and explores the myriad of colours and finishes available and how architects are using them to differentiate buildings, create drama and act as an alternative to high-impact glazing.

John Park-Davies, Group Marketing Director of Vertik-Al, explains the process and benefits of powder coating architectural aluminium and explores the myriad of colours and finishes available and how architects are using them to differentiate buildings, create drama and act as an alternative to high-impact glazing.

Creating a sense of light and space that is both comfortable and practical is one of the biggest challenges in the design of a building’s fenestration package, and the enduring popularity of highly-glazed facades has fuelled the demand for curtain walling systems to perform as well as they look. Andrew Cooper, National Specification Manager from leading aluminium fenestration solutions provider Senior Architectural Systems (SAS), discusses some of the key issues specifiers need to consider.

Hotels are under pressure to refresh their facilities and interiors as regularly as possible, particularly at the luxury end of the market. The challenge is continuing to offer a superior guest experience while these improvements are carried out. That’s why our expertise in operational refurbishment and flexible approach to scheduling work have been critical to the success of our projects at The Lowry Hotel.

Any Beatles fan will know the Uline Arena as the venue for the band’s first US appearance in 1964. Built in 1941, it also hosted ice hockey, basketball and tennis matches along with events as diverse as rodeos and motor racing.

Boutique gyms are generally designed to look and feel like an exclusive club and are a fast-growing market in the UK. These spaces demand changing areas which reflect their individuality, ethos and brand image with design-led, on-trend interiors setting them apart from other health clubs and leisure centres.

Peter Johnson, Chairman of Vivalda Group, thinks we may finally be nearing the end of the Grenfell saga.

Simon Gregory, Sales Director at Proteus Facades, looks at how innovation in cladding materials are providing architects with more choice when it comes to specifying facades for large and existing buildings.

In March this year, Thomas Heatherwick, English Designer and Founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio, unveiled the much-anticipated exclusive design of the Vessel. Located within Manhattan’s latest mixed-use development, Hudson Yards, the Vessel creates an eye-catching centrepiece for the $25bn site.

Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), SLA, AKT, Lüchinger+Meyer, MOE and Rambøll, CopenHill opens as a new breed of waste-to-energy plant topped with a ski slope, hiking trail and climbing wall, embodying the notion of hedonistic sustainability while aligning with Copenhagen’s goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2025.