2020 will not be easily forgotten. With the loss of so many loved ones, the financial impact of being furloughed or losing one’s job, as well as witnessing the struggles of officials attempting to manage the situation, it’s certain that the impact of coronavirus will stay with us for a long time. However, from the depths of this crisis and its negative impact, there are hidden pockets of positivity, says Alan Dowdall, Associate at Ramboll UK.

This month, FC&A talks to Andy Parsons, Managing Director at Yelo Architects, about his career journey as an architect and discovers what drove him to open his very own practice 10 years ago.

For the housing industry today, the problems of the ‘Third World War’ (i.e. COVID-19) mirror somewhat those of the Second World War when the aim was to come up with a quick, efficient and modern answer to a problem. In 1942, it was the bombed-out housing crisis. This was when the UK took inspiration from the USA and their very advanced and modern prefabricated houses for workers and families working on huge dam construction projects. UK prefabs were temporary homes built in the factory – they were the MMC (modern methods of construction) of their day.

How can protective coatings strengthen, enhance and improve the lifespan of buildings?

Xuhong Zheng has worked at Hawkins\Brown for the past six years and completed her Part III qualification at the practice while working on a diverse range of projects across the residential, education and workplace sectors. Here, FC&A talks to Xuhong about her time before Hawkins\Brown and finds out more about her passion for architecture.