Features

Increasing numbers of machines, people, buildings and technology means our world is getting noisier. And this issue isn’t just limited to the outside world, with new research by Geberit finding that unwanted noise inside the home affects more than half of us – and it’s having a direct impact on our wellbeing. Here, Sophie Weston, Channel Marketing Manager for Specification and Developer at Geberit, explores the significance of unwanted noise in the home, and why, in its new White Paper (A Sound Solution), it is calling for a radical rethink of acoustic regulations in residential environments.

Quality, attractive, high-performance hard landscaping is key to the successful completion of commercial and domestic projects, delivering a sense of community that adds place and value. But what lies beneath these beautifully designed areas is equally important to their performance and should not be overlooked, as Julian Thurbin, of specialist pedestal manufacturer Wallbarn, outlines.

BriggsAmasco, a leading national commercial roofing company, is currently undertaking a complex multiple-roof installation as part of a spectacular redevelopment designed to transform one of London’s most recognisable landmarks into a highly-desirable mixed-use development.

On 11th March, the recently appointed Chancellor Rishi Sunak presented the Government’s 2020 Spring Budget. The majority of the announcements focused on the short-term economic relief to those consumers and businesses affected by COVID-19. However, the Government also took the opportunity to follow through on the tax reforms it had originally touted in the lead up to the 2019 General Election.

The building and construction sectors have come under fire for their contributions to climate change, with the industry churning out 39% of the world’s carbon emissions – with operational emissions accounting for 28% and the remaining 11% from embodied or upfront carbon (from materials and construction processes), writes Sam Tracey, Regional SHEQ Advisor at Actavo Direct.

With sustainability high on the corporate agenda, many construction businesses are looking at ways to reduce their carbon footprint by choosing greener building materials, some even made from waste carbon dioxide. But could they be doing more?

Two major benefits, surprisingly, have come along in the wake of Coronavirus. These are a greater awareness of the community (the wartime spirit) and greater awareness about keeping healthy, active and interested (both personal and public). The best architects and designers have always realised that these factors are fundamental to the success and appreciation of well-designed public buildings.

Freebooter is a small building located in the centre of the island of Zeeburgereiland in Amsterdam, facing the IJ river, consisting of two duplexes of 120m2 each.

In early summer 2019, the new traffic hub Køge Nord Station was officially opened – featuring a spectacular footbridge, a station and a park area that form a significant hub for green mobility as well as a unique example of Danish architecture and engineering. Køge Nord Station was designed by an architectural team consisting of COBE and DISSING+WEITLING architecture.

Anna Broadbent, Senior Architect at Saunders Boston Architects, trained at Kingston School of Art, the Royal College of Art and the University of Cambridge. Prior to qualifying, she worked at de Metz Forbes Knight and Carl Turner Architects. In 2008, she started her own company, focusing on high-end renovations and extensions for homes in London and conservation projects in the Home Counties. With a desire to work on larger-scale residential, mixed-use and more socially conscious regeneration projects, she joined Saunders Boston Architects in 2016.