Features
This month, we talk to Alasdair Rankin, the creative force steering Aitken Turnbull Architects. From a childhood LEGO fascination to designing spaces that defy norms, Rankin’s interview unveils the unique path he’s carved in the architectural world. Find out more about his impactful projects, including transformative work with Macmillan Cancer Support, and catch a glimpse of the lighter side – a memorable story involving a scaffold ladder and mistaken identities.
Designed by De Matos Ryan, Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery forms an integral part of the National Railway Museum’s Vision 2025 transformation programme. This new, interactive gallery in York embodies the Science Museum Group’s vision to build creative STEM confidence and ignite the engineering curiosity of future generations. It will equip and inspire the target audience of seven to 14 year olds with the skills and aptitudes needed to meet and embrace the potential engineering challenges and opportunities of the future.
News that a UK space satellite can map the heat of objects on Earth, some as small as 3.5m across, has directly highlighted the need for greater energy efficiency in our existing building stock, says Kas Mohammed, Vice President, Digital Energy at Schneider Electric UK&I.
Fenestration is an important part of the building envelope and one that needs careful consideration to ensure that aesthetic appeal is carefully balanced with increasingly stringent performance requirements. Andrew Cooper, National Specification Manager from Senior Architectural Systems, one of the UK’s largest privately-owned manufacturers of aluminium windows, doors and curtain wall solutions, provides a checklist for compliance and how early engagement can help.
Emily Hillman, Associate Urban Designer at Pegasus Group, explores whether the latest – in a long line of – design guides is a beauty or a beast.
Meet Colin D’Alton, the Co-Founder and Director at Gray Design, with 30 years of experience. From the Celtic Tiger era in Dublin to founding his own practice, Colin’s journey is a testament to passion and innovation. Inspired by Frank Gehry, he blends sustainability with creative brilliance.
After 70 years of Government secrecy, plans are revealed to open up the mile-long underground WWII shelters in London that inspired James Bond’s Q Branch.
Angela Mansell, Managing Director of Mansell Building Solutions, discusses why time needs to be called on outdated methods and mindsets.
There’s more to meeting the latest requirements of Part L than meets the eye and, as John Mellor from leading UK building materials manufacturer Glidevale Protect explains, ‘hidden protectors’, such as reflective breather membranes and vapour control layers, can make a difference to the thermal efficiency of a building.
Alan Hall, Projects Director at regeneration specialist Genr8 Developments, discusses the benefits of an approach that focuses on the long-term legacy of a scheme.