Features

Assurance of quality and safety are key to building product specifiers, installers and end-users. But how do you know the product being considered matches its published specification? It’s an issue that has become more critical post-Grenfell and one that the British Board of Agrément – the UK-leading building products certification body – had been considering for some time. Its answer, launched last year, was the ground-breaking Product Excellence Programme (PEP). Here Head of the BBA Testing Unit, Alvaro Enguita-Gonzalez, explores the objective of the programme.

Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the negative spotlight on cladding materials had a major knock-on effect for the construction industry, from builders and sub-contractors to architecture firms. Days after the incident, cladding installed on buildings more than 18m in height was called into question by the Government, leading to significant increases in premiums for Professional Indemnity Insurance. Bryan Banbury, Managing Director of leading independent insurance broker Russell Scanlan, discusses the impact on the insurance industry and advises how companies can plan ahead when renewing policies.

The Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) has completed the first of a series of unique ‘day trip cabins’, built to make treks in the Norwegian Mountains more accessible for novice hikers and explorers.

MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, has revealed its design for ‘Courtyard Kindergarten’ in Beijing. Located on the site of a traditional siheyuan courtyard that dates back to 1725, MAD’s scheme includes a new building that not only protects the existing buildings but also restores them for use. The design features a dynamic floating roof that surrounds the historical courtyard. While preserving the cultural heritage of the site, it forms a multi-layered urban narrative, where old and new coexist.

Award-winning architect and interior design practice gpad london has completed Stylus, a high-end office redevelopment in the St. Luke’s conservation area in Old Street. Dating from 1886, the facade is the only original feature retained.

Here Jason Hughes, Managing Director of Imperial Bricks, talks about the growing market for brick slips and tiles – both externally and internally.

While the earliest applications of underfloor heating can be traced back to 5000 BC Korea, most of the major developments resulting in the systems we know and use today happened in the last 100 years, says Ross Verity, Managing Director of ForceDry.

Endless colours, clean, modern lines and green credentials – what more could you want for a 21st-century facade? James Ormerod, Managing Director of architectural finishes firm Aliva UK, explains why insulated render is well worth considering.

In 2017, the average UK household spent £102 per month on electricity and gas, accounting for nearly 5% of the UK’s average household budget. Nicolas Tye, Principal Architect at Nicolas Tye Architects, explores how following an ecological principle for a property’s design – particularly with regard to the strategic installation of glazing – can significantly improve a home’s energy efficiency, whilst simultaneously reducing its associated energy costs.

In October, the British Board of Agrément, in conjunction with Local Authority Building Control, launched 100% Hackitt, a joint venture to press the Government to introduce all 53 of Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommendations. Claire Curtis-Thomas, Chief Executive of the BBA, discusses why the initiative is important and how the industry can get behind it.