The UK has been victim to countless atrocities of late, from the London Bridge attack, Manchester Arena bombing and, more latterly, the Grenfell Tower inferno. On behalf of the team at FC&A, I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the victims, families and friends that have been affected by these atrocious disasters. Our thoughts go out to the emergency services that, in a time of tragedy and distress, were prompt to respond with heartfelt compassion.

Many a professional has commented on the cause of the Grenfell blaze, including Architect and Broadcaster George Clarke who, according to the Mail Online, claims he “has never seen a building spread that quickly in his life…the cladding on the outside and insulation was peeling off, like you’d peel a banana”. Furthermore, RIBA has called for a public enquiry of the “devastating fire at Grenfell Tower with its experts keen to provide every assistance to it”. If any specialists would like to offer expert commentary on the Grenfell Tower disaster, FC&A is welcoming any submissions for its future issues.

Moving onto this issue, FC&A looks at three cases where wood has been used as a sustainable alternative for building materials. On page 18, cross-laminated timber has been utilised for the design of the Maggie’s Oldham Centre, whilst on page 26 the Structural Timber Association looks at hybrid timber systems and, lastly, on page 14, Accoya wood has been specified for Copenhagen’s Royal Arena.

I hope you enjoy this edition. Don’t forget you can also access all of the magazine’s features, product news and supplier information at your fingertips via Future Constructor & Architect’s state-of-the-art app. To download your version free of charge, simply search ‘fc&a’ on Google Play or the App store.