An arena with a difference

An impressive multi-purpose sporting venue in Derby leaves its regional rivals standing because it has something they don’t – an indoor cycle racing track. Ray Philpott reports There’s something mesmerising about Derby Arena. With its skin of gently curving, multi-coloured... View Article

Specifying external sliding doors

Latest developments in window technology have radically improved the design, performance, and security of fully-glazed external sliding doors for residential use. However, as sliding doors become increasingly sophisticated, specification also becomes more complex. Andy Trewick, VELFAC direct sales manager, comments Site suitability To... View Article

Just add water

New Government planning requirements for sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) incorporating techniques such as concrete block permeable paving came into force this April, amidst a growing realisation that they can deliver far more than just drainage as a key part of... View Article

The retail revolution

A tectonic shift has overtaken the retail construction sector over the past five years as retailers have responded to the challenges of persistently weak consumer spending and changes to how and where people shop. Stephen Cousins asks “where is it... View Article

DfMA – healthy injection for hospital design?

The advanced off-site manufacturing system, Design for Manufacture and Assembly, was used to build the Cheesegrater in London and is now helping deliver the next generation of UK hospitals faster, safer, and to higher levels of design quality than ever... View Article

A warm welcome at the care hotel

Deep in the heart of rural Essex, a building that heralds a new approach to high-quality residential care for older people has opened its doors. Ray Philpott discovers what makes it different With an ageing population that’s growing year by... View Article

An enlightened approach to mental healthcare

Hopewood Park is one of the UK’s newest psychiatric hospitals and designed to provide a supportive, uplifting environment light years away from the dark and foreboding institutions of the past. Ray Philpott reports Cast your eye over serene Hopewood Park... View Article

Prognosis is good for new community hospital

A site hemmed in by houses, a road and a hill, plus instructions that health services must continue uninterrupted during construction – Jess Unwin discovers there were many challenges for the designers of a new hospital in Dover A series... View Article

Debunking the myths of modular construction

Modular buildings are still something of an unknown quantity, both inside and outside the construction industry. Wernick Group Marketing Manager, Leigh Fennell discusses some of the more prevalent misconceptions about modular offsite construction: “Modular buildings are low quality” Many people’s... View Article

Getting the design right

Getting the design right on schemes that mix new-build and restoration of listed buildings is notoriously difficult to achieve. When the London Borough of Newham decided to try and create a campus at the site of the authority’s Edwardian office... View Article

An altogether different glass

Increasingly used in modern railway station design, security glass is not only an aesthetically useful material, it helps to make these busy public spaces safer. Ray Philpott reports. The UK’s railway stations are visibly benefiting from significant overall investment in the... View Article

Gehry’s Parisian Dream

Featuring 12 giant glass and steel ‘sails’, the £80 million Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Foundation for Creation in Paris is arguably Frank Gehry’s most structurally daring project to date, requiring a plethora of innovative construction products and technologies to realise.... View Article

A brave new world for London Bridge station

One of the capital’s great historic railway stations is on course to become the well designed, attractive transport hub it should always have been. Ray Philpott explores the role of architecture in its renaissance London Bridge, the city’s first passenger... View Article

Metal comes to the fore in public-facing projects

Steve Menary explores the changing use of metal in major public-facing projects from sports to leisure and retail Most of the sports fans in the Chris Hoy Velodrome at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow would have been gripped by... View Article

Barking’s new model housing

The UK’s first wholly private-financed council housing scheme, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, has been designed to exploit the latest off-site manufacturing techniques. Stephen Cousins reports With cash-strapped councils across the UK struggling to deliver enough social... View Article

Just the spot

Designing outstanding hotels for difficult to develop locations pays off, writes Ray Philpott­­ Two impressive, high-end hotels have been created in interesting but rather challenging sites in the heart of London. On the South Bank and boasting breathtaking views over... View Article

Maximising daylight in design

It is clear that there is an opportunity for architects and specifiers to make much better use of daylight in buildings throughout the design process. Indeed daylight should play as central a role in the design as technical installations. However,... View Article

Specifying canopies, shelters and walkways

Vicky Evans, sales director of Twinfix Limited demonstrates that there are many things to consider when specifying a glazed canopy or walkway. Where is it going to be used? What is its purpose? Do you have a particular design in... View Article