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Why this year’s RIBA awards feel like a turning point
The RIBA Stirling Prize night produced a strikingly different list of winners. For Satish Jassal, whose practice took the Neave Brown Award for Housing, it raised a bigger question about where the profession is heading
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De-risking heritage projects starts with early collaboration
Heritage projects bring risks that cannot always be identified from drawings or surveys alone. Cameron de Wys explores how early collaboration, detailed documentation and the right balance of modern technology and traditional expertise can help manage uncertainty
To save historic buildings, we must let them change
Architects, clients, and authorities must become more willing to support thoughtful adaptation, writes Richard Prest
Before the Budget, is innovation what we need?
Government funding should prioritise innovation and public procurement should be where it leads, writes Jay Morton
It’s time to treat arts and culture as an essential service, not a ‘nice to have’
Cultural venues are expanding again after a covid-era decline but public investment is yet to catch up, says Citizens Design Bureau founding director Katy Marks
Remembering Frank McDonald: possibly the most important urbanist you have never heard of
David Rudlin pays tribute to a an ‘utterly fearless’ Irish journalist who raged against the destruction of historic Dublin
Fire safety cannot be verified at the final inspection alone
Gateway 3 has brought greater scrutiny to how passive fire protection is installed and evidenced, making early quality assurance, effective change control and collaboration essential to demonstrating compliance, says Lee Nichols
‘Grief literacy’ what it is, and why it is going to be more important
New rules allowing employees to take unpaid leave following bereavement means business leaders will need to get better at understanding how grief impacts people at work, writes Louise Rodgers
What if play is part of the answer?
Could second staircases in high rise buildings function as childrens’ play areas as well as essential fire safety routes? Félicie Krikler proposes looking again at how we incorporate play into housing schemes so we can get more out of what is already there.
The Lion Green Road Stirling win signals RIBA’s support for council housing
Mary Duggan Architects and RUFFARCHITECTS’ Lion Green Road has taken the Stirling Prize, but the win carries political weight far beyond its architectural merits - arriving at a pivotal moment for council housing in Britain, says Ben Flatman
The Lion Green Road Stirling win signals RIBA’s support for council housing
Mary Duggan Architects and RUFFARCHITECTS’ Lion Green Road has taken the Stirling Prize, but the win carries political weight far beyond its architectural merits - arriving at a pivotal moment for council housing in Britain, says Ben Flatman
Can AI submit my planning application? What is left for architects when AI can draw?
At a recent supper club at the offices of Ackroyd Lowrie, architects discussed what the technology means for the future of the profession. Guests asked what will remain for architects given the rapid encroachment of AI into their traditional roles. Oliver Lowrie believes he may have the answer.
Let’s be specific: Overheating Q+A with Stuart Smith, Zehnder Group UK
Overheating is becoming an increasingly important consideration in building design, with rising summer temperatures adding to the challenge of creating comfortable, energy-efficient buildings. But addressing the risk is not simply a question of adding cooling.
Perhaps architecture needs more tradition, not less
Nigel Ostime has recently been appointed as the new master of the Architects Livery Company. He believes centuries-old institutions still have a valuable role to play in bringing people together around a shared profession
Planning reform alone will not deliver better places
Once the economic constraints lift, developers and local planning authorities must understand the role of design in the process of quality placemaking, argues Ben Derbyshire
Protection of what, exactly? On the title and function debate at AHMM
At a debate last week hosted by the Future Cities Project at AHMM, ahead of the Battle of Ideas Festival on 17 and 18 October, four architects and engineers debated whether an architect’s function, not just the title, should be protected in law. Oriana Fernandez reports
Why building safety cannot be left entirely to the free market: A history of building regulations (part III)
Eleanor Jolliffe considers attempts to reduce and simplify the regulations and how the Grenfell Tower tragedy changed everything
Designing security into high-value homes without compromising architectural character
In high-value homes, security is judged by how effectively it safeguards a property without it actually looking protected. Cameron de Wys explores strategies to integrate sophisticated systems so thoroughly that they become virtually undetectable
Architects must go beyond carbon in thinking about embodied value
Concerns about emissions have driven interest in adaptive re-use. But embodied carbon is only part of the story. Architects should consider what other forms of value are hidden within existing structures, says Studio Moren’s Dexter Moren
The most important commission a city can make is a vision
Judging this year’s UK Design Capital of the Year award has reminded Martyn Evans that the greatest act of civic design is not designing a building at all — it is deciding what kind of city you want to become
Building envelope performance starts with the whole system
Danilo Gomes explores why building envelope design increasingly requires a coordinated approach to fire, thermal, acoustic and moisture performance, and considers the role of early collaboration in demonstrating compliance
Scotland’s fires provide many lessons for the heritage sector
Tragic events in Glasgow should prompt a UK-wide reckoning about maintenance, funding and what genuine regeneration requires, writes Matthew Mckeague, chief executive of the Architectural Heritage Fund says
Construction’s talent pipeline has been hiding in schools for years
The skills debate is back. But Class Of Your Own founder Alison Watson argues that construction already has a proven education pipeline – and that industry categorisation and schools policy have combined to keep it invisible
The government is right to be more interventionist on planning
Governments have tried assuming every council will plan maturely and conscientiously. But this hasn’t worked so Matthew Pennycook’s more robust approach is needed, writes Paul Smith.
Retrofitting starts below ground
UKGBC’s April 2026 report highlighted that most buildings are set to remain in use until at least 2050. Retrofit is therefore critical and Jon Chevin explores why ground stability should be considered from the outset
Why architects need to rethink door specification under Martyn’s Law
Rob Mottram, head of product and compliance at steel door manufacturer Robust UK, explains how Martyn’s law impacts door specification
Class L confusion – why a label isn’t a standard when it comes to battery storage
Matt Partridge argues you shouldn’t take a fire rating at face value when it comes to battery storage. He says a “class L” label on a battery storage cabinet tells you very little about how it will perform in a real lithium-ion fire – and explains what to look for ...
The impact of two world wars and the ‘golden era’ of the public sector architect: A history of building regulations (part II)
Eleanor Jolliffe considers the social trends and events of the past millennium that led to the development of rules which dictate the way we build
What does your building say about the place it’s in?
Janie Mullaney argues the best way to avoid flat, featureless facades with all their character value engineered away, is to talk to facade manufacturers early in the design process
Why solar-control glass should be part of the UK’s overheating debate
Phil Brown says recent heatwaves should be a wake-up call about the overheating risk in our housing stock and that solar-control glass must be part of the solution
Where do I start with AI?
Tools like Claude and Chat GPT are the solution to architects’ woes, but we are using them the wrong way, says Oliver Lowrie
The real planning problem starts after permission is granted
Securing consent faster is only part of the challenge. If contractors are appointed too late, projects can inherit the most expensive version of the approved scheme, writes Beth West
The Old Truman Brewery taught me that great places can’t be rushed
The success of the Brick Lane complex was realised through organic evolution and experimentation, not chasing a quick return, writes Martyn Evans
Choosing natural stone for swimming pools – what you need to know
Ellie Parker explores the challenges of specifying of natural stone for swimming pool environments – and explains why picking the right stone is more tricky than it might appear
