Ben Flatman
Ben Flatman is the architectural editor at Building Design
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OpinionHeritage, sustainability, and dysfunction: the lessons of the M&S decision
The drawn-out battle over M&S’s Oxford Street site reflects systemic planning failures that must be addressed
NewsRIBA announces winners of President’s Medals and Annie Spink Award
This year’s awards spotlight innovative student projects tackling social, environmental, and cultural challenges, alongside recognition for outstanding contributions to architectural education
NewsSix UK engineering firms launch reuse-focused collective
Engineering firms have launched The Engineers Reuse Collective to drive carbon reduction in construction through material and building reuse
NewsLabour urged to address built environment’s role in young people’s lives
A new report calls on Labour to address the built environment’s critical role in raising the “healthiest generation in history”
NewsBakerBrown Studio completes low carbon house on the South Downs
A replacement house in East Sussex blends innovative design with sustainability
NewsAo–ft completes sustainable infill home in Walthamstow
Compact backland home designed around a mature London Plane tree, with a focus on sustainable construction and privacy
NewsPresident Macron tours restored Notre Dame ahead of public reopening
The visit highlighted the craftsmanship and traditional techniques used to restore the iconic Parisian monument
NewsHassell unveils health and social care building for University of Edinburgh’s BioQuarter
Prioritising wellbeing, the building features flexible workspaces, communal areas, and spaces that are accessible to the local community
Building StudyRowan Court: a blueprint for council housing that repairs the urban fabric and elevates its context
Satish Jassal Architect’s Rowan Court helps to restore a sense of place for an under-utilised edge site on an existing council estate, writes Ben Flatman
NewsThreefold Architects completes retrofit of grade II-listed office building for Crown Estate
Modern services and biodiversity enhancements breathe new life into a historic office building in central London
NewsBarcelona social housing project wins RIBA International Prize
85-unit timber-framed housing scheme by Peris + Toral Arquitectes wins prize for ‘the world’s best new architecture’, while ARCity wins International Emerging Architect
NewsFutures of Smithfield and Billingsgate markets uncertain as City of London Corporation pulls plug on Dagenham Dock site
Corporation will compensate traders and support efforts to find new long-term home for the historic markets
NewsTHISS Studio reconfigures Victorian terraced house without extending
A sustainable retrofit in Waltham Forest aims to transform a family home by maximising its existing footprint
NewsDowen Farmer scheme for 11 homes at Weston Hall in Norfolk granted planning
Maddox Planning, working with Dowen Farmer Architects, has won planning permission for 11 homes at Weston Hall in Weston Longville, Norfolk. The client is Serruys Ltd.
NewsManalo & White and Richard Lyndon Design unveil new school building for deaf children
The UK’s largest sign-language school expands with a new building designed to meet the needs of deaf learners
NewsSchool closures threaten London’s future as a city for families
Soho Parish Primary School’s financial struggles reflect wider demographic trends, including declining birth rates, post-Brexit migration, and the long-term impact of Covid-19, challenging the city’s multigenerational identity
NewsChris Dyson Architects completes sustainable addition to Harrow Arts Centre campus
£1.8 million Greenhill Building replaces a temporary facility and introduces flexible teaching and event spaces
NewsPLP gains consent for co-living and light-industrial scheme in Brixton
Lambeth Council approves Hardess Yard project featuring 320 co-living studios and 1,400sqm of industrial floorspace
NewsCouncils gain new powers to auction long-vacant shops
High Street Rental Auctions aim to tackle empty properties and revitalise town centres through council intervention
NewsQueen Elizabeth II national memorial masterplan competition to launch soon
The design competition for a memorial to Queen Elizabeth II will invite multidisciplinary teams to reimagine a site within St James’s Park