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Ursula Bowyer, 1925–2025: from émigré to architect and campaigner in postwar London
Architect and heritage advocate Ursula Bowyer, who has died aged 99, pursued a career in postwar London and contributed to the conservation of Greenwich and Blackheath. Ana Francisco Sutherland reflects on a life shaped by resilience and civic engagement
‘I want the most beautiful and future-ready buildings in the country’… The City’s new planning chair shares his vision for the Square Mile
Tom Lowe sits down with Tom Sleigh for his first media interview after his appointment to one of the UK’s most high-profile planning roles
5 minutes with … Chris Pollard at Fereday Pollard
The 30-year-old firm’s founder and managing director on improving the design quality of transport and infrastructure projects, the frustrations of the consents process, the importance of perseverence and his love of pizza
Designing for every body: Jos Boys and the radical potential of disability-led design
Architectural activist, teacher and campaigner Jos Boys has spent decades questioning who architecture is really for. In this profile, Mary Richardson explores how her latest work reframes access as a political, creative and collaborative practice
Why the real carbon cost of our homes lies in how we build them
Thomas Lane asks whether the Future Homes Hub’s plan to tackle embodied carbon in housebuilding will have real impact
The regulator steps into the spotlight
Ben Flatman meets Hugh Simpson, chief executive of the Architects Registration Board, to discuss education reform, CPD and the future of regulation – and why he is happy for ARB to be an “activist regulator”
‘We’re like the Borrowers, nobody knows we’re here’: How Populous’ new Man City stand will be built without the fans noticing
The contactor has been busy working behind the scenes at the Etihad. This summer the team will finally get their time on the pitch - and will have to make it count
Why Nicholas Boys Smith’s ideas still matter in the age of Keir Starmer
Mary Richardson speaks to the founder of Create Streets about popular taste, the design challenges facing Labour’s housebuilding push, and why architects still struggle to engage with what ‘normal’ people really want
Beyond the green belt review: Five things you might have missed in the London Plan consultation
Sadiq Khan’s green belt rethink got the headlines, but there was plenty more to learn from last Friday’s announcement
‘I make it a virtue that I’ve changed my mind’: Khan makes a show of green belt U-turn, but where might homes be built?
In his speech last Friday, the mayor of London stressed that his green belt review was a radical policy change. Daniel Gayne asked him about the kind of land that could be targeted, while combing through his consultation documents for clues
Alma-nac: Doing architecture for free. Well, sometimes…
Alma-nac’s Design For All programme is helping to unlock community projects across the UK – and the team hopes to expand it further, writes Mary Richardson
Has the government sold out on construction products regulation?
As the consultation on the government’s proposals to reform construction product regulation draws to a close, Tom Lowe talks to industry experts about what compromises the government might be making
PFI: Do the numbers add up?
Joey Gardiner weighs up whether reigniting PFI would be a good idea
‘Never satisfied’ … SANAA’s architecture of process and persistence
As SANAA’s Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa prepare to receive the Royal Gold Medal, Ben Flatman talks to them about their working relationship, the changing nature of construction in Japan and their evolving approach to conflict resolution
Donald Insall Associates: A thoroughly modern conservation practice
As urgent demands for reuse and sustainability transform the priorities of contemporary architecture, Mary Richardson explores how conservation architect Donald Insall Associates – long champions of repair and adaptation – is building on its pioneering legacy to meet the needs of a changing world
‘Infrastructure could do with a bit of love’: dRMM’s Jonas Lencer on the Silvertown Tunnel portal buildings
Tom Lowe speaks to the practice’s director about why the overlooked parts of public infrastructure deserve a fresh perspective
Orms: designing architecture that listens and responds to a changing world
Ben Flatman speaks to John McRae and new director Miranda MacLaren about how Orms is evolving as a practice
1.5 million homes and counting: what Jas Bhalla thinks comes next
Ben Flatman speaks to Jas Bhalla – architect, planner and founder of Jas Bhalla Works – about building a practice rooted in long-term thinking
Research, empathy and quiet radicalism: the key ingredients in ‘Saunt sauce’
Mary Richardson caught up with Deborah Saunt, co-founding director of DSDHA and one of the most influential women in architecture and urban design
Why most new homes still fail to meet the latest standards
Almost two in three new homes are still being built to regulations that applied in 2013, over a year and a half after the end of the transition period for the new part L and other requirements. How has the government got its projections so wrong? Tom Lowe reports
Can Allies and Morrison’s Canada Water masterplan match King’s Cross?
The former Daily Mail printworks has been stripped back to its structural frame ready for conversion into an office and conference facility. It will also incorporate a nightclub called Printworks which was a former, successful meanwhile use
5 minutes with … John McElgunn at RSHP
The firm’s senior partner on growing up in Ireland, the barriers to becoming an architect, his love of travel and the best food to accompany a pint of Guinness
Interviews
Creating communities for all: Jenny Buterchi on PRP’s vision for age-inclusive living
As part of BD’s Boomers to Zoomers series, Mary Richardson went to talk to Jenny Buterchi, partner at PRP and lead of the firm’s Later Living team, to learn more about her vision for design and placemaking that better serve the needs of an ageing population
Adjaye London CEO Lucy Tilley: ‘We’ll work even harder to carry on our legacy. We’ll keep going’
New London CEO talks about her vision for the future, the allegations that threatened to bring the practice down, and the resilience that she says helped it survive
Inside Gbolade Design Studio: A new era of architecture where the only way is ethics
Ben Flatman talks to Lanre and Tara Gbolade about setting up their practice and their vision for architecture as a tool for social and environmental change
Chris Williamson: ‘I think we can do a lot for young architects – they need all the help they can get’
Ben Flatman talks to the founder of Weston Williamson + Partners about the role RIBA has played in his career, the importance of lifelong learning, and why he wants to help the next generation of architects get a leg up in the profession
Joe Morris: What’s wrong with the planning system and why we must take a stand against hostility in the workplace
Ben Flatman talks to Joe Morris about the complexities of the planning system and the importance of workplace civility
Jonathan Smales: ‘I love the tangibility of building. I like the fact it’s got a beginning, a middle and an end’
From running Greenpeace to creating the UK’s largest timber neighbourhood, Jonathan Smales is a developer who doesn’t follow the herd, writes Ben Flatman
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More interviews
Alex Ely: ‘Architecture is so central to our culture - it’s a pity it doesn’t seem to gain the traction it deserves’
The founder of the Stirling Prize-winning Mae Architects shares his influences and inspirations with Ben Flatman and concludes that his profession still has much to offer
Let’s talk about a brighter future for our towns and cities
How can we create thriving communities and places that people enjoy and want to live in? Ben Flatman spoke to four key industry figures to find out
Henley Halebrown: ‘We are genuinely interested in how people use buildings’
Simon Henley and Gavin Hale-Brown met at the University of Liverpool in 1986 and have been friends ever since, forming their award-winning practice together in 1995. Here Ben Flatman discusses their early influences, design philosophy, and commitment to improving access to the profession
‘Nobody believes them anymore’… HOK’s Daniel Hajjar on what is wrong with UK politics and the planning system
After 20 years in the Middle East, Daniel Hajjar moved to the UK, where, eight years on, he finds the political ‘flakiness’ of the country has made it an infuriating place to build. Thomas Lowe reports
Interview | Eleanor Jolliffe talks to Nick Temple
In this interview Eleanor Jolliffe discovers how the opportunity to study in Rome changed the course of a renowned academic’s life
Building Talks Creating Communities podcast: In conversation with David Rudlin at BDP
Episode 3: David Rudlin talks about the importance of urban design and why planning needs to rediscover its capacity to create good quality places
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