Briefing
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FeaturesAYA 2025 shortlists: Creative Conservation Architect of the Year
In a series celebrating BD’s Architect of the Year Awards finalists, we look at the Creative Conservation Architect of the Year shortlist
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FeaturesAYA 2025 shortlists: Best Architect Employer of the Year
In a series celebrating BD’s Architect of the Year Awards finalists, we look at the Best Architect Employer of the Year shortlist
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FeaturesFinding new ways to open up the city … Meet the woman behind London’s Open House festival
Mary Richardson caught up with Manijeh Verghese, the recently appointed chief executive of Open City, for a preview of some of the buildings in this year’s Open House festival
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FeaturesWhat does the appointment of Steve Reed as new housing secretary mean for housebuilding?
Angela Rayner’s replacement held the shadow housing brief in 2021 and now he returns to the role in government. But although he has promised to ‘build, baby, build’, Reed lacks the influence on Keir Starmer that his predecessor had
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FeaturesThe long road to regenerating the Carpenters Estate
In 2018, a new mayor tasked Newham’s housing company with building more affordable homes. Seven years later, it’s getting ready for its biggest scheme yet. Daniel Gayne headed east to find out more
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FeaturesUK Design Capital of the Year: How Manchester is setting the pace for regeneration and urban living
Manchester, shortlisted for UK Design Capital of the Year 2025, stands out for the speed and scale of its reinvention
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FeaturesHow a transport investment shortfall threatens to scupper housing delivery in London
After setting out a vision for development centred on public transit links, the mayor of London came out of the spending review empty handed. Can London build 88,000 homes a year without new infrastructure? Daniel Gayne reports.
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FeaturesAs his RIBA presidency ends, Muyiwa Oki reflects on milestones and unfinished business
Ben Flatman speaks to Oki about his term in office, from launching a workplace wellbeing taskforce to defending the Elizabeth Line’s Stirling Prize win, and why access to the profession remains a pressing concern
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FeaturesUK Design Capital of the Year: How Glasgow is setting new standards for sensitive regeneration
The city is one of four shortlisted for Building Design’s new award recognising the best places in Britain for architecture and urbanism. The Design Capital of the Year Award looks beyond individual buildings to celebrate cities showing strategic ambition in shaping their built environment, from long-term masterplans to bold urban ...
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FeaturesWho is Amy Rees? All you need to know about new Homes England chief
MHCLG’s pick to lead the government’s delivery agency came out of left field. So what do we know about the new quango boss? And what does her appointment tell us about Homes England’s future?
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FeaturesUK Design Capital of the Year: How Cambridge is planning for a denser, more connected future
The new UK Design Capital of the Year award recognises cities leading in architecture, placemaking and regeneration, with Cambridge the first of four shortlisted places examined for how projects and partnerships are shaping its transformation
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FeaturesHow will government amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill impact development?
Plans to water down environmental protections have been tweaked in an effort to stem another backbench Labour revolt. Two lawyers on either side of the debate give their views on the implications for development as the bill works its way through Parliament
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Features5 minutes with … Brian Connolly at HOK
The firm’s regional leader for science and technology in London on hearing about scientific breakthroughs made in HOK-designed buildings, keeping work and home life separate, why his decades-old bike will never be stolen and his love of local food festivals
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FeaturesQuestioning everything: Gort Scott’s living architecture
Oriana Fernandez explores how Gort Scott’s eclectic practice embraces uncertainty, using architecture to ask difficult questions
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FeaturesHTA Design: Building the case for better housing
As part of Building Design’s Designing Tomorrow’s Housing campaign, Ben Flatman visited HTA Design to hear how one of the UK’s most experienced housing practices is responding to today’s complex challenges
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FeaturesAnna Heringer on sustainable architecture, rammed earth, and what the Global North can learn from the Global South
Mary Richardson explores Anna Heringer’s sustainable philosophy and her mission to bring traditional materials into mainstream architecture
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FeaturesNansledan: can design codes and long-term stewardship deliver better housing?
As part of Building Design’s Designing Tomorrow’s Housing campaign, Mary Richardson visits Nansledan, the Duchy of Cornwall’s urban extension to Newquay. While its traditional architecture divides opinion, she finds that the project raises important questions about stewardship, planning and designing new housing at scale
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FeaturesWill the Building Safety Regulator overhaul be enough to tackle the delays?
The government has promised to speed up approvals for high-rise residential schemes which have been languishing for up to a year in the new building safety regime. The industry’s reponse so far has been muted. With patience running out and costs mounting, Tom Lowe speaks to the people caught up ...
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FeaturesDesigning Tomorrow’s Housing - meet the campaign’s advisory panel
As part of Building Design’s Designing Tomorrow’s Housing campaign, Ben Flatman introduces the expert advisory panel whose breadth of experience will help guide the discussion on how to raise housing quality while delivering the homes the country needs
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FeaturesDesigning Tomorrow’s Housing: Putting quality at the heart of 1.5 million homes
Ben Flatman introduces Building Design’s new campaign, which asks how we can raise the quality of housing while meeting the government’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes