Briefing
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FeaturesMore than a masterplan: the people power behind Earls Court’s next chapter
For the latest in BD’s Boomers to Zoomers series, Mary Richardson went to meet the team of local people helping to shape the Earls Court redevelopment in west London as part of a wider programme of inclusive community engagement
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FeaturesMaterial Cultures: the radical architects rethinking how – and what – we build
Mary Richardson meets the research and design practice advocating for bio-based materials such as hemp, straw and unfired clay as alternatives to carbon-intensive construction. But, as the industry faces mounting pressure to decarbonise, can these approaches be scaled up to meet real-world demands?
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FeaturesThe Building Good Employer Guide 2025: What does the data say?
All our good employers included in the 2025 guide completed an in-depth survey – here our sister title Building digs into the data to find key trends
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FeaturesHow closely has the government followed the Grenfell Inquiry’s recommendations?
While Angela Rayner has promised to ‘take forward’ all of the recommendations, not all appear to have been adopted to the letter. Daniel Gayne and Tom Lowe analyse the wriggle room the government has given itself over some of the key measures
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FeaturesLocal expertise, global vision: Foster + Partners’ work in South America
Ben Flatman joins Juan Frigerio, partner at Foster + Partners, for a tour of Buenos Aires to explore the practice’s expanding presence in South America and discuss its approach to the region
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FeaturesA fresh start for the Oxford-Cambridge corridor – or will it be déjà vu all over again?
The chancellor has given her backing to an expansion plan for the corridor connecting Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge, including thousands of homes, which the previous government dropped. Joey Gardiner asks what hope the industry can have
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FeaturesThe future faces of UK architecture
Mary Richardson meets three young alumni of Beyond the Box who share, in their own words, how the initiative shaped their paths into architecture
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Features‘This is a growth story’… Network Rail’s strategy to become one of the UK’s largest housebuilders
The transport operator’s group property director talks about the ‘new mindset’ at Network Rail – and why the country’s biggest owner of brownfield land is taking an assertive role in redevelopment projects on its sites
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FeaturesJan Kattein: architect as catalyst – ‘A transformational impact can be achieved with limited means’
As Jan Kattein Architects unveils its latest project at Westminster’s Church Street Triangle, Mary Richardson takes a closer look at the work of this innovative firm that weaves social practice into its inspiring and colourful placemaking
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FeaturesWhat the delays at the Building Safety Regulator mean for high-rise development
The new system of gateway checks on high rise buildings is adding anything up to 18 months to construction programmes. Joey Gardiner finds out why
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Features5 minutes with … Ayman El Hibri at Wilkinson Eyre
The firm’s director on the influence of his grandfather and father, the challenges of designing and building 8 Bishopsgate and why it is vital to keep learning
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FeaturesMaterial passports: the key to carbon reduction, greater component reuse and more sustainable construction
Logging the details of the products and materials used on projects so they can have a second life after demolition has been discussed but never practised on a large London construction project – until now, Thomas Lane reports
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Features‘Frankly, what’s the alternative?’ Turley’s Stephen Bell applauds the government’s planning vision
The chief executive of one of the UK’s largest planning consultants speaks to Tom Lowe about the implications of Labour’s final revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework and what needs to be done to achieve 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament
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FeaturesDian Small: embracing her new role as mentor and disruptor
Dian Small speaks to Mary Richardson about her new role at the London School of Architecture and its potential to drive change for underrepresented practitioners
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FeaturesReal change or false hope: can Labour’s planning reforms deliver 1.5 million homes?
Ministers unleashed a barrage of planning reforms in the dying days of 2024. Joey Gardiner asks if these can give the industry the boost it needs to get anywhere close to the government’s ambitious housebuilding target?
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FeaturesClosing the skills gap: Alison Watson on transforming built environment education
Alison Watson MBE is a woman on a mission to transform education in the built environment
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FeaturesWhat lies ahead for architecture in 2025?
From rethinking housing policy and urban wellbeing to advancing sustainability and overcoming talent shortages, these comment pieces explore the ideas and priorities that will confront architects in the year ahead
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FeaturesBest of 2024: opinion and comment that made sense of a fast-changing world
We brought together some of the most stimulating and thought provoking comment pieces in 2024 - take a look at what our columnists had to say
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FeaturesBest of 2024: Building Design’s most incisive features and in-depth analysis
BD’s 2024 features examined the big ideas and forces driving change in the built environment. Dive into our most thought-provoking stories of the year
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FeaturesBest of 2024: Building Design’s standout interviews and practice profiles
BD spoke to some of the biggest names and delved into many of the most critical issues facing architecture this year - take a closer look