Briefing
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FeaturesJohn McAslan: ‘Think of all the bad decisions that are made because people didn’t stand up for things we should have stood up for’
In an exclusive interview, the King’s Cross Station architect tells Building Design about his submission to the National Gallery expansion competition, his rival plans for Liverpool Street station, the ‘baffling’ restoration of the Houses of Parliament and what he thinks of the Olympia redevelopment
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FeaturesInside West Yorkshire’s quiet renaissance: A regional deep dive into the forces transforming its cities
Devolution is giving Leeds, Bradford and the surrounding local authorities the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Joey Gardiner profiles West Yorkshire, its funding streams, community priorities, key clients and active consultants
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FeaturesSuch buildings can change lives… Regenerating safe spaces that young people can call their own
Horizon Youth Zone has just opened in a refurbished warehouse in Grimsby – one of a flurry of youth centres to have completed in the past three years in disadvantaged areas. As the government promises a £500m investment in youth services, Debika Ray considers the importance of creating civic buildings ...
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FeaturesThe regeneration rethink: funding, power and the local leaders shaping what comes next
For over a decade, built environment policy has prioritised new-build over regeneratoin. As Building Design launches its new Regen Connect editorial campaign, Joey Gardiner finds out why that might all be about to change
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FeaturesWhat unified ownership can teach us about today’s housing strategies
Samuel Hughes traces how unified land ownership has shaped some of the most successful neighbourhoods in history and asks what lessons this holds for today’s housing strategy
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FeaturesCould 2026 signal the start of a new stone age?
Structural engineer Webb Yates has completed its first structural stone building for a commercial developer. Thomas Lane reports on the firm’s 20-year mission to establish stone as a sustainable alternative to concrete
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FeaturesFrank Gehry: from LA experimentalist to the architect of the Bilbao effect
Ben Flatman examines how Gehry’s work evolved from local, materially driven invention into one of the most recognisable architectural vocabularies of his generation
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FeaturesHow the viability crunch is putting Britain’s housing ambitions – and design quality – under strain
Mary Richardson examines how Britain’s viability crisis is squeezing design quality and stalling the creation of real places to live
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FeaturesJack Pringle: ‘If the RIBA didn’t exist, you’d have to invent it’
RIBA chair Jack Pringle reflects on his role in stabilising the institute’s finances, implementing governance reforms and positioning architects to reclaim leadership in construction through the principal designer role
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FeaturesBuilding Safety Regulator’s backlog blitz: will it work?
After delays and mounting frustration, the regulator unveiled a bold strategy to clear thousands of stalled projects. Joey Gardiner explores whether the reforms and new leadership can overcome early missteps
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FeaturesBarr Gazetas: designing a culture of sustainability
Ben Flatman discovers how Barr Gazetas is redefining what a sustainable practice can be – from its commitment to retrofit and social value to a culture of openness and long-term responsibility within the team
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FeaturesCome with me to Clamart: a postcard from a Parisian regenerative development that really works
British ‘regeneration schemes’ could learn a lot from the Clamart Panorama brownfield development near Paris, says Nicholas Boys Smith – above all the humility to ask people what they really like
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FeaturesClosing the door on opportunity? The future of architect apprenticeships
As government funding for Level 7 architecture apprenticeships is withdrawn, Mary Richardson reports on what the decision means for students
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Features27 interesting innovations and prototypes from the Venice Biennale
Mary Richardson picks her favourite product prototypes and material experiments from the Biennale’s international exhibition – from buildings “grown” beneath the sea to bricks made of elephant dung
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FeaturesCan cuts to affordable housing targets revive London’s flatlining residential development sector?
Joey Gardiner asks whether simply reducing expectations for affordable housing will be enough to get construction going again
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FeaturesWhy they won: A closer look at all the Architect of the Year Awards 2025 winning entries
The winners of the Architect of the Year Awards were announced at a ceremony last night. Here is more detail about all the winning entries
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FeaturesToo good to waste: how Make recycled an old building to create a new one
Thomas Lane reports on how 30 Duke Street reuses steel, glass, aluminium and Portland stone from the building there before
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FeaturesLabour conference 2025: Housing secretary puts style over substance while Starmer takes aim at Reform
The government’s announcement about new towns and the housing secretary’s Trump-esque stylings put housing at the heart of the agenda at Labour’s conference in Liverpool. But there was little in the way of detail to back Steve Reed’s ‘build, baby, build’ slogan
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FeaturesSir Terry Farrell: the restless maverick who reshaped British urbanism
From the Comyn Ching Triangle to the MI6 building at Vauxhall Cross, Sir Terry Farrell’s projects challenged modernist orthodoxy and reshaped how architects thought about the city. Ben Flatman reflects on the influence and legacy of one of Britain’s most distinctive thinkers on urbanism
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FeaturesFrom the archive: Interview with Nicholas Grimshaw
To mark the death of Nicholas Grimshaw earlier this month, we are republishing this interview by Hannah Baldock, which first appeared in BD’s sister title Building in September 2000