All articles by Mary Richardson
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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As government funding for Level 7 architecture apprenticeships is withdrawn, Mary Richardson reports on what the decision means for students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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NewsAcoustic spray systems improve inclusiveness and sound quality at Hackney music venues
Backed by Arts Council England and delivered with soundscape specialists Sownd Affects, the initiative uses spray-applied acoustic finishes to address noise sensitivity and improve accessibility for diverse audiences
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Information - BDJan Kattein Architects’ Carpenters Dialogue Express cafe repurposes train carriage
Jan Kattein Architects has transformed a retired train carriage into a cafe that aims to promote dialogue between hearing and Deaf Londoners
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NewsIn pictures: Haworth Tompkins’ new Court Theatre in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Haworth Tompkins and Athfield Architects complete Court Theatre, a landmark in Ōtautahi Christchurch’s post-earthquake cultural renewal
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Information - BDPavilion gives barns new life at Copenhagen Architecture Biennale
THISS Studio and architect Tom Svilans have unveiled their Barn Again pavilion at the inaugural Copenhagen Architecture Biennale
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NewsLonger lasting anti-mould paint from Inducoat
Just in time for Awaab’s Law coming into force in October, new supplier Pazco has brought Dutch anti-mould paint Inducoat Fungi to the UK
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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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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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Building StudyDesigning, building and growing the natural way: Wolves Lane community centre unveiled by Studio Gil and Material Cultures
Straw, clay and reclaimed materials come together in a strikingly unconventional eco build in north London. Mary Richardson reports on a project that rethinks not just how we build, but who gets to do the building
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FeaturesDesigning 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
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ReviewRA Summer Exhibition: with no designated space, architecture is overshadowed
This year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition sees architecture integrated throughout the show for the first time, a curatorial shift that brings fresh juxtapositions but leaves technical work struggling to compete for attention, writes Mary Richardson
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Building StudyA Serpentine Pavilion for anxious times – but is that enough?
This year’s pavilion by Marina Tabassum is grounded in thoughtful references and a clear intention to engage with the site. Mary Richardson explores why it fails to resonate
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FeaturesWhy 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
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FeaturesAlma-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
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FeaturesDonald 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
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FeaturesResearch, empathy and quiet radicalism: the key ingredients in ‘Saunt sauce’
Source: Tim Soar Norton Folgate Mary Richardson caught up with Deborah Saunt, co-founding director of DSDHA and one of the most influential women in architecture and urban design
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Opinion2,000 young people, one mission: Rethinking access to architecture at the Festival of the Future
Mary Richardson reflects on how last weekend’s Festival of the Future brought over 2,000 young people to RIBA’s 66 Portland Place, aiming to break down barriers to built environment careers
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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