More Comment – Page 5
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OpinionMaster the plan: what masterplanning means, and why it matters
Masterplanning and urban design are frequently conflated but serve very different roles, says Jonathan Tarbatt at Corstorphine & Wright. It is important that we clarify the language, challenge lazy assumptions and advocate for a more rigorous, place focused approach to large-scale development
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OpinionWhy architects should take a fresh look at London’s livery companies
Martyn Evans invites you to join the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects and help protect a long tradition of professional responsibility by keeping it alive, active and relevant
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OpinionDesigning for difference: How thoughtful architecture can transform SEN environments
Being prepared to question standard solutions within the constraints of budget and safety leads to learning environments that are not only functional, but uplifting, Richard Paige of NVB Architects explains
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OpinionIn the age of artificial intelligence, what remains of the architect?
In a special long read comment piece, Martha Tsigkari and Sherif Tarabishy consider how the need for critical human reflection remains paramount in a profession that might otherwise risk becoming a recycling service
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OpinionHow trauma-informed design can shape spaces of safety and trust
Robert Hopkins explains how trauma-informed design can move inclusive architecture beyond compliance to create spaces that feel safe for all
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OpinionWe can afford to build greener houses – and there are many good reasons why we should
Al Scott, co-founder of IF_DO, has been working on a new sustainable construction methodology for housing. He believes it can help raise standards for both people and the planet and need not cost the earth
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OpinionPublic Practice: Delivering retrofit at scale in Greenwich
Louise Young describes her motivations and shares her experience since moving from private practice, where commercial pressures often outweighed her sustainable ambitions
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OpinionI too have not renewed my ARB subscription and am no longer a UK architect
RIBA board chair Jack Pringle says we are stuck in a regulatory system which offers no real public protection – and with a regulator overstepping the mark. It is therefore time to take a stand
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OpinionRemembering Kelvin Campbell: Probably the most influential urban designer of his generation
Kelvin Campbell passed away over Christmas. David Rudlin pays tribute to a fascinating contrarian who was always inspirational if also slightly intimidating
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OpinionRegen Connect: joining the dots between local ambition and industry delivery
At a pivotal moment for urban regeneration, editorial director Chloe McCulloch introduces a new campaign designed to connect local priorities with the industry expertise needed to deliver real change
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OpinionRemember: It’s a place not a property development
The language that developers use is all-important. Treating land less as a product and more as a living part of a city will make it a more valuable and compelling place to be, writes Martyn Evans
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OpinionA plea for the material in the age of AI
By placing the material back at the centre of design inquiry, we can navigate this new era with a richer understanding of what architecture is and can become, writes Arturo Revilla, design director and London studio director at Kettle Collective
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OpinionWhere, then, do we really wish to live?
Hundreds of studies into what people like and why have produced clear and consistent results. So it is beholden on us to build places that give residents what they want and need, writes Nicholas Boys Smith
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OpinionRethinking sustainability by designing for social resilience
We must move beyond focusing solely on material sustainability and incorporate social resilience into our approach to conservation and to every design brief for new buildings and masterplans, writes Regine Kandan
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OpinionNetwork Rail should pay heed to John McAslan’s light-touch Liverpool Street station redevelopment plan
It has been arguably the most chaotic development process of any major project in the UK over the past decade but the latest proposals could well be the best way forward for Network Rail
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OpinionProtecting small builders can solve the UK’s housing crisis
The backbone of postwar Britain’s vast housebuilding drive, small builders now face extinction as regulatory barriers and policy layering make it ever harder for them to compete, build and survive. Hugo Owen has some solutions
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OpinionWhat’s in a name… Do the public really understand what it means to be an ‘architect’?
The current debate about protection of title is much more than a fight between the RIBA and the ARB. We need to learn from the mistakes of the past, says Eleanor Jolliffe
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OpinionWA100 2026: The best get better
Despite volatile times, architects are the most optimistic they’ve been about prospects for the year ahead since the post-covid bounce of 2022. Although optimism on growth dropped sharply back in 2023, this has steadily increased each year to almost match that of 2019. This is reflected in ...
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OpinionIf 2025 was the year of architecture’s AI awakening, 2026 must be the year when we map out the way ahead
As architecture grapples with the transformative potential and undoubted tensions of artificial intelligence, Oriana Fernandez considers how AI has become the industry’s next big thing and examines how three leading practices are following different paths down AI’s “rabbit hole”
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OpinionLike it or not, the baronial style still captures the essence of Scotland
It may have become unfashionable and left the modern architectural community unimpressed, but the wider public certainly appreciates the turrets and gables made famous by Sir Walter Scott. Just look at The Traitors, Rab Bennetts writes