All articles by Thomas Lane
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NewsIn pictures: Trace, with a unique reconstituted crushed brick façade
A modest residential development in London’s Euston references the areas history whilst pioneering new reclaimation techniques that save carbon
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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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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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NewsFosters ups headcount by over 40% to become world’s 13th biggest architect
Foster & Partners jumps 10 places in BD’s survey of the world’s largest practices and sees turnover jump by 55%
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Building StudyDesigned to change the world: Inside Oxford University’s new £200m Life and Mind Building
NBBJ’s research facility brings together experimental psychology and biology departments to address challenges including climate change, mental health, food security and AI. Thomas Lane reports
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OpinionWhy botched retrofit work risks undermining public trust in the industry
The shock findings of last week’s NAO report into botched external wall insulation installations has damaged public confidence in the benefits of retrofit. Decisive action is needed to restore faith and prevent future waste, says Thomas Lane
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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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Building StudyFrom discontented planners to a glorious summer: Van Heyningen and Haward’s Leicester Cathedral extension
The number of visitors to Leicester Cathedral soared following the discovery of Richard III’s tomb. The opening of a new heritage and learning centre marks the completion of Leicester cathedral’s masterplan to improve facilities for staff and visitors alike, Thomas Lane reports
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Building Study76 Upper Ground: Denys Lasdun’s 1960s South Bank vision is realised at last
The IBM Building was a cut-down version of architect Denys Lasdun’s plans for a complementary neighbour to the National Theatre on the banks of the Thames. AHMM’s recent refurbishment, which sees the building brought firmly into the 21st century, means that original vision is now complete
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FeaturesWhy the real carbon cost of our homes lies in how we build them
Thomas Lane asks whether the Future Homes Hub’s plan to tackle embodied carbon in housebuilding will have real impact
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Building StudyBennetts’ timber and straw robotics lab pilots new net zero carbon building standard
A small research building at Manchester Metropolitan University, constructed using low-carbon materials, is among the first to be assessed against the new NZCBS. Thomas Lane reports
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OpinionDoes Tony Blair have a point – is Britain’s net zero strategy ‘doomed to fail’?
The former prime minister has said the government’s energy policy is doomed to fail, a line taken by Reform and the Tories. Thomas Lane asks what this means for Britain’s decarbonisation ambitions
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Building StudyA cauldron on the Mersey: how Everton built their new stadium in just five years (Manchester United take note)
Thomas Lane reports on how Everton, with BDP Pattern, delivered its £760m stadium on budget through smart planning, digital tools and modern methods of construction
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FeaturesCan Allies and Morrison’s Canada Water masterplan match King’s Cross?
The former Daily Mail printworks has been stripped back to its structural frame ready for conversion into an office and conference facility. It will also incorporate a nightclub called Printworks which was a former, successful meanwhile use
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TechnicalDigging deep: The radical engineering underpinning Stiff + Trevillion’s 65 Holborn Viaduct project
A disused railway station below half of a central London site meant conventional piling was out of the question. The team that built a five-storey basement under Claridge’s hotel while keeping it open were drafted in to come up with a radical solution
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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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OpinionIs it time to stop building in the wildfire affected areas of California?
The recent fires in the hills around Los Angeles are the most costly in US history. Does it really make sense to live in these heavily wooded places?
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OpinionWA100 2025: Western Europe leads on net zero
This year Gensler, the world’s biggest practice, saw the number of architects it employs drop below the 3,000 mark, the milestone which it broke through in 2023. The second-placed firm, Arcadis, also saw numbers fall. But these drops mean little when measured against the wider profession; our ...
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NewsBDP usurps Fosters as UK’s biggest architect
Foster & Partners’ five year reign at top of UK rankings over, according to BD survey of world’s largest practices