All Buildings, Design and Specification articles
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CommentSocial value needs to be embedded in procurement from the start, not treated as a compliance exercise
The most meaningful contributions to a project are often not financial, says Olaide Oboh
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SponsoredWhy stone wool works on flat roofs
ROCKWOOL’s extensive offering for flat roofs can handle anything from solar PV to green roofs. Wewent to meet their top roofing expert to get the full picture – and found him keen to debunk some myths about stone wool on roofs
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FeaturesCost model: delivering neighbourhood health centres
Plans for 250 new neighbourhood health centres across England have been announced. Their design must be deeply efficient, net zero from the outset and carefully costed
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FeaturesBuilding study: The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Ben Flatman explores a sensitive reworking of Clerkenwell’s New River Head, where Tim Ronalds Architects weave galleries, education spaces and a cafe into a historic site shaped by four centuries of change
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NewsDeveloper mulls reworked plan to refurbish Elizabeth House in Waterloo instead of new build scheme
Proposal for 31-storey office tower and linked groundscraper look set to be swapped for overhaul of 1960s block
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FeaturesMarket forecast: Weaker demand helps constrain cost inflation
Building costs are set to rise through 2026 with inflation into 2027, due to global energy shocks, but subdued demand is offsetting inflation
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CommentFrom promises to proof – what the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard expects
The built-environment sector has spent years making net zero carbon promises. With version 1 of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard now in effect, the industry must start keeping them, Jeremy Douglas writes
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Information - BuildingCPD 09 2026: Building better with concrete – decarbonisation, performance and the power of early engagement
Sponsored by Tarmac, this module looks at the many innovations being used to decarbonise concrete – from supplementary cementitious materials to AI automation of production – and explains how early engagement with manufacturers can identify the decarbonised product that will deliver the right performance for each job
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Information - BuildingCPD 08 2026: Decarbonising masonry construction with cellular clay blocks
Sponsored by wienerberger and EH Smith, this module takes an overview of embodied carbon in masonry construction and considers lower-carbon masonry materials and techniques before taking an in-depth look at cellular clay blocks, one innovative route to lower embodied carbon that is gaining wider acceptance in the UK
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CommentThe push and pull factors behind building new homes in the UK
Clients engaging firms early on in the development process will unlock much needed housing, says Paul Woodhams
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NewsBovis no longer working on Crystal Palace stadium expansion
Club had said it wanted work on Selhurst Park scheme to start last summer
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Information - BuildingCPD 07 2026: Delivering co-ordinated BIM – how to improve collaboration, data and compliance
Sponsored by Vectorworks, this module explores how better project set-up, co-ordination and data management can help deliver BIM projects more reliably, efficiently – and successfully
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FeaturesSustainability: How lifecycle costs vary by sector and scale
The cost of maintaining and replacing assets is a growing priority for building owners, but how do sector and building scale influence those costs?
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NewsHS2 admits it got its numbers wrong as Birmingham train depot let at more than three times original £250m budget
Revised price tag of £856m means cost of Washwood Heath scheme has gone up by nearly 250%
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CommentLevelling the playing field: How sport can be a catalyst for urban regeneration
Sporting venues are not just for hosting major events but must also become a springboard for wider investment and a driver of economic, social and physical value, Steve Gillingham says
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Information - BuildingCPD 04 2026: Fire safety for roofs and rooftop solar
Sponsored by ROCKWOOL®, this module explores the regulatory context and functional fire performance of roofs, highlighting the influence of specification decisions and looking at the fire safety implications when flat roofs are used as amenity space and to house photovoltaics
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FeaturesTV and film studios cost model: How record investment is driving a development boom
Reducing carbon, priming projects for technological advances and delivering regional capacity are priorities for purpose-built developments to support the UK film studio industry
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CommentBuilding resilience: Turning climate change policies into reality
We all have a part to play in designing and constructing buildings fit for the future. Dr Liz Marlow of Cundall considers how we might become better prepared to do so
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FeaturesA quietly radical housing project: Metropolitan Workshop’s resident‑led Passivhaus scheme
This 24‑home scheme for Phoenix Community Housing in Lewisham brings contemporary low‑energy design to the Bellingham Estate, echoing its arts & crafts origins while meeting today’s demands for family housing
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NewsOpportunities and threats for wider UK hardwood use explored at V&A event
Ways to scale the use of UK hardwood in construction were unpacked at a V&A museum symposium that tackled the question: what if our built environment was shaped by local, climate-resilient, mixed-species forest? The audience heard about projects across the country that are facilitating the use of homegrown timber – ...