Award-Winning Interior Designer Mia Karlsson-Matthews Joins Fit Out Awards UK 2026 Judging Panel
The Fit Out Awards UK 2026 has strengthened its expert judging panel with the appointment of acclaimed interior designer Mia Karlsson-Matthews, Founder and Director of Mia Karlsson Interior Design, as preparations continue for one of the UK’s leading celebrations of excellence across the fit out and interiors sector. Based in London, Karlsson-Matthews brings more than 20 years of award-winning design experience to the judging process, having built an internationally recognised practice renowned for creating bespoke residential interiors that combine Scandinavian functionality with contemporary luxury. Originally from Sweden, she established Mia Karlsson Interior Design in 2004, developing a distinctive design philosophy centred on intelligent space planning, craftsmanship and timeless interiors. Since then, the studio has successfully completed more than 300 residential projects, earning a reputation for delivering highly personalised environments that balance aesthetics with practical living. Her work has featured extensively in leading interior design publications, reflecting the studio’s consistent commitment to quality and innovation across a diverse portfolio of high-end residential commissions. Karlsson-Matthews also brings strong academic and professional credentials to the judging panel. She holds a first-class degree in Interior Design and Technology and is a prominent member of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID). As a former BIID Board Director, she has also played an influential role in supporting the continued development of professional standards across the UK’s interior design and interior architecture sectors. Her appointment further strengthens an already distinguished judging panel for the Fit Out Awards UK 2026, which brings together leading experts from across architecture, workplace design, sustainability, academia and the wider built environment. The awards programme features 32 categories recognising excellence across every aspect of the fit out industry, including commercial office fit out projects, hospitality, healthcare, retail, residential and conservation, alongside awards celebrating sustainability, collaboration, product innovation and overall project delivery. Karlsson-Matthews joins Judging Coordinator Ann-Marie Aguilar of IWBI alongside Vanessa Brady of SBID, Vyvyan Byrne of VB Design, Dr Eshrar Latif of Cardiff University, Giuseppe Parito of Studio Seilern Architects, Professor Robert Schmidt III of Loughborough University and Lydia Szewczyk of IWBI. For the construction, architecture and interior fit out sectors, the awards continue to showcase the outstanding talent, innovation and technical expertise shaping the UK’s built environment. The appointment of experienced industry professionals such as Mia Karlsson-Matthews reinforces the awards’ commitment to recognising projects that demonstrate exceptional quality, creativity and excellence in design and delivery. The Fit Out Awards UK 2026 will culminate in a gala ceremony on 24 September 2026 at the Park Plaza London Riverbank, where the industry’s leading designers, contractors, architects and suppliers will come together to celebrate the year’s most outstanding achievements in fit out and interior design. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
UK Football Grounds in ‘Golden Age’ of Redevelopment
Visit Bramley-Moore Dock on a matchday now and it’s easy to forget Everton spent decades going nowhere with a new ground. The Hill Dickinson Stadium properly opened in February 2025, four years after the first pile went into the old dock bed, and it holds 52,769 fans, comfortably more than Goodison Park ever managed. The build cost north of £750m, and the ground is already booked in as a Euro 2028 venue. This is the same club that couldn’t get a stadium plan past King’s Dock back in 2003… While adding seats is always the priority for developers behind these mammoth stadiums, the fact is that ticket sales cover a shrinking share of matchday revenue these days, with a good chunk of it stemming from hospitality suites, vendors sitting inside the concourse rather than in a portable cabin outside it, broadcasters paying for camera positions that didn’t exist a decade ago. Oh, and the sponsorships placed all around the pitch. Liverpool The Reds never left home at all, which is its own kind of achievement. The Anfield Road Stand went up in phases while the first team kept playing every other week a few hundred metres away, and by the time the last seat went in, capacity had climbed from 54,074 to 61,276. There’s something almost bureaucratic about the way Liverpool have handled it: no grand unveiling, no leaving the postcode, no ribbon to cut. It was a case of making steady additions until the numbers caught up with the season ticket waiting list. Amenities have moved just as fast as capacity, and stadium wifi is maybe the clearest example. With tens of thousands of users at a time, it used to be patchy at best, and hopeless the moment everyone tried to check the half-time scores at once. But Anfield brought in Extreme Networks in 2024 to overhaul its network because fans expect more from a connection now: live team news, real-time build updates on their phones, changing odds on an online casino mid-match, and a paperless ticket scan that doesn’t create a queue. Manchester United The Red Devils want people to notice, however. The 100,000-seat stadium unveiled in March 2025 would be the biggest in Britain, built roughly 350 metres northwest of the current Old Trafford, and co-owner Jim Ratcliffe called it “the world’s greatest football stadium” at the launch. The figures attached to the wider regeneration are eye-watering, something like 92,000 jobs and 17,000 homes, worth billions a year to the local economy on paper. None of that changes the fact that, eighteen months on, United are still negotiating land deals with a freight company rather than laying foundations, so in the meantime fans get The Paddock, a new fan zone behind the Stretford End, while the real project inches forward (presumably) somewhere behind the scenes. Nottingham Forest Their version of all this is more modest, at least by comparison. The City Ground redevelopment on the table with Rushcliffe Borough Council would push capacity from 30,445 up toward roughly 52,500, with the first phase landing nearer 45,000, and a decision from the council is expected as soon as September. It’s a capital-P Project for sure…just one that barely registers as ambitious next to United’s numbers, which says something about how quickly the bar’s moved. The Ones (Currently) Left Behind Not every club is riding this wave, though. Newcastle have spent the past couple of years weighing up whether to expand St James’ Park or build fresh near Leazes Park, and as of this spring that decision had been pushed back again, despite the club sinking around £158m into stadium-related property in the space of a year, including the purchase of the Grade I listed Leazes Terrace. Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge situation is even further behind: there have been no concrete updates on redeveloping the ground or moving elsewhere heading into 2026, after the club missed out on being folded into the Earls Court redevelopment nearby.
CCL Facades Secures Major Package on Wolverhampton’s 331-Home Bicycle Works
CCL Facades has been appointed to deliver a major façade package at Bicycle Works, the 331-home residential development forming the first phase of Wolverhampton’s wider Smithgate regeneration. The specialist façade contractor will work alongside parent company and lead contractor Caddick Construction on the scheme, which is being delivered for English Cities Fund (ECF), the regeneration partnership between Homes England, L&G and Muse. Under the contract, CCL Facades will be responsible for the design, supply and installation of the doors, 400 sq m of curtain walling and 2,900 sq m of windows across the development’s three six-storey buildings. The package includes the installation of 1,324 individual windows. The appointment represents an important construction milestone for Bicycle Works as work progresses on the residential-led regeneration of this key Wolverhampton city centre site. Bicycle Works will provide 331 new homes and represents the opening phase of the much larger Smithgate masterplan. Once developed, the new mixed-use neighbourhood is expected to deliver up to 1,000 homes alongside new shops, amenities and public spaces, helping to create a vibrant new destination in the heart of Wolverhampton. CCL Facades is due to begin work on site in October and will collaborate with its specialist supply chain throughout delivery. The company will focus on high-quality design and innovative façade solutions, with sustainability forming an important part of its approach. The contract further strengthens CCL Facades’ presence across the Midlands and adds another substantial residential regeneration project to its growing portfolio. The contractor is also currently working on Cole Waterhouse’s flagship Upper Trinity Street regeneration development in Digbeth, Birmingham, further demonstrating its expanding role in major mixed-use and residential schemes across the region. With Caddick Construction leading delivery and CCL Facades undertaking a significant element of the building envelope, Bicycle Works is set to provide the first major residential component of the wider Smithgate transformation. The project will ultimately contribute to the creation of a new mixed-use city centre neighbourhood, combining hundreds of new homes with commercial amenities and improved public realm as Wolverhampton continues to attract investment into regeneration and residential development. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Multiplex Appointed to Deliver Landmark 36-Storey 99 City Road Office Tower
Endurance Land has appointed Multiplex as main contractor for 99 City Road, a major 36-storey office development set to create a new landmark on the northern edge of the City of London. Part of Nan Fung Group, Endurance Land is progressing the high-rise commercial scheme with an experienced design and engineering team led by architect Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF). AKT II is providing structural engineering expertise, while Arup is advising on mechanical, electrical and public health services alongside sustainability. Designed as a next-generation workplace, 99 City Road will provide office accommodation for around 4,000 people, adding significant new Grade A commercial floorspace to an area benefiting from continued investment and regeneration. Sustainability and building performance will form a major part of the development. The project is targeting BREEAM Outstanding and a NABERS 5-star rating, alongside SmartScore and WiredScore Platinum certifications, placing energy efficiency, connectivity and smart building technology at the heart of the design. Multiplex’s appointment follows its earlier involvement with the project as Construction Partner under a Pre-Construction Services Agreement. This pre-construction phase has enabled the contractor to work alongside Endurance Land and the wider consultant team ahead of the main construction programme, supporting design development, buildability and delivery planning for the complex high-rise scheme. The contract also represents the second major collaboration between Endurance Land and Multiplex. The contractor recently completed Jahn Court and Brassworks at Regent Quarter, another significant Endurance Land development. The scheme has subsequently been leased to OpenAI and is expected to open in 2027. The appointment to 99 City Road therefore builds on an established relationship between the developer and contractor, with Multiplex bringing its experience of delivering complex commercial towers and major central London developments to the project. With KPF, AKT II and Arup forming part of the professional team, the development brings together architecture, structural engineering, building services and sustainability expertise as Endurance Land looks to create a high-performing workplace capable of meeting the evolving requirements of major occupiers. The project also reflects continued confidence in London’s premium office market, where developers are increasingly focusing investment on highly sustainable, technologically advanced buildings offering strong environmental performance and high-quality working environments. Once delivered, the 36-storey 99 City Road will provide a substantial new commercial destination for thousands of workers while adding another major high-rise development to the evolving skyline around the northern edge of the City. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Housebuilder secures planning to deliver additional 330 homes at NorthBridge
A major housing development is set to deliver 330 additional homes following a strategic re-plan and planning approval from Glasgow City Council. Set to be one of the largest regeneration schemes in the UK across multiple phases, top 10 UK housebuilder, Keepmoat, will increase its delivery from 834 homes to 1,164 at its flagship NorthBridge scheme. In late 2025, the housebuilder celebrated the success of its first phase at the site, located off Pinkston Road, which created 154 homes, enhanced and new transport links, green spaces and walking and cycling routes. Tim Metcalfe, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat, Scotland said: “This is a significant milestone in seeing much needed homes moving forward for the area. We’re thrilled to have secured approval of our strategic re-plan for this transformative development to create much needed homes alongside the council. “At Keepmoat we’re committed to creating sustainable, multi-tenure communities that prioritise well designed neighbourhoods with high quality homes, green spaces and abundant connections into existing communities. “The NorthBridge project reflects our long-term commitment to the city and our ambition to create exceptional places to live alongside the council.” The developer is currently delivering phase two and three of the site, set to create 246 homes, with 41 homes designated for local housing association Wheatley Homes Glasgow (WHG). Councillor Ruairi Kelly, Convener for Housing and Development at Glasgow City Council, said: “This is welcome news for Sighthill as it continues its ongoing regeneration, and indeed the whole city. The building of a further 330 high-quality homes in a Glasgow neighbourhood that has been transformed in recent years will be an important part of what the council and its partners are working to do to make as many homes as possible available.” Keepmoat is a top 10 UK partnership homebuilder with a track-record of delivering quality homes in regions across the UK. To date, Keepmoat has built over 35,000 homes, transforming brownfield sites into thriving new communities. To find out more about Keepmoat, please visit: www.keepmoat.com Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
ECF Selected to Drive 2,300-Home Portsmouth City Centre Regeneration
A major regeneration programme that could transform the heart of Portsmouth has taken a significant step forward after Portsmouth City Council selected ECF as its preferred development partner for the next phase of the ambitious City Centre North masterplan. The proposed regeneration has the potential to deliver up to 2,300 new homes alongside commercial, leisure and public realm improvements, creating one of the largest mixed-use developments on the South Coast. The 13.25-hectare brownfield site, which occupies land formerly home to the now-demolished Tricorn shopping centre and surrounding car parks, is set to be reimagined as a vibrant new city centre neighbourhood that combines residential, commercial and community uses. ECF – the regeneration partnership between Homes England’s National Housing Bank, Legal & General (L&G) and Muse – will now work alongside Portsmouth City Council to assess development options before progressing towards a formal development agreement. For the construction and property sectors, the appointment marks another major regeneration opportunity that could unlock substantial investment, housing delivery and long-term economic growth while bringing a strategically important city centre site back into productive use. Alongside a mix of homes across different tenures, the emerging masterplan includes new commercial workspace, leisure facilities and improved pedestrian connections designed to increase footfall, strengthen the local economy and create a more accessible and attractive urban environment. A key feature of the proposals will be more than 240,000 sq ft of new public realm, including a significant urban park that will provide valuable green space for residents, workers and visitors while enhancing the overall quality of the city centre. The regeneration reflects the growing emphasis on brownfield redevelopment as local authorities seek to deliver sustainable housing growth by repurposing underutilised urban land rather than expanding onto greenfield sites. Sir Michael Lyons, Chairman of ECF, said: “We’re looking forward to working with Portsmouth City Council over the coming months to explore the site in detail, test what’s deliverable here, and build the case for how we might take this forward together.” ECF has built a strong reputation for delivering large-scale regeneration projects across the UK, with an extensive portfolio that includes developments in Canning Town, Stockport, Bradford, Wolverhampton, Northampton and Stevenage. If brought forward, City Centre North has the potential to become one of Portsmouth’s most significant regeneration projects in decades, delivering new homes, employment opportunities, public spaces and commercial investment while creating a thriving mixed-use destination that supports the city’s long-term economic and residential growth ambitions. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals