Latest research survey calls for architect feedback to improve educational offering A new survey has been launched by NBS, a leading specification and product information platform for the construction industry, and RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects) to find out how architects and specifiers are using RIBA-approved CPDs (Continuing
Local architectural practice, Stephen George + Partners LLP (SGP) is launching a free interactive toolkit to introduce primary school children to the importance of building sustainably. Focusing on building materials and how much carbon is released during their manufacture, the engaging and interactive Better Buildings website is free to use
Axalta, a leading manufacturer of powder and liquid coatings has opened a new Colour Experience Room in London, where architects and designers can explore its extensive range of powder coatings for metallic substrates. As part of the London Festival of Architecture 2019, Axalta is hosting a sensory colour experience at
Capgemini will enter into a new partnership agreement with Autodesk, a leader in 3D design, engineering, construction and entertainment software, to deploy ReflectIoD, a new cloud-enabled and secure digital twin platform. The new Building Information Modelling (BIM) platform for building and infrastructure operators integrates natively 1D to 3D, point cloud,
Building a home is a rewarding and exciting project. Planning every step and making decisions about the project is a huge responsibility. Also, it can be a daunting experience, even for skilled people. Evaluating the project before starting can make the process go smoothly. So if you to build your
HLM, a leading design and architecture practice with studios in Glasgow, has won the tender for the £45 million Sheffield Heart of the City II Block A project, staving off competition from 37 other architecture practices. The scheme will provide ground floor retail space, office accommodation, a lifestyle hotel and
A new sustainability director has been appointed by global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will in London. Joining the Lodon office is Asif Din who will lead strategic initiatives for sustainable building across the firm’s practice areas, including urban design, architecture, hospitality, and workplace design. He comes to the company with
Consulting engineers practice Brentwood has announced an expansion with new offices in Yorkshire and the Midlands. It has acquired new creative workspace in the Grade I-listed Leeming Building in Leeds city centre and Historic Alpha Building in Birmingham City Centre. Whilst it retains its headquarters in Harrogate, Brentwood is embarking
A new state-of-the-art science park that will deliver cutting edge facilities for R&D and high-tech manufacturing has been proposed in Swindon. The 82,188 sq m Wasdell Group facility located at Inlands Farm, Wanborough, will also help support Wasdell’s projected growth. The planning application for the development was submitted by national planning and
There are only a few weeks left for architects and specifiers to make their nominations for the internationally recognised biennial GAI/RIBA Architectural Ironmongery Specification Awards. Organised by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the awards are designed to identify and
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Latest research survey calls for architect feedback to improve educational offering A new survey has been launched by NBS, a leading specification and product information platform for the construction industry, and RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects) to find out how architects and specifiers are using RIBA-approved CPDs (Continuing Professional Development). The RIBA CPD Providers Network survey will help monitor satisfaction levels as a springboard for improvement, delivering a deep dive into the most popular topics covered and ways to increase programme effectiveness in the digital era. Each year, RIBA Chartered Members are required to achieve 35 hours’ worth of CPD, as part of their continual development. Through CPD delivered by experts from manufacturers and advisory bodies, accredited by the RIBA CPD Providers Network, architects are able to stay up to date on industry changes to deliver the highest quality services to clients. Through the survey, NBS and RIBA aim to pinpoint how CPD is evolving and how new formats can quickly disseminate pertinent information about major changes in the industry whilst meeting the needs of a faster-paced, more technologically savvy workforce. NBS is now calling on architects and specifiers to offer their opinions to inform this year’s report and help identify some of the barriers to success, to ultimately improve the future success of RIBA-approved CPDs. David Bain, Research Manager at NBS, said: “It’s been five years since our last RIBA CPD Research Report and the industry has changed significantly in that time. In a sector that’s undergone such a dramatic transformation, particularly with the swift turn to digital adoption, we want to find out what’s important to specifiers and architects so we can enhance their learning potential in the years to come and propel new recruits to close the skills gap. “Specifically, we’ll be drilling down into the preferred ways of doing CPD and whether or not that has changed since the pandemic. We’ll also look at what format and content are most beneficial to them and the importance of RIBA accreditation when it comes to reviewed and approved content.” Once the results have been collated, the findings will be produced into a 2022 report due out in May this year. Those that choose to take part will then receive an early copy of the report, ahead of general release. Joni Tyler, RIBA Head of CPD, said: “RIBA-approved Providers Network CPDs have set the blueprint when it comes to quality – providing a distinct advantage over non-approved CPD materials. “We’ve seen a huge shift to digital CPDs over the past 18 months and with so much development in the industry we want to ensure that architects are getting exactly what they need. “This will also be a hugely useful exercise for companies looking to present or host CPDs, gaining a deeper understanding of how to effectively communicate with their architect and specifier audiences – what drives them and what makes them tick. Architects and other specifiers interested in taking part in the survey can do so by clicking here. The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete and respondents will receive a copy of the report automatically once published. For every completed response, NBS will donate £1 to the UK construction industry charity CRASH.
Local architectural practice, Stephen George + Partners LLP (SGP) is launching a free interactive toolkit to introduce primary school children to the importance of building sustainably. Focusing on building materials and how much carbon is released during their manufacture, the engaging and interactive Better Buildings website is free to use and aims to get children at Key Stage 2 thinking about sustainability and designing low carbon buildings. Project lead Simon Matthews, a member of the Social Responsibility group at SGP takes up the story: “We decided to create a set of learning aids that teachers can use with children of about 10 or 11 years old, to help them discover more about building materials and their impact on the environment, in a fun and accessible way. Buildings have a significant impact on the environment – 11% of global carbon emissions come from the construction of buildings and the materials used. The Better Buildings programme aligns perfectly with our company values – it is imperative for us to raise awareness and put our knowledge out there for everyone to share.” Steve Malkin, founder of sustainability champions Planet Mark, adds: “”As an engineer, I would have loved a lesson in imagining and designing buildings that are great for the planet and for people. I have seen first-hand the wonderful ideas school children can bring to creating better buildings and, this exciting classroom resource gives them the ideas to fuel their imagination.” The Better Buildings resource is web based and includes investigating traditional and alternative materials used around the world, followed by a module for children to design their own low carbon building. Throughout the site, children are encouraged to explore the subjects through activities and open discussions, discovering fascinating facts and using an interactive carbon indicator to assess each material. Cartoon avatars of SGP staff help to explain common terms used throughout Simon continues: “Sustainability is everyone’s issue and everyone needs to contribute what they can. We developed the Better Building website specifically for primary school children because they are the architects of the future – and a generation that will need to face the problems we have left. We know the interest in sustainability and climate change is there from our existing schools’ sustainability campaign, SGP + You, so the earlier we can engage the better. “SGP’s Better Buildings website celebrates the positives and what people can do, reaffirming the message that people do have the ability to make changes that will have a positive impact. We hope that this resource will help teachers explain sustainability in building materials to older primary school children and ignite their enthusiasm for the subject.” The website, an open-source asset, is now available, free to all teachers. Link to the website: https://betterbuildings.stephengeorge.co.uk/
Axalta, a leading manufacturer of powder and liquid coatings has opened a new Colour Experience Room in London, where architects and designers can explore its extensive range of powder coatings for metallic substrates. As part of the London Festival of Architecture 2019, Axalta is hosting a sensory colour experience at The Building Centre on Thursday 13th June. Having presented Colour Experience Rooms in France, Belgium and Poland in the past, Axalta has decided to bring a showroom to London this year as it’s a creative capital and a well-recognised design hub. The sensory experience will showcase Axalta’s vast powder coatings colour palette, whilst also testing the boundaries of the five senses. Visitors will be invited to the Colour Experience Room to identify colour, one sense at a time, and experience just how the senses can elicit an emotion and how colour is a key component in that choice. Berlin-based Designer and Art Director, Ramin Nasibov, will be offering Axalta-filtered headshots of guests during two sessions on the day, alongside other sensory experiences. “Colour has no boundaries – indeed it has the capacity to take you to new and exciting places by capturing your senses and igniting your imagination.” commented Dami Babalola, Architecture Colour Expert and curator of the workshop. “Our sensory experience will show you just how colour can stimulate every one of your senses – taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing.” Editors and journalists are invited to an exclusive workshop from 11am to 12 midday, with public events being held at 1pm-2pm and again at 6pm-7pm. As space is tight, places are limited so visitors are invited to register their attendance by emailing dami.babalola@axalta.com The wide colour palette of Axalta’s powder coatings have been specifically designed for the architectural field and are well-recognised for their high-tech product quality and extensive range of textures, gloss grades and effects, and this will be brought to life in the showroom. For more information about Axalta Coating Systems and all parties involved, please visit: @axaltapowdercoatingsemea, @raminnasibov, @londonfestivalofarchitecture @thebuildingcentre About Axalta Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and providing customers with innovative, colourful, beautiful and sustainable solutions. From light OEM vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish applications to electric motors, buildings and pipelines, our coatings are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enable the materials we coat to last longer. With more than 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, the 14,000 people of Axalta continue to find ways to serve our more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more information visit axalta.com and follow us @Axalta on Twitter and on LinkedIn.
Capgemini will enter into a new partnership agreement with Autodesk, a leader in 3D design, engineering, construction and entertainment software, to deploy ReflectIoD, a new cloud-enabled and secure digital twin platform. The new Building Information Modelling (BIM) platform for building and infrastructure operators integrates natively 1D to 3D, point cloud, geographical information, and Internet of Things (IOT) data while offering value added services to improve operations and maintenance. This agreement is a step towards meeting the ever growing needs of enterprises for standardized brownfields management along their entire lifecycle. The world’s population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, with 75% living in cities. Globalization and urbanization are driving unprecedented demand for new and rehabilitated buildings and infrastructure. Given this context, a BIM single source of truth enabling data centric collaboration across the extended enterprise is a requirement. Capgemini’s services in Digital Engineering and Manufacturing are leading the convergence of the physical and digital worlds to boost its clients’ competitiveness. Its solutions, particularly for the AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) sector, leverage model intelligence, digital workflows and powerful data insights to shape smart factories and assets, comfortable and secure buildings, and data-enabled infrastructure towards an efficient, sustainable and livable future. Backed by Capgemini and Autodesk’s expertise, ReflectIOD will provide operators with consistent services from handover to operations, including design reviews in operations, progressive handover and commissioning, support for real time diagnosis and inspections, IoT alerting to prevent fluctuations, remote assistance and asset revamping. “The essence of a digital twin is data- centric collaborations. Capgemini’s agreement with Autodesk will provide BIM operators with a unique cloud- enabled and secured digital twin platform. This collaboration gathers a unique set of digital transformation skills and technologies,” said Jean-Pierre Petit, Director of Digital Manufacturing at Capgemini. The platform integrates Autodesk Forge APIs and geographical information systems, as well as Capgemini integration services and platforms such as X-IoT for device management, and Andy 3D for remote assistance and asset revamping on hybrid 3D. It can be configured according to industry and project specific requirements and is adaptable to change following agile and incremental implementation. Furthermore, as certified Forge Systems Integrator, Capgemini can support and advance its clients Forge based initiatives.
Building a home is a rewarding and exciting project. Planning every step and making decisions about the project is a huge responsibility. Also, it can be a daunting experience, even for skilled people. Evaluating the project before starting can make the process go smoothly. So if you to build your home follow these steps: Decide the location You need to choose or decide the location and position of the house. Next, you’ll drive stakes into the ground to mark this. But you can employ a surveyor for because surveyors know the restrictions and codes of the area you want to build in Clear and Excavate The process involves removing roots, trees, and rocks from the construction location. Further, you can also, rough grade the site. It involves moving the debris around to create your preferred driveway, yard, and drainage. Also, excavating involves digging a hole for your foundation. Get necessary utilities for building You’ll need water, power and a portable toilet while building the house. Also, you can get a well drilled so water will be available at all times during construction. Make and pour the footings Footing holds the foundation of your house. You can pour it into wooden trenches or forms. Create the foundation A good foundation holds the home’s structure. Make the completed foundation high enough to prevent water from entering the house. Also, the foundation must be waterproofed to prevent water from gathering in crawl space. Install plumbing materials It involves fixing any plumbing that needs to go beneath the concrete. Create Slabs Slabs are then formed and poured concrete in garages and the basement. Build septic systems You need a septic tank, especially there’s no town sewer. It’s a system that makes disposing of your household waste easy. Paint This is where you need to finish off any drywall repairs and carry out the last painting process. You may need to touch up some few things. Don’t worry, it’s normal. You can carry out the last finish on the floor and install the carpets too. Clean the house after painting Here, you’ll need to clean both the outside and inside of the house after painting. Driveway As soon as the builders have removed all the equipment after completing their job, you can create a driveway. Create a garden It’s time to grow trees, shrubs, and grass to create flower beds. Also, you can add any garden or mulch to the house. This will complete the appearance of your home so you can move in! Building your home can be stressful, but architects can show you your future house with Cedreo, the best home design software.
HLM, a leading design and architecture practice with studios in Glasgow, has won the tender for the £45 million Sheffield Heart of the City II Block A project, staving off competition from 37 other architecture practices. The scheme will provide ground floor retail space, office accommodation, a lifestyle hotel and residential accommodation. It forms part of the wider Heart of the City II masterplan, one of Sheffield’s key economic projects backed by Sheffield City Council alongside its strategic delivery partner Queensberry. Designed to create a dynamic mixed-use district in the heart of the city centre, it will offer Grade A office space, two hotels, residential developments, restaurants and cafés, leisure destinations, parking and stunning public realm. Block A is the city block on Pinstone Street and is the gateway to the Heart of the City II district from the east. It sits within the City Centre Conservation Area and neighbours several historically significant buildings and public spaces, including Barker’s Pool, City Hall, the Town Hall and Laycock House. It also has a commanding presence over the adjacent Peace Gardens. HLM’s winning design draws on the romance and heritage of the site as well as the independent retail culture of the city centre and the vibrancy associated with Sheffield City of Makers. Described as calm, confident and contemporary, it stitches together different uses to create a vibrant destination within the city centre. Philip Watson, Director and Head of Design at HLM, said: “As a major UK practice which had its first base in Sheffield, being part of its regeneration is a great honour. It’s a unique project with a significance that is affirmed by the 35+ practices who wanted to be considered as part of the competition. Our successful design reflects our own understanding of this great UK city as well a quality of architecture that marries the respect of the old and the potential of the new.” Nalin Seneviratne, Director of City Centre Development at Sheffield City Council, added: “Block A is one of the most prominent blocks within the Heart of the City II masterplan. It was critical for us to bring in an architect with the vision and creativity to help us to realise the true potential of this site. With HLM Architects we are confident we have found this, as they combine international experience and expertise with a detailed local knowledge and respect for Sheffield’s heritage.” HLM offers expertise across five disciplines including Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Environmental and Masterplanning. It has studios in Glasgow, London, Sheffield, Belfast, Cardiff and Manchester, as well as Dubai and Abu Dhabi. For more information on HLM visit: www.hlmarchitects.com or follow @HLMArchitects on Twitter.
A new sustainability director has been appointed by global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will in London. Joining the Lodon office is Asif Din who will lead strategic initiatives for sustainable building across the firm’s practice areas, including urban design, architecture, hospitality, and workplace design. He comes to the company with over 20 years of experience working on a number of PassivHaus and Zero Energy Developments. “As a practising architect and environmental expert, Asif joins Perkins+Will at a time of growing global demand for leadership in sustainable design that looks at the entire lifecycle of a building. We are excited for our sustainability initiatives to have a strong director at their helm. Asif is perfect for the newly created Sustainability Director position, and I look forward to working with him to create designs that are economically and environmentally resilient, built to last, and focus on the occupants’ experience,” said Steven Charlton, managing director of Perkins+Will’s London studio. Asif Din also commented on his appointment: “It is imperative that the architecture profession takes a proactive, not reactive, approach to tackling the realities of climate change through building design. I’m excited to join Perkins+Will to explore the range of sustainability opportunities in the London office, while also engaging with the firm’s breadth of research and expertise at a global level.” This appointment supports the recent announcement by the Mayor of London to make the capital a zero-carbon city and at least 50 per cent green by 2050.
Consulting engineers practice Brentwood has announced an expansion with new offices in Yorkshire and the Midlands. It has acquired new creative workspace in the Grade I-listed Leeming Building in Leeds city centre and Historic Alpha Building in Birmingham City Centre. Whilst it retains its headquarters in Harrogate, Brentwood is embarking on a national growth strategy which has already seen new office bases in Manchester during 2018. Since a senior management buyout took place in 2013 the Brentwood Partnership has changed its status to become a Limited Company to help structure for growth. It was also selected for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK Programme which identifies and gives support to small companies with a strong business model and high growth potential. Brentwood has since set out an ambitious three-year strategy to achieve 50% annual growth in both team members and turnover. It is currently on target to achieve an 80% increase in just one year as it works towards year end in March 2019. Mark Johnson, Director at Brentwood, said, “We are delighted to announce our expansion into Leeds and Birmingham. With a presence now in the three core business cities outside of London we can provide more physical connectivity with our local markets and indeed nationally. With this physical growth we are also expanding our team and capabilities having recently announced new principal specialists in lighting and building physics. “Mechanical, electrical and public health design services are at the heart of buildings, providing sustainable, controllable and appropriate environments. As a single disciplinary consulting practice, we are gearing the business to be better placed for market growth and our longer-term business plan is to increase our UK and international presence.” Brentwood is an award-winning practice which has been established for more than 40 years. It offers expertise in mechanical engineering design, electrical engineering design, lighting design, public health design, condition and site surveys, energy and communications infrastructure design, feasibility studies, planning support and post occupancy evaluation. It also has a dedicated resource to energy assessments. Key projects include the new Barbara Hepworth Building for art, design and architecture at the University of Huddersfield, The University of York’s Advanced Structural Imaging Facility, £30m student scheme International House in Birmingham, Cheshire Oaks, Mercedes Benz in Stockport and Chaucer House in Portsmouth.
A new state-of-the-art science park that will deliver cutting edge facilities for R&D and high-tech manufacturing has been proposed in Swindon. The 82,188 sq m Wasdell Group facility located at Inlands Farm, Wanborough, will also help support Wasdell’s projected growth. The planning application for the development was submitted by national planning and development consultancy Turley submitted the . The company is also providing planning, environmental impact assessment, landscape and built heritage services for the scheme. “This facility will provide a major lift for Swindon and the surrounding area, providing jobs and boosting the local supply chain. We are thrilled to play our part in helping to deliver fantastic new opportunities for the local economy and people,” Turley’s head of planning for the south east, Peter Lawson. Swindon Science Park will be designed by Oxford Architects and will boast low-density green spaces separated by footpaths, cycle ways and water features. 14% of the park will be built area, while 86% of the site will be given over to green sustainable landscaping, screening and planting of native British trees. The buildings will be constructed using the latest technology and materials, with roof mounted solar panels to generate renewable energy and green sedum roofs to promote bio-diversity, air quality and rain water attenuation. “The Government recognises the crucial role that the life sciences industries must play in UK PLC, and there are considerable opportunities for our local and regional economy if as a town we embrace the life sciences and collaborate on R&D and investment,” said Wasdell’s CEO, Martin Tedham. “Our neighbours in Reading, Oxford, Bath and Bristol are already reaping substantial rewards through making the sciences an economic and employment priority. With the national research councils on our doorstep, and Heathrow less than an hour away, Swindon is perfectly placed to grow its hi-tech, science-based industries too,” he added. The first element of the Wasdell facility is believed to become operational in 2021, with the remainder becoming operational over the subsequent four years.
There are only a few weeks left for architects and specifiers to make their nominations for the internationally recognised biennial GAI/RIBA Architectural Ironmongery Specification Awards. Organised by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the awards are designed to identify and reward excellence in the specification of architectural ironmongery. For the 2018/19 awards, projects can be nominated for a ‘Best new product: design and innovation’ category. This award has been created to showcase new ironmongery products, as well as the advancing technologies used within the door and window hardware industry. This category will celebrate products that have been created using new methods of manufacture, or that display new design concepts or originality of thought. This category is not limited to mechanical products. New innovations or technologies in access control, door automation or any field allied to architectural ironmongery could also be submitted. In addition to this new award, projects can be nominated for the following categories: residential; commercial and hospitality buildings; public health and education buildings, and international projects outside the UK and Ireland. Architects, specifiers, building contractors, clients and their architectural ironmongery advisers and suppliers across the world can nominate projects for the 2018/19 awards until Friday 16 November 2018. The projects or products must be either completed or released onto the market between 1 October 2016 and 30 September 2018 to be eligible for entry. “The Specification Awards are unique because they reward the whole specification team. The outstanding design and high quality finishes of the projects nominated highlights the importance of the professional partnership between architects and architectural ironmongers,” said David Stacey, president of the GAI. “We hope the addition of the ‘Best new product: design and innovation’ category will reveal some really interesting products with pioneering ways of using materials to create a new solution or a new design,” he added. For each category there will be a winner, second and third place. The judges will also decide on an overall ‘winner of winners’. At the 2017/18 Specification Awards, this accolade went to Kings Gate, a residential project by architectural ironmongers izé and architect Lynch Architects. A brochure featuring the 2017/18 winning projects can be downloaded from the GAI website. There is no limit on the number of entries to the 2018/19 awards. The first entry from GAI or RIBA members is free of charge.
