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In this issue, we bring you news on Budget 2021, removal of unsafe cladding, a timber refuge for cancer patients, and more. Contact us

Budget 2021: a boost for construction?

An extension to the furlough scheme, a £10m MMC taskforce, a new ‘Infrastructure Bank’ totalling £12bn in capital, £15bn to be spent on the transition to net zero by 2050, an extension on the stamp duty holiday, and the introduction of a Government-backed 5 per cent mortgage were some of the key headlines from the Chancellor’s Budget.... Read more...
Published 04/03/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

Seeing a smart future beyond the pandemic

Neil McSporran of NSG Group discusses how ‘smart’ antimicrobial glass for tackling infections beyond the pandemic, and how smarter building materials will help designers to create safer environments. Curbing the transmission of diseases will be a priority for those who design and manage buildings for many years to come.... Read more...
Published 18/02/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

The natural solution

Charlie Sharman of Cantifix discusses how the recent months have reminded us how much we need sunlight, and how glass technology innovations can help architects design for maximised natural light. There are many lessons we can take from 2020 about how we live, but, for some of us, it’s also demonstrated that we may also need to rethink where we live.... Read more...
Published 17/02/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

The visible future

Conversions from office to residential under Permitted Development Rights are becoming more commonplace as we move to widespread home working. Structura UK’s Manny Patel looks at the implications for facades. Life has changed radically under Covid-19. The epidemic is changing the way buildings are used. One of the most obvious changes.... Read more...
Published 17/02/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

Extra £3.5bn for removing unsafe cladding derided as being too little and too late

The long awaited Government announcement on how it will resolve the cladding scandal were almost immediately criticised for not being enough, for taking too long and for focussing solely on cladding – while ignoring other serious safety concerns such as fire stops and water sprinklers, as well as failing to address soaring insurance costs and the inability.... Read more...
Published 11/02/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

Light relief

Heatherwick Studio’s first completed healthcare scheme is a new Maggie’s Centre that turns an unloved patch of city centre hospital estate into a landscape-festooned, lightweight timber refuge for cancer patients. James Parker reports. Heatherwick Studio’s first completed healthcare project globally is a typically adventurous structure for a Maggie’s Centre.... Read more...
Published 12/01/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

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