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In this issue, we bring you news on the timber shortage, the wellbeing benefits of building with wood, the versatility of natural slate, and more. Contact us

Fire safety in the frame

David Atkinson from Metsec discusses the increased focus on through-wall fire testing post-Grenfell, and how steel framing systems can contribute to improved performance as well as thermal efficiency. Light gauge galvanised steel framing systems (SFS) are primarily used for wall constructions such as infill walling, continuous walling, high bay walling... Read more...
Published 08/10/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

Slated for natural versatility

David Cooke from Cupa Pizarras discusses the versatility of natural slate when it comes to aesthetics, and the resulting design freedom it offers architects, giving recent examples. In an age where the environmental impact of our actions is rightly under scrutiny, natural slate represents a highly sustainable roofing or cladding choice... Read more...
Published 05/10/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

Diamond life

Newfoundland, the first residential project in Canary Wharf – and London’s tallest build to rent scheme ­­– has been completed, and it’s an architectural landmark in its own right. Lead architect Billie Lee spoke to Jack Wooler about its distinctive structure. The first residential building on the main Canary Wharf estate was completed this spring. At 218 metres... Read more...
Published 05/10/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

Rolling out offsite benefits

Marian Kubisz of Adept Consulting (UK) looks at the increased specification of cold rolled steel frames in the current push for offsite construction solutions, and why system design considerations need to be brought into projects at the earliest stage. Hot rolled steel frames are generally being considered as the original offsite framing solution... Read more...
Published 05/10/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

A 1970s revival

A controversial 1970s building in the historic heart of Cheltenham has been transformed by AWW Architects to provide a contemporary mixed-use commercial development. Neil Smith from AluK reports. Once a 1970s landmark in the centre of Cheltenham, but later becoming an underused and run-down building, the Quadrangle has been... Read more...
Published 05/10/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

Performance through time

Jonathan Lowy of VMZinc looks back at how changes in technology have improved the manufacture of zinc over the decades to enable greater versatility and durability in today’s projects. The first zinc roof was installed on St Bartholomew’s Church in Liege, Belgium in 1809. Over the coming century Baron Haussmann made zinc ‘the’ roofing material... Read more...
Published 05/10/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

The new stone age has arrived

Powder coatings are continually evolving with a number of aesthetic finishes demonstrating variations in colour and patination. Realistic alternatives to masonry materials such as GRC, pre-cast concrete and Portland Stone can now be realised. Not long ago, the mere prospect of powder coated aluminium being proposed in lieu of the... Read more...
Published 01/10/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

New study highlights 10 wellbeing benefits of building with wood

Considering in the developed world, around 90% of our time is spent inside – something that’s been exacerbated in recent times by the COVID-19 pandemic – it is more important than ever to assess wellbeing whilst indoors, and the recently launched whitepaper by Stora Enso in collaboration with the Technical University Munich demystifies the role... Read more...
Published 30/09/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

It’s time to buy British

A wide range of imported timber products are now hard to come by thanks to various supply issues, but the solution is close at hand, says Tom Barnes of Vastern Timber. Various timber products, including roof battens, structural timber and timber cladding, are in high demand this year, and it is well known that supplies are not keeping up... Read more...
Published 13/09/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

A revealing take on later life

Images © Jack Hobhouse. A project in north London offers highly individualised, non-institutional retirement village design both inside and out, producing a carefully detailed brick-clad form on a challenging site. Jack Wooler reports. Belle Vue is a high-end retirement community in Hampstead, London which offers communal and neighbourhood facilities... Read more...
Published 13/09/2021 via materialsforarchitecture.co.uk

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