Productivity gains from workplace AI mean little if they erase professional judgment

Productivity gains from workplace AI mean little if they erase professional judgment

by • AI, Architecture, Comment, Workplace design

Speed can become a dangerous proxy for the value of workplace AI when leaders stop asking what happened to the judgment behind the work.The strongest case for workplace AI rarely begins with a dramatic breakthrough. It begins with ordinary time savings: a report drafted faster, a plan assembled in minutes or a first pass produced without the usual blank-page delay. Those gains matter. Yet speed can become a dangerous proxy for value when leaders stop asking what happened to the judgment behind the work. (more…)

UK architects arrive at AI ‘tipping point’ – and a new existential crisis

UK architects arrive at AI ‘tipping point’ – and a new existential crisis

by • Architecture, News

Most architects don't think AI improves the quality of their work, and have become more pessimistic about their future as well as the long term impact on the profession as the tech reduces the number of entry level rolesThe Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published the results of the third survey among its members into attitudes towards, and usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI).?It outlines how artificial intelligence (AI) adoption has changed, how its use has developed and how design professionals view the AI-influenced future. The poll found that while adoption is widespread, most respondents don’t think AI improves the quality of their work, and have become more pessimistic about their future as well as the long term impact on the profession as the tech reduces the number of entry level roles. (more…)

Stirling Prize shortlist shines spotlight on mixed-use regeneration and workplace design

Stirling Prize shortlist shines spotlight on mixed-use regeneration and workplace design

by • Architecture, News, Workplace design

The transformation of one of London's busiest transport hubs and a major mixed-use commercial development has secured a place on the shortlist for the 2026 RIBA Stirling PrizeThe transformation of one of London’s busiest transport hubs and a major mixed-use commercial development has secured a place on the shortlist for the 2026 RIBA Stirling Prize, highlighting the growing prominence of workplace-led regeneration among the UK’s most celebrated new buildings. Renzo Piano Building Workshop’s Paddington Square is one of six projects shortlisted for British architecture’s most prestigious award. The development combines offices, retail, public space and improved connections to Paddington Station, reflecting the continued importance of mixed-use schemes in reshaping city centres. (more…)

UK architects embrace AI more and more, although concerns about creativity remain

UK architects embrace AI more and more, although concerns about creativity remain

by • AI, Architecture, News

Use of artificial intelligence (AI) among UK architects has risen sharply over the past year, according to a new report published by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)Use of artificial intelligence (AI) among UK architects has risen sharply over the past year, according to a new report published by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The 2025 RIBA AI Report reveals that nearly six in ten architecture practices now make use of AI tools, up from 41 percent last year. The data suggests a growing belief within the profession that digital technologies can support rather than replace architectural practice. (more…)

Urban Infill Architects secures planning win for latest office scheme

Urban Infill Architects secures planning win for latest office scheme

by • Architecture, Company news

Urban Infill ArchitectsUrban Infill Architects has secured planning consent for a 58,000 sq ft (GEA) redevelopment of New Devonshire House in Bromley, within the borough’s Business Improvement District. The redevelopment of New Devonshire House will provide a 10-storey office building designed to the latest BCO Grade A standards. The specifications include 78 cycle spaces, EV charging facilities and a communal sky deck level with break-out spaces, bar and sky garden. (more…)

‘Hideous’ Liverpool Lime Street development awarded 2024 Carbuncle Cup

‘Hideous’ Liverpool Lime Street development awarded 2024 Carbuncle Cup

by • Architecture, News

A development on Liverpool's Lime Street has been crowned the UK's ugliest new building in the 2024 Carbuncle Cup, a competition organised by magazine The FenceA development on Liverpool’s Lime Street has been crowned the UK’s ugliest new building in the 2024 Carbuncle Cup, a competition organised by magazine The Fence. Designed by British studio Broadway Malyan and completed in 2019, the project replaced historic buildings with a hotel and student accommodation. The award citation called it the “very worst new building in Britain” since the competition last run in 2018. One particularly aspect that wound up the judges is the façade, featuring metal panels etched with images of the buildings in Liverpool that were demolished for the redevelopment.

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Electric arc furnaces could turn old concrete into zero-carbon cement

Electric arc furnaces could turn old concrete into zero-carbon cement

by • Architecture, Environment, Facilities management, News

commercial propertyConcrete and steel production are major contributors to global CO2 emissions, but a new technology from Cambridge University offers a promising solution: recycling both materials simultaneously. This innovative process involves using old concrete in steel-processing furnaces to not only purify iron but also generate “reactivated cement” as a by-product. When powered by renewable energy sources, this method has the potential to produce entirely carbon-neutral cement, according to the research published in the journal Nature.

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Open competition launched to find design team for new museum of architecture and design in Helsinki

Open competition launched to find design team for new museum of architecture and design in Helsinki

by • Architecture, News, Workplace design

The Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design, Real Estate Company ADM, the City of Helsinki and SAFA the Finnish Association of Architects have launched an international, open design competition to find a design team for a new 10,050 sq m (GFA) museum building in Helsinki’s South Harbour. The new museum of architecture and design in Helsinki, Finland, is planned to open in 2030 and will combine the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki. These institutions were successfully merged in January 2024, and the new museum will retain and grow the staff of both its predecessors. (more…)

Reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel could be game changer for built environment

Reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel could be game changer for built environment

by • Architecture, Environment, News

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have now developed a method that makes it easier to scale up and facilitate the construction of more environmentally friendly built environmentBy reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel, it is possible to use less material and create slender, lightweight structures with a significantly lower environmental impact. The technology to utilise carbon fibre textiles already exists, but it has been challenging to produce a basis for reliable calculations for complex and vaulted structures. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have now developed a method that makes it easier to scale up and facilitate the construction of more environmentally friendly bridges, tunnels and buildings. They say the technology has the potential to transform the built environment. (more…)

Architecture must transform to meet the climate challenge, say RIBA

Architecture must transform to meet the climate challenge, say RIBA

by • Architecture, Environment, News

The most significant actions the architecture profession can take to help mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, adapt buildings to withstand weather extremes, promote biodiversity and scale up engagement and activismThe Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has launched a new horizon-scanning programme with a set of scans that identify the most pertinent environmental issues facing the built environment over the next ten years. Developed by leading academics, The Environmental Challenge themed horizon scans provide foresight into the most significant actions the architecture profession can take to help mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, adapt buildings to withstand weather extremes, promote biodiversity and scale up engagement and activism. (more…)

Two in five architects say they are already using AI on projects

Two in five architects say they are already using AI on projects

by • AI, Architecture, News, Technology

New research by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) suggests that 41 percent of UK architects are already using artificial intelligence (AI) on at least the occasional projectNew research by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) suggests that 41 percent of UK architects are already using artificial intelligence (AI) on at least the occasional project, and of those, 43 percent think it has made the design process more efficient. The RIBA AI report includes the findings of a survey asking architects how they are using and plan to use AI. In the next 2 years, 54 percent of architects expect their practice to use AI, and 57 percent think it will improve efficiency in the design process. However, this ambition this doesn’t yet seem to be matched by investment, as 69 percent say their practice has not invested in AI research and development, and only 41 percent expect their practice to invest. (more…)

“Security-by-design” aims fall short, and building costs spiral as a result

“Security-by-design” aims fall short, and building costs spiral as a result

by • Architecture, Facilities management, News, Property, Workplace design

A report claims that despite an increased commitment to “security-by-design” principles, the industry is still spending significant time and money post-build to fix issuesA new report from Brivo claims that, while security is a new priority in building design, a mismatch between ambition and reality can lead to spiralling costs. The results of its research into integrated physical security in building design by Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) practitioners have been published in a report called The State of ‘Security-by-Design’: Is Security an Afterthought in Building Design?[registration]. The report claims that despite an increased commitment to “security-by-design” principles, the industry is still spending significant time and money post-build to fix security issues, risking dire retroactive effects. (more…)

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