Search Results for: construction

Architecture must transform to meet the climate challenge, say RIBA

Architecture must transform to meet the climate challenge, say RIBA

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 →

Millions of people are living with poor air quality, placing their health and lives at risk

Millions of people are living with poor air quality, placing their health and lives at risk

IQAir has published its sixth Annual World Air Quality Report, which reveals troubling details of worldwide pollution in 2023IQAir has published its sixth Annual World Air Quality Report, which reveals troubling details of worldwide pollution in 2023. The report is an annual air quality analysis that tracks worldwide exposure to harmful levels of PM2.5 pollution. The report ranks 134 countries, territories, and regions across 7,748 locations using data from over 30,000 air quality monitoring stations around the globe. More →

No more zero sum games … the Workplace Cocktail Hour with Joe Croft

No more zero sum games … the Workplace Cocktail Hour with Joe Croft

For the second week running, the football talk takes place off mike. Joe Croft shares a coffee and a chat with Mark Eltringham. Instead of the mixed fortunes of Middlesbrough and Stoke City, they talk about everything to do with sustainability in office fitout and construction. They discuss the limit of accreditations and standards, the need to get beyond box ticking and greenwash and what best practice really looks like. They also discuss what might happen when our favoured recycled materials become scarce, and also how resource hungry the online and digital world is. More →

UK and other countries sign international pledge to cut carbon emissions from buildings

UK and other countries sign international pledge to cut carbon emissions from buildings

This declaration aims to facilitate a swift, equitable, and effective transition within the sector to lower carbon emissions from buildings.The inaugural Buildings and Climate Global Forum, organised by the French Government and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) concluded last week.  Representatives from 70 countries adopted the Declaration de Chaillot, a foundational document for international cooperation. This declaration aims to facilitate a swift, equitable, and effective transition within the sector to lower carbon emissions from buildings. More →

TRILUX illuminates award-winning one Portwall Square with cutting-edge lighting solution

TRILUX illuminates award-winning one Portwall Square with cutting-edge lighting solution

Trilux have created a lighting solution for the award winning One Portwall Square building in Bristol, which prioritises wellbeing In the heart of Bristol’s bustling commercial district stands a beacon of innovation and sustainability: One Portwall Square. This ground-breaking office development, adjacent to Temple Meads Station, prioritises occupant wellbeing and environmental responsibility in a post-COVID world. TRILUX, the renowned technical lighting expert, was pivotal in providing a comprehensive lighting solution for this award-winning project. More →

UKGBC publishes new guidance on embodied carbon emissions reporting for more rigorous carbon reduction strategy

UKGBC publishes new guidance on embodied carbon emissions reporting for more rigorous carbon reduction strategy

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched new guidance on Scope 3 embodied carbon measurement and reporting, for stakeholders across the built environment. Scope 3 represents a proportion of an organisation’s indirect embodied carbon emissions that can constitute up to 80-95 percent of its total value chain footprint. Setting out a way to coherently align embodied carbon assessments, the guidance reframes Scope 3 reporting as a singular methodology rather than siloed efforts. More →

MillerKnoll’s top office fit out trends for 2024

MillerKnoll’s top office fit out trends for 2024

The last few years have seen a major shift in how businesses approach their office spaces. With more emphasis on aesthetics, functionality, and employee wellbeing, 2024 will showcase some of the most exciting trends for future-ready workplaces centred on connection, wellbeing and change. As a leader in workplace design, MillerKnoll talks about the top six emerging trends shaping office spaces this year. Based on decades of expertise, MillerKnoll identifies shifting priorities that empower companies embracing conscious design attuned to modern needs. More →

People who don’t work at a desk feel much less loved than those who do

People who don’t work at a desk feel much less loved than those who do

The UK’s ‘deskless’ workers feel considerably less valued at work than their desk-based colleagues. Just 43 per cent of UK deskless workers admit to feeling seen, valued and appreciated compared to 61 per cent of desk-based corporate employees. These are the findings from O.C. Tanner’s 2024 Global Culture Report which have been released to coincide with Employee Appreciation Day (1 March 2024). More →

Siemens, Enlighted, and Zumtobel Group partner to advance smart building solutions

Siemens, Enlighted, and Zumtobel Group partner to advance smart building solutions

Siemens and Enlighted, a  property technology company owned by Siemens, announce a strategic partnership with Zumtobel Group, the lighting provider, to advance the adoption of smart building technologies

Siemens and Enlighted, a  property technology company owned by Siemens, announce a strategic partnership with Zumtobel Group, the lighting provider, to advance the adoption of smart building technologies including intelligent IoT lighting, setting new standards for efficiency and sustainability in building operations worldwide. At the core of the partnership lies the technical integration of Enlighted’s industry-leading smart sensors into Zumtobel Group’s lighting portfolio, both under Zumtobel and Thorn brands. 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

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 →

State-of-the-art European weather centre headquarters in Reading given go-ahead

State-of-the-art European weather centre headquarters in Reading given go-ahead

The UK Government has been granted planning permission to develop a new cutting-edge headquarters for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) at the University of Reading. Construction of ECMWF’s modern, accessible, and highly sustainable headquarters is scheduled to start towards the end of this year and completion is expected in Autumn 2026, after Wokingham Borough Council approved the development at its February 2024 Planning Committee. 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

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 →