Compact & functional

With space becoming more confined in developments, designing rooms that still include all the right features is challenging. Joanne Dobbs from Lecico Bathrooms offers her advice when creating bathrooms for compact areas. The reduction in floorspace in UK homes over... View Article

Drainage at the building threshold

Effective drainage must be ‘front of mind’ for new builds seeking to achieve the increasingly popular blending of indoor and outdoor environments. Rob Butcher of ACO Water Management discusses the key considerations. The integration of outdoor and indoor spaces is... View Article

Achieving 
quantity and quality

Patrick Mooney, housing consultant and news editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance magazine, asks: has good design been squeezed out by our efforts to increase housing supply? “Too many housing estates are designed for nowhere in particular. They can be... View Article

Delivering emissions reductions

Marc Nickels of Kingspan Technical Insulation discusses how one substantial source of embodied emissions – building services haulage and deliveries – can be reduced on residential developments. The UK Green Building Council anticipates that by 2035, embodied carbon emissions may... View Article

Did the queen’s speech deliver?

Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), discusses his views on the recent Queen’s Speech, and how it compared with industry expectations. My previous two columns have touched on my hopes for a reformed planning process to... View Article

Estate of independence

Before newly-independent housing association Salix Homes got involved, other contenders had been put off by the scale of demolition needed at a major estate renovation in Salford. Terry McBride of Salix explains to Jack Wooler how they achieved vital community... View Article

Bringing glass back
into balconies

Andy Lake of Pyroguard explores how glass can be used safely in balcony applications, as well as the various factors for housebuilders and developers to consider to ensure the right solution is specified. It’s no secret that housebuilders and developers... View Article

Bringing a sense of community

Plaza Collection is a ‘community’ of over 700 units being created in Mill Hill, London, with its focal point a new landscaped plaza alongside extensive commercial space. Terence Luo, director at developer Poly UK, talks to Jack Wooler about the... View Article

A holistic approach to heating efficiency

Ashley Cooper of WMS explains why underfloor heating is in the spotlight following new requirements in the Building Regulations, and how the housebuilders can benefit from taking a holistic approach to system design. Following enforcement of the low water temperature... View Article

Tracing the golden thread in balcony design

Nick Haughton of Sapphire Balconies discusses how the ‘golden thread’ concept can improve data in projects to benefit the design and delivery of balconies for multi-occupancy apartment buildings.  The ‘golden thread’ is a term used for an up-to-date live record... View Article

Leas Pavilion, Folkestone / Hollaway Studio

Final pre-commencement approvals have been given to restore Folkestone’s historic Leas Pavilion as part of a stunning residential development overlooking the town’s seafront. With all pre-commencement approvals now in place, work to return the Grade II-listed building to its former... View Article

Grenfell inquiry: New “massively significant” report released

The Fire Brigades Union has termed a new report to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, released to the public today, “massively significant” evidence. The report (visible at https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/evidence/professor-luke-bisby), written by Professor Luke Bisby, a professor of fire and structures at Edinburgh University and an... View Article

Durkan signs Hatfield housing deal to deliver 87 new homes

Durkan, a leading London and Home Counties homebuilder, will deliver 87 new homes in Hatfield following the exchange of contracts with Hertfordshire County Council and Danes Educational Trust – with agreement facilitating multiple new facilities for Onslow St Audrey’s School... View Article

Land Deal for William Davis Homes

Work is starting on a new housing development in a sought-after Leicestershire village, after the award-winning housebuilder William Davis Homes agreed to purchase the site from a local family. Outline planning permission had already been granted for the scheme in... View Article

Housebuilders call for greater accuracy in river pollution rules

Overestimates of the amount of river polluting nutrients housebuilding generates is leading councils to delay 100,000 new homes’ planning applications, claims the Home Builders Federation. A new report by planning consultancy Lichfields shows Natural England’s pollutant methodology to be based... View Article

Ask the Manufacturer – The building blocks of success

To celebrate the family firm’s 75th anniversary, Jack Wooler of Housebuilder & Developer talks to Giles de Lotbiniere, Chairman of Lignacite, about the company’s foundation, and what makes it special In 1947, retired ex-serviceman and engineer, Sir Edmond de Lotbiniere,... View Article

Industry expert strengthens Miller Homes board

Miller Homes, one of the UK’s leading private housebuilders, has recently appointed sector expert, Stephen Stone as a senior non-executive director to the board. Stephen has had a highly distinguished 40-year career in housebuilding, most notably as CEO of Crest... View Article

New help-to-buy loan deadline wrong-foots developers

Thousands of first-time buyers will miss out on a help-to-buy loan due to the government introducing a new deadline for reserving a property by the 31st of October. Originally consumers could reserve a home by the end of December if the new... View Article