A Glasgow affordable housing development featuring facing bricks supplied by Taylor Maxwell, one of the UK’s leading providers of brick, façade and timber solutions, has been shortlisted for the 2026 RIBA Neave Brown Award for Housing. St Andrew’s Drive Phases 2 & 3, designed by jmarchitects for Southside Housing Association, is one of just four developments in contention for the national award, which recognises the UK’s best new affordable housing. The project received a Com

The Oaklea Group is a charitable organisation whose purpose is to give vulnerable people the opportunity to live and work as independently as possible within their communities. Their mission is to support and care for people and communities so they can learn, develop and thrive. Right2Work, a Community Interest Company which is part of the Oaklea Group, asked Sound Reduction Systems Ltd (SRS) to deliver the project, subject to funding being secured. In late November 2025, Rig

The use of fire-resistant roofing boards from leading UK manufacturer Magply on an exemplar Passivhaus school was a first-time experience for the architects and installers. And both would be more than happy to use them again. Magply’s 12mm-thick boards, which meet Euroclass EN13501 (A1 Non-Combustible) standards, were specified for a warm roof build-up by AHR architects for Caledonia High School in Rosyth, Fife, Scotland. The magnesium oxysulfate boards were installed over

Spring Grove Care Home, part of the Springdene group in Hampstead, North London, provides a welcoming and safe environment for its residents, many of whom live with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. With 46 rooms to refurbish, the care home faced a common challenge for independent living providers: how to upgrade bathrooms in a working care home with minimal disruption, while ensuring the spaces were hygienic, durable and low-maintenance. The challenge: modern bathroom

TORMAX UK has delivered a complete door automation solution for Frostree Ltd at the new Bishop Auckland Bus Station, on behalf of Durham County Council. The installation incorporates a combination of TORMAX iMotion door operators to automate 12 key passenger access points, creating efficient movement from the bus station interior, through to external boarding areas. The installation includes 8 iMotion 2202a single sliding door operators, 2 iMotion 2203 bi-parting door opera

ISO Chemie’s thermal insulating and load bearing bracket support system has been specified for a new sustainable residential development at an Oxford college. The move sees ISO-TOP WINFRAMER ‘TYPE 1’ units being fitted to support and insulate the triple glazed aluminium windows and doors installed at Wolfson College’s new three-storey residential development. When completed in spring next year, the Garden Building will provide 50 high-quality student bedrooms, supported by

Facadeshield ® FR Class B is the latest addition to Proctor Group’s range of external wall membrane solutions. The new vapour permeable membrane can serve as the breather membrane in external wall build-ups. Applications range from low-rise timber and steel frame structures to high-rise rainscreen facades, as well as offsite modular systems. Key to Facadeshield FR’s development has been ensuring the right balance of fire performance, water hold out and ultraviolet (UV) resis

Showersave, part of The Keystone Group and a market leader in Waste Water Heat Recovery Systems (WWHRS), has collaborated with Blairgowrie Community Recreation Centre to deliver waste water heat recovery technology, helping create a low-carbon, future-ready facility for the local community. Pioneered by Perth and Kinross Council, the £36 million facility located in the centre of Blairgowrie features state-of-the-art amenities including a 25m swimming pool, sports halls, fitn

TORMAX worked in close collaboration with main contractor Borras Construction to design, manufacture, and install a fully integrated automatic entrance solution for Hounslow Council's newly redeveloped Meadowbank Community Hub and Library. The installation comprises of two swing doors that automatically open outwards to welcome visitors into a convenient lobby, providing protection from the weather and minimising heat loss from the building. A large single sliding door then

Pyroguard, a leading independent provider of high-performance fire safety glass, has partnered with leading framing manufacturer, Schüco to deliver a complex fire-rated façade solution for the landmark Belfast Grand Central Station. Located in Belfast city centre, the £340 million facility replaces the former Great Victoria Street Station and Europa Buscentre and is designed to accommodate up to 20 million passenger journeys annually. As the largest integrated transport hub

The ever-tightening regulations and standards, along with the UK’s substantial population growth, mean architects and property designers must design urban spaces with energy efficiency and sustainability at the forefront. Through the integration of resilient and sustainable design strategies, landscape architecture plays a vital role, as Sol Russell, Specification Team Leader at Kinley, writes. While the UK’s decarbonisation journey continues apace, the frequent population ri

Window and door sealant tape specialist ISO Chemie is investing further in supporting the house building sector with a new exhibition at a showroom dedicated to Passivhaus principles, sustainable innovation, and smart eco-living. The move will see a permanent showroom at Home by Milestone - The Passivhaus Centre of Excellence in Matlock, Derbyshire, enabling the company to showcase its thermal insulating and load bearing bracket support system WINFRAMER Type 1 and Hybratec

As the Future Homes Standard (FHS) moves into its final policy stage before implementation, the Waste Water Heat Recovery (WWHR) sector, led by Showersave and Recoup, has identified that the framework may limit opportunities for reducing domestic hot water (DHW) demand – despite hot water accounting for one of the largest energy demands in the homes of the future. The WWHR sector has gathered independent third-party feedback and modelled some national housebuilders’ house t

Recently redeveloped, the Sutton Life Centre is a vibrant community and education hub in South London, offering a blend of learning, leisure, and civic facilities. TORMAX was contracted to work with façade specialist Sealtite Windows, alongside main contractor Thomas Sinden, to design, manufacture and install a new automatic entrance solution. Powered by iMotion door drives, two sets of bi-parting automatic sliding doors work in tandem to create a thermally efficient lobby.

The Gilden Way Community Centre in Harlow was commissioned to provide a vital community hub for residents of a new housing development on the outskirts of the town. With the area expanding rapidly, the centre was designed as a landmark building that serves both practical needs and as a focal point for local identity. Designed to reflect the character of the surrounding new homes, the building also needed to deliver long-term durability and low maintenance, ensuring it remains

As part of a significant refurbishment project, Style Group collaborated with 3BM and ACS Construction to create flexible learning spaces at Kensington Aldridge Academy, London. A market leader in movable wall systems, Style installed two Dorma Variflex 100 manual partitions enabling large teaching areas to be quickly reconfigured into smaller, fully functional classrooms. Finished in a durable laminate melamine panel, the movable walls provide a robust, low-maintenance surf