Darren Brennan, Specification Director at Siderise, answers readers’ questions on passive fire protection for the building envelope.
Blue roofs – unlocking the potential of the fifth façade
Watch the AT webinar, in partnership with IKO, exploring how blue roof systems can transform rooftops into active infrastructure that manages stormwater, supports sustainability targets and unlocks development potential.
Designing for learning: specifying colour and paint in education environments
Dulux Trade’s Dawn Scott and Jayne Roughan, in conversation with AT’s Technical Editor John Ramshaw, discuss how evidence-based colour strategies and high-performance paint systems can support learning, wellbeing and long-term performance across education projects.
Specification drift and silent liability: What the Building Safety Act means beyond Higher-Risk Buildings
AccuRoof Sales Director Ian Dryden discusses how the Building Safety Act is reshaping responsibility across all project types, and why controlling specification, documentation and design change are now critical to reducing risk.
SWA Awards 2026
The third annual SWA Awards are set to shine a light on the strength and elegance of steel windows.
Work in flux: Staying in control when projects shift
Milient explores how architectural practices can respond more effectively when project pipelines become unpredictable, and how the latest version of its Project Flow platform is designed to support that shift.
Designing for sound
Sownd Affects introduces Sownd Certification, a new standard for audio-inclusive buildings that enables architects and designers to specify acoustic performance beyond compliance.
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VELUX LKR Innovation House
Praksis Arkitekter’s transformation of a 30-year-old timber warehouse in Østbirk, Denmark, into a research and development hub for the VELUX Group demonstrates how daylight, material reuse and deep retrofit can deliver a flexible, low-carbon workplace.
Polkirt Hill
The transformation of a Grade II-listed townhouse in Mevagissey demonstrates how VELUX Heritage roof windows can unlock underused roof spaces, delivering daylight and usability within strict conservation constraints.
Shaping the future of facades
James Hardie discusses how its Hardie® Panel systems and comprehensive technical support help specifiers deliver durable, low-maintenance facades with reduced environmental impact.
How should you be using AI?
Watch the AT webinar, in partnership with Vectorworks, exploring how AI and digital tools are reshaping architectural practice, from heritage and design workflows to collaboration, visualisation and manufacturing.
Getting it right first time: Roofing specification under CF25
Ben Parker, Major Projects Manager at IKO, discusses how the company’s DfE Construction Framework Guide can help architects navigate CF25 roofing requirements, reduce specification risk and deliver compliant, high-performance education buildings.
Materials library: dMFK Architects
Julian de Metz and Rebecca Price discuss how the practice’s rigorous, hands-on approach to material exploration drives its work and informs its relationships with manufacturers and suppliers.
Ask the expert: Brick bonds
Dave Johnstone, Technical Services Manager at Michelmersh, answers readers’ questions on brick bonds
Uniting the supply chain
Futurebuild 2026 renews its partnership with the Supply Chain Sustainability School, highlighting the role of collaboration and shared learning in advancing sustainable construction.
Inside the Futurebuild 2026 Knowledge Programme
Spanning materials, energy and placemaking, Futurebuild 2026’s Knowledge Programme examines how the built environment is moving from ambition to delivery across net zero, retrofit and regenerative design.
in partnership with SIG Design and Technology
Designing for compliance: Rethinking the flat roof as critical infrastructure
AccuRoof Trading Director Robert Edwards discusses how a more rigorous, evidence-led approach to flat roof design can strengthen specification, reduce risk and support accountable practice.
UKREiiF 2026
As UKREiiF returns to Leeds from 19-21 May, the UK’s flagship property and infrastructure event expands its programme, footprint and ambitions, bringing together industry leaders to explore the future of regeneration, investment and development.
Striking the balance with heritage assets
Watch the AT webinar, in partnership with Selectaglaze and Velux, exploring how architects, clients, and conservation specialists are improving the performance of historic buildings while safeguarding their heritage value.
Designing play spaces for all seasons
USA SHADE discusses how shade structures and climate-responsive design can support safer, more resilient playgrounds throughout the year.
School of Specification – Specifying Colour
Dawn Scott, Senior Colour Designer & Inclusive Design Lead at Dulux, has produced a School of Specification module on specifying colour. Here she discusses colour theory and perception, as well as the benefits of using the Dulux colour notation system.
Rethinking insulation for housing
STEICO explores the environmental and performance benefits of specifying wood fibre insulation on large housing developments.
Delivering education buildings in 2026
With education estates under increasing pressure to do more with less, this roundtable discussion, hosted by AT in partnership with IKO, explored how more intelligent approaches to procurement, manufacture and retrofit can help future-proof the next generation of schools, colleges and universities.
Future-proofing education estates: Why roofing strategy is critical for CIF and MAT programmes
Roofing can play a pivotal role in the funding success and future-proofing of education estates. AccuRoof’s Rob Edwards and Ian Dryden, in conversation with AT’s Technical Editor John Ramshaw, discuss how to get it right, from strategy to specification.
The colour of clay
Michelmersh explores how pastel, traditional and monochrome clay bricks shape architectural identity, helping designers balance context, character and contemporary expression.
Westwind
Architect Madeleine Kivell’s reworking of her London home demonstrates how VELUX roof windows can create a ‘lightbox effect’, drawing daylight deep into the plan to support privacy, wellbeing and family life.
Expanding the palette
HIMACS introduces 15 new colours to its solid surfaces portfolio for 2026, offering architects greater aesthetic freedom alongside proven performance and sustainability credentials.
Sound, light and air
Watch the AT webinar, in partnership with Oscar Acoustics and The Rooflight Co, exploring how architects and construction specialists are balancing environmental comfort with performance and inclusivity.
The cost of compliance
New research from wienerberger highlights the need for greater product transparency as architects navigate the careful balance between creativity and compliance.
The power of colour
wienerberger explores why colour remains the primary driver in brick selection, and how architects are balancing visual identity with durability and embodied carbon in today’s evolving specification landscape.
Low-carbon craftsmanship
A long-held commitment to environmental responsibility, underpinned by rigorous quality control, informs Optima’s manufacture of glazed partitions and door systems.