Spacious and airy, relishing in light from both north and south aspects, and with private timber-clad balconies, Paxton House is a far cry from the usual commercial-to-residential conversion in London.

Prior to a revision of Building Regulations in 2010, ventilation was not high on the list of priorities in the housebuilding sector. A fan in the bathroom and cooker hood in the kitchen, plus ventilation blocks in the walls, were the default setting. Then, gradually, ventilation began to make it on to the agenda, largely driven by the now-defunct Code for Sustainable Homes, writes Paul Williams, Domus Ventilation’s Product Manager.

Following the recent publication of its white paper on unitised facade builds, Sapphire Balconies examines this growing trend and the technical considerations to bear in mind when designing this type of external building envelope with balconies.

By providing convenient access to shops, bars, restaurants and other leisure-related places of interest, public and privately-owned car parks help oil the wheels of the urban economy. Therefore, it’s vital these sites are in the best possible state of repair in order to remain operational and help maintain town and city centre trade. Exposed car park surfaces are at the daily mercy of the elements, as well as heavy, motorised traffic, which is a potential cause of waterproofing failure if not addressed at an early stage. Mohammed Ashfaq, Senior Sales Manager at Sika, looks at the challenges involved with car park refurbishment in a ‘live’ environment to ensure sites stay safe and ingress-free.

Roland Jackson, Commercial Director of roofing, waterproofing and insulation specialist, Soprema, discusses alternatives to copper and why they should be considered to create stunning design features..