John McMullan, Commercial Manager of EPDM lining specialist at Firestone Building Products, discusses the installation of the company’s GeoGard EPDM Membrane at the new USA Embassy Building in London.

The replacement of thermally-inefficient balconies during old housing stock renovation and retrofitting balconies to office-to-residential conversion is in demand. But it is crucial that dedicated solutions are chosen for the task and that the products can provide verifiable performance values, says Chris Willett, Managing Director of Schöck.

Founded in 1957, the Middle East Centre at St. Antony’s College serves as the University of Oxford’s facility for research and teaching on the Arab world including Iran, Israel and Turkey from the 19th century to the present day. The centre has been housed at 68 Woodstock Road (the former rectory of the Church of St Philip and St James, built in 1887) since 1978.

Fire resistant glazing plays a key role in creating buildings that give occupiers or users safe routes of escape in the event of an emergency. But as the spotlight falls on the fundamental question of how effective passive fire protection products actually are, it is vitally important that what we think we know is correct in terms of designing and installing fire resistant glazing, writes Cath McLean, Segment Manager for Glass at Promat UK.

The STA’s annual survey of UK structural timber markets forecast continued growth within the sector as companies are taking advantage of market opportunities. These opportunities include factors such as advances in off-site construction supported by modern manufacturing processes and computerised technology. Alex Goodfellow, Chairman of the STA and Managing Director for Stewart Milne Timber Systems, discusses the findings of the report and outlines the STA’s priorities for 2018.