What will our cities look like in a post-COVID-19 era? 3deluxe was commissioned by New York-based organisation #WeThePlanet (WTP) to create an inspirational structure that nurtures and investigates new opportunities for people-friendly architecture in harmony with nature. Here, FC&A explores the German firm’s forward-thinking campus that projects a future where people and nature can live harmoniously alongside one another.

Matt Hollis from Commodore Design, the specialist in quality kitchens for residential developments, discusses the role of future trend analysis in aligning kitchen specification with style influences that appeal to buyers when properties are ready to market.

The building envelope makes a significant contribution to overall energy usage – therefore, tighter U-values in walls, floors and roofs is absolutely key. It’s why getting the design right from the outset is far less costly than retrofitting later. Here, Ben Cheetham, Specification Manager at Keystone Lintels, looks at the benefits of a one-piece thermally-efficient lintel including low thermal conductivity performance, buildability, improved SAP calculations and why they are up to five times more thermally efficient than standard lintels.

Over recent years, there has been a significant rise in societal interest in, and commitment to, finding sustainable ways to live. More recently, in these pandemic-addled times, there has been a growing awareness of the positive impact of simply being outside and connected with nature. Using natural, ecologically-sound building materials and creating connections with the natural world outdoors are the two cornerstones of biophilic architectural design. These principles can be applied to create learning spaces that enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of today’s occupants while preserving the environment for future generations.

James Brett, Director of London-based construction contractor, Edgeley Construction, discusses the importance of building pre-construction into the main contractor’s package.

The need for healthy homes has hardly ever been more apparent than during the current global condition. The current efforts to reduce the negative impacts of buildings are inadequate. Therefore, the built environment must be designed in a different way. To bring regenerative, collective habitation to all scales of development, Amsterdam architecture practice GG-loop, sharing the vision with Arup, is developing Mitosis: a modular building system created by a parametric design tool following biophilic and user-centric design principles.

Astral Tower is the highest building in Varna, Bulgaria, reaching up to 140m. The location of the building lot is chosen based on a thorough urban planning survey and solar analysis. Locked between two main boulevards of the city, Astral Tower is within walking distance of public and institutional buildings, as well as the historical centre.

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.

Richard Besant talks us through the important revisions to the European standard for powder coating and outlines further measures to ensure the highest possible performance of your powder-coated finish.

Designers at the London studio of Perkins&Will have created an innovative, co-living community concept that responds to the housing crisis affecting major cities worldwide, placing the London team’s submission as the winner of an international, firm-wide competition held each year.

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Future Constructor & Architect is a specification platform for architects and building contractors, which focuses on top-end domestic and commercial developments.

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