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.

Located in the heart of Hong Kong’s central business district, the 36-storey Murray Road project for Henderson Land replaces a multi-storey car park to create an urban oasis adjacent to Chater Garden, within a short walking distance to both Central and Admiralty MTR metro stations.

This month’s exclusive Q&A profiles Hong Kong-based Elena Galli Giallini – the Architect responsible for the elegant design of Shanghai’s Grand Gateway 66 north building, which featured in our July issue. Here, we find out more about Elena’s portfolio and architectural ethos.

The COVID-19 crisis and subsequent lockdown have seriously impacted the UK economy, with businesses doing all they can to continue trading, despite not being recognised as essential services.

The number of change of use schemes is set to rise as clients respond to a post-pandemic market, but project teams need to bear in mind the associated fire safety challenges, says Nigel Morrey, Technical Director at Etex Building Performance.

This month, we have talked to Hoban Design’s Director, Gary Hoban, about his experience opening his own architecture practice. In this exclusive Q&A, we find out more about what inspires his work and discover how childhood memories of LEGO and creative doodling steered the successful career he has today.

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..

Some 5% of all deaths in the UK’s largest towns and cities are linked to toxic air exposure. Now, with air pollution thought to exacerbate the symptoms of COVID-19, there is an even greater need to review infrastructure, improve sustainability and meet our carbon-zero goals. Richard Hyams, Founder of astudio, investigates.