Features

Xuhong Zheng has worked at Hawkins\Brown for the past six years and completed her Part III qualification at the practice while working on a diverse range of projects across the residential, education and workplace sectors. Here, FC&A talks to Xuhong about her time before Hawkins\Brown and finds out more about her passion for architecture.

Verksbyen, a new green neighbourhood in Fredrikstad, Norway, showcases the future of sustainable living. As part of the project, construction company Arca Nova Bolig is building five, five-storey apartment buildings situated in Capjon Park area in Verskbyen. The buildings are being constructed using Metsä Wood’s Kerto LVL (laminated veneer lumber) products – making the construction fast, light and green.

As the number of new homes being built increases, how we manage water needs careful consideration. The new houses that are being built today must be designed to be water-efficient, flood-resilient and save energy. Paul Winnett, General Manager for Building Services and Industry at Xylem Water Solutions, shares some key challenges and strategies house-builders should consider.

Increasing numbers of machines, people, buildings and technology means our world is getting noisier. And this issue isn’t just limited to the outside world, with new research by Geberit finding that unwanted noise inside the home affects more than half of us – and it’s having a direct impact on our wellbeing. Here, Sophie Weston, Channel Marketing Manager for Specification and Developer at Geberit, explores the significance of unwanted noise in the home, and why, in its new White Paper (A Sound Solution), it is calling for a radical rethink of acoustic regulations in residential environments.

Quality, attractive, high-performance hard landscaping is key to the successful completion of commercial and domestic projects, delivering a sense of community that adds place and value. But what lies beneath these beautifully designed areas is equally important to their performance and should not be overlooked, as Julian Thurbin, of specialist pedestal manufacturer Wallbarn, outlines.

BriggsAmasco, a leading national commercial roofing company, is currently undertaking a complex multiple-roof installation as part of a spectacular redevelopment designed to transform one of London’s most recognisable landmarks into a highly-desirable mixed-use development.

On 11th March, the recently appointed Chancellor Rishi Sunak presented the Government’s 2020 Spring Budget. The majority of the announcements focused on the short-term economic relief to those consumers and businesses affected by COVID-19. However, the Government also took the opportunity to follow through on the tax reforms it had originally touted in the lead up to the 2019 General Election.

The building and construction sectors have come under fire for their contributions to climate change, with the industry churning out 39% of the world’s carbon emissions – with operational emissions accounting for 28% and the remaining 11% from embodied or upfront carbon (from materials and construction processes), writes Sam Tracey, Regional SHEQ Advisor at Actavo Direct.

With sustainability high on the corporate agenda, many construction businesses are looking at ways to reduce their carbon footprint by choosing greener building materials, some even made from waste carbon dioxide. But could they be doing more?

Two major benefits, surprisingly, have come along in the wake of Coronavirus. These are a greater awareness of the community (the wartime spirit) and greater awareness about keeping healthy, active and interested (both personal and public). The best architects and designers have always realised that these factors are fundamental to the success and appreciation of well-designed public buildings.