Metal finishing, be it painting, anodising or powder coating, is usually the last process a fabrication will undergo before installation, yet the performance of metal finishing and the effect it can have on the construction process and programme is greatly influenced by early design decisions. Richard Besant, Director at Powdertech Corby, outlines some simple but often overlooked considerations that should be made at the very start of a project.

Paul Lang, Chief Executive Officer at Caledonian, looks at how modular and off-site construction can help to alleviate the housing crisis in the UK.

Hudson Lambert, Director of Safeguard Europe, considers the issue of penetrating damp in new and converted properties, and how modern masonry treatments can solve the problem.

A major and ultra-prestigious application in the City of London could really put U.S. red oak on the European map.

Taking the concept of green roofs a considerable leap further, Milan-based architecture firm, Stefano Boeri Architetti, has announced the design of Trudo Vertical Forest of Eindhoven – a new social Urban Forestry project in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. This ‘Vertical Forest’ social housing project continues the Italian practice’s design activities in favour of sustainable architecture worldwide.