Mykor secures £4 million to scale low-carbon construction systems grown from industrial waste

The design and materials used in rainscreen facades can make a real difference to achieving thermal performance targets. Gary Robson, Business Development Manager at EJOT UK, explains why. Rear ventilated facades, aka rainscreen facades, have become a popular choice for external walling in all types of buildings, both newbuild and refurbishment. This is largely because they enable many of today’s most important design goals to be achieved in a single system, while offering ef

Faced with rising performance expectations, tighter budgets and heightened scrutiny around sustainability, architects are navigating an increasingly complex specification landscape. New research from Velstone reveals that the realities behind surface material choice are often more nuanced, and more contradictory, than they first appear. Surface specification is rarely as straightforward as it seems. Aesthetic ambition, durability, budget constraints and sustainability targets

Walworth Town Hall has undergone a landmark transformation, emerging as a vibrant new workspace and community hub more than a decade after a devastating fire left the Grade II‑listed building severely damaged and placed on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register. Led by architects Feix & Merlin, in collaboration with developer General Projects and Southwark Council, the refurbishment represents a major achievement in heritage‑led regeneration, combining sensitive restora

Rinnai Director, Chris Goggin, establishes the importance of heat pump system congruity and the different methods of measurement that reveal heat pump performance. This article will explain two relevant questions: Why is heat pump system and component harmony vital towards customer understanding of system performance? And what are the separate metrics used to provide an accurate representation of system performance? Once a UK customer of decarbonising technology decides to in

West Fraser, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of engineered wood-based panel products, continues to strengthen support for architects through its high-performance, sustainably produced OSB, particleboard, and MDF solutions. These products, trusted across the UK construction sector, are designed to help architects meet modern building demands, enhance design flexibility, and achieve essential sustainability goals. At the core of West Fraser’s offering is its commitment

As net zero targets and certification requirements reshape decision-making across the built environment, the focus in building services has sharpened around energy systems, materials selection and operational efficiency. Water treatment, specifically chemical dosing, filtration and ongoing disinfection management, has largely escaped the same scrutiny. The carbon footprint embedded in conventional water treatment supply chains is real, measurable and, in most cases, entirely

New research from the Home Builders Federation (HBF) reveals that £76,000 has been added to the cost of building a home since 2020, raising serious concerns about the viability of new housing developments across the UK. The report, The Viability Crunch, examines the cumulative impact of policy, taxation and regulatory pressures on home building that have resulted in it being so costly to build it no longer makes economic sense for companies to do so. The research highlights

Deceuninck has launched a new CPD for architects and specifiers to explain the practical impact of the Future Homes Standard on window and door specification. While the headline u-value requirement for new build windows remains unchanged at 1.2W/m²K, the methodology used to assess compliance has shifted significantly. Instead of relying on a standard model window, performance is now assessed against the exact size and configuration of each individual window supplied. That

The £4.8 million restoration and redevelopment of the Stable Future project of the 19th century disused agricultural buildings at the Delapré Abbey in Northamptonshire is making use of a novel foundation detail featuring Marmox Thermoblocks, as part of a highly energy efficient design for a new extension which will become part of Stable Future Wellbeing Hub the visitor and well-being centre. The highly sensitive work at Delapré Abbey, located near Northampton town centre,

Building on the success of its ECOMOD 290HT natural refrigerant commercial heat pumps, Ideal Commercial Heating has expanded the range to include a 65kW model to meet demand for higher output systems. This takes the ECOMOD 290HT range to four chassis sizes and six available outputs, from 15kW to 65kW. ECOMOD 290HT monobloc air source heat pumps have an exceptionally low global warming potential (GWP) of just three, thanks to the use of R290 natural refrigerant. The lower t

As of May 2025, construction of the new £65 million Currie Community High School in Edinburgh is nearly complete, meaning it can be assessed for Passivhaus certification. A host of schools currently being built across Scotland are aiming to achieve the standard, many funded in part through the Learning Estates Investment Programme (LEIP). As one of the first recipients of funding, and one of the first projects to reach completion, Currie Community High School will also become

Vent-Axia’s award-winning Sentinel Apex units have been specified for the landmark Carmarthen Health and Wellbeing Hwb project, delivering energy-efficient ventilation to this transformative multi-million-pound development. The 245,000 sq ft scheme is repurposing the former Carmarthen Debenhams building into a Health and Wellbeing Hub. The new hub will offer a range of services including public healthcare, a Customer Service Hwb, and new 24-hour Actif gym. Other facilities wi

Breathing Buildings, the pioneer of hybrid ventilation systems, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of innovation, growth and low-energy ventilation leadership. Founded in 2006 as a spin-out from the University of Cambridge, the company has evolved from a research-led start-up into a recognised leader in sustainable ventilation, delivering award-winning natural, hybrid and mechanical ventilation solutions across education, commercial and public sector bui

Already widely specified for flooring applications and creating ‘protected zones’ in roof-spaces, FIREFLY FB 180 ablative batts are now also being used to provide fire compartmentation beneath raised access floors. Raised access floors are commonly used to accommodate power, data and other building services, creating concealed voids beneath the finished floor. Without appropriate fire protection, these hidden cavities can allow fire and smoke to spread unseen beyond the point