If you take the climate crisis seriously, and are quite vocal about it, yet you are planning a long-term, huge ‘sustainable’ or ‘eco’ building project, you might be missing the point. Bigger houses and workplaces need more materials. They also use more energy to heat and power when compared to a smaller building that provides identical requirements. When I say

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What does breathable actually mean in the context of a building? Does the building breathe like I do with air coming into my lungs and back out again as carbon dioxide? No, not exactly. It means that the building materials can transmit moisture. Breathable building materials are permeable enough so that any moisture from humid air and moisture from surface

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Here’s a few photos from our family holiday in France, during a crazy heatwave. Went to Paris and the old mediaeval city of Rouen. I’d never been to Paris before as it happens and really liked it, think it’s a very creative city with some amazing patisseries. You can really see the 19th-century ‘radical at the time’ city planning still

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The future is fungi – magic mushroom insulation. Ladies and gentlemen, enter Terraphyll mycelium insulation. Ok, ok, alright, not quite magical but it’s definitely for real. I heard about insulation made from mycelium, the vegetative part of a mushroom, a few years ago, and it wasn’t available on the market at the time, but I think it’s getting closer. Mycelium

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Natural timber cladding can look great on a building, but you need to be design and install it correctly to stand the test of time, particularly at ground level. Unfortunately, poor detailing is far too common in modern construction projects. Below, we look at a classic mistake regarding how not to fit your boards near the floor, along with the

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If you are intending to extend your house in the near future and are not sure where to start, then have a read of my new help guide. Sign up here to download your free copy This guide is the culmination of nearly 30 years of hard-won experience and the uber-important, invisible ‘forensic’ work that I always do before starting

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Wah wah wahhhh🎶 That’s the sound of a project that hasn’t been checked and co-ordinated. Most people think architectural fees are just for the pretty pictures. They > are > not. My fees also cover you for the hours spent checking: If the ventilation ducts are about to hit steel beams, coupled with ceiling height restrictions. If the custom box

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🥂 I recently turned 50 ! A 1976 vintage for sure. I created a brief timeline of my not so linear career + some other bonus bits that not many people know about me. Still self-employed, still working, a timeline worth celebrating! Something that came out of this is that I still love designing and drawing stuff and running a

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Navigating the new building safety landscape. Some key takeaways from a recent webinar I helped present In the world of architecture and construction, the goalposts don’t just move. Sometimes the whole stadium gets redesigned. With the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022 and the amended Building Regulations we are currently seeing the most significant shift in industry standards and

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Let’s talk about Thermal Breaks in steel frames, and how to do things properly to reduce heat loss. In the world of modern building, steel is fairly important and indispensable as a structural material. It’s very strong, it allows for incredible spans and the open plan layouts many of us love. However, steel also has a ‘dark side’ that many

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Most people think architectural services end at the design, but for me, the design is only part of the job. The other part of the job is protecting the client’s bottom line and managing architectural project costs. Fears of cost overruns is a real and big issue. This is especially relevant as the supply only cost of materials over the

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