All Opinion articles
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OpinionBuilt environment professionals confront the enormity of the challenge ahead in Gaza
Emma Dent Coad on how Architects for Gaza is fostering hope in the aftermath of widespread devastation
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OpinionThe One in Which People Decide City Living is OK
Thirty years after the pilot of Friends, David Rudlin recalls how the sitcom’s portrayal of city living influenced a generation’s attitudes towards urban life
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OpinionOMH, BNG is not working!
David Rudlin explores how biodiversity net gain regulations are clashing with housing growth goals
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OpinionBio-based buildings: ‘Changes in materials are important, but so too is the milieu in which they emerge'
Richard Francis takes a look at how wider changes in ESG are further challenging regulation and conventional business practice, suggesting that bio-based materials and processes represent a risk-reducing, value-adding trajectory for the future
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OpinionLet’s turn the ‘grey belt’ green
Can the new ‘grey belt’ concept provide a pathway to sustainable housing without sacrificing the green belt, asks Jerry Tate
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OpinionBio-based buildings: “The route to market would be a cautious one”
There is no question that there is a newfound interest in building materials that are more local, minimally processed, regenerative, and health-promoting. In many respects, the built environment seems to be “catching up” with credentials promoted in other industries. Despite the enthusiasm for – and greater use of – bio-based ...
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OpinionThe need for politicians who understand the built environment has never been greater
Will the new intake of MPs finally be mobilised and given positions where they can use their knowledge and experience? Emma Dent Coad has her doubts
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OpinionFrom green to grey: How the grey belt could steer development towards the wrong places
David Rudlin on why the most sustainable places to build may not always be in the grey belt
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OpinionBio-based buildings: ‘Nature is the template for what we increasingly expect from building operations’
Richard Francis explores the implications and applications of a bio-based approach to buildings
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OpinionGood grief, time for better briefs!
Public sector tendering processes are too often a waste of time and money for all involved. Chloë Phelps shares her ideas for how to make the system start delivering
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OpinionHow to create a family friendly workplace that supports your staff during the summer holidays and beyond
Balancing work and family life during summer holidays is challenging for parents and carers, but creating a supportive workplace can make a significant difference, writes Jimmy Bent
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OpinionHistoric England’s decarbonisation advice is a missed opportunity to fully embrace the climate crisis
The heritage advisor’s new guidance on how to retrofit historic buildings without harming them includes some welcome details but leaves too much to interpretation, writes climate and heritage specialist Chris Procter
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OpinionHoward Bernstein: The visionary who helped save Manchester
David Rudlin celebrates Howard Bernstein’s strategic foresight and the transformative projects that underscore the enduring impact of his civic leadership
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OpinionWhat makes a successful new town?
Samuel Hughes explores the key elements of successful new towns through history and how these lessons might inform the new government’s housing strategy
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OpinionCarlos Moreno’s 15-Minute City: Visionary urbanism or just recycled ideas?
Carlos Moreno champions the 15-Minute City as a revolutionary approach to urban living, but is it truly innovative or simply a repackaging of familiar ideas, asks David Rudlin
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OpinionI saw the Co-op Live site with my own eyes three months ago. These delays do not come as a surprise
The UK’s largest arena was still far from being finished when Building went to see it in early February, says Tom Lowe
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OpinionLet’s avoid the green belt becoming a giant cul-de-sac
Labour says it wants to build housing on the ‘grey belt’, but how can architects help ensure this doesn’t end up as just more suburban sprawl, asks Chloë Phelps
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OpinionDrawing for urban design: The fine line between vision and delusion
Idealised renderings of landscapes and urban design schemes are not new, but we should beware using images as a stand-in for real understanding, writes David Rudlin
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Opinion‘Could do better’: RIBA conference delivers verdict on Building Safety Act progress
Emma Dent Coad reports from the recent RIBA conference on the Building Safety Act
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OpinionIs the lack of ornament in architecture a barrier to diversity?
Modernism’s stripped back aesthetic could be seen as inclusive, but is it actually an impediment to diversity, asks Ben Flatman