Climate emergency | Design in the making

Could Iceland tame molten lava for insitu construction?

Lavaforming would harvest lava to create low carbon building material

Cost considerations in projects go beyond the bottom line

How to marry value engineering and sustainable design

Jo Cox Centre's WELL Platinum award is a UK first

Certification recognises attention to air quality, sound, lighting and materials

Passport to circularity

Material passports can enable reuse of materials as part of a circular economy

Insulation firm turns developer for two low-carbon homes

Two testbed affordable eco-homes seek to prove such housing can be well designed

Seductive imagery mustn’t lead to a wasteful design

The Emory hotel offers lessons in avoiding unnecessary structure or enclosed spaces

Leader: When reuse throws up a curveball

The architecture of reuse can lead to surprise revelations once a project goes on site

Contacts Book: Sanchez Benton’s most valued collaborators

The practice details the experts and craftspeople who have played in a key role in its projects

Lean design is nothing new, we just need to relearn it

Today’s technology makes building waste more avoidable than ever

Gathering evidence on embodied carbon

An evidence base for Essex county council could help everyone

Woven flax structure creates sustainable waves

Hybrid flax fibre/CLT roof for prototype pavilion enables column-free spans

North-south divide: what each hemisphere needs

Growing south needs newbuilds while retrofit suits built-up north

Sussex cottage extension improves functionality while respecting historic charm

HAPA Architects has added modern design elements while retaining the cottage’s historic charm

Olympics 2024: what can architects learn from overlay design?

Learn more about a type of architecture that saw increased usage at the London Olympics in 2012 and now contributes to a more circular approach to large events

Structural timber prototype uses 100% waste from demolition

Building-scale installation from waste points way to circular economy

Cantilevered terrace marks out Gillespie Yunnie’s extension to house on Dartmoor

Gillespie Yunnie adds a dynamic first-floor extension to a 20th-century house in Ashburton, Devon

Artefact adds a series of Caribbean-inspired living spaces to Surrey house

Artefact on its new wing for a detached home in Epsom that spurns open-plan living spaces

Minoro answers urgent need for decarbonisation at every project stage

Grimshaw-led team's guidance and management tools cover the entire building process

Books: A new way to see Modernism and how to build better sustainably

Three fascinating books packed with valuable information

Nine essential steps for fundamental design overhaul to achieve net zero

Nine key steps for a climate-conscious approach to architecture

Green roofs have negligible impact on urban cooling at scale

White or reflective roofs are much better to reduce temperatures finds climate model

Olympic freestyle: how Paris’ Aquatics Centre works for everything

VenhoevenCS and Ateliers 2/3/4 optimised not just the space but the pool too

Biodiversity activism responds to nature in crisis: see it, say it and help sort it

Communication is the first step to combat declining biodiversity

Jeanne Gang: What architects can learn from grafting

Emulating plants by grafting onto and pruning existing buildings works for climate and design

Ways to marry data centre design with the sustainability imperative

Experts tackle how to cut data centres’ carbon footprint

Eco advice for architects added to Planning Portal

Sustainability hub provides advice on biodiversity net gain, nutrient neutrality and Future Homes Standard

Water source heat pumps on trial in Scotland

Technology performs at levels comparable to the most efficient air source heat pumps

Beat the rush: MacEwen Award 2025 is open to entries

Send in projects that work for the common good for free entry to the competition

Saving the world by taking inspiration from it

The many forms of nature-based design are championed in an exhibition at Roca London Gallery

Leader: Let nothing be set in stone

Eleanor Young sounds a note of caution for the profession

Recycling breakthrough paves the way for zero emissions cement at scale

Demolition cement can be reactivated during steel recycling process

How MMC helped build York University’s new student housing

Sheppard Robson explains its thinking and procurement at University of York

2024 RIBA Awards in numbers

With 111 accolades distributed, how do the figures compare?

Making buildings: The concrete slab with a third less CO2

LC3 limestone calcined clay cement concrete cuts carbon content

Four in ten architects are using digital tools to measure embodied carbon

Two-thirds of architects are using digital methods to calculate at least one form of environmental metric

2024 RIBAJ/Future Architects writing competition runner-up: from dusk till dawn, by Siobhan Coker

Navigating the intricate tango of tradition and modernity within the Nigerian context

Regenerative interiors: the next step in sustainability

Truly sustainable interior design can pay off – even commercially

Garden Hide is a labour of love and learning for Commonbond Architects

Building a back garden studio has been an educational journey

How timber helped SUMA step up to the top

Interview with the Spanish architect of Gabriel García Márquez Library

High-rise post-grad course confronts challenging urban future

Built-in cement plants and mycelium-inspired towers

Scotland’s new heat standard ups the UK's zero carbon ante

What does Scotland’s New Build Heat Standard mean for designers and the rest of the UK?

Energy Revolution Gallery design is part of the exhibit

Sustainable design and build matches gallery’s energy message

Pierre d’Avoine: ‘Working creatively with others can be an almost ecstatic experience’

The architect looks back on the satisfactions and frustrations of 50 years in practice

Webinar: One-off homes: think outside the box

Experts showcase sustainable, stylish and innovative houses

Cat A fit-outs: the real carbon gap

What AHMM discovered about the carbon cost of Cat A fit-outs

Bricks made from quarry waste cut carbon on Hackney extension

Draper Studio adds warmth and precision detailing with upcycled limestone bricks

Whole life carbon assessments: where should architects start?

Why should we carry out whole-life carbon assessments and where do we start?

Shireland CBSO Academy office-to-school scheme raises the tempo

ADP Architecture on how it designed Birmingham music school

A system tied up in nots

A climate-positive political environment needs coherent regulation