‘Keep it sustainable’ looks to have been a major motivation among readers procurement browsing this year, but interesting design details were sought-after too
Number 1
Brick that decimates embodied carbon set to start production
Published: 16 April 2021
The first commercial production line for an eco-friendly brick with around one tenth the carbon footprint of a regular brick is due to start operation in Scotland later this year.
The facility, which is run by Kenoteq, a start-up company set up by engineers from Heriot-Watt University, will initially manufacture 10,000 ‘K-Briqs’ a day and scale up to produce a total of over 2 million bricks in 2022...
Continue reading about this sustainable brick here
Number 2
Off Grid 2030 winner: Ventanilla House
Published: 23 September 2021
This multigenerational home responding to the unique climactic conditions and context constraints of Lima, Peru, emerged as winner in the face of stiff competition. In a sensitive and well-researched way, this proposal addressed issues affecting Lima’s Ventanilla district (the area with the least green space in the city and where the precariousness of housing made for uncomfortable conditions during the pandemic), standing out as a simple but original and tangible response to the brief...
Continue reading about Sulca's Ventanilla House
Number 3
Review: Texture in architecture webinar
Published: 5 October 2021
Bitter, sweet, umami… We have an extensive vocabulary to articulate our sensory experiences of taste. But, says webinar chair Eleanor Young, there is no comparable lexicon for touch; to describe it we must resort to similes and comparisons. This linguistic insufficiency does a disservice to architecture; when advocating for a particular specification, perhaps, or arguing against value engineering, it poses a challenge for designers if there is a struggle to express the haptic qualities of a material...
Read more about the Texture webinar here
Number 4
Webinar: Tomorrow's Bathrooms flourish with more comfort and colour
Published: 17 May 2021
From the outdoor latrine to the en suite with touchless technology, the bathroom has come a long way. With complex plumbing, electrics, heating and ventilation to keep it hygienic and safe – making specifying incredibly complex – the bathroom punches above its weight in the demands it caters to, which are both functional and elemental. Can one small room be all things to all people?
RIBAJ managing editor Isabelle Priest kicks off proceedings with a brisk walk through bathroom history. The the last five years have seen rapid design evolution, raising questions over which needs should be prioritised, and what is a passing trend or a more substantial change in thinking?
Catch up with the latest thinking in bathroom design here
Number 5
Solar eclipse: Oxford firm develops world's most efficient PV cell
Published: 5 February 2021
An Oxford University spin-off company has developed the world’s most efficient solar cell, and plans to begin mass production at its European factory next year.
Oxford PV’s perovskite-silicon tandem cell was independently proven to convert 29.52 per cent of solar energy into electricity, a new world record and well above the current practical maximum of 26 per cent achievable using regular solar cells...
Find out more about how this efficient PV cell works here
Evergreen Products story 2021 - the most popular archive article that you kept coming back to again and again
How to choose flooring that will help rather than hinder dementia patients
Published: 2 June 2015
Choosing dementia-friendly flooring requires a completely different approach to specification. As well as the usual balancing of practicality, budgets and aesthetics, specifiers need to prioritise the changes to perception and sight of those with dementia. Get it wrong with an ill-judged texture, pattern or use of colour, and the result can raise stress and increase the risk of falls among an already vulnerable user group...
Continue reading about what matters when specifying flooring for dementia patients here