RIBA Journal magazine: | Design in the making

If we are to implement net zero, architects need to roll up their sleeves

The path to implementing sustainable building practices is fraught with difficulties – but in the struggle towards net zero, architects have a crucial role, says Laura Carrara-Cagni

7 April 2025

Wick Lane: an integrated new development where rooflines salute the past

In east London, dRMM's Wick Lane development blends industrial and residential space. Its roof design and materials, which reference Hackney Wick's heritage, create both variety and coherence, explains senior associate Will Howard

4 April 2025

In Covent Garden, a listed building gets a bold new rooftop silhouette

Asked to comprehensively remodel the two upper floors of a Grade II-listed merchant's house, Carmody Groarke put living space at the top and added a striking aluminium pavilion

3 April 2025

Why are more homes in the UK reporting damp and how can architects help?

Learn more about why there has been an increase of damp and mould and how controlled ventilation can help

Kiosks and food trucks bring energy to locations – we should take note

Temporary interventions on our streets inject them with joy, colour and life, and have lessons for architects

Studio Saar: architects without borders

From Somerset to Rajasthan, ‘global, hyperlocal’ is how distinctive practice Studio Saar operates

In association with Crittall

Beyond black: steel windows get colourful

Everyone's favourite fenestration solutions are now available in three new metallic palettes

The regenerative projects that show us how buildings can positively affect the planet

A handful of regenerative schemes show how buildings can have a positive environmental impact

Interchange brings the drama to Paris's new suburban orbital metro

Gare de Villejuif-Gustave Roussy Villejuif, part of Paris's new orbital metro, is a dramatic effort of civil engineering

In association with Newframe

Solar PV glass canopies: overhead cover and endlessly renewable power

System works in daylight - not just sunlight - and without the need to be south-facing or installed at 45 degrees

The importance of designing spaces that sound as good as they look

Sound, too often the afterthought of building design, can make people feel inspired and connected to spaces

Cowley Manor: an old swimming pool becomes stone-clad hotel space

At a listed country house hotel, De Matos Ryan devised a stone and timber-framed pavilion on the former site of a swimming pool

In association with Maxlight

Glazing shapes the way a space is experienced

Useful and beautiful, sliding doors can also be the core component of an architectural vision

In association with Knauf Insulation

How to specify rainscreen insulation that performs as designed

Choosing the right product helps to translate your specification into as-built performance

Judgement is architects' definitive skill: we should use it responsibly

Judgement and quality can set architects apart from AI and close the gap between profit and public good

Powers of Ten competition: play with scale to gain pounds

Competition: create an object, installation, building or urban intervention that plays on the idea of scale, to create wonder, drama or even shock

Costed: Envelope and cladding materials

Nicola Sharkey, UK insights and research lead at Gleeds, advises on envelope and cladding product costs

In association with Duration Windows

How to retain character when replacing a steel window

Cost-effective, A-rated aluminium alternative offers slender design and easy installation

Poetry and pragmatism: the Chinese architect behind Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium

The RIBA hosts a retrospective of acclaimed Chinese architect Li Xinggang

In association with Markilux

Three seasons: pushing outdoor hospitality beyond summer

Extend outside dining to nine months a year with a weatherproof awning

Rowan Court: shrewd placemaking on an unloved triangle of land

Satish Jassal Architects' red-brick development of council homes in Haringey makes creative use of a difficult plot