Clients: Fulfilling your obligations under CDM regulations

The 2016 Construction, Design and Management (CDM) regulations imposed a number of significant legal responsibilities on construction clients. Whilst architects, contractors and other consultants are mostly up-to-speed with the new regulations many construction clients are not fully aware of their obligations despite the fact that failure to comply may constitute a criminal offence. This is […]

Ask a Conservation Architect Online

As part of European Heritage Open Days, members of the public will have the opportunity to ‘Ask a Conservation Architect Online’. Participants can seek advice on their building, whether that be an older house, business premises or anything else. The appointments will be on a one-to-one basis with a RIBA Conservation Architect. There is no […]

Public talk by Julian Harrap

As part of the European Heritage Open Days, members of the public are invited to attend an online talk and presentation by the renowned conservation architect, Julian Harrap. Julian’s practice has won multiple RIBA National Awards and has been honoured with the Mies Van der Rohe Award for the best architecture in the European Union. […]

Mental health, work, and the new “normal” – how to build resilience and achieve wellness

The past few months have been challenging, to say the least.  Uncertainty about the future and worry about the present have coincided with the biggest change to our working lives that we’ve ever seen.  Working from home has advantages and disadvantages in terms of productivity and balance, and establishing a mentally healthy relationship between work and life […]

Contracting for success: dealing with uncertainty

As our society and economy emerge from lockdown there remains substantial uncertainty on the future impact of COVID-19 and the potential for further outbreaks. Many projects have already been delayed due to staff shortages, a lack of certainty around essential and non-essential activity, and of course the initial lockdown. All of this presents architects with […]

Designing “Zero Carbon” housing – learnings from Killynure Green

In the context of a climate emergency and growing overall awareness of the total environmental cost of development, the energy performance of housing has perhaps never been more crucial. Killynure Green, developed by Choice Housing, is an award winning project in Carryduff which was the first housing scheme in Northern Ireland to achieve Level 5 […]

Design & Access Statements – when are they needed and what should they include?

Architects will be aware of Design & Access Statements (DAS) as an integral part of the planning system in Northern Ireland, after all councils are required by legislation to request them for certain types of development.  But when will you need to complete one to support your projects and what do you need to include?  […]

Buy Social – all you need to know

Buy Social is a way to maximise the benefits from public procurement in terms of personal well-being, social cohesion and inclusion, equal opportunities and sustainable development and is the policy of the Northern Ireland Executive.  In 2015 the Procurement Board agreed the Strategic Review of Social Clauses and the Buy Social Construction model for implementation from […]

Fire Safety and Architecture – Direction of Change and Common Issues

Three years after the Grenfell Tower disaster and two after the Hackitt Review, fire safety and building design remain crucial challenges for architects.  Guidance for fire safety design of buildings across the UK and Ireland can appear complicated and open to interpretation with many options, grey areas and approval risks, making it difficult to design […]

Construction Professionals Health & Safety Card Course

If you need to get a Construction Professionals Health and Safety (CPHS) card or a Construction Skills Register card for the first time, or if your card is up for renewal you are invited to attend the upcoming CPHS Card Health and Safety Training Course. The CPHS card, or equivalent, is required to work on […]