The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
‘London’s mayor talks the talk on climate. Pity he doesn’t walk the walk’
Sadiq Khan’s environmental hypocrisy threatens to eclipse even that of the Tory government, argues Jon Burke
RetroFirst
RetroFirst is an AJ campaign to prioritise retrofit over demolition and rebuild. Hundreds of architecture practices, organisations and individuals have declared their support for our campaign
Usher in a retrofit revolution, leading think-tank tells Truss
Investing billions of pounds in retrofitting homes across England is a win-win-win for the new Conservative administration, a new report from think-tank IPPR claims
Bradford Council to demolish 46-year-old Brutalist shopping centre
Bradford Council is to flatten the increasingly empty, Brutalist 1976 Kirkgate Shopping Centre to clear the way for a new ‘urban village’ in the centre of the city
‘Refurbs are for wimps’: What commercial developers really think about RetroFirst
Retrofitting may be better for the planet than new-build, but it can really mess up a developer’s profit line, explains Peter Bill
AHMM wins planning approval for contentious Angel Square redevelopment
AHMM has received the go-ahead to replace a ‘landmark’ Postmodern office block in Islington with a building branded ‘uninspired’ by critics
Alternatives for YRM’s John Lewis store to be shown at Sheffield design summit
Architecture students have reimagined the YRM-designed former John Lewis store in Sheffield as a swimming pool, cultural hub and materials recycling hub ahead of a summit on the site’s future next month
How can unthinking demolition persist in net zero Britain?
Despite RetroFirst campaign wins such as the calling-in of M&S Oxford Street, many buildings are destined for the scrapheap because national planning policy remains woolly, says Ramboll director Scott Brookes
Bill Bryson joins top names in opposing M&S Oxford Street demolition plan
Author Bill Bryson has added his name to those opposing Pilbrow + Partners’ scheme for Marks & Spencer which would flatten its flagship Oxford Street store
LSE chief: ‘Chipperfield was so passionate in his advocacy for retention’
Will Hurst talks to Julian Robinson, head of estates at the London School of Economics (LSE), about the school’s final set piece architecture project and how a ‘paradigm shift’ in its response to the climate emergency will see it retain most of the existing building on the site
Germany unveils £47bn plan to make its buildings more energy efficient
A plan by the German government to spend £47 billion on making buildings energy efficient is a ‘wake up call’ to the UK, experts have said