Has the open-plan living bubble burst?

In 1999, the first episode of Grand Designs showcased a timber-frame kit house in East Sussex featuring distinctive yet connected zones for cooking, dining and relaxing. The design helped popularise the concept of creating multifunctional living areas without the need for numerous internal walls, offering a sense of space, light and togetherness.

As you will probably be aware, the UK has just been through the second heat wave of the year with extreme temperatures reaching 40o in some areas. This trend is only likely to increase over the next century.

So, the question is, how will our homes be able to manage these fluctuations in temperature to keep us cooler in summer but still warmer in winter.

Our home city of Nottingham has just gained an eye‑catching new landmark, and it’s already making waves. A brand‑new cycle and pedestrian bridge has opened across the River Trent, linking Colwick Park on the north side with Lady Bay and West Bridgford to the south.

This week people all over the world will celebrate their love for each other with cards, flowers and chocolates. Some couples, however, choose a more public show of their commitment in the form of the Love Lock. Padlocks are inscribed with their initials, locked on a bridge and the key thrown into the river below.

In this day and age, it is impossible to separate the environment from politics. With the increasing precedence of climate change on the global stage, leaders all around the world are forced to pour more and more resources into trying to slow it.

With the air getting colder, and tinsel-wrapped trees appearing in windows, the festive season is finally upon us. Whatever Christmas means to you, it is a time to enjoy festive traditions together with your family and friends.

With the new Labour government’s historic landslide victory in July and their ambitious targets for the construction sector, the next couple of years will certainly be pivotal for the future of engineering in the UK. Keir Starmer’s initial parliamentary majority of 172 has brought a stability to British politics (especially compared to the previous Conservative government’s multitude of short-lived leaders) that will likely benefit the construction industry through increased investment and market steadiness.

I’m sure many of us, as I did, draw a blank when the obscure country of Turkmenistan is mentioned, so I’ll give a brief introduction to this mysterious barren state before diving into the fascinating architecture of Ashgabat (Turkmenistan’s capital).