FLATT’s Post

Planning approval for adaptive reuse. We're thrilled to announce that our designs for the adaptive reuse of 16 High Street, Newick, have received approval at planning committee! This project will transform a long-vacant commercial brownfield site into much-needed housing, bringing vitality back to the heart of Newick village. Located within the Newick Conservation Area, the development will sensitively integrate with the village’s character. The redundant joinery building will be repurposed into eight apartments, while seven new mews houses and four additional flats will be constructed on the former builder’s yard and storage areas. By retaining the existing structure, we preserve embodied carbon, maintain the areas’s character, and keep a connection with the past. New materials have been carefully chosen to reflect local architecture, including reclaimed bricks and traditional slate roofing. With a density of 57.57 dwellings per hectare this project illustrates our ability to optimise the use of brownfield land, bringing forward high -quality, sustainable designs that complement the character of an area. Our commitment to sustainable and responsible brownfield regeneration is evident in the design’s improved biodiversity, sustainable drainage, and energy-efficient design that includes air source heat pumps and repurposed PV array. Planning officer noted: ‘redevelopment of brownfield land which would integrate well with the surrounding development in terms of materials and form. It would deliver much needed smaller residential units within close proximity to village amenities.’ Find out more here: https://loom.ly/y_0Njc4 Thank you to the whole team: Savills – Guy Dixon, John Ainsworth B Sussed – Lucy Walsh GTA Civils & Transport – Lawrence Stringer Greenlink - Marcus Fry Southern Testing – Stuart Pratt Aegaea Limited – Daniel Cook C.WEM MCIWEM #hnwarchitects #makepossible #housing #affordablehousing #planning #reuse #planningapproval #housing #brownfield #sustainability #embodiedcarbon #regeneration

Mass timber is transforming the construction landscape! 🌲 This innovative building material is gaining popularity for its sustainability and efficiency. According to Gabriel Frank's article in Commercial Property Executive, mass timber projects have surged nearly tenfold, boasting 2,253 projects, with 306 in the office, industrial, and retail sectors. Why this uptick? It's a blend of engineering advances, domestic sourcing, and pivotal building code changes that permit taller structures. Mass timber offers a sustainable alternative to traditional materials like concrete and steel. Notably, it uses less carbon, speeds up construction, and provides natural insulation. For example, the T3 RiNo building in Denver was completed faster than its conventional counterparts and uses significantly less carbon. This shift isn't just about green construction—it's about creating environments that promote well-being. Mass timber's natural aesthetic can reduce stress and lower heart rates, enhancing workplace quality of life. Are you considering mass timber for your next project? #MassTimber #Sustainability #Innovation (Credit: Gabriel Frank, Commercial Property Executive)

What I think of now when I see an older building that needs some TLC... Can we upcycle a building? Repurposing a building? And mostly...what value does the building have? Redeveloping an existing building delivers a lower carbon building than building now. preserving buildings isn't just for historical buildings. Welcome to an exciting new way to look at existing buildings. Thanks Carly Connor, M.A.Sc., CAHP for starting my down this road. https://lnkd.in/gwt2gpDF

2025 will be an exciting year for Surface, with several projects across multiple sectors set to finish and open throughout the year across the U.S. One of these is 150 Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill.   The 150 Rosemary Street project includes an approximately 225,000 SF lab-ready office building. At the corner of East Rosemary Street and Henderson Street, the project features a public realm plaza shared by the community and the building, with seating, shade, and landscaping. The adjacent parking garage will be activated with commercial space and an enhanced streetscape.   Sustainability is a key focus, with features such as a permeable paver system and a cistern to capture and reuse stormwater and HVAC condensate.   This LEED-certified project has been completed in collaboration with our amazing partners: Perkins Eastman, Grubb Properties, Ballentine Associates, PA, S&ME, NV5, and Rodgers Builders, Inc.   #Surface678 #UNC #LandscapeArchitecture

We’re celebrating sustainable design in Suffolk, showcasing projects like Brightwell Barns near Ipswich, a 30-office development which offers functionality and eco-friendly design. Brightwell Barns highlights our expertise in sustainable civil engineering. Partnering with JMS Engineers, we delivered natural drainage systems for water management, rainwater harvesting for greywater reuse, and carefully planned external levels to balance landscaped grounds with practical parking and access. Our solutions ensured environmental integration, efficiency, and a high-standard sustainable workspace. Read more about this project 🔗https://lnkd.in/ejnRcyDg #civilengineers #civilengineering #suds #sudsdesigns #sudsreport #sustainability #construction #suffolk #norfolk #eastanglia #london

Mass timber is a game-changer for low-carbon construction and a key player in Canada’s bioeconomy. As a natural, renewable and sustainable material, it offers a much lighter carbon footprint compared to traditional building materials. By expanding its use in construction, Canada could reduce CO2 emissions by 0.6 million tonnes annually by 2030 — the equivalent of removing 125,000 gas-powered cars from the road! In 2023, we invested in 2150 Keith Drive, a groundbreaking 10-storey hybrid mass timber office building in Vancouver’s False Creek Flats. Its innovative honeycomb-shaped exterior eliminates the need for an interior concrete core, offering design flexibility while reducing environmental impact. The replicable exoskeleton design also supports more sustainable and cost-efficient construction. Discover how mass timber is shaping the future of construction: https://ow.ly/p16850Tm1w2 #ClimateChange #NetZero #WGBW24 #BuildingTheTransition

🇺🇸 America's Mass Timber Takeover: How $2B Airport Sparked a New Building Wave! 🪵 The mass timber movement is shaking up the US #building and #construction industry, with #cbs covering the $2 billion redevelopment of Portland's airport. 🔎 Here’s what you need to know: 1️⃣ Innovative Construction: Portland's airport highlights mass timber's advantages, from speedier construction processes to environmental benefits. The project uses 400 glulam beams across its 392,000 square-foot roof, making the airport a benchmark for future mass timber projects. 2️⃣ National Movement: Mass timber is gaining traction beyond the Pacific Northwest, with projects from the Northeast to Milwaukee. This growing trend is supported by research into mass timber's performance in seismic and fire conditions, enhancing its appeal as a safe, sustainable building material. 3️⃣ Legislative Support: The bipartisan Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act could significantly boost the use of domestically produced timber in public buildings, emphasising sustainability and supporting local economies. 🔗 To find out more, click the link below and share your comments below: https://lnkd.in/gPsTyD_7 🗣️ #questionforgroup: What impact do you think mass timber will have on the future of construction and environmental sustainability? Share your views below! #masstimber #masstimberconstruction #timber #timberengineering #engineering #engineering #usmade #madeintheusa #ecobuildings #greenbuildings #architecture #architectureanddesign #portland #airport #Innovation #building #netzero #climatechange #netzero2030 #publicbuildings #woodcentral #woodcentralau1

An interesting project in #Seattle! It’s all about the revitalization of #LakeUnionPiers. Instead of demolishing old buildings and constructing new ones, they chose to renovate the 1980s structures, which is already a step toward sustainable development. What’s most fascinating is that, for the first time, the owner, contractor, and architect collectively offset 100% of the carbon emissions generated during the project. 🌍 Lake Union Piers is now a modern entertainment and dining hub, but also a great example of how we can build in harmony with nature. Through the #EMissionZero initiative, nearly 500 tons of CO2 were offset – a huge leap forward for eco-friendly construction. 🍃 Do you think more projects like this should be developed? #netzero #emission #ecology #nature

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is emerging as a global hub for sustainability, pioneering fast-track solutions in transforming renewable plantation forest trees into Cross Laminated Timber for major urban projects. These innovative initiatives are reshaping the construction landscape, meeting a surge in demand from buyers seeking a sustainable future. Unlike traditional concrete structures with inherent defects and costly rectification issues, Cross Laminated Timber construction offers speed and precision, boasting up to 75% faster build times compared to conventional methods. This shift not only delivers architecturally stunning designs but also ensures superior detailing and finishes. In addition to its efficiency, Cross Laminated Timber construction is significantly more environmentally friendly, with concrete manufacturing being a major contributor to high emissions. The longevity of apartment concrete structures, typically around 50 years, poses maintenance challenges and ownership issues, especially for individuals with fixed incomes. In places like Metropolitan Sydney, frequently ever-increasing storms with horizontal heavy rain damage cause concrete cancer to apartment towers with water penetration, causing concrete steel reinforcing rods to rust and creating long-term structural damage. Moreover, the use of Cross Laminated Timber reduces the need for a large skilled workforce on-site by up to 65%, further enhancing its appeal as a sustainable and forward-thinking construction solution. The Thrive Alliance consortia members demonstrated their scalable solution to various State government agencies in an all-day capability presentation sponsored by BusinessNSW to various NSW State government agencies, showcasing speed-to-market solutions in over 100,000 major CLT urban projects worldwide with Engineered Timber construction Architectural designs and building life cycles over 100 years. The Thrive Alliance's capabilities were highlighted by up to 40,000 inclusive quality residential grade mid-rise apartments per year for the foreseeable future in the Australian market, particularly a fast-track solution. Thrive Alliance consortia members in Australia have been led by a proven "Placemaker" over the decades in all my previous major urban projects won at either State or Local Government tenders with no mandatory requirements just through my initiative and sense of "social responsibility" setting aside between 30% to 50% for affordable housing an unmatched track record in Australia. #Australia #housingcrisis #advancedmodular #sustainability #CLT #ThriveAlliance #Harropfactor #Placemaker #UrbanRenewal #fasttrack #fasttomarket

🚧 Breaking News: The UK Construction Industry Builds More Than Just Walls! 🚧 Let’s face it – the UK construction industry is like tea: we just can’t live without it. 🏗️ From turning sketchy pub napkin designs into towering skyscrapers (we’ve all been there, right?!) to making the impossible possible, this sector is always under construction – literally AND figuratively! Did you know? 🔨 Brits lay enough bricks each year to build a wall to the moon and back (okay, maybe not, but it feels that way on a cold Monday morning!). 🚜 Our industry employs over 2.3 million people – that’s more than the population of Birmingham! Imagine the queue at the tea van. ☕ 🌧️ No matter the weather – whether it's raining cats and dogs or just the usual drizzle – UK construction soldiers on. We’re basically the Olympic champions of working in waterproofs. 🏅 But it’s not all hard hats and cement mixers. Innovation is taking over! 💡 From sustainable building materials to high-tech facades, we’re shaping the future of cities. So next time you see a crane on the skyline, give a little nod – that’s progress in action. To all my fellow industry folks – what’s the most surprising thing you’ve seen on-site? Share your stories (or the wildest building requests) in the comments!👇 Let’s build a conversation. 🧱 #ConstructionLife #BuildingBritain #InnovateOrExcavate #FacadesOfTheFuture