The Architects’ Journal Architecture News & Buildings
Westminster’s retrofit-first plan: ‘The architecture profession is on the bus’
The AJ quizzes Westminster City Council cabinet member Geoff Barraclough on the authority’s nascent retrofit-first policy
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
RetroFirst Stories: OEB and Arrant Land on turning a church hall into homes
The latest in an AJ series looking at architects who have saved buildings from demolition or given them a new lease of life
Whatever the project, the future must include the past
Marking the launch of a new ideas competition for M&S Oxford Street, zero-carbon expert Simon Sturgis calls for a more imaginative approach to changes to existing and even listed buildings
RetroFirst Stories: AHMM on saving a 1970s Mayfair office from demolition
The latest in an AJ series looking at architects who have saved buildings from the bulldozers or given them a new lease of life
Glasgow towers demolition: images of replacement scheme unveiled
Glasgow City Council and housing association Wheatley Homes Glasgow have recommitted to demolishing four 26-storey towers, releasing new images of the buildings they plan to put up in their place
M&S claims unlawful Gove decision caused ‘long, unnecessary and costly delays’
M&S has claimed Michael Gove’s unlawful decision to block the demolition of its flagship Oxford Street store caused ‘long, unnecessary and costly delays’
M&S wins High Court battle over Gove’s Oxford Street decision
Michael Gove’s decision to block the controversial demolition of M&S’s flagship Oxford Street store has been quashed by a High Court judge
Westminster Council unveils ‘retrofit first’ city plan
Westminster City Council has unveiled new draft proposals that would see it adopt a ‘retrofit first’ approach to redevelopment
Why we need a ‘structure first’ approach to existing buildings
To create a more regenerative built environment, it’s important not to impose new-build standards on old buildings and to use a structural engineer from the outset, argues Penny Gowler
Shell begins demolition of Brutalist Aberdeen HQ despite backlash
Oil and energy giant Shell has begun knocking down its Brutalist former HQ in Aberdeen, despite widespread opposition from architects and heritage campaigners