Want to tackle the housing crisis? Build like this everywhere! 76 social housing apartments in Bagneux, France, by Tolila+Gilliland Yes… this is social housing. A short 🧵

Timber building sites look so serene Sou Fujimoto’s structure for the 2025 Japan Expo

More stone bricks arrived, this time from Germans-Balague, Spain 65p each when sawn, more if rough split colours from red, through charcoal to buff & white same price but 97% less CO2 than fired clay

The bonkers reason we don’t see more timber buildings in the UK “The use of wood for construction is taxed and unsubsidized, whereas its use for fuel is subsidized and untaxed. Most of the trees that are cut in the UK are burned.” https://t.co/9z6HaGEopL

Delighted to be showcasing Darney Sandstone "Stone Bricks" along with @albionstone Portland at the @clerkenwelldesignweek Making the case for full range low carbon sustainable indigenous natural stone as the simple and obvious choice for building into the future.@Groupwork_arch

Delighted to see our mixed-use Lake District scheme in today’s @ArchitectsJrnal. Big thanks to @EllaJessel & @waitey #lakedistrict #custombuild #communitybuilding #housing

Thanks to @PlaceNorthWest for sharing our designs for a unique project in the Lakes…..a low carbon mixed-use housing, community and holiday home development set in a landscape led masterplan. #LakeDistrict #masterplan #housing #communityhub

Gradually dawning on UK quarries they can enter the UK’s 2bn bricks pa market Cutting stone to brick dimensions in a range of colours,textures&at fired clay brick prices but 95% CO2 saving Darney, Doddington, Hawley, Lochabrigs, Hazeldean & St.Bees by ⁦@huttonstone⁩

This report is tosh. We have design, masterplanning & placemaking skills *in abundance*. What we need more of are: 1) clients who want to create decent places 2) planners who understand good design 3) contractors who care about quality What we don’t need? A new “design school”.

Wishing all our friends, clients, colleagues & followers a very Merry Christmas! This year we’ve been fortunate to work on some great projects, so big thanks to everyone we’ve collaborated with. Looking forward to an exciting 2023 ahead! #christmascard #snowscene #merrychristmas

Christmas party time… @ArtformArchtcs @CW_Studio

CGI vs reality. There is often talk of how built projects don’t always live up to the CGIs at design stage. We thought we’d test this with one of our own! Full credit client @MacranePD for taking our planning scheme and staying true to it @paulkaralius MF3D #rendervsreality

from @polycor - stone bricks for the same price as fired clay bricks, with less than half their embodied carbon. Standard brick and cement block dims so bricklayers can charge standard rates

Surely we can do so much better than this when designing & planning installations on public spaces in Manchester? They must be able to adapt after the event, be flexible and ultimately improve the enjoyment of those spaces for everyone. A wasted opportunity here @ManCityCouncil

The one main entry point is a mass of Heras fencing with (presumably) defunct signage - hardly inviting even if it wasn't completely blocked for access. 6/7

Visually the space is cluttered, badly maintained and has a hugely negative impact on Piccadilly Gardens as a whole (which is saying something!). The shipping containers (presumably intended as a cheap & easy way to create enclosures), just appear dumped and left to rot 5/7

The complete lack of access points gives this 'temporary' installation a sense that it is far from being part of the public realm and instead is much more private, impenetrable and cut off 4/7

As a company we are based 5mins away in the NQ so walk through the square daily, at various different times. Here's what we've found: On almost every side you are presented with high, solid fencing which blocks any visibility across the space and forces you to walk around 3/7

Transformed into a 'fan-zone' for the Women's Euro's in July, the space became home to a series of shipping containers, fencing, raised decking and signage. Whilst working well for the football in the summer, it has since rendered half the square inaccessible and an eyesore 2/7

As Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester is now being readied for the Christmas markets, it's worth reflecting on just how bad a public space this has been for the last few months. Which is even worse than it normally is. 1/7 🧵 #manchester #piccadillygardens #fanzone #publicspace