Richard Waite

1 week ago | architectsjournal.co.uk | Richard Waite

Homes account for 14 per cent of the UK’s total carbon emissions, and the role that architects can play in demystifying whole house decarbonisation is a considerable opportunity for the profession. From advising on steps that can be made at scale, to ensuring improvements at an individual project level – whatever the residential retrofit you’re working on, there are consistent carbon saving measures that can add to up to make a real difference.

1 week ago | architectsjournal.co.uk | Richard Waite

The 40-home scheme for the Merthyr Valleys Homes housing association will sit on a hillside in Cefn-coed-y-cymmer, on the north-western edge of Merthyr Tydfil. The plot was once covered by dense woodland, felled in the 18th century to fuel the nearby Cyfarthfa ironworks. The development, known as Cefn Isaf, involves demolishing two vacant and derelict 1970s housing blocks, replacing them with stepped buildings that follow the slope of the hill.

2 weeks ago | architectsjournal.co.uk | Richard Waite

Practice name KPK StudiosFounded 2025Main people Brendan Kilpatrick, Manisha Patel, Spyros KatsarosBased LondonWhere have you come from? We all met at PRP, which Brendan and Manisha joined in 1995 – less than a year after its London studio had been established. We went on to become senior partners, playing a central role in the growth of that studio and shaping the its direction over the following decades.

2 weeks ago | architectsjournal.co.uk | Richard Waite

The Clerkenwell-based practice won the job in 2018. However, its £2 million proposal, set in the Grade II-listed Ashtead Park and backed by the Old Freemen’s Association (OFA), was twice refused by Mole Valley District Council. Although a previous clubhouse had once sat on the site, the local authority claimed the project would constitute inappropriate development in the green belt and was concerned about the loss of seven trees – despite the practice promising to plant seven new trees.

2 weeks ago | architectsjournal.co.uk | Richard Waite

Comment: Sem Moema, chair of the GLA Housing CommitteeLondon is in an acute housing crisis, and fixing it will require many different approaches. Expanding London’s housing co-operative and community land trust sector can be one part of the solution. By being rooted in the needs of local people and communities, these projects deliver housing while building community power and encouraging a sense of belonging.