Building confidence through collaboration

Architects are investing more time than ever in understanding and adapting to regulatory change. But as the profession evolves, passing that knowledge down to the next generation will be critical to ensuring they can confidently apply fresh thinking, creativity and curiosity to live projects. In this episode of Building for What's Next, lecturers and Masters students from Birmingham City University explore the transition from education into practice, and what both universities and industry can do to better prepare emerging architects for the realities of a changing profession.

Keeping pace with regulatory change requires significant investment in time, training and technical expertise, creating growing pressures on the resources, budgets and capacity of architectural practices. In this episode of Building for What's Next, Victoria Millward, director at Paddock Johnson and board member of the Architectural Technical Leads Group (ATLG) joins Ceri Turner-Hill, head of architecture at wienerberger, to explore how collaboration and knowledge sharing can help practitioners adapt to an evolving regulatory landscape. We discuss: How changing regulation is affecting practice resources, costs and approaches to specification How peer networks like the ATLG can help architects share knowledge, adapt to change and access wider expertise How earlier collaboration across the supply chain can help reduce pressure on internal teams and support more confident specification decisions. The conversation explores how no practice needs to navigate the changing regulatory landscape alone, and how greater collaboration across the industry could help architects access the knowledge and expertise they need when they need it.

Building for what's next is a new podcast for UK architects, focused on compliance confidence and the practical realities of the Building Safety Act—delivered as concise, credible conversations with clear takeaways. Brought to you by wienerberger. Under the Building Safety Act, architects need to ensure every specification decision stands up to scrutiny. With thousands of products on the market, and vast amounts of technical data to navigate, the quality of product information guiding these decisions has never been more important. In this episode of Building for What's Next, Steve Marr, chief operating officer at the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) joins Paul Instrell, chief commercial officer at wienerberger, to explore how greater transparency and independent assessment of product information can help architects have confidence in their specification process. We discuss: Why architects are spending more time verifying product information, and how greater transparency can help reduce the burden What the CCPI process involves, and how it helps to improve the accuracy, consistency and reliability of construction product information How independently assessed product information and closer engagement with manufacturers can help architects streamline the specification process and reduce uncertainty The conversation explores a growing challenge for the profession: how architects can spend less time checking and cross-referencing product information, while having greater confidence in the decisions they make.

Building for what's next is a new podcast for UK architects, focused on compliance confidence and the practical realities of the Building Safety Act—delivered as concise, credible conversations with clear takeaways. Brought to you by wienerberger. As architects balance greater regulatory scrutiny with increasingly complex technical requirements, many are gravitating towards tried-and-tested solutions to reduce risk and gain approval – potentially limiting the freedom to explore more ambitious ideas. In this episode of building for what's next, architectural director Kristofer Adelaide joins Manuela Fazzan, director of commercial propositions at wienerberger, to explore one of the biggest questions facing the profession: can creativity and compliance coexist? We discuss: How increased regulation can influence specification and design decisions, potentially driving more standardised, risk-averse solutions Why bringing compliance considerations into the design process earlier could protect creative freedom, rather than restrict it How external technical expertise and digital tools such as BIM can help architects approach complex design decisions with more certainty The conversation explores how architects can continue to challenge convention and create ambitious designs, while navigating the increased scrutiny and responsibility of today's regulatory environment.

Building for what's next is a new podcast for UK architects, focused on compliance confidence and the practical realities of the Building Safety Act—delivered as concise, credible conversations with clear takeaways. Brought to you by wienerberger. What does Building Control really expect from architects? As architects face greater responsibilities under the Building Safety Act, navigating regulatory requirements can sometimes feel complex and open to interpretation. In this episode of Building for What's Next, wienerberger is joined by building control expert, John Palmer, executive member of the Association of Building Control Approvers (ABCA) and managing director of OWL Building Control Solutions, to bring greater clarity to the building control process. We discuss: Common misunderstandings around Approved Documents and other regulatory guidance, and how architects can demonstrate a clear route to compliance The role of Building Control – including when architects can reasonably seek regulatory advice from approvers Knowing the limits of professional competence and when to bring in specialist expertise What a strong application to Building Control looks like in practice, and where the responsibilities of the principal designer differ from those of the principal contractor The conversation explores some of the grey areas architects are navigating today, offering practical insight to help build greater confidence in the decisions they make.