Blog
Becoming an Architectural Technologist or Architect
Different Routes to Becoming an Architect or Architectural Technologist You’re in your final semester of college, and the moment of decision has arrived. Architecture is your passion, and you’ve known for a while that becoming an architect is the career path for you....
Natural Building Materials
What are Natural Materials? Natural materials are sourced directly from nature. They are produced by plants, animals or geological processes and require little to no artificial processing. Some of them can be used as building materials in their raw or minimally...
Detail Library – New Details September 2024
On the Detail Library, we are delighted to share our first set of house extension details. These details focus on some of the most challenging parts of a new house extension design – party walls and foundations. This set is designed to provide guidance and suggestions...
Less Is More
Introduction ‘Less is More’ is a well-known architectural phrase popularised by German American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969). Although commonly associated with Mies, this phrase actually has its roots in poetry. It was first used in 1855 by English...
Architecture Case Study
What is an Architecture Case Study? An architecture case study is a detailed analysis of a particular architectural project, design concept, or process. The goal is to examine and understand how a specific project was conceived, developed, and executed. This involves...
Rammed Earth as a Building Material
What is rammed earth construction? Rammed earth construction is the process of ramming a mixture of natural aggregates, like gravel, sand, silt and clay into a formwork to create solid walls. When the earth is dry the formwork is removed to reveal striking monolithic...
Detail Library – New Details August 2024
These new details are the second half of a two part set exploring refurbished or retrofit slate roof details. The set explores traditional slate roof construction, with the addition of insulation for scenarios such as extensions and retrofit or refurbishment...
Free Office Furniture CAD Blocks
Office Furniture CAD Blocks Whether you're a graduate architect or an architecture student, our CAD blocks are designed to streamline your workflow and improve your productivity. By eliminating the need to create drawings from scratch, our CAD blocks enable you to...
Ornament and Crime
Introduction ‘Ornament and Crime’ is a famous architectural manifesto by Austrian architect Adolf Loos (1870-1933). The phrase was initially the title of a lecture he gave in 1910 at the Akademischer Verband für Literatur und Musik (Academic Association for Literature...
Detail Library – New Details July 2024
The new details this month explore different junction connections with the insulated foundation system by KORE Insulation. This fully engineered system allows for low u-values, quick installation, reduced costs and many other benefits. These details provide examples...
Average Male and Female Dimensions and Heights
Introduction Updated July 2024 The average dimensions of the human body are essential in architectural design as they help to ensure comfort and enhance the user experience. These physical measurements, known as anthropometric data, are used by architects and...
17 Sofa CAD Blocks
Sofa CAD Blocks This free set of sofa cad blocks consists of a variety of different sofa types, in both elevation and plan. The set shows typical sofas in plan, side elevation, and front elevation. We also include the dimensions of each sofa on a separate layer that...
17 Best Websites For Architecture Inspiration
Introduction This post is all about the best websites for architecture inspiration. With so many architectural inspiration websites online, we know how difficult and time-consuming it can be to find the best ones. This is why we put together a list of the best...
Detail Library – New Details June 2024
New Details These new details are the first half of a two part set exploring refurbished or retrofit slate roof details. The set explores traditional slate roof construction, with the addition of insulation for scenarios such as extensions and retrofit or...
Kitchen Extension Guide for Architects
Introduction Kitchens have evolved greatly in the last hundred years. Larger houses would have had a kitchen in the basement with staff to cook, whilst more modest properties would have a room on the ground floor cut off from the dining or living room. Currently,...
Standard Brick Sizes CAD Blocks
Standard Brick Sizes CAD Blocks This set of standard brick size cad blocks is available to download for free. The blocks contain standard brick sizes and shapes, standard bonds and mortar joints. A really useful collection of cad blocks to have in your library. This...
Detail Library – New Details May 2024
New Details Something a little different this month. We have been talking about a template of construction build ups for some time now, and it is finally here! The construction build up template provides a large range of different construction assemblies that can be...
Space Planning Basics
Introduction Space planning is a complex process with many factors to consider. The principles of space planning involve satisfying a defined criteria on a priority basis – as a result, space planning is frequently about compromise. That being said, there is...
Building Regulations for House Extensions
Introduction to Building Regulations for House Extensions House extensions have become increasingly popular across the UK as homeowners seek to create more space and enhance the functionality of their properties. Whether it's to accommodate a growing family, create a...
Detail Library – New Details April 2024
New Details This month we are looking to the outside and focusing on external works, specifically retaining wall details, cappings and copings for freestanding walls. This set consists of: Solid brickwork garden wall with coping, capping and creasing tile details...
Form Follows Function
Introduction ‘Form follows Function’ is a popular architectural principle that was first introduced in 1896 by American architect Louis H. Sullivan (1856–1924) in his essay ‘The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered’. It was actually shortened from the original...
TV CAD Blocks
Free TV CAD Blocks We are really excited to present to you these excellent TV dynamic cad blocks. They are typical TV CAD Blocks in both plan and elevation, but there's a difference. These blocks benefit from being dynamic. That means they have drop down menus that...
Permitted Development Rights for House Extensions
Introduction to Permitted Development Rights When extending a house in the UK, understanding Permitted Development rights is essential. These rights allow certain building works and changes to be carried out without the need for a full planning application,...
Detail Library – New Details March 2024
New Details This month we are excited to share another set of details that have been requested regularly by our members. This set consists of external wall insulation details. In this set we explore a solid blockwork wall with 190mm mineral wool insulation and a...