Notes from
the drawing board.
Scroll to explore
Essays, project notes and research on buildings for industry, logistics and work — written by the architects who draw them.
Workplace
2 min read
Colour as a workplace tool: inside a playful new headquarters
At Northvale we used colour the way a wayfinding engineer would: to tell people where they are, what a room is for and when to slow down.
Industrial
2 min read
Why metal panel façades are redefining industrial architecture
Insulated metal panels used to be the cheap option. Today they are one of the fastest routes to an airtight, low-carbon envelope — if they are detailed like architecture.
Process
2 min read
Why every brief starts with an operations audit
A week on the warehouse floor saves months on the drawing board. What we look at, who we talk to and how the audit changes the building.
Cost
2 min read
The ±3% rule: designing with a live cost model
Most budgets are checked at the end of each design stage, when change is expensive. We check ours every week — and it changes how design decisions are made.
Materials
2 min read
Mass timber comes to the industrial park
Timber is no longer only for cultural buildings. In offices, rooftop additions and the front of industrial buildings, it is fast, light and low in carbon.
