Richard Morton is a practising architect with over 35 years’ experience in a range of sectors, including retirement housing and heritage projects. Previously a Partner at Sidell Gibson and currently Vice-Chairman of the Retirement Housing Group, Richard founded Richard Morton Architects in 2012. He has continued to develop his portfolio which includes central London offices, luxury residential, specialist conservation and housing for older people. He has recently contributed to the latest APPG report – Rural Housing for an Ageing Population; Preserving Independence.

Richard studied architecture at Cambridge, intermittently between singing commitments in Kings College and Corpus Christi. He achieved his degree in 1977, a Diploma in 1979 and became a qualified architect in 1981.

Construction Expo South East 2018 will be held in Sussex for the first time on September 13 at the South of England Event Centre in Ardingly.

The trade show, founded ten years ago and previously held in Kent, will showcase the region’s largest range of construction products and services and is a ‘must visit’ for anyone whose business deals in development, property and construction.

Carole Black from South East Construction Expo said, “Sussex really is leading the way with its exciting construction projects in Brighton & Hove and across East and West Sussex, so it is great to be able to hold the South East Construction Expo 2018 here.

LendInvest, the UK’s leading marketplace platform for mortgages, has released the latest LendInvest Buy-to-Let Index report.

Published quarterly, the LendInvest BTL Index ranks 105 postcode areas around England and Wales based on a combination of four critical metrics: capital value growth, transaction volumes, rental yield and rental price growth.

Door entry and access control equipment from Intratone, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers, has been installed at over 900 different sites across Hounslow Council’s estate.

The access control systems across the Council’s residential and commercial portfolio had become obsolete with the desire to move from keys to a fob-based system.

Residents had been complaining at the delays in receiving new keys – in some cases taking up to six weeks for them to be delivered. New fobs can now be obtained straight away by residents when visiting their local housing office through the new cloud-based technology. Since late 2016 the Intratone fob readers have been installed at low and high-rise apartment blocks and Council offices, commercial buildings and operational sites, and complaints have dropped significantly.

Scotland’s first purpose-built Arts Centre is continuing its pioneering tradition by becoming the first such venue in the region to open its doors fully to people with disabilities, and their carers.

Macrobert Arts Centre, at the heart of University of Stirling, has opened a Changing Places toilet, supplied and installed by Closomat. It is believed to be the first Arts Centre in Scotland to have such a facility.

Complimenting the three existing wheelchair-accessible toilets already at Macrobert, the Changing Places toilet offers more space (12m²) to accommodate the user and up to two carers, and additional equipment, including a ceiling track hoist to help lifting and transfer, an adult sized height adjustable changing bench, height adjustable washbasin, peninsular toilet to enable assistance from either side, and a privacy screen.

 Situated in the rural countryside village of Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, Sevendials is a private contemporary residence project. It utilises an array of innovative products from leading aluminium suppliers Reynaers and Cheshire-based Altitude Aluminium, which installed the stunning aluminium windows and doors on this beautiful build.

The contemporary living space is set across more than 600m² including a full leisure suite with guest accommodation. Situated at the head of a gently sloping valley and immersed in mature greenery including Oak and Birch trees, the modern house boasts views across Cheshire towards Snowdonia and North Wales.

The innovative technology of BeArty Digital makes art affordable for all, allowing consumers to change their wall décor at any moment

BeArty strives to make art affordable for all. People rarely change their wall décor, so they look at the same pieces for years on end, regardless of how much was originally spent.

Now, BeArty Digital is changing that. BeArty has developed proprietary technology which allows consumers to change the artwork on their walls at any moment. Gone are the days of looking at the same wall art, month after month, year after year.

Property developers, building owners and facilities managers all appreciate knowing in advance how buildings perform. Well-designed spaces and smooth people flows translate into better user experiences, higher rents and faster ROIs.

However, it can be difficult to strike the right balance between higher occupancy rates – and better income – and efficiency. A building that holds the maximum amount of people might be attractive financially but can easily result in bottlenecks such as queues.

Amari Plastics, leading national supplier of plastics and related materials for industry, has recently launched a Kerrock world to visually demonstrate the unique properties of the modern material.

The campaign has been strategized to encourage imagination and possibility for designers and architects who will be selecting materials for retail and commercial interior projects and fit outs. It emphasises that Kerrock uses the combined benefits of plastics and natural materials to allow endless opportunities.

• Octopus Property targeting over £150mn of Buy to Let lending during the next 12 months
• 2017/18 tax year saw record number of buy to let investors in the UK
• Market opportunity growing as mainstream banks retrench in face of regulatory changes

Specialist property lender Octopus Property, part of the Octopus Group, announces the appointment of Steve Matthews to the role of Head of Buy to Let Sales, effective immediately. Steve will drive Octopus Property’s growing loan book exposure in the sector, which is benefitting from robust landlord demand for competitively priced and swift financing and the favorable yields and tax reliefs available to investors in the sector. 

A new, lightweight, mechanically fixed cladding system that delivers all the benefits of natural clay brick has been launched by Ibstock Kevington, part of Ibstock plc.

Developed in conjunction with Ash & Lacy (A&L), a specialist in metal fabrication and cladding based in the Midlands, MechSlip is the UKs first mechanically fixed brick slip system to use real Ibstock Brick and contain no combustible parts. The system is designed to provide substantial cost savings compared to similar systems and  delivers the flexibility and aesthetic appeal of real brick in a fraction of the time.

• Construction software specialist Elecosoft acquires top UK maintenance management software producer Shire Systems Ltd
• Elecosoft now offers digital products for the full building life-cycle from planning, design and construction to ongoing maintenance

Elecosoft, today announces its acquisition of Shire Systems Ltd, a leading UK maintenance management software provider. It has acquired Shire Systems Ltd for an enterprise of £5.1m.

Southampton based Shire Systems has developed Pirana, a computerised maintenance management system (or CMMS). Pirana allows companies to improve facilities management, reduce costs and increase productivity. It acts as a ‘digital doctor’ for buildings and equipment keeping them running smoothly and in good health.