Thought Leadership

Mobility ecosystems for connected cities

Andrew Tyley, RSHP Director, explores how airports should seek to place themselves at the centre of a wider mobility ecosystem, reflecting on Heathrow Terminal 5 and Madrid Barajas Terminal 4. The original architectural strategies took urban planning thinking into the aviation world to prioritise connectivity and multimodal integration – principles that are even more relevant today.10.04.2026

Designing a vertical Vierendeel structural frame for the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair

Maurice Brennan, Associate Director, RSHP, reflects on the vertical Vierendeel structural frame designed for the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair. With significant physical and planning constraints on a tightly bounded site in Hanover Square, the adoption of a Vierendeel frame proved pivotal, providing the necessary structural stability while preserving architectural clarity and flexibility. 27.03.2026

Reinstating Level 7 apprenticeship funding is essential for architecture’s future

Tracy Meller argues that the government’s plan to withdraw funding for Level 7 apprenticeships will dismantle a pathway that works, one that offers a more inclusive, affordable route into architecture at precisely the moment the profession needs it most26.08.2025

Beyond Take-off

As global air traffic is fast returning to pre-pandemic levels, a rising demographic of travellers aged 18 to 34 is steering aviation’s recovery. This generation have greater expectations that providers are aligned with - the principles of sustainability, personal well-being, and value experiencing the journey of travel. Their buying power echoes a broader societal shift that global connectivity should no longer come at the planet’s expense.04.04.2025

John Prescott’s influence and contribution to architecture

John Prescott, former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, significantly influenced urban planning and climate policy. His initiatives, such as the Urban Task Force and his leadership in the Kyoto Protocol, reflected commitment to sustainable development. Collaborating with architects like Richard Rogers, Prescott championed innovative urban design and construction methods that continue to shape discussions on sustainability and social equity.21.11.2024

How architects can collaborate with their engineers to use less material and not expend carbon on unnecessary structure or unnecessary enclosed spaces

In the case of our design for The Emory, the overarching image of the building reflects the most complex of the challenges it had to meet, how to overcome gravity where there was limited opportunity to come to ground?19.09.2024

We can be the generation that changes our way of life and mitigates Climate Change

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its sixth assessment report back in March of 2023, the AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023. The report is a very comprehensive analysis of the state of the climate emergency based on eight years of work undertaken by the world's best scientific body on climate change.30.06.2023

A solution for the NHS hospital shortage crisis

After years of funding restraint and an absence of strategic planning, over 7m people are now on waiting lists for surgery or specialist care; there are 105,000 vacancies for posts - numbers of doctors and nurses are especially low; there is a lack of true and effective integration between health and social care, with one in seven hospital beds occupied by patients who cannot be discharged; A&E departments are overcrowded; vital equipment is missing, or outdated, and some patients have had to wait for over 40 hours for an ambulance.30.05.2023

Airports and Sustainability

Some estimates predict the number of air passengers to double to 8 billion passenger journeys per annum within 20 years. Without addressing fundamental societal and economic questions, and without significant technological change, this is clearly unsustainable from an environmental and planetary perspective. 26.11.2019