Welcome to the all-new Design & Build Review. As you may have noticed, we've had a bit of a makeover. Along with our new design, we've also introduced a more user-friendly structure: You can now jump directly to any article using the navigation bar at the top, or browse by section for news, comment, in-depth analysis and data.

Although architects are increasingly focusing on sustainability, architecture as an industry is not the most environmentally friendly. Aside from the immense reliance on concrete – a devastating contributor to carbon emissions – the industry also has a serious waste problem, not to mention the often immense energy needs of today’s buildings, which further increase the environmental impact of the built environment. 

In this issue we explore the realities of climate change, and what steps the architects can take to help. We offer a primer of key data and developments in climate change and find out how adopting a circular economy can help bring true sustainability to the built environment. We also look at lessons from the pre-air conditioning age for climate adaptive building design, and highlight some of the projects pioneering in this space.

Elsewhere, we look at how the pandemic is impacting residential projects. A rise in home working has prompted a drop in demand for office space, and empty offices are now beginning to be converted into residential space – but will this become a trend? And, as community becomes ever more important to residential design, we explore the benefits of the co-living concept in creating new urban communities.

We hope you enjoy this issue and the new design. Let us know your thoughts on Twitter @designbuild_mag.

Susanne Hauner, publisher