20,000 articles

Designing Buildings Reaches 20,000 Articles: A Milestone for the UK Construction Industry’s Knowledge Hub

April 2025

Designing Buildings – www.designingbuildings.co.uk – has reached a major milestone: 20,000 articles published. As the UK's leading knowledge-sharing platform for the construction industry, this achievement marks over a decade of commitment to making construction knowledge freely available to everyone, from students and professionals to clients and contractors.

Launched in 2012, Designing Buildings was created to break down knowledge silos in the built environment. Its open-access model allows users to contribute, edit and explore a vast range of topics – from technical standards and best practice guides to project case studies, historical insights, and regulatory updates. It has grown to be the cornerstone of online construction knowledge.

What makes Designing Buildings unique is its collaborative spirit. The content is written by a community of contributors from across the built environment – engineers, architects, planners, surveyors, academics, and more. This bottom-up approach means the site grows organically, with articles reflecting the real questions and needs of people working in the industry every day.

But Designing Buildings isn’t all legislation and procurement frameworks. The site has also become known for its more offbeat and entertaining entries that shine a light on the quirkier corners of construction and architecture. A few standout examples include:

• “The World’s Strangest Building Materials” – From mushrooms and banana leaves to blood bricks, this article dives into the unexpected substances used in building throughout history.
• “How the Romans Built Roads So Straight” – A fascinating look at ancient surveying techniques that still impress engineers today.
• “Buildings Shaped Like Other Things” – A tour of the world’s most literal architecture, including teapots, baskets and pianos.
• “What’s the Difference Between Cement and Concrete?” – It might seem basic, but this is one of the most hotly debated (and misunderstood) questions on the site.
• “Haunted Buildings and Their Construction Backstories” – A seasonal favourite that combines ghost stories with architectural heritage.

Looking ahead, Designing Buildings aims to continue expanding its library of knowledge, embracing new technologies and ensuring that the wealth of information created by the industry is preserved and shared.

With 20,000 articles and counting, Designing Buildings is more than a website – it’s a living archive of the construction industry’s collective intelligence.