About Designing Buildings
Put all construction industry knowledge in one place and make it available to everyone for free
Construction in the UK employs 2.4 million people in 340,000 organisations, each one of which is creating and accessing a vast amount of expert knowledge. Everything from how to prepare a brief for a new project, right through to getting tax breaks for water efficient taps. But that knowledge is inaccessible, fragmented and dispersed. If we integrate it into a single resource that is easily accessible by everyone, the construction industry will be more efficient, more collaborative, more innovative and it will make fewer mistakes.
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Designing Buildings is the most popular construction industry website in the UK. It gives free access to 18,000 articles about the planning, design, construction and operation of built assets. Users can find articles about things they don't know, and write articles about things they do.
The knowledge it holds is curated, structured and linked together to create a single, growing, evolving resource. Thousands of construction terms and industry acronyms have been defined and hundreds of thousands of internal links help users get to the knowledge they need as quickly as possible.
Designing Buildings is supported by:
- The Chartered Institute of Building
- The Institute of Historic Building Conservation
- BSRIA
- The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists
- ECA
It is owned by Designing Buildings Limited, a company founded by project manager David Trench CBE FCIOB , designer and project manager Dr Gregor Harvie, construction law solicitor Richard Winward LLB FCIArb FCInst CES and chartered banker and finance director Martin Cantor.
It's refers mainly to processes and practices adopted in England and Wales, although much of the content is also applicable in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and users in many other countries will find it helpful.
- To get started see our Quick Start Guide.
- For information about using the site see our Help page.
- For guidance about writing style see our quick style guide.
- For terms of use see our terms and conditions.
- You can contact us by emailing [email protected].
Featured articles and news
Ebenezer Howard: inventor of the garden city. Book review.
The Grenfell Tower fire, eight years on
A time to pause and reflect as Dubai tower block fire reported just before anniversary.
Airtightness Topic Guide BSRIA TG 27/2025
Explaining the basics of airtightness, what it is, why it's important, when it's required and how it's carried out.
Construction contract awards hit lowest point of 2025
Plummeting for second consecutive month, intensifying concerns for housing and infrastructure goals.
Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment 2025
Examining the state of mental health in construction, shedding light on levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
The benefits of engaging with insulation manufacturers
When considering ground floor constructions.
Lighting Industry endorses Blueprint for Electrification
The Lighting Industry Association fully supports the ECA Blueprint as a timely, urgent call to action.
BSRIA Sentinel Clerk of Works Training Case Study
Strengthening expertise to enhance service delivery with integrated cutting-edge industry knowledge.
Impact report from the Supply Chain Sustainability School
Free sustainability skills, training and support delivered to thousands of UK companies to help cut carbon.
The Building Safety Forum at the Installershow 2025
With speakers confirmed for 24 June as part of Building Safety Week.
The UK’s largest air pollution campaign.
Future Homes Standard, now includes solar, but what else?
Will the new standard, due to in the Autumn, go far enough in terms of performance ?
BSRIA Briefing: Cleaner Air, Better tomorrow
A look back at issues relating to inside and outside air quality, discussed during the BSRIA briefing in 2023.
Restoring Abbotsford's hothouse
Bringing the writer Walter Scott's garden to life.
Reflections on the spending review with CIAT.
Retired firefighter cycles world to raise Grenfell funds
Leaving on 14 June 2025 Stephen will raise money for youth and schools through the Grenfell Foundation.
Key points for construction at a glance with industry reactions.