{"product_id":"aj-22-10-26-xxx","title":"AJ 22.10.26: Texture","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis issue’s theme is texture: the material choices that bring buildings alive through drama, light and shade, and which help tell a story about place. There are four building studies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCarmody Groarke\u003c\/strong\u003e, with \u003cstrong\u003eATAMA\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eRE-ST\u003c\/strong\u003e, has refurbished and extended Design Museum Gent, a project in which the Gent Waste Brick, new timber and glass combine across five floors of distinctive character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTakero Shimazaki Architects\u003c\/strong\u003e has expanded The Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick, east London, with a material hit of colour, collage and texture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePeter Grundmann Architektur\u003c\/strong\u003e has given Berlin’s ZK\/U Centre for Art and Urbanism, based in a former rail freight depot, an industrial makeover in which nothing is concealed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWright \u0026amp; Wright\u003c\/strong\u003e’s student accommodation at Oxford’s St Edmund Hall, Norham Gardens, is rooted in the particular textural characteristics of its conservation area setting and designed for Passivhaus certification.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn News, we have a feature exploring why the Mayor of London’s \u003cstrong\u003eArchitecture and Urbanism framework\u003c\/strong\u003e has failed to bring billable work to many of the smaller and diverse-led practices on it, with several questioning whether it is worth reapplying. A second feature, the first in a series on circular construction, profiles new approaches to materials and recycling, including a cement-free country house on the Isle of Wight by \u003cstrong\u003ePAD Studio\u003c\/strong\u003e and new brick products made from waste. The issue also carries a report on the AJ’s \u003cstrong\u003eCircularBuild\u003c\/strong\u003e 2026 conference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Opinion, \u003cstrong\u003eRussell Curtis\u003c\/strong\u003e argues that small sites represent huge opportunities for architects and calls for planning reform to support SME developers. In Culture, we review \u003cstrong\u003eKemide Lawson\u003c\/strong\u003e’s book \u003cem\u003eHouse Proud: Black Interiors and Architecture Across Continents and Centuries\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Grandorge\u003c\/strong\u003e’s photograph of a data centre at Park Royal reflects on the cruel summer of 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRounding out the issue are the \u003cstrong\u003eSecret Architect\u003c\/strong\u003e on AI and Part 3 candidates, sketches by \u003cstrong\u003eJade Huang\u003c\/strong\u003e of Office S\u0026amp;M Architects, and a competitions compilation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe issue also marks the retirement of legendary AJ cartoonist \u003cstrong\u003eLouis Hellman\u003c\/strong\u003e after nearly 60 years.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Architects' Journal Shop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57652480115061,"sku":"EMA-AJ202610","price":16.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0534\/0590\/9186\/files\/000_CVR_V_AJW_261022.jpg?v=1792491692","url":"https:\/\/www.architects-journal-shop.co.uk\/products\/aj-22-10-26-xxx","provider":"Architects' Journal shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}