The government’s drive to build 1.5 million homes within a tight timeline requires creative solutions – and balanced against new towns and sweepingly large schemes, small sites have a crucial role to play. BDP’s Gap House is a great example of this approach – transforming disused council-owned garage plots into high-quality homes for social rent using modern methods of construction.

This is one of four building studies in the first AJ of 2026, and all are housing schemes architects can learn something from. We pay a visit to Levitt Bernstein’s pioneering intergenerational development in south London, which accommodates ‘downsizing’ older people alongside postgraduate students. Metropolitan Workshop and Haworth Tompkins have delivered 268 mixed-tenure homes in east London, more than doubling the density of the Robin Hood Gardens estate which used to sit on the site. Another scheme of 12 homes in Kent by RX Architects benefits from careful material composition.

In News, we head to Gloucestershire to see how self-build could open the door to a small sites revolution: many small sites can add up to many new homes. Beyond helping to solve the housing crisis, there are many reasons why it’s amazing to be an architect – and should you need a little reminder (!), you can read our feature ‘Ten reasons why you should still be an architect in 2026’.

The works of Manchester City Architect’s Department are appraised in an exhibition review in the Culture section, alongside photographer David Grandorge’s monthly column.

Opinion pieces include Kunle Barker’s argument that architects are key to the government reaching its housebuilding target, while in his careers column Matthew Turner advises an architect looking for a new job.

Elsewhere in the magazine David Eland contributes some sketches; the AJ’s Merlin Fulcher rounds up the best competitions; and cartoonist Hellman gives his take on why you should still be an architect in 2026. We hope this issue has something you can take inspiration from as we kick off another year in architecture.