Recent Articles

IEEE Spectrum • 25th June 2026

Wi-Fi and Cellular Industries Duke It Out Over 6-GHz Band

The EU, India, and the United Kingdom are under scrutiny as the U.S. and China stake positions

IEEE Spectrum • 6th May 2026

Chatbots Need Guardrails to Prevent Delusions and Psychosis

Design, testing, and functionality could protect vulnerable users

Engineering and Technology Magazine • 6th May 2026

Job Killer? The Future of Work in the Age of AI

When UK freelance illustrator Jenny Turner noticed a sudden drop in online sales, she logged into her Etsy shopfront to find out what was up. Scrolling through an item listing, she spotted that the ‘recommended products’ section at the bottom contained an influx of competing goods, many of them AI-generated. “They were all quite a bit cheaper than mine,” says Turner. “Mine were priced around £50 to £100, versus £10 to £20 for the AI alternatives.”That discovery, in 2023, was a precursor of thing...

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Modus Magazine • 26th January 2026

Seeds from the sky: using drones to reforest Britain

Pioneering trials using drones to scatter seeds across hard-to-reach locations, with the help of geomatics surveyors, could revolutionise woodland creation in the UK

The UK government pledged to...

RIBA Journal • 23rd January 2026

Testing the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard

The pilot of the first cross-industry agreed methodology to define net-zero carbon-aligned buildings has uncovered the design challenges of meeting tough new limits on operational and embodied carbon.

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) • 15th December 2025

Spirited away: adapting a derelict copperworks

At its peak in the 19th century, Swansea produced around 90% of all the world's copper, making it a crucial part of the industrial revolution and the leading ‘big tech’ centre of its day.

Clipper ships...

E+T Magazine • 15th May 2025

AN ELEMENTAL PROBLEM

Critical minerals will underpin the global clean energy transition, but the threat of constraints on supply is forcing investment and research into new and alternative forms of extraction

About Me

I’m a 3 x IBP National Journalism Award-winning freelance journalist, content consultant and copywriter, with 16 years’ experience covering the built environment, sustainability, AI and technology innovation.

My skill is in pinpointing original ideas and transforming technical subject matter into concise and engaging copy, in the form of features, reports, news, blogs, thought leadership articles and more.

My copywriting experience covers branded content, advertorials, SEO-optimised online content, whitepapers, ghostwriting, awards write-ups and op-eds.

I’ve interviewed thousands of experts over the years, ranging from politicians to scientists, senior executives to workers on the frontline. I’m a regular contributor to RIBA Journal, IEEE Spectrum, the RICS’ Modus magazine, Engineering + Technology magazine, Project Safety Journal, Ground Engineering and Utility Week. My articles have appeared in the Economst and the Sunday Times and have been used as a teaching resource at Newcastle University.

It was a privilege to win Construction / Infrastructure Journalist of the Year at the 2016 IBP National Journalism Awards; and Sustainable Construction Journalist of the Year and Most Significant Contribution to 'Green' Journalism awards at the 2011 IBP National Journalism Awards. I was runner-up for IBP Construction / Infrastructure Journalist of the Year in 2021.

Recommendations

"Steve Cousins is a very good journalist working in the built environment sector. I have commissioned Stephen to write pieces for a number of publications and he always delivers highly readable, and well researched copy. He is a master in explaining technical details in an approachable way and is a pleasure to work with."

- Denise Chevin MBE, editor, writer and policy advisor in the built environment, utilities and technology

"We at the RIBA Journal have worked with Stephen over many years as a regular freelance journalist. He is skilful at building strong features on emerging areas, getting hold of interviewees and translating complex technical areas into clear readable articles."

- Eleanor Young, editor, RIBA Journal

Stephen Cousins