The publisher, UBM Built Environment, has launched iPhone apps for three of its brands, Building, Building Design and Property Week. The apps have been designed and built by Somo, which claims they are the first ever news apps developed for the architecture, construction and property industries in the UK. 

They offer users news, opinion and jobs, high resolution images of latest projects from the landscape-view picture galleries and rich video content. Other functions include the ability to read content while offline; full screen article views; and the ability to share articles on Facebook, Twitter, or by email.

The apps are free to download, and content is included for the first 30 days, before falling in line with Apple’s Newsstand subscriptions, where each publication will be priced at around £2 per week or £3.50 a month. Earlier this year, UBM Built Environment successfully launched mobile websites for all three brands: m.building.co.uk, m.bdonline.co.uk, m.propertyweek.com.

“Making news more accessible and immediately available is key to providing a valued news service to the industries we serve,” says Paul Dominguez, head of digital at UBM Built Environment. “The delivery of content is completely integrated with our content management systems, allowing us to distribute it as quickly as possible through multiple channels. Content is at the heart of our business, and these news apps provide yet another channel for our audiences to consume this business- critical content, providing choice, and more importantly access to news, as it happens.”