All Features articles – Page 215
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FeaturesThe pressure of payment reform
The launch last week of a new payment charter adds to the legitmate pressure on contractors to pay their subbies promptly. But this pressure could also starve contractors of the cash they need to invest, push up prices, and even push some firms over the edge
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FeaturesGarden cities: Back to the future
Garden cities offered a utopian vision of town planning at the dawn of the last century. But could they be the answer to the current housing crisis? The coalition seems to think so
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FeaturesThe eco-supermarket pioneers
As Sainsbury’s Greenwich, the pioneer of retail sustainability, prepares for possible demolition just 15 years after its opening, we look at how eco-stores have evolved since, with supermarkets attempting to save energy and boost their green credentials
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FeaturesTracker: March 2014
Construction activity showed a slight fall in the third month of the year but remained in positive territory, pointing towards a period of sustained expansion. Experian Economics reports
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FeaturesSpring in our step
Business indicators point to plenty of momentum in the economy as household consumption expands and employment rises. Michael Dall presents highlights of Barbour ABI’s latest monthly Economic Construction Market Review, with a special focus on the education sector
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FeaturesSketch of the week: Royal Liver Building
Building art editor Sam Jenkins draws on his Liverpudlian roots
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FeaturesInterview: Alan Brown
With two investors behind it and the recent purchase of upmarket housebuilder Banner, Cala Group has come a long way from its precarious refinancing in 2009. Alan Brown talks about delivering volume at the top end of the market, and plans to treble turnover to £800m a year
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FeaturesCPD 9 2014: Optimal pump sumps for wastewater
The latest in our series of CPD modules focuses on best practice in the design of pumping stations as part of an effective modern sewerage network. This module is sponsored by Xylem Water Solutions UK
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FeaturesMarket forecast: Rebound on track
Although Q1 2014 saw output and price levels taper off, the overall direction of the industry remains encouraging, especially considering its supply and skills constraints
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FeaturesWhat to specify: Doors & windows
You can see clearly now with the latest doors and windows products. Innovations include automatic door operators, top swing reversible windows and electronic roof windows
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FeaturesHow to be cool: Tackling overheating in UK homes
Overheating in homes is set to become an increasingly urgent issue, especially in the capital, as global temperatures rise. With energy legislation demanding that buildings become ever more airtight, what is the best way for designers to respond?
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FeaturesSketch of the week: Milton Keynes gallery
Smith and Wallwork provides this week’s doodle – a concept sketch for Milton Keynes gallery
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FeaturesNBS survey: The BIM that will bring us together
NBS’ annual BIM survey suggests that uptake of the collaborative technology has risen sharply over the past year. But is it really becoming the industry norm?
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FeaturesWorkers of the World unite
Bosses of employee-owned companies claim greater engagement and increased profitability. So why isn’t everyone doing it?
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FeaturesBIM: The inside story three years on
Manchester council’s FM team were initially reluctant to use BIM in the operation of the city’s newly refurbished Central Library. But then they were shown how much time it could save, even on changing a lamp… Thomas Lane catches up with the team in part three of a series that ...
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FeaturesCost model: Tall buildings
With nearly 250 towers set to be built in London alone - the vast majority of them residential - Brian Smith, Mital Dholakia and Richard Heseltine of Aecom highlight the main design and cost considerations in reaching for the skies
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FeaturesThis week in … 1964
In April 1964 Beatles were flying high in the US singles chart and April 1964 we looked at a prefabricated hexagonal house
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FeaturesSketch of the week: M&S Cheshire Oaks
Illustrator John Holder sketched M S Cheshire Oaks, a Simons Group project, at various stages of its development
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FeaturesBuilding Award Winners: Sustainable project of the year
There were several trailblazing projects in this category, but Skanska and Hopkins Architects’ Brent Civic Centre stands out for redefining the humble council office as a beacon of low-energy design
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FeaturesTrouble at the top
Bad managers can have a big impact on staff morale and productivity levels, and they could even pose a serious threat to the industry’s upturn. So why are there so many of them?