All Features articles – Page 279
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FeaturesPaul Sheffield: ‘You can hear somebody saying, “Well, it was all right when I left …”’
Paul Sheffield could barely have chosen a worse time to become chief executive of a UK construction firm, but two years after taking over at Kier, his growth strategy appears to be paying off. By Allister Hayman
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FeaturesSpecial report: Building envelopes
Upgrading a facade not only brings aesthetic benefits, it can help extend the building’s life and improve environmental performance. Here we look at facade systems that can be installed with minimal disturbance and, crucially, do not require a building to be vacated. Andy Pearson reports
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FeaturesEnergy ratings: Rented property
From April 2018, landlords will no longer be able to let buildings with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of below E without demonstrating that all cost-effective measures to improve energy efficiency have been implemented. Adam Mactavish and Richard Quartermaine of Sweett Group and Charles Woollam of SIAM examine the ...
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FeaturesSustainability in China: A great leap forward?
New building codes in development, a fledgling eco rating system and an influx of western expertise - are these signs that China is finally pushing forward with energy efficiency? Building reports on the rise of sustainability amid the world’s most relentless construction boom
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FeaturesInterview: Mitie boss Ruby McGregor-Smith
How construction’s only female chief executive learned to stop worrying and build a £2bn company in the midst of a global economic crisis
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FeaturesWill Hinkley Point C survive planners and protests?
Hinkley Point C will be the first nuclear power plant to be built in decades and of course construction firms are keen to be part of the £10bn project. But wait: EDF still has to make a final investment decision, the plant hasn’t even got planning permission yet, and then ...
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FeaturesChina market report: Once upon a time in the East
No country is changing at such a mind-boggling pace as China - now the largest construction market in the world and with new cities sprouting up all over the land. So is this the right time to be trying to muscle in on the market - or will fears of ...
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FeaturesFrance's nuclear fusion reactor: The hottest and coldest place on earth
Building goes on the trail of the ITER - a £12.5bn multinational project that might just save the world …
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FeaturesDesigning a dancefloor: Ramboll's new moves
When Ramboll was faced with the problem of designing a lightweight, long-span floor capable of withstanding the combined weight of a school dance class, it needed to come up with some exciting new moves … Building reports
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FeaturesThe RICS' new rules of measurement
Next month, the RICS launches a suite of guidance and standards that is set to transform the way that costs are managed through the life-cycle of a building. Stuart Earl explains how it works
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FeaturesInterview: Barratt's chief executive Mark Clare
Barratt’s chief executive Mark Clare may not have seen the recession coming - he is, after all, the man who splashed out £2.2bn acquiring Wilson Bowden just months before it hit - but he certainly has a clear vision of where the company is heading now. He talks to Building ...
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FeaturesInfrastructure: Biomass energy
The biomass sector is gaining momentum and should prove easier for construction firms to break into than either off-shore wind or nuclear energy. Simon Rawlinson of EC Harris and John Busby of Arcadis examine this emerging market
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FeaturesEnergy-efficient buildings – too clever by half?
A survey for Building’s Sustainability White Paper suggests that occupants find new buildings only marginally more efficient than older ones. Are their elaborate energy-slashing systems just too complicated to operate?
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FeaturesTop 50 rising stars of sustainability
We meet the construction industry’s green trailblazers
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FeaturesFirst Impressions: Atkins Georgia skyscraper
Our student panel from Nottingham Trent University are impressed with the design of Ad Astra Tower
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FeaturesKing's Cross Western Concourse: Space Travel
John McAslan’s 8,500m2 Western Concourse at King’s Cross is transport architecture on an epic scale, returning the station to the grandeur of the golden age of trave. Just a shame about the glazing …
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FeaturesEcobuild 2012: Spotlights
From solar powered transport to timber structures and the latest in urban design, Ecobuild is showcasing the very best in sustainability. So what’s taking centre stage this year? Andy Pearson reports
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FeaturesBest supporting acts: The ICE awards
Beneath Londoners’ feet, on their roads and in their stations, the city is undergoing arguably its biggest transformation since the Victorian age. The ICE awards, held last week, celebrated the cream of this current wave of infrastructure projects. Thomas Lane rounds up the winners
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FeaturesGeoengineering: Space age solutions
Governments admit they have failed to reduce our co2 emissions, so now geoengineering could be our only option to counteract climate change. Andy Pearson explains how this could involve anything from covering deserts with reflective surfaces to putting a shield for the earth in space. Illustration by Philip Veall
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FeaturesArcadis' Neil McArthur: This is just the start
When Arcadis bought EC Harris last year, it became the 10th largest design consultant in the UK and gained leverage in Asia and the Middle East. Now it’s brought in Neil McArthur to spend a further £100m on acquisitions and turn it into an even bigger global player. Building asked ...