All Features articles – Page 463
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FeaturesHidden talents
Specialist contractors have the skills that can make or break a project, yet they are still overlooked by those higher up the supply chain. Now, according to new research, the industry – and particularly the design sector – is starting to realise the benefits of tapping into specialist knowledge.
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FeaturesInnovation of the year
Coleman’s second category win of the evening was gained by a simple idea: washing the spoil dug up by its excavation business and recycling it.
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FeaturesLook at me!
Want to grab a client’s attention? And keep it? In an fiercly competitive market, you have to offer something extra if you are going to win that juicy contract. Mark Leftly looks at the increasingly inventive ways companies are pitching for work and talks to clients about what they look ...
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FeaturesThe maverick
He’s proud to be a QS, he’s not afraid of enjoying himself and he doesn’t think every big practice should be an LLP. Mark Leftly met Richard Steer, senior partner of Gleeds, and found a leader in his prime.
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Features
Strength in numbers
The latest monthly figures from Experian Business Strategies reveal that activity in the construction industry is showing no sign of weakening – with the exception of the civil engineering sector …
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FeaturesOff-site specialist of the year
When Moho, Urban Splash’s swanky Manchester housing development, was unveiled earlier this year, it proved that volumetric housing developments could be, well, swanky.
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FeaturesPersonality of the year
Anyone who has met or talked with Keith Blanshard, aka The Modular Man, is likely to have detected his passion for off-site construction.
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FeaturesPiling specialist of the year
History has repeated itself. Last year’s winner of this category – and the overall title of best subcontractor in the UK – has done it again.
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Features
Projects update: Sustainability
Environment-friendly projects are big business these days, and many companies and organisations are jumping on the bandwagon. Here is the latest set of initiatives, products and services to make your scheme green
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FeaturesRoofing specialist of the year
With a whopping 90% of its work repeat business, Prater has almost as many fans as Arsenal, whose glamorous Emirates stadium it is working on.
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FeaturesSite services specialist of the year
In 1962, Jack and Noreen Coleman started a tiny demolition and excavation company.
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FeaturesStructural specialist of the year
Billington has a reputation within the construction community as one of the most advanced subcontractors around.
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FeaturesM&E specialist of the year
WinnerSmoke Control ServicesThe smoke ventilation expert is a minnow compared with the other companies on the shortlist, but it has to be one of the best bosses in south Wales. Each of its 18 employees gets a personal development plan, job-specific and customer services training. On top of that, engineers ...
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FeaturesCarbon copy
After making a splash with BedZed, Bill Dunster is taking the sustainability mission to the next stage, tackling everyday housing as well as homes of Chinese bourgeoisie.
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Features
Market forecast: Infrastructure explosion
Davis Langdon looks at the state of the construction economy, including energy price rises, the Olympics, current public spending and the exploding infrastructure sector. Plus, why everybody’s talking about oil …
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FeaturesThe father trap
As if babies didn’t create enough havoc in the lives of their dads, they are now threatening to disrupt their employers, too. The government wants to give new fathers three months’ paternity leave on £106 a week. But in the macho world of construction, how many would actually ...
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FeaturesGlobal reach
‘The summit of world architecture has been conquered by a tiny class of signature architect who peddle a brand of designer egotism to desperate clients with no regard to context, placemaking or local needs. Discuss.’
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FeaturesHot topic: Impact of oil prices
Following on from last week’s energy issue, Davis Langdon examines the impact of oil prices – and therefore petrol prices and transport costs – going through the roof