All Features articles – Page 549
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FeaturesSense and sensuality
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma synthesises Japanese traditionalism and European modernism in the form of a bamboo house in the forests of China. Sounds about right for this year's winner of Finland's Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award …
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Your neck of the woods
As in most Building regional surveys, how you’re doing depends on where you’re doing it.
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Lead times
Lead times continued to decline in the past quarter, with only three packages taking longer to arrive on site, according to Mace. Gardiner & Theobald reveal how technology is raising the performance of the lifts
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FeaturesPrivate sector housebuilder of the year
The supreme award in this category, sponsored by Eternit building materials, goes to south-east player Laing Homes
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Game theory
Keeping everybody with an interest in your project happy can involve complicated strategies – that is why it's worth learning the rules …
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Domestic roofing
Roofing material on residences is not limited to tiles and slates – many less traditional options are available, from asphalt to zinc. So how do you choose? Anthony Brett of Davis Langdon Schumann Smith outlines what you need to consider when specifying a domestic roof
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FeaturesLearning curves
The town had never seen one, the architect had never built one, the budget was as tight as a tourniquet, there was almost no time to plan it, and everything depended on the specification. We tell the story of how a primary school in Kent got itself a curved ...
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FeaturesMost creative marketing strategy
Swansea Housing Association triumphed in this category, sponsored by Wood for Good, for taking on the challenges of selling urban regeneration and changing the image of affordable housing – and succeeding in both.
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FeaturesLifetime costs: flat roofs
Asphalt, single-ply polymers and built-up roofing systems are the main options for covering a flat roof – but which offers the best value over its lifetime? Peter Mayer of the Building Performance Group breaks the costs down, and explains how to make your roof last longer
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FeaturesIf winter comes …
The Swiss Re tower is going to be a fine skyscraper, but as demand for offices in London cools, 250,000 ft2 of it is still unlet. The forecast? Developers are going into hibernation and any contractors caught out in the open are in danger of severe exposure.
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FeaturesBest company-wide sustainability strategy
The Peabody Trust has done the double in Building's awards this year. It picked up the sustainability prize in the Building Awards 2002, and now picks up this award, which is sponsored by Thermalite.
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FeaturesBest land and planning strategy
Buying brown and involving the community put Linden homes ahead of the rest in this category, sponsored by English Partnerships.
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FeaturesBest quality-improvement strategy
A dedication to improving quality on a large scale and on a project using innovative design anD build technology won this category, sponsored by Rationel Windows, for Greenwich Millennium Village
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FeaturesBest change strategy
here was a close contest between the two top firms to claim this category, sponsored by Housing Today, but Stamford Homes won out for encouraging its staff to Go MAD
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FeaturesBest options and choices initiative – private housebuilders
The judges chose Laing Homes as the winner of this category, sponsored by Bristan Group, for its Homestyle service
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FeaturesBest training/people development
Regional players are making a strong commitment to their staff, and it has earned Southdale Homes first place in this category, which is sponsored by NHBC
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FeaturesBest customer satisfaction improvement strategy
How can you please the ever-demanding customer? Crest Nicholson Residential seems to know, as it takes this category, sponsored by The Housing Forum, for the second year running.
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FeaturesThe barrier method
The picturesque town of Bewdley made the headlines in 2000 after it suffered three floods in six weeks. The challenge was to stop it happening again, but every option was either impossible, could make things worse or would cost £470m. Except for one …
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FeaturesInnovation Award
St James Homes applied timber frame to develop an urban site it would otherwise have ignored and proved the commercial case for medium-rise timber frame, making it a clear winner in this category, sponsored by Zurich Building Guarantees