All Features articles – Page 582
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Features
Tender price forecast: Hope amid uncertainty
A mood of uncertainty prevails, with modest rises in tender prices and new orders, lower housing starts and a decline in infrastructure work. But the Budget, reports Davis Langdon & Everest, has strengthened hopes for robust recovery
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FeaturesAppointments
ContractorsConstruction group Osborne has appointed Rob Guest as group procurement director. Wrekin Construction has appointed David Blount manager of its utilities division.Gleeson's northern construction division has appointed Stephen Marshall, previously with Omni Construction, commercial manager. Simon Dolan has been appointed contracts manager. John McCredie rejoins the firm as contracts manager.Gary ...
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Features
The art of induction
What should do you do with a group of new recruits who know nothing about your company? Sue Neumeister, HR manager at QS Cyril Sweett, tells all
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FeaturesRobert Ashmead
The House Builders Federation may have softened its antagonistic approach to negotiations, says Elaine Knutt, but since president Robert Ashmead roared on to the scene on his Harley Davidson six months ago, you know it still has attitude.
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FeaturesStack attack
As city-centre sites get scarcer, developers are getting ideas above their stations, putting offices on the market – literally – and giving a whole new meaning to living on the river. Victoria Madine looks at the rise of the stack development
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FeaturesSound bytes
If TV execs ever want a charismatic consultant to style as an IT doctor, they might call on Microsoft's Mark Dodds. He's studied how major industries have adopted and adapted IT, and he spoke to Marcus Fairs about how construction is faring.
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Features
Five tips on how to chair meetings effectively
Produce an agenda and make sure everyone involved sees it before the meeting begins. If people do not know what the meeting's chairperson intends to discuss, time will be wasted as people digest new information and build up to a response.Be punctual and say when you intend the meeting to ...
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FeaturesEuro film star
No, not a muscular Belgian named Jean-Claude, but an ingenious system of glazing protection that is solving a shattering problem at Waterloo International Terminal. Andy Pearson found out how to protect 2.5 acres of failing glass
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FeaturesRio grandeur
More than 1600 attendees were given a taste of the Brazilian carnival at last Wednesday’s Building Awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel. Rory Bremner was there in flesh, and Prince Charles in spirit, to present 18 industry prizes – including a lifetime achievement award to Sir Frank Lampl
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Features
Money magic
Surviving a downturn is difficult, but white rabbits, mirrors and elves can all help
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FeaturesAnnette Fisher
This time next month, the RIBA could have a black woman as president, which would certainly be a change for an institution – and an industry – still dominated by white men. So, asks Marcus Fairs, who is Annette Fisher?
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FeaturesAppointments
ContractorsMansfield-based Baggaley Construction has promoted Chris Collison to managing director.Jane Metcalfe has been appointed business development manager of Willmott Dixon's Property Services division for the north of England.HousebuildersNeil White has been appointed contracts manager housebuilder of David McLean Homes. In addition, Chris Williamson has been appointed architectural technician.Roger Hughes (left), ...
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FeaturesManchester Art Gallery
Designed by Michael Hopkins & Partners, the £35m extension to the rear of Manchester's classical art gallery is a perfect fit. Before the extension was built, the gallery comprised two free-standing stone buildings designed in the classical style by Charles Barry, the architect of the Palace of Westminster. In contrast, ...
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Features
Better on balance
In this month's tracker, Construction Forecasting and Research reports firms are starting to feel a little more positive with order books and tender prices balances improving across the board
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Features
So what happened to Labour's big ideas?
In 1997, after 18 years of Tory rule, Tony Blair’s Labour government won power with gushing promises of integrated transport systems, world-class public services and an urban renaissance. Five years on, it’s time to make an assessment of how many it has delivered on.
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Features
Sir Robert McAlpine ends reign of Bovis Lend Lease
McAlpine takes top spot on yearly table as Bowmer & Kirkland climbs from 16th to first place for March.
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FeaturesUrbis – museum of the city
A huge iceberg – glistening, green and translucent – has incongruously floated into Manchester city centre. This is Urbis, Manchester's £30m millennium project and the culmination of the city centre's phoenix-like rebirth after the devastation of the IRA bomb in 1996. Due to open in June, it has been designed ...
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FeaturesCity of Manchester Stadium
It's the roller-coaster roof, visible from miles around, that is the big giveaway. Manchester's £110m stadium, designed by Arup and Arup Associates, is Britain's answer to the Stade de France, north of Paris, completed in 1997. It has a similar lightweight canopy that swoops up and down over the stands ...
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FeaturesExperimenting with glue
Have you ever thought about attaching bricks with glue rather than mortar but were worried that your brickies might get stuck together, or it would cost twice as much? Well, a project in Bristol is discovering exactly what the advantages and disadvantages are.
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Features
Just the job
Artist Andy Bradford is a colourful character who explains how he uses his architecture training in his work on an installation at the University of the West of England