All Features articles – Page 649
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Features
A cautionary tale
Ceramica, a landmark millennium project intended to help regenerate a depressed Potteries town, has been mothballed before it could open. It was brought down by problems that could threaten any lottery project.
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Features
Three cheers for Raynsford
With the Construction Act nearing its second birthday, Nick Raynsford should be giving himself a pat on the back for pushing it through. But he could do more, such as allowing adjudicators to correct their mistakes.
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Features
Cloudy in Northern Ireland
Sustained private investment and European Union funding have transformed the Republic’s economy, and although Northern Ireland has tended to lag behind, it has recently been enjoying its own mini-boom. Despite the political climate, most contractors think the peace process is helping deliver investment to the region.The retail boom precipitated by ...
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Features
The South-east and South coast: Scorchio!
Architects and contractors in the South-east are so busy they are pushed to find time to tell you about it. From Oxford to Winchester to Southampton, the story is the same: workloads are heavy, tender prices are up, and skilled, experienced staff are thin on the ground.Reflecting the current housebuying ...
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Features
Cost update
This quarterly analysis looks at materials prices, with a special focus on insulation, labour rates and works packages.
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Features
East Midlands: Looking healthy
It’s boom time in Nottingham. The market is doing well in all sectors. Universities are spending money, commercial developers are investing in town-centre schemes and business parks such as the Riverside and Phoenix, and developers are building sheds along the M1 between junctions 20 and 28. Ken Carter, partner in ...
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Features
Fiddlers on the hoof
Floating in from Europe is a piece of legislation that promises to bring an end to the little — and not so little — swindles that have been going on between competitors. And the penalties are draconian.
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Features
What the L is going on?
The government is to change Part L of the Building Regulations to make buildings more energy efficient. The way it has done this has driven an angry industry to talk about a conspiracy against it. What’s the DETR playing at?
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Features
An international outcry
For the international contractor, the new FIDIC forms are an unholy mess, full of pitfalls. This article looks at what is wrong with the Silver Book's design-and-build terms.
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Features
It's Sunny Up North
Forget those rumours of Britain’s north/south divide – at least as far as construction is concerned. Urban regeneration is under way in city centres from Edinburgh to Portsmouth, and the demand for leisure and retail development everywhere points to a national building boom. Building takes the temperature across the UK.
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Features
Sunshine in the West Midlands
Canary Wharf could soon be dwarfed by a proposed 900 ft tower in Birmingham as Britain’s second city grows in height and confidence to compete with the capital. Add to that the presence of a Selfridges department store in the new Bull Ring complex, and the word “sexy” may yet ...
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Features
The minders
How 12 Galliford and Castle Cement staff spent a week looking after 30 10-year-olds, and learned all about teamwork.
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Features
Scotland: Mixed temperatures
The new Scottish parliament building continues to be a source of controversy, with latest reports suggesting that the final bill will approach a staggering £200m. At the same time, the parliament is still the main driver of new building around the capital, as businesses jockey for position near the decision-makers.Contractors ...
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Features
Yorkshire: Warming up nicely
Leeds is seeing a surge in the housing and leisure sectors. About 3000 new-build flats are planned for the next few years, and a host of new bars, pubs and restaurants are springing up.Sheffield, once deep in the doldrums, is set to be revived. The city received £743m of European ...
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Features
The North-east: Shirtsleeve weather
Geordies are renowned for their love of a good night out, and the construction market in the North-east reflects that, with a dazzling number of leisure developments in the pipeline.The Gateshead Quay regeneration has taken off. Foster and Partners’ £45m Gateshead Music Centre has planning consent and Laing is due ...
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Features
What’s the meaning of this?
Collateral warranties are highly controversial, ferociously contested and poorly understood. This is the first article in a series intended to tackle the third of these problems.
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Features
Added extras
The team building Foster’s fencing mask – also known as the GLA headquarters – has a new weapon to fight inefficiency: a secure extranet that holds documents and drawings.
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Features
Appointments
ContractorsTry Construction has promoted Jeff Adams to managing director of the Midlands region.Alfred McAlpine Civil Engineering has appointed Sarah Vincent business development manager.Warings Construction has appointed Mike Deavin operations manager of its Heathrow-based airport team. Yazdi Shroff joins the team as contracts manager and Mark Warrington has been made health ...
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Features
Back to school
Mansell wants to be a global player, so it is sending its chief operating officer, Philip Cleaver, to Harvard University where he will rub shoulders with executives from around the world.
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Features
Bob Emmerson
Ove Arup’s chairman designate has the job of preserving the Arup ethos while the firm changes into a heterogenous multinational. Here’s how he will do it.