All Features articles – Page 665
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Features
Timber’s back in the frame
A damning TV documentary on timber-frame homes sent the English and Welsh market into a downward spiral. Now it’s making a comeback – but with a new twist.
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Features
Woolf’s teeth
An important element of the Woolf reform is the idea of a pre-action protocol, which governs how parties should behave before litigation starts. Fail to follow it and the court can now take a big chunk out of you.
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Features
Totally absorbing
Ove Arup's Chris Twinn has pioneered a radical humidity control system for a Jersey document store. Will it revolutionise building services?
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Features
Appointments
Contractors Try Accord has promoted Steve Jarvis to business development manager for London. Sam Roscoe has been made business development manager for the South-west.Jane Horswill has joined Roberts as area marketing manager for South Yorkshire. HousebuildersLaing Homes South Thames has appointed Alan Sellers sales and marketing director. ConsultantsBirmingham-based Wakemans has ...
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Features
Border skirmishes
A recent decision by a Scottish sheriff suggests that the court’s powers in Scotland are different to those in England and Wales.
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Features
Cost study: Sustainable low-energy housing
Sixteen sustainable low-energy houses and flats were constructed in Glasgow for £60,900 each. This low capital price was achieved despite building in sophisticated environmental features that will significantly cut whole-life costs.
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Features
The living daylights
It may look like a Bond villain's lair, but the gleaming glasshouse nestling in the Welsh hills is Foster and Partners' centrepiece to the £43.3m botanic garden.
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Features
Who needs experts?
Lord Woolf believes that limiting the number of expert witnesses in construction disputes will reduce the cost of litigation, but will it? And is it a workable solution anyway?
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Features
Kate Priestley
A woman in a male domain, the head of NHS Estates has had to work hard to earn respect. Now the most powerful woman in construction, it is her job to ensure that the health building budget of £1.8bn a year is spent efficiently.
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Features
Language lessons
Contracting or subcontracting with a company from another part of Europe can be fraught with linguistic and legal problems – as a recent case shows. It’s best to make sure the details are worked out first.
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Features
Measuring up
The performance measurement software system that has won accolades from the Movement for Innovation.
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Features
Winning the West
Bristol’s loss of the £58m harbourside scheme seems to have done little to hurt the local economy, thanks to a few major projects, but firms still need a good plan to make it in a savagely competitive market.
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Features
Adjudication: a case for change
Failure to comply with procedural requirements could jeopardise the validity of adjudication, but a Court of Appeal judgment may force a look at the effect of the non-compliance rather than the letter of the law.
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Features
Appointments
ContractorsStourbridge-based MJC Construction has appointed Simon Jones contracts manager. David Hollick has been appointed special works manager and Tony Shaw becomes chief estimator.Stansell has appointed Bill Badham area director for Bristol.Stan Bakowski has been appointed director of Frederick J French.Housebuilders John Tutte has been promoted to group managing director at ...
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Features
Clash points
JCT98 is guilty of aiding and abetting inefficiency. Take its extensions of time clause – the list of relevant events includes items that clearly should be the responsibility of the contractor.
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Features
Clash points
Yes, the clause should be redrafted, but Ann exaggerates its vulnerability to exploitation by inefficient contractors. In fact, inefficient architects are much more likely to benefit.
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Features
Councils forced into Egan era
From April 2000, local authorities will be asked to abandon compulsory competitive tendering for best-value procurement. But will they?
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Features
When winning doesn't pay
In general, the unsuccessful party pays the successful party's costs in a trial of preliminary issues. However, this ain't necessarily so.
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Features
PFI revolution fails to inspire
The public-private body that will provide money and advice for PFI projects has been unveiled – to a chorus of scepticism on its ability to reconcile private profit with the public good.