More Focus – Page 127
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FeaturesPutting the wind up construction
Ofgem’s announcement last week that the six big energy firms face a competition inquiry has spooked the market and alarmed construction firms relying on new energy generation capacity. But are things really as bleak as they seem?
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FeaturesBuilding intelligence: Q4 2013
Data from Experian Economics shows that while construction activity levelled off in Q4 2013, for the year as a whole, activity was on the rise, with growth forecast in the private housing and infrastructure sectors
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FeaturesTracker: February 2014
Construction activity continued to increase in February and was up four points on the previous month. This represents 18 months of sustained positivity. Experian Economics reports
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FeaturesTax changes for temporary site workers
In a radical move that seems bound to increase labour costs, the government is clamping down on temporary site workers claiming to be self-employed. And as if that wasn’t bad enough news for construction companies using this kind of labour, they’ve only got two weeks to prepare for the change ...
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FeaturesVideo: Make's recycled pop-up cinema
Watch how architect Make designed and built a recycled cinema at Ecobuild this year
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FeaturesWhole-life carbon: Overheating
As the latest update to Part L is implemented, Juan J Lafuente of Sturgis Carbon Profiling reports on the findings of a two-year research programme into building performance - which suggest that improvements to airtightness standards could actually lead to higher carbon emissions in the UK
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FeaturesCreating the Design Museum's new home
The iconic Commonwealth Institute needed a new tenant - and the iconic Design Museum needed a new home. But adapting a fragile and low-spec sixties building to house a visitor attraction meant using some serious technical know-how
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FeaturesBuilding 17: Refurbishing Cromford Mill
The historic but neglected Victorian factory buildings at Cromford Mill in Derbyshire were overdue a refurb. But decontaminating the timber from chemicals used in industrial dyeing proved a test of modern ingenuity
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FeaturesWhat to specify: Refurbishment
Renewing existing buildings from top to bottom is easier with innovative products to suit a range of projects, from cost-effective acoustic ceiling tiles to slip-resistant flooring
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FeaturesMaking steady progress
As Barbour ABI launches its latest monthly Economic Construction Market Review, Michael Dall presents highlights, including sector and regional statistics with a focus on the residential sector
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FeaturesManchester Central Library: A modern classic
Manchester’s thirties Central Library was a warren of rambling interiors and inaccessible book stacks. But then Ryder Architecture got to work on an edited version
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FeaturesInfrastructure: highways maintenance
Damage to UK roads due to flooding has put a spotlight on the condition of our highways, at a time when the maintenance backlog is already estimated to be at least £10bn. Barbra Carlisle and Brian Fitzpatrick of EC Harris examine the key issues
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FeaturesAgenda 15: Green priorities
In the latest in our series on Building’s Agenda 15 campaign ahead of the next election, and fresh from the Ecobuild sustainability event, we report on what the industry wants the government to do about green regulation
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FeaturesInterview: Peter Rees
Peter Rees’ 29 years as head of planning in the Square Mile have been nothing if not controversial. In his first interview since announcing his departure, he talks about transforming the City, his legacy and why his critics are wrong about him
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FeaturesInterview: Neil Martin
It’s been all change in Lend Lease’s European business, with recent years marked by management instability and falling profits. Can the managing director of its construction arm Neil Martin succeed where others have failed and turn the business around?
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FeaturesBudget 2014: Over to you, George
Ahead of next week’s Budget, Building looks at the measures the construction industry can expect to emerge from Osborne’s red box
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FeaturesWhat to specify: Flooring
This week, we tread over new ground, including heavy-duty entrance matting at the Birmingham New Street redevelopment, coloured concrete at the British Museum and a walnut finish at Corby Cube
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FeaturesBuilding Magazine Small Project of the Year shortlist
This year’s Small Project of the Year finalists include a private residence, a youth centre, a creative arts hub and an architect’s own office
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FeaturesBuilding Magazine Project of the Year shortlist
There’s a packed field for the Building Awards’ prestigious Project of the Year prizes, with museums and libraries jostling with the Baby Shard and London’s first inhabited bridge for 250 years
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FeaturesCountry focus: The Philippines
After last November’s super-typhoon Haiyan, the Filipinos are showing their resilience. Alan Hearn of Langdon Seah and Magda Skalska-Burgess of EC Harris outline an impressive economy and strong construction market forecasts