More Focus – Page 167
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FeaturesChina market report: Once upon a time in the East
No country is changing at such a mind-boggling pace as China - now the largest construction market in the world and with new cities sprouting up all over the land. So is this the right time to be trying to muscle in on the market - or will fears of ...
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FeaturesFrance's nuclear fusion reactor: The hottest and coldest place on earth
Building goes on the trail of the ITER - a £12.5bn multinational project that might just save the world …
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FeaturesWill Hinkley Point C survive planners and protests?
Hinkley Point C will be the first nuclear power plant to be built in decades and of course construction firms are keen to be part of the £10bn project. But wait: EDF still has to make a final investment decision, the plant hasn’t even got planning permission yet, and then ...
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FeaturesInterview: Barratt's chief executive Mark Clare
Barratt’s chief executive Mark Clare may not have seen the recession coming - he is, after all, the man who splashed out £2.2bn acquiring Wilson Bowden just months before it hit - but he certainly has a clear vision of where the company is heading now. He talks to Building ...
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FeaturesEnergy-efficient buildings – too clever by half?
A survey for Building’s Sustainability White Paper suggests that occupants find new buildings only marginally more efficient than older ones. Are their elaborate energy-slashing systems just too complicated to operate?
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FeaturesInfrastructure: Biomass energy
The biomass sector is gaining momentum and should prove easier for construction firms to break into than either off-shore wind or nuclear energy. Simon Rawlinson of EC Harris and John Busby of Arcadis examine this emerging market
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FeaturesTop 50 rising stars of sustainability
We meet the construction industry’s green trailblazers
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FeaturesFirst Impressions: Atkins Georgia skyscraper
Our student panel from Nottingham Trent University are impressed with the design of Ad Astra Tower
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FeaturesKing's Cross Western Concourse: Space Travel
John McAslan’s 8,500m2 Western Concourse at King’s Cross is transport architecture on an epic scale, returning the station to the grandeur of the golden age of trave. Just a shame about the glazing …
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FeaturesBest supporting acts: The ICE awards
Beneath Londoners’ feet, on their roads and in their stations, the city is undergoing arguably its biggest transformation since the Victorian age. The ICE awards, held last week, celebrated the cream of this current wave of infrastructure projects. Thomas Lane rounds up the winners
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FeaturesThe Olympics: The greenest show on earth?
The organisers of London 2012 sprang out of the blocks promising to stage the most sustainable Olympics ever, and as they enter the final straight they appear to be on course to set a new record - just as long as they don’t ease up before the finish line … ...
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FeaturesUniversity Technical Colleges: Dumbing down
Until January of this year, University Technical Colleges were fast gaining favour as a way of attracting new talent into our industry. Then, out of the blue, education secretary Michael Gove downgraded vocational qualifications, putting the feasibility of the programme in question. Building asks whether the government is making a ...
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FeaturesThe tracker: A wobbly start
Activity remained in negative territory in January, according to Experian Economics. However, civil engineering showed promise with activity at an eight-month high and new orders above normal
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FeaturesArcadis' Neil McArthur: This is just the start
When Arcadis bought EC Harris last year, it became the 10th largest design consultant in the UK and gained leverage in Asia and the Middle East. Now it’s brought in Neil McArthur to spend a further £100m on acquisitions and turn it into an even bigger global player. Building asked ...
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FeaturesProduct launches at Ecobuild: Next generation
Products for the sustainable built environment are getting thinner, more gas-tight, more efficient and longer lasting. Here’s a preview of some of the new launches to be unveiled at Ecobuild, from PV to underground storage
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FeaturesCould a style makeover tempt homeowners to the Green Deal?
The government’s Green Deal needs to retrofit around 600,000 homes a year - but it seems unlikely that current incentives can persuade enough people to make alterations to their homes. Ike Ijeh asks if the promise of a style makeover could be a more effective way to win over homeowners
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FeaturesDrivers of eco design
What will drive sustainable construction in 2012? Early indications suggest that regulations, corporate responsibility and energy consumption will all play major roles - and that this could be the year that the gap between a building’s predicted and actual performance is scrutinized. Andy Pearson reports
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FeaturesThe power of collaborative consumption
Today’s technology and the recession are driving a revived sense of community as we share, rent and trade possessions. Writer and ecobuild speaker Rachel Botsman talks to Nick Jones about the power of ‘collaborative consumption’
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FeaturesGeoengineering: Space age solutions
Governments admit they have failed to reduce our co2 emissions, so now geoengineering could be our only option to counteract climate change. Andy Pearson explains how this could involve anything from covering deserts with reflective surfaces to putting a shield for the earth in space. Illustration by Philip Veall
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FeaturesEcobuild 2012: Spotlights
From solar powered transport to timber structures and the latest in urban design, Ecobuild is showcasing the very best in sustainability. So what’s taking centre stage this year? Andy Pearson reports