More Focus – Page 176
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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
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FeaturesRedeveloping Bart's and Royal London hospitals
It was tempting to hang a ‘do not resuscitate’ sign on two dingy, barely accessible London hospitals, but Skanska’s redevelopment of the sites has made them functional again - which should perk up medical staff and patients alike
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FeaturesCountry focus: Germany
Investors are still flocking to Europe’s largest economy, unemployment is at a new low, and orders are up 20%. What could possibly go wrong? John Atkins and Meinhard Rudolph from EC Harris report
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FeaturesThe London office market: Development boom?
With 25-year leases expiring all over the City, this was meant to be a boom time for commercial development in central London. So why are so many of the most prestigious schemes either on hold or sitting empty? Building reports
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FeaturesE.ON's Michael Woodhead: Power trip
E.ON UK’s sustainable energy division is quickly becoming a very influential player in the country’s power market. Ahead of its starring role at Ecobuild next month, managing director Michael Woodhead tells Building why that’s particularly good news for construction
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FeaturesYoung designers create a pop-up club
Heineken’s competition is for a concept nightclub based on the theme ‘changing perspectives’
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FeaturesMy working day: RLF QS Kat Hurworth
The young QS on a placement at RLF took on the nickname ‘the golfer’ even before she began work
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FeaturesView from my office: Steve Ferguson
Senior cost manager at EC Harris in Belfast looks over Northern Ireland’s newest visitor attraction Titanic Belfast
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FeaturesRegional Olympic sites: The out-of-towners
It really isn’t just about London … Ike Ijeh casts an eye over the Olympic-related developments, upgrades and refurbishments that have taken place across the UK, from the white-water rapids of Hertfordshire to the 53m-high Weymouth Tower
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FeaturesOpportunities in Qatar
A US giant may have scooped the lead role on Qatar’s World Cup, but UK firms are well placed to target the $100bn that the richest country in the world is investing in construction before 2015. Building took a flight out east
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FeaturesClass of London 2012: Apprentices on the Olympic park
The Olympic Delivery Authority bucked the trend of cutting investment in training and took on 457 apprentices on the Olympic park rather than the 100 planned. Emily Wright finds out how this has paid off
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FeaturesCost update: Q4 2011
The downward trend in last month’s consumer inflation figures is reflected in falling material prices and a slowdown in construction costs. Peter Fordham of David Langdon, an Aecom company, reports
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FeaturesDigging Doha: Msheireb's Issa M Al Mohannadi
Qatari client Msheireb Properties wants its £3.5bn Downtown Doha scheme to be the prototype for future cities around the world. Building talks to its chief executive about why this masterplan is so radical and why he wants UK expertise to help make it happen
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FeaturesAre you a Building 2012 Hero?
Calling all those who worked on the Olympics - Building is on the hunt for five people whose outstanding contribution helped make the Games a success
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FeaturesInside India: Construction opportunities
India is not a market for the fainthearted, but with the demands of 1 billion people to satisfy, growth of 7% predicted for this year and an investment plan of 1 trillion dollars on the table, there are rich pickings for the courageous. Building reports
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FeaturesBuilding by numbers: Variation in public project costs
The latest government data shows dramatic variations in the cost of construction procurement across the public sector. But will arming decision-makers with these figures turn them into leaner, more savvy clients? Building reports
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FeaturesHansom: Trouble at the top
As the two-way (un)popularity contest continues in the Cabinet, construction’s main man pats the industry on the head and a sustainability expert calls for the chancellor to get his cheque book out