More Focus – Page 343
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FeaturesThe Eurovision house contest
Welcome to Europan, the competition in which young European architects design housing schemes for 74 sites across the continent. Here are the designs that triumphed in the UK
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FeaturesAn unexpected Spanish acquisition
Ferrovial, Spain's most aggressive construction company, has shocked the UK industry by revealing its intentions of buying British airport operating giant BAA. But is it really that much of a surprise, asks Mark Leftly - and can the matador win its fight?
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Projects update: Project management
Our regular round-up of tools to help you work smarter looks at an innovation from the oil industry and a software program to maximise profit from mixed-use schemes
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Lead times
The latest lead times may not look like much has altered, but the current increase in order books will change all that, says Paul Dalton of Mace.
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FeaturesSpotlight on sprinklers
Lead times have remained constant at eight weeks during 2003, 2004 and 2005. This consistency reflects the steady level of work in the market and the sector’s ability to supply the demand.
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FeaturesA cracking Christmas
Activity was up across the board in December, according to the Experian Business Strategies survey - which also offers a short-term forecast, a regional breakdown and a quarterly look at work in hand
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Costs: Bathroom fit-outs
Bathroom fit-out costs can make a big dent in budgets, particularly on large developments. Anthony Waterman of BRE compares the benefits of traditional techniques and off-site pods
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FeaturesOff-site manufacturing
We all know what the benefits are of applying technology to construction. Snag is, you also have to redesign the team that builds them, as Thomas Lane found out when he convened a gathering of men who know
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View from The Edge
Our series of articles on big problems and their solutions continues with a look at ways of reducing energy use - even though it may be too late.
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FeaturesSuccessful projects
What are the keys to a successful project? As an introduction to our new series on procurement, Simon Rawlinson of Davis Langdon examines how to make the right decisions for your scheme and avoid the most common pitfalls …
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FeaturesCity slicker
Further education colleges are often slated as universities' backward cousins. But if Wilkinson Eyre's City and Islington College refurbishment is anything to go by, they're going forward fast.
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FeaturesLocal lowdown: South-west
Robert Smith of Hays Construction and Property says the South-west is the place to be
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FeaturesThe station master
Sir Terry Farrell has often reserved his most iconic architecture for Far-Eastern railway stations, as three futuristic airport-sized interchanges reveal.
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FeaturesThe billion-pound black hole
With the pensions deficit of the top 20 construction firms topping the £1bn mark, companies are rapidly closing their final salary schemes in a desperate effort to control the situation. Katie Puckett explains why the problem has never been so bad - and what you could stand to lose.
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FeaturesLovers in the air
Inspired by Valentine's Day and the promise of free champagne, the latest in our series of Projects Reunited is less about reuniting old friends than celebrating those special unions that have stood the test of time. We took four happy couples that met through the construction industry for a trip ...
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Why carbon counts in more ways than one
There's no time to rest on your laurels if you achieved a low score. The next generation of carbon scales will be much more revealing.
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Bill Gething to chair new independent BRE body
RIBA sustainability advisor appointed chair of BRE's Certification Sustainability Board.