More Focus – Page 67
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FeaturesSpherical objects!
Spheres have always been seen as a rather fantastical form for a building. Yet the sphere is in a geometric sense the most efficient form there is – and new technical innovations are making it easier to exploit this potential in practice.
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FeaturesWhole-life carbon: RIBA and RICS guidance
Guidance from both RICS and the RIBA on carbon reduction from a whole-life perspective can be used together to plan for resource efficiency and minimal emissions. Simon Sturgis of Sturgis Carbon Profiling reports
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FeaturesThe problem with women
As the deadline for companies to disclose their gender pay gap looms, Debika Ray looks at whether the industry is at last ready to take meaningful steps to remedy the problem
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FeaturesWomen in architecture - on a role
Although women still account for barely a fifth of UK architects – and that figure is falling – they are increasingly leaving their mark on the built landscape. Ike Ijeh talks to leading women in the field to find out how they got where they are today
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FeaturesApprenticeships: the chosen few
The government has pledged to create 3 million apprentices by 2020. But one year after the launch of the apprenticeship levy, the number of apprentices is declining fast and the target is way off course. As this week’s National Apprenticeship Week comes to an end, David Blackman reports on what’s ...
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FeaturesTracker: January 2018
The total activity index shows growth but gradual decline is in progress – while the UK regional index is slowly losing momentum
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FeaturesCarillion... the story so far
Befuddled by the sheer volume of information coming out about Carillion’s collapse? Here’s what we know, what we don’t know and what we still need to know
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FeaturesJoining forces: how UK construction helped after Hurricane Irma
When Hurricane Irma struck the British Virgin Islands last September, the government’s disaster relief effort sprung into action
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FeaturesProjects: BBC TV Centre - no place for daleks
The iconic home of television has been given a new lease of life as housing, offices - and broadcast studios. Ike Ijeh tunes in
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FeaturesCost model: Services for tall buildings
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are a particular challenge for tall buildings, with their own considerations and commercial drivers. Alinea Consulting details the factors and costs for office towers
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FeaturesAnalysis: RIP PFI?
Reports of the death of PFI may have been exaggerated, but there’s no question it’s been ailing for a long while. Is Carillion’s collapse the last nail in its coffin? And if so, what’s going to replace it?
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Features70 St Mary Axe - ahead of the curve
The distinctive sloping roof of 70 St Mary Axe has earned it the nickname ‘The Can of Ham’. But to fulfil the demands of the build programme, Mace has had to adopt ultra-efficient methods that think outside the box
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FeaturesAnalysis: Fine margins
Carillion’s collapse is easy to dismiss as a one-off case of mismanagement. But what it also reveals is how hard it is to keep a healthy balance sheet in an industry with wafer-thin margins. Is it time to blame the system
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FeaturesConsultants' salary survey 2018: It's not all about the money
The opposing forces of opportunity and uncertainty are keeping construction salaries in balance. And while employers are no longer offering skilled professionals mega pay rises, they are refining non-financial benefits.
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FeaturesAnalysis: the rise of the mid-rise
Dame Judith Hackitt’s review into fire safety – prompted by the Grenfell disaster – will have consequences for every aspect of how we build homes. Many of the potential changes will favour the medium-sized building
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FeaturesProjects: Built by gaslight
An eagerly awaited luxury housing development at King’s Cross has an unusual exterior – three Victorian gasholders frame the structures
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FeaturesMarket forecast: Maintaining margins
Technically the construction industry is in a recession, but many firms continue to report stable activity levels for now
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FeaturesHealth check
The government’s new PPP, Project Phoenix, was hailed as the NHS’ big hope, bringing much-needed cash to the ailing healthcare estate. Nearly a year on, have any hospitals been fixed up yet? And what are the other prospects for desperately needed additional funding?
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FeaturesLead times: October-December 2017
Our previous look at lead times back in September forecast little alteration, but as it turned out there were no changes at all over the subsequent three months
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Features‘This was a house of cards that could fall down at any moment’
Invited by MPs this week to explain how the construction and FM giant collapsed so precipitously, the firm’s former bosses revealed something of the mess they got themselves into