All articles by Thomas Lane – Page 22
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News
Whitby is back in business – with a gazebo
Mark Whitby, the former chairman of structural engineer Ramboll UK, has set up a consultancy with former colleague Des Mairs
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FeaturesPracticalities of free schools: Schools for scavengers
According to the secretary of state for education, pretty much any old building can be turned into a classroom. But is that actually true? Thomas Lane did some research
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CommentMaglev vs high-speed rail: Should we change trains?
The billions we will spend on HS2 will get us from London to Birmingham 28 minutes faster than the present system does. After Birmingham, the trains will travel on old lines
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FeaturesMaglev high-speed trains: London to manchester in 55 minutes
Magnetically levitating trains are faster and quieter than high-speed trains, use less energy and take up a lot less space. So why is this technology still waiting on the platform?
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NewsInsurers call for urgent probe into timber-frame fire risk
Hard evidence of method’s vulnerability triggers calls for better practice and tougher regulation
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FeaturesRehousing animals: First catch your vole
The London Gateway port will handle 3.5 million containers a year and is a huge construction undertaking. But an added complication is the relocation of thousands of animals that inhabit the area - at a cost of £50m
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CommentThe fire alarm is ringing
It’s official: if a timber-frame building catches fire, it will suffer more damage than if it were built using other forms of construction
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Archive TitlesTimber frame buildings more susceptible to fire damage
Government statistics for England reveal that one in eight fires on half-completed buildings are timber frame
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News
Timber frame Glasgow flats destroyed in major fire
The half-built four-storey development caught fire in the Yoker area of the city
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News
Minister seeks to bring forward regs update
Building regulations minister Andrew Stunell has shocked builders by saying he wants to bring the planned revision of the Building Regulations forward by a year to 2012
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NewsDevelopers to pay into offsite energy fund
Housing minister says fund will enable developers to meet carbon reduction commitments
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Features
The SAP affair: Part L compliance software
Forget house prices, where you’re going on holiday and the benefits of cosmetic surgery - SAP is what everyone’s talking about at parties right now. This crash course in sustainability software explains why
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FeaturesKazakhstan: Building the world's largest tent
In the capital of Kazakhstan, Buro Happold, Foster + Partners and developer Sembol have built the world’s largest tent. And their heroic attempts to heave that 90m mast upright are enough to make fair-weather campers weep
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CommentFoster opens up a bright spot in Kazakhstan
This distant cousin of the UK’s Millennium Dome should meet more appreciation from the locals
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Features2012 countdown: The aquatics centre
Since the aquatics centre’s 160m-long roof was lowered into place last year, work on the Zaha Hadid-designed venue has continued to power ahead
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Features2012 countdown: The velodrome
The plan with the velodrome was to make it as lean as a racing bike, says Chris Wise, one of its designers
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FeaturesAldar’s Abu Dhabi HQ: One last spin of the wheel
Aldar’s Abu Dhabi headquarters is one of the final feats of jaw-dropping construction machismo we’ll see from the UAE for a while, says Thomas Lane. And it gives us plenty of reasons to mourn their passing …
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FeaturesIn pictures: Low-profile living
This New Forest residence makes a minimal impact on the environment and the view. Of course, that doesn’t have to mean going without a swimming pool. Thomas Lane goes down to the woods to investigate
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CommentNew government, new regs?
As in previous years, the flow of green legislation seems unstoppable. There is, however, a new government, which begs the question: “What is it going to do with the zero-carbon agenda that was the brainchild of the Labour government?”
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FeaturesEmbodied energy: The next big carbon challenge
Reducing the amount of embodied energy in building materials won’t be easy – but it’s essential