09 December 2011
Building
View all stories from this issue.
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A lot to live up to: Building houses that meet predicted energy use
09 December 2011
The gap between a house’s predicted energy use and actual performance has been comprehensively panned. Building meets three developers who reckon their projects will show that low carbon on paper can mean low carbon in practice
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Abu Dhabi saga could cost Austin-Smith:Lord ‘millions’
8 Dec 11
Late payment woes are stopping firm from finding new business, says partner
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Acoustic vinyl collection
09 December 2011
Polyflor says its new range provides a solution to noise transfer
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Air distribution system
09 December 2011
Polypipe Ventilation’s Domus Radial Duct System has been specified for a two bedroom house in Ringwood, Hampshire
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Angling for trouble
7 Dec 11
Using a ladder should be fairly straightforward, but here’s how to really complicate things …
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Architects' workloads slowly rallying, RIBA survey shows
14 Dec 11
Future Trends Index shows larger firms are most optimistic about growth, and some may recruit in the new year
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Austin-Smith:Lord owes staff £850,000
9 Dec 11
MottMacDonald, Mouchel, Arup, Buro Happold and Parsons Brinckerhoff among the creditors to financially troubled architect
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Balfour Beatty bags £500m waste-to-energy project
15 Dec 11
Contractor appointed preferred bidder on 28-year PPP scheme
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Bam picked for £15m Scottish Water operations centre
6 Dec 11
Reiach & Hall-designed office scheme is highly sustainable and will cover 7,300m2 over four storeys
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Battersea crashes into administration
12 Dec 11
Ernst & Young appointed to redevelopment project with £502m debt
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Bellway reduces shared equity sales
9 Dec 11
Housebuilder uses “resilient” market to halve sales via expensive incentive
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Berkeley profit up two thirds to over £100m
09 December 2011
Housebuilder posts strong half-year results, partly thanks to sale of share in Imperial College London scheme
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Bespoke Balustrades
09 December 2011
These balustrades include infill panels of clear toughened glass
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BIG wins lapland ski resort contest
13 Dec 11
Firm will create a 47,000 sq m ski resort and recreational area in Levi, Finland
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Brain damaged demolition worker gets £1.75m
14 Dec 11
Christopher Kaye, 57, will receive damages from former employer Euro Dismantling Services
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Building buys a pint … for PRP Architects
09 December 2011
A last minute change of venue leaves Building stumbling around the dark back streets of Smithfield trying to locate PRP Architects. The clang of names being dropped is the only clue.
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Capita Symonds unveils £20m Saudi development
5 Dec 11
Mixed-use scheme will cover 50,000ft2, and work is expected to start next spring
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Carillion to pull out of fitting solar PV panels
8 Dec 11
Contractor will exit solar PV installation market and outsource future work to SMEs
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Carillion's purchase of Eaga: Blinded by the sun
09 December 2011
In April, Carillion bought Eaga - a company with big plans to install PV panels on 30,000 homes - and rebranded it as Carillion Energy Services. Seven months later, government feed-in tariffs have been cut in half, and all 4,500 jobs are on the line. So was the £298m purchase a catastrophic error? Building reports
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Carmody Groarke win Windermere Steamboat Museum competition
13 Dec 11
Project will redevelop museum to display boats associated with Lake Windermere
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Cemex may face pensions strike ballot
14 Dec 11
Union Unite will ask staff in Rugby, Warwickshire and South Ferriby if they want to ballot for strike
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Citywatch: Carillion bounces back from Eaga hit
09 December 2011
Shares have tumbled at the firm but the market has since calmed
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CLS lodges planning application for £400m Vauxhall scheme
14 Dec 11
Proposed development would include two 50-storey towers, with 510 homes and 163,945ft2 of offices
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Commercial development falls sharply in November
13 Dec 11
Savills data says confidence now at lowest ebb for more than two years
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Concrete specialist J Reddington falls victim to hoax administration
12 Dec 11
Police are investigating after a fake notice was lodged with Companies House
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Construction appointments: 9 December 2011
09 December 2011
Morgan Sindall, Flint Bishop and Crest Nicholson have all made new appointments
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Construction output falls 1.1% in October
9 Dec 11
October output also down 2.7% on the same period last year
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Contracts and business common sense
09 December 2011
The problem with common sense is that it’s not that common. At least now the Supreme Court has affirmed that you can use it if a contract is drafted in an ambiguous way
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Council drops Kier from £200m schools programme
09 December 2011
Telford and Wrekin council to retender school projects worth £80m through academies framework
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CPD 8: BIM during construction
15 Dec 11
In the eighth of our regular series of CPD modules, we look at Building Information Modelling throughout the construction process. This module is sponsored by Excitech
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CSCS hires former MP as chairman
09 December 2011
Michael Clapham will replace Trevor Walker, who resigned this week
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Cyril Sweett falls into the red
8 Dec 11
Consultant blames the Arab Spring and euro zone crisis for creating challenging market conditions
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Dispute boards should decide, not recommend
09 December 2011
Americans like dispute boards to recommend not make binding decisions, but over here we like a bit more certainty
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Dry fix system
09 December 2011
Redland has introduced a new product to its Rapid+ range, the DuoPlain Ambi-Dry Verge
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ECA says members’ actions are ‘damaging’ the industry
09 December 2011
Coalition of trade bodies puts pressure on breakaway electrical contractors such as NG Bailey over workers’ pay
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EDF hails £200m in new nuclear work
13 Dec 11
French utility firm claims progress being made on Hinkley power station
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Eight developers shortlisted for Royal Docks regen scheme
15 Dec 11
Canary Wharf and Mace among names in the running for 35 acre job
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English cities given extra powers to drive growth
12 Dec 11
Eight urban centres will have greater say over major spending projects
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Ex-Austin-Smith:Lord staff launch legal challenge for back pay
14 Dec 11
Staff from the architect’s now closed Abu Dhabi office hope to get paid before other creditors to the firm
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Farrells' Kennedy Town Swimming Pool opens in Hong Kong
13 Dec 11
Phase one provides two outdoor pools with views of Victoria harbour
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Farringdon station overhaul: Boring? If only!
09 December 2011
London’s Farringdon station has been given an overhaul and is ready for more passengers, bigger trains and Crossrail. But it hasn’t been an easy ride - and digging a 140m tunnel by hand was the least of it. By Thomas Lane. Photography by Colin Streater
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Fibre cement material
09 December 2011
Marley Eternit has launched Eter-Color, a new range of through coloured architectural fibre cement material
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Foster's flying circus grounded: Thames Estuary airport
09 December 2011
Plans for an airport on the Thames Estuary have been around almost since the invention of the airplane. So let’s not get too carried away by the latest reincarnation, says Alastair Stewart
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Gleeds wins Prague laser research facility contract
5 Dec 11
Firm will act as consultant on Europe’s next generation of large research centres
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Government could face EU legal action over FITs cut
12 Dec 11
Plans to cut solar subsidies may contravene European agreements to source 15% of energy from renewables by 2020
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Government U-turn on brownfield tax break
6 Dec 11
Treasury abandons plans to scrap land remediation tax relief
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Green Deal investment a priority for £3bn government fund
12 Dec 11
Offshore wind and recycling projects will also get a share of £3bn of government funds
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Green light for Sheppard Robson's £750m Fitzrovia scheme
3 Feb 12
Developer offers council extra £2m for affordable housing
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Hansom: Blockbuster
09 December 2011
This week has been more like a Hollywood film than a week in construction - Arctic exploration, bombs in the desert, gratuitous nakedness and a case of mistaken identity. Popcorn, anyone?
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High overheads drive WYG half yearly loss of £2.4m
09 December 2011
Engineer set to capitalise on “niche opportunities” from government spending
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HLM and Leadbitter complete £20m school in Wales
09 December 2011
The school comprises a number of three-storey stone and render-clad wings
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House sales edge upwards as market steadies
13 Dec 11
November RICS data shows that prices still falling despite stabilisation
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Inbox: It's a struggle
09 December 2011
Readers identify obstacles both here and abroad, whether it’s missing out on incentives in east London, first-time buyers losing tax relief, or Brits trying to adapt to cultural differences in Asia
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Industry clients address Building's CEO summit
9 Dec 11
Speakers include Urban Splash’s Tom Bloxham and EDF’s Alan Cumming - view the video
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Insulating boards
09 December 2011
Kingspan’s products were used on a house in Balham as they were the cheapest, thinnest and best performing for that application
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JCT consultation: Life cycle considerations
09 December 2011
Should life cycle considerations be built into building contracts and project planning? The JCT is launching an industry consultation with this in mind, so start thinking
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Judicial review of government FITs cut to go ahead
15 Dec 11
The government will have to defend its cuts to the feed-in tariff regime in court next week
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Land Trust and RIBA seek design and funding team for Cronton Colliery revamp
13 Dec 11
Former colliery will get a new visitor destination and public space
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Leadbitter wins £17m London schools contract
14 Dec 11
Contractor will extend eight schools in London borough of Hillingdon
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Lend Lease takes action over athletes' village delays
09 December 2011
Construction manager has issued Galliford Try with non-completion notice for final phase of project
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Lovell bags £103m housing refurb deal
9 Dec 11
Contractor has signed a ten year deal with Barnet Homes
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Michael Dyke, Lend Lease: 'It's business as usual'
09 December 2011
When Lend Lease dropped the Bovis name, it said goodbye to one of UK contracting’s oldest and best-known brands. Building talks to Michael Dyke, the construction arm’s new boss, about where the division will go next. Portrait David Levene
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Minister: FIT rate 'may be higher than 21p'
12 Dec 11
Greg Barker is to announce than 21p feed-in tariff is a minimum
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Modular building system
09 December 2011
This modular building system can help reduce construction time
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Morgan Sindall sees £200m fall in construction orders
15 Dec 11
Firm says pipeline of regeneration jobs has risen sharply
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Morgan Sindall wins £145m Stockport regeneration scheme
9 Dec 11
Appointment raises prospect of long-awaited Grand Central Station revamp
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Mouchel appoints fourth chair in three months
6 Dec 11
Troubled consultant to bring in turnaround specialist David Shearer to lead firm
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My Digital Life…Jeremy Paxton
09 December 2011
This high flyer loves his BlackBerry…
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Network Rail announces £43m Peterborough station upgrade
13 Dec 11
Revamp will provide longer trains, extra platforms and better access
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Now boarding: The aviation sector
09 December 2011
George Osborne’s autumn statement hinted at support for airport projects, including the £50bn Thames Estuary hub - but haven’t the best seats already been nabbed by a few framework contractors and consultants? Building finds out how to fight your way to the front of the queue
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OPLC unveils winning designs for Olympic park's public spaces
14 Dec 11
James Corner Field Operations will create an urban landscape, and Erect Architecture a visitor centre and playground
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Peel and Barratt granted planning for 268 homes in Liverpool
13 Dec 11
Work is expected to start on site in early 2012
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Planning stats: Residential projects and approvals
09 December 2011
November saw some high value housing approvals, with Real Estate Opportunities reaching £4bn
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Portas calls for curbs on out-of-town developments
13 Dec 11
Retail guru suggests secretary of state for communities should get sign-off powers
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Responsible sourcing
09 December 2011
Swish Building Products has supplied fascia, soffits and cladding in hazy grey for a new 36 home development at Fielding Meadow, Ratby
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RICS calls in law firm to examine conflict of interest
09 December 2011
Field Fisher Waterhouse to investigate allegations that staff misused internal information on website
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Skanska wins £25m Bath Spa University job
12 Dec 11
Firm beat off competition from Bam, Cowlin, Leadbitter and Sir Robert McAlpine to win the project
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Steve Murphy elected Ucatt general secretary
13 Dec 11
Yorkshire regional secretary wins union’s controversial leadership election
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Stewart Milne ordered to payout £1.7m over botched land deal
8 Dec 11
Housebuilder loses appeal to Supreme Court over market value of Aberdeen land
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T&T and Gleeds top QS barometer in October and November
16 Dec 11
Davis Langdon, Gardiner & Theobald and Faithful+Gould runners up in Building’s top 40
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Terry Farrell plots new course for Battersea Power Station
9 Dec 11
Big name architect floats more piecemal approach after financial setback for current plan
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The ghosts of Libya: The legal landscape
09 December 2011
If you have a business interest in Libya, you’ll be on the edge of your seat wanting to know how the new legal landscape is shaping up there
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The tracker: Gloom, then more gloom
09 December 2011
As the days get darker so does the industry outlook, with the latest figures from Experian Economics showing a deterioration in all sectors and construction activity hitting a three-month low
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Thermal conductivity
09 December 2011
Dow Building Solutions has improved the thermal conductivity of its insulation
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Titanic Belfast Visitor Centre to open next March
8 Dec 11
Harcourt Construction is building the 14,000m2 visitor centre in Belfast
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Twenty-one local transport schemes to share £854m
14 Dec 11
Transport secretary Justine Greening announces funding boost to strengthen regional economies
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Two contractors set to guarantee energy performance
8 Dec 11
Skanska and Willmott Dixon in talks over inserting clauses in contracts to guarantee energy performance of buildings
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Tyneside 800-home scheme goes in for planning
12 Dec 11
Housing developer People for Places has submitted £140m scheme
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Unite wins planning for 1,000-bed student digs
15 Dec 11
Accommodation block will be built next to Westfield Stratford, east London
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Up in the air
09 December 2011
If you can navigate the frameworks, compliance standards and demanding clients, aviation is a lucrative sector to be in
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Video: Electricians clash with police at Balfour site
12 Dec 11
Protestors attempt to access Balfour Beatty’s Blackfriars station
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View from my office: Natasha Newbury
20 Dec 11
The JFA project manager looks over a Balham housing estate and a Hindu temple
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Vinci picked for £16m Ludlow Health Facility
12 Dec 11
Firm will draw up plans alongside Amber Infrastructure and Aedas Architects
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Warning: treat ONS figures with care
9 Dec 11
The ONS’ estimate of a 1.1% drop in output in October may not be as bad as it looks
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Washroom solutions
09 December 2011
Polyrey will be relaunching its Cubicle and Washroom collection in January 2012 to include new products
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We need small engineering companies
09 December 2011
Small engineering companies have been pushed to the edge of extinction by the conforming imperatives of big business. But we need their talent and guts for our own survival
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Window, door and curtain walling
09 December 2011
Technal’s new range of products can be specified for residential projects
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Work begins on £50m Capita Cyprus scheme
12 Dec 11
Capita’s architecture subsidiary ESA masterplanned the 17ha project
