Alex Smith Editorial
Building
Stories by this contributor.
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Skanska reveals detailed housing designs
25 Nov 11
Swedish contractor starts work on its first housing scheme in the UK, an estate of Scandinavian-style homes in Cambridge,
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Hyder in recruitment drive after contract wins
25 November 2011
Recent wins for global engineering consultant include £80m road and drainage contract in Qatar
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Tate St Ives reveals design shortlist
23 Nov 11
Architects in running for gallery extension at Tate’s Cornish outpost include practice behind stalled 2005 design
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Vinci bags £46m Tesco contract in West Bromwich
23 Nov 11
Work includes demolition of existing buildings and 43 retail and leisure units including a cinema
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Government commits £400m to boost housebuilding
21 Nov 11
Government will also guarantee part of risk of first time buyer mortgages in bid to kickstart housing market
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ISG confident despite market turmoil
16 Nov 11
Construction services group says it will meet profit forecast despite euro-crisis and problems in Middle East
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Construction workers take protest to Farringdon
16 Nov 11
Crown House is targeted in the Unite unions campaign against changes in skill grades
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Barratt reservations up 26%
16 Nov 11
Housebuilder predicts significant improvement in profit as average selling price increases 7%
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Interserve targets Qatar for growth
14 Nov 11
Firm says it is relying on global infrastructure markets and UK public sector outsourcing for growth
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Recession looms despite upward revision of output
11 Nov 11
ONS revises construction output upwards from -0.6% to -0.2% for third quarter
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Mears blames PV tariff cut for profit warning
10 Nov 11
Social housing firm writes off £2m in investment after slash in FiT makes PV commercially unviable
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Rambøll's Flemming Pedersen named engineering CEO of the Year
9 Nov 11
While WSP’s Chris Cole receives lifetime achievement award at ACE’s European CEO Awards
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Regeneration boost for Morgan Sindall as order book hits £3.3bn
9 Nov 11
Growth in regeneration pipeline helps offset markets hit by public sector cuts
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Costain profit on track as orders hit £2.6bn
9 Nov 11
Cotract to build London Bridge station win boosts orders beyond 2013
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Carillion bags energy contracts worth £445m
9 Nov 11
Framework deals with Fulcrum and National Grid bolsters order book
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Full list: The 100 most influential surveyors on Twitter
8 Nov 11
Every month Building will reveal the tCn and RICS list of top surveying Tweeters
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GMI wins costs against OFT
2 Nov 11
But judge says GMI may not be able to claim full costs of successful appeal against OFT fines
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Morgan Sindall and Vinci win £500m National Grid contract
2 Nov 11
Joint venture announced as preferred bidder for Electricity Transmission Overhead Line partnership
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Cladding specialist Alu-Fix calls in receivers
2 Nov 11
Belfast-based specialists goes into administration with loss of 40 jobs
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Autodesk and Gehry join forces to promote BIM
28 Oct 11
Autodesk takes stake in Gehry Technologies as starchitect’s firm moves into BIM consultancy
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Balfour Beatty wins £77m contract to tackle M4/M5 bottlenecks
26 Oct 11
Managed motorway scheme will see opening of hard shoulders to improve traffic flows
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Fosters unveils designs for Kuwait International Airport
4 Oct 11
Design based on Kuwaiti sailing boats aims to achieve ‘gold’ LEED rating
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Future Health & Care Expo opens in London
3 Oct 11
Two-day conference looks at delivery of healthcare and features big construction names working in the sector
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Manufacturers predict gloomy 12 months
3 Oct 11
Public sector cuts begin to bite after CPA reports fall in Q3 sales activity for suppliers
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AMEC secures £50m North Sea gas contract
3 Oct 11
GDF SUEZ E&P UK awards engineering giant design work on Cygnus gas field
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Cladding firm WWR collapses
27 Sep 11
Roofing and cladding specialist WWR has gone into administration
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Building launches first CEO summit
26 Sep 11
Construction leaders gather at Savoy to hear findings of Building’s CEO White Paper
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Revealed: The top 50 surveyors on Twitter
22 Sep 11
RICS calls on its members to nominate themselves onto a list of most influential surveyors
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Head of nuclear decommissioning quits
21 Sep 11
Union ‘shocked and concerned’ by departure of Tony Fountain
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National Trust accuses housebuilders of 'conning' business leaders
20 Sep 11
Chairman says housebuilders want planning reform to enable them to grab more greenfield sites
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Boris approves Make scheme after Derwent pays £1.6m Crossrail tax
20 Sep 11
Mayor of London took on application after Camden Council rejected scheme
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Business leaders call for reform to 'creaking planning system'
19 Sep 11
Company bosses sign letter to The Times backing government planning reform
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Clegg will force Whitehall to accelerate infrastructure delivery
14 Sep 11
Government will focus on delivery of 40 priority projects but will make no new money available
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Planning permission for new homes plummets 23%
26 Aug 11
Labour blames Shapps for second lowest number of housing planning permissions for five years
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Styles + Wood posts £0.9m loss
25 Aug 11
Property consultant hit by ailing retail sector
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Costain profits from focus on bigger margins
25 Aug 11
Pre-tax profit rises 23% to £10.1m as contractor targets work with long-term strategic value
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Falling profits threaten SMEs
23 Aug 11
Below-cost bids are putting hundreds of construction SMEs at risk, says report
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Kinspan profit up 24%
22 Aug 11
Insulation manufacturer reports strong first half as building occupiers look to slash energy costs
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Balfour Beatty buys fit-out firm for £8m
22 Aug 11
Office Projects Group delivers and manages commerical fit-outs and refurbishments in UK
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V&A appoints ZMMA to refurbish Europe galleries
19 Aug 11
Refurbishment of seven galleries will complete restoration of front wing of London musuem
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ISG wins contract to build £3.7m Cheltenham gallery extension
19 Aug 11
New three-storey structure by Berman Guedes Stretton will include extra gallery space and cafe
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Construction bosses cautious on growth
19 Aug 11
Only the retail sector is more gloomy about growth prospects
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Timber frame company fined after man loses thumb
18 Aug 11
Kestrel Timber Frame fined £6,700 after guard is removed from circular saw
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Strathclyde Homes collapses after sales crash
18 Aug 11
Housebuilder goes into receivership following poor house sales in Scotland
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Book now for UK energy conference on October 11-12
17 Aug 11
Building’s conference on infrastructure will help you identify the best opportunities in the UK
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BRE to launch Passivhaus design competition
16 Aug 11
Winning design for semi-detached homes will be built at the BRE’s Innovation Park
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OFT refers aggregates industry to Competition Commission
16 Aug 11
OFT concerned over lack of competition in aggregate, cement and concrete sectors
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How not to excavate a basement: 'This is the closest I dared to go'
15 Aug 11
Colin Burden kept his distance when he saw this house teetering on the edge of a large muddy hole
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Aktins fees rise to £10m on Cambridge busway
15 Aug 11
Consultant fees rise following late delivery of guided bus route
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House prices fall year-on-year, reports Rightmove
15 Aug 11
Fall of 2.3% in seller’s asking prices in August contributes to 0.3% year-on-year fall
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ONS admits construction growth figures are wrong
12 Aug 11
ONS to republish construction output at 4.30pm today after admiting 2.3% growth rate published this morning was too high
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Boris offers communities £50m to rebuild after riots
11 Aug 11
The fund will be used to rebuild damaged streets using locally trained builders
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Pickles pledges £30m for riot victims
11 Aug 11
Government money will help businesses and families hit be this week’s violence
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Birmingham University reveals £175m campus plans
11 Aug 11
The University of Birmingham has announced plans for a £175m makeover of its Edgbaston campus.
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Morgan Sindall bags £115m Chester development
11 Aug 11
Regeneration scheme will see creation of new business district next to railway station
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High Speed 2 'fundamentally flawed' say Tory MPs
10 Aug 11
Conservative Transport Group says HS2 route should avoid open countryside and connect directly with Heathrow
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Public sector cuts hit construction activity
8 Aug 11
Biggest falls are in non-housing public sector according to CPA Construction Trade Survey
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Newbiggin Maritime Centre by Mosedale Gillatt Architects
8 Aug 11
Beach-side museum highlights the art and history of people living on the Northumberland coast
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John McAslan gives King's Cross its wow factor
5 Aug 11
New 150m-wide canopy framing the Western concourse will be biggest spanning station structure in Europe
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Green light for £25m Northampton station
05 August 2011
West Northamptonshire Development Corporation is now seeking funding for BDP-designed railway station
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Job vacancy for 'nail technician' attracts beauticians not builders
3 Aug 11
Dozens of manicurists in Stoke are attracted by ambiguously worded ad placed by builder’s merchant
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The first Olympic velodrome: Tour de force
29 July 2011
The 2012 Olympics are fast approaching but in all the hype we musn’t forget sports venues of the past. Building visits the first Olympic velodrome as it undergoes a restoration to its former glory
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ISG Jackson wins £4m Brixton housing project
11 Jul 11
Inglis Badrashi Loddo Architects has designed 42-unit scheme for developer Kitewood
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FC Twente stadium roof collapses during renovation
7 Jul 11
People reported trapped under roof according to police at the scene
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Capita Symonds wins Airbus contract
6 Jul 11
Consultant will provide design and management for new and refurbished buildings on campus development.
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Canary Wharf dragon slayers defeated in battle of Hackney
1 Jul 11
Team Wharf miss out in rowing final despite severing head of a dragon in earlier heat
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House extensions drive recovery in planning applications
29 Jun 11
Planning applications increased 11% last month according to Barbour ABI data
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Vinci to buy ground engineer Roger Bullivant
24 Jun 11
Founder says he will now focus on delivering 2,200 Drakelow Park development
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Peel puts £3.5bn Mersey tidal scheme on hold
23 Jun 11
High construction costs mean Mersey scheme won’t be viable without a change in policy on renewable incentives
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Northampton selected as potential enterprise zone
23 Jun 11
Over 14,000 jobs could be created if Northampton Waterside is approved by central government
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ISG Jackson appointed on £9m St Albans college
22 Jun 11
L-shaped Oaklands College scheme by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris will have teaching areas and a sports hall
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Atkins turnover hits £1.5bn
16 Jun 11
Consultant’s strategy of diversifying into growing markets sees underlying profit jump 7.5%
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Steel boss says UK recovery remains 'distant prospect'
8 Jun 11
Severfield-Rowen CEO Tom Haughey says group is focusing on industrial, infrastructure and commercial sectors
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Mexican Millau set to link capital to Gulf of Mexico
6 Jun 11
The 200m-plus piers of the San Carlos bridge will be second in height only to Foster’s French landmark
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Atkins buys Pöyry's oil and gas arm for £16m
6 Jun 11
Consultant says acquisition will give it platform for growth in gas and oil markets
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The better homes lab
27 May 2011
Designing energy-efficient homes is the easy bit - making sure the dwelling performs as expected is more tricky. That’s why forward-thinking housebuilders are embarking on some serious research. Alex Smith verifies the results
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Over 3,700 sign up to this week's Sustainability Now event
12 May 11
The industry’s biggest virtual conference for sustainable professionals goes live on 18-19 May
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Bovis Homes reports strong spring sales
11 May 11
Housebuilder reports 12% increase in reservations and 20% more visitors, but sales remain well below historic levels
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April house prices fell 1.7%, says Halifax
9 May 11
Average house prices have fallen by 3.7% over last 12 months
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Atkins cuts headcount by 1,000
13 Apr 11
Engineer says it reduced the number of employees to 17,500 over last six months
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Galliford Try to build 2,400 homes in Gateshead
13 Apr 11
Contractor is preferred bidder on £347m regeneration programme
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ODA wins treble at Building Awards
08 April 2011
The Olympic Delivery Authority wins Client and Supply Chain of the Year while David Higgins is named Personality of the Year
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WWF-UK quits Zero Carbon Taskforce
1 Apr 11
Campaign group slams government’s decision to change zero carbon definition
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Grontmij appoints sustainability director
21 Mar 11
Appointment of Alex Drysdale follows rebranding of Roger Preston and Partners as Grontmij Building Services
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Mansell starts on 1,000-home PRP Kensington scheme
14 Mar 11
PRP have masterplanned Wornington Green Development in Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
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Derwent buys two West End offices for £76m
10 Mar 11
Refurbishment of offices in Victoria and Tottenham Court Road will be complete by mid-2012
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Capita Symonds's David Wilcock: Designing schools on a shoestring
24 Feb 11
Capita Symond’s architecture director explains how his practice is working with schools to make the most of reduced budgets
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Vinci appoints regional director for Yorkshire
22 Feb 11
Keith Shivers will take charge of nine BSF contracts worth £170m
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McAslan clinches Dulwich College masterplan
31 Jan 11
Architect wins competition to draw up masterplan for refurbishment and remodelling of Grade II-listed school
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Amec wins £140m North Sea contract
31 Jan 11
BG contract will see engineering consultant deliver services on North Sea platforms
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Pochin warns project delays will hit profit
31 Jan 11
Loss-making contractor says construction arm will struggle to be profitable after delays in key contracts
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Carillion signs deal to 're-engineer' government contracts
31 Jan 11
Memorandum of Understanding will see Carillion work with coalition to deliver savings on support services contracts
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New Year honours for industry figures
31 Dec 10
Arup’s Peter Head and Aggregate Industries’ Bill Bolsover also receive CBEs for services to engineering and construction
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Building's favourite Flickr images of 2010
29 Dec 10
There are over 1,500 approved images on Building’s Flickr group. Here are our favourites
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Make's Broadgate scheme goes to planning
10 Dec 10
Broadgate development by British Land and Blackstone include four City trading floors for UBS
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Carillion boosts margins after cutting UK construction work
8 Dec 10
Group says focus on UK support services and international markets will see rise in 2010 profit
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Foster poaches Roger Ridsdill-Smith from Arup
25 Nov 10
Ridsdill-Smith will head up architect’s engineering design team
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Mears appoints David Miles as CEO
25 Nov 10
Current chief executive officer Bob Holt will continue as chairman
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Architecture plb wins planning for £9m residential school
24 Nov 10
Tower Hamlets school for boys with behavioural difficulties will start on site in March 2011
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Construction insolvencies fall 19%
22 Nov 10
Lower insolvency rates reflect broad trend across all sectors
