All Features articles – Page 321
-
FeaturesThe 10 people who defined the decade
1 Ray O’RourkeNobody has defined contracting over the past decade like Ray O’Rourke. The Irishman exploded onto the scene in 2001 when his concrete firm, O’Rourke & Son, bought Laing Construction from John Laing for £1. The gamble paid off. Ten years later, the company has a turnover of more ...
-
Features
Low-energy ventilation
Vent-Axia has launched the Low Carbon Centra, a domestic extract fan which has the lowest specific fan power on SAP appendix Q, the list that means a product’s energy performance can be taken into account when carrying out the SAP assessment
-
Features
Roof insulation
Rockwool, manufacturers of non-combustible stone wool insulation, has developed a bespoke insulation system for the refurbishment of the grade II-listed Barbican Estate in London’s Square Mile
-
FeaturesInn recovery: The hotels market
With the pound weak and tourism strong, the UK hotels market is set for a resurgence in 2010. Emily Wright finds out how you can book yourself in
-
FeaturesHighly insulated roofs
A new dual-insulation roof system from Kalzip has been used on the CO2Zero-LiveWork building in Bristol which is the first live/work scheme to be certified to level five of the Code for Sustainable Homes
-
Features
Foundation systems
Residential developer Skipton Properties is using Insulslab SFRC, a super-insulated and integrated foundation system, for its Grove Mills development in Keighley
-
FeaturesOpen-plan flats: Opening up
There’s pent-up demand for open-plan flats, but fire safety rules make it difficult for them to get approval. Giving designers a set of templates to follow that include sprinklers and enhanced detection systems could be the answer
-
Features
Fire-retardant paints
Dulux Trade has launched an extension to its Pyroshield flame-retardant range, which protects walls and ceilings and minimises flame spread in a fire
-
Features
The tracker: Feeling gloomy
Bad weather, falling activity indices and sharp declines in north-west England and the East Midlands marked October down as a month to forget. Experian Business Strategies reports
-
Features
Casement windows
Universal Aluminium Systems has launched the Unitherm 75 range of casement windows for domestic and light industrial applications
-
FeaturesGreen insulation boards
Celotex has launched the FR4000 range of foil faced PIR insulation which has gained an “A” rating under the BRE’s Green Guide to Specification, helping it gain credits under the Code for Sustainable Homes
-
FeaturesCarbon capture and storage: How we blew it
Carbon capture and storage was supposed to be an area where British expertise could thrive. But, says Olivia Boyd, lack of clarity on the government’s plans and how it intends to fund them is squandering UK talent
-
FeaturesPrefabricated straw bale panels
ModCell prefabricated straw bale and hemp panels are as fire-safe as conventional materials, according to research carried out at the University of Bath
-
FeaturesThe new arrival: Balfour Beatty’s Birmingham PFI hospital
Weighing in at £585m, Balfour Beatty’s Birmingham PFI hospital was expected to be a difficult birth. Instead, it has been delivered with few complications, no trips to casualty, and ahead of its due date. Thomas Lane hands round the cigars
-
FeaturesThree wiser men: Did Building’s business advice work?
In April this year, Building gathered together three people who were running companies suffering from late payments and dwindling order books. We asked a panel of business experts to offer them advice on surviving the months ahead, including how to win work and maintain cash flow. Since then our three ...
-
FeaturesOur man in Copenhagen: First impressions at the summit
Peter Head of Arup is blogging from the climate change conference, where he seems cautiously optimistic a deal can be struck…
-
FeaturesRaising the green standard
Bennetts Associates went home a double winner as construction’s most eco-friendly practitioners were honoured at Building’s Sustainability Awards
-
FeaturesLearning fast
Ahead of February’s BSEC 2010 event, Ty Goddard of the British Council of School Environments explains why we have to get smarter at explaining to the public the importance of investing in school building
-
FeaturesThe other Copenhagen: the inside track on the summit’s fringe events
The treaty at next week’s climate change summit will change everything – if it ever gets signed. But it’s the fringe events that could change the way the world builds. Roxane McMeeken gets the inside track from one of the UK’s main representatives
-
FeaturesThe colleges debacle: a lack of progress report
The full scale of the Learning and Skills Council funding fiasco is only now becoming clear, as many colleges face up to a long and dismal future in temporary accommodation. Sarah Richardson reveals the full story