All Features articles – Page 358
-
FeaturesGet with IT
ICT is at the heart of all schools built under the BSF programme, but so far architects and designers have yet to switch on to the bigger picture. Stephen Kennett looks at what it takes
-
FeaturesGeneration gripe
Fed up with eager young pups at work who don’t know they’re born? Or had enough of hearing how it was back in the old days?
-
FeaturesA game of musical jobs
This year’s Hays/Building Salary Guide shows that more and more candidates are chasing ever fewer vacancies, and we all know what the law of supply and demand says about that … Debika Ray reports
-
Features
Smart floor tiles
Tau Cermamica has collaborated with Pep Torres to develop a smart floor tile, which is equipped with a weight sensor and a microchip which can record the length of time a person stands on the tile.
-
FeaturesPRI's energy metering
Energy management and smart metering specialist PRI has developed Carbon View, a system for carbon monitoring, which displays instant and accurate energy-consumption data
-
FeaturesPhase One: Edinburgh
Building’s networking event took a new twist when it went to Edinburgh this month by giving attendees a sneak preview of Rab Bennetts’ £42m Informatics Forum – a futuristic realm of computer wizardry and flying robots. Katie Puckett and Dan Stewart joined the snoopers
-
-
FeaturesCountry focus: Germany
Germany, traditionally the motor of European construction, has stagnated for a decade. Now it’s sputtering back into life – but will the credit crunch kill it? John Atkins of EC Harris reports
-
Features
Lighting control systems
Dynalite has launched the Ecolinx lighting energy management system for commercial buildings.
-
FeaturesData cabling conduit
Mita has launched the Cableline Prima 60 three-compartment, moulded PVC trunking system which has been designed for use with power cables and high-density category 5E, category 6 shielded cabling and 10Gb structured cabling.
-
Features
Data cabling
As comms rooms become more densely populated with hardware and cabling, restricted airflows can result in more cooling requirements, more power consumption and rising costs.
-
FeaturesServer cabinets
Panduit has launched the Net Access server cabinet (pictured). The cabinet is the result of a collaboration with IBM, and the company claims it provides improved performance in terms of cable management, cooling efficiency and grounding over previous generation server cabinets.
-
FeaturesThe tracker: Bottoming out?
The indications are that there’s still a way to go before we’re out of the woods, but there are small signs of improvement, reports Experian Business Strategies
-
FeaturesBuilding pathology: BMS systems
Building management systems give occupants control of M&E equipment at the touch of a button, but their complexity can cause problems
-
FeaturesBailey’s cream: Strathclyde HQ
When M&E specialist NG Bailey set out to build its new headquarters in Strathclyde, it wanted to show what it could do to a standard spec office. Its control over the project enabled it to bring in a building of the finest green credentials
-
FeaturesThe alternatives: Secure schools
Schools have to provide secure access systems, both to keep unwanted visitors out and to keep pupils in. Stephen Kennett looks at three ideas – from the simple to the really clever
-
FeaturesHappily ever after
The Gus Report: Newhall in Harlow set out to marry quality design with quality of life. So how has it done? Continuing his series of visits to important housing developments, Gus Alexander celebrates something approximating nuptial bliss
-
FeaturesLifecycle costs: New standard for whole-life costing for buildings
A new standard has been published that allows whole-life costing for buildings to be compared for the first time. Joe Martin of the BCIS explains how it works and applies it to a notional school project
-
FeaturesBSF special: the painful upbringing of Building Schools for the Future
The troubled past of the government’s £45bn school building programme has been well documented, but there seem to be signs that it is growing into a more mature and productive client. Kicking off our schools special, Thomas Lane charts its progress. Illustrations by Max Schindler
-
FeaturesBSF special: 'a plate glass window palace doesn¹t make a good school' - Chris Woodhead, former chief inspector for schools, interviewed
Former chief inspector for schools Chris Woodhead carries a big stick (he’s broken his ankle) but you wonder if he’d rather use it to thwack all those dunces who don’t get the difference between a good school and a bit of architectural frippery. Emily Wright learns more