All articles by Marcus Fairs
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FeaturesBattle of Trafalgar
The pigeons have left Trafalgar Square, but a new menace has arrived – contractors causing chaos. And yet the British public has such low expectations of builders, it hasn't logged a single complaint. With this going on, what hope do we have of attracting talent to our industry?
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FeaturesCalifornia SW6
The latest addition to the grey streets of west London is CZWG's crazily (and controversially) coloured Fulham Island. Even on a snowy winter morning, this mixed-use development-cum-fairground attraction conjures up sunshine and California beaches.
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FeaturesDream palaces
Visionary architect Marks Barfield has created the Skyhouse, which is designed to solve the housing shortage while saving the environment. But will it ever get off the ground?
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Features
Consultants find their true worth
Construction professionals make a greater contribution to Britain's national wealth than all its publishers, pop groups, television stations and film companies put together, according to a report to be published by the Construction Industry Council.The CIC found that consultants are making a growing contribution to the UK's national wealth. Total ...
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Features
We love you
A shocking reports into the state of Britain's building consultants (courtesy of the CIC and the DTI) finds that they are doing amazingly well, thank you. And contributing more to UK plc's economic well being than all those music, film, fashion and media jobs put together. We crunch the numbers.
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News
Consultants find their true worth
Construction professionals make a greater contribution to Britain's national wealth than all its publishers, pop groups, television stations and film companies put together, according to a report to be published by the Construction Industry Council.
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FeaturesKen Shuttleworth
He's transformed the London skyline, conceived the form of the world's largest building and his design for Ground Zero is wowing New York. So why have so few people heard of him?
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FeaturesRichard Saxon
As the Egan era draws to a close, the chair of construction think tank Be is ready to take over as the industry's helmsman. And, as he tells Marcus Fairs, his aim is to create an industry that has more self-confidence, more self-knowledge and more self-control.
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Features
Mystic wag
In an attempt to stay ahead of events in 2003, Marcus Fairs invested in a crystal ball and saw from the news stories rolling off the presses that life in the construction industry will be as unpredictable as ever …
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FeaturesNeil Holloway
Microsoft UK's dynamic managing director is about to offer a cornucopia of supersmart IT devices to the construction industry, and he's eager to tell Marcus Fairs all about them …
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FeaturesHeart warming
After being abandoned by the public for a flashy young out-of-town mall, Sheffield's city centre is enticing them back with a number of arresting projects, the latest of which is this Pringle Richards Sharratt winter garden
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FeaturesPeter Gershon
Hired to overhaul government procurement, Peter Gershon is a huge fan of the PFI. But, as Marcus Fairs found, the chief executive of the Office of Government Commerce is uncomfortable singing its praises.
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FeaturesGreen Haus
The headquarters of the Norddeutsche Landesbank in Hanover is a startling building in a boring city. But, says Marcus Fairs, the one thing it isn't shouting about – its green technology – is its most impressive feature.
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NewsSaxon: We'll bury the Egan bodies
richard saxon has predicted that the government-sponsored groups set up to disseminate culture change in the construction industry would fold within two years.
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NewsGreenwich Millennium Village may double in size
Countryside Properties and Taylor Woodrow aim to increase the number of homes from 1377 to 2500.
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Comment
What's a computer for?
What is it with construction firms and IT? In the 1990s, many of the big players spent millions installing state-of-the-art systems only to find they had wasted their money. Staff didn't know how to use them, they quickly went out of date and were incompatible with their business partners' software. ...
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FeaturesPlane sailing
Madrid airport's new international terminal dwarfs Heathrow's T5, yet will cost half the price and be built in half the time. Building visited the site to see why things are going so well and found political will and national pride an unbeatable mix.
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FeaturesPower to the people
As a key player in Whitehall policy-making, Richard Rogers is an unlikely champion of devolved government. But, as Marcus Fairs finds out, he now thinks urban regeneration will only happen if decision are taken by the people on the ground
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News
Whitehall can’t regenerate our cities, says Rogers
Urban taskforce chairman says devolvement of power, not government policy, is the key to urban regeneration.
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FeaturesWish you were here?
Professionals from the construction industry have a lot to offer when it comes to disaster relief. But helping traumatised locals to rebuild their lives is a sensitive business. As Marcus Fairs and Matthew Richards discover, Rambos need not apply