More Comment – Page 518
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CommentLet’s talk about sects
The Sect of the Great Mystery, that is, as nurtured by the high priests of modern British architecture. Only in the US is there a place for non-believers
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CommentBuilding buys a margarita … for Stantec
“‘Rubbish.’ That’s such a great English word. So much better than ‘trash’,” says Eric through a mouthful of guacamole. “Ru-bbish. Ru-bbish.”
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Not working out
I just read your article about Bouygues UK carrying out warm-up exercises on their sites (17 October, page 54).
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Safety first
The recent blaze in the Channel Tunnel was a worrying echo of the fire in 1996.
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Way off target
The generally perceived view is that targets in policing and the health sector are counterproductive.
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A very cross industry approach
Having read your ConstructionSkills article (17 October, page 38), I would totally support the views of Mark Farrar.
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Forward planning
Mike Davies is incorrect to say that the Royal Town Planning Institute has “inevitably created an academic closed shop that has contributed to the shortage of qualified planners” (17 October, page 32).
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Taylor Wimpey update update
There is a degree of uncertainty surrounding the date of Taylor Wimpey's next trading update - but what can we read into it?While Persimmon brought theirs forward this week and Barratt and Redrow are pencilled in the diary for November, there is no word from TW on a date yet.It ...
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A week is a long time in housebuilding
This week's news that £254m-turnover David McLean had fallen into administration sent reverberations around the industry because it was the biggest construction faller yet in the credit crunch.Administrator Deloitte will wind up the contracting arm and plans to sell off its housing developments; all very sensible so far.Presumably all the ...
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Housebuilding bonuses under scrutiny
When the Redrow board announced it was taking a combined £271,000 in performance bonuses this year, even a few City analysts raised an eyebrow.Not known for their readiness to criticise the bonus culture, some questioned how it would look after a year of mass redundancies and, more to the point, ...
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CommentCSC Brawhead Leisure and Capital & Regional vs Laing O'Rourke: Is that your final answer?
When a ceiling collapsed at a Scottish cinema project, the client started an adjudication against Laing O’Rourke. Here’s what happened next …
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CommentThe day I got a kick in the pants: The differences between adjudication and litigation
Here’s a case that should lift us up by the scruff of the neck and wring any idea out of us that adjudication is the same as litigation. It isn’t – and that’s precisely why it’s so good
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Benfield Construction vs Trudson
The CaseThe defendant, Trudson (Hatton) (“Trudson”), engaged the claimant, Benfield Construction (“Benfield”) to carry out the design and construction of two houses and external works near Hatton in Warwickshire. The works became seriously delayed and the date for completion of 29 September 2006 past. Subsequently, on 17 August 2007, a ...
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CommentVigilance at all times: When to give notice to the insurer
Insuring your building against design risks is one thing, but as the Kajima case shows, deciding when to give notice to the insurer – and what to claim – is quite another
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Self-defence for directors: Risks to directors when a company goes under
In the second article in our series on the legal implications of the economic downturn, we look at the risk to directors if their company goes under
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Chris Rickard into the breach
Taylor Wimpey is keeping new finance director Chris Rickard firmly under wraps at the moment. It's probably a wise move; he has better things to do than meet the City or talk to the press.Like steer the housebuilder towards the safe haven of a refinancing deal.He comes with a healthy ...
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Bit of banter between Pidgley and Ronson
At a recent property event, heavyweights Tony Pidgley and Gerald Ronson shared a stage.It didn't take long before the thorny subject of planning came up. Berkeley Homes boss Pidgley bemoaned a process he said overlooked the fact real human beings were involved.He continued: "I was in Disneyland with my three-year ...
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The UK construction industry is in recession
If the definition you use is two quarters of negative growth, then on the first count by the national statisticians the construction industry is in a recession.The latest GDP figures show that growth in the whole economy dipped by 0.5% in the third quarter. This was the first fall for ...