More Focus – Page 526
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Features
The never-ending story of Terminal 5
Legend has it that the unfortunate Greek messenger Phidippides collapsed and died of exhaustion after completing the first marathon. The team working on Heathrow’s Terminal 5, however, are more likely to die of old age before the £1bn project is finished: a decade on from the start line, not a ...
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Jarvis: The art of the graceful plunge
The undisputed king of the share dive – one of the most hotly contested events in the industry Olympics – has to be Jarvis, whose manager is Paris Moayedi. After concerns that Railtrack was looking for ways to peg back its margins, the firm blew the opposition away with a ...
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Wheel sails over obstacles
“Good afternoon and welcome to another exciting round of construction hurdles. The two competitors today started their careers as millennium projects?” “That’s right, Brian, both in honour of the three big zeros.”“And it looks like being an exciting race, Brian, although I don’t think the result’s really in much doubt. ...
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Ray of light
A glorious glazed dome is the centrepiece of Manchester Corn Exchange's rebirth as a chic shopping centre.
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The man who saved the Leaning Tower of Pisa
London academic John Burland has spent the past 10 years on the toughest job in construction. Here’s how he stopped the Italian landmark collapsing without destroying that famous lean.
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Modern manners
Ian Simpson Architects has transformed an ornate stone Victorian warehouse into Manchester's classiest apartment block. Its design is both stylish and well-mannered.
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The ABC of B2B
Do you know your ADSL from your ISP? Or are you just confused by all the jargon surrounding business-to-business e-commerce? Our glossary of crucial phrases will help you chat with confidence.
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The final straw
Your chances of overturning a final settlement once it has been signed are pretty limited, particularly if you’re seeking adjudication in a dispute that is not directly related to the contract.
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Contracting in cyberspace
Although contracts transacted over the Internet are no different from traditional ones, you should take precautions to avoid potential disputes over when and where an e-contract was formed.
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Do prime numbers add up?
Prime contracts promise much for contractors: better margins for a longer period, repeat work with a reliable client – and a significant increase in liability. Here’s why.
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Features
It’s all in the timing
The Working Time Regulations may defend workers’ rights, but they were badly drafted, overlong and full of holes. Now, the DTI has tried to correct these problems with a new guidance document.
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Features
The best laid plans
A well-drafted business plan isn’t just something banks want to see before they give you a loan – it’s a valuable tool, which, if carefully put together, can form the heart of your strategy.
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Just the job
Environmental consultant Nerida Robinson tells Susan Rice about recycling plastic cups and her passion for horses.
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Appointments
Contractors Henry Keenan, formerly of Posford Duvivier, has been appointed business development manager at Wrekin Construction. Steve Knapper has been promoted to chief estimator. Tony Moss has joined the Midlands region as contracts manager.May Gurney has appointed Norman Gautrey , formerly with Mowlem, divisional director in Cambridge.HousebuildersBeazer Group has promoted ...
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Feeding frenzy
After three headline-grabbing deals, there’s talk that more contractors will be swallowed up in a wave of consolidation. Others disagree – but then they’re probably on the menu …
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Features
Thinking big
An interest in large-scale urban design took young architect S333 from London to Amsterdam. Six years on, directors Barton Hamfelt and Jonathan Woodroffe say they’ve landed on their feet.
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The future is orange
Dutch housing is the envy of UK architects and contractors. What makes it so special?
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Kop van Zuid, Rotterdam
Kop van Zuid is Rotterdam's docklands regeneration scheme, which won government approval in 1991. Although greater Rotterdam remains the world's largest port, the docklands regeneration area is a compact 125 ha, just one tenth of London's. Lying opposite the city centre on the bank of the River Maas, Kop van ...
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Amsterdam quays
Whereas the city of Rotterdam is regenerating its docklands as a multi-use extension of the city centre, Amsterdam is redeveloping its eastern harbour purely as housing. And mainly yuppie housing at that, with loft-style apartments and even more stylish owner-developer town houses. Java and Borneo are the most recent of ...
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Nieuw-Terbregge, Rotterdam
High-density schemes that update building forms first explored in the 1970s are a recurrent theme of contemporary Dutch housing. Within the experimental Nieuw-Terbregge estate in the inner suburbs of Rotterdam, one of The Netherlands' most imaginative architects, Mecanoo, has come up with high-density dual-aspect housing terraces in which car parking ...