More Focus – Page 541

  • Features

    Ooh,Missis!

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    Michael Wilford's brash, blowsy arts centre is more fat ladies than matchstick men. But this disjointed Salford landmark could well become as popular with the public.

  • Features

    Invasion of the bodysnatchers

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    Top executives are disappearing. They are being taken. Not by a dark alien force but by headhunters, who are making a comeback in construction.

  • Features

    How to make money and still go to heaven

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    Steve Wright, head of Gusto Construction, has been taken aback by the interest in his ecologically virtuous Nottinghamshire development. But he’s a quick learner. Now he’s thinking of setting up as a green consultant.

  • Features

    Know it all

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    A knows the answer to B’s problem. C knows B has a problem, but left the pub before D said A had the answer. Hmmmm. If only there was some way of pooling all that knowledge …

  • Features

    Strewth! Oz gets tough

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    Cowboy builders in Australia will be chopped off at the knees by legislation that’s far more hardline than ours. In New South Wales, firms face blacklists, huge fines and even prison if they transgress.

  • Features

    Where do you draw the line?

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    The Plant Construction vs Clive Adams and Another case was the first time that the courts have ruled on a contractor’s obligation to warn of potential hazards in design and construction plans.

  • Features

    Gatecrashing parties

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    New legislation giving rights to third parties is a bona fide grey area, and contracts will have to exclude it until the courts can set out some case law. It is also a wonderful opportunity …

  • Features

    Every body welcome

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    Fitting legislative requirements into building policy is not easy at best, but a DDA compliance system could be the answer to builders seeking to avoid future legal action

  • Features

    Let’s get one thing clear

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    A number of high-profile failures have made some people wonder whether structural glazing is worth the potential grief. In fact, there’s a simple way to take most of the risk out of design.

  • Features

    Just the job

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    Dealing with protesters and meeting the Terminator are all in a day’s work for Carillion’s special events operations manager.

  • Features

    Appointments

    2000-04-20T00:00:00Z

    ContractorsGraham Pryor has been promoted to business development manager of Kier International.Bowmer & Kirkland has appointed Paul Lomas main board director. Ipswich-based Barnes Construction has appointed Nick Fayers divisional managing director. Peter Baggott has joined Barnes & Elliott, a division of Morgan Sindall, as regional director. Robert Ellams has joined ...

  • Features

    Will they fly this time?

    2000-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Forget what happened last time: BAA’s second-generation framework agreements are a new system being driven by a new team. But will they fare any better?

  • Features

    Renzo Piano

    2000-04-14T00:00:00Z

    He has the pick of the world's big private commissions. He can compare himself to a pianist and get away with it. It's OK to be jealous.

  • Features

    Och aye, the new

    2000-04-14T00:00:00Z

    When a Scotch whisky-drinking club developed new premises in London, award-winning architect Allies and Morrison came up with the right blend of classic and contemporary.

  • Features

    Angle poise

    2000-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Clear-glazed partitions spread precious daylight in an ad agency's attic office. And, in a special twist devised by hotshot designer Softroom, they slope to reflect the mansard roof.

  • Features

    Turning pitch

    2000-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Will a winter spent on a state-of-the-art practice surface that can simulate spin and seam wickets give Glamorgan Cricket Club the edge this season?

  • Features

    Named and blamed

    2000-04-14T00:00:00Z

    This is a horror story for clients. It begins with Mr Steve Catton’s firm entering into an ordinary contract with a builder, and ends with a judge telling him that he is personally liable to the tune of £200 000 …

  • Features

    Subcontractors: risk dustbins

    2000-04-14T00:00:00Z

    It appears to be a popular practice nowadays for main contractors to farm out risk along with the subcontract. The Construction Act provides some protection, but it may require further intervention.

  • Features

    Expert advice

    2000-04-14T00:00:00Z

    The role of the expert witness has changed dramatically since the Woolf reforms – more power, more responsibility. So, here’s a list of things to pack when the call comes.

  • Features

    Tender price forecast

    2000-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Labour shortages and workload growth pushed tender prices up 1.8% in the first quarter of 2000, and the upward trend is set to continue. by Davis Langdon & Everest