More Focus – Page 550
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How research saved the contractor time and money
The acoustic performance of the walls and roof are critical if noise break-out or break-in to the auditoria is to be prevented. For the first scheme, at Boldon in 1997, HBG did not carry out any acoustic testing but simply opted for a heavy roof construction with sufficient mass to ...
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Get connected
It's high time construction companies overcame technophobia and woke up to the fact that if you're not on-line, you're out of the picture. Get the message: new business starts with e-mail.
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The right stuff
At last, the Human Rights Act has made its way into UK law. It may not be something many of us have to think about on an everyday basis, but by Jove, it's going to affect us all.
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Find the leader
The Institute of Personnel and Development's Angela Baron on how to spot and nurture stars of the future.
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Appointments
ContractorsBallast Wiltshier has promoted Alex Gaskill to managing director of its South-east business.Mervyn Butler has been promoted to director of Ashe Construction’s Southampton office.HousebuilderCharles Church has appointed David Hooper financial controller for the South Midlands and north London.ConsultantsSurveyors Greg Millsopp and Paul Brewer have joined the Leeds office of building ...
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Shock horror: I like the dome
Leave a bunch of journalists queuing on new year’s eve with no alcohol and it’s no wonder the Millennium Dome gets mud slung at it.
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Value judgments
Adjudicators frequently find that they are being asked to make a judgment as to whether the value of an interim payment is reasonable. And it seems that, if the contract is silent, they're on their own on this one.
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There is no alternative
A bill to encourage electronic communication may mean clients insist on its use. And as it gives equal weight to electronic and written messages, being e-smart is a must.
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A matter of life and death
Building's occasional series on the pros and cons of rival procurement methods explains the slow death of management contracting – and how it could be resurrected, purged of its sins.
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Take the wind out of your sales
Like it or not, every construction service a client buys must be sold. This means that construction professionals need effective selling skills – so, here's how to do it. Plus, a guide to marketing speak.
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Spotlight on lift installation
Lead timesLead times for bespoke lift installations remain unchanged at up to 38 weeks, but this figure is only for major installations. Smaller projects can take about 28 weeks, with lead times for standard lifts as low as 20-24 weeks. Although the overall lead time remains static, design periods have ...
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The outsider
Bill Tallis was not the obvious choice to head the Major Contractors Group, in that he had never worked in construction. So, what does the new director have in store?
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Catching the train
When budgets are tight and the going gets tough, training is often the first thing to go. But undertrained staff are a liability for any company, and an investment in targeted training can bring huge productivity improvements.
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Dangerous choices
Be wary of being named as an arbitrator or adjudicator before a dispute has arisen – you could fall foul of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is about to be incorporated into English law.
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Credit where it’s due
Dome architects and wheel designers aside, the new year’s honours list celebrated the achievements of those in less glamorous construction roles. Building went to meet them.
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Rogers returns
Fourteen years after the Lloyd’s building, Richard Rogers Partnership is back with another hi-tec block in the Square Mile. Could it be Lloyd’s II?
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Access all areas
Important provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 take effect in 2004. Not to worry then? Hardly. The courts are likely to take a dim view of any failure to improve access before the clauses comes into force.
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Sunk by your own float
When a contractor incurs loss because it's been prevented from completing on time, any float in its programme can prove expensive – as Alfred McAlpine discovered.
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Cracking the code
The lack of a clear framework for arbitration in Scotland makes for a painful process for all concerned. Now, an arbitration code has been launched that aims to change all that. What are its chances?
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Look and learn
There are important lessons to be learned from how the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank and the Millennium Dome challenged traditional construction methods.