Opinion – Page 387
-
Comment
Words of warning
I attended an interview yesterday to train as a domestic energy assessor (DEA), which I thought was new career with great potential
-
Comment
Home improvement
“Social housing” should only be provided as a short-term solution for those in real need. The idea that someone can occupy a council house for virtually their whole adult life is ridiculous
-
CommentA confederacy of dunces
The post of a chief construction officer is a splendid idea, but it will only work if the holder has real power – and Whitehall may not be willing to let that happen
-
CommentBuilding buys a pancake... for Pringle Brandon
It’s Shrove Tuesday, and Pringle Brandon has suggested we meet in town for pancakes. Now London is not overstocked with pancake houses, and the one we choose comes with a long queue of gourmands outside. Luckily PB had the foresight to book a table
-
-
Comment
House price collapse continues says Halifax
The Halifax index of house prices returned to a downward path in February after surprising many when it showed house prices rising in January.The February figure suggests that on a seasonally adjusted basis 2.3% was wiped off the value of an average home - that equates to £3,800.On a non-seasonally ...
-
Comment
Plunging building materials imports shows speed of downturn
The cash spent on imported building materials plunged in the final quarter of 2008 despite the huge drop in the value Sterling providing a clear indicator of the rapid decline in construction activity.In cash terms the value of imports in the fourth quarter of 2008 dropped 13% compared with the ...
-
Comment
CIPS construction activity figures provide a reality check
The construction survey results from the buyers' body CIPS should provide a reality check on those who believe talking up the industry will help.For those looking at the situation closely the disastrous figures for February should come as little of a shock.The summary of the data provided reads: "Total business ...
-
CommentThe sayings of Bernard Cribbins
We’re back in the seventies… the decade of endless teabreaks, sclerotic roads and paralysed government – as portrayed in the work of a certain popular actor
-
CommentAre you stuck in one-way traffic? Liquidated damages and the Construction Act
Rupert Choat Developers can’t rely on the Construction Act when they claim liquidated damages, but the contractor can when it reclaims them. How unfair!
-
CommentKissing goodbye to your money? Creditors voluntary arrangements
Tony Bingham Your contractor wins an adjudication award but is subject to a creditors’ voluntary arrangement. You intend to take the case to arbitration. Do you pay up in the meantime?
-
Comment
Break it up! How to deal with dispute
At a time when disputes are becoming all too common it’s vital to know how to manage them without destroying your company
-
CommentCan I have my money back? Claiming back failed tender costs
Money matters: Losing bidders may now be tempted to claim compensation if tender processes are not conducted fairly. But proving it can be tricky
-
Comment
Don't be fooled by contractors' reports of healthy profits
I am becoming a bit discomforted by persistent misplaced chirpiness. I keep reading and hearing things that tell me "it's not all bad in the construction sector".Fair enough, the construction sector is never "all bad". Come hell or high water I can find plenty of good things even in its ...
-
CommentBuilding on Flickr
Astrid Kogler, deputy art editor, calls this picture by NJSR Architects’ Ian Bramham of l’Institute du Monde Arab in Paris a “beautifully composed, a truly sophisticated shot
-
-
CommentStace buys a pint … for Building
It’s Tuesday afternoon, and I’m outside the Flying Horse as dusk falls wondering where all these old men in beige overcoats have come from
-
CommentJourney’s end
A melancholy tale of thwarted hope this week, for a travelling bank manager, Gulf ex-workers in search of liquid comfort and the poor Yorkshire lass who’s taken a fancy to my prose