Opinion – Page 402
-
CommentBest buys for the taxpayer
Now we’re all Keynesians again, public money is going to be spent on stimulating demand. But in the case of social housing, what should it actually buy? Nick Raynsford has some suggestions
-
Comment
Fancy a 40% discount on a house? Then just wait, says the futures market
The futures market has downgraded it expectations for house prices which now points to a fall in cash terms of more than 40% from the peak in August last year to the bottom of the market in 2011.According to Tradition Future HPI an average house measured by the Halifax index ...
-
Comment
IMF sees major decline in UK economic prospects
The prospects for the global economy are declining so fast that it has prompted the updating of an IMF forecast released just last month.The prospects for the UK now look decidedly gloomier to the IMF, which has revised its forecast of 0.1% fall in GDP to a fall of 1.3% ...
-
Comment
Company collapses add to construction industry woes
The financial stress within construction firms caused by the credit crunch is made stark in the latest official insolvency figures. And the problems facing the sector are being increased as property firms collapse in massively swelling numbers.Between July and September this year there was an increase of almost two thirds ...
-
CommentA no-brainer
So you want to build your project for less money, risk, stress, hassle and time? Well, there’s a simple way to do everyone a favour, says Peter Kilby
-
CommentBuilding buys a pint … for Whitelaw Turkington
Chosen venue: The Prince of Wales, Kennington, South London Ambience: Cosy cricket lovers’ pub near Paddy Ashdown’s home Topics: Credit crunch denial, meeting Jonathan Ross, tartan vs plaid ...
-
CommentMy digital life: Philip Turner
This architect carries his love of cycling into the digital world, to track down bike parts, get technical information and watch the Tour de France. That doesn’t leave much time for Facebook or his phone
-
CommentPut on a happy face
What’s the best way to keep cheerful through the downturn? A quick game of golf, a few fireworks and then a glass of bubbly back at the in-office bar sounds good to me
-
Comment
Lebanese labour
The first time I picked up Building magazine in Dubai, I was extremely impressed … until I came across this comment (Building Gulf supplement, October, page 32): “Unless you employ cheaper labourers from India, Asia and the Lebanon, you won’t be competitive in the marketplace.”
-
Comment
Electricity vs biomass
Why is electricity given such a negative loading in the Code for Sustainable Homes?
-
Comment
Dreaming of a warm Christmas
Well, it’s a freezing morning here at Wolseley head office and Rob “look at the size of my bonus” Marchbank has just held a business review meeting for the benefit of the staff left here (we lost 73 last month).
-
-
CommentThe vision thing
“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. The challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime.” So said Barack Obama as he became president-elect of the United States of America on Wednesday.
-
CommentBuilding demolished to avoid empty property tax
A landowner explains to drivers on the A40 how Gordon Brown's new tax on empty property forced it to demolish its building
-
Comment
In praise of a happiness
Naturally we wish the new US President Barack Obama well in the tough job he has ahead and in his commitment to boost the nation's construction industry in a bid to improve the massive yet increasingly tatty infrastructure.From the news there would appear to be an international surge in happiness ...
-
Comment
Orders for new construction work evaporate
The September figures for new construction orders are truly shocking and extremely worrying.In the past I have tended to treat the orders figures with a bit of disrespect because they bounce around to the point where you can't make sense of them.Not now. Put bluntly from May onward, the industry ...
-
Comment
House prices 16% down and falling faster
House prices fell 2.2% in October to the level they first reached more than three years ago, according to the latest Halifax figures.But how far can they fall?That was a question put to me yesterday. I hate doing prediction, not enough gypsy blood I guess.But I obliged with a suggestion ...
-
Comment
Skyscrapers and economic crises
I recently mentioned the "skyscraper index" to a colleague. He hadn't heard of it. I deduced he has better things to do than keep up with quirky economic indicators - what, I can't imagine.Anyway, it occurred to me that, if he hadn't heard of it, others also might not have. ...
-
Comment
Rok: are you still a believer?
When Rok's messianic chief executive Garvis Snook told the Stock Market this morning that the credit crunch would knock £12m off its bottom line, some were quick to mutter "I told you so" under their breath.The company's business model has always divided opinion; does a network of sub-contracted tradesmen under ...