Opinion – Page 446
-
CommentExperimenting on homeowners is wrong
When it comes to introducing low-carbon systems into houses, we have our work cut out to convince the owners that they’re not just guinea pigs for the next wave of technological misadventures, says Imtiaz Farookhi
-
CommentCorporate bloat
Some companies’ merger strategies are little more than an attempt to puff themselves up and appease the egotism of senior management. So, if you get the urge, ask yourself whether your purchase is really necessary
-
CommentWe all have good intentions
If a supplier makes a Horlicks of your building, you may find yourself asking a court for the money to put it right yourself. But will the court believe you’ll really do the work?
-
-
CommentWhat’s worse …
… working at a nuclear bomb factory or for Metronet? Being mistaken for Harry Potter or likened to Robert Mugabe? Being stuck on a boat during the England game or finding a means of watching it?
-
CommentBe careful what you wish for
Two very different companies are engaged in two very different battles at the moment. Keith Miller, the chief executive of Miller Group, is struggling to keep his company private. Erinaceous is fighting for bare survival. Yet could the shareholders of each learn from the plight of the other?
-
CommentPoints of departure
Like many I was fascinated by the recently opened St Pancras station (19 October, page 52).
-
Comment
A problem the size of Leeds
With the emphasis on new build, it is easy to forget a vitally important and sustainable weapon in the battle to provide homes.
-
Comment
We can’t do it by ourselves
We welcome the approach taken by the UK Green Building Council to lobby for a change in the definition of zero-carbon homes (20 November, www.building.co.uk).
-
Comment
Correction
In your article “Mini-cost model: Extra care housing” (9 November, page 62), the image of PRP’s scheme is that of Goodwin Court in the London Borough of Barnet, which is actually unrelated to the cost model in the article and is also not an example of the “extra care” model ...
-
-
CommentBuilding buys a pint … for Atkin Chambers
On the way out of the office Sarah, the news editor, calls me over. “Tell them about Roger Stewart,” she says. Come again? “Roger Stewart – Multiplex’s barrister.”
-
CommentThe new PR
Blogs are used increasingly by companies to find out what their customers are thinking. So why not log on to Building’s new sustainability channel and give Phil Clark a piece of your mind?
-
CommentThat’s better – but not by much
The RIBA standard form has been revised and two particularly irksome clauses have been amended. But don’t go overboard. It is still biased in favour of architects. ‘Go bespoke’ seems to be the message
-
Comment
ROK Build Ltd vs Harris Wharf Development Company Ltd
The claimant was constructing a primary school and twenty four 1-3 bedroom flats for Harris Wharf. The contract was the JCT Standard Form of Building Contract, With Contractor’s Design 1998 Edition.Practical Completion occurred on 12 July 2005, and the professional advisers met in April 2006 in order to discuss the ...
-
CommentNever mind the ethics, look at the price
It’s an open secret that stone products imported from the third world are often made using child labour. So why doesn’t anybody do anything about it? Greg Verhoef has an explanation …
-
Comment
Different strokes for different folks
In 2006 the Housing Corporation allowed private firms to apply for its grants – and spared them much of the red tape that housing associations have to deal with
-
CommentLearn the trumpet
The construction industry’s public image has seen worse days, but there is much that still needs to be done. Communicating our successes and enthusiasm to the public will bring about the change that is needed
-
CommentBespoke and be damned
In the latest of our series on tricky terms and perplexing conditions, Helen Garthwaite looks at bespoke clauses to extend a contractor’s right to payment – and why they are likely to fall down
-
