Opinion – Page 349
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CommentWouldn’t you like to live in the past?
Splendid architecture, fully staffed train stations in every village, motorway service stations serving the produce of local farms … Michael Gove makes his (optimistic) predictions for 2010
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CommentBuilding buys a pint... for Stride Treglown
Within five minutes of sitting down it’s obvious this is going to be a long night
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CommentMax Crofts: Reading the riot act
Here’s a message to RICS members: why are you complaining when you could be changing? Give us your effort, time and passion and we can overcome the challenges we face
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CommentHansom: Midwinter night’s dream
My construction compatriots have been enjoying swimming pools, ice cream, stripping off, slimming down and having a break from work – is this January I see before me or the height of summer?
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Beware Americans bearing gifts
Having worked in the past for a company that was acquired by a US firm, I would suggest that although the money and promises made are attractive, the outcome is often less so (“US giants plan raid on British consultancy sector”, 11 December, page 9)
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CommentNot a good plan
PRP welcomes the advent of guidance from the NHBC on the design of open-plan flats that will meet fire safety requirements (11 December, page 58)
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Change the guards
The cost implications of a serious fire often far exceed the costs of theft from sites
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No snow without fire
Both Eurostar (which operates the trains) and Eurotunnel (which operates the tunnel) were clearly ill-prepared to handle the breakdowns of trains before Christmas
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No answers
After enduring 10 years of ostracism by their professional institution, it seems at last that the QS members of the RICS might be rebelling (27 November, page 28)
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CommentCarry on screaming
Just how scary is 2010 going to be, we ask on the cover. Well, put it this way: if you want to feel uplifted in the next 12 months your best bet is probably to watch Toy Story III
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Are UK houses really worth 6% more than a year ago?
The final Halifax index for 2009 has been released and it settles on a December 2009 average house price 5.6% above that of December 2008.This is roughly in line with the figures from Nationwide which show a 5.9% rise.It is easy from this to draw the conclusion that on average ...
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Workload drops as the snow falls
When we suffered a cold snap back in February last year I looked at the impact of the great freeze of 1962/63 on construction output. In a word it was huge.So, as I walked into work this morning chipper as a child as I trudge though inches of snow and ...
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CIPS figures show construction activity in 2009 ending with a whimper
The buyers’ body CIPS has released its first construction statistics of the New Year and they show the industry continuing to decline in December.The construction index finished the year on 47.1, below the 50 no-change mark for the 22nd consecutive month.But there was some good news. The housing index remained ...
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Pundits on balance point to flat house prices in 2010
It's the time of the year for reflections, resolutions and prognostications. And what can be more fun than guessing the likely path of house prices?Well I can think of a few things. And I'm also left wondering why anyone would wish to state a house price forecast publicly and put ...
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Does the whole GDP debate really rest on dodgy construction output figures?
It has long been said that construction is an important bellwether in determining the shape of the nation’s economic progress.Today the performance of construction, or rather revisions to its measured performance, seemingly determined how close the UK is to recovery.The upwardly revised construction data put the nation yet closer to ...
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CommentWhere the wind blows
The recently published “Zero Carbon for New Non-domestic Buildings” by the communities department has much to commend it, but is flawed by one large blind spot, says the Davis Langdon senior consultant
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CommentWe’ve never had it so good
You can’t see much when you’re in a hole, but the truth is that the noughties were in many ways a wonderful decade
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Residential planning activity bounces back
The latest Government planning data on the face of it supports the view that there has been a bounce in activity within the house building sector.The topline data, released today, for residential planning decision show a fall in the September quarter compared with both the previous quarter and on the ...
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CommentHansom: I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true. But until then, you’ll have to make do with more stories about disgruntled surveyors, Olympic cash and out-of-work architects