Opinion – Page 559
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CommentPeace and goodwill
With Christmas eight days away, what better time could there be for the unions and CITB-ConstructionSkills to call a truce in their war for possession of the CSCS card scheme?
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CommentA question for the judge
Can one adjudicator read 52 lever-arch files and nine boxes of documentation in 100 days and still reach a fair decision? Here’s what Judge Toulmin said
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CommentJingle all the way
Deck the halls with boughs of holly/Here’s some advice on saving lolly/Hire yourself a new surveyor/Who’ll collect evidence against the payer …
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The recovery position
If your subcontractor or supplier turns turtle you have a major problem, but all may not be lost. Here’s how you can jump the insolvency queue …
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CommentOpen mike: This is unacceptable
Legal disputes in construction are as important as those in any other industry, so why do our firms have to use the tradesman’s entrance to the courts?
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CommentHold that axe
The architecture school at Cambridge is a world-class institution renowned for the calibre of its ex-students (ahem). Only the Brits could think of shutting it down
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A recipe for disaster
If danger is your bread and death your butter, you might be attracted by contracts containing fitness for purpose obligations. Otherwise, steer clear
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A place for leisure
In 1997 outline planning permission was granted for a business park on a 53-hectacre site. The permission covered mixed-use development for business and commerce, comprising classes A2, B1, B2 and B8, together with recreational use associated with a particular recreation ground. No environmental impact assessment (EIA) was carried out in ...
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CommentWho are you today?
A piece of legislation that protects ‘consumers’ against unfair treatment from ‘commercial’ types – meaning you – undermines whole basis of a building contract
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The making of a muddle
The Skanksa vs Egger case blurred the distinction between entitlement to extension of time and entitlement to compensation. Here’s what happened …
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Backing the bill
Despite objections from certain camps, government backing for more stringent punishments in order to reduce the level of workplace death and injury (“Queen’s speech heralds corporate manslaughter bill”, 26 November, page 15) is largely matched by the corporate world’s level of concern.
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It’s not either/or
The article on “new urbanism” (26 November, page 41) pitted two extreme and opposing views of architects. On the one hand, we are asked to believe that a bunch of icon-obsessed egos is working in the interests of self-promotion rather than for the benefit of our towns and cities; on ...
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CSCS is working
As the employers’ side of the CSCS board, Building’s news article on 3 December dismays us (“Unions attack CITB over £5m deficit in CSCS scheme”, page 9). It is worth remembering that the “Qualifying the Workforce” initiative, led by employers with enthusiastic support from the unions, has resulted in more ...
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House of cards
I read with some amusement about the power struggle between CSCS and the CITB (26 November, page 24).The views of John Smith more than adequately reflect the real world. Despite the willingness of many legitimate contractors and specialist contractors to apply the scheme, the whole thing will degenerate into even ...
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Jobs for the boys
I always read with interest your articles bemoaning the lack of women in the industry. Like Helen Sanders (26 November, page 36), I don’t always agree with this philosophy.Setting my rather cynical opinion aside and working under the assumption that construction does need more women to help fill the skills ...
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Costing the ‘black art’
Although Chris Haley may well be right in pushing for greater QS involvement in costing services, he misses a vital point (26 November, page 38). A fundamental reason why the costing of services is so poor is that the “trade” traditionally designs a large part of the services elements in ...
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Chiding Charlie
In your article “Whitehall gets a royal warning over fast-track housebuilding” (26 November, page 16), Prince Charles is quoted as saying: “The fast building movement will strangle the world unless we look at diversity above mass production.” Whoever is supplying the prince with information about the design flexibility of homes ...
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CommentWhat was going on there then?
Two weeks ago, we published this photo from the days when architectural models were hand-carved out of wood and nothing said steely determination quite like a well-appointed pipe. We asked you to provide as much information as you could about what was going on and such was the response that ...