Opinion – Page 569
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CommentWhodunnit?
I write a play and you direct it. In rehearsals, you change some of my lines. When it is performed, it is a huge success. So are you entitled to a share of my money?
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CommentThrough the looking glass
When is an agreement in writing not an ‘agreement in writing’? When, as one subcontractor found out, it takes place in the crazy world of construction law
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How to be good
Using sustainable timber is an ethical and environmental responsibility. And where the client is the government, it’s about to be a legal requirement too
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Curry’s scary stuff
David Curry’s article scrutinising the government’s thinking on the future of council housing (13 August, page 39) was one of the most frightening I have ever read in Building.
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Iron will
Davis Langdon’s article on the costs of metal roofing (Specifier, July, page 13) missed an important point.While it is true that base metal prices vary, data from the Building Cost Information Service shows that an increase in roofing cost of £1/m2 adds only about 0.1% to overall building cost. This ...
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Our man of many words
Further to Jonathan Meades article on five great architects you’ve never heard of, could I suggest George Edward Tonge, who designed Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, and CE Mallows who came up with Tirley Garth in Willington, Cheshire. And could someone enquire of Mr Meades what on earth “farniente” ...
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The fender defence
I was interested to read that signature architect Ken Yeang has proposed the construction of two 40-storey towers to developer St Modwen at the Elephant & Castle shopping centre in south London (30 July, page 9).
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CommentWonders & blunders
Tom Wright praises a Foster and Partners building inspired by apples, but has only a raspberry for a Parisian landmark
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CommentAugust blues
The pleasure of rowing your own little boat in the modern construction industry is offset by the knowledge that you are at the mercy of a big, cruel sea
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CommentThe devil’s due
The Construction Act’s rules on payment have a basic flaw: they don’t contain a mechanism that enables a debt to crystallise by a certain date. So, time for a rethink …
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Mrs Bingham’s lament
Some clever people have come up with easy-to-use framework contracts that just might cut disputes. So where will our household clothing budget come from?
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Don’t fall for Redmond’s wind-up
So, John Redmond reckons the nuclear option is a good way to make reluctant (or broke) payers cough up, does he? Well, just remember it can easily backfire …
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When in Benghazi …
English may be becoming the lingua franca of international commerce but don’t make the mistake of thinking that construction law is the same everywhere
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Peter the portly puss
Your readers may be interested to know that Peter Lobban, the chief executive of the Construction Industry Training Board has a salary of £214,775.
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Paying for a faulty system
Last week’s editorial on construction’s payment problems (13 August, page 3) leads one to the conclusion that when the chips were down the provisions of the Construction Act were found to be ineffective.
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The last of the tradesmen
I started working as a joiner in the 1970s and you could say my age group (40-year-olds) were the last of the tradesmen to be brought through a real apprenticeship. This should have enabled us, now that some of us are in managerial positions, to pass on our expertise to ...