Opinion – Page 576
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Comment
Timely advice
Jeremy Thorp (Letters, 4 June, page 34) may be interested to investigate the provisions of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, which provides a statutory right to interest on late payments.
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Comment
Dubai-opener
Now that Building has some understanding of Dubai (4 June, pages 38-42), might I suggest you publish a follow-up article called "All Work and No Play" on the British staff and managers who underpin many of the key subcontractors on construction projects in Dubai. ...
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Comment
Condemned to the gutter
Although I believe you have captured the enterprising and "can do" spirit that exists in Dubai, I don't think that references to "demanding clients" added anything to the article and are certainly not helpful to British companies working in the region. I am sorry to say that the tone ...
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Comment
On the safe side
I believe the construction industry is destined to fail in its quest to improve safety unless it begins to place a higher value on human relationships and interaction.
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Comment
There's the rub
Regarding Dennis Lenard's comments on being "stuck in the 1980s", as a founder member of Product Innovation in Architecture, I am finding it virtually impossible to get anything other than lip-service paid to innovation. Everybody wants it but nobody will pay for it. The catch-22 scenario is that you would ...
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Comment
Still ahead of the Falklands
Digby Jones tells us that the sum of £250bn is not a great deal to spend on upgrading the transport system of the world's fourth largest economy (18 June, page 14).
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Comment
An end in sight …?
The Brooke Report has been a huge achievement for the RICS, enjoying wide membership consultation and producing a conclusive report within a short deadline.
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CommentA reader writes: Why the Tricorn had to go
Contrary to what Owen Luder wrote last month, his Portsmouth shopping centre was ripe for demolition, simply because it failed in so many ways
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Comment
Pricey advice
This was a claim for professional negligence by a company incorporated to purchase a sea front hotel and adjacent land in Hunstanton, Norfolk, against the solicitors that acted for it on the purchase. The hotel had been purchased subject to three outstanding floating charges on the assets of the seller, ...
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Comment
Something about Germany
Europe's economic engine is once again in gear, but any UK firms thinking of returning to the market need to know about some recent changes in the law
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CommentDemons and angels
Claims mongerers are chasing ambulances in every walk of life. But adjudication shrived them of their sins in construction, and could be the answer elsewhere
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Comment
Designed by parrots
Much 'sustainable design' is in reality a few slogans and buzzwords repeated by architects and developers to win competitions and get planning permission
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Comment
Divided we fail
If we want buildings that don't endanger their occupants or break down in other ways, then we must play safe with their design.
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Comment
The Santa clauses
Clients have the same approach to indemnity clauses as small children do to Christmas lists. It's understandable, perhaps, but it's hardly realistic …
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Comment
The accidental jurist
If a party makes a mistake about what it is agreeing to, what are its chances of wriggling out? The Appeal Court has just made a controversial ruling on this point
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Comment
It's the contractors
Colin Harding's open letter to John Prescott (June 4, page 33) is typical of the lovely fellow.
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Comment
no, it's the architects
I was interested in Colin Harding's letter to John Prescott and that of Brian Law regarding the CDM Regulations (4 June, Letters, page 34).
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Comment
Way out with the count
While I was genuinely impressed with the victory of off-site manufacture over traditional build in your two-round bout (Homes, May, page 24), I feel I should point out that someone had not done their sums properly. The total cost per unit for traditional build should have been £218,000, making the ...
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Comment
Ups and downs
I was interested to read that Rod Maceachrane, commercial director of the National House Building Council, says that dispute resolution cases are down 14% year on year (16 April, page 43). The NHBC Annual Review records 4128 cases in 1997/98 rising to 7673 in 2001/02. The last figure was ...