All articles by Thomas Lane – Page 16
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Archive TitlesA trip to the top: What is the Orbit like?
Britain’s tallest and most controversial sculpture, the Orbit was unveiled today on the Olympic Park. What is it like?
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FeaturesOffshore wind farms: Winds of change
Tidal turbine technology is changing fast and offshore wind turbines are getting bigger, so the government-backed firm Narec is investing £80m into its testing facilities to simulate the harsh conditions at sea. Thomas Lane explains
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FeaturesHousing ventilation: Bit of an air con
In the race to build ever more airtight homes, it appears that housebuilders are sacrificing air quality, with some 95% of new dwellings failing Part F ventilation standards
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News95% of homes fail to meet ventilation requirements
Rise in airtight homes prompts increase in mechanical systems
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Archive TitlesKingspan insulation collection scheme: Waste away
Kingspan has piloted an insulation collection scheme in Dudley that aims to help contractors edge closer to their zero-waste-to-landfill targets
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FeaturesDesigning a dancefloor: Ramboll's new moves
When Ramboll was faced with the problem of designing a lightweight, long-span floor capable of withstanding the combined weight of a school dance class, it needed to come up with some exciting new moves … Building reports
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FeaturesFrance's nuclear fusion reactor: The hottest and coldest place on earth
Building goes on the trail of the ITER - a £12.5bn multinational project that might just save the world …
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CommentThe future's green
This year’s Ecobuild is the biggest so far and the green agenda is more relevant than ever
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FeaturesBest supporting acts: The ICE awards
Beneath Londoners’ feet, on their roads and in their stations, the city is undergoing arguably its biggest transformation since the Victorian age. The ICE awards, held last week, celebrated the cream of this current wave of infrastructure projects. Thomas Lane rounds up the winners
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FeaturesFrom 1900 to 2012: Finishing the University of Birmingham
Aston Webb’s grand semi-circle of buildings conceived for Birmingham university in 1900 was the original redbrick campus. But only four of its five neo-Byzantine pavilions were ever built. Now Glenn Howells Architects and Bam have finished the job. Building reports
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FeaturesRaindrops keep falling: The Oxford Natural History Museum's leaking roof
The Oxford Natural History Museum has been plagued by water dripping through its roof since its completion but after years of buckets and botched jobs one architect has finally solved the problem. Building finds out how you fix a 154-year-old leak
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NewsGovernment poised to backtrack on Part L
Consultation expected to water down carbon reduction targets
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FeaturesProjects of 2011
Arts-led regeneration projects, rail upgrades, Olympic venues, luxury flats and an opulently refurbished hotel all defied the downturn. Thomas Lane and Ike Ijeh revisit some of the splendours
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FeaturesA lot to live up to: Building houses that meet predicted energy use
The gap between a house’s predicted energy use and actual performance has been comprehensively panned. Building meets three developers who reckon their projects will show that low carbon on paper can mean low carbon in practice
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FeaturesFarringdon station overhaul: Boring? If only!
London’s Farringdon station has been given an overhaul and is ready for more passengers, bigger trains and Crossrail. But it hasn’t been an easy ride - and digging a 140m tunnel by hand was the least of it. By Thomas Lane. Photography by Colin Streater
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FeaturesHydropower: Water works
With all the controversy over solar, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that hydropower produces a thousand times more electricity. Building investigates a power source that could light up the industry
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NewsTimber frame industry tackles fire safety
UK Timber Frame Association and HSE have joined forces to promote more fire resistant time frame systems
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FeaturesQuadruple glazing: Fancy a fourth layer?
It’s winter and our thoughts turn to keeping warm by any means necessary. Is quadruple glazing the solution? Thomas Lane peeks out from behind his curtains to ask the experts
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NewsArup to open BIM consultancy in UK
Engineering giant has been offering BIM services in Australia for 12 months
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FeaturesThe rise of the BIM consultant
With its clear government backing and success stories in the press, construction firms realise that BIM is a Very Important Thing. The question is, how to do it? Thomas Lane meets the new wave of BIM consultants who may have the answer