All articles by Thomas Lane – Page 26
-
FeaturesUttlesford: the council trialling consequential improvements
L is for … The government has twice shied away from including consequential improvements in reforms to Part L. Now one small council in Essex has shown that not only can it be done, but it can even be popular. In the second in our series on the Part L ...
-
Comment
The government's greenprint
Or, at least that was the case until last week, when it published its carbon transition plan: practical proposals to make just about everything more energy-efficient. The aim is to reduce carbon emission in 2020 to 34% of their level in 1990.The plan should be broadly welcomed, largely because it ...
-
NewsMaterial and labour costs to fall for first time since 1970
Davis Langdon says that tender prices are 10% lower than this time last year and that steel fell 40%
-
NewsPrince and council cut social homes deal
The plan for a Prince of Wales-approved eco-settlement in Devon looks set to have its affordable housing element cut to get it off the ground
-
CommentThe government's greenprint
The government has spent far too long cooking up ever more ambitious carbon targets without doing anything much to meet them
-
FeaturesTellytubby land: BedZed revisited
Peabody’s BedZed was the housing scheme that first got everyone talking about zero-carbon living. But is it all that it was cracked up to be?
-
CommentBuilding buys a pint... for Ryder
Tonight’s jaunt happens to coincide with London’s tube strike, so just getting to the venue presents a challenge
-
NewsGovernment U-turn on Part L provokes industry fury
Plan to force homeowners to include eco measures in home improvements dropped at last minute
-
FeaturesThe big push: getting materials to the 2012 Olympic site
The Olympic team is using every means possible to get the vast amounts of materials it needs into its hemmed-in east London site: roads, railways, and now the River Thames. Thomas Lane reports on a grand offensive
-
Comment
Playing by the regs
This year there are more government consultations on greening the built environment than ever before.For a start, there are the consultations on the traditional Building Regulations - consultations on Parts L and F were imminent as we went to press. These have been joined by higher, policy-level consultations as the ...
-
FeaturesSleeping beauty awakes: the St Pancras Midland Grand hotel
The fairy-tale castle that is the Midland Grand hotel has been asleep for a very long time. Now the arrival of the Eurostar has roused it, and it is once again to become the most stylish address in London
-
NewsMeet the government's new best friends: Victorian refurb
Renovation will play a vital role in meeting the government’s target of an 80% emissions reduction by 2050. And it’s the owner occupier who’ll be doing the work. Two south London residents found out what it takes
-
NewsGuide to future building regulations: In-tray
The government is busy legislating to make contractors build eco-houses and homeowners improve existing stock. Thomas Lane takes a look at what regulations are already in place, and what may be coming up
-
NewsPlaying by the regs
This year there are more government consultations on greening the built environment than ever before
-
NewsEnergy regs crackdown on homeowners
Government could force all extension projects to include green improvements to rest of property & Conservatories to be regulated for first time
-
FeaturesA bad time to be a new idea: tried and tested innovations
With margins heading south, there has never been a more compelling case for doing things differently. The bad news is that trailblazing innovations can be expensive. Fortunately, as Thomas Lane reports, there are some pretty good ideas already out there …
-
NewsWhat will he say this time? Prince Charles at the RIBA
Amid all the furore over his intervention on Richard Rogers’ design for Chelsea Barracks, it’s easy to forget that next week the Prince of Wales is to give perhaps the most eagerly awaited speech on architecture in a generation
-
Comment
Welcome to Building's expert economists
Welcome to Buildings new economic panel. We have assembled a panel of experts to help make sense of these fast moving and uncertain economic times. They will regularly comment on economic developments as they unfold and give an insight into what these might mean whether it's and event as big ...
-
FeaturesMake a wish: can Saudi Arabia make your dreams come true?
So, you want hundreds of billions of pounds of government-backed construction projects, and maybe a 30% pay rise too? Well, there’s one country that has untold riches beyond your wildest dreams. Thomas Lane braced himself and booked a flight
-
FeaturesDon't sweat it: Arup's National Physical Laboratory
Building a laboratory where temperatures are controlled to the nearest 0.1ºC is scary enough. But when you have the added possibility of radiation leaks and you know the job finished off the last firm to try it, well, you could forgive Arup for being ‘a bit nervous’