All articles by Victoria Madine – Page 2
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FeaturesThe duke of hazard
How much was your last insurance premium? Too much, probably. Construction is a risky business but, if that risk is managed, it needn't push up your costs, says American expert Michael Mainelli. He tells Victoria Madine how we could learn from other high-risk industries
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FeaturesGreen is the new black
Environment-friendly design means sandal-wearing beardies designing draughty offices for a handful of right-on clients with no money, right? Wrong. Sustainable architecture is going overground as blue-chip clients spruce up their images.
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The matrix
It's easy enough to say that the most powerful asset a company has is the knowledge of its staff. But the trick, says Victoria Madine, is in harnessing this power for the benefit of your business
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Catcher in the team
With insurance premiums rising, project members are looking at the Egan idea of junking separate indemnity cover for all-for-one project insurance. One problem, however, is that the insurer would be on the team, having a big say.
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The Tao of success
Like a frog in a well seeing the sky, the great men of Farrelly Facilities grasped that it is a fool who picks up a sesame seed but loses sight of the watermelon. Victoria Madine finds out how Chinese wisdom translates into happy workers and a great fortune.
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FeaturesStack attack
As city-centre sites get scarcer, developers are getting ideas above their stations, putting offices on the market – literally – and giving a whole new meaning to living on the river. Victoria Madine looks at the rise of the stack development
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Snakes and ladders
This year's Hays Montrose/Building consultants' salary guide reveals architects are slipping down in the salary stakes, whereas surveyors and engineers are still climbing.
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FeaturesWhatever happened to best value?
Two years ago, best value was meant to revolutionise local government procurement. Instead of tendering on the basis of cost alone, councils would get the deal that was best for them in the long run. But little seems to have changed.
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FeaturesYou say you want a revolution
The Scottish tourist office has got another image to put into its montage of Caledonian wonders: the Falkirk Wheel, a spectacular rotating boat lift. And as well as being a marvel of engineering and a work of art, it links the country's two greatest cities
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FeaturesClient profile: British Waterways
Water, water, everywhere – and all of it the height of fashion, whether in a Titchmarshed garden or a comeback canal. Victoria Madine investigates one source of this new wave
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Delegation's what you need
If your company isn't growing as fast as your ambitions, it's tempting to blame the economy or bad weather. But you might be surprised to find the problem lies much closer to home. Victoria Madine talks to one owner-manager who invested in his own management skills – with impressive results.
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FeaturesStarting LIFT off
The Local Improvement Finance Trust, designed to get health centres ship-shape by 2004, was launched two years ago. So why, asks Victoria Madine, hasn't it got off the ground yet?
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Support network
Victoria Madine talks to Liz Emeny of services engineer Rybka about her new forum for young professionals in the built environment
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FeaturesMetropolis now
Berlin's spectacular new parliamentary committee building combines sci-fi and symbolism to help bring Germany's capital into the 21st century
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Let's make it better
Training consultant Uly Ma talks to Victoria Madine about Project BUILD, a scheme for helping managers improve the working environment
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2200 housing associations have 5 years to comply with 37 performance indicators. Can they handle it?
In our new regular section on housing, Victoria Madine reveals how housing associations have been given five years to comply with the Egan agenda, and overleaf, Roger Humber bemoans the forced nationalisation of housebuilding
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Worth the risk?
Professional indemnity premiums are soaring for consultants, hitting the biggest on their bottom line and threatening the viability of smaller firms. But as Victoria Madine discovers, it's still possible to find a better deal.
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FeaturesThe go-getter
Amanda Clack, the youngest-ever fellow of the RICS, is leading a shake-up of her profession. Here she tells Victoria Madine why project managers do not deserve the bad press they sometimes get from the rest of the project team.
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FeaturesIt's (still) a man's world
Equal opportunities initiatives come and go, but construction's career ladder remains steeper for women than men – if they manage to cling on at all after they've had children
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Meet the neighbours
With all eyes on the eurozone, it is easy to forget the possibilities in central and eastern Europe. Following on from our euro special, Victoria Madine discovers that these markets are about to become mainline stations on the European Union's gravy train