More Focus – Page 131

  • Colette O'Shea
    Features

    Interview: Colette O'Shea

    2014-05-09T06:00:00Z

    Land Securities’ Colette O’Shea is about to take over the presidency of the British Council for Offices. And she has a thing or two to say about how parts of the development industry have lost sight of the most important people - the occupiers of the buildings themselves

  • Knauf building
    Features

    A lesson in geometry: Knauf's UK headquarters

    2014-05-08T09:29:00Z

    AHMM’s design for the new Knauf HQ is a masterclass in lineal precision, fitting seamlessly into its industrial riverside setting despite its modernist white exterior. Here’s how, with the use of some of the manufacturer’s own materials, the project stacked up to just £1.8m

  • Consultants' salary survey 2014: Rise and shine
    Features

    The 2014 consultants' salary survey

    2014-05-08T06:00:00Z

    Wages are still slowly on the up according to this year’s ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓ/Hays Construction consultants’ salary survey, but more significant is the drive towards recruitment in 2014, with firms seeking - and competing for - new talent to avoid skills shortages on the horizon

  • Aluminum Ceiling Panels
    Features

    What to specify: Commercial

    2014-05-07T09:35:00Z

    This week we have some interesting settings for commercial products, including a fashion house in Manchester, the depths of Amsterdam’s subway system and Volkswagen’s HQ in Milton Keynes

  • Liveprool Street site
    Features

    Lack of infrastructure investment could hit recovery

    2014-05-07T09:26:00Z

    Arcadis report finds lack of investment in new and replacement buildings and infrastructure could threaten UK’s economic recovery

  • Lead times: January - March 2014
    Features

    Lead times: January - March 2014

    2014-05-06T10:00:00Z

    Increased enquiries and workload are now affecting most trades throughout the industry, which is showing in increasing lead times. Brian Moone of Mace Business School reports

  • The balance of payments
    Features

    The pressure of payment reform

    2014-05-02T00:00:00Z

    The launch last week of a new payment charter adds to the legitmate pressure on contractors to pay their subbies promptly. But this pressure could also starve contractors of the cash they need to invest, push up prices, and even push some firms over the edge

  • Garden cities: Back to the future
    Features

    Garden cities: Back to the future

    2014-05-01T00:01:00Z

    Garden cities offered a utopian vision of town planning at the dawn of the last century. But could they be the answer to the current housing crisis? The coalition seems to think so

  • Marks and Spencer Cheshire Oaks
    Features

    The eco-supermarket pioneers

    2014-04-30T09:37:00Z

    As Sainsbury’s Greenwich, the pioneer of retail sustainability, prepares for possible demolition just 15 years after its opening, we look at how eco-stores have evolved since, with supermarkets attempting to save energy and boost their green credentials

  • Fig5
    Features

    Tracker: March 2014

    2014-04-29T06:00:00Z

    Construction activity showed a slight fall in the third month of the year but remained in positive territory, pointing towards a period of sustained expansion. Experian Economics reports

  • Cala chief executive Alan Brown
    Features

    Interview: Alan Brown

    2014-04-25T06:00:00Z

    With two investors behind it and the recent purchase of upmarket housebuilder Banner, Cala Group has come a long way from its precarious refinancing in 2009. Alan Brown talks about delivering volume at the top end of the market, and plans to treble turnover to £800m a year

  • Locations of contracts awarded in March 2014
    Features

    Spring in our step

    2014-04-25T06:00:00Z

    Business indicators point to plenty of momentum in the economy as household consumption expands and employment rises. Michael Dall presents highlights of Barbour ABI’s latest monthly Economic Construction Market Review, with a special focus on the education sector

  • Market forecast 1 graph 250414
    Features

    Market forecast: Rebound on track

    2014-04-23T08:42:00Z

    Although Q1 2014 saw output and price levels taper off, the overall direction of the industry remains encouraging, especially considering its supply and skills constraints

  • Door suite
    Features

    What to specify: Doors & windows

    2014-04-22T16:48:00Z

    You can see clearly now with the latest doors and windows products. Innovations include automatic door operators, top swing reversible windows and electronic roof windows

  • London sunset
    Features

    How to be cool: Tackling overheating in UK homes

    2014-04-22T16:37:00Z

    Overheating in homes is set to become an increasingly urgent issue, especially in the capital, as global temperatures rise. With energy legislation demanding that buildings become ever more airtight, what is the best way for designers to respond?

  • Workers of the World unite
    Features

    Workers of the World unite

    2014-04-17T00:01:00Z

    Bosses of employee-owned companies claim greater engagement and increased profitability. So why isn’t everyone doing it?

  • wire frame
    Features

    NBS survey: The BIM that will bring us together

    2014-04-17T06:00:00Z

    NBS’ annual BIM survey suggests that uptake of the collaborative technology has risen sharply over the past year. But is it really becoming the industry norm?

  • BIM: The inside story two years on
    Features

    BIM: The inside story three years on

    2014-04-16T09:24:00Z

    Manchester council’s FM team were initially reluctant to use BIM in the operation of the city’s newly refurbished Central Library. But then they were shown how much time it could save, even on changing a lamp… Thomas Lane catches up with the team in part three of a series that ...

  • New London Architecture’s view of the City of London in 2025
    Features

    Cost model: Tall buildings

    2014-04-15T14:00:00Z

    With nearly 250 towers set to be built in London alone - the vast majority of them residential - Brian Smith, Mital Dholakia and Richard Heseltine of Aecom highlight the main design and cost considerations in reaching for the skies

  • Brent Civic Centre
    Features

    ¾«¶«Ó°ÊÓ Award Winners: Sustainable project of the year

    2014-04-11T00:01:00Z

    There were several trailblazing projects in this category, but Skanska and Hopkins Architects’ Brent Civic Centre stands out for redefining the humble council office as a beacon of low-energy design