All Comment articles 鈥� Page 469
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The disaster area
The latest CIPS/Markit Purchasing Managers鈥� Index (PMI) data shows that global forces continue unremittingly to batter all UK industries, with the ailing construction industry the sick man of the economy.Indeed, construction firms鈥� purchasing managers say the slight improvement in operating conditions in the past month only reaffirms how bad things ...
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CIPS construction index bounces back, but what does that mean?
The latest survey by the buyers' body CIPS shows a remarkable bounce back in the broad construction index towards the magic 50 no-change mark.The index has risen from 30.9 in April to 38.1 in May and up to 45.9 in June. This will no doubt be taken as a sign ...
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Relief on the home front, but are we really on a road to recovery?
The relief among those connected with the house building and selling industries must be enormous at the moment.Following on from a set of more encouraging sales data and a fall in pessimism among estate agents, we had figures from Nationwide at the end of last week saying that house prices ...
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Why nobody wants to buy
Tumbling fees, dwindling workloads and payment periods stretching beyond the horizon. In the last recession this led to a frenzy of mergers and acquisitions. This time, it's different.According to a report by researcher Corpfin, corporate activity in the first quarter of this year has ground to a virtual halt. There ...
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But they won鈥檛 do VAT
I completely agree with your leader on 13 March that the government should have taken the cue from the EU and cut VAT on maintenance and refurbishment to 5% in the last budget
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CommentThe general purpose specialist
If we want to make it through the recession with our highly trained staff intact, we have to carry on doing what we do well, and start doing a lot of things that we don鈥檛
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A matter of consequence
The idea of improving the existing housing stock has been debated and analysed for many years now, especially in the information, advice and guidance for Part L (15 May, page 9)
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CommentThe conservatory con
It鈥檚 good news that the regulations are becoming more onerous in England. However, in Scotland we have had minimum U-values for conservatories for some time
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CommentUnequal combat
Small Scottish firm vs Zaha, local resident vs Nick Candy, pensioner vs planners, man vs wife: this week proves that sometimes, just sometimes, the underdog comes out on top
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The key to the code
鈥淭he problem is that we are making it up as we go along鈥� (leader, 22 May, page 3)
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CommentWhy nobody wants to buy
Tumbling fees, dwindling workloads and payment periods stretching beyond the horizon
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Burning questions: Waste disposal strategies
Paul Mansouri and Mark Berry聽As Costain鈥檚 拢398m waste project in Manchester confirmed, muck and brass are as linked as ever. The link between muck and renewable fuel is more recent
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Comment星空传媒 buys a pint 鈥� for Penson Group
鈥淚鈥檓 claustrophobic ,鈥� announces Lee Penson, founder of architectural practice Penson Group
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CommentThe bridge on the river Tees
Its parents were Eric Fletcher and Margaret Thatcher. Assisting at the birth were 500 midwives. It is now being cared for by the 187,000 people of Stockton-on-Tees
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Short and tweet: Bob Leung
Dispatches from the Twitter social networking site: Bob Leung is the co-founder of Woobius, the collaboration hub for architects and engineers and a partner at Make Architects
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CommentTell them a bedtime story: Public sector tendering
If you鈥檙e a public authority inviting tenders, you should treat bidders like small children, eager to learn how you will judge them 鈥� and for heaven鈥檚 sake make sure they do learn
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Answering Mr Arrowsmith
As stated in your recent article 鈥淏etrayal of trust鈥� (15 May, page 34), NICEIC does have some sympathy with Mr Arrowsmith鈥檚 situation
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CommentThinking caps: Employer's agents
When a QS acts as contract administrator, certifier, project manager and employer鈥檚 agent, it all ends up like a game of pass the hat. But some principles always apply
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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 星空传媒 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 ...