More Focus 鈥� Page 226
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Features
The tracker: Feeling gloomy
Bad weather, falling activity indices and sharp declines in north-west England and the East Midlands marked October down as a month to forget. Experian Business Strategies reports
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FeaturesOpen-plan flats: Opening up
There鈥檚 pent-up demand for open-plan flats, but fire safety rules make it difficult for them to get approval. Giving designers a set of templates to follow that include sprinklers and enhanced detection systems could be the answer
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FeaturesPrefabricated straw bale panels
ModCell prefabricated straw bale and hemp panels are as fire-safe as conventional materials, according to research carried out at the University of Bath
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Features
Low-energy ventilation
Vent-Axia has launched the Low Carbon Centra, a domestic extract fan which has the lowest specific fan power on SAP appendix Q, the list that means a product鈥檚 energy performance can be taken into account when carrying out the SAP assessment
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Features
Roof insulation
Rockwool, manufacturers of non-combustible stone wool insulation, has developed a bespoke insulation system for the refurbishment of the grade II-listed Barbican Estate in London鈥檚 Square Mile
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FeaturesHighly insulated roofs
A new dual-insulation roof system from Kalzip has been used on the CO2Zero-LiveWork building in Bristol which is the first live/work scheme to be certified to level five of the Code for Sustainable Homes
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Features
Fire-retardant paints
Dulux Trade has launched an extension to its Pyroshield flame-retardant range, which protects walls and ceilings and minimises flame spread in a fire
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Features
Foundation systems
Residential developer Skipton Properties is using Insulslab SFRC, a super-insulated and integrated foundation system, for its Grove Mills development in Keighley
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Features
Casement windows
Universal Aluminium Systems has launched the Unitherm 75 range of casement windows for domestic and light industrial applications
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FeaturesGreen insulation boards
Celotex has launched the FR4000 range of foil faced PIR insulation which has gained an 鈥淎鈥� rating under the BRE鈥檚 Green Guide to Specification, helping it gain credits under the Code for Sustainable Homes
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FeaturesOur man in Copenhagen: First impressions at the summit
Peter Head of Arup is blogging from the climate change conference, where he seems cautiously optimistic a deal can be struck鈥�
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Features
Cost update: November 2009
The quarterly analysis of changes to costs and prices shows building costs falling year on year for the first time in four decades. Peter Fordham of Davis Langdon reports
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FeaturesRaising the green standard
Bennetts Associates went home a double winner as construction鈥檚 most eco-friendly practitioners were honoured at 星空传媒鈥檚 Sustainability Awards
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FeaturesThe other Copenhagen: the inside track on the summit鈥檚 fringe events
The treaty at next week鈥檚 climate change summit will change everything 鈥� if it ever gets signed. But it鈥檚 the fringe events that could change the way the world builds. Roxane McMeeken gets the inside track from one of the UK鈥檚 main representatives
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FeaturesThe colleges debacle: a lack of progress report
The full scale of the Learning and Skills Council funding fiasco is only now becoming clear, as many colleges face up to a long and dismal future in temporary accommodation. Sarah Richardson reveals the full story
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FeaturesLearning fast
Ahead of February鈥檚 BSEC 2010 event, Ty Goddard of the British Council of School Environments explains why we have to get smarter at explaining to the public the importance of investing in school building
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FeaturesSunderland university student union: All bar none
There鈥檚 no room for slackers at Sunderland university鈥檚 dazzling new student union, which packs its impressively generous spaces with sports halls and exercise areas. You can鈥檛 even get a pint around here
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FeaturesFirst impressions: Architecture students on green cars
Architecture students from Nottingham Trent University and the RCA share their views on designing eco cars
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FeaturesThe ruck at the RICS
The decade-long kicking and pushing match between the RICS and its 30,000 or so QS members has turned nasty again, and accusations of dumbing down and power grabs are flying. Olivia Boyd blows the whistle and works out what it鈥檚 all about
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FeaturesBraving the cold: Mike Farley on coaxing Persimmon back to health
Mike Farley had barely got his feet under the desk as Persimmon chief executive when the recession struck, leaving the company with a plummeting share price and soaring debts. Here he tells Tom Bill about his plans to reverse those processes