More Focus 鈥� Page 534
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Features
Why can’t they win at home?
Architects Zaha Hadid, Alsop & St枚rmer, Branson Coates and David Chipperfield were chosen to represent British design excellence at last week s Venice Biennale. So, why aren t they landing more major projects in the UK?
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The real story
Malcolm Clarke says construction isn t all big boys and cowboys. The NFB boss wants to tell clients and government about the smaller firms that make up 85% of the industry.
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‘I have worked in construction all my life and now I have given my life to it’
While more and more companies are paying attention to site safety, there has been precious little headway in on-site health and workers are paying the price.
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21st-century classic
Foster s design for a covered square in the heart of the British Museum meant the engineer had to sit 800 tonnes of steel and glass over the world-famous and grade I-listed Reading Room.
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How the roof is supported by the existing structures
Spanning the British Museum s central Great Court and encircling the grade I-listed Reading Room with a delicate steel and glass roof was an immense challenge for the project s engineer, Buro Happold. Not only did the weight of the roof have to be carried by the surrounding listed buildings ...
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Green for life
Envest, the BRE s new software program, gives architects instant estimates for the environmental impact of their designs. How well does it work?
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How much of what?
When you send your builder a notice saying you aren t going to pay the full amount asked for, do you have to say what you re withholding the money from? Well, it depends on the contract
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Is the act bankrupting us?
Despite healthy orders, insolvencies seem to be on the increase. Are firms pushing the self-destruct button to avoid paying when they lose adjudications? And if they are, what can you do to get your money?
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Why clients need carrots
Incentives to get a job done on time usually rely more on punishment than reward, but a little hard-nosed calculation might persuade clients that profit is the better motivator.
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The ties that bind
Does making a partnering agreement contractually binding contradict the whole idea of partnering? Not necessarily: it can demonstrate both parties commitment to the process.
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The big softie
In the drive to maximise profits and increase global competitiveness through mergers and acquisitions, companies often lose sight of soft issues an oversight that can cripple the whole project.
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Showdown at Spaghetti Junction
One-third of West Midlanders say they ve been ripped off, the press is going bananas and everybody wants government action. So, a perfect place to test the quality mark. Will it pass?
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The Birmingham firm that won the first quality mark
Millman Group is the first Birmingham firm to win the quality mark. Construction minister Nick Raynsford gratefully awarded the certificate at last week's Interbuild conference to manager Rebekah Millman. Raynsford and Millman also did an impromptu interview with local radio legend Ed Doolan on BBC Radio WM. Director David Millman ...
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Ideas above its station
Walsall's landmark bus station does a lot more than shield passengers from the rain. It makes double-decker travel glamorous.
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Pane barrier
Transforming the bold, irregular curves of Foster and Partners' GLA building into simple, flat glazing panels meant double geometry for the design team.
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Think thin
Every millimetre of space is at a premium in the City of London, so thinner walls can mean big gains for property developers. As MEPC proved, that can be a delicate balancing act
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Mix and match
The team building Glaxo SmithKline s headquarters in west London uses more than its fair share of data exchange technology. Its IT system combines CD-ROMs, an extranet and a technical drawings network.
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Pebbles that spell trouble
Remember the shoe borrower s act from last week? An ambitious attempt to protect the rights of third parties, it can hinge on opinions about intention and that could be a problem.
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Dealing with divorce
Clients fire consultants with the most threadbare excuses, in a way that would be inconceivable with contractors. So perhaps it s time for them to get tough and start insisting on termination fees.
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The away game
In the third article on the FIDIC suite of international forms, they are found wanting when it comes to recovery of costs because of incidents outside contractors control.