Opinion 鈥� Page 456
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CommentFrankly, it was all a waste of energy
After watching two assessors make a right dog鈥檚 dinner of measuring the energy performance of his house, Jeff Howell suspects a little extra training may be in order
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CommentA step too far
Extending the Construction Act to embrace oral as well as written agreements is to be applauded. Expanding the definition of 鈥榓greement鈥�, on the other hand, is definitely not
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The lesser-spotted contract
Last month, Tony Bingham said construction lawyers would agree with the Court of Appeal鈥檚 ruling in SWI vs P&I. Well, Stuart Pemble doesn鈥檛, and that is because he doesn鈥檛 really believe in fixed-price deals
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CommentAt full blast
A turbulent week as Richard McCarthy delivers a stormy press briefing, a furious homeowner takes his revenge on rogue builders, and abseilers are dropped in to lighten things up a bit 鈥�
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CommentUndercover recruitment
Following on from your article on unscrupulous headhunters (15 June, page 42), we had an interesting experience with a recruitment agency recently.
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Not so robust
The Robust Details scheme is held up by many as a sure-fire, hassle-free way to comply to Part E.
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Small packages
I received the 2007 UK construction industry Key Performance Indicators pack by post. The CD-Rom and guide booklet together weigh 116 grams and will fit in an A5 jiffy bag.
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The modern way
To meet targets in the housing green paper for increasing the UK鈥檚 housing supply, modern methods of construction (MMC) will have to be considered on a wider scale.
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CommentLet鈥檚 stop ignoring all this talent
The news that the industry has cut the number of apprenticeships by over a quarter this year should make every one of us hang our heads in shame (news, page 13).
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A snag in the process
The claimant, Thomas Vale, sought a declaration that a withholding notice was invalid. The contract was a JCT Standard Form of 星空传媒 Contract with Contractor鈥檚 Design 1998 edition incorporating amendments 1-5 and further amendments set out in the employer鈥檚 requirements. The works comprised the construction of 24 apartments. A dispute ...
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CommentLimited 鈥� within limits
Directors often think that they are immune from liability for costs incurred by their companies. Listen and learn. The entrepreneur here finished up with a massive legal bill, not to mention a wigging from the judge
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CommentIn praise of mess
Our cities and townscapes have to reflect the messy unpredictability of those who live in them. Attempts to impose order by micro-managing every masterplan will end in lifeless homogeneity 鈥� which is the enemy of beauty
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CommentNever work again
At the moment Facebook is the number-one workplace distraction, says Alex Smith. The next big thing may be 3D real-world maps. Just make sure you don鈥檛 end up using them to find the dole office
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CommentThank you, m鈥檒ud
Judge Coulson ruled recently that a court can pause a case and direct the parties to adjudicate their differences away. Which, apart from anything else, is a real vote of confidence in adjudication 鈥�
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CommentA lesson in realism
Generating 60% of our schools鈥� energy from on-site renewable sources may sound like a great idea, but the figures don鈥檛 add up. Bill Watts takes today鈥檚 maths class
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Clear as mud
The House of Lords鈥� ruling in the Melville Dundas case confused everybody about the Construction Act鈥檚 payment rules. Now the courts are trying to get things straight again
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Riddle me this
If you see something going wrong on a building site, do you have a legal duty to tell someone? This is a simple question with no simple answer, says Rupert Choat. But here鈥檚 the latest thinking 鈥�