All Open Mic articles – Page 2

  • Open mike lead
    Comment

    Open mike: Rebuilding Christchurch

    2012-07-06T00:00:00Z

    On 22 February 2011 an earthquake hit New Zealand’s Christchurch, killing 185 people in one of the nation’s deadliest disasters. Paul O’Connor has been working on the rebuild

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    Comment

    Opportunities in the hotels sector

    2012-06-01T00:00:00Z

    Hotel development was once a licence to live dangerously but the recession has created a more sensible environment that could still yield dividends, says Eric Jafari

  • Ben Derbyshire
    Comment

    Reading regs the riot act

    2012-05-11T00:00:00Z

    Over-regulation and vested interests could be banished to the past if plans for a review panel of experts and consumer labelling get the go-ahead, says Ben Derbyshire

  • Suzannah Nichol
    Comment

    Support your supply chain

    2012-04-27T00:00:00Z

    According to ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉúTV’s new white paper, specialists fear the pain is about to get even worse - which makes the issue of fair payment more critical than ever, says Suzannah Nichol

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    Comment

    If we lose specialist subcontractors, the industry will be deskilled

    2012-02-10T00:00:00Z

    A barren landscape of deskilled workers awaits us at the end of this downturn if we continue to neglect or leapfrog the specialist subcontractor, says Richard Piggott

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    Comment

    We can deliver cost-effective schools while keeping BREEAM

    2012-01-31T10:17:00Z

    The subtext to the debate over scrapping the BREEAM standard for school buildings is that it costs too much, but, says Sean Lockie, that ignores our ability to deliver schools efficiently

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    Comment

    PFI: Long live the reformation

    2012-01-27T00:00:00Z

    The PFI model is seriously damaged but now isn’t the time to throw the baby out with the bathwater, says Steve Beechey of Wates

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    Comment

    The Green Deal: We're not getting insulation pre-assessments right

    2012-01-17T12:45:00Z

    Insulation pre-assessments are key to the success of the Green Deal - but most are being carried out using completely the wrong method, warns sustainable building expert Neil May

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    Comment

    Life after banks: ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉúTV without loans

    2012-01-13T00:00:00Z

    The chances of smaller developers getting loans, even for pre-let projects, are slimmer than ever - but that doesn’t mean they need to stop building, says property investor Eric Jafari

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    Comment

    Aiming for zero (carbon)

    2011-12-02T00:00:00Z

    The government is consulting on the feed-in tariff cut, but Dan Jestico says it should also be asking the industry for views on how non-domestic buildings can be zero carbon by 2019

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    Comment

    School buildings: Could achieve great things

    2011-11-11T00:00:00Z

    Schools need results and, with a new building programme on its way, the design and construction industries are the best people to deliver

  • microphone lead
    Comment

    Planning and biodiversity: An inconspicuous truth

    2011-10-21T00:00:00Z

    When the planning system leaves sites empty, it also blocks money that is urgently needed to enhance local biodiversity, says Jaquelin Fisher

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    Comment

    Improving energy efficiency: the hole truth

    2011-10-14T00:00:00Z

    The Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation could transform the UK’s housing stock, says John Sinfield. But only if they come with powerful incentives to insulate our homes

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    Comment

    Delivering low carbon buildings in practice

    2011-10-07T00:00:00Z

    We’re very good at delivering low-carbon buildings on paper, but when it comes to actual performance, we’re where we were 20 years ago. Richard Guy says it’s time to get serious

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    Comment

    Infrastructure: The art of travel

    2011-09-16T00:00:00Z

    Good infrastructure is not only important for those who want to travel, it’s vital if the UK wants to be globally competitive, says Mark Loader

  • Philip Watson
    Comment

    Setting the bar high

    2011-09-09T00:00:00Z

    Is standardising design the way forward for schools? Yes, says Philip Watson, but only if ‘standardisation’ means ‘best practice’ and we consider the individual needs of the school

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    Comment

    Procurement: Design in the dumps

    2011-09-02T00:00:00Z

    ‘Design and dump’ procurement wastes contractors’ skills, distorts the market and pushes up costs for the client, says Steve Hale. But change is on the way

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    Skills crisis: Train to win

    2011-08-25T00:00:00Z

    With a maturing workforce and negative perception among young people, the industry is facing a future skills crisis. We must act now to stop this time bomb

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    Comment

    Engineering courses: Get real

    2011-08-05T00:00:00Z

    Engineering courses give students a great theoretical grounding but to foster creative minds we need an earlier emphasis on encountering real life

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    Comment

    All mapped out

    2011-07-29T00:00:00Z

    Open mike The UK is in danger of losing its way when it comes to local energy generation projects. But an energy map can guide councils and landowners to a low-carbon future, says Robert Shaw