More Focus – Page 412
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Features
What customers think of brownfield
Agent King Sturge asked 400 homeowners and tenants from seven cities what it's like living in urban redevelopment areas …
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Features
Factfile
Planning approvals The need for Kate Barker's recommendations is plain to see, as planning approvals continue at a low level.The only bright spot is the high-demand, high-value South-east, where approvals almost reached four figures New-build completions Winter weather has done little to hold back build rates, and sales ...
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Features
Outside: Now/next
Brick systems slip up cladding popularity charts – or you can have render, terracotta, zinc, polished masonry, reconstituted stone … And over the page, this month's products take in a Bristol marina, the south bank of the Thames, the Peak District and the Wiltshire Downs. We're so good to you
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Features
Where has all the land gone?
The government has used the planning system to force developers to put most of their residential developments on brownfield land. And it did to for excellent reasons. Unfortunately, the consequences have been dire.
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Features
Basra stories
On the anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Mark Leftly visited UK firms working in the south of the country. He discovered that everyday life for contractors involves death threats, spiralling security costs, kidnapping, shortages of power and water – and a great deal of raw sewage
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Features
Danger money
There has been a spate of bomb attacks on British employees in Iraq, and the costs of protection is going through the roof. With the situation rapidly deteriorating, we uncover the harsh reality of working life in the shadow of the gun …
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Features
Here the twister comes
The Thames Barrier, designed to be raised once every five years, is being raised 10 times a year. We will know when we are drowning because there will be a programme about it on television, and it will be repeated three times … ºÚ¶´ÉçÇø presents this week's extracts from CABE/RIBA's ...
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Features
Take school to the kids
Traditionally, training workers to NVQ level has meant adapting to an inflexible college timetable only to have them learning very generalised subjects. But now firms are training staff on site — and it's proving much more efficient
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Features
What's in it for me?
On-site training is ideal for small firms, says Gordon Harris, boss of Advanced Roofing in Derbyshire
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Features
United front
Many companies are attracting new workers into the industry by offering training on site. We look at the initiative on one project by social housing contractor United House
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Features
Just the job
Training manager Jayne Sloan is responsible for getting construction workers through the NVQ programme. She explains why it is rewarding work
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Features
On the ground
The construction of new homes and infrastructure projects is essential if normality is to return to southern Iraq. ºÚ¶´ÉçÇø went on patrol with the Royal Artillery to visit to some key construction projects under way around Basra
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Features
Arup's giant foaming Chinese puzzle box
Beijing's 2008 Olympic swimming stadium looks like a artifact from a dream: a giant box of glowing blue bubbles in which 17,000 people are concealed. Once you recover from the shock of seeing it, you start to wonder how anyone could possibly work out how to build it.
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Features
Spring into action
In this month's Tracker, Experian Business Strategies reports on a record-breaking January for contractors and anticipates growth in UK construction to increase over the three months to May
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Features
Miranda's way
No doubt you think Miranda Seymour-Smith's a bit quixotic. After all, she wants to get women onto site by banning wet T-shirt jokes. On the other hand, the Queen asks to come to her dos and Peter Rogers is her biggest fan. Still so sure?
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Features
Dream over
For five years, the Peabody Trust has been the standard bearer of progressive housing in Britain, producing ideal homes such as the BedZED development pictured. Now that it has been forced to cut staff and move away from development, are prefabrication and sustainability lost causes?