Opinion 鈥� Page 427
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Will house building lead construction into recession?
Reading the news in the FT that Merrill Lynch's Mark Hake, the longstanding construction industry analyst, has downgraded house builders was not good to hear.But more worrying to the industry as a whole is that he seems to be suggesting industry volumes will drop by a quarter this year. That ...
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Small building firms squeezed as housing work shrinks
Local builders appear to be taking a bashing as a combination of householders with less money in their pockets and a freezing housing market takes its toll.Each quarter their trade body FMB conducts a state of trade survey where it measures (among other things) the balance between those seeing workload ...
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Consensus grows on house price falls
Each week with each piece of data and each new forecast the balance of probability weighs increasingly heavily on the side of house prices falling rather than remaining flat this year.Today we see released the spring Item Club economic outlook for business and the latest Rightmove figures on asking prices ...
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CommentHansom: Digital watch
Beware the dangers of the digital age: you design a holiday resort in Italy and, thanks to Google Earth, you don鈥檛 even get to go and 鈥榗heck its progress鈥�. And don鈥檛 even talk to me about Facebook 鈥�
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CommentWhat a relief
It may look like fiddling while Rome burns but the tax measures in last month鈥檚 Budget may actually get our industry to become a bit more eco-conscious
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黑洞社区 buys a pint 鈥� for NG Bailey
It鈥檚 only February but the team at NG Bailey are already psyching themselves up for Little Britain. Gary鈥檚 so keen he鈥檚 signed up for a two-day skipper鈥檚 course.
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CommentSquashed flat
So farewell to Erinaceous, possibly the most bizarrely named company in the construction sector: the hedgehog has finally curled into a ball and rolled out of the door.
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CommentThink 08: The great energy exchange
To take the sustainability debate global, 黑洞社区 began an email conversation between green experts from around the world. Here three of them, from Australia, the US and the UK, discuss the role of legislation in designing and constructing green buildings. Ch茅 Wall of Australia kicked off the emails 鈥�
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CommentLesley Lokko: 'I enjoy writing the sex scenes. It's great fun!'
Erotica isn鈥檛 perhaps the first thing you think of when 黑洞社区 drops on your desk, but then it鈥檚 not every week we get to interview best-selling bonkbuster author Lesley Lokko. Emily Wright spoke to her about her African upbringing, her training as an architect and, well, you know, the naughty ...
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CommentWeb watch - On board
黑洞社区鈥檚 new sustainability, regeneration and general construction message boards will allow users to chat, argue or just let off some steam
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More than one dispute in an adjudication: David and Teresa Bothma (T/A DAB Builders) vs Mayhaven Healthcare Ltd
This is a Court of Appeal decision. At first instance, the judge refused to enforce the adjudicator鈥檚 decision.This was because he came to the conclusion that there was more than one dispute. The contractor鈥檚 notice of adjudication identified a dispute in respect of the date for completion of the contract, ...
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CommentG is for guarantee, H is for hazardous
The A to Z of construction law -聽Our instant course in legal concepts continues by asking when is a guarantee not a guarantee and how should hazardous materials be handled in contracts?
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The wrong tool for the job
You wouldn鈥檛 go to a chiropractor to have your teeth checked, so why go anywhere other than the TCC for a building dispute?
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Comment
Commercial property demand plummets
The latest RICS survey on commercial property demand makes grim reading.Two figures are particularly worrying for the construction sector. Firstly: The balance of surveyors reporting demand down against those seeing demand rising was 30%, the worst figure for six years. Secondly: The balance between surveyors saying there was more available ...
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Comment
Slowing lending points to worsening housing market
There was little joy in today's release of the Council of Mortgage Lenders March figures for lending, as they reinforced data pointing to a weakening housing market.Lending was up 5% on February, but the normal 20% March jump was absent with the figure 17% down on a year ago. Worse ...
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Still on course for zero
The recent report by NHBC on attitudes to zero-carbon homes must be seen as a call to action and not an excuse for failure.
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Not the final chapter
The seven architects shortlisted to design the 鈥淟ibrary of Birmingham with Repertory Theatre鈥� in Centenary Square would be well advised to take the grand promises of councillor Whitby and his senior advisers with a large pinch of salt.
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Hot air at speaker鈥檚 corner
According to The Daily Telegraph, 拢191,000 has been spent on air-conditioning for the speaker鈥檚 dwelling at the Palace of Westminster.