All articles by Sonia Soltani

  • Ealing borough council offices image 1
    Features

    Style council

    2007-01-05T00:00:00Z

    OFFICES 鈥� Ealing borough council wanted to migrate 2,500 staff from an archipelago of offices into its headquarters, and turn that into a sexy, sustainable civic centre for the good burghers of west London. Sonia Soltani reports on how it did the job, with a little help from Pringle Brandon

  • Arts Team鈥檚 modernist extension, on the right, had to be different from Matcham鈥檚 facade to avoid unbalancing its symmetry
    Features

    Harmonic progression

    2006-12-08T00:00:00Z

    RHWL鈥檚 Arts Team has refurbished and extended Frank Matcham鈥檚 Victorian nonpareil, the Belfast Grand Opera House. Sonia Soltani reports on how the two styles have been made to work together

  • News

    At last Paris wakes from its slumber

    2006-12-04T07:00:00Z

    Paris may not be celebrating the Olympics in 2012 but presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy is promising to build a string of sensational new buildings

  • Archive Titles

    Eastern promise

    2006-11-10T00:00:00Z

    Sonia Soltani looks at where development money is going in eastern Europe and how much of it is really for regeneration

  • Gollifer Langston鈥檚 car park and residential scheme will feature similar aluminium mesh cladding
    Features

    This season鈥檚 must-have

    2006-11-03T00:00:00Z

    Sonia Soltani on the glamorous cladding transforming shopping centre car parks

  • Great Xscape: The Lakesmere-clad indoor ski dome in Glasgow
    Features

    Lakesmere: We've got it covered

    2006-11-03T00:00:00Z

    Lakesmere is your one-stop shop for wall cladding, roofs and glazed building envelopes. Here, director Chris Horsfall tells Sonia Soltani how it designs, installs and maintains its systems, and explains the trouble with architects 鈥�

  • Features

    Anthony Minghella

    2006-11-03T00:00:00Z

    The director鈥檚 latest film stars Jude Law as a designer whose life twists out of control after he opens an office in King鈥檚 Cross. Sonia Soltani finds out what happens when Hollywood tackles love, crime and regeneration

  • Features

    Specifier - Regulations

    2006-10-20T00:00:00Z

    SBEM, the official Part L software, was meant to make it easy to calculate the energy efficiency of any building, even ones like this. In fact, it struggles with anything more complicated than this. So what are the alternatives?

  • Features

    Zero sums

    2006-10-06T00:00:00Z

    HEALTH AND SAFETY 鈥� M&E contractor Emcor hasn鈥檛 got to zero accidents yet, but its safety policy is helping it move in the right direction.

  • Set in the 12-acre grounds adjoining Alnwick Castle in Northumberland the visitor centre overlooks the garden and offers horticultural enthusiasts a shelter from which to admire the many spectacular features
    Features

    A light topping

    2006-10-06T00:00:00Z

    Kicking off this week鈥檚 Specifier, Sonia Soltani found out why the intricate larch structure has been shortlisted for a Wood award

  • The straw-panelled EcoDepot is said to reduce energy use by three-quarters compared with standard buildings
    Features

    Down on the farm

    2006-09-22T00:00:00Z

    Sonia Soltani reports on how a York council building is demonstrating the eco-credentials of an unlikely building material 鈥� straw

  • Archive Titles

    鈥極ne day a 拢1m house will be sold on this site鈥�

    2006-09-15T00:00:00Z

    If ever there was a place ripe for regeneration it must be the former Ravenscraig steelworks. Sonia Soltani looks at the dreams for Scotland鈥檚 largest brownfield site 鈥� and the legal challenge that might prove a nasty wake-up call

  • Features

    Warming to it

    2006-09-01T00:00:00Z

    Geothermal energy 鈥� With the construction industry on the lookout for sustainable energy sources, geothermal energy is increasingly becoming the preferred option on projects

  • Features

    Now we understand

    2006-08-25T00:00:00Z

    The simple aim of persuading every member of a project team to use the same format for documents can have a huge effect on time and morale.

  • Features

    How good are extranets?

    2006-08-25T00:00:00Z

    It may seem that project extranets are an accepted part of project best practice, but not everyone鈥檚 using them and not everyone likes them. Sonia Soltani weighs up the pros and cons

  • Features

    Who鈥檚 in charge now?

    2006-08-25T00:00:00Z

    鈥� or, how a group of bright young staff members at cost consultant Davis Langdon found themselves teaching the old board new tricks.

  • The lift shaft playfully displays letters and numbers
    Features

    Uplifting

    2006-08-04T00:00:00Z

    This week, Sonia Soltani reports on an aesthetically stimulating lift shaft that helped a teaching centre meet access requirements while also cutting its budget 25%.

  • Features

    Under surveillance

    2006-07-21T00:00:00Z

    First, Sonia Soltani reports on the new systems that integrate CCTV, access control and more besides 鈥�

  • Drake Circus retail centre in Plymouth has required state-of-the-art systems
    Features

    Cutting-edge peace of mind

    2006-07-21T00:00:00Z

    Who fits it 鈥� Advanced Integrated Systems鈥� projects include courts and airports, so it knows a thing or two about security. Below, Sonia Soltani finds out how it stays ahead in an ever-changing marketplace.

  • Grants galore: Germany
    Features

    Germany 1 England 0

    2006-07-21T00:00:00Z

    鈥� but it鈥檚 the USA and Canada that take the title. As our 99% Campaign continues, Sonia Soltani explores the energy efficiency grants and tax incentives on offer around the world